Chapter 5: Chapter 5. The Royal Garden

The garden was more wonderful than anything I could have imagined.

-

Walking into the garden with my hand grasped in the hand of my mother, I’m hit with a wave of wonderful smells, just like when you enter a greenhouse.

The sun is shining into the garden and it’s a comfortable warm temperature and all around me are flowers in bright, beautiful colors.

Huge rose bushes of white and red, rhododendron with large both -bright pink and soft pink colored flowers.

Flowers both large and small in every color imaginable —white, yellow, pink, scarlet, purple and blue.

The path is made up of large round, polished white stones, and on each side of the path is soft lush green grass and assortments of flowers.

I’ve never seen such a paradise in all my life.

-

I drag mother by her hand, going from flower to flower, smelling the sharp, comfortable smell of the rhododendrons before smelling and holding the beautiful large roses in my hands.

I laugh happily while running around, and my mother and the maids have happy expressions on their faces, though my mother still keeps holding my hand sturdily, afraid that I’ll fall again.

It was just a stumble!

They don’t know that I’m still getting used to my new balance and height and instead think it’s because of my frail body! (Which it partly is)

Still, everyone seems a bit more relaxed now with smiles on their faces watching me and my mother exploring the gardens.

We walk between beautiful hedges, with small star shaped flowers blooming from the hedges, smelling of spring. The hedge even arches above us, curtaining out the sky.

It’s like a miniature maze, before the path opens up again and I see a beautiful white pagoda filled with benches with plush pillows. It’s surrounded by tall colorful tulips, and there is a small pond with snow white swans swimming lazily around in circles.

How did the gardeners even maintain such a beautiful place!

If I see any of them, I’ll have to thank them.

-

I lead my mother over to the pagoda, where she insists we sit down and take a rest.

“Okay” I answer with a smile, as I’ve never seen a more beautiful place to relax in my life.

We sit down on the benches, me beside my mother, and the seats are surprisingly comfortable, not feeling like wood at all.

My mother helps put some pillows behind my back while sitting next to me and I lean into her, which has already become second nature to me.

Leaning into her side, looking out at the swans swimming lazily around in the pond and the sun shining onto the flowers of the garden, I can almost understand what the Chinese philosophers mean while talking about Zen.

-

The maids come over and start making tea and bring cookies and snacks to us.

I eat some cookies and drink some tea, while my mother sips her tea, talking about my father and brothers and what they have been up to since last I was well enough to walk around.

It’s a very comfortable atmosphere and the maids are very silent and attentive while serving us the delicious sweets.

After eating a slice of cake and a cookie, I also sit there sipping my tea in the comfortable atmosphere.

Some smaller birds have also come out and sing bright melodies while flying around each other in courting dances.

I laugh happily at the sight and looking around I can see all the maids are looking at us with bright smiles on their faces, with Maja and my mother having the brightest smiles of them all.

I smile back up at my mother, but I feel some wetness running from my nose.

My mother gets a worried expression on her face, looking at me with sad eyes again.

I clean my nose with the edge of my dress but looking down at the sleeve I can see a red color on the sleeve instead.

How do I hide this?

Why did I have to get a nosebleed at this otherwise perfect moment?

Luckily, I do not feel sick or lightheaded or anything, but everyone else is starting to panic.

-

“Sweetie, are you okay?” my mother asks, cleaning my nose with a handkerchief.

“Should we go back to your room?” she asks worriedly.

Some of the maids also gasp and come over with warm wet cloth cleaning my skin.

“No, no, I feel perfect,” I exclaim.

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It doesn’t look like they believe me.

My mother still looks very worried, so I let her put my head down in her lap with no resistance.

She places a warm wet cloth on my forehead while brushing my hair with her hands again asking me if I’m feeling fine.

It feels incredibly comfortable.

“Are you really feeling okay?” she asks.

“I think it’s best if you lay down for a bit before we go back,” she says.

She looks at me with a worried but kind expression on her face.

“I feel much better,” I answered honestly.

She just nods her head and keeps brushing my hair with her fingers.

I decided to just enjoy the soft sensation of her lap and hands caressing me.

“Is it okay if I rest for a bit like this?” I ask her and she nods happily.

I close my eyes and relax into her warm embrace.

The sound of the birds and the smell of the flowers combined with the comfortable sensation of her hands touching my scalp quickly lulls me to sleep.

-

For the second time of the day, I’m lulled from a nap laying in the lap of my mother. It doesn’t seem like I slept for as long this time, though it’s a beautiful place to relax.

I truly am a salty fish.

I just love relaxing and napping.

After getting up, my mother insists that I should go back to my room and relax for the rest of the day.

I just can’t say no to that beautiful smile, so I agree.

“Okay, I really enjoyed seeing the garden with you mother, we should visit again sometime, and maybe eat here together!” I answer.

“I’d love that” my mother answers with a bright smile.

I can see the maids all smiling as well.

-

We walk slowly back through the gardens, and I finally see a gardener, clad in some brown cotton clothing plowing through a flowerbed.

I ask my mother if I may talk to him, and she agrees with a surprised expression on her face.

“Hello!” I ask brightly.

“Uhm, oh, your majesty,” he says, surprised and stumbling with his words, bowing down to me.

“It’s okay,” I say, taking his callused, earthy hand in mine.

“I just wanted to thank you for taking so good care of the garden! It was truly beautiful,” I say with a smile in my eyes.

He is completely flummoxed and looks at me with shock.

The maids also start speaking.

“Her majesty has such a pure soul,”

“Her majesty is so nice,”

“The princess is such a caring person”

I just wanted to thank him for doing a good job, how did it turn into me becoming a saint?

Never mind that, the gardener still hasn’t been able to speak so I spoke to him again.

“Thank you, my mother and I had a wonderful time together in the gardens thanks to your hard work!”

All the maids had tears in their eyes and my mother was also smiling brightly back at me.

The gardener was still in shock when I took my mother’s hand in mine and walked back to my room together with her.