the fairest lily

Jymaiyri was careful not to alert the guards as she snuck out into the garden. She wasn't supposed to be there- indeed, she was supposed to be planning out a recieving luncheon for her cousins that were coming from out of town. But if Jymaiyri was being truthful, there was nothing more boring to her at this very moment than sitting with her sisters and the housemaids and arguing which kind of tea might best suit the taste of their visiting cousins, none of which Jymaiyri had seen since they'd been younger than five.

No- if she had to sit through another impossibly dull, useless parlor conversation where nothing real was spoken about and no one said one intelligent thought, she would wither into dust and misery. And if the palace guards spotted the crown princess shirking her duties yet again to frolick among the garden, they would alert her father, and she'd be forced to both go to the planning meeting and sit through one of his tireless lectures about the 'proper role for a lady of her status'. Thus, she had a deliberate need for stealth.

Even when she was forced to sneak through it, the gardens were Jymaiyri's favorite place in the entire palace. She could wander through the groves for hours- walking among the citrus trees and the manicured botanical arrangements, the produce patches and untamed patches of jungle. She did not only observe the plants and appreciate their beauty; she did what she could to nourish them, trimming away dead branches and wilting blooms, watering them and bringing them fresh fertilizer. It was no work compared to what the palace gardeners actually did, but as the gardens' most frequent royal guest, she felt she had to do what she could to ensure their vitality and their beauty.

The gardens were the one place Jymaiyri felt she could be herself- the version of herself that existed beyond expectation and performance, the perfect role she was forced to embody by no other reason than the circumstances of her birth. Here, no one would scold her for getting dirt under her fingernails or a tear in her dress. Here, she could be who she wanted to be.

Jymaiyri was wandering through the lily grove- her very favorite part of what was already her favorite place- when she heard footsteps ahead of her. Thinking it a guard who had spotted her, she quickly hid behind a balustrade, willing herself not to be caught. Just as she was thinking up an escape plan that involved diving into the flowers and hoping her green dress would camoflaughe her, the approaching footsteps turned into a voice.

"Well, Princess, I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

Jymaiyri spun on her heel to face the owner of the deep, rough voice. She found- with some relief- that it was not a guard. It was, in fact, someone she had never seen before (though, someone who had clearly seen- or at least heard of- her). He was a tall man with bronzy-brown skin and a scruffy, handsome demeanor to him. He wore a weary smile on his face and a certain, hard-worked tiredness in his warm-gold eyes. He was dressed in working clothes- far more suitable to the environment than Jymaiyri's silk dress, which was already getting stained and snagged.

"Uh-" She stammered, quickly tryig to regain her composure. "Don't tell anyone I'm here, okay? Princess's order."

The man laughed, and put his shears- Jymaiyri just realized he had been holding shears- back into his belt. "Well, if you say so, Princess." He gave her a curt nod, only the slightest incline of his head.

Something about him put Jymaiyri at ease. She sighed, and leaned onto the balustrade. "I'm really not supposed to be here," She explained, "but I couldn't stand another useless party-planning meeting. I had to go out."

"I see…" The gardener thought to himself. "Well… perhaps, the Princess simply wanted to check on the flowers she needs for…"

"For my cousin's visit, of course." Jymaiyri supplied. She was already liking where this conversation was going.

"Of course." The gardener repeated. "Only the best-quality flora for that kind of occassion." He offered her his arm, in the way a visiting dignitary might- but with a playful jest about it. "Shall we, Princess?"

Gleefully, Jymaiyri took the gardener's arm, and brought up her skirt so they could walk together. "So," she began. "I haven't seen you around the gardens before- and you clearly haven't seen me around much, either. What's your name?"

"Sovran, Princess." He supplied. "I only started working here a few weeks ago."

"And are you liking it?" She asked. She wanted to make sure the people employed by the palace were well taken care of. Especially cute, endearing ones like Sovran.

"Well, when I get to meet lovely ladies like you, what's not to like?"

Jymaiyri couldn't help but blush. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I figure you come here often." Sovran said as they turned down the path. Canopies of willow trees stretched above them. They couldn't even see the palace from here, the foliage was so dense. It was beautiful. An incredibly romantic spot, Jymaiyri did.

"Every chance I get." She confessed. "I love these gardens. They're my favorite place in the world."

"Is that so?" Sovran looked to her, a wistful, thinking expression on his face. "Well, then… I'll have to keep them in the best shape I can, to keep you happy."

"It doesn't take that much to keep me happy." Jymaiyri replied. She couldn't get the wistful, flirty dreaminess out of her voice. She was simply enjoying herself too much.

Just as Jymaiyri became certain she was about to say something very reckless, very foolhearty, and very silly, the clocktower rang, reminding her of where she was, who she was, and what situation she was in.

"Oh, damn it." She cursed, turning away from Sovran to the source of the sound. Though she could not see the clocktower from the beautiful willow nook, she could still hear it- and hearing was enough to draw her back to reality. "I have to go. I have an audience with my father- and I can't be seen like this."

"Well, don't let me keep you waiting." Sovran quickly took his hand away. "I hope all the flowers were up to your standards?" He winked.

"Very much." Jymaiyri couldn't help but giggle girlishly. "In fact, they've exceeded expectations."

"I'm very glad to hear that.' Sovran bent down, and plucked a lily blossom from the earth. Delicately, he tucked the stem behind Jymaiyri's ear. "Something to remember me by. I hope to see you again soon, Princess."

Jymaiyri put her hand to the lily blossom, and smiled. "I'll be back soon," She said, and on a wild dare, added, "Call me Jymaiyri."