( where flowers bloom, so does hope | @opyre )
he's picked a red and gold petaled flower from rosalith during his travels and pressed it in a journal , that it might not wilt 'fore it reaches jote's hands . and he sits aside her , stilling himself into a position of serenity in order to appear as collected as possible when presenting her with such a gift . he does not say what it is for , nor does he speak much on the feelings involved in the matter , instead , opting to open the page and break their silence with its art , " i thought of you when i picked it . " he smiles , delicately tracing the flattened stem , " it is called the treasure flower . they used to grow outside the castle . "
SHE HADN'T SPENT much time on the castle grounds as a child. much of her days had been spent in lessons. learning ceremony, history, & lineage. the undying served from the shadows, & she had been no different. perhaps that was why the first time she saw the castle gardens had stuck with her even now, so many years later. it had been late spring, with the flowers in full bloom, & only a stern reminder to behave herself had stopped her from giving in to the childish desire to pick a few of the colorful blossoms.
jote visited the castle a few, precious times after that. & each time she savored the view of the flowers as if a part of her had known that she would lose the sight forever. often the flowers would appear in her dreams of the only home she'd known before joshua's side. dreams of returning to a peaceful rosaria & watching the flowers bend & twist with the wind at her leisure.
but none of that was on her mind this day. it had become difficult enough to keep herself focused on her task once she'd realized what day was upon them, there was no room for wayward thoughts of a lost home. luckily there was much to do as she prepared for the next leg of their journey, with many opportunities to pull her back to the task at hand.
poultices, ingredients, replenished armor, & medicines. only once their traveling bags were near full did she give into temptation ( & joshua's insistence ) & allow herself a break. she sat comfortably in a small field. flowers, cool colored & healthy despite the blight that crept closer by the day, surrounded them. jote, always tuned into joshua, noticed him beginning to rummage through his pack despite her eyes on the horizon.
her head only turned when the journal entered her peripheral vision, & her eyes landed on it as a questioning sound left her lips. in return, her charge said nothing, simply opened the journal to a page that contained a sight she'd thought she'd only see after they had accomplished the impossible.
a treasure flower, he called it.
“ i remember. ” her guard had been dropped by the surprise, & she moved closer to him, sitting just at his side. her fingers brushed gently over the petals, taking in the details that had faded from her memories with time. “ i used to sit & watch them for hours when we visited the castle. after what happened at phoenix gate, i thought––––. ” but, that didn't matter now. she would not spoil such a kind gift with melancholy thoughts of the past.
“ i'd like to see them again, someday. when things are...better. ” when the blight was gone. when ultima was a distant memory. when the boy blessed with the blood of the phoenix could live a life without balancing the life & death of the world on his shoulders. she had to believe that such a day could come.
jote's head rose to look properly at joshua &, for the first time, noticed how close they had become. in a moment of selfishness, she did not move away.
“ thank you, your grace. i will cherish it. & it will serve as a wonderful reminder. ”
though it was no treasure flower, she found herself picking one of the pale blue flowers in reach. he regarded it for a long while in silence, smiling when she did finally speak anew.
“ a reminder, ” her voice was all but a whisper as she tucked the flower behind his ear. “ of the world we wish to create. ”