章 694: To Plant a Seed
Mairwen and Aurora exchanged a wary glance.
"Lead the way." The Empress motioned toward the door.
The three began to ascend the spires, heading to the tallest of them all.
"How are you doing?" The Empress asked. "Hanna told me you have been stuck up here alone."
"I chose to remain here," Justin sniffed. "And it is a good thing too, or you both would have fallen back down with the dragon."
"Of course." Aurora dipped her head.
"Thank you," Mairwen added.
"To answer the question. I am fine. The Spires, however, are not." Justum's steps became more determined.
They walked in silence. Last time Aurora had been in this part of the Mystic Spires, she had not seen a single soul beyond those who had traveled with her.
Yet, the halls had felt full of the Fates' presence even if they had not been visible.
Now the place felt…empty.
'Makes sense. All of them are on the ground.'
It made Aurora sad. "Looks like you are not the only one who needs to return home," she whispered softly to the Seed.
"Hm?" Justum looked over his shoulder. "This isn't our home. We just keep this place for the Maker."
After what felt like an eternity, the three reached the final flight of stairs. They curled ever upward, lost only when the light of the flower no longer reached them.
Aurora winced.
"Are you alright?" Mairwen could feel the change in her mother's posture.
"I will be fine. Just tired and hurting." The Empress forced her body forward.
"It's more than that." The princess furrowed her brow.
Aurora sighed. "The last time I took these steps, the Maker tested me. It was the hardest thing I had ever had to do at the time. I had to face my past."
"I wish I could have been there to face it with you." Mairwen's eyes welled with tears.
Renat had warned the Empress that his wife was very sensitive after her head injury. Aurora took the sympathy in stride.
"I am glad the Maker spared you from the abuse I suffered. I would never wish that on anyone."
As hard as her mother's death had been for her, it had rescued the twins from so much heartache. They would never understand, and Aurora was very glad about that fact.
Each step brought the Empress a new thing to be grateful for. Her husband. Her friends. The Council. Nanny. Her kingdom.... the list went on and on.
Instead of oppressing her, the steps buoyed her. 'It is probably just my imagination.'
Whatever the cause, Aurora finally felt refreshed when she got to the top of the tower.
That is, until she saw the state the spire was in.
"Oh!" Mairwen brought her free hand to cover her mouth. "It's worse than I imagined!"
A long crack ran along the length of the pool. That was expected based on the Fates' reports when they came to the ground. But from the crack, there were thousands of smaller crevices jutting out like ominous spider webs.
The whole thing looked ready to crumble at the slightest provocation. In fact, part of it already had.
The wall farthest from the entrance was completely missing.
"How did that not come crashing down on our heads?" Mairwen imagined with horror being squashed by a falling wall.
"It just...vanished," Justum seemed as perplexed as the humans, which was very disconcerting.
"It's fine. All of this is fine. Surely everything can be repaired once we get the Seed in place. Show me where to put it, and we can begin the work in the morning." Aurora forced a smile.
"That is the problem, Your Majesty. The Source. Its resting place was at the base of that wall." Justum rubbed his forehead.
"I don't remember seeing it there." Aurora had been in the pool twice--once on purpose and once due to falling in. She had never noticed anything about the wall before.
"It was contained in a stone box that attached to the edge of the pool. The Source was what illuminated the water and gave everything its power." Justum looked longingly at the wall. "Now it is gone."
"What do we do?" Mairwen could feel panic rising up in her. Had they come all this way...had they put forth all this effort only to fail now?
"We do what we came to do," Aurora nodded slowly. "We plant the Seed."
"Where?" Justum scoffed.
His familiar arrogance only made Aurora more determined. She stepped forward and slid into the center of the pool. "Here."
She approached the large crack and pushed the stem of the flower into the crevice. As the crack was too wide to support the flower, the Empress did not immediately let go.
'Please work.' Aurora shut her eyes. "I brought you home," she whispered. "Don't you recognize it? I know it is a little broken, but that is why we need you."
"Are you talking to the flower? You must be desperate to..." Justum snapped his mouth shut as the white marble around the stem rumbled and closed.
The Seed was planted.
Letting go, Aurora made sure the bloom would not fall over before scooting back. The Seed glowed softly in its new location. It seemed content to no longer be in the Empress's embrace.
"You did it!" Mairwen clapped.
Aurora worked her fingers and winced. They ached terribly. "Now what?"
Both ladies turned toward Justum who pursed his lips. "How should I know? That isn't exactly where the Source normally goes."
They stared for a long time at the little bud, but nothing else happened. The cracks did not change. The wall did not reappear. Everything remained as it was.
After an eternity of staring, Justum grunted. "I will check on the rest of the Spires. Perhaps something there is different, though I doubt it. Would you like me to escort you back down? I think we have a sheet or two left if you want to head back..."
"We will stay here. Thank you, Justum," Aurora had no intention of leaving.
Mairwen nodded as well. They would see this through.
The Fate grunted his displeasure but decided it was better not to disagree. The Empress had brought the Seed this far. Who was he to deny her now?
Left alone, the two women finally let their bodies relax.
The Princess yawned. This was the longest she had been awake in weeks. "I am sorry."
"For what?" Aurora looked at her daughter in surprise.
Mairwen thought for a moment. "It just feels like a moment to be sorry, I guess. We were so sure that it had worked."
"I cannot give up yet." The Empress looked at the small bloom.
Did it look like it was...wilting? Could silk flowers wilt? Aurora's heart sank.
Mairwen slid down into the bowl of the fountain next to her mother. They clasped hands.
"Maybe we should sing to it?" the princess suggested.
The fiery-haired Empress nodded slowly. It couldn't hurt, and maybe it would boost their spirits as well. There was one song that came to both of their minds.
"Beyond the land of ice and snow, you'll find a land of green. There make your home in palace white above the hill and trees."
Over and over they sang the verse that Nanny had taught them. Each time they began, the flower seemed to burn a little brighter, and every time they stopped, it dimmed.
They tried other songs, but none had the power of the one built into the foundation of the world. When their voices grew hoarse, they took turns singing to preserve the melody.
But at last, neither could sing any longer. The exhaustion of the day caught up with them.
In the fountain of the falls, they fell asleep.
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