Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 72 - Candour Queen

The next morning, Sage woke to a message on his phone from Taro. He peeled himself off the couch with a stiff neck and aching shoulders. His heart still bulged happily as he opened his phone with a tired smile.

'Morning Prince Sagerian. Gutted you'll have to dress yourself today. I hope you miss me a lot x'.

Sage grinned wide and replied, 'Morning! I think I'll survive. I do miss you. I hope you miss me too, but I hope you're having a nice time with your parents x'.

'Can I call you? x' was Taro's reply. Sage dialled his number as a response. His grin widened when Taro picked up on the first ring. "Hello," he said into Sage's ear.

"Hi," Sage answered.

"What are you doing?"

"Lying in bed," he lied, not wanting to tell him that he fell asleep on the couch after narrowly avoiding crying over his anxieties.

"Perfect," Taro said, and Sage could tell he was smiling too.

"What are you doing?"

"Talking to you, obviously."

Sage rolled his eyes, mimicking, "Obviously."

"What are you doing today?"

Sage told him how he planned to do gardening for most of the day and then he would track down his mother to argue. He got out of bed and listened to Taro talking about his plans as he brushed his teeth and rummaged his drawers to dress himself. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" Sage asked.

"I think so. But don't research about the prophecy thing until I'm back. I want to know everything too."

"Did you tell your parents about it?"

"Yeah, they were actually really excited because it means that our kind will rise up and have a King who will support them too."

Sage was silent for a moment. He paused to stare at himself in the mirror. "I'll talk to Oxley. I'll get the full truth out of him."

"I know he's your brother and all, but just be careful."

"I will."

"Good."

The call was coming to an end, and Sage wondered how to say goodbye. At first, he thought about those special words I love you, but he wasn't ready, and the thought of Taro saying them to him first filled his limbs with uneasy jitters.

But Taro wasn't ready either, and said, "Anyway, my mum is up now and pretending she's not listening." Sage heard her yell something in the background. "So, I'll leave you to have breakfast. Text me later though, okay?"

"Okay! Enjoy the rest of your day, Taro."

"You too, Sagerian. Bye."

"Bye." The call ended, and Sage smiled the rest of the way to breakfast. He was early, so he ate quickly and left before anyone could dampen his mood, which was a huge improvement from the night before. He spent the rest of the day in the garden, getting mud on his jeans and under his nails and on his skin. He was most relaxed when surrounded by earthy smells and nature. His father was right, he was good at gardening, and flowers did bloom when he planted them. He sat back, enjoying a well-deserved cider in the late afternoon. On this side of the Palace, rose bushes sat in multiple rows of pink and orange and red. Sage had planted the orange ones and they grew in abundance, while the pink ones were okay, and the red ones were a little floppy, and there were more gaps than preferred.

He tried to dismiss it as something normal, like pests or weather. But the more he looked around the garden, the more he noticed that the plants he had attended to were much bigger and blooming better than any of the others. Why? He thought, staring down at his hands. He messaged Taro and asked, 'Do you feel different now that you're away from me? x'.