The Gardenkeeper's Daughters

Lotus- 8

I return to the throne room, where Aislyn has stopped singing and tears well in her eyes. Natrina is trembling. Even Almalia has dipped her head in a quiet sadness, even though she has heard the story a million times.

Vivian alone breaks the silence. "I've seen one of them before."

"Y-you have?" Natrina says. "They can get to us?"

"That would be the point of the time-manipulating deity crown. We are in for a bad time." Aislyn says. "Look, I know it looks bad, and I know you guys might not want to be warriors to defeat them, but we really do need your help and I'm really sure that we can do it! We won't be fighting alone. We're going to rally up a bunch of dimensions and spread hope to them."

She looks at all three of us, noticing how dumbstruck we are with profound disappointment. "I know we can do it. You have to... you have to trust me."

Vivian looks at Natrina and I. She huffs, shaking her head. "Like I was saying, I've seen them before. They killed two of my patrol members. We weren't sure at the time of what they were, but now that I've seen them... it was definitely one of 'em."

Almalia nods. "They have already taken some of our own, though the numbers are small. Luckily it is still very hard for them to reach us. Time travel across dimensions is very, very hard, and they are extremely far in the future. It's a threat that Dreamland will be sieged with for a long time. We believe that you may be the key to stopping them. It will not reverse the damage they have already done, or whatever they may have done to our world far in the future, but if you can not defeat them, they may never be defeated."

I nod, though my sister and Vivian look confused by the speech.

"I think I lost you there. This time travel stuff is really complicated." Vivian huffs.

Almalia nods. "I understand this must be very difficult for you to comprehend."

"I get it!" Aislyn chirps.

"Of course you get it." Almalia says, casting a kind glance at Aislyn, who wags her tail, happy with the praise. Out of all of us, Aislyn has to be the most enthusiastic about all of this. I haven't seen her sad or disappointed in all the time we've been travelling, with the exception of the few encounters between her and Nat at the beginning.

Ironically for the Keeper of Love, Nat has managed to piss off or scare everyone we've come across so far. I begin to wonder how well these roles were chosen.

No, my sister definitely has it in her. She just needs a motivator of some sort.

"So." Vivian says, "Are we going to go? Where do we go? Do we need to go now, or should we get supplies..."

Almalia answers, "I believe that you should go quickly as possible. My servants and I have already prepared ample supplies to get you going. You will find them near the main entrance when you leave, along with a pendant that belongs to me. It is embedded with a certain jewel with magical properties, given to me by a dragon, given to him by a creature of another world. It was a peace offering between our species."

"That's very kind of you to give us, but I don't know if us taking a valuable magical artifact out into who-knows-where with us is the best idea." Natrina says cautiously.

"The crystal you're receiving is one half of a pair. They're known as Companion Crystals. I hold one half, and Aislyn keeps the other around her neck. If anything was to happen to her or if she goes into emotional distress, the crystal will glow. That glow increases as we grow closer, so I'll be able to find you. It will also allow us to talk to each other over great distances."

"Right. As for where we're going?" Vivian asks.

"The Keeper of Trust has not awakened, but through careful divination, we have located him. He lives on the outskirts of Sukoma City, which is a city on the outskirts of the known Kingdom. It is a very... mixed city."

"Sukoma City? That's a month's walk from here! Can't we have a dragon fly us over?" Vivian complains. "Teleportation? Anything?"

"You know as well as I do that with Nethera's claws around the Time Diadem, space may be affected as well. It'll be safer once all of you have strengthened your powers and finally awoken, like Lotus here, but until then, group teleportation is out. As for dragons..." Her eyes narrow, "The dragons are being uncooperative. They claim that the war on Nethera is a Canis war alone and refuse to intervene. Though I would call their isolationism petty, they've reported no losses while reports of Canis disappearing and Canira being dragged away from their homes are continuing to rise."

"So it's up to us." Natrina says quietly.

"At the least, it will allow all of you to better acquaint yourselves with each other. I believe it should be a fine activity for... team bonding."

Vivian and Natrina leer at each other. Aislyn and I exchange a well, this should be fun look.

Aislyn steps in between them very deliberately. "Who wants to go on an epic journey?"
Vivian looks away and Natrina's fur flattens.

"I know I do!" I say, following Aislyn out of the throne room. As we traverse the castle again, I take another look across the beautiful architecture and botany, among other things. The entire castle is a moving work of art in and of itself.

It's sad to leave a place like this, though I guess we have no choice.

We're really going to save the world.

Some part of me is completely incredulous of all of this. How could someone like me save anything?

Walking through this castle, I begin to feel very small, but the petals on my back flare and the scent from them fills me with confidence. I was chosen for some reason, for something, and I was lucky enough to have my sister chosen too.

Natrina catches up to me, padding along by my side.

"You ready?"

"We've already been through so much in a week or so. How bad could another month be?" I ask.

Stopping by the door, I see several Canira with packs for all of us. I levitate one to put around my head and slide onto my neck, and swinging it downwards, find it is not only very comfortable but also surprisingly heavy.

"We're going to have to carry these everywhere?" Natrina says. "Did you fill these with rocks?!"

"Nope, warped spacetime so I could carry more stuff in there. There's weaponry in yours, by the way. Don't worry, I put food in everyone's!" Aislyn says happily. "Oh yeah! There are these really great bready treats in mine. A Canira at the Great Hall, she called 'em... sweet... never mind, I have no idea. The point is that they're delicious!"

"How much did you do with Almalia?" I ask, confused. "You keep talking about everything you did while you were only really out for a night."

"I didn't sleep allll night. We talked for most of that and got a whole tour of the castle in during the daytime before you guys showed up!" Aislyn says as the Canira lower the door thingy into the moat so we can walk across.

"You don't look like you stayed up all night." points out Vivian.

"I know I don't. I'm pretty good at hiding it, aren't I?" A little yawn escapes her, and she blinks. She trots eagerly across the moat, her paws practically dancing across the wood.

When we make it across, she stops.

"Are you coming?" Vivian asks.

"Just taking it in." She shakes her head. "So, we're really going."

"Yes." Natrina says. "What about it?"

"Nothing." Aislyn says, a bright and cheery smile across her face. "You know, before we go, I just wanted to say... we may have been together for only a week, but this is the most at home I've ever felt anywhere."

I wait for the others to agree, but no one says anything. They just keep walking, and Aislyn joins them, seemingly undisturbed.

I really wish everyone was getting along better. I think. Maybe this final Keeper will bind us together.

Whoever you are, wherever you are... I'm thinking about you.

Hopefully you're more ready for this than I am.