A young woman of sixteen years of age looked up from what she was doing and gave them a questioning look. She has long, slightly curly, orange hair, which was pulled back in a braid, and bright green eyes. She wore a simple lilac sun dress and a straw sunhat. When he first saw her, he thought to himself that she reminded him of a nymph – bewitching but delicate.
“Nana, who is that?” she inquired. It was Passeck’s turn to be quizzical now so Gaethi explained to him that she was her nanny when Oraji was younger and now she’s the head of the housekeeping staff.
“Anyway, this is Passeck,” she continued as she placed her hands on his shoulders, “and he’s going to help you tend the garden.”
Upon hearing this, Oraji looked displeased. “But, Nana, I don’t need any help taking care of the garden,” she protested. However, the older woman wouldn’t hear a word of it.
“Nonsense, Raj,” she scolded. “There is no way that a single person can take care of this much land which supposed to feed an entire town. Besides, he knows how to garden as well so he’s going to help you and that’s final!”
She still didn’t look happy, but she conceded. “All right,” she sighed. “Oh, one of the servants was looking for you. Father is feeling ill again so he wanted to discuss with you about the dinner party tonight.”
“I understand, Mistress Oraji,” Gaethi said, curtseying. “By your leave then.” She reached the doorway and paused. “Make sure to include the boy in your activity. As a hostess, you have to make him feel welcome.” Then, with a smile, she entered the house and closed the door.
As soon as Gaethi was out of sight, Oraji spurned around quickly and gave Passeck a sweet smile. “Okay, Passeck,” she said. “So you told Nana that you’re a gardener, correct?”
Swallowing nervously, he replied, “Of course, I am!” Still smiling, she beckoned him to follow her, which he did. They walked down a long and winding path until they reached the vegetable patch.
“I was about to check on the vegetable garden when Nana and you came along,” she explained. “I’m going to plant some more carrots so if you don’t mind, pass me the trowel.”
Passeck gave her a blank look and asked her to repeat her request, which she did. A trowel? He stared down at the tools that were at his feet and examined them. Since she did mention that she was going to plant some seeds, it has to be a tool that helps her dig so…
Taking a wild guess, he grabbed a tool and handed to her. She frowned and pointed out bluntly, “That’s a spade. The trowel is right next to the hand rake.” He must have a confused look so she had to describe it to him. After he finally got the right tool and gave it to her, she thanked him but gave him an exasperated look.
“I see that your gardening skills aren’t as great as Gaethi made it out to be,” she said. “I know! Why don’t you gather some apples in the basket over there while I work?” She paused and begged, “Please tell me that you know the difference between an apple and a pear.”
“I know that!” he said defensively and grabbed the basket. He’ll show her! His basket will be so full of apples that they would topple over the edge. To be honest, he was rather embarrassed that he looked like an idiot. However, he was surprised that she didn’t suspect anything after he failed her test miserably. Anyone else would raise the alarm and call the guards immediately. She couldn’t be that naïve, right? Unless this was just an act just to trick him…
Imagine his surprise when he came back and saw that she was still the only one there. When she saw how many apples he collected, she looked impressed and praised him, which caused him to smile widely. She then suggested that they rest under the oak tree for a few minutes and he agreed. As they sat quietly, she spoke up, “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
“About myself? You mean, about my family and my home?” She nodded and waited patiently for his response. Well, she probably knew that his story was fabricated so might as well tell her the truth – with some alterations, of course.
“I’m originally from the capital of Sabin, Tarma. It’s a pretty large city with tall buildings made out of white stones and-“
“How tall?” Oraji interrupted. The young boy paused and thought about it.
He finally answered, “Well, I guess they’re twice as tall as your house.” Her eyes widened in awe that he wanted to laugh. Instead, he continued describing the city such as the busy marketplace, the alleys where he and his friends used to play, and the magnificent palace where King Gedimus lived. His stories seemed to captivate the young woman because she was attentive and asked a lot of questions.
After he told her that the nation was currently in trouble due to the famine, she quietly asked, “What is a famine?” He must have given her an incredulous look because she blushed and clarified in a defensive tone, “I mean I know what a famine is due to my schooling. What I meant was this: how did it feel during that time? What was it like?”
That was when it dawned on him that the reasons she was pestering him about every single details of his life was that she has never experienced anything that he had. Passeck suddenly felt pity for her; at first, he was envious that she has such a carefree and easy life, but now he knew that in spite of it, she was quite ignorant about the world around her. She was like a caged bird which never flies beyond the birdcage that imprisoned it. However, he admitted to himself guiltily that he could use it for his advantage as well.
“Well, you know the sensation of being hungry?” Oraji nodded and he continued, “It’s like that except you have that feeling every day. You can’t find any food and if you do find any, it’s not enough to sustain you. Likewise, you have to fight with everyone else just to scrap by. It was pretty hard especially since you know that the nobility has first dibs on the food supplies.”
She was quiet for a long time that Passeck became a little nervous. Finally she said, “That sounds terrible!” That was when she smiled. “I’m glad that you were able to come here. Thank you for telling me about yourself. How’s about this? I’ll teach you how to garden and in return, you tell me stories. Deal?”
Passeck answered without any hesitation, “Deal!” He shook her hand and as they went back to work, he thought to himself that this mission was going much easier than he has expected.
Later that night, one of the servants showed him to his bedroom, which was located on the second floor. He noted that there were guards stationed close by and smiled to himself. It appeared that Wilden still didn’t trust him. After he closed the door, he examined his surroundings.
The bedroom was much bigger than he has anticipated. The pale blue room faced the front of the house, which was a good location since he could easily see any fellow Sabinite spies and give them secret hand signals. There were two windows; one faced the front while the other was at the side. Luckily for him, they were easy to pry open since he still wanted to explore the manor. However, the thing he’s most curious about was Oraji herself.
During their garden session, he noticed that one of her flowers was dead and pointed it out to her. He offered to pull it out, but she informed him that she would take care of it. Her comment caught his attention since it was impossible to save a dead plant. Perhaps she has a method that could do that and if she did, that would definitely help his nation.
He waited until it was past midnight to make his move. Creeping out of his bed, he went to the side window and slowly opened it. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear before he climbed out. He jumped down to the roof below and quickly scampered off to the other side of the house. Oraji’s room was on the opposite side if he remembered correctly. He just needed to find out which room was hers and then searched it when she’s not there.
That was when something caught the corner of his eyes and he abruptly stopped. Someone was in the garden but who? He decided to investigate and discreetly climbed down a trellis. He stealthy crept through the bushes toward the sound and was surprised to see that that the culprit was Oraji.
Her back was toward him and she was looking at the dead flower from earlier. She glanced around and became relaxed when she thought that no one was around. The next thing Passeck saw astonished him. The teenager then placed her hand above the flower and a pale glow surrounded it. Then the wilted flower turned upward as if it was reaching toward the sky. When the light disappeared, he was amazed to see that it wasn’t dead anymore; it was as if it was a brand new flower with all of its petals and its leaves a lovely color of green.
“How did you do that!?” he exclaimed as he came out of his hiding spot without thinking. Startled, Oraji jumped and turned to face him.
“Passeck!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here!?”
Oh, crap. He forgot that he was snooping around the place. “Umm… uh, well I couldn’t sleep so I was walking around the garden,” he lied. “But anyway, that was pretty amazing what you did. Is that how you tend the garden? No wonder it always seems so healthy and alive!”
Her face turned pale and she confessed, “It wasn’t always like this. I only got this power recently and I don’t know why I’ve gotten them. Why don’t we have a seat somewhere and I’ll try my best to explain?” Intrigued, he readily agreed and they went to their place where they took their break.
Taking a deep breath, she began her story, “It happened a little over a year ago around the time of my sixteenth birthday. I was practicing the cello when I overheard some of the younger maids talking about a festival that was happening in town. Apparently, there was a dance event when girls at the age of sixteen were supposed to request a dance from a boy. When I heard this, I was so curious and excited about it that I asked my father if I can go. However, he denied my request and told me that I was to stay home that night.
“Usually I would just obey his orders without questions, but for some reason, I was so intent on going to that dance, I decided to sneak out. That evening, I opened my bedroom window and climbed onto the oak tree, which was next to my room. Everything was going well until I stepped on one of its dead branches. It broke right under my feet and I didn’t have any time to react. I felt myself falling as I desperately tried to grab anything to prevent my fall. The last thing I remembered was falling onto the hard ground and losing consciously.
“Now this part was the strangest one. I woke up in a garden which seems to have every plant in the world. There were some I recognized; others I do not. While I was walking through the pathways, I heard a voice whispered to me, ‘Tend to this garden and everything that you nurture will grow into fruitions.’ Alarmed, I looked around to find the location of the voice but I found myself in a different location.
“I found myself surrounded by a crowd of strangers in a strange world. The first thought that came to me was that I was dead and that I wasn’t able to attend the dance. That was when a young man tapped my shoulder and asked me what the matter was? I told him my plight and he politely offered to dance with me. He asked me for my name so I told him and I asked his in return. I don’t remember what it was, but I can recall what he look like vividly. He has brown hair and wore a black robe with gold border.
“During our dance, he told me that I wasn’t actually dead and that I was immortal just like him. He said that there were others like us and they called themselves Ilmarians. Apparently each of us was given powers to guide the world. He then informed me that he’s going to send his mother to find me and bring me to a place where I can learn more about my ability. Before he could ask me my location, I felt lightheaded and he slowly disappeared from my view.
“When I woke up, it was nighttime, which was surprising since I thought I was unconscious for a whole day or more. The first thing I saw was the broken branches above me and I realized that I actually did die. Sitting up, I found myself surrounded by ceraphilis flowers and was frightened. I immediately covered the flowers with dirt and after I inspected myself for injuries, I realized that I was in a predicament. I couldn’t go through the back door because no one saw me leave. If anyone noticed that I wasn’t in my room, then I would be in trouble and my father would definitely forbid me from stepping outside ever again. I remembered praying, ‘Dear All-Mother, I need a miracle to happen.’
“However, I suddenly noticed that there was a vine was growing beside me and it seemed to beckon me to grasp it. Amazed, I checked to see it was sturdy enough and it lifted me up to my room. After I went inside, the vine shrunk back into the ground. I was so exhausted from the whole ordeal so I went back to sleep as soon as I climbed into bed. I didn’t think too much about it until the next day when I accidentally used my power to grow a pear. I recalled my dreams and remembered how the voice told me to tend to the garden to help the world. That was when I decided to start the relief organization for the refugees.
“At first, I thought of telling someone about it but I was afraid that everyone would perceive me as some kind of freak so I remained silent,” she paused and looked at him with a look of relief. “I’m glad that I finally got to tell someone about my secret. It was driving me insane not able to tell anyone about it. Promise that you won’t tell anyone else.”
Passeck was still astonished by her story and realized that he has discovered why the Titalin region was flourishing. With her powers, Sabin would be saved and he would be highly honored by the country. Not to mention the fact that there was a high chance that King Gedimus would acknowledge him as his son! “I promise,” he said with a smile. “In fact, let’s pinky swear it.”
Afterward, she helped him back to his bedroom by growing a vine for him to climb. Before that, she informed him that her bedroom was on the third floor and it was the third window from the left. She then bid him good night and disappeared around the corner. Passeck stood by the window until she was gone and went to his bed. He thought he would have trouble sleeping after what he has learned today, but he fell fast asleep as soon as his head rested on his pillow.
Seera 22, 1784
“What kind of flower is this?” Oraji looked up from what she was doing and looked at the flower; since he now knew her secret, she has used her powers right in front of him and his job was to keep an eye out for any approaching person. Passeck has grown fond of the flower due to its sweet fragrant and lovely flowers.
She answered, “It’s a tuberose and it’s quite exquisite. In fact, that was my mother’s favorite flower according to Nana.” She became quiet and stared off to the distance. The boy then recognized that she was probably missing her mother. His assumption was correct because, during their break, she asked him, “What was your mother like?”
“I don’t really remember much about my mother,” he admitted, “but I know that she had soft brown hair and a gentle laugh. Whenever I was sad, she would tell me silly stories that made me laugh and forget my trouble. Unfortunately, she was also very ill so she mostly stayed in bed while I went around finding food and whatnot. She died in her sleep while I was out one of my excursions so I wasn’t able to say goodbye to her.”
Turning to face her, he inquired, “Do you remember anything about your mother?” She shook her head sadly and stared out toward the garden.
“You know,” she muttered softly, “this is actually my mother’s garden. You probably heard stories already about how my father forbade me from leaving this place. When I was younger, it really didn’t bother me but as I grew older, I realized that I was lonely and didn’t have anyone to play with. Well, to cope, I decided to take care of her garden to keep myself occupied and hope to honor her memory. In a way, this place has become my sanctuary.”
“Why don’t you tell your father or Gaethi how you feel?” he inquired but she shook her head again.
“My father refused to listen and right now he’s been too ill. The doctor has told me not to cause him any stress so I dare not tell him,” she explained wistfully. “I did try to tell Nana and the others once, but they told me that they don’t have the power to sway him and just to be patient until I’m at the age of marriage.”
“Well, I think what your father is doing is not right!” he declared angrily. Before she could admonish him, he continued, “Why must you suffer just because he refused to accept that his wife is dead? And why do your servants allow this to happen? If I were one of them, I would knock some sense into him.”
She stared at him before she started to laugh. “You would have been fired at the spot!” she informed him. “However, I understand why he did it. I think I would probably act that way if the same thing happens to me.”
“But still,” Passeck argued, “don’t you feel resentful? Because of that stupid rule, you couldn’t experience any fun activities that you’ve read about. Don’t forget that you died after you decided to disobey your father to go to that dance. It would have never happened if he had allowed you to go.”
Oraji was quiet during his whole tirade but finally admitted, “Yes, it’s true that I’m sometimes resentful, but I still love my father dearly. Don’t you feel the same way with your father?”
Now it was his turn to feel gloomy. “I don’t know who my father is and my mother told me that he’s dead,” he confessed. A flash of sympathy on her face caused him to add quickly, “but I believe that he’s still alive and I believe I know his identity. It’s my dream one day that he would finally acknowledge so I’m doing the best I can so maybe I’ll catch his attention.”
She rubbed his back and cheered him up, “Don’t worry! I’m sure you will.” He smiled back in return. Oraji was such a simple-minded girl, but that’s one of her traits that he surprisingly found endearing. He was about to say something when he saw Gaethi standing patiently at the door. Oh, right. He’s supposed to help her give food to the refugees.
“I gotta go!” he said quickly as he stood up and wiped the dirt from his hands. The governor’s daughter nodded understandably and waved goodbye as he went with Gaethi.
“Nana, who is that?” she inquired. It was Passeck’s turn to be quizzical now so Gaethi explained to him that she was her nanny when Oraji was younger and now she’s the head of the housekeeping staff.
“Anyway, this is Passeck,” she continued as she placed her hands on his shoulders, “and he’s going to help you tend the garden.”
Upon hearing this, Oraji looked displeased. “But, Nana, I don’t need any help taking care of the garden,” she protested. However, the older woman wouldn’t hear a word of it.
“Nonsense, Raj,” she scolded. “There is no way that a single person can take care of this much land which supposed to feed an entire town. Besides, he knows how to garden as well so he’s going to help you and that’s final!”
She still didn’t look happy, but she conceded. “All right,” she sighed. “Oh, one of the servants was looking for you. Father is feeling ill again so he wanted to discuss with you about the dinner party tonight.”
“I understand, Mistress Oraji,” Gaethi said, curtseying. “By your leave then.” She reached the doorway and paused. “Make sure to include the boy in your activity. As a hostess, you have to make him feel welcome.” Then, with a smile, she entered the house and closed the door.
As soon as Gaethi was out of sight, Oraji spurned around quickly and gave Passeck a sweet smile. “Okay, Passeck,” she said. “So you told Nana that you’re a gardener, correct?”
Swallowing nervously, he replied, “Of course, I am!” Still smiling, she beckoned him to follow her, which he did. They walked down a long and winding path until they reached the vegetable patch.
“I was about to check on the vegetable garden when Nana and you came along,” she explained. “I’m going to plant some more carrots so if you don’t mind, pass me the trowel.”
Passeck gave her a blank look and asked her to repeat her request, which she did. A trowel? He stared down at the tools that were at his feet and examined them. Since she did mention that she was going to plant some seeds, it has to be a tool that helps her dig so…
Taking a wild guess, he grabbed a tool and handed to her. She frowned and pointed out bluntly, “That’s a spade. The trowel is right next to the hand rake.” He must have a confused look so she had to describe it to him. After he finally got the right tool and gave it to her, she thanked him but gave him an exasperated look.
“I see that your gardening skills aren’t as great as Gaethi made it out to be,” she said. “I know! Why don’t you gather some apples in the basket over there while I work?” She paused and begged, “Please tell me that you know the difference between an apple and a pear.”
“I know that!” he said defensively and grabbed the basket. He’ll show her! His basket will be so full of apples that they would topple over the edge. To be honest, he was rather embarrassed that he looked like an idiot. However, he was surprised that she didn’t suspect anything after he failed her test miserably. Anyone else would raise the alarm and call the guards immediately. She couldn’t be that naïve, right? Unless this was just an act just to trick him…
Imagine his surprise when he came back and saw that she was still the only one there. When she saw how many apples he collected, she looked impressed and praised him, which caused him to smile widely. She then suggested that they rest under the oak tree for a few minutes and he agreed. As they sat quietly, she spoke up, “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
“About myself? You mean, about my family and my home?” She nodded and waited patiently for his response. Well, she probably knew that his story was fabricated so might as well tell her the truth – with some alterations, of course.
“I’m originally from the capital of Sabin, Tarma. It’s a pretty large city with tall buildings made out of white stones and-“
“How tall?” Oraji interrupted. The young boy paused and thought about it.
He finally answered, “Well, I guess they’re twice as tall as your house.” Her eyes widened in awe that he wanted to laugh. Instead, he continued describing the city such as the busy marketplace, the alleys where he and his friends used to play, and the magnificent palace where King Gedimus lived. His stories seemed to captivate the young woman because she was attentive and asked a lot of questions.
After he told her that the nation was currently in trouble due to the famine, she quietly asked, “What is a famine?” He must have given her an incredulous look because she blushed and clarified in a defensive tone, “I mean I know what a famine is due to my schooling. What I meant was this: how did it feel during that time? What was it like?”
That was when it dawned on him that the reasons she was pestering him about every single details of his life was that she has never experienced anything that he had. Passeck suddenly felt pity for her; at first, he was envious that she has such a carefree and easy life, but now he knew that in spite of it, she was quite ignorant about the world around her. She was like a caged bird which never flies beyond the birdcage that imprisoned it. However, he admitted to himself guiltily that he could use it for his advantage as well.
“Well, you know the sensation of being hungry?” Oraji nodded and he continued, “It’s like that except you have that feeling every day. You can’t find any food and if you do find any, it’s not enough to sustain you. Likewise, you have to fight with everyone else just to scrap by. It was pretty hard especially since you know that the nobility has first dibs on the food supplies.”
She was quiet for a long time that Passeck became a little nervous. Finally she said, “That sounds terrible!” That was when she smiled. “I’m glad that you were able to come here. Thank you for telling me about yourself. How’s about this? I’ll teach you how to garden and in return, you tell me stories. Deal?”
Passeck answered without any hesitation, “Deal!” He shook her hand and as they went back to work, he thought to himself that this mission was going much easier than he has expected.
Later that night, one of the servants showed him to his bedroom, which was located on the second floor. He noted that there were guards stationed close by and smiled to himself. It appeared that Wilden still didn’t trust him. After he closed the door, he examined his surroundings.
The bedroom was much bigger than he has anticipated. The pale blue room faced the front of the house, which was a good location since he could easily see any fellow Sabinite spies and give them secret hand signals. There were two windows; one faced the front while the other was at the side. Luckily for him, they were easy to pry open since he still wanted to explore the manor. However, the thing he’s most curious about was Oraji herself.
During their garden session, he noticed that one of her flowers was dead and pointed it out to her. He offered to pull it out, but she informed him that she would take care of it. Her comment caught his attention since it was impossible to save a dead plant. Perhaps she has a method that could do that and if she did, that would definitely help his nation.
He waited until it was past midnight to make his move. Creeping out of his bed, he went to the side window and slowly opened it. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear before he climbed out. He jumped down to the roof below and quickly scampered off to the other side of the house. Oraji’s room was on the opposite side if he remembered correctly. He just needed to find out which room was hers and then searched it when she’s not there.
That was when something caught the corner of his eyes and he abruptly stopped. Someone was in the garden but who? He decided to investigate and discreetly climbed down a trellis. He stealthy crept through the bushes toward the sound and was surprised to see that that the culprit was Oraji.
Her back was toward him and she was looking at the dead flower from earlier. She glanced around and became relaxed when she thought that no one was around. The next thing Passeck saw astonished him. The teenager then placed her hand above the flower and a pale glow surrounded it. Then the wilted flower turned upward as if it was reaching toward the sky. When the light disappeared, he was amazed to see that it wasn’t dead anymore; it was as if it was a brand new flower with all of its petals and its leaves a lovely color of green.
“How did you do that!?” he exclaimed as he came out of his hiding spot without thinking. Startled, Oraji jumped and turned to face him.
“Passeck!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here!?”
Oh, crap. He forgot that he was snooping around the place. “Umm… uh, well I couldn’t sleep so I was walking around the garden,” he lied. “But anyway, that was pretty amazing what you did. Is that how you tend the garden? No wonder it always seems so healthy and alive!”
Her face turned pale and she confessed, “It wasn’t always like this. I only got this power recently and I don’t know why I’ve gotten them. Why don’t we have a seat somewhere and I’ll try my best to explain?” Intrigued, he readily agreed and they went to their place where they took their break.
Taking a deep breath, she began her story, “It happened a little over a year ago around the time of my sixteenth birthday. I was practicing the cello when I overheard some of the younger maids talking about a festival that was happening in town. Apparently, there was a dance event when girls at the age of sixteen were supposed to request a dance from a boy. When I heard this, I was so curious and excited about it that I asked my father if I can go. However, he denied my request and told me that I was to stay home that night.
“Usually I would just obey his orders without questions, but for some reason, I was so intent on going to that dance, I decided to sneak out. That evening, I opened my bedroom window and climbed onto the oak tree, which was next to my room. Everything was going well until I stepped on one of its dead branches. It broke right under my feet and I didn’t have any time to react. I felt myself falling as I desperately tried to grab anything to prevent my fall. The last thing I remembered was falling onto the hard ground and losing consciously.
“Now this part was the strangest one. I woke up in a garden which seems to have every plant in the world. There were some I recognized; others I do not. While I was walking through the pathways, I heard a voice whispered to me, ‘Tend to this garden and everything that you nurture will grow into fruitions.’ Alarmed, I looked around to find the location of the voice but I found myself in a different location.
“I found myself surrounded by a crowd of strangers in a strange world. The first thought that came to me was that I was dead and that I wasn’t able to attend the dance. That was when a young man tapped my shoulder and asked me what the matter was? I told him my plight and he politely offered to dance with me. He asked me for my name so I told him and I asked his in return. I don’t remember what it was, but I can recall what he look like vividly. He has brown hair and wore a black robe with gold border.
“During our dance, he told me that I wasn’t actually dead and that I was immortal just like him. He said that there were others like us and they called themselves Ilmarians. Apparently each of us was given powers to guide the world. He then informed me that he’s going to send his mother to find me and bring me to a place where I can learn more about my ability. Before he could ask me my location, I felt lightheaded and he slowly disappeared from my view.
“When I woke up, it was nighttime, which was surprising since I thought I was unconscious for a whole day or more. The first thing I saw was the broken branches above me and I realized that I actually did die. Sitting up, I found myself surrounded by ceraphilis flowers and was frightened. I immediately covered the flowers with dirt and after I inspected myself for injuries, I realized that I was in a predicament. I couldn’t go through the back door because no one saw me leave. If anyone noticed that I wasn’t in my room, then I would be in trouble and my father would definitely forbid me from stepping outside ever again. I remembered praying, ‘Dear All-Mother, I need a miracle to happen.’
“However, I suddenly noticed that there was a vine was growing beside me and it seemed to beckon me to grasp it. Amazed, I checked to see it was sturdy enough and it lifted me up to my room. After I went inside, the vine shrunk back into the ground. I was so exhausted from the whole ordeal so I went back to sleep as soon as I climbed into bed. I didn’t think too much about it until the next day when I accidentally used my power to grow a pear. I recalled my dreams and remembered how the voice told me to tend to the garden to help the world. That was when I decided to start the relief organization for the refugees.
“At first, I thought of telling someone about it but I was afraid that everyone would perceive me as some kind of freak so I remained silent,” she paused and looked at him with a look of relief. “I’m glad that I finally got to tell someone about my secret. It was driving me insane not able to tell anyone about it. Promise that you won’t tell anyone else.”
Passeck was still astonished by her story and realized that he has discovered why the Titalin region was flourishing. With her powers, Sabin would be saved and he would be highly honored by the country. Not to mention the fact that there was a high chance that King Gedimus would acknowledge him as his son! “I promise,” he said with a smile. “In fact, let’s pinky swear it.”
Afterward, she helped him back to his bedroom by growing a vine for him to climb. Before that, she informed him that her bedroom was on the third floor and it was the third window from the left. She then bid him good night and disappeared around the corner. Passeck stood by the window until she was gone and went to his bed. He thought he would have trouble sleeping after what he has learned today, but he fell fast asleep as soon as his head rested on his pillow.
Seera 22, 1784
“What kind of flower is this?” Oraji looked up from what she was doing and looked at the flower; since he now knew her secret, she has used her powers right in front of him and his job was to keep an eye out for any approaching person. Passeck has grown fond of the flower due to its sweet fragrant and lovely flowers.
She answered, “It’s a tuberose and it’s quite exquisite. In fact, that was my mother’s favorite flower according to Nana.” She became quiet and stared off to the distance. The boy then recognized that she was probably missing her mother. His assumption was correct because, during their break, she asked him, “What was your mother like?”
“I don’t really remember much about my mother,” he admitted, “but I know that she had soft brown hair and a gentle laugh. Whenever I was sad, she would tell me silly stories that made me laugh and forget my trouble. Unfortunately, she was also very ill so she mostly stayed in bed while I went around finding food and whatnot. She died in her sleep while I was out one of my excursions so I wasn’t able to say goodbye to her.”
Turning to face her, he inquired, “Do you remember anything about your mother?” She shook her head sadly and stared out toward the garden.
“You know,” she muttered softly, “this is actually my mother’s garden. You probably heard stories already about how my father forbade me from leaving this place. When I was younger, it really didn’t bother me but as I grew older, I realized that I was lonely and didn’t have anyone to play with. Well, to cope, I decided to take care of her garden to keep myself occupied and hope to honor her memory. In a way, this place has become my sanctuary.”
“Why don’t you tell your father or Gaethi how you feel?” he inquired but she shook her head again.
“My father refused to listen and right now he’s been too ill. The doctor has told me not to cause him any stress so I dare not tell him,” she explained wistfully. “I did try to tell Nana and the others once, but they told me that they don’t have the power to sway him and just to be patient until I’m at the age of marriage.”
“Well, I think what your father is doing is not right!” he declared angrily. Before she could admonish him, he continued, “Why must you suffer just because he refused to accept that his wife is dead? And why do your servants allow this to happen? If I were one of them, I would knock some sense into him.”
She stared at him before she started to laugh. “You would have been fired at the spot!” she informed him. “However, I understand why he did it. I think I would probably act that way if the same thing happens to me.”
“But still,” Passeck argued, “don’t you feel resentful? Because of that stupid rule, you couldn’t experience any fun activities that you’ve read about. Don’t forget that you died after you decided to disobey your father to go to that dance. It would have never happened if he had allowed you to go.”
Oraji was quiet during his whole tirade but finally admitted, “Yes, it’s true that I’m sometimes resentful, but I still love my father dearly. Don’t you feel the same way with your father?”
Now it was his turn to feel gloomy. “I don’t know who my father is and my mother told me that he’s dead,” he confessed. A flash of sympathy on her face caused him to add quickly, “but I believe that he’s still alive and I believe I know his identity. It’s my dream one day that he would finally acknowledge so I’m doing the best I can so maybe I’ll catch his attention.”
She rubbed his back and cheered him up, “Don’t worry! I’m sure you will.” He smiled back in return. Oraji was such a simple-minded girl, but that’s one of her traits that he surprisingly found endearing. He was about to say something when he saw Gaethi standing patiently at the door. Oh, right. He’s supposed to help her give food to the refugees.
“I gotta go!” he said quickly as he stood up and wiped the dirt from his hands. The governor’s daughter nodded understandably and waved goodbye as he went with Gaethi.