Mated to the Dragon

Chapter 4

Fiona looked at the Keeper in shock and that even did not begin to describe the crisis that she was facing at the moment. She knew that this was some kind of trap or a test and if she had to get out from this place then she needed to either dupe this woman, or whatever creature she might be or else she would be trapped here forever.

“So tell me Princess of Abaentis. What will it be?” asked the Keeper and Fiona closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She recalled her younger brother’s face when she closed her eyes and that was more than enough to spur her action or her decision.

“I would like to accept the challenge, provided you tell me the story behind this m******e,” said Fiona. She knew that somehow or the other she was supposed to get the clue from this story and that would ultimately lead her to reverse whatever had happened here.

“Ahhh….you are an intelligent one, aren’t thou?” asked the woman as she rapidly started shrinking in size before Fiona’s eyes and she screamed in terror. What kind of magic was this?

“Oh dear…did I give you a fright? Fear not, fair princess, tis nothing. It takes up a lot of magic in order to keep our appearances this way and tis better so that I can make things clearer to you. This garden is cursed but what made it cursed and why we have not been able to do anything about it since more than a decade, that is for you to find out. If we could then we would not be asking you for assistance, would we now?” asked the woman who was now in the size of a dwarf. She still had two sharp rows of teeth and had a green pointed cap on her head and Fiona breathed in wonder.

“You are a gnome!!” she said in astonishment.

“Ahaha!! You are really an intelligent one…I am glad that now that is out of the way and you have accepted the challenge you can focus on the task at hand,” said the gnome who was the Keeper of the Orchards.

“I thought that gnomes were short dwarf like creatures with beards and green pointed caps. But you are a woman?” asked Fiona and Roscher snorted beside her.

“See, your horse knows as well how futile questions you ask, Princess of Abaentis. Tis not natural. But I shall indulge in your questions however stupid they might be. You are grown enough to know this that it is we women, and the females of any kind who give birth and the progenitors of procreation. Now that you are in the orchard, every tree and plant has their male and female parts equally given that they have to produce children and multiply so rapidly. We are the gnomes who take care of them. The male gnomes are only here for protection purpose and nothing else. Now if that answers your question, I shall have to ask you to get at the task in hand,” said the gnome as she gestured towards the burnt patch of land.

“I have accepted the challenge. Is there anything else or any dangers that I should know about?” asked Fiona as she placed her hand on Roscher’s bridle. Roscher snorted again and the Keeper just nodded at her.

“There is no danger from anyone of us here. We will all keep our distance and if you feel that you are in danger then you just have to shout or even make a sound and our plants will tell us. I wish you all the luck in this endeavor and challenge as well,” said the Keeper and then she trudged away gradually from the place and Fiona sighed out loudly.

“What is this soup that we doth hath landed in, Roscher?” asked Fiona.

“The soup from which thou are supposed to save the both of us. It might not be known to you since the gnomes are small in size and they look all funny and cute in their small tubby in their shape but they are extremely vicious creatures. And that is the reason that the Orchards and the Blessed Vale is such a peaceful region,” said Roscher and Fiona nodded in understanding.

“But is that not a good thing? I mean, without peace this beauty and this growth of fruits and other flowers would never be protected. So what is the harm in protecting what is yours? After all we all are doing the same thing. I am also trying so that I can save Ferdinand,” said Fiona and she smiled a little by herself remembering the face of her younger brother.

“But you doth not have a lot of time of time, Princess of Abaentis. Thou need to hurry if we have to make it to the Land of Fae within the next two sunsets,” said Roscher and Fiona was focused once again. If she did want to save her brother then she needed to do what she can. Her mother had given up the responsibility of protecting the life of her brother by sacrificing everything she had but right now she had absolutely no clue what she was going to do.

This was a matter of basic gardening, wasn’t it? Thought Fiona. That meant she had to start by getting her hands dirty. It was one of the first basic rules that her mother had taught her. Be it anything, gardening, plucking fruits, or flowers or even doing first aid, a princess needed to know every single thing. Because without that knowledge she would be never become an accomplished queen. But right now it was more about how she was going to feel what had happened here.

Fiona did not waste any more minute and opened the gloves that she was wearing on her hand and also got rid of the riding boots. Since they were tight and were laced they took some time to get off but when she did Fiona felt like this was a precious thing that she had received back again. The way she used to run barefoot with her mother in the garden when the King, her father used to be busy with meetings with the Councilmen.

She stepped into the black soil and suddenly felt that a jolt of electricity had coursed through her entire system jerking her backwards in pain and she fell on her buttocks on the soil. And her fingers connected with the soil and the pain intensified. It was like she was being drawn inside something and it was a painful experience. Fiona wanted to scream but her voice did not even rise much more than a gurgle in her throat.

And she was in the orchard back again and this time the same patch was completely green. It was like she was inside a memory. Everything still looked the same but it was hazy and she knew that she was not at the present of moment.

Among my friends of root and wand, amid each green leaf and delicate petal, there are the dancing birds and the squirrels that dart. It is as if the song, the scurries and the subtle movements of flora are their voice, the song of the garden for those who listen with more than their ears. The garden was always a shade brighter in the rain. It was as if the gift of the skies wasn't water, but liquid magic, washing our world to show what was there all along, nature in her in humble brilliance. The buttercups became gold, the grass the shade of every dreamers meadow, roots quenched, soil renewed. And after the patter of the rain came bursts of birdsong, their hearts rejoicing the occasion of the rain.

There was a mother sitting on this soil while the brook gurgled beside her. She was heavily pregnant and she was humming sweetly. The only thing that shocked Fiona was that the woman was a human.

And suddenly the scene changed.

There was a gate of rough wood was as big as a cow and ivy cascaded over the fence, growing tendrils in every direction. The stone path was punctuated with weeds after every stone. The dishevelled, un-manicured lawn was more moss than grass and was over shadowed by huge weeping willow flowing down onto the dank and squishy ground. Clusters of defiant daffodils reared their golden heads amidst the gloom and there were smatters of fuchsia along side the scarlet and saffron hued primroses.

There was a screaming voice of a woman in distress. The pain in her screams were palpable and Fiona saw a man with a crying babe in his hand. The babe was still bloody which means that she had just given birth and the man was furious he reached this patch and he struck the babe on the rock killing the child in an instant. And immediately everything went dark as the woman who was bleeding came running and looked at her dead child and the man who had killed her.

She looked at him and then let out a piercing scream out of her throat and in a matter of seconds all kinds of flesh eating birds descended on the man and started pecking on him alive. There were ravens, vultures and what not. The man’s feet were rooted to the spot because vines had grown from the soil and was not allowing him to move. And within a few minutes his screams became gurgles and then woman started walking away.

The whole patch of land turned black.