The Imperial Witch ⚜ Ch. 5

Faraja hurried back from the first planning meeting, her head filled with ideas. Enchanted glittering icicles, a Christmas tree on each end of the ballroom, and of course eggnog.

As she made her way to the greenhouse once again to carve some seeds, she was surprised to see someone familiar wandering the garden paths.

Why was she here?! If she wasn't careful, she was going to trip or get bitten by these plants. With a nervous sigh, she decided to go over to her.

"Princess Salma. Fancy seeing you way out here," she said, trying to smile naturally.

She looked back and bowed. "Princess Faraja. I was just enjoying the last bit of warmth outdoors before winter comes."

So she did know her name. "Yes? You um, ought to stay to the middle of the path," she cautioned.

She glanced down. "Why? Because the vines cross every which way?"

Raja smirked. "Because they bite."

Her eyes widened. "Do they now. I didn't know that. Right. So, where are you headed?"

"The greenhouse. I'm working on growing a new strain of snap apples. Care to see?"

She nodded. "Sure. Why not."

They walked along the path, and Faraja tried to stay calm as her crush bumped into her a few times to avoid snapping vines.

She entered the familiar greenhouse first, and they were greeted with the chirping of rare magical birds in an aviary. The place was filled with a permanent mist that made it feel more like a jungle.

"Wow. Why have I never seen this place?" the princess marveled.

"I think the class that uses it most is the second year healing class. The rest of us come just because we want to." She led her into the makeshift lab where she was trying to magically fuse seeds.

"What are you working on here?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

Nervously, she picked up a pair of seeds that she'd attempted a fusion with earlier. "These are two varieties of snap apples. One has a tendency to be bitter, while the other holds up better against the frost. I'm trying different combination spells to make the seeds one. Then I carve a rune onto each seed to help it grow."

"Fascinating. How did you get into all this?"

She grinned, "Well, I am a desert princess. I love the green, making things grow."

Considering her for a moment, Salma asked, "Why did you come all this way?"

She was surprised by her question. "Well, I came here to learn how to protect and serve my people. I never knew magic was so beautiful and complicated until I started learning about it. I had to know more."

Salma smiled. "Nor did I really understand before coming here. Magic was just part of me. Now I realize I'm part of something more."

"Precisely," she said, returning her smile. After a moment of looking around, she muttered half to herself, "My cheetah cat is around here somewhere."

Salma thought for a moment. "The one that plays with the tiny tiger?"

She chuckled and smiled at her. "That's the one." In the tower, the bell tolled five o'clock, and she felt a wave of disappointment. "Oh, it's that late already? If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I have to get going. Medea wanted to study incantations tonight."

"Of course. Thank you for showing me around," she said, taking her hand to kiss it. "Maybe I'll see you around here again?"

She could feel the heat of her blush. "I'm always here."

As she left, she couldn't help but think Salma was even more charming than she remembered. But what she didn't know what that Salma thought she was equally charming.