Dark Queen: The Cybelline Prophecies

Chapter 90

The snow had stopped falling a few days ago, and the the earth was returning to its bright visage. She looked at the anachronistic tree in her beautiful yard and smiled, "Somehow, your brightest moment is when winter dies and spring awakens." 

She hummed a song she had heard a little earlier, 

So from lonely branch the foolish bloom did fall To love a river who cared naught And give and give and give her all Only to watch the river flow away, all their love forgot. 

"I know this." Jasreth entered the garden, "It isn't the happiest poem." 

"It's called the river and the bloom" Miri answered dreamily, "I didn't understand it when I was little. There's a question in that poem that I couldn't understand no matter how hard I thought about it." 

"And what was that?" Jasreth asked as he sat next to her. 

"Do you know what is the saddest kind of goodbye?" Miri asked him 

"When someone dies." Jasreth answered and thought back to the people in his life. 

Miri said nothing. She just looked out into the beautiful garden she had designed. It was her place of peace she told him. She had moved into the palace a few days after Ithos, Myrai and her brothers had left. She felt it was a lonely place and so she started gardening. 

"Are you sad, my love?" Jasreth came behind her and gently clasped her in his arms, taking care not to move his injured shoulder, "Do you regret saving me again?"

Miri thought back to that moment when she had asked him out to say goodbye. In the middle of that, assassins had come for Jasreth. Miri had helped him fight the assassin off, but he had been injured. So, Miri decided to stay. 

Miri felt his breath on her ear and blushed, "No. I'm glad that I was able to save you from the assassin. I couldn't leave you like this, my parents and brothers understood."

She looked at him seriously, "When you are healed, I must leave." Jasreth merely smiled but said nothing.

Jasreth took her hand, "Thank you." Miri smiled and then brightened, "Did you know that I had never seen snow until now?"

Jasreth laughed, "No."

"Well, I lived in the south. So, it was never this cold." She stood up and walked towards a fruit tree, full of bring beautiful red fruit, "I just planted this, won't you try it? It's my favorite. I never thought that anything could bloom during winter."

In her hand was a bright red berry. He took her hand and guided the berry to his mouth. The cold fragrance and sweetness was a heady mixture. She grinned at him with approval, "It tastes like the coming of spring in the dying winter, doesn't it?"

Jasreth could nod, he felt as if all the scheming and plotting faded in that moment. For only she existed in his vision, her bright smile, hand holding out the precious gift. Offering him her all.

He knew in that moment, it was all worth it. She was his, and would be his, body, soul. Everything.

He held the fruit in his palm as he left the little house that she lived and returned to the cold palace where he lived.

There he opened the door to reveal three advisors. They bowed respectfully.

"Have you found it?" Jasreth said as he set the fruit on the table.

One of them came forward, "Yes my lord, the druids indeed have the world tree branch in their possession."

Jasreth smiled coldly, "How is it that the fae had the secret to immortality but never managed to use it?"