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But I am just glad that I am winning her over again.
You know what you need to do next,I think to myself as Krista falls asleep in my arms.
And I do know. I know exactly what I need to do. I just hope that Krista feels the same way.
26
KRISTA
Iam alone when I wake up.
I haven’t woken up alone in weeks, and the sensation is strange. I stretch out, my eyes fluttering open, and my hand brushes against something that is decidedlynota pillow or blanket.
I open my eyes properly and sit up, running a hand through my hair.
Then I reach for the piece of paper that is on Lasta’s side of the bed.
Darling girl,the note reads. Tears spring up in my eyes immediately because I can almost feel the tenderness with which he wrote the note.
I have some special plans for us today. I have your dress and shoes ready. Be ready at noon. Don’t be late.
The note, though stern, is sweet, and my heart leaps in my chest as I jump out of bed.
I find the dress and shoes easily enough and slip into them after I wash my face and brush my hair.
Aurora is waiting for me outside Lasta’s quarters when I leave, and the light shining in her eyes tells me that Lasta has let her in on the secret.
“What does he have planned for me?” I ask her excitedly, but she presses her lips together in a secretive smile and shakes her head.
“He told me to keep my mouth shut. All I’m allowed to say is that you need to go to the west gardens.”
I try to get more information out of Aurora, but she has to run because she has the babies to take care of.
I follow the path out of the palace and then head for the west gardens, which are on the far end of the palace grounds.
The sun is bright and warm, but a cool wind lifts the heat off me. The dress, a long yellow one, floats around me gently as I walk towards the gardens.
The walk is a long one, but I see exactly what Lasta has planned for us when I am five minutes away from the west gardens.
The west gardens are the most beautiful gardens in all of Lodra, and that is saying a lot because all of Lodra is stunning.
But the west gardens have flowers and plants growing from all over Protheka. They were brought here by Prince Zalith’s ancestors before the various species moved to their specific continents.
The flowers and plants are planted in a design that I don’t quite understand, but I think that it is unique and significant to the naga. It is a part of their history that I still need to learn.
The air in the west gardens is heavy with the fragrance of the flowers, and I inhale happily as I walk towards the little wooden loveseat that Lasta is sitting on.
He is surrounded by scores and scores of flowers, and his face stretches into a smile. Lasta stands and walks towards me, taking me in his arms.
“What is all this?” I ask him, but he doesn’t answer right away.
“Do you know what this place is?” he says after a long moment.
“Um, the west gardens?” I ask him doubtfully.
“Yes, it is the west gardens. But let me tell you why it exists. Centuries ago, when Nagaland was split into its different kingdoms, the first King of Lodra had just found his mate. His mate helped him build his kingdom, and he was very grateful for her.”
I listen with fascination to the story as Lasta leads me to the loveseat, where he hands me a glass of wine.
