The theory of flowers

Ten

The moment the door closed y/n fell to her knees and cried. That was it, no more dreams of a fairytale ending. The moment she went to sleep she would accept her fate and return to the clutches of her father. She didn't want to fall asleep but as she weeped, exhaustion caught up to her and she slept soundly.

Not too far from there, Arlecchino stared at the flower in her hands. She smiled, looking down at it as she walked in the dimly lit city. She remembered her day with y/n and realized the woman had started to take a real place inside her heart. To everyone the harbinger she was cold, cruel, and even heartless. However, with y/n she felt like a kid again. She experienced genuine joy and love had even started to blossom. She walked towards a familiar bench and was glad to see something atop it, a bouquet. She grabbed the flowers y/n had left behind and brought them back with her. She had hoped no one would come across it because since y/n had left it there she wanted to turn back and keep it. She recognized the same one the other woman had given her amongst the flowers. She didn't know the name but its beauty was fascinating.

The next morning she decided to drop by the orphanage to ensure everything was in order. She held the flower in her hands, intending to bring it back on the boat with her to keep her company of some sort. A memory of her. When she entered the House of Hearth she was met by Lyney who was on his way out.

"Oh, hello Father. We weren't expecting you, are you leaving for Snezhnaya today?" The boy asked.

"That's right Lyney, I expect your duties to be well executed despite my absence," Arlecchino answered with a firm tone.

"Of course. Oh, is that a Lily you're holding?" The magician asked, curious about the flower the harbinger was holding.

"Is that what it's called?" She asked, curious about the flower, lacking knowledge in that field.

"Yes, it's a beautiful flower often used to represent purity and commitment to love. It's also often used in funerals to mourn the departed and used as a form of goodbye to the dead. It's truly a flower with many meanings and can be used for many things. May I ask where you found it?" Lyney explained, getting a bit carried away.

"Well that's certainly interesting, y/n gave it to me," Arlecchino said, looking at the flower in her hands pondering what the woman could've meant when gifting the flower to her.

"Y/n L/n?" Lyney asked, a small smirk appearing on his lips.

"Yes, and don't make that face. It's nothing." Alrecchino said, already knowing what the boy was going to say.

"I didn't say anything," the magician said with a smile.

"I know your face Lyney," the harbinger answered.

"I'm just saying, you pushed back work to spend the day with her after she almost drowned. I've never seen you do anything remotely close to that," the magician added with a sly smile.

"Weren't you just leaving? You better get to it, I'll see you shortly!" Alrecchino said before bidding farewell to Lyney who was holding his laughter with a hand pressed to his mouth.

An hour before, y/n was dragging her feet to the port. She was dreading getting onto the boat that would lead her to her imminent doom. She was breathing the fresh air of Fontaine, knowing this would be the last time she would ever be standing here. She refused to cry again so she held in her tears and looked around to take in the magnificent sight of the city...for one last time. At the destination, she could see her brother waiting by a large boat.

"Hi, brother." She said coldly.

"Now, don't be a stranger sister," Silas told her, leading the woman toward the inside of the boat. She walked in with no hurry and settled inside a small room. She didn't want to see the sea, nor the waves nor the outline of Fontaine on the horizon, she couldn't bear it.