The Stone Garden
by Tessa Lapointe
Gwayne.
The word
sounded in the young man’s head as he slept: Gwayne. The boy’s name. It had
been happening for weeks now. This night, though, he dreamed of a girl his age
standing in a garden of stone. The flowers were delicately carven and inlayed
with harsh jewels, and the trees were formed of marble with golden leaves. Chains
were bound about her legs and wrists, keeping her from moving. Her eyes were as
grey as the rocks, and even sadder and colder.
Gwayne, she whispered to him, her lips
unmoving. Gwayne.
“Who are
you? How do you know me?” he asked the girl. He concentrated as hard as he
could on those two questions.
Finally a weak response came
through, and the girl said quietly, her lips quivering only slightly as she
formed the words, “Annora. My name is Annora.”
“And
what of me?” Gwayne asked. “How do you know me?”
“Your
name has been clear to me for days now. Please, you must help me,” Annora
pleaded.
“How can
I?”
“You
must find me. Find me in the Stone Garden. Please, hurry!” Annora’s voice faded
out, and the dream ended. Gwayne awoke, the girl’s words vivid in his mind. It
was still dark out with only the slightest rays of light cresting the horizon,
but he still rose from his bed and began preparations for his impossible
journey. Gwayne had no idea where the Stone Garden was, or even what it was,
but Annora was in danger. He couldn’t let her down.
As
Gwayne tied his cloak around his neck, his older sister appeared at the door.
“And where are you going?”
“None of
your concern.” He tried to push past her but his sister held fast. She gave him
a questioning look Gwayne could not ignore. “Have you ever heard of the Stone
Garden?” he asked in surrender.
“Never,
why?”
“It’s
just a place someone told me about.”
“So
you’ve decided to venture there on your own, without of a course of destination,
in the middle of the night?”
“Early
morning,” Gwayne corrected.
“Yet you
still do not know where you are going, or you wouldn’t be asking for my help.”
“I’m not
asking for your help, I only wished to see if you knew anything about it before
I left. I’ve made a promise to someone, and I have to help them. Nothing you
say can stop me.”
She
sighed. “I know. You’re too stubborn to listen to my reasoning.” She stepped
away from the door. “Go. Just try not to get into trouble, all right?”
Gwayne
smiled. “You know me. Why would I be getting into trouble?”
She gave
him a playful shove. “I do know you. That’s what worries me. One day I fear
your adventuring will get you killed, just like it did Father.” His sister
pulled him into a tight hug and whispered in a wavering voice, “Be safe.”
Gwayne
nodded and let her kiss the top of his head. His sister quickly packed him some
food in a small satchel and gave it to Gwayne. He accepted the gift, strapped
his sword to his waist, let his sister see a reassuring glance, then opened the
door to their little cottage and slipped out into the freezing morning air. The
golden light of the rising sun warmed his face as he looked out over the
mountains. Gwayne remembered seeing snowcapped peaks rising above the Garden
where Annora would be found. It was there he would search for the girl.
After a few hours of walking, he
stopped to rest, eating a piece of the bread his sister had packed. As he sat
on the side of the road, a sudden pain erupted in his head, like he had been
struck with a bolt of lightning. Gwayne put his palms to his temples and
squeezed his eyes shut, but it didn’t help. Bursts of white light flashed in
front of his eyes, and he could hear Annora’s voice.
Gwayne! You’re coming! she shouted
gleefully in his mind.
“What
are you doing?” Gwayne mumbled through clenched teeth.
Sorry, it’s easier when you are asleep. It
hurts much more when you are awake.
“Clearly.
Where must I go? How should I find you?”
I have given you a map. You will see it when
you begin your travel once more. Now hurry! You must come quickly!
The pain
disappeared just as it had started, and Gwayne collapsed down on the grass,
breathing heavily. When he looked up, he could see a faint, glowing trail of
mist on the road that led up into the mountains. Gwayne allowed himself a few
moments to recover, then stood, shouldered his satchel, and started the long
trek up.
As he
continued to walk, it grew darker out, which was odd as it was only midday, and
the sun was meant to be at its highest. It also became much colder, and Gwayne
pulled his cloak tighter around him to block out the frigid air. A rolling fog
started, obscuring the glowing trail. By that point, however, there was only
one path to take, so Gwayne kept walking blindly. Barely able to see, he
tripped over a large stone on the ground and landed on his knees, scraping the
palms of his hands. It was then that he realized where he was. Gwayne looked up
at the wall surrounding the Stone Garden, and the gate that marked its
entrance. As he watched, the gate slowly creaked open. Gwayne stood, took a
deep breath, and walked through the entryway and into the Garden.
He
pulled out his sword and held it in front of him. If Annora was in such danger,
it was logical to assume that he was as well. Gwayne walked through the Stone
Garden and looked in amazement at all the plants that decorated it. The levels
of detail in each stone were incredible. No ordinary craftsman could have
formed them. Thoughts of the strange stones were put out of mind, though, when
he slowly began to hear the cries of a girl, calling out, “Help! Help! Please,
somebody help me!”
Gwayne
rushed towards the sound until he found Annora, standing in the center of the
Garden, still chained to the ground. She smiled widely upon seeing him.
“Gwayne! You’re here!”
“I told
you I would come, did I not?” He raised his sword and swung it down on one of
the chains. The stone shattered beneath the blow, but before he could break the
others, Annora’s eyes widened with fear as she saw something behind him. Gwayne
turned look, and saw a man standing in the mist, his hands folded behind his
back, an evil smile on his lips.
“Who are
you?” Gwayne demanded.
The man
didn’t answer. “Well done, Annora,” he said to the girl.
She
lowered her eyes and muttered, “Thank you, Papa.” Annora slowly pulled the
chains from her wrists and ankles and stood next to Gwayne in shame without
looking at him.
“Who are
you?” Gwayne repeated.
Still he
refused to answer directly. “None of the plants in this garden are actually
stone. They are each living and growing, and only made to look as if they are
rocks. Interesting, isn’t it, how something living can appear to be dead.” He
paused. “Hello, Gwayne.”
“How do
you know who I am?”
“Well, I
am your father.”
Gwayne
stood in stunned silence. He had been told his father was dead, killed by a
dragon he had tried to slay.
Something living appearing to be
dead.
“Please,
Papa,” Annora said. “We don’t have to kill him.”
The man
narrowed his eyes. “Yes we do. If not, he will be King. You and I both know
that cannot happen.”
“King?
What are you talking about?” Gwayne asked.
“It was
prophesized that the ruler of this land will be my doom. I know one day you
will be King unless I stop you. So I used your twin sister to get you here.”
“My
sister?” He looked over at Annora.
“I can’t
let you kill him,” she said forcefully.
Their
father laughed. “And what would you do?”
“You’ve
never loved me like a father should, not even when I’ve done everything you’ve
asked. Gwayne has done nothing to you.” Swiftly, she grabbed Gwayne’s sword
from his hands, and, before the man knew what was happening, she ran towards
him and let the sword find its mark. He fell to his knees and clutched at the
bleeding wound in his chest. “A Queen can be a ruler, too,” Annora said.
“Annora,”
he choked out, and then he was silent and still.
Gwayne
went to his sister and said softly, “Thank you. You saved me.”
“You
were trying to do the same for me. I was simply returning the favor.” Annora
smiled shakily. “Now please, let’s go home.”
Gwayne
took his sword back and sheathed it, then brought his sister into his arms and
embraced her. “Yes. Home.”
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