A few minutes later, we stepped out into a long corridor. It wasn’t the ante-chamber just outside the Emperor’s office that I was expecting to see. I wondered where we were when I spotted large arching windows ahead. I then saw the greenery just outside. We were on the ground floor. We rounded a corner and there were the familiar double doors out to the garden.

We stepped outside to the courtyard. The Emperor turned abruptly to the guards that had followed us––mine and his. It had made quite the procession on our short walk through the palace

“Wait here. We will return shortly.”

None of the four men looked happy about that order, but they clearly weren’t going to argue with the Emperor. So they took up positions around the door as we briskly walked down the path into the surrounding greenery.

Despite the beautiful scenery around me, my uneasiness escalated with every step we took. Why were we here? Why not his office if he just wanted to talk? But the silence between us continued as I followed closely behind him through the labyrinth of pathways. His steady pace made me realize he had a clear objective in mind. I figured we would get there eventually, so I stayed quiet to see where that might be.

We weaved deeper and deeper into the garden, walking for several minutes before turning a bend and arriving at a rather large blue-green evergreen. But that didn’t stop the Emperor, he moved the branches aside and kept on going. The sharp needles dug into my face and arms as I followed.

Once through, I stopped and stared. Beyond the massive tree lay another section of garden. It was a perfectly hidden paradise of exotic looking flowers laid out in neatly cared for beds. A small pond sat in the center of garden. Complete with a stone bridge across its middle and a matching stone sitting area off to one side.

“Wow,” was all I could get out as I stood there staring.

The Emperor had stopped just inside the entrance looking out over the garden too. It was a moment before he could speak.

“This was your mother’s garden. I had met her on her home world during one of my rare off world visits, and had been impressed with her horticulture abilities. That woman could grow anything anywhere. So I invited her here to create a rare species section. Something I could enjoy privately in my spare time.

“It took her months to design and begin the planting. She did most of the work since I wanted to keep this private. When my duties allowed, I came to help her. It also gave me a wonderful excuse to enjoy one of my greatest loves. It really was all about the gardening––at least at first. We both enjoyed our time here. I suppose it wasn’t a huge surprise it turned to something more.” His voice wavered at the end.

I looked at him in surprise. It was strange seeing the emotion that played in his face. He had loved my mother. Maybe he still did. I wasn’t sure what to think about that.

I honestly hadn’t thought much about my mom or my birth father’s relationship. I knew very little about that part. I had no idea how my mom and Emperor had met or how they ended up together, and surprisingly those questions hadn’t even occurred to me. I’m not sure why.

Maybe it was because I had seen the deep love between my mom and my dad, and couldn’t imagine either of them loving anyone else. Or maybe it was that I couldn’t even comprehend my mom having any sort of relationship with the Emperor. They seemed so different from each other, and it was a struggle to think of any senecio where they actually might occupy the same room.

But they had. Obviously. Or I wouldn’t be here. And as I took in the beautiful garden before me, I realized that there could be a scenario these two unlikely people would come together––through their love of gardening. And not only that, at least on the Emperor’s side, there had been genuine feelings between them.

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The strong feelings against my dad was making a lot more sense. This wasn’t just about me being taken away and a potential successor being denied him. The Emperor had lost someone he had deeply cared about. For the first time, I felt a surge of sympathy for my birth father and what he must have gone through. I was surprised my mother could be so cold. She didn’t seem the type.

“When she told me she was with child, it was a shock. I was already in a union contract, so it made things complicated. I really had no choice but to send your mother away. I’m grateful to Rainus for taking you both in as his own. But I still kept an eye out from afar.

“Eventually, I decided to dissolve my union contract and bring you and your mother back here. It’s what I should have done from the beginning. I know that now, and I regret not doing so. I’m fairly certain this whole business with her betraying me and taking you away would have never happened. So I suppose, I have some blame to share in that whole affair.”

The Emperor turned toward me and looked me in the eyes. They were still soft with emotion. “I miss her, but she made her choice a long time ago. I suppose I can’t truly blame her since I turned her away first, but she did deny me the opportunity to know you. And that’s something I can’t forgive.

“When I discovered the possibility of finding you, I can’t tell you how excited that made me. For years, I had been so upset over your mother’s betrayal, but knowing you were coming back home, it made me feel an excitement I hadn’t had in very long time.”

I stared at the man before me and felt a rising guilt. In this whole affair, I had not even once thought about what this might be like for him. What he was going through. All I could think about was my own self and the anger I had from being torn away from all I had known.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” My words didn’t feel nearly adequate enough, but I wasn’t sure what else to say. I stuffed my hands in my pocket and looked down to the white path under my feet.

“I realized that. And that’s part of why I brought you here. Maybe I should have done this the first day you had come back, and we could have had a better go of things. Or maybe not. You have so much of your mother in you. She had a temper too. I forgot to take that into account.”

I looked back up to my birth father as I remembered the words he had told me that night I had burst into his room. “What? So you could manipulate me to do what you want better?”

The Emperor gave me one of his half-smiles. “I have spent the last two hundred plus years perfecting getting exactly what I want. It’s what seen us through a nasty civil war with my grandfather. It’s what helped bring our struggling Empire back to safety and prosperity. It’s what’s been keeping all the constantly bickering Kings in check. And it most certainly is what has brought Ethia hope of having someone who even has a change at successfully taking over after my time is done.”

I blinked as I took in his words. “What makes you so sure I’m the right person to be your successor?”

The Emperor’s half-smile cut all the away across his face for the first time into a full grin. “And what makes you so sure you can’t be?”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Once more, not even sure what I could possibly say to that.

The Emperor gestured to the garden. “This place was originally suppose to be for me to come to and spend some private time. It turned out to be more of place where your mother and I came to spend time together. And we even brought you here with us, when the two of you came to live at the palace for those few short months.

“After she and Aragon took you away from me, I refused to come back. It wasn’t until I knew you were coming home that I ventured here again. It was quite a mess too. No one had set foot here in twenty years. I had my head gardener fix it up. I came out here once since then, but it feels hard and counterproductive. There’s too many memories.

“But I don’t want this place to go to seed again. It should be enjoyed and looked after. So I wanted to let you know about it since this garden really does belong to you too.

“I know you are leaving later today, but I wanted to show you this place. That way you have something to look forward to when you come back. So spend some time here if you like. You have several hours before the Admiral will be ready to leave.” Then without a word he turned on his heels and walked away.

I stood there for a long time watching the place my birth father had exited the secret garden. The tree’s spindly needs swaying slightly in the soft breeze. I was stunned. My mind having a hard time processing all that had just happened. Out of all the ways I thought our conversation would go after all that had happened––this was not it.

Eventually, I was able to come out of my shock and decided to take the Emperor up on his offer and began my exploration of the garden in a bit of a daze. I walked down each of the paths, observing all the colorful flora around me, and deciding not to over think it and just enjoy what was right in front of me for once.