The Tree's Heart

XII

Clover had no idea where she was, and she had no idea how long she had been here with Avery. She knew that they were in some deeper part of the woods – it was beautiful. The trees were lush and green, the ground was covered in moss and small plants. There was a nice little stream nearby and despite being deep inside the forest, it was pleasantly warm. Warm enough to walk barefoot, but not too warm.

Clover wasn't sure how exactly she had gotten here, but she knew that she would have to go back at some point. She wasn't even sure why she had to go back, but she knew that there would be someone very angry with her, if she didn't come back sooner rather than later. It was a woman, but Clover couldn't remember her name most days. Either way, it didn't matter. For now, she was with Avery.

Time seemed to pass very strangely around him. Clover wasn't sure whether she had been with him for only a few hours or for years and he wasn't really telling her anything. But she trusted him, didn't she? He wasn't going to tell her that they had only been away for a few hours when it had been longer than that. Still, it was impossible to tell how much time was passing, because Clover was enjoying every minute.

They weren't really doing anything – they just drank clear water from the stream, they ate the berries from the bushes around them, they danced, Avery was teaching her words in his language, and they sounded beautiful and melodic, and Clover was starting to get the hang of it. They were watching the birds and squirrels, and Avery told her about the different plants all around them. They made love and they slept in each other's arms. And despite all that, it only seemed like very little time had passed.

Clover was blissfully happy. She had never been this happy before, at least from what she could remember. She wished she could stay here forever. And Avery told her that she could, that nothing was stopping her from staying with him forever, that she could be immortal, if only she became fae. Clover was tempted on taking him up on that offer, but at the back of her head she knew that she had to go back for something.

But every time she was bringing it up, Avery told her that they had barely spent any time together and that she would have plenty of time to return later. And then they would make love again. Clover wasn't a virgin, but she felt like she had never enjoyed herself more than with Avery. There was something in the way he touched her, the way he made her feel, the way he held her that made her feel ecstatic.

Still, she had something to do, back at that little cabin with the woman living in it. What was her name again? It was some tree... Oak? Pine? Maple? No, no, no. Those weren't right. Clover went through all trees she could think of in her head. Cherry, Ash, Hawthorn, Spruce, Birch, Fir, Elm, Beech, Aspen, Chestnut, Larch, Cedar, Spruce, Sycamore, Walnut, Willow. Willow... Was that it? It sounded right...

Yes, her name was Willow! Clover opened her eyes. She had been dosing off as she was going through the names, but now that she had remembered it, she knew she had to get back to Willow. Not that she really wanted to, because she knew that Willow would be angry with her, but there was something important she had to do. But was there really such a rush for this? Clover didn't know. She had no idea.

Either way, she would have to let Avery know that she was going to go back. She would finally get around to that today and then they could meet again and could be together. But first, she had to get this tedious business out of the way. She couldn't really relax and enjoy herself as long as that was still at the back of her head. No matter what Avery said to her, she would go and get this out of the way, so they could finally really be together. And who knew? Maybe she would even become one of his people.

Clover looked at her surroundings. There was a light breeze that made the leaves rustle pleasantly. The sun was shining through the trees, casting beautiful patterns of light and shadow onto the mossy green floor. Avery was still sleeping next to her, robes spread out over his body, his long black hair in a beautiful contrast to the green moss on the ground. Clover smiled at him, still in disbelief that someone as beautiful as him could love her. That he would choose her to be his companion, whatever that meant.