Mint awoke on her new mattress in Verk's childhood room. Several days have passed since she's come to be in the fantastical treehouse, and though she missed the warmth of sleeping next to Verk, it wasn't proper for her to lie in bed with a man not her husband.
"What will we do today?" She yawned while rising out of bed. It's been some time since she could sleep in.
When she was a maid, her mother would kick her out of bed before the crack of dawn so they could begin their duties. During her brief but hellish princess lessons, she'd be awakened by an army of maids, tossed around like a rag-doll, dressed, forced fed, and sent off to class. Her only reprieve was the last hour before dark, when she'd be allowed to read a book of her own choosing.
Stretching Mint picked up the hairbrush, Verk's mother's, and went about straightening her long saffron hair. A task she'd admittedly become rather lazy at since her coronation. Having someone tend to her hair was surprisingly relaxing.
Dressed in the tunic provided to her, she entered the main room, where Verk was tending to a fire. The smell of eggs, meat, and cheese wafted in the air.
"That smells good!" She sat at the table, eager for her breakfast. "I'm amazed by the variety of food you have on hand."
She never expected a regular supply of eggs in winter, in the middle of the forest. When she asked Verk if he had domesticated chickens housed somewhere. He said there was a place where he could easily acquire them anytime of year.
"I'll show you sometime; it's quite a place," he said, setting her plate before her.
"I'll look forward to it!" She happily ate and cleaned the dishes. She was adamant that the house she had worked so hard to clean stay that way. Insisting that as long as she was staying, she'll earn her keep. While gently nudging Verk to keep the place tidier. He seemed embarrassed by her constant badgering, as he'd constantly insist he cleaned. She just arrived at a bad time.
"So what will we do today?" She inquired as Undine and Salamander provided her hot water.
They'd been butchering and preserving the food Verk brought back from his hunting trip. She'd also fashioned a new mattress and blanket with the skins. There were even enough animal pelts left over for her to make some proper winter clothes.
"We finished filling storage. You can do what you will; I'll be upstairs."
"Oh," Mint watched as Verk climbed the stairwell, leaving her to own devices. "Might as well get to it then."
With her borrowed needle and thread, Mint began fashioning a fur cloak. Since they weren't being very active, she and Verk only had some bread and cheese for lunch. And around dusk, she began preparing supper.
Having Salamander around made cooking very easy. There was no need to wait for anything to warm up, so she could afford to cook later than usual.
Another day passed, Verk went upstairs, and she worked on her new clothes. She was making good progress!
Another day passed.
"Ugh… this is boring…" Mint laid back in her chair, her needle and thread discarded on the low table before her. A half-finished skirt abandoned on the floor. "Usually Mom would be with me."
She very much loved sewing, but perhaps what she loved more was the chatting she'd partake in with her mother and the other maids while sewing. There was always a constant buzz of gossip from everyone. The hushed whispers of which nobleman was bedding a woman he wasn't supposed to and all the other things the servants only discussed among themselves.
Mint was always peculiar about the tales of the Starlet Knights. The noble tomboys saw little gallant action, but they added variety to the stories. Before her crowning, she'd been interested in which of the other princesses asked for the female knights' rumored 'gentlemanly' service.
Apparently, her eldest half-sister rather enjoyed their company. Adding a select number of Starlets into her royal guard after being married off.
Of course, after her rise to princess, such rumors became all too real. One of her elder siblings still in the castle, one offered one of her knights during a tea party to teach Mint the bedroom basics.
She refused, but that only led to a live demonstration between her sister and the offered knight. Though her sister played the role of the gentleman. All she'd been allowed to do was smile and endure the scene.
"I suppose thick castle walls have more than one use." Mint chuckled while letting out a sigh. "What is Verk doing up there?"
She wanted to respect what little privacy could be offered given the current situation. Until less than a week ago, Verk was a man living on his own. Leading to more than a few slight mishaps. Such as when he'd leave the bath wet and naked, or they'd both wake up for a drink of water, and run into each other.
Yes, Verk gave her one of his mother's nightgowns, but he wore little to cover himself! That loincloth was doing nothing! Mint hid her burning face in her hands, studied the distance between her wrist and elbow, and felt her face grow hotter.
"I know he's half-Yorg, but that's still too big!"
Among all the rumors of the castle, the favorite of the ladies was the tales of the various men who exalted the length of their swords. The ladies in the know would always chuckle as they told how said men were closer to daggers in reality. Some describe them as 'butter knives'.
"Perhaps I'm going a bit stir crazy." Mint reasoned as she went to stand by the window. There was nothing but snow, snow, and more snow. The whole Salamander made was filled in. Only by melting the snow daily could they keep the front door from being buried.
Resolved not to drive herself mad, Mint ascended the stairs. She expected to find Verk in the study on the second floor, but it was empty.
"He must be at the top." She was still wary of the Ents, but slowly made her way to the auditorium. The last few steps took forever as she poked her head into the room. What she saw dazzled her.
Verk, wearing only a light tunic and trousers, held his own against the two Ent Knights.
The Ents were monstrous versions of themselves, with four arms each carrying a weapon, lashing, whip-like tails of vine, and an assortment of armor pieces covered in powerful runes. They looked very bit the fierce familiars her father traded one of her half-siblings for.
And Verk was fending them off with a worn wooden sword.
"HIYA!" Verk delivered a powerful strike to the male Ent knight, causing it to explode into a mess of twigs, vine, and flowers. Before she could even warn him about the woman Ent approaching from behind, he spun and split her in two! Wisps of emerald fire billowing off his sword.
"Amazing…" Mint lightly clapped as she moved to the top of the stairs. "I've never seen anything like it."
"They're good for staying sharp." Verk held up his wooden sword with a look of longing. "Still a far cry from Father and Mother."
"I'll take your word for it." Mint cautiously approached, all but hugging Verk as she watched the Ents pull themselves together. "Are they made of… you know?"
She knew how Ents were made.
"No, Mother crafted them, but she didn't use Father as material. That said, they were made by some famous folks." Verk touched his chin as he looked at the Ent's carved faces. "I think they were, Arson and Sirus."
Mint knew them. More accurately, she knew the stories about them.
"Do you mean Arson the Red Yorg and Sirus the Serene?"
"I believe so," Verk nodded.
Arson the Red Yorg was once an Asland raider who burned the coasts of Avalon, Hussar, and Vuller. It's said he made a contract with a demon for power, which drove him insane as he went from one battle to the next. Slaying all those in his way, sparing not even the youngest child. Then one day, a priestess named Sirus barred his path and removed his curse. There are very explicit rumors about how she did that, but they became known as heroes who fought for the goddess Solaris.
After ten years of performing magnificent feats, and slaying several demon lords, they vanished. They were a regional fairy tale at best, but she recalled some of the older knights, those of purer Elven blood, claimed to have met them. They apparently did a lot for the kingdom during her great-grandfather's time.
That was about… 400 years ago? Mint looked suspiciously at Verk.
"What?"
"How old are you?" It was difficult to determine any elf's age; she was no exception, but Verk being a half-elf meant he'd show signs of aging. Or he should. Honestly, they looked close in age.
"Not sure, honestly, lost track." Verk counted on his fingers. "I'd guess, 50 to 150. It all blurs together after a while, you know. That's beside the point. Was there something you wanted?"
"Company," she answered readily, Verk face twisted in confusion. "I've been trapped inside for the last week and there's nothing to do!" Verk looked towards the nearly repaired Ents. "I'm not fighting those!"
"Of course," he laughed. "Let's see what there's to read in the study. Once you get your winter attire finished, I'll take you outside for a bit. There's a place that'll help you keep your sanity."
"What kind of place?" What place would do that in this frozen wasteland?
"One where flowers bloom in winter."
-break
It took another three days to finish her winter clothes. Part of the delay was the breaks Mint took to read in the library. When she got bored reading the modern books, she pulled Verk from the auditorium and insisted he teach her ancient Elfanian.
In part so she could read more books, but also so she had someone to talk to. Verk was used to being alone, and kept to himself, unless she went to him. Though perhaps he enjoyed teaching her. There'd be a faint smile on his lips when she'd look out of the corner of her eye.
The day finally came when they'd go outside. They weren't going far, but the weather was clear.
"Put on these snowshoes." Verk set the shoes on the floor and helped strap her feet. Once he had his own on, and they donned their cloaks, Verk opened the door to the outside.
The light bouncing off the snow was blinding. Mint squinted as she shuffled across the front deck of the treehouse, falling slightly off the ledge into the crusted snow. Each waddling step caused a chorus of crunchy noises as she moved along the iced snow in Verk's wake. Every once in a while, her foot would fall through a soft spot. Forcing Verk to pull her free.
"Put this on so we don't get separated." Verk tied a thin rope around her waist that was attached to the pack on his back. Making her feel like another piece of luggage.
The rope allowed her gaze upon the frozen beauty of the forest as ice-laden branches sparkled in the sunlight. She'd stare at the dazzling sight, following the tug of the rope as Verk changed course.
Perhaps a bit belatedly, Mint realized that should something happen to Verk, she'd have no clue how to get back home. Such a terrifying thought caused her to snap to attention and look behind her. The sight of their oval tracks settled her heart, but she lamented how their trail disturbed the natural beauty of the snowy landscape.
"Don't look so forlorn," Verk said, startling her. "A strong wind or flash snow will cover those up entirely. If you find yourself lost, look for trees bearing this mark."
The tree Verk referred to was significantly larger than its brethren. A quick survey revealed their trail corresponded to one of these trees. Ahead, Mint could see another tree of the same kind. Its woven trunk sets it apart from the rest of the forest.
"Is this a special breed of tree?" She asked, touching the trunk, it was as if someone had gathered a cluster of smaller trees together and twisted them together into one large tree, as if it were yarn.
"Something like that." Verk smiled, patting the tree. "These are planted throughout the forest in a particular way. Think of them as trail markers. The further from home you are, the less you'll see of these particular trees, but if you find one, you'll see another. The closer the trees are, the closer you are to home or at least somewhere safe."
Verk knelt and made three circles in the snow and connected them with lines. "Think of the trees as a sort of forest highway. Regardless of which path you take, you'll end up at one of these three spots: my house, where we're going, and here."
Mint nodded as Verk pointed to the circles. One represented the house, and the other their destination. "What's here then?" She pointed to the third circle.
"That's… it's not a dangerous place, but it will hold little interest to you, I'm sure."
I feel I should determine that. Was what Mint thought to say, but held her tongue at the somber look in Verk's eyes. It reminded her of the look her mother gave her as she entered the carriage to leave for Halifax.
"Very well, what of our destination?"
Verk smiled as he rose to his feet. "That you will have to see for yourself."
They resumed their trek with Mint paying attention to the woven trees that marked their path. Though the path wasn't a straight shot, its placement felt uncanny. When she looked back at where they'd come, Mint would look for the woven trees. They were always at the edge of her sight, where she'd completely miss them if she didn't know what to look for.
I can't tell which way we're going. She had a basic understanding of navigation, but the forest disoriented her senses. How long have they been traveling? Have they traveled far or barely a mile?
I think the highway is to the south. Whichever way that was, Mint was certain they were diving deeper into the forest.
Gradually the snow thinned, tuffs of shiny green grass boldly pierced through the snowy tundra, until much to Mint's astonishment the frozen landscape vanished entirely and her feet stepped onto a dazzling field of shiny flowers of every hue surrounded a modest steaming spring fed by a small waterfall. Woven trees surrounded the entire perimeter of the clearing, and spheres of light of every color danced in the air. One zipped by her, and Mint recognized it as a salamander spirit. Spirits of every element played about and among them, splashing in the water, were dozens if not more long-eared maidens with various shades of emerald blonde hair. The maidens paused in their playing, their emerald eyes fixed upon her with curiosity and mischief.
"A nymph spring?" Mint could only stare as the nymphs gathered around them in various states of dress. Some wore clothes made of leaves and flowers, while others wore nothing. They chatted excitedly in ancient Elven, touching her hair and ears. "What are they saying?"
Verk stood completely unfazed as the divinely beautiful Nymph surrounded him as well. The taller and presumably older ones of the group spoke to him in the same ancient language with cheek-splitting grins. He sighed and replied in ancient Elven, his tone flat, while the nymphs giggled.
"I'd appreciate not being left out!" Mint said in very broken ancient Elven. Causing a pregnant silence as the Nymphs all stared at her before breaking out into a laughing fit. Her cheeks burned, wondering what she had actually said as a gentle hand fell upon her head.
"Tas, tas," one of the elder nymphs cooed, pulling Mint's head into her modest bosom. The Nymph stepped away, held out one arm, while touching the other to her chest. "Fauntheia Fauna Fir, you?"
It was obviously an introduction. Mint pinched up the sides of her heavy skirt and bobbed, "Minette Franka Bellanyx." There was no need to add the princess title when among true divine nymphs; it was a laughable thing to bring up.
"Bellanyx?" Fauntheia questioned, looking at Verk.
"She's a child of Bellanyx." He replied, counting off several fingers.
"Oh!" Fauntheia and the other nymphs cooed, with some resuming the fondling of her hair. "Sprout of many sprouts."
"Correct," Verk nodded and spoke at length in ancient Elven once more. Fauntheia nodded, struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips and then snapped her fingers.
"What are you doing?" Mint cried as the Nymph began pulling off her clothes! "Verk!"
"I'll be back soon." He said, keeping his gaze averted as she became more naked. "They're playful, but not malicious."
"What does that mean? You're not just going to leave me alone here, are you?"
"Sorry," he said, walking towards the tree line, "I don't find the bare sight of my sisters enjoyable. I'll be hunting for the next day or so; they'll let me know when they're tired of you."
"Tired of me? What about when I'm tired of them!" Mint screamed as Verk disappeared into the woods. Her words went unanswered as she dragged naked into the Nymph's spring.