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THE ROSE GARDEN

Talk of the pirate ship encounter was soon swallowed up whole by the outline of the Jeweled City on the horizon. The voyage took only a few hours. Afternoon sun bathed the buildings along the coast in a golden light. White stone temples, larger than Monte had ever seen, were framed by the blue hues of the sea and sky. Sunlight reflected off the ornate carvings and colored glass mosaic tiling that gave the city its name.

"I can't believe anyone would ever leave this place." Monte said absently.

"My parents made the choice. My sister and I were just children." Karth responded. Monte hadn't expected him to. He turned to find Karth next to him, taking in the view as well. Everyone on deck, even some of the deck hands, were doing the same.

"Have they ever told you why they did?" Monte inquired. He turned back to look at the buildings as they grew larger and more elaborately decorated with each passing moment.

"Oh yes. The Jeweled City is beautiful of course. Well, from this perspective. My parents weren't born to the right people, and their options for making a life were very limited." Karth replied, as though reciting an old family story.

"Born the right people? What does that mean?" Monte asked. He could take a guess. Maybe Karth's grandparents were criminals? Maybe it was difficult to get out of the shadow of their parents? That was something Monte could understand. He had moved to the bigger city to out from under his father's. Karth's parents had crossed the sea.

"Maybe you'll see for yourself. In the Jeweled City, who your parents are matters a lot more than in the Capitol. I could never have gone to the Academy. The best I could hope for, that my parents could hope for, is having a fruit stall. That's why they left." Karth said.

Monte knew some of the story already. Karth's parents were able to use their connections in the Jeweled City to run a small importing business for uncommon items and had made themselves into a pillar of their community. They had also made themselves wealthy enough to travel back to their home when they wished. Karth was proud of his parents but didn't want to enter the family business. It was the first thing the two friends had bonded over.

Monte's eyes had become unfocused, creating an effect that made the city look hazy and even more exotic. It reminded him of a painting he'd seen in a Capitol bazaar as he walked home one night.

If I see that one again, I'll buy it.

Just then something caught his eye. It was a flash of white and black on the periphery of his vision. He turned to look and was certain he had seen the same pirate ship slipping behind an outcropping of rocks.

He watched for a little longer, but no boat came into view. What he saw were men clamoring over the rocks and moving towards the same port their boat was pulling into.

Monte noticed the men didn't wear all-white uniforms like the sailors on their ship. Still, they were dressed similarly enough Monte had to assume they were part of a group. They wore white shirts on top and red and cream striped pants with black boots. From what small piece of the ship, he thought he saw flashing around the rocks, he assumed it was the pirates' ship. But these men looked like traveling performers, not Company thieves. They were still too far away for Monte to get a good look at any of their faces.

"Is this yours, sir?" A voice asked Monte, shaking him back into the present. Standing in front of him was a white-clad sailor carrying the cat in his arms.

"Yes…" Monte replied. He was mortified that she'd already gotten into enough trouble to be brought to him.

What have you done this time?

"We found her below decks. She'd already eliminated two mice and a rat. We gave her a saucer of cream for her efforts. Typically, pets aren't allowed on board but the captain has granted an exception in this case." The sailor said, clearly grateful.

Monte heard the bell tinkle smugly. Her eyes were squinted slightly, and she held her chin in the air triumphantly. Monte took the cat from the sailor. She climbed onto his pack and fell immediately into a contented nap.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for any bother." Monte said gracefully.

"She's welcome any time, sir." The sailor replied, then turned and left.

"Finally!" Karth said. Monte wasn't sure what he meant but when he turned to look realized their ship was pulling into the port.

A horn mounted above the ship's cabin let out a steam powered note. This caused the deckhands to move into a flurry of activity both on the deck and, Monte noticed, on the shore. Within a few moments the ship was tied up and the gangway was down. Slowly, the travelers disembarked. Monte watched as the wealthy travelers sauntered off the ship, white-clad sailors bearing their luggage in tow.

He'd been the last one aboard and thought it only fitting he was the last to alight. He slung his pack on his back and followed Karth to the shores. Soon they had caught up with his parents and their retinue of servants.

"I need to give the appearance I'm happy to hang out with them. For a little while anyway. Soon we will be set free I promise." Karth turned to Monte and spoke just above a whisper. Monte saw Karth's mother glance back across her shoulder at her son. She wore a knowing grin as though she'd heard the words but said nothing.

"I'm just along for the ride. It's my first time across the sea, I'm happy just to be here." Monte said, with no hint of a lie, and loud enough he was sure Karth's parents could hear.

Somehow the city from the ground level was even more astounding than from their vantage point on the sea. The city teemed with life. As they wound through narrow streets Monte spied vendors selling fruits, meats, and fish he'd never seen before. Lush green plants with leaves bigger than his head seemed to sprout from any exposed crack of dirt available. Exotic spices and perfumes filled his nostrils, almost lifting him into the coastal air.

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Up close, the tiling and stained glass adorning each building was nearly impossible to comprehend. How much money was spent building this place? How much time? Compared to the drab wood and stone constructions he was used to, even the humblest abode was a palace.

"Karth." Karth's mother said. Her accent made even his friend's name sound like a lyric in a beautiful song.

"These men will take your things to our lodgings. We have been invited to the Rose Garden for afternoon tea." She sang the next verse. Monte barely noticed Karth roll his eyes as he handed one of the sailors his bag.

"They'll take yours too." Karth said, indicated Monte's pack.

"I'll keep it, it's not a bother." Monte replied, and Karth didn't press. He gave the sailors a nod and Monte watched them depart with the luggage down another narrow alley.

A somewhat steep climb through a passageway so narrow the group was forced to walk in a single file led to a large courtyard. Two ornately uniformed and armed men stood outside a gate of wrought brass. Monte couldn't see through the fence except that there was a dense hedge of flowering shrubbery on the other side. A distinct flowery aroma filled the courtyard.

As Karth's parents approached, the men opened the gate doors and stepped to the side.

"Good afternoon. Welcome." One of the men said. Monte noticed a short, sweeping blade shined to a high polish hung bare at his side.

What could be so heavily guarded?

"I do enjoy this part of our trips." Karth said to him. The two men walked behind his parents through the gates. Monte didn't hear them shut behind him, he was enchanted by what he saw.

The entire courtyard was taken up by a maze of rose bushes. Each plant more beautifully colored and fragrant than the last. Bees and butterflies flitted from bloom to bloom. In the afternoon sun the garden looked like something out of a dream Monte had never had.

As he walked through the bushes the sweet aromas from the flowers changed from cherry to raspberry to citrus. Only a handful of other people meandered around the rows of bushes.

"Wow." Monte looked around, mouth agape.

Karth's mother looked over her shoulder at him with a coy smile but said nothing. She took her husband's arm and they slowly moved in the direction of one of the other couples milling about.

"There is nothing like this in the Capitol that I've ever found." Karth said. The two of them stayed on the outer edge of the garden, taking in the rows of plants.

"No. I've never seen anything like it anywhere." Monte said, stopping to smell a bush with purple blossoms that smelled like tea and molasses. At one point he felt the cat move, presumably after seeing a passing butterfly. She left out a small sneeze and went back to her nap. They wandered around the seemingly endless rose garden for a quarter of an hour.

"Okay, listen. I'm sorry but after this, we have one more event we have to attend. After that we'll be free. We can go to the fun part of the city." Karth said.

"Is this not fun enough for you, brother?" A small yet clearly confident voice pierced their solitude from behind them.

Monte turned around to find and old man with tanned, almost leathery complexion dressed in rags. Seeing the man brought him back to finding the sleeping Company man in his tent. His clothes were damp with sweat and reeked with his odor. The image was so incongruent Monte believed for a split second he was about to wake up from the manic afternoon dream he had clearly been in.

Then, from out behind the man stepped a creature more beautiful than any one of the rose bushes could hope to be. She was young and her skin shone radiantly against her deep green traditional garb. She had dark hair cut short producing a boyish effect. Her eyes shone brighter than the glints of mosaic tile from the temple spires. Monte knew he was looking at the most beautiful thing in the Jeweled City.

"Pavani, I'm so glad you could join us." Karth's Father spoke. He and his wife had made it back to where Monte and Karth were standing. The young woman embraced Karth's parents.

"It's lovely to see you both. You look well. Welcome home." Pavani said to them. Next she came to Karth and gave him a short and clearly affectionate hug.

"I'm glad you could come, brother." She said loud enough for Karth's parents to hear. And then she leaned in.

"And I'm sorry about Neera." She whispered in his ear. Monte wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it or not.

Next she approached Monte and extended a hand for him to take. Monte wasn't sure what to do so he shook it, which elicited a chuckle from Karth's mother.

"Monte, it's lovely to see you too. It's been too long." Pavani said. Monte had no recollection of who he was looking at. It was clear this woman knew Karth and his parents well. Monte did his best to remember his manners.

"Likewise. But I'm afraid I don't remember our last meeting, I apologize. Can you do me the honor of reminding me?" Monte said, unsure of how to approach the situation. He heard a few more snickers from Karth's parents and realized he had committed another faux paus. Pavani's expression dropped slightly, but she replied.

"I'm Karth's younger sister Pavani. We met at the Guard Academy graduation ceremony." She spoke, and suddenly the woman before Monte transformed. The spell broke. He remembered meeting Pavani, the lanky little sister of Karth who barely spoke a word and remained mostly hidden amidst the perfumed skirt of her mother's dress.

"Of course. Please forgive me. It has been nearly five years, and my memory has escaped me. It's lovely to meet you again." Monte recovered and gave a slight bow.

She has grown up.

Pavani turned back to her family, and Karth joined them. Monte was left to contemplate the attraction he had to Karth's sister. Was it because he'd been alone for a few weeks? Had he not seen any attractive people since his last near-death encounter?

These roses must be an aphrodisiac.

The old man who had brought Pavani to them was still in the same spot. Monte noticed he appeared to be tending to one of the bushes. As Monte observed him, the man would take a single stem in his gnarled hands and measure it against his fingers.

At one point he produced a small set of shears and, apparently determining a stem wasn't the perfect height, trimmed it. After a few moments he had moved through several bushes and collected a small bouquet at his feet.

"What are you looking for from each rose?" Monte asked. He had come closer to the man to observe. As Monte spoke the man froze solid, not moving an inch.

"Monte! Don't speak to him. He's one of the unclean. You must leave him be." Karth's father delivered the words as a reprimand.

This is who rowed our boat?

Monte turned towards the voice and found Karth's entire family staring in his direction. Karth's father approached the old gardener and spoke aggressively in a foreign, angular tongue Monte couldn't understand. The old gardener never looked Karth's father in the eyes. Monte hadn't noticed before how thin and frail the old man was. Bones protruded from his face as though he'd had nothing to eat for days.

The frail unclean man scooped up the roses he'd cut and silently offered them, apparently as an apology. Karth's father said a few more unanswered words and the gardener bound the bouquet with some green twine, placed it on the ground, and left for another part of the garden.

"It's time to go, the Abbas will be awaiting our arrival." Karth's father turned and spoke with authority, there was no reply.

Monte could sense he was perturbed by the encounter. Monte had never seen something so strange in his life. No one else in the family watched the interaction aside from Pavani, who snuck the occasional glance. Each time, she closed her eyes and produced a smile before turning back to her mother.

With the encounter over, it was time to leave the garden. The family filed in front of Monte. Karth's father led the way with Pavani bringing up the rear. Monte scooped up the discarded roses and fell in line.

As they passed the brass gates again, Monte noticed paint chipping away revealing the iron underneath. One of the guards took a swig from a flask. Maybe it was the light from a different angle, but Monte noticed small unrepaired rips, and wrinkles in the guard uniforms. The man on his left wore a jacket and pants at least two sizes too big, the hem of his pants nearly swallowed the top of his unpolished boot.

We would never get away with that at the academy.

After they made it out of the garden, Pavani turned to look at Monte. Her eyes were wide like a schoolgirl silently conveying shock to a classmate. Monte, not sure of what to do, thrust the beautiful bouquet into Pavani's hands.

"What was that all about?" He hissed, trying his best not to cause another stir. Pavani simply smiled, accepted the flowers, and turned to follow her family out of the garden. Monte paused a moment, then did the same.