17⁰ Flowers part 2

Winter Kingdom

Cassian.

Looking at her now, I have to confess that she is the most beautiful girl I have ever met in my entire life. I remember that last time, she made me feel what I have never felt for anyone, and this only makes me angrier, because I don't know what it is.

- Follow me," I said, watching her look at me confused. But even without knowing where she was being led, she followed me. Brave or stupid. 

We went to a place where only my late mother and I know, she herself discovered it and gave me the privilege of contemplating the beauty of that place. 

- Where are we going?" she now asked from my side.

I smiled at her for her delay in questioning where I am leading.

- You should have asked at the beginning before you arrived at the place. - I said standing in the doorway. 

- I know it's night, but you can still see the landscape. And I can't see anything but the vegetation.

- I wouldn't leave this place without protection to be discovered by others who only want to destroy the beauty of places without giving anything in return," I said, going to a high vegetation, removing the branches and leaves that I put there in front of the entrance.

When the passage was already cleared, Bella passed in front of me. Daring!

- Wow," I said, looking at the door, which, although aged, was still rich in details, with fascinating drawings of various flowers and animals. 

It was practically a natural landscape depicted on the door, handmade by the greatest craftsman in the castle. 

- It's stuck, it's not opening," he said, forcing the handle.

- It will break just like that, get out of my way," I said, pushing it aside.

I pulled out the key that was hanging around my neck like a chain.

- The place means that much to you to keep the key around your neck. - he asked looking at me, his eyes of a different hue, they were more alive, full of life, you could even see the sun in his eyes. 

The simplest way to identify which kingdom a person was from was to look them in the eye. Each inhabitant of a kingdom has different colored eyes. In my kingdom the inhabitants' eyes are cold, icy, and if you see a snowy matte if you stare too long. 

- Yes," was the only thing that came out of my mouth, I was overcome by his gaze.

I turned the key and opened the door, Bella stood in front of me in the doorway before I did, and then closed the door. I don't know what possessed me to bring her here, I only knew her today and brought her to my refuge. But for the first time I felt comfortable in front of a person, to the point of doing something I never considered doing, for the love of gods, was it the wine that made me lose my mind?

- This is incredible.

I was brought out of my reverie by her beautiful voice, I looked at her, watching her smile as if she were getting the greatest gift of her life. But the pure truth was that the greenhouse was stunning, my mother made it a point to take care of it herself, she didn't let anyone touch her flowers. In the middle of the greenhouse was a large sofa with a small table in front of it, my mother likes to play her tea at dusk in here, she would spend hours watching her magnificent work. I walked over to the sofa, and sat down, while she strolled delightedly through the various flowers and plants with their different hues from each other. The greenhouse was in a circle, there were flowers in front of the sofa and behind it, I decided to approach her when she got to the most valuable and my mother's favorite flowers. 

- Why is this one farther away from the others, they are the most beautiful I've ever seen," she asked when she observed my approach. 

- Because they are the ones I come from farthest away?-I said, crouching down next to her.

- They are so beautiful! Where do they come from?" she asked with an impressive curiosity about flowers. 

- Well, they were brought from another continent. 

- That far away! How did you do this? - asked again, impressed by the possibility of bringing other flowers here. 

- Will you let me continue?

- Sure, go ahead," she said.

- No interruption. - I spoke with an admonishment.

She shook her head in agreement with what I said, like a child obeying to win candy in the end.

- They all came from the northern continent. - I said.

- From another continent, they had to cross the sea. -she said looking at me, but when her gaze crossed mine she shut up, ashamed.

- Yes, we had to cross. - I answered her question because her cheeks had turned red, it was an added charm to her beauty. - Which flower do you want me to start with? 

She stopped to look at the flowers and with her hand pointed to the first one that caught her attention. 

- This one is brown. - she said.

- This flower comes from the Billabong Kingdom: it is a kingdom of temporary drought, every year it rains six months in a row, and then comes the six months of blindness. They hire their young children to make holes as fountains to store water for the hard times, the flower only appears in the deepest holes, being called earth, their petals are used to make a black wine. Their petals are used to make a black wine, which if drunk in too much quantity can lead to death. 

- Wow, how can these flowers live underground? - he asked looking at me for an answer. 

- I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's an enigma to everyone," I said, because I even tried to solve this enigma, but gave up, because I never found the answer. 

- And how they manage to live here in the open air. And how do they breathe at the bottom of the earth?- she asked me, I saw in her expression that she was trying to understand how it worked.

- These flowers can only live for a month on dry land, then they dry out, and they give off a smell that is not pleasant to the nose. They have long roots that tangle with the roots of other plants, robbing them of their protein, and this is the only way they stay alive. 

- I never tire of being surprised at the strength of flowers," she said smiling gently as she touched the petals. 

Smiling looking at her, the things that arouse her joy are simple things, like a flower.