Chapter 453

It hadn't taken them long to get the ivy into the ground. Lucien had cleared the rest of the garden bed, and Elain had enjoyed watching him do so. She had then worked with Sheera and Kera to get the ivy into the ground, Elain making sure that the holes they dug were twice as wide as the root balls. They had guided the small tendrils of the plants to the stone wall, hoping that they would take to it and grow over the stone surface.

As she had stood up, moving back to look at their work, Lucien had approached Elain from behind. She had felt him approach before he touched her, but the moment his hand connected with her skin, she smiled, leaning back into him. He slid an arm around her waist, and she relaxed into his warmth. Then Tamlin moved forward, and Elain watched him approach the ivy. "I believe this is why I was asked to come…" The High Lord of Spring said softly.

Lucien's arm around Elain's waist tightened, just a little, and his hold became slightly more possessive. She brushed one of her own hands over his, her fingers tracing his skin slowly. "You can help it grow?" She asked, Tamlin. The High Lord turned his head her way, green eyes meeting hers, and he nodded.

"You want it over the entire wall, do you not?"

"That's the goal."

"Very well." Tamlin bent, reaching a hand out to the newly planted ivy. One hand brushed against the leaves, while he planted the other in the soil, and then he leaned forward, head bowed and blonde hair falling to obscure his face from view.

Behind Elain, Lucien stiffened then, and she knew why. She could feel it in the air, feel it around her. Magic coursed through this place, through the earth beneath them, and then her gaze went back to the ivy. It had grown beneath Tamlin's hand, and she watched it slowly creep up the wall. "Oh… My…" She glanced around at Lucien and then quickly looked back to the wall.

"It is different here…" Tamlin's voice was soft, "Somehow… less…"

"You're not in the Spring Court." Lucien said firmly.

"It is still… remarkable." Sheera sounded awed, and Elain smiled at her. Her friend appeared transfixed, eyes following the ivy creeping up the wall, her mouth just about hanging open. "I… I have never seen…"

Tamlin remained silent for several minutes, and they just watched the ivy growing as he poured more of his magic into it. Soon, it was covering the wall as Elain had envisioned, and she smiled widely. She had not hoped that it would look like that for a handful of years yet, but there it was. She hoped that it helped the rest of the Court to see what this garden could be.

"Thank you." She said, when Tamlin had gotten to his feet and turned to face them again. "It looks wonderful."

"You are welcome." He inclined his head a little, straightening himself and brushing some dirt from the sleeves of his shirt. His green eyes moved from one of them to the next, and Elain could see him trying to read their expressions. He was trying to see if he could figure out what they were thinking, perhaps wondering if this was the reason he had come, or if he had some other motive.

Sheera looked nothing short of thoroughly impressed, and her eyes followed Tamlin with wonder. Kera also looked impressed, but her own eyes were on the ivy covered wall, and not the blonde male before them. Elain didn't need to see Lucien's expression to know the look she would find there. His arm was still firmly around her waist, and she could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing, hear his heartbeat in her head. No doubt he had seen things like what Tamlin had just done before.

"Are… you going to do that to other parts of the garden?" Sheera sounded hopeful, and Tamlin actually gave her a smile.

"If that is what is asked of me."

"I… I have a shop," Sheera went on, "nothing impressive really, just a little shop… do you think you might be able to … do… that… for some of my stock?" her friend broke off then, blinking and going a little red. "Sorry… I… you surely have more important things to do."

"I'm certain I will not be needed here all day." Tamlin said, eyes on Sheera. "If I have the time I would like to see your shop."

Sheera looked almost giddy at the thought, and Elain bit her lip to keep her laugh in. "The main thing going on here this afternoon will be the removal of most of those trees…" she indicated the heavy work being done nearby. "That's not something we would need your… assistance with."

"Very well." Tamlin nodded. "Then I suppose I will go into the city." He looked back to Sheera who was utterly pleased with the situation. Elain resisted shaking her head, as she pictured her friend's shop in her mind. Tamlin was surely going to have his work set for him, and Elain wondered what it was that Sheera had in mind. There were hundreds of varieties of plants in her store, and she could have any number of ideas in mind for the High Lord. Making a note to visit the shop herself tomorrow, Elain supposed she would find out then how he had been put to work.