An Enemy Who Loves You

Chapter 11

The trio sat on a blanket surrounded by flowers and trees. Rosa poured more wine her calm demeanor still unwavering, Mai sat on her knees and clapped her hands in excitement just looking at the food she prepared for her friends and Gethen sat with a large black hat to help cover her face from the sun. The day walking necklace prevented her from bursting into flames but it still hurt her eyes to look in the sun. Gethen sipped some wine and looked at her garden, she planted and grew everything herself, at every building of hers there was a garden but none were as lush as this one. 

Mai looked apprehensive all of a sudden 

"my lady will you tell us a story?" she asked hopefully, 

"very well" Gethen put her cup down "what would you like to hear?"

Mai thought for a moment 

"tell us a story of your favorite place" Mai settled in ready to listen, even Rosa stopped setting up to listen as well.

"hum.. a favorite place? let me think" Gethen pondered she had seen the great wonders of the world been to beautiful scenery but none were her favorite, she knew her favorite place it hurt to remember. Her favorite place was a small hut just outside the palace, she and Feng used to visit before the old woman who owned it died. The hut was near a gentle stream where willow trees grew in all their glory, bluebell flowers always bloomed everywhere in the spring and it always smelt like freshwater and warmth. The old woman had been kind to them treating them like her own, she had always insisted that Gethen looked just like her granddaughter. The fond memories of her and Feng running through the willow trees and jumping over the stream played in her head. 

she had visited that place again before she fled Vantro after burning Feng's body but it wasn't the same. A place is just a place, it is the people you are there with that make it meaningful.

after a silent moment, Gethen just lightly laughed shaking her head

"my favorite place is the Fork stone in Canta, such beauty there" Rosa continued setting up and a look of disappointment flashed in her eyes. Mai carried on the conversation making some jokes at her own expense and brightening the atmosphere once more.

Cao had felt the moment she stepped back into the city of Vantrisa. He couldn't pinpoint where she was exactly but he knew when she left the country, every time she left the country it felt colder and when she came back his hair stood up like he had been shocked by static. Now that she was back he was determined not to fail again, as he did 90 years ago when she came back for the first time after she burned that foul prince's body. He was going to locate her once and for all. Cao took a swig of blood out of his cup and spoke coldly;

"I want the best guards you have and bring them to me I have special orders for them"