The Garden of Reflection - ch.1

by EllyMae in

“Papa?” Diana inched closer to the fireplace, where her father stood, his arm resting on the mantle piece. He seemed to have aged over night. His face was lined and streaks of grey ran through his hair. He looked weary and tired, not at all like his usual self.
“There is something I’ve been keeping from you, Ana,” he said, his voice horse, “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”
“What is it, Papa?” Diana asked, moving still closer, into the firelight. Samuel motioned for his daughter to sit down in the armchair by the fire.
“You are not a child anymore, Ana.” he said, “And it was foolish of me to keep such important matters from you for so long.” He turned to face his daughter.

“All your life you have been taught the same thing as every child in our kingdom: that magic is a bad thing. Those who practise magic have no heart and no soul, which is why they steal them from others around them. And what happens if your soul is stolen?”
“You become an empty shell and you are forever gone, unless that which has been lost can be found.” Diana recited.
“Good. And your heart?” her father pressed.
“Then you are doomed to love the one who stole from you, unless the heart can be found and unbalanced emotions returned to peace. But Papa, I don’t understand what this is all about. Why are you -?”
“And once you heart or soul is taken, what is left?”
“A space in your being,” Diana answered, still puzzled about what her father was trying to tell her, “and that space will grow until you become numb and are consumed by emptiness; unless, the one who stole from you stays by your side and keeps the hole in your being at bay. But if they leave, and do not wish for you become a shell of the one you once were, they leave something in its place, effectively filling the hole.”
“And what are the most common ‘gifts’ that are left behind?”
“Sorrow, depression, illness, anger, pain and weakness. But if the one whole stole from you wishes to consume the heart or soul and make it their own, they will trade one of their own traits and make it part of you, with or without consent.”
“And what is the most popular trait to swap?”
“Magic,” Diana said quietly.
“So what does it all become?” her father asked, though he obviously knew the answer.
“A vicious circle.” Diana muttered.

“But Papa, I still don’t understand why you’re reminding me of all this.” Lord Court-Main nodded.
“It’s been eight years since your mother and your brother left, and you still don’t know why, do you?” Diana shook her head. “Well, have you ever heard of the witch Marianna-Bella?” Diana nodded.
“The witch of the pine forests, yes.”
“She was you mother, Diana, she was your mother.” Diana sat in stunned silence while her father continued, “I fell pray to her and she stole my heart. When I found out, I sent her away. I couldn’t let her poison our family any longer.”
“And Kaden, what about my brother?”
“He had already shown signs of magic by the time he was four months old. I had no choice but to let your mother take him.”

“And what of your heart, Papa? What about your heart?” Diana asked frantically, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. At this, her father cast his eyes downward.
“I could not risk it happening again, Ana,” her father said quietly, “I did not want to replace my heart, for fear that it could be stolen again.”
“So where is it?” Asked Diana, half concerned, half curious.

Her father reached for a small, insignificant wooden box that rested on the mantle piece and held it in the palm of his hand. Then, he pulled a small, gold key out of his jacket pocket and slotted it into a tiny keyhole on the front of the box. There was a slight ‘click’ as the key was turned and Samuel looked down at his daughter.
“I have never before shown this to anyone, Diana,” he said, “You must not speak of it. It is a secret, and will remain so.” Diana nodded and her father opened the lid of the box. There was something shining in the box, something small. The light grew brighter and brighter; a dazzling, blinding white light…

* * *

Diana woke with a start, a jolt running through her body, shaking herself free of the memory that had been haunting her dreams. It wasn’t hard. She had been anticipating the dream and was not surprised to find her heart thumping in her chest and her nightclothes drenched in cold sweat. She had been having that dream every year on this day for the last six years, ever since she had learned the truth about her mother.

Taking a long, shuddering breath, Diana lay back down, wonder what time it was. A crack of light escaped through a gap in the curtains, shining a tiny ray of light onto her pillow. To restless to sleep, Diana sat up again, threw off her covers and went to open the thick velvet drapes that hung in front of the window. Casting them wide open, light flooded the Diana’s bedroom, washing away every last shadow of her dream.

The sun was still rising, just a golden sliver that shone behind the peak of the mountain and illuminated the countryside with a warm golden glow. The last of the winter snow had melted and the grass beneath it was fresh and green. The trees of Forkway Forest were showing hints of green and everywhere flowers were beginning to grow. Diana leant forward and opened the window, letting a cool breeze of sweet, damp, mountain air sweep in. She was filled with spirit of spring and her heart longed to step outside and feel the mossy grass beneath her feet.

Stepping away from the window, Diana rushed to her wardrobe, selected a plain, powder blue gown and dressed quickly. If she was lucky, no one would be awake yet and she would be able to slip out unnoticed.

She stepped out onto the landing, her feet padding lightly on the hard, wooden floorboards. Expertly avoiding all the areas that creaked, Diana made it to the servants’ staircase without arousing anyone. She skipped down the flight of stairs, making hardly any noise, and slipped down a side passage that would lead her to the back pantry.

She wormed her way through the tiny spaces between the shelves, the smells of cinnamon and freshly baked pastries making her stomach rumble. But she had another, stronger urge that pulled her on, the thirst for the wonders of nature, a thirst that needed to be quenched.

The door at the other end of the pantry creaked open and Diana saw a silhouette in the doorway.
“Milady?” A timid voice enquired, “Milady? Is that you?”
“Yes, Lissy,” Diana said, breathing a sigh of relief, “I thought you were Mrs Cransbury.”
“No, no, Miss,” Lissy said, stepping back to let Diana pass through into the kitchen, “Mrs Cransbury is still rising. But, knowing her, she’ll be down here momentarily. If you are going out, Milady, I suggest you leave at once.” Lissy said, opening the back door that led to the courtyard.

Smiling her appreciation, Diana stepped outside, her feet resting on the cold stone blocks of the courtyard. The brick walls that surrounded her were covered in ivy and a large arch at the other end of patio revealed to her a wide, open stretch of grassy plane. Diana walked slowly towards the arch, her feet already numb and her fingers white with cold. It was the same every spring. On the same day, at the same time, Diana would walk the same path.

It was because of her that the rumours were going around; the rumour that the previous Lady de la Rosa’s ghost was walking the grounds of the Court-Main castle. And who could blame the servants for getting confused, as far as they knew, Diana’s mother and brother had both died of the same mysterious illness? And after all, Diana did look an awful lot like her mother. They had the same long, cherry red curls, the same pale skin with a light scattering of freckles across the bridge of the nose and the same large, and sparkling, hazel eyes. They were both taken by the colour blue, both were tall, slim and delicate and both were radiantly beautiful. ‘How could Diana not be beautiful?’ the ladies of the town reasoned ‘When she had such a pretty mother and such a strappingly handsome father’.

Diana stopped, the tips of her toes brushing against the dewy grass. She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the smooth lawns. She kept walking, the hem of her dress becoming wetter with every step. Gradually she picked up speed, until finally she burst into a sprint. She hitched up her shirts as her long curls fanned out behind her. This was what she lived for. Streaking across the planes of her homeland, with nothing but grass and forest before her, leaving all her troubles behind her. Down below, in the valley, she could see the farmers beginning work and the town’s people waking and starting their daily chores. Ahead of her, the forest loomed ever closer.

She slowed to a walk when she reached the first scattering of trees. The forest was huge and it was easy to get lost in there. She could hear the dawn chorus of birds, deep within the folds of branches and something else… there, what was that? It sounded like the trickle of water, but Diana had never noticed a stream here before. She quickly found the source of the noise. A brook of crystal waters was running into the forest. Promising herself that she wouldn’t go too far in, Diana stepped into the shallow stream and began to follow it.

It twisted and turned this way and that, deeper and deeper into the forest. Just when she was thinking about turning back, she heard something up ahead; the splash of water on rock and gurgle of a larger river. Moving steadily up the winding brook, which was opening out and becoming wider, she saw a waterfall cascading over the lip of a large, smooth rock. Just to the side of the waterfall, she saw a small pool of pure tranquil water, with snowdrops blooming all around its edges. It was a beautiful scene.

‘Well,’ she thought, pulling herself out of the steam, ‘I am wet already. There would be no harm in going for a swim, would there?’ Smiling to herself, she pulled off her gown to reveal a plain, white cotton petticoat. Then, she lowered herself into the pool of water, feeling the ripples against her arms.

She didn’t notice the cave hidden behind the waterfall, or the shadowy figure that dwelled within.

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