Chrysanthemums For You [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 10

"You've changed, Flower," Owl said as she took a seat beside Flower. More and more, Flower had been spending her time away from her house beneath the mountain and by Sea's shores, where she could allow the water to lap at her toes, and the sand to squish between her toes. Here she was comforted by the waves of Sea, the froth formed by the bubbles of the fish that swam beneath the surface, and watched as tiny little shells of purple and blue appeared in the sand. 

"Have I," Flower asked, staring down at her toes as they disappeared beneath the squishy sand. Her knees were folded into her chest, her chin resting on the tops of her knees. She hadn't felt like she had changed. Not noticeably at least.

Owl nodded and set her helmet down beside her. "Yes." Owl leaned back onto the warm sand of the beach and stared up at the clouds as they drifted by overhead. "Ever since Sea has returned you to Nisi, all you have done is stare out at the ocean as if you're waiting for something." Owl turned her head to the side and watched Flower's reaction. "There was once a time when you would spend every waking moment in the forests beside your little house. Why do you come here instead?"

Flower didn't know the answer. "I... I don't know." She pulled her sheer shawl closer to her shoulders and watched as a pair of dolphins leapt from the ocean before disappearing back into the watery blue. They reminded her of Idia. 

She was not quite sure why, but as her hands fisted her fabric, she remembered Idia's brilliant blue hair and how it shone like the waves of Sea. She remembered his golden eyes, and how they had shone like the embers of a dying fire. Or the golden coins that she sometimes found scattered behind her brother whenever he walked. She could remember his smile, and how she could tell that it was his true smile. A small one that only pulled at the corner of his lips. But it was his eyes that gave away his joy. 

"Tell me about your time outside of Nisi," Owl said, scooting a little closer to Flower so their shoulders brushed. She noticed a strand of Flower's hair fluttering out from behind her ear and reached up to tuck it away. She tucked it behind a chrysanthemum that was sitting in Flower's hair, and she frowned at the sight of it. It was the first time she had seen Flower wearing a crown of these sorts of flowers. Chrysanthemums, violets, lilies, and red spider lilies all sat on Flower's h/c locks, the petals tangling with her hair as it trickled down her back.

"What do you want to know," Flower asked, cupping her hands and catching a red flower petal as it fluttered down between her eyes and off her nose. 

"Well, you were gone for a while. Where did you stay?"

Flower smiled at the thought of Idia and Ortho. The two boys who had taken her in. "I stayed on an island," she said quietly. "A small island beneath Sea." She leaned back against Owl and sighed. "There were two boys who took me in and let me stay with them."

"What were their names?"

"Idia. And Ortho."

Owl remained quiet and allowed Flower to tell her what had happened.