Hushed Willows you open always petal by petal

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera’s mind always felt clearer after visiting the rose garden. It was something about the heady aroma that permeated the air and earth in this special spot upon the earth. Instead of giving her a high, it calmed her down — put space between her many, many thoughts. Or maybe it was the chance to connect with something that was unchanging, when there were so many things in the world that were always changing. It was centering, to know where most of her family lay. She felt her bones draw towards it. 

She wished Séamus could have found his final resting place here, with their momma’s.

The willows weren’t a giant, sprawling territory, so it was inevitable that she ran into someone else in such a beautiful, humectant spot. She had hoped, with a sad realization, that she hoped it wouldn’t be Orlaith. She liked the fire faerie just fine, but Eleuthera wasn’t sure she had the pliancy to recognize the sacredness of a space that, well, was probably only sacred to her. However, it wasn’t Orlaith who found her amongst the roses. It was a stranger.

“Oh!" she breathed, when she noticed the younger man. “Hey." Eleuthera thought for a moment, perhaps she had seen him in the background at a court gathering or smelt his scent upon the lightest of wind — but she couldn’t say anything for certain. “Are you new?" the lilac druid asked, hoping to clarify it for herself.