Aelius led the group to a carriage near the exit of the town. "My master let me borrow this for my personal use" he reasoned. "He is a generous man"
Sola squealed in delight once she opened the carriage door and found that the seats were made of plush velvet. While the carriage itself on the outside is unornate and plain looking, the inside of it tells a different story. Gold trimmings at the sides with velvet cushioning, as soft as the clouds above.
"This is no ordinary carriage, Cyrus," Mikael said. "Why would your master give this to you for personal use? He questioned Aelius.
"I deal with some of his personal requests, which is why this one was made to be incognito from the outside" he answers as he patted the carriage. "Inside, however, he wanted to retain a bit of his status so as to not to offend his 'personal' guests" In reality, this carriage was used by Aelius before to escort various ladies across the kingdom back to their homes, once their 'session' was over.
Mikael gave him a stare, not quite believing the man's reasoning, but decided to go inside as well since the girls already made themselves comfortable inside the carriage. Aelius went in and closed the door, and banged the side closest to the driver, signaling him to go to their destination.
"How long until we reach the Gardens?" Selene asked as she stares at the window, watching the scenery pass by her.
"Only a few hours. The man outside has Airea blood, making the ride much faster than it should be." Aelius answered. It was typical for the men belonging to lower houses of Airea to do this kind of job, for their powers in making the rides swift are much sought after by higher-ranking nobles.
"The Hanging Gardens are the pride and glory of the Verdant House," Aelius explained to his guests. "While Solaria is mainly made of sand, the city gifted to the Verdants – the Jade City – is flourishing with plants and flowers. It is a preferred spring vacation for a lot of nobles in Solaria. If you look outside later, you'll notice that we're we are near the city. Trees and grass will suddenly appear, sparse at first though."
As the minutes pass by the view on their window suddenly changed. From vast dunes of sand sprinkled with bronze buildings glittering in the sun to flora sprouting in between the cracks of the land, to longer stretches of grass. Soon, there was no sand in sight, but miles and miles long of the greenest grass full of various flowers and tall trees. It was a huge difference from the usual look of Solaria. In a few moments, they were greeted with a high arch made of vines as thick as a person, with the deepest violet clematis you can find blooming.
"Welcome to the Jade City. Next stop, Hanging Gardens!" Aelius exclaimed to his guests, who were busy oohing and aahing at the magnificent entrance archway.
The Jade city is more of a forest rather than a city. The grass is everywhere and tall trees make up most of the view. The buildings made of jade are either on the branches of the trees or beside them, as long as it looked as if the plants are swallowing the structure meant of the humans living there. Blooming flowers can be seen everywhere, ranging from the darkest of the violets to the whitest daisies. In the middle of the city, stands the Jade Towers - five tall towers made entirely of jade; home to the head Verdant family. In its backyard is the Hanging Gardens – a suspended piece of land made up of strong, thick, intertwining vines serving as a base, with the most magnificent and rare plants and trees growing and blooming. The vines are attached to the five towers to help support the load in the middle and make it suspended in the air.
Their carriage stopped at the public entrance to the Hanging Gardens, located at the first tower of the Jade Towers. The group disembarked their ride. "Leave your stuff at the carriage," Cyrus said "We won't stay long here, as the gardens are only open to the public for only a few hours."
"Are we going to the next stop after?" Kai asked, her excitement for the day still hasn't died down.
"Nope, we'll be getting an inn here to stay for the night. You guys need rest before our next destination" Aelius replied.
The group nodded in approval and went inside the Hanging Gardens.
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The garden was more than what they had hoped for. It was the most alive thing they have ever seen. While Lunaria has its famous Moonflower Bend, it pales in comparison to the Hanging Gardens.
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A luscious field of grass is framed by luscious tall bushes. The flower beds are unkempt, but look all the better for it; they're giving off a plethora of scents. Huge fruit-bearing trees offer shade from the glaring sun, and snacks for those who are hungry. Roots and vines are seemingly content with their positions in the garden, none trying to reach beyond. Various marbles hint at paths around the garden, beckoning people to explore the garden, and showing them the best sights at the same time. A Jade pagoda stands near the right edge of the garden, complete with a great seating area, and next to it sits a small bird bath. With the sun at its peak, the pagoda gives off a soft glow of green life, magically making all the plants in the garden to be more beautiful as well.
Selene was mesmerized by the garden; she can't get enough of it. The sweet-smelling roses paired with the freshest apple plucked from the tree, she could just stay here for hours and hours and she won't even complain.
Well, she did have one complaint, the garden was too crowded by her standards.
She went up to Aelius, who was standing at the side admiring the newly bloomed carnations near the pond. "Cyrus." She said. Aelius turned his head to face her. "Is there someplace here in the gardens that are not so crowded?"
"Why?" Aelius replied. "The Hanging Gardens is large enough to accommodate a lot of people. It's the most popular place to hold a wedding for the masses"
"I know it's huge, but I was imagining it to be somewhat quieter. More somber and peaceful. Like, I can hear my thoughts type of peaceful." Selene replied wistfully.
Aelius stared at her for a minute, in deep thought. "I might know a place," he said, as he grabbed her hand to take her there. Selene did even have time to register what happened when they suddenly arrived.
"This," Aelius said as he gestured his free hand to the area, "is a secret place in the Gardens. Only those with high enough status know about it"
"And you know about this because?" Selene asked.
"My master often visits this place and I accompany him as his guard. This place is usually open after the public garden is closed. We still have half an hour before they open this one to the high-ranking people"
The public garden was already grand, but this one was even more than that. Golden leaves from golden trees gently swing in the soft breeze, decorated with moonflowers. Fireflies flutter to and fro, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The sun here is less harsh compared to the public garden. Butterflies are in abundance, dancing between blossoming flowers. A small hot spring was at the center, with a waterfall gently falling down, providing extra sounds to calm the mind. The public garden pales in comparison to this – this garden feels like the afterlife.
Selene couldn't believe the scenery. She just stood there, eyes wide open with her mouth in awe. Never had she imagined a place as beautiful as this garden.
"My master usually comes here to rest for a bit." Aelius suddenly said next to her. "Sometimes, I accompany him while walking, wandering aimlessly in the grass, thinking of nothing." He said, remembering the times when he ran here to hide from his responsibilities.
"Your master seems kind, Cyrus" Selene softly said.
Aelius smiled to himself. No one ever thought of him as kind. Burdensome, yes. A menace even, especially his parents. But never kind. The two of them walked aimlessly side by side.
"They'll be re-working this garden soon." Aelius he suddenly said.
"Why? This place is already perfect!" Selene cried.
"In preparation for the Royal Wedding. This place is going to be the reception area for the nobles in attendance" Aelius said.
The wedding. Hearing it made Selene stop for a moment. She forgot that she was offered to be the bride of the Sun Heir in a few months.
"They don't need to change anything. It's perfect" she said.
"King's orders" Aelius replied, with a hint of bitterness.
"The Sun King? More like the prince's orders" she snorted.
Aelius looked at her like she suddenly grew a third head. "The prince's orders? Pray tell, Miss Calypso, why did you think that?"
Selene looked at Aelius and saw a hint of irritation in his eyes. She must have struck a nerve. "The people of Lunaria have heard some reports" she carefully said. "They say the Heir is irresponsible and wild, with a bit of a control issue"
Never in a million years would Aelius have thought to hear that he has control issues. If anything, it was his father, the King. Aelius swallowed his irritation and replied, "Well I hear that the Lunar Princess is no prize too. She's the Lunar Heir but she's too soft, too kind. Easy manipulated by a small plea and a single tear, like malleable clay. Solaria is a kingdom that prizes bravery and war, we do not need soft people like her."
Now it was Selene's turn to be irritated. 'Kindness does not mean softness' she thought to herself. 'And I am a kind princess,' she said in her head 'so I will forgive this poor man in front of me.'
Selene coughed and said, "Can we just agree to disagree? We clearly both think that the two are not suitable for each other"
"Agreed. The garden is too nice for a fight" Aelius replied with a smirk. A smirk that made Selene smile back and laughed softly. She stared at his sun-like eyes, and he stared at her stormy grays, their heart calm with understanding and something else.
They continued touring the garden, with no words being said. Their heart was at peace – whether this peaceful feeling was because of the place or because of their companion, nobody knows.
They just know that what they're experiencing now, they want to experience for the rest of their lives.