Elemental Witch: Child of the Earth (Part I)

Charmless

"I'm not saying that I'm not completely loyal and willing to side with you on this discussion, Cav, my Liege, you too Shel. But half the Kingdom doesn't even believe in them. I've travelled the world and the supposed Wild lands anywhere else are being taken over by humans, mostly without a fight. You mention the Wild anywhere and they look at you like you're backwards." Oliver, Duke of Watersbreak, and Admiral of the Royal Navy had arrived. Along with a great portion of his armada, which he left on the coast and had sailed down the river in his small racer, beating the rest of the arriving Lords by barely a day.

 The Market opened tomorrow, the tournament started in four days and the War Council sat in two weeks. And Oliver, being characteristically blunt , hadn't brought the most reassuring of news.

They were sitting out in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, Oliver filling them in on the news from his travels and preparing them for what was to come. The Admiral also had his fingers in several intelligence networks running within Clairval and had a general idea of what the feelings of the people were at any given moment. 

Shelby was frowning, looking at his garden, at the rose bush that had grown five times its original size in the days since Verana had done whatever she had done. "You know, it was a stupid idea."

"What was?" Oliver appeared to be at a loss for words, which was rare, glancing to Shelby and then following his gaze to the bush, where roses were beginning to bloom, in several different colours.

"Bringing that plant back from our trip. But I just had to have it, because my mother loved roses, even though they would never grow here, she had tried her entire life. I figured I could do it better, because it was in her memory." Shelby offered a shrug, looking to his companions, wondering what he was trying to say, even as he was speaking the words.

"Aye and you were right. I didn't even know you could get more than one colour out of the same plant." Oliver offered to him, his expression belying his confusion.

Shelby nodded at that, looking back to the rose bush. "I was wrong. That bush was nearly dead this spring. I don't even think any green leaves were growing. And you most definitely do not get different colours. Not so drastically different. And besides, when have you ever seen one that shimmers silver and gold?"

Oliver shook his head slowly, "I'm not really a flower guy, Shel."

"You see that tree back there... the one that looks about twenty years old?" Shelby nodded towards the back of the Garden, to the tree that was towering above the rest of the plant life, continuing when Oliver nodded. "That was planted two years ago. It was dead, we were planning on pulling it out."

"I don't really see the point, Shel. I know you're trying to make a point but... what happened to your garden?" Oliver, bless him, he was smart but he had a hard time dealing with things when he couldn't figure them out in an instant.

"It was unbalanced. So I balanced it." Verana's voice was simple, no nonsense and perfectly timed,  as if Shelby planned it that way. Oliver let out a curse of surprise and jumped to his feet, looking at the woman as if seeing a ghost, or a ghoul, or something that was absolutely terrifying.

"Duke Oliver, this is Lady Veranandein, of the Feysha." Cavin broke his silence, a smile of amusement spreading over his features. "Lady, this is an old friend. He is in charge of the Navy, it is his boat you probably saw on the river."

Shelby watched Oliver take the inhuman creature in, saw him balance her existence with what he had just been saying and come to a form of comfort with the new order of the world. He had always admired his friend's adaptability, almost as much as he had envied the man's charm, watching that turn on as Oliver strode the distance between him and Verana, offering his hand and bowing his head.