#fenixtj

"I could sing you a song?"

"And when I am uprooted, what then? "

"If I get your roots, I could put you in a pot. Then you would be watered and taken care of?"

"That would be better than to have beauty but a day, wouldn't it? Tell me, Countess of the House of prophets, as a ruler can your people afford for you to think of only the pleasures of today?"

She pulls back, frowning.

"You know an awful lot for a flower."

"As green as balefire my petals, as red as the blood sacrificed my supporting stem.- Countess, know you not what i am?" The rose inquires

"You're a rose."

A chuckle "I am at that. And you are a girl. And girls SHOULD be allowed to pick flowers joyously. But I am not just a rose, I am a talking rose, so I confuse and confound... or perhaps make you think and in so doing I teach you. And you are not just a girl, you are a daughter of the Heavy hearted House, and heir to a great land, and so you must enjoy today- but also think of the future. You cannot squander tomorrows for many a brief pleasure today for one."

She wilts a little and nods. "I cannot just be a little girl."

"Not JUST, but you still ARE, and that is good. Do not let the little girl fade away or be forgotten either." A whisper "Shhh shhh.. do not cry. I will give you a lesson.. one that will make you sad at first, but may give you hope later. It will not be easy. Are you ready?"

"Yes?"

"Dig ye seven spots where you think a flower would look nice. On the grounds. Mmm? "

"I can do that."

"Then, with clean shears or knife, pull me out, and cut me into seven pieces" The rose says "Take the pieces, and place them in those seven spots...smooth the dirt over them... and , taking water from the healing spring, pour a bit of water over each spot. To each spot, sing the song, you know the one, about spirits shining? Sing it every day at the first hour of dawn to each one for three days. Do this, and there will be SEVEN flowers akin to me.. though they will not speak so readily they will grant other blessings. Miss even one morning of the three, even one flower of the three, and they will die."

She tilts her head, considering.

"Is this a trick?"

"A very good trick I hope" The Rose says "But that's not quite what you mean is it?"

"No...if I planted you in a pot, you would still be you. If I do this, you would surely die, even if there were new flowers."

"And yet, what if I told you I am a leader of flowers? Determined to leave beauty here beyond my life span. Would my suggestion make more sense then?"

She twists a braid. "A little, yes. Leaders should sacrifice themselves..."

"But never cheaply" The rose says "Would you believe me if I told you there were cowards who led a charge in battle and heroes who ran from a fight?"

"Yes."

"I see things, sometimes, that I can't change. I want to do something, but to do so would be worse."

"A hard path. "

"I wanted to stay and fight with Sir Gerald."

"instead, you did the right thing.. but it hurt, and it didn't feel right at all" The flower says

"It feels like I abandoned him. Like I betrayed him."

"Sometimes a queen of the garden must let other flowers die instead, or even.. order it, to protect ALL the garden"

A sad sigh.

"Now, are you going to do as I ask and cut me into little pieces and take on a three day chore, or are you going to leave me be, or just pluck me up? The choice IS yours. I'm just a flower after all and can't really stop you"

"I will not pluck you up just so you may die."

"Ah, then that leaves to the seven holes and the carving me up... with the healing waters... OR ..leaving me be."

Ellie leans in, sniffing the green petals and closing her eyes... trying to see.

And she has a vision! This is important.. behind the rose.. she sees the green flames... and from the balefire to the rose are strings, like a marionette.

She sees the rose torn and cut asunder, and then rising in 7 different places... and each place has the strings! As if one marionette became an entire marionette theatre

"Ohhh..."

"Bit of a cheat..." The rose ..sulks...but also sounds impressed as her eyes clear.

"You will still be the fire-rose. You will not die."

"But you didn't know that. That's what makes it a test. "

"I shall not let you die!"

"You're almost as passionate on the outside as SHE is on the inside"

"Jessica?"

"Yes. " the rose says simply "Under her care I have truly bloomed"

"She is a good person."

"But she is an oak in a flower garden."

"She's the reason the other flowers can feel safe,, or do you fear some of the flowers work against her?"

"I do."

"And the Oak is a fine tree, but she might be too tall to see what the flowers are doing."

"Why, it sounds like she needs a friendly little flower of her own , small and pretty and perhaps not always seen as anything more than lovely, to help her almost. But where could we find such a cunning lovely flower?"