Explorations Begin!

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@koji

The Ixonian trio were now settled into guest quarters within Triadon Castle, and their formal presentation to His Majesty was complete where credentials were presented for inspection. A satisfactory encounter, Mariko felt sure, though she stood on the edges of it; Koji was the ambassador and the one on whom the spotlight shone along with Kaede. Aware that eyes were on her in turn, she kept her eyes lowered, her mouth closed and her ears open, hoping to best serve Koji with what she heard and observed during the Court sessions.

Freed for a morning, Mariko gave in to Kaede's plea to explore the castle's vast gardens. The flora was utterly unlike Ixo's, being less tropical, and both enjoyed the peace and serenity to be found in such a place. The two departed the suite hand in hand, trailed by the guards assigned them by Koji, to seek out an exit into the warming air of morning and find the path that led into the heart of the gardens. There, she promised Kaede, they could have the morning's lessons. Mariko carried a satchel containing what they needed, along with a large square of oiled silk on which they could sit if they found a place that suited. 

Excited, Kaede slipped her hand free from her aunt's to run ahead a little, her dark eyes shining like jewels and her black hair flying. Perhaps Koji was right and the change was what Kaede needed; she was showing signs of the happy, enthusiastic child she'd been. Mariko braced herself for the onslaught of questions that were likely to come, following with a soft smile and wondering who else might be taking their ease in the lovely gardens this day. 

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Kaede loved gardens. Out in the open air, with plants towering above and surrounding her in a sweet bubble, she was much safer here than inside, where evil people lurked behind corners with knives. Flowers always reminded her of her mother, once with a happy pang, now with a bittersweet twinge.

She made sure to stop by each different species of flower to inhale their lovely scents and to touch their silky petals with her gentle fingers. She looked back to her aunt with wide curious eyes. "What is the name of this flower?" Kaede wanted to know. "May I pick some to put in my room?" If she had a few bright flowers to light up her room, it would help her stay here be more comfortable.

[Lady Mariana Jardinier]

If there was one sight she had missed aside from that of her family, it was the gardens the castle boasted. Strolling past the flowerbeds, Mariana gave a pleased smile to find them all the more beautiful than she remembered, though of course, it had been some time. The gardens were a place in which one could expect to run into anyone at any time and not to run into anyone at all, such contradiction they were due to their confusing nature, yet she enjoyed the peace like most of the Ladies who found themselves here. Occasionally, she supposed, the Lords would avail themselves of the same, but she suspected those times were rare and only when urged on by their Ladies. Hiding a laugh at the thought, the lady wandered down the path, before stopping to watch for a few minutes.

The two people present, a child about the age as her eldest son and a woman who could only be the girl’s mother, seemed to be unfamiliar, and perhaps foreigners. Ixo or Sarkozsy, was the question, though the way to find out was to speak to them. Upon closer look, she got her question answered before finishing her approach, the footsteps soft on the path and warm, slightly amused smile on her face due to a child’s presence. “Peaceful day to you both,” she greeted softly, eyes following the child and her questions, looking toward the flowers herself as she tried to recall their names. “I am certain a few flowers for the child’s room can be arranged, My Lady. I am Mariana Jardinier.” An appropriate curtsy sketched in the direction of the woman, she looked about herself, taking in the scenery as the few places were refreshed in her memory. It really had been too long.

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Following Kaede's gaze to the flower in question, Mariko examined it before starting to answer in Ixonan, but finishing in awkward Demerian, "I think that is what is called a rose, Kaede. There are many of them growing here in different colors. Will you count how many different colors you see today?" It was a sneaky, fun way to keep Kaede's study of mathematics going, though she straightened, seeing a lady with darkly golden hair approaching. Uncertain of who she was, Mariko kept Kaede close, suddenly wary that they intruded upon some private area of the garden where they should not be.

The smile and the introduction soothed her, prompted her to bow politely, a nod encouraging Kaede to do the same. "We are honored to meet you, Lady Mariana. I am Mariko, and this is the Lady Kaede." By rights, the child outranked her and deserved the courtesy of her bloodline.

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The sudden new voice and person appearing startled Kaede, who clutched at Mariko's hand. Was it all right for them to be here? She did her best to understand the foreign language -- fortunately, she was a quick study and thought that maybe she could speak in Demerian, if it was necessary. Having Mariko speak was so much easier.

After a quick bow to the lady, Kaede took Mariko's hand again, just to make sure she was safe. The more that she kept Mariko in her sight, the less likely her beloved aunt would be murdered. No one was hurting her aunt, Kaede would make sure of that. Before they left Ixo for the journey to Demeria, the young girl had slipped a small knife to keep under her skirts. Just in case. Having it there, protecting her, helped.

She looked at Mariana Jardinier and admired the woman's beautiful hair. Hair was so different here! "I like your hair," she could not help but remark shyly, before looking away at the flowers to her right. If only she had a few of those for her room! She let go of Mariko's hand to walk over to the purplely-pink flowers and smell them.

[Lady Mariana Jardinier]

Noting the brief wariness the woman displayed, also the introductions that followed, Mariana knelt to be on the same level as the child. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she smiled, keeping her tone gentle and her eyes on both of them. So she had been mistaken in her assumption despite the demeanor and familiarity with which the Lady Mariko acknowledged the little girl. “Please allow me to reassure you, this garden is a public place. Everyone who ever cares to enjoy its sights is more than welcome to come visit at any time of the day.”

She then had to laugh warmly at the girl’s compliment and lightly brushed her hand through her dark blond strands. “Thank you, My Lady, yours is just as pretty. Such a dark shade.” Observing the girl’s reaction, then her smelling the flowers, she gave a soft smile. “Perhaps we should ask one of the gardeners to arrange a small bouquet,” she suggested, then turned to look at the girl again. She seemed to be utterly fascinated with her hair, of all the things, and Mariana wondered in warm amusement how the girl would fare at seeing a variety of shades she knew were about at court. “There are quite a few people with light hair like my own around, my brothers among them,” she continued quietly, maintaining the same tone that was her norm – quiet and gentle, for she never saw any need to raise it. Besides, it looked like the girl was already nervous enough, so perhaps a softer note was needed, if only to reassure the pair. After all, they were new in this place, so it was entirely understandable, at least to her.

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Her fingers curled reassuringly around Kaede's, a look bestowed on the little girl that she would allow nothing to happen to her. Their guards were not far, given firm instruction by Lord Koji never to let his daughter or her aunt out of their lines of sight. Both men straightened when the golden haired Lady Jardinier approached, but made no effort to reach for their blades when the women exchanged words, and the child's questions emerged. Mariko nodded slightly to them to stand down as well; she doubted this lady posed the remotest of threats to them, bringing almond-shaped eyes back to Mariana. "Arigato, Lady Jardinier. Forgive us, we have not been here long and are not yet sure where we may or may not go."

Quieting to let Kaede ask her questions, Mariko smiled, pleased to see her niece overcoming fear and shyness as she added quietly, "Prince Tristan is the first fair-haired person whom Lady Kaede has met. It is rare in our homeland to encounter those who do not have black hair, or hair that has been purposedly dyed to white or red." It was a simple explanation, not meant to embarrass either Kaede or Mariana, but rather to give better understanding of the different culture from which the two Ixonians came.

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Kaede relaxed somewhat as Mariko held her hand and looked at her, because she knew that Mariko helped her to face everything that was scary in this world. Holding hands was more for little children, she was well aware, but she needed the comfort. Slowly but surely, she felt more confident to let go.

The lady's hair shimmered in the light and looked so soft that Kaede wished she could touch it. She imagined it was like silk. There were more yellow-haired people around? Such an occurrence seemed impossible to the girl. Kaede smiled as she heard her aunt speak of Prince Tristan, who had kindness as shining as his hair.

"I want to pick flowers for Prince Tristan," she stated, "and then I will make flower crowns for us." He was to be her prince, after all. The flowers she had just smelled had a lovely scent, so she picked two of them with careful and nimble fingers before she moved on to some dark purple flowers. They would go quite well with his hair.

[Lord Hadrian Jardinier]

Hadrian had arrived earlier in the day, when the sun had barely been rising. His arrival had been much like the man himself, quiet and discrete. He had spent most of the day getting himself oriented and now, he was allowing himself a moment of peace. Well, sort of. There was a wife on the premises to find as both himself and the children had not seen her at all since they had arrived. Probably he should have let her know of their impending arrival. Leaving Rowena with her nurse, a shrew of a woman, the Duke set off in search of his beloved wife. With his sons by his side, Nicholas, a boy of 8 who had inherited his mothers golden looks and Alexander, a boy of 5 who had inherited his fathers dark looks.

Wandering into the garden with the pair of them, Hadrian appreciated the beauty of the garden as he walked along. Soon enough, both boys gave a shout of joy and made haste towards a trio of females, their father keeping same pace as he already had been despite his heart going slightly faster at the cherished sight of his wife ahead of him. "Mama!" They called as they both wrapped their arms around the woman before curiously looking at the two she was standing with, waiting to be introduced. Hadrian silently followed along and bowed his head in greeting towards the ladies. "My ladies," he intoned, including the one that looked to be his eldest sons age within his greeting. Allowing brief amusement as he anticipated his wifes reaction, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it as he bowed towards her with a slight smile. "My wife, we arrived earlier in the day, travel was very interesting," he murmured before turning his attention back to the lady and young lady that he did not know. "I am Hadrian Jardinier, Duke of Fairfield."

[Lady Mariana Jardinier]

Mariana had to hide a soft laugh behind her hand at that statement from the little girl. “Oh, I’m not certain how my brother will take to it, though I think he’ll like the flowers,” she responded, amused by the very thought. The expression on her brother’s face at the idea of someone giving him a crown of flowers was rather entertaining, but before Mariana could add anything else, she felt herself being tackled by two small bodies. “Oh! Nicholas, Alexander, what…?” Wrapping her arms around her boys on instinct, she raised her smiling face toward her husband, who explained in two words the travel of the last days.

Amused at the murmur and the action, she allowed Hadrian to kiss the back of her hand. “I trust no one had been forgotten anywhere?” She asked, remembering the acute dislike of her husband toward the woman they hired to be their daughter’s nursemaid, then turned to those she had been speaking earlier. “Lady Kaede, Lady Mariko, these are my sons – Nicholas and Alexander, and my husband has rather abruptly introduced himself already.” Indicating first the blond-haired, then the dark-haired, slightly younger boys, Mariana hugged the pair again before allowing them to slip out, already laughing warmly at the expressions on their faces. Due to the children’s presence, she remained sitting on the ground, as she was merely liable to end up there again.

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So many new faces and names to learn, and in a language that was not one she knew perfectly. Mariko felt herself growing overwhelmed but for Kaede's sake, revealed none of it. Instead, she focused more intently on first Lady Jardinier, then the tall, dark male who joined her to listen carefully to their words. A polite bow greeted the Duke, husband to the golden haired lady and father to the two boys who all but tackled their mother. A cautious glance traveled to her niece, hoping the sight of the boys enthusiastically greeting their mother would not adversely affect her. "Well met, Lord Jardinier, Lord Nicholas, Lord Alexander."

Her hand remained gently clasped around Kaede's, though she was of a mind with Mariana, uncertain how the young Prince would take to receiving a crown of flowers. Still, he would hopefully be gracious about Kaede's efforts as she bent to murmur quietly, "Perhaps you might ask the young lords to help you gather what you need to make the crowns?"

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More people joined them. Had it only been the man greeting his wife, that would have been fine. Kaede watched in shock as two boys about her size rushed towards the yellow-haired woman and hugged her. They looked as though they had not seen her in a while. Kaede's had wished that her own mother was just gone and would return many nights, when she was unable to sleep. That fantasy was pure delusion, given that she saw the light fade from her mother's eyes.

If only Hadrian and Mariana were her own parents, happy together and alive. If Koji had only been there --

Kaede dropped the flowers and Mariko's hand from her own and ran. Four hundred meters down the garden, she ducked behind a bush, sank to the ground and buried her head in her knees. She cried and wondered why she had to see happy children with their mothers when she had lost hers.

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Inwardly, Mariko grimaced, having been afraid of such a reaction from Kaede. The memories of her mother's death were still strong and fresh in the child's mind; she should have realized. Turning back to the Duke and Duchess, she bowed politely. "I must beg your pardon. Lady Kaede... has recently suffered a grave loss and is still most sensitive. Please excuse me, I must go to her."

Trusting the ducal pair would understand, Mariko hurried away to find her niece, silently cursing herself for not showing greater sensitivity on the child's behalf. Aware that Kaede did not know the gardens well, she paused to listen for sounds of sandal-clad feet on pathways, the whisper of silk or some other indicator of Kaede's location. A crushed flower led her in a direction towards the heart of the gardens, whereby she heard sobbing. Her own heart breaking, she began to search behind the bushes until she found the small, miserable form.

Sinking down beside Kaede, no matter that they were in public, she gently gathered her niece into her arms and onto her lap, cradling her soothingly. A fond, motherly kiss was pressed to the shining hair, though no words were spoken. Silence often was so much more eloquent to the Ixonian soul, especially a wounded one.

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The tears dried and turned into hiccoughs, which Kaede soon had to stop because they hurt her throat. She stayed curled in a ball, arms curled around her knees. She just rested her head against her knees and wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Why did there have to be reminders of what she did not have? Mariko's arm around her helped not as much as it used to and Kaede rubbed her eyes.

If Mariko married, then she would attend to her new family and forget all about Kaede. In one way or another, everyone left her in the end. Trouble was, the memories of her mother's face paling and blood bubbling from her mother's neck. "She's not safe," she told Mariko in a whisper. "Someone will kill her when her husband is away."

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Withdrawing a small square of soft linen, she gently dried her niece's tears, her own eyes full of sorrow and understanding for the child's pain. The fears had not lessened, as Mariko hoped, but returned in full force at seeing Mariana with her children. Carefully, she sought and held Kaede's gaze with her own. "Listen to me, Kaede-chan. What happened to your mother is a tragedy. There is no question of this. She was cruelly stolen from all of us by a selfish person. But you know here," a finger rested on the silk above her niece's heart, "that this is not normal. This," the finger touched Kaede's temple, "is arguing, because of what you saw. Lady Mariana is safe. Your father is safe here. You are safe here, my Kaede. I promise you this."

Bending, she softly pressed a motherly kiss to the girl's forehead. It was time to give Kaede something good to remember of her mother, rather than her untimely, violent death. "When your mother and I were little girls, we were taught to dance, much as you have been learning. She was the best dancer in our class, too, as graceful as a willow in the summer wind. Each movement was a gesture of beauty, one that was not forgotten. So it was no surprise come Cherry Blossom Festival that she, like you, was chosen to be the Cherry Blossom. And watching you dance, I saw your mother." Mariko brushed some hair from her niece's cheek and added softly, "The people we love never truly die, Kaede. Their spirits stay with us, watch over us, guide us. Do you not hear her in the whisper of the wind? See her face in the clouds? So long as you remember her, she will always be a part of your heart."

Mariko hesitated, then finished carefully. "It is hard for you to understand this. It was hard for your father, too. He blames himself for being away, for failing to protect her and you. For not being there when you needed him most. There is much pain in him, as there is in you." She wanted the girl to start thinking past her own pain, a difficult task indeed, but Kaede was stronger than she realized.