Lavander & Honey

Prelude; Long Live The King

The cool breeze lightly shakes the leaves on the trees as I walk past them.

Looking around, I notice how the golden sunlight is filtered around me, landing gently on the small flowers near my feet.

A faint waft of sweet smelling berries hits me, filling me with a sense of nostalgia, reminding me of a time where everything was filled with laughter and berry stains.

I continue walking, the songs of the birds my marching song.

I find myself thinking back to a few years ago, when I walked through this same forest with my younger sister Elizabeth and my best friend Victor. We would always end up on some hill, covered in berry juice, mud, and grass stains.

A small chuckle escapes me.

Out of the corner of my eye, a small glint catches my attention.

Going over, I wipe away the leaves and dirt, and uncover a small, heavy, copper key with small inscriptions in a foreign language.

Maybe it's a code, I think to myself as I pocket the key.

I dust myself off and go in deeper into the woods, past the familiar parts of this forest.

Noticing that the chatter of birds has lessened, I hesitantly keep wandering forward.

I should've brought a flashlight, this place is- my thoughts are interrupted as I find my face on the ground that I was supposedly walking on.

I sit up, looking around to see what could have caused me to trip. I spot something poking out from the dirt beneath my feet.

I go to lift up the object, a centipede scurries out.

Recoiling my hand, I take a few breaths to try and slow my rapid beating heart. I steady my nerves and carefully lift up the object, in case another vile creature decides to greet me.

Brushing away the dirt, I realize that the object was a chalice.

The golden cup glimmered like a field of fireflies through some of the dirt still on it. Along the side of the cup, a solitary black stone was wedged into it.

I held on to the cup as I continued through the woods.

I thought I heard some laughter from behind me, so I stopped and waited.

The laugh reminded me of my mother, in the way that it sounded so happy and care free.

Smiling, I regain a bit of memory.

I would sometimes arrive home late, tired and covered in bruises. My mother would always softly smile as she held me in her warm arms. After cleaning myself, we would both head out back to the little clump of fruit and flower trees behind the castle.

Unaware of my surroundings, I hit my face against a wall.

Why is there a wall in the middle of a forest?! I think as I wipe away my tears and check my face for any painful areas. My poor face...

I sigh as I look up at the moss covered wall. Small, colorful flowers littered the wall, and vines tangled themselves throughout the wall, sprouting from crevices among the rocky brick surface.

Looking up, the wall seemed to almost scrape the sky. Looking to the left, the wall stretched out, disappearing into the darkness of the trees. To the right, I saw that the wall came to an abrupt stop.

Curious, I walk to the right.

Getting to where the wall stopped, I realize that it does continue, and that this was just an outside corner of the wall.