The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Twelve: Homesick

I change into one of my nicest cotton dresses and attempt to fix my hair, brushing out all the knots with a silver hairbrush set on top of my vanity and twisting the two front pieces and pinning them back so it stays out of my face.

Next thing I know, I'm exiting my room. I have absolutely no idea where the Estate's greenhouse is located, but the adventure is part of the experience as I begin down the halls of the Estate, admiring each of the sights I come by and eventually finding myself within the Grand Entrance of the Estate, which is every bit as grand as described.

The ceilings loom high above my head and are handpainted with elaborate designs and accented by gold. There's a staircase to my right that leads up to an unknown level of the Estate, lined with golden railings and white carpets. A few workers glance at me as I enter the room, shooting me strange looks that I ignore as I walk over to the doors and exit into the front of the Estate where I originally arrived. The air is still sweetly scented and I inhale deeply as I exit the Estate, allowing a gust of wind to whistle through my hair, tousling it around.

I already know that if I walk to my left side, that'll lead me to the Estate's gardens and eventually the training grounds, which I want to avoid as much as possible, so I turn to my right, walking to the left side of the Estate.

There's a small wooden gate, which I unlatch to reveal a long line of stepping stones leading down a slight slope, into an unfamiliar direction. I step onto the first stone, locking the gate behind me and watching the ground as I step from stone to stone. Each stone is surrounded by soft, squishy moss, indicating that these same stones have been here for quite a while, and I admire their scattered pattern as I make my way down the small hill. The stones eventually lead me to the edge of a forest, where they abruptly stop, replacing themselves with the wooded floor of the forest. Confused, I just continue on straight ahead through the forest until I finally come upon a small glass building built within a secluded part of the woods.

"The Greenhouse" I breathe to myself, taking in the sight before me.

It's surrounded by small stumps cut from trees, that thick candles are situated upon, their wax dripping onto the stump beneath them. I walk over to the small door, pulling the handle to enter. As the door opens, there's a sudden rush of warm air that carries an earthy scent along with it.

The Greenhouse is smaller than I imagined, with only a few racks of plants along the walls, and several tropical potted plants situated randomly throughout the room. There's a small wooden desk situated in the corner of the room, with a small gas lamp on top of it, illuminating light onto the papers scattered across the desk. I walk over to it and examine the papers, which are covered in inky illustrations of each of the plants, followed by facts about them beneath their illustrations. I run my fingers along the inky illustrations and wrinkly paper, fascinated by the drawings. The chaos of this desk reminded me of Avelyn's back at home, and I suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of homesickness, even though I had no actual home to miss.

"Amaris? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" I hear a voice behind me ask.

I turn around and look over my shoulder to find Cael standing in the doorway with a stack of freshly chopped wood. I suppose my expression looked saddened from the thought of my sisters, because Cael immediately sets down the wood when he sees me, walking towards me.

"Hey... what's wrong?" He asks, taking both my hands in his comfortingly.

"I- I think I... miss my sisters?" I stutter, still trying to understand the feelings that have suddenly welled up within me.

Cael's expression turns from concerned to sympathetic as I answer.

"Well, it's been almost two weeks since you last saw them. It's normal to feel homesick" Cael replies.

"Yeah... but- that can't be it. I don't even have a real home to miss" I reply.

Cael pauses for a moment as he processes my response.

"You know... you can feel homesick for people too" He finally replies.

I scoff at his response.

"That's not possible" I laugh.

"But it is. Because when you love someone, you make a home for them in your heart. And when they're away from you, there's no one else to occupy that home you left for them. You love your sisters. Whether you believe it or not. You came here for them, and, you miss them because they're your home. You feel safe when you're around them. You feel whole. And no one else could replace them in your heart. So you're homesick for them. Not the cottage. Not the village. Them." Cael responds.

I stand there stock still as he explains this to me, looking into his eyes as I experience a sudden epiphany.

"You speak like you know from experience." I reply.

"I wish I could say I didn't, but I felt the same way about someone once, so I also happen to know that if you do nothing about it, you'll regret it." Cael replies mysteriously.

I look up at him with curious eyes, wondering who he was speaking about.

"I have an idea. How about you write to your sisters? I'm sure they'll appreciate that" Cael suggests, letting go of my hands and walking over to the desk, rifling through stacks of papers until he comes up with a blank sheet of paper and a quill.

I smile at him in response, taking the paper and quill from him. He pulls the chair away from the desk for me, gesturing for me to sit down, which I do thankfully, beginning to scribble out a letter to my sisters updating them on everything that's happened.

"Have you sent them a care basket yet?" Cael asks me as I finish up the letter, folding it and handing it to Cael.

"I haven't necessarily had time. Your father's very demanding, you know" I reply.

"Trust me. I know" Cael scoffs, placing the letter into a pocket within his robe.

"Besides, they haven't sent me a letter asking for one yet" I add.

"How about we make them one right now?" Cael asks after pausing for a moment.

"Now? You mean like... now now?" I question.

"Yeah. Whatever it takes to keep myself away from my studies" Cael jokes.

"I mean... I won't say no. But don't the maids usually just make those?" I question.

"Well... yes... but what's the fun in that?" Cael questions.

His eyes are sparkling with a mischief I've never seen in him before.

"Come on, it'll be fun" Cael finishes, offering his hand to me.

I take his hand with a smile, not that it was ever a question before, and we set off, leaving the Greenhouse