Authors Note: So, in case you were wondering, I have planned out everything during the fae section of this fic, and basically, in one or two more posts its going to get exciting and we are FINALLY going to start exploring Snow's powers. I am psyched. I am also writing ahead quite a bit so that I can continue to post somewhat regularly even after school starts, so that is also good news. On a somewhat related note, these chapters are definitely getting longer, so you have that to look forward to as well. Yay! I am just full of good news today.
He smiled at her query, and turned and walked away. Snow jumped up and followed him, finally catching up to his long strides by the spring. He was holding two buckets, and had two more by his feet. She couldn't begin to fathom where he had found them. He handed the ones he was holding to her, then picked up the ones by his feet and filled them in the spring. Snow quickly followed suit, and followed him back to the potato plants and watered them, one bucket per plant. As soon as he had emptied his two buckets, he went back to the spring for a second trip. Snow did too.
When she finished watering the last plant, Snow turned and found Blidarmd watching her curiously.
"What." She asked, somewhat shortly. The amount of staring he had done was frankly appalling.
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said simply, "Most refuse to join me." With that, he turned and walked away, straight through the plants, leaving the basket of potatoes behind. After a moment, Snow hiked up her skirts and followed, treading carefully to avoid the plants.
He stopped by the spring, and left his two buckets up against the tree she had fallen asleep under. Snow left her two beside his.
She followed him across much of the garden, and the plants began to look younger and less fruitful. Blidarmd did not once turn around, but he did wait for her once when she had to free herself from a thorny vine she had brushed against.
When he did stop finally she found him kneeling beside a much younger potato plant. He did not look behind him or acknowledge her, but he began to speak.
"This garden is organized by age. There are several potato plants spread over the garden, those eight were merely the oldest. These ones will be ready soon, but not soon enough. We do not have enough space to merely rely on time. It is my job to ensure they will be anyway."
As he was speaking, he carefully brushed his hand up every stem, carefully curling around it and cupping the leaves in his palm. As he did so, his palms and fingers shone with a soft light that seemed to curl protectively around the plants. As she watched, the plant visibly grew, its leaves deepening in color, stem stretching upward, and presumably, potatoes forming underground.
After a moment, he released the plant he was bent over and rested on his heels. "Magic is far more fertile than any concoction of man's" With that, his soft voice quieted once more, and he moved on to the next plant.
Snow went to squat carefully in front of Blidarmd, with the plant between them. "Will you show me?" she asked, matching his calm and quiet tone.
Blidarmd looked up suddenly from the plant he was working on. His expression was solemn. "I do not believe your magic can do this, your highness."
Snow paused. She knew very little about her magic, but if this fey who could bend plants to his will thought the ability was beyond her, she would believe him. For now, at least. "What should I do, then?"
He smiled. "These will need water."
Snow nodded and headed for the spring. As she walked past the potato plant, she noticed that the basket they had filled was gone.