r of a Flower
By Jennifer L. Rowlands
Copyright 2016 Jennifer L. Rowlands
Discover other titles by Jennifer L. Rowlands at: https://jennifer-rowlands.com.
Lilah slips the orange flower into the stream. It clings to her wet finger tips for a moment before letting go and allowing itself to be carried away on the gentle current. On her feet, Lilah follows the floating petals. They won't lead her to her friend. She knows where he lives. But, the orange flower will beckon him out to her. Every few paces she turns to scan the forest that stretches out in all directions. So far, she sees no sign of being followed; but that mistake has been made before.
Her feet fly faster; excitement taking her ahead of the flower. Just before a bend in the stream, she stops to wait for the orange spot atop the water to catch up. It feels like ages. Her friend is in hiding and will not reveal himself until he sees the signal. A white flower for danger, orange when it's safe. Flowers were not always a sign of security between them.
When they first met, it was because Lilah had lost a flower from her bouquet in the stream and followed it until she stumbled upon him. She found him—a stranger at the time—standing outside his cave and holding the flower out to her. She had refused to accept the brightly colored pedals, asking him to keep it instead. After that first encounter she began dropping a flower into the water on her way to visit him; always arriving to find him holding the gift in his hand.
That was a time, though, before her father discovered their secret. He—husband to her mother, father to her siblings, King to her kingdom—banished the one whom she loved. Though, not before calling him evil and ghastly and a ghoul and all sorts of other hideous names. Not before sending men to burn everything inside the wondrous cave Lilah has come to love. Forced to leave his home—but unwilling to leave Lilah—her friend abandoned this forest for a short time. He returned only after the smoke subsided and the guards stopped visiting the place to ensure his departure.
Lilah—particularly when she and her father are at odds—often recalls how he treated her friend. How he treated the one who had stolen her heart. The King’s words had appalled her. To Lilah, her friend is kind, he is magical, he is hers. She first discovered her feelings for him upon her second visit. He left a gift at the edge of his cave. It was their first flower, which he had magically spun into a lovely crystal barrette.
Lilah wears the barrette now, every day; lying to her father about its origins. Her mother had taken it upon herself to cover for her daughter’s lie, saying she was the one who had given the barrette to Lilah after purchasing it from a merchant in the village. Lilah still does not understand why her mother did that for her. All the Queen had whispered to her afterwards was, "I, too, understand the power of a flower. This is the only warning I will offer you. Do not return to that place."
Lilah watches as the orange flower rounds the bend in the stream. It passes her slowly; a ballerina spinning in the current. She waits as it escapes her line of vision. A few moments later, Lilah checks again for followers before skipping further downstream. When her eyes fall upon him, a smile spreads across Lilah's face. "Jonah!" she squeals as she runs into his arms.
Jonah holds the orange flower in his hand. Lilah gazes at the tall, young man will golden hair and eyes that reflect the blue of the sky. She sees a build that is slender but strong; arms that will love and protect her. She melts into a puddle of admiration as he smiles at her; flashing perfect, sparkling teeth.
"Were you followed?" he asks.
"No." Lilah’s smile is unwavering.
"A relief," he replies before leading the princess into his cave.
Inside, Lilah takes a seat on what she sees as an ornately carved wooden chair. She sees a heavy maroon cloth hanging over the walls of dirt, rock, and root. Jewels are scattered about the floor in rich piles. Lilah accepts a crystal ball that Jonah hands to her. Holding it in her hands, she gazes into the crystal as it comes to life, a glow emanating from its center.
As they always do, Lilah talks to Jonah and the crystal creates the illusion that Jonah is conversing with her. Very soon, Lilah believes she's had a wonderful afternoon with Jonah and is on her way home.
The princess hums merrily to herself as she dresses for dinner and day dreams about Jonah. She imagines what it will be like to run away with him. The date is set. In three days’ time they will be making their way out of the kingdom and to a distant land where they can be together.
Skipping down to the dining hall, she sees Jonah seated at the table. Iron cuffs encircle his wrists, chains link him to the chair in which he is seated. Two guards stand in place behind him. The Queen stands in a corner behind Jonah, clasping a small cloth bag in her hand and watching as the King approaches his daughter.
"Lilah." The King’s voice deep. The echo it creates in the empty room vibrates through his daughter like an avalanche. "You must know the truth." Lilah recognizes the grumble in his voice, the furrow in his brow, the white of his knuckles as his fists squeeze to control his anger. She betrayed his trust and now must face the consequences. Looking into her father’s eyes, she sees passed the anger. She searches for the protective instincts that he possess and finds love within.
Her stomach feels heavy with the knowledge of what she is about to do. Lilah looks at Jonah, digging deep to find the strength to further disappoint her loving parents. The time is now. "No, father,” she says firmly. “You must. I plan to run away with him."
The King’s eyes grow wide, his nostrils flair, his pale face turns red. "You will do no such thing!" His voice rumbles throughout the room. Everyone present clutches to their breath as their bodies are jolted by the sudden shout.
"I love him!" Tears of anger and heartbreak form in Lilah’s eyes.
"You know little about love. You know less about who he really is," the King argues through clenched teeth. Despite her father, Lilah looks at Jonah. She sees the light-haired boy she loves; with eyes like an ocean she could float away in.
The Queen leaves the comfort of shadows. From the corner of her eye, she glances at Jonah. He looks back, pleadingly. With a deep breath to compose herself the Queen finds her place beside the King. "Try this, my dear," she says to her daughter. The Queen’s gentle hands loosen the flower barrette from her daughter’s hair.
In an instant, Lilah sees Jonah as everyone else does. The chains around his wrist reveal short, stumpy hands. His fingernails are long, lined in brown and yellow. Though he is seated, his lack of height is clear. If standing, he would fall at least a head shorter than Lilah. The head upon Jonah's wide shoulders is extra-large, sporting a face covered in warts and a mouth full of yellowed, rotten teeth. He is a goblin; slimy, smelly, green, and hairy.
Lilah covers her mouth in surprise and disgust. Jonah’s eyes turn to the floor, shame slipping over him like a cloak. "How?" The young girl’s voice quivers beneath the intense emotions that batter at her heart.
"The barrette," her mother answers. "He uses it to mask what you see; to alter your perception of what surrounds you."
“But I remember,” Lilah says through tears. “When I first met him,” she takes another glance at the Jonah as she sees him now. “He did not look like this!”
“No,” the Queen says. “He can mask what you see without the barrette, but that act requires a great amount of energy to maintain. His power would be quickly drained had he not applied it to the barrette. By using this beautiful little trinket,” she continues, admiring the flower as it sparkles in her hand, “he is able to pour his magic into other objects. Like the crystal.”
Lilah faces her mother. "How do you know about the crystal?" Her words escape in whispered surprise.
"I was once lured into
his cave just as you have been. He uses the crystal to drain your life and add it to his own."
"Lies!" Lilah is adamant. “You learned of my love for him! You learned that I would leave you to be with Jonah. You have woven this tale to convince me to stay here with you!”
The Queen doesn’t utter a word. None to argue. None to agree. Instead, she pulls another flower barrette from the bag. Lilah looks up to see a tear running down her mother’s face. The barrette is much like Lilah’s, but blue. Lilah sees how it shines like her own, how the petals sparkle with diamonds. Accepting the trinket, Lilah pins it in her hair. She spins slowly toward Jonah and lifts her head to face him. There he is. The beautiful boy she thought she knew. The pain of truth floods her body, sending Lilah to her knees where she sobs into her hands.
The gentle Queen kneels beside her collapsed daughter. Holding her child close, she whispers, "Long ago, your father showed me the truth. It saved me. Now, we have done the same for you."
When night falls, Lilah cannot sleep. She paces her room for hours, eventually abandoning her home and returning to Jonah's cave. She finds him there—the goblin. Without the barrette, she sees the truth all around her. The wooden chair is nothing more than a dirty rock. The beautiful maroon cloth is grey and tattered. The jewels are piles of broken stone. "Do you love me?" she asks.
He nods, though shame prevents him from looking at her.
"And my mother?"
"No," he says. "I used her to keep me alive. My intentions were the same with you. The more you visited and the more I learned about you, the more I began to feel."
"Did you ever speak to me, or was it all the crystal?"
"I am not human and do not understand how to deal with these emotions. I do not know how to speak to you the way the crystal does."
"You used the crystal to get close to me?"
"Eventually, yes."
"Did it still drain my life?"
"I cannot stop that, and I would not stop that. Despite this… love that I feel, I am—by nature—a selfish creature."
"Then, you still want me to run away with you?"
Jonah looks at Lilah and they share the first real moment they have ever had, where all truth lay bare. Very soon, they find themselves heading into the mountains. They wind through the trees, deep into the forests beyond, as far from the Princess’ kingdom as they could travel unnoticed. Eventually, they come upon a new cave where they will live out the remainder of Lilah's days together.
A Note from the Author:
I joined a writer’s website a few years. It’s a great place to connect with other people of similar interest, read and review other authors, receive reviews from fellow authors, and participate in contests. This story is a result of a Photo Prompt contest on that site. In this case, it was a black and white photograph of a closed gate at the entrance of a tunnel that went beneath a hill. As soon as I saw that photo, I knew how this story would start. I did not know the ending and was surprised by it.
I hope you enjoyed this short tale. Please take the time to write a review for this story on your favorite retailer’s website. Your review will help this story reach more readers.
Discover other titles by Jennifer L. Rowlands at: https://jennifer-rowlands.com.