The Flowers of the Lindall Tree - Part Two
30 days of Fantasy Prompts 24 & 25, Thalenra Short Story. Kaela and Arvon watch the Lindal Tree bloom, and Ember tokens of remembrance are excanged.
Written for Prompt 24 & 25 of the 30 Days of Fantasy challenge, hosted by Luna Asli Kolcu. Come through the door.
For Part 1 of this story, read the following.
It was still and silent in the garden. The stars above were just bright enough to give a sprinkling of light, an outline for the sweeping boughs of the Lindall Tree. It was covered in small dark green buds, that gave off the faintest of glows to the trained Thaumic senses of the new arrivals. Arvon led Kaela to the bench he’d prepared, nestled in a little covered alcove, placed just right to see the whole of the tree. There was already a blanket there, and some hot chocolate. They sat together - near but not touching, as close friends often do - sitting in a comfortable silence, waiting for it to begin.
Kaela breathed in the night air, and the smells of the flower around her. She held her mug of chocolate close, and watched the buds of the tree that gave off a subtle glow, through the steam of her drink. Arvon sipped at his own drink, as he watched as well. Although it was often the girl his gaze drifted to, rather than the tree he had brought her to see.
It felt to him too short a time before the tree began its show. A slow unfurling of a single bud revealed soft petals underneath, that started as dark as the night sky behind them, before gently lightening as they spread out. Each petal was blue in colour, that of the sky when the sun begins its descent at the end of the day. Despite the darkness of the night, the hue of the petals shone bright against it.
Another bud followed, its petals likewise unfurling to show their bright edges. These held a pink within them that brought to mind a cloud caught in the first rays of the morning sun. Their pale shimmer reminded Arvon of the drifting of wisps of that caught cloud, as a spring breeze carries it away.
Two more opened, yellow and orange, that shimmered in rhythm as the imagined breeze began to flow between other buds. And as if that marked the end of the opening act, all the buds began opening almost at once.
The display forming in front of them brought out many sighs of wonder from Kaela, as she leaned forward, her eyes drinking in every colour. Arvon couldn’t help turning to look at her in response to those sighs, and was pleased to find the thought he’d had a year ago had been right. Witnessing her delight in the Lindall tree’s performance, would far outshine any enjoyment he could get from watching the tree itself.
—
An hour or more passed that way, until the glow of Thaum faded from the final bud to bloom; a rich purple, not found in nature anywhere in Thaymia, but brought to mind the colours described in forgotten tales for a fleeting second, before the thought faded as well.
Arvon reached into his robe pocket, intending to bring out the small carved flower in it, but paused when Kaela broke the silence. “That was a truly wonderful sight, Arvon. I never expected to see it’s like in Thaymia.” She gave a little half-smile, as she turned to face him. “It reminded me of when the spirits share the names of the newborns back home, passing their auras through the trees.”
He let the flower drop back into his pocket, as she mentioned Gethia. His little token couldn’t compete with the memories that place held for her. “I’m glad we got to see it together. It would have been a shame for it not to be witnessed.”
Kaela nodded, shivering a little in the night air. “I suppose, we ought to go inside, and work on my essay.”
Arvon ran a little thaum through the blanket, warming it for her, as he tried not to think about what that essay meant. Once Kaela submitted it, she would go to Calleshan for three long months, and when she returned there would be less than nine before Classification. And Kaela would return to Gethia.
“I wish you wouldn’t go,” he found himself saying, swallowing the words as soon as he realised they were out loud.
“It’s only three months, and it’s either Calleshan, or a Circle hall placement, and the council would never let me do that.”
“I didn’t mean that.” He looked away. “I… I’m going to miss you when you go back to Gethia.”
“I will miss you too.” She gave a wistful smile. “It would be nice to think I could stay, as much as I would miss home. But I have obligations there. And few would welcome me staying, I think, despite what the Council says.”
Arvon almost replied I would make them welcome you, if it it would mean you would stay, but swallowed it down. Fighting both her obligation to the Gethian court, and his grandfather’s own hatred of anyone not Thaymian, felt too much for him to take on, when he had yet to know that she would accept him.
He stood, and offered a hand to help her to her feet. “Let’s-”
He lost his train of thought as a patch of the sky beyond the Lindall tree began to glow, outlining Kaela in a soft white light. He held his breath at the sight, and Kaela turned to see what had caught his attention.
“Oh! A Spirit Moon at night! A rare treat. And look, at the flowers!” Arvon could see their shimmer returning, but he barely registered it, as the glow of the Spirit Moon flickered on Kaela’s face. If there was any moment to give her his gift, this was it.
“I have something for you.” He blurted out, startling Kaela. He quickly took the flower from his pocket, before he could change his mind, and held it up on his open hand. Nestled in his palm was a small wooden flower, carved to resemble one from the Lindall tree. Each petal was painted a different shade, subtly blended to give a rainbow of colour across it’s surface. At the centre of it, was a small shard of crystal, polished to a shine. He had worked on the token over several months, taking his time with each petal, not using a single thread of Thaum in the carving itself, while making sure the crystal would be ready to accept it.
“You said they carve tokens in Gethia for moments of remembrance. I thought… you might like one to remember this night by.” He focused then, on the tree, the moon, on Kaela. Committing the scene to memory, before activating the small memory crystal, capable of holding just a few seconds. The crystal glowed for a moment, with the dark azure blue of his aura, before going dark.
Kaela smiled warmly, and took the flower from his hand, she inspected every petal, with a gentle touch, and her smile softened when she experienced the memory for herself. “This is a worthy Ember, Arvon. Thank you. But… I have nothing to give you for remembrance this night.”
She looked a little sad at that, and it was all Arvon could do, not to gently touch the side of her face in that moment, to take the sadness away. Instead he, swallowed and stepped back a step.
“You… don’t need to give me anything. I would never forget tonight. Not when every Spirit Moon I see will remind me of the Lindall Tree’s shimmer.” And how it shone around you.
Her eyes widened at that, and she blushed, as if she had heard his unspoken words. “To think you would use a Spirit Moon as an Ember. Perhaps I will do the same when I am in Calleshan.”
Arvon forced down an overwhelming desire to take on the entire Council in what would be a hopeless gesture. Instead, he kept his focus on how he could be with her now. “Then, I must do my best to see you get there. Let us get your essay finished.”
Much like he had earlier that evening, he offered her his hand, and she took it. And the two entered the Lindall house, just as the sun’s first light rose up towards the glow of the Spirit Moon.
Thanks for Reading! It took me a longer to get this part written than I planned, but I think it was worth waiting. You should next see Kaela at the Pools of Calleshan, as I finish off the last of my Fantasy Challenge prompt responses. And if this happens to be the first one you’ve read, please be sure to check out the others, all listed in the index post, Within Thalenra.
Such a wonderful feel to this story. Gentle, sweet, and genuine.
This glows. Quiet ache, soft magic. I want Thaum-heated blankets and a bench like that.