spoken to like a child, but thought better about arguing with him. He seemed to be on a mission as he strode past us, down
another corridor. My heart fluttered in my chest as I caught the scent of pine and fire as he walked past.
“Come on, we best move before he sends someone to move us.”
Morgana gave me a little nudge to encourage me to continue on, instead of staring after Nicolas. We walked quietly into the
gardens, grateful we did not bump into any more grumpy kings. Morgana slammed the side door open hard enough it hit the
wall outside.
“Are you alright?” I asked, concerned for my new friend.
We walked over to the closed up moon flowers, who were waiting for their moon to arrive and wake them. She settled
beside me, linking her arm into mine and tutted as we walked the grounds.
“He always seems to have a stick up his ass. No matter what wonderful, happy thing is going on, joy is never allowed
around him. I have not seen my brother smile in many months, and it saddens me,” she finally admitted. Stopping abruptly, she
turned to face me. “You are what makes him smile. The last time I saw him smile he told me he’d met a woman deep within the
forest. That was you, correct?”
“Oh,” I breathed, taken aback. I didn’t know if I wanted to admit anything. I may not have been the only female he stalked in
the woods. “Possibly.”
She turned away as we carried on our walk towards the summer house. We stepped through a path divided by large pine
trees, and there it was in the centre of the garden. Bigger than I had imagined and something I had yet to come across. This
wasn't a small cottage. It was almost as big as the large committee house within Crystal City.
“To show how much she meant to him, Father had it commissioned for Mother on one of their anniversaries. There are
flowers here that bloom all year round, the symbol of his love everlasting. We used to find her out here all hours of the day.”
“He sounds quite the romantic,” I admitted, envious of their love story. It sounded like it was straight from an epic romance
novel.
Pushing open the door, I was hit instantly with a concoction of scents. Wildflowers, roses, peonies, violets, and hydrangeas
were all in bloom. The whole house was so incredibly colourful, I didn’t know where to lay my eyes.
In the middle was a large pond with a built-in fountain. A bridge stretched across the water. It was so clear I could easily
spot many different types of colourful fish.
The entire place was so calm and peaceful, it helped that there were sounds of trickling water.
“This place is beautiful,” I muttered as we walked further in. Morg sat down on a bench as I continued looking around,
unable to control my excitement.
“I’ve never seen anything like this!” I exclaimed
