Hey, guys! I'm back :) Thanks for being patient with me and I hope you guys like this! Listen to:
Right Here - Staind
You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting...
We both turned simultaneously and I was greeted with a very hostile stare from a rather blonde Leafwoman.
She descended from the staircase with a look of pure danger on her face and internally, I cringed. She stopped right in front of us and I could've sworn her anger was so tangible, it brushed against my fingers.
Nod subtly placed me behind him, and glared at the Leafwoman.
"Lily, leave her be-"
"Wait till mum hears this, she'll practically lose her mind," Lily said, her stormy brown eyes switching back and forth between us. "You'll be in trouble for sure."
Wait, brown eyes…yes, they were the exact same color as Nod's…
Oh.
It hit me then, Lily was Nod's sister and apparently my presence must've wronged her in some way for she couldn't stop glaring at me. In turn, I looked down at my feet.
"You wouldn't dare," Nod stated and for the first time I saw his expression mimicking something close to murderous. This wasn't the Nod I was familiar with.
Lily gave him a dangerous glare of her own. "Watch me," she said icily.
"M.K, I think it's best if we meet each other tomorrow," Nod said, sparing me a glance. "I'll be at the academy, don't hesitate to find me," was all he said as he walked up to Lily and literally dragged her by the arm out of the hallway.
Her indignant yells followed until they were completely out of earshot.
I slumped against the door when I was certain nobody was watching, dropping my head onto my palms.
Was I really that repulsive? Did everybody hate me just because of my heritage?
A heritage that didn't even accept me in the first place?
Lifting my head, I was surprised to my palm moist. Sniffling, I opened the door and wearily let myself in.
There were no new clothes on my bed so I made do with my peach nightgown from yesterday. As I wrapped myself up in the silken sheets, a tiny voice in my mind asked whether it was worth it to flee to Moonhaven.
For once, I wasn't so sure.
Sleep came in a fit of dreams, all new and old alike. I dreamed of my time with the Boggans, the memory of washing Mandrake's dishes until the dark hours of night, Dagda's taunting smile and his merciless teasing.
I dreamed of brown eyes and carefree smiles, tinged with the colorful wings of a hummingbird and somehow I woke up in the night smiling.
Dawn broke and I warily got up to a new day. Stretching, I wondered if there was anything to be done today.
The answer was nope. I was as free as I had never been before.
Distantly, I wondered how productive watching grass grow could be.
Sudden inspiration hit me as I quickly replaced my night gown with the dress from yesterday and rushed out the hall. Flower maids of different colors were busy rushing up and down with the laundry and I was beyond caring when I bumped into them.
Finally, I made it to the familiar double door and gave a tentative knock.
"Come in," the Queen's melodious voice echoed.
I didn't hesitate to push the door open and was once again assaulted by the smell of fresh roses.
"Queen Tara?" I called out softly, not wanting to disturb the natural serenity that cloaked this room.
The Queen pushed back the fern fronds hiding the palace gardens from view and greeted me with a small smile. Remembering my manners, I quickly bowed down, before straightening again, hair wildly sticking out.
"Um, I was wondering uh…" I trailed off, not sure how to ask. Her encouraging smile made me continue. "If I could spend some time in your library," I said. "If it's alright with you, although I have no idea if you even have a library- oh wait, a palace will definitely have a library but this isn't considered a palace at all so I'm not really su-"
The Queen cut through my rambling with a polite cough. I stopped and gave her a sheepish smile.
"Of course you may," Tara replied and gestured to the secret garden. "Right this way."
Stunned, I couldn't comprehend that I was finally going to see the Queen's secret garden. I followed her numbly.
The air was humid and the ground was covered with colorful flowers. Moss grew on the trees and I was cautious not to step on any of the Queen's precious greenery.
Queen Tara reached to the end of her garden and pulled back some vines obscuring a hollowed out tree trunk. I followed her in and was surprised to find that there was a large winding staircase leading up to the top of the tree. We climbed in silence and I placed my hand on the wall beside me, feeling its rough bark scraping against my fingers.
"I heard that Nod's sister confronted you yesterday," Tara quipped.
I bristled but acknowledged it, feeling weird that the Queen herself knew of our dispute. She turned and gave me a comforting smile.
"Make no mistake Mary Katherine, your arrival here is not by accident," she said cryptically, opening a door that literally materialized out of nowhere.
The first thing that greeted me was the sight of books. Endless spirals of bookcases lined the wall of the tree that reached the heavens, giant books with gold trimmed bindings glinting in the lazy morning sunlight. I was pretty sure my mouth fell open.
Queen Tara gave me an amused smile, gesturing to the library.
"The biggest library in Moonhaven," she said a hint of pride in her tone. "The library connects to Moonhaven's astronomy centre so you can actually cross over to get here," the Queen explained, showing me the staircases that led to grooves on the trees which in turn were pathways from the centre.
I took it all in, the sight of the books overwhelming my senses.
"If there's nothing more, I shall be returning for a meeting with my counsels," the Queen stated gently. "Have fun here M.K."
"Wait!" I called out. "I have to ask you a few more things."
Tara nodded, waiting for me to continue.
I furrowed my brow. "Why did you invite me to join the Leafmen academy when it would be obvious I didn't belong there?" I asked.
And also that I would indirectly meet my Boggan family in battle, I thought but did not say aloud.
A smile graced the elegant woman's features. "I just thought you should be prepared," the Queen replied.
"For what, exactly?" I questioned, confused.
She shook her head, her smile turning sad. "I wish I could tell you, but it would only scare you," she looked like she was about to say something else but stopped herself in time.
"If you are not comfortable with the thought of joining the academy, it would be my utmost reassurance that you would at least learn how to ride."
I perked up in disbelief. "Ride?" I asked slowly. "As in… riding a hummingbird?"
Tara's expression was benign. "Heaven knows that if anything happened you could at least survive with that skill," she stated.
"Everyone here in Moonhaven deserves to learn something to keep them secure should anything happen…" she trailed off, lost in thought.
"O-kay," I trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"I'm sorry if I'm scaring you," Queen Tara said graciously. "This all just rambling of an old queen," she mused.
I snorted. "Please Your Grace, you still look young."
Tara gave me a patronizing smile. "Do you remember how old Ronin is?" she asked.
"About a few hundred, but he looks like he's more than that," I replied uncertainly, remembering the general's graying hair.
"Well, I've known Ronin my whole life and he tells me I haven't aged a day," she contemplated. "And he was there during my choosing ceremony."
The Queen left me to stew about this and I was taken aback. "Must be all that forest magic," I muttered, busying myself with the books.
Time past by in a flurry but I was too busy to notice- too engrossed in all of the books.
I heard the library door open but I didn't look up, enthralled by a book of fairytales in front of me. A tap on my shoulder made me look up and I smiled.
Nod was standing there in his Leafman armor, giving me an unsure look. "You weren't at the academy today," he said, trying not to sound accusing.
"Oh!" I cried, smacking my head. "That's right, I'm sorry Nod, I got caught up meeting the Queen and she showed me her library and I wanted to see and-" I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I said sheepishly.
He shook his head in amusement as he took the chair beside me. "What're you reading?" he asked, curious.
I passed him the book and he perused the cover. "Oh, this book," he said. "My mum used to read it to me when I was younger," he said, a ghost of a smile on his features.
I grinned at his nostalgia as I handed him another book. "This one is my favorite though," I said, showing a book about the world.
He wrinkled his nose. "An encyclopedia. Figures you would like this type of book," he muttered.
I snatched the book back and stuck out my tongue. "It's interesting and they have so many things I've never known," I mumbled, lovingly holding the book to my chest.
"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," Nod said and my head snapped up. "I spoke to Lily and I told her if she ever disturbed you again, she'd have to answer to me," he stated, giving me a measured look.
"You didn't have to do that, Nod," I replied, shocked.
"I don't want to come between you and your life."
Nod looked like he was struggling to say something, a secret flashing past his eyes. He didn't voice out his words, instead letting his eyes fall to the book next to my hand.
"Nod…is everything alright?" I asked, uncertainty coloring my tone.
He breathed deeply. "It's just that I hate people condemning you just because of where you grew up- it's not fair," he said, gripping my hand in his.
Nod's touch was so familiar that I didn't even move my hand away.
I smiled ruefully. "It's in our nature to despise and be wary of anything different."
His hand in mine was soothing as it was calming.
"The Queen said I should learn how to ride a hummingbird," I informed, trying to lighten up the mood.
He perked up and gave me a quizzical stare. "She did?"
"Yup, she claimed that I should at least learn a skill," I replied. "Although, secretly I think she doesn't want me to get bored."
"That's great, I'll teach you," he enthused.
Nod pulled me up and led me out of the library.
"Wait, we're going now?" I questioned in alarm.
"Yup," he chirped. "It's almost sundown and this is the perfect time for flying since the airways are clear," he added, turning around to smirk at me.
He led me out of the palace and whistled twice. Thrumming vibrations filled the air as I saw two hummingbirds descending from the branches above.
"Here, Seph," Nod called out and his faithful stead landed next to him.
The other hummingbird landed beside me, twittering non-stop.
"M.K, meet Leira, one of the untrained hummingbirds," he said, stepping over to pat its neck. "It is your job to train her and also she'll teach you how to ride her."
"Your ride is a like an extension of yourself," he counseled.
I gulped as I tentatively placed my hand onto its feathery neck. Leira seemed to be cautious of my touch, as if she could sense my apprehension too. Nod stepped up, and I was grateful that he was close should anything happen.
"It's alright, M.K, don't be afraid," he reassured me. "She won't hurt you."
I breathed in, trying to calm my erratic heart. Leira then seemed to relax into my hand and I hesitantly ruffled her feathers. She chirped and I smiled, seeing how happy she seemed.
Nod smiled encouragingly. "Great, now that you have identified yourself with your stead, you can start riding her already," he said as he removed an extra saddle and strapped it onto Leira's back.
"W-What?" I stuttered. "You want me to ride her now?" I asked, disbelieving.
"Yeah," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "Trust me, you'll never get hurt- I won't let you," he said soothingly as he hoisted me up.
I gripped the reins automatically to steady myself and Leira stretched her wings. Before I could even gasp, she took off in the air, my scream lost in the wind. Numbly, I realized that Nod hadn't told me how to steady myself and instinctively, I squeezed my thighs hard around its body.
The hummingbird righted itself, slowing down. I gasped, breathless from the sudden take off.
Nod appeared beside me, a smug smile fixed on his features.
"Are you crazy?" I shrieked. "I could've died!"
"But you didn't," he quipped smartly, making me glare at him.
"Nod, I swear, if I get down from here I'm going to pummel your idiotic-"
A gust of wind blew me off course and I shrieked again.
"Tighten the reins!" Nod yelled, his voice sounding distant and faraway.
I did as he told, pulling Leira's reins taut. The hummingbird flapped her wings and was struggled against the current.
"Hold on, I've got you," Nod yelled as he drew our steeds side by side. He grasped the reins and gave it a hard tug to the left.
Leira turned left sharply and righted herself again. I sighed in relieve as Nod handed me back the reins.
"What was that?" I asked, slowing my stead down so that she merely glided over the plains.
"Air resistance," he replied. "It's alright, when you get better at this, I'll teach you to spot one out," Nod promised.
I gave him a scathing glare. "Like how you promised to teach me flying?" I inquired, sarcasm dripping from my tone.
He had the audacity to grin. "Well, at least we now we know you're a natural at it," he said cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes, wondering if I could control my stead to smack him with her wing.
"We'll practice even more, okay?" he suggested, sending a signal for our birds to land.
I got down on shaky legs and nearly collapsed on myself. The adrenaline coursed through my veins, numbing me and making my body tremble.
Thankfully, Nod managed to catch me before I went crashing to the ground and he helped prop me against his shoulder.
"I said I'll always catch you," he breathed, his voice sounding amused.
I smiled despite myself. "Well, at least you managed to keep that side of your promise."
~~O~~O~~
In the shadow of a nearby tree, a pair of glinting black eyes surveyed the Boggan orphan and the Leafman closely.
The creature bared his teeth in a grotesque version of a smile.
It had managed to find them and that stupid, ungrateful brat was actually foolish enough to be seen in the open air.
Leaping back into the foliage, he ran, impatient to tell his master the news.
