The Rugged Edge

Chapter 24: The Shade of Green

We reached the home at last,
And through the gate we passed.
I caught my breath and longed to touch
the greenest shade like grass.

. . . . .

It was a quarter to six when I saw the huge mansion loom up from behind a small hill. As the early summer sun crept westwards, it cast a gentle glow on the summer home and it looked magnificent in the light that would dim in only a few hours.

Vereniva was a great stone house with smooth walls and stained glass windows, colored softly. The building sat around a beautiful garden, and light glittered from open doors and servants' open windows, which were devoid of glass. From this view I could see the garden perfectly. It was split into two sections, with paths around and through each green plot. Hedges ran along the edges and brilliantly colored flowers resided in little squares; one square red, one square violet, another white and another pink. The right side of the garden, closest to the darkened windows which I was sure were for the absent nobility, held a little round pond complete with lily pads and glitters of light; a summer home for the fireflies that came out as the evening approached. The left side, closest to the bright servants' windows, held a large and elegant well, whose surrounding columns were intricately carved stone, home for moss and vines. But what made me catch my breath was how green it was. It was the shade of green I longed for, the green I had only ever imagined. The green I wanted to paint all of Rokenmeine with.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"Yes," said Geraint, next to me.

There was a little figure, distinguishable as a woman, crouching in the flowers. She, I'm sure, was the gardener. Her hair was a brilliant shade of scarlet. The top of her head was wrapped in a bright blue scarf, but her hair hung low, past her waist. She was dressed in a brown smock, but from this distance I couldn't see anything else. She looked up towards the hill and saw our group.

Our horses neared and the great front wall took away my view of the garden. In a matter of five minutes, we were at the entrance: a great oak gate, framed in iron and hinged into the smooth stone wall.

Fabian unmounted and neared the gate, looking through the cracks. A moment later, the gates opened wide to reveal the redheaded gardener and a stout woman with brown hair, greying near her forehead. She wore a grey dress and a filthy apron. She, too, wore a headscarf: a night-sky colored one.

She bowed low. "Your Majesty. Welcome to Vereniva."

"Thank you, Nevaeh," he said. "I trust you are ready for us?"

"Of course," said Nevaeh. I decided she was probably the one in charge through the year, while Collum wasn't here. "We are always ready to serve you."

Collum looked smugly at his summer home. "Arlie," he said as we passed the gates. "Take the horses to the stable and care for them there."

We all dismounted and Fabian piled our bags by the wall. Arlie led three horses across the stone path between the outer wall and a beautiful garden hedge, heading left towards where I guessed the stables and the servants' rooms were.

I looked back towards the entrance. Bright green hedges rose six feet tall on either side as we walked towards the entrance to the building. Torches had been lit recently and light glowed through the windows, although the sun had not yet set.

Five servants stood up against the wall. I knew this was a ridiculously small amount, yet I could tell they did their job well. Nevaeh stood to the very left. The young, redheaded gardener stood next to her. Beside her were two other women, and at the very right stood a young girl. I was surprised; she looked to be only nine or ten. She had the same shockingly red hair as the gardener.

Collum stood in front, nodding his approval of the formality. "This year my stepdaughter has come to Vereniva, and I wish to see her served well. Corinne, go prepare dinner. Nevaeh, have everyone be shown to their rooms."

Nevaeh nodded. She looked somewhat nervous, but somehow I could tell that she, like everyone else, disliked Collum. I was sure her nervousness only came from the annual duty that she was not used to.

"Mauve," she said to the youngest girl. "Show the servants and guards to their rooms." Then she bowed to Collum. "I will show Your Majesty and Her Highness to your chambers. If you would follow me."

She led us through the big double doors and up an elegant stone staircase, Fabian following with our bags.

. . .

We dined in a huge room, lit up magnificently with torches on the walls and chandeliers on the ceiling. I could tell that it was also a ballroom, but I was sure it hadn't been used as so for many years. At the front of the room was a little stone stage. This, I could tell, had been used for musicians or other entertainment, but, like the ballroom, hadn't been used in years.

Dinner was a marvelous three-course meal, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, though I never talked.

. . .

After dinner we went to bed. Collum had instructed a room to be prepared for Geraint next to mine, in case of emergency. He said he thought it very likely that the "threat" in Rokenfort had followed us here, so we must be careful. But I knew that he didn't believe anything of the sort: he just wanted me to continue feeling nervous and trusting him. He liked having me under his control.

However, he said that as long as Geraint stayed with me I could look around. So the next morning, after breakfast, we approached the youngest redheaded girl that I had guessed to be nine or ten. She had helped serve both dinner and breakfast. She was standing against the wall just after the morning meal, bouncing up and down on her heels, and when we approached her she bounced even higher.

"Excuse me," I said. "I was wondering if you were busy. If you are, could you find us someone who's not? I would very much enjoy a tour of Vereniva."

She beamed unashamedly. "I'm not doing anything! I can show you around, Miss." She paused. "What would you like to see first?"

"Oh..." I said, with no notion.

"The first floor," said Geraint. "Please."

"Alright!" said the girl again, and she started off down the hallway.

"Wait a moment," I said as I followed. "What's your name?"

"Mauve." And she smiled, leading us away.