Garden Of Lights

Garden of Lights by Ieshwar

Garden of Lights... a mystery in the Land of Elves. No one knew how it originally looked; each visitor, each step, brought a new mood and eventually, a new appearance. It had been like this since the first time it was discovered at the foot of the Mountains of Clouds. Few people used to go there and amongst them were Esrael and Hiacynthe. When they were only small girls, the two sisters used to call it The Place of Moods: a place which slowly became a close friend, a confidante to both of them.

Esrael walked through the giant silver arches, entering the Garden of Lights. She could feel the warm sunlight on her elven skin. Buds of flowers grew from the ground and instantly bloomed at her feet. A faint scent of rose filled the air around her. She smiled. Garden was celebrating the magic of love with her. Kade had finally proposed to her. She could not believe it! She could hardly stop herself from jumping and squealing when she had accepted.

She walked amongst the bright flowers, marveling about her life, love and Kade. It was amazing how a few words and a few gestures could bring so much joy. Since then, she was smiling like a silly girl. This was the day every girl dreamt of, and when it became real, it felt like heaven.

It was then that she saw something ahead. Esrael frowned. Coming closer, she realized that it was a young girl. Who could it be?

Sadness exuded from the person. No sunshine, not even a flicker of light, was around the maiden. Snow covered her and the rock upon which she was sitting. She could not feel, but she could sense, the coldness- a chilling sensation which sucked away all the joys of life. Then she caught a glimpse of the white mane of hair.

Hiacynthe.

There she sat, in her white gown with her hair billowing in the cold gusts. She just looked ahead, her eyes empty of everything - light, hope, even tears. Esrael stared at her; everything was so white, so pale, and so ghostly. Colors of joy seemed to have simply disappeared.

“Cynthe, you should stop doing this to yourself,” she said slowly as she came closer to her sister.

“It’s winter solstice today,” the younger girl said without even looking at the other. “Two years have passed since Lance left.”

“I know it is tough but it is time to move on…”

“But he promised me that he would return one day. He told me,” Hiacynthe said with her eyes glistening, talking more to herself than to her sister, “Lance will come one day. He told me. He promised me.”

“Two years have passed…”

“And what if he comes one day and I am not here? That I moved on? Or that I forgot him?” Hiacynthe’s eyes went round as she thought of this possibility, “What if he thinks that I betrayed him? No, I can’t betray him, Es! I can’t. I will wait. I will wait…”

Esrael sat next to her as she tried to keep herself strong for her younger sister. She watched as the warmth of the sunlight- less than before but still there- melt some of the snow. The darkness dithered as some of the light crept in. A few flowers appeared, spreading some color in the sheet of white.

“Cynthe, war is something unpredictable. Anything can happen. And two years is a long time. You should understand…”

“How can I understand?” Hiacynthe said as she burst in tears, “I am in love with him. Madly in love. Every day when I wake up, every night when I go to sleep, his promise is here in my ears. I feel him whispering it here by my side. He is here, Es. In my thoughts, in my mind, in my heart, in my flesh, in my soul.”

“Shh,” Esrael comforted her sister as she hugged her tight.

“Do you think I never try?” Hiacynthe said as she hugged her sister back, “I do. I try for you. For mother. For father. But I cannot. I cannot.”

“I understand. It’s ok,” Esrael said. She wondered how it would have been without Kade. A shiver went through her, constricting her heart. She didn’t want to even think about it. And Hiacynthe was living it. She had to do something yet nothing came to her mind. She desperately prayed for something to help her sister out of this turmoil.

“Look at me, Cynthe,” Esrael said as she held her sister’s face in her hands. “If you believe in Lance, he will come. You will have to believe in him from here, your heart. But have you thought about what he will see when he will return? A lovesick girl? He might like it but will he need it? Lance would have gone through the horrors of war. He would have seen things we can’t even imagine. Men are not as strong as we think. As least, not emotionally. Lance will need a woman, Cynthe. Not a girl. Someone he can depend on, some who can reassure him. Are you that person?”

Hiacynthe looked at her sister, her eyes full of questions. Slowly, she shook her head.

“Then make yourself that woman. Do you think Lance will like it when he learns that you have been here crying here the whole time he was gone? Prepare yourself. Face the world. Let no hardship stop you. Rise and make yourself strong. So that one day, you can be strong for him. You will do this for him, right. You will?”

Hiacynthe nodded as tears streamed from her face. She hugged her sister as tight as she could. All words failed her except for a simple “Thank You.”

“Don’t be silly, girl. I’m your sister - your closest friend. When Lance will return as a man, you will be here to welcome him as the woman he deserves. Yes, my sister, he will return. Just believe in it.”