The Last Flowers Ch. 13

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From the time Hevani entered the forbidden forest, all she'd known was uncertainty and confusion. Sarielle was so brave and resolute in ways Hevani wished she could be, so she followed her into the unknown, based solely on faith in her and the desire to escape.

The first day was horrible. The tree of hexes polluted the air she breathed, tainting it with sinful poison that made her body sweat and burn. She clung to her cousin, desperately trying to direct her thoughts to purer fantasies. And when they lost Kerensa, Hevani's fear for her was swallowed by the intrusive and very demanding yearnings. Her mind was in a place where she could barely acknowledge, Ellowyn. Thankfully, Kerensa returned to them safe, bringing with her another dryad creature, both beautiful and frightening.

On their path deeper into the forest, Ellowyn showed them a peculiar looking tree. It was bizarre to think that there was a nymph in there. Sarielle had shown them a dead tree sprite, but this was different. It had an aura, a presence. Rozenwild, ran her hand up the tree's bark and whispered to it. Hevani didn't like the sly grin that spread across her face. She didn't trust her.

Everyone was much more relaxed once the tree was destroyed. Hevani started to believe the nymphs' assurances that the forest was impassable to the likes of her father. No person who was a threat to the mystical creatures within would ever be able to find one.

With this security, Hevani's confidence grew. She even summoned the courage to stray a little ways from the grove. In her wanderings, she happened upon the nymph who was stuck as a tree. It was such a curious thing and Hevani couldn't help wanting a closer look. As she approached, the reddish-pink flowers on the branches fluttered. They were the most unusual flowers she'd ever seen. Three petals like that of a lily, interspaced with three long skinny ones that curled into spirals.

"You don't mind if I rest here a moment?" she asked, sitting under the curve of the tree's trunk.

The largest flower blinked once.

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Amaranth thought it was a dream at first. Her beloved Ellowyn in nymph form, running up to her, falling at her trunk sobbing. With her, an elven creature offering to rescue her too. Ellowyn gave Amaranth some of her vitality while she waited for Sarielle. Neither of them knew if they would see her again.

But Sarielle did return, bringing more elhuvens and an old friend. Amaranth took in their new additions. Three shadows and a column of flame. She kept coming back to the tall girl at the back who stared at her with haunting yellow eyes. Most of the elhuvens were looking at her like she was a tree, but that one was staring at her like she could see her.

When the hex tree was destroyed it was like a storm cloud lifting. Within hours, the oppressive presence that had plagued them for a century was gone. The forest sang with release, rejoicing in its freedom. Amaranth felt amazing. Life was flowing into her again instead of out. The fading seed of hope blossomed into excitement. She'd be a nymph again someday, even if it took another century.

Her sisters brought Dendelyn to see her. It was wonderful, but the forest was so quiet once they left and Amaranth came to understand that her life now revolved around the surprise visits of others.

On the day that Hevani first came to her, the elhuven was timid and restless. She sat by her trunk and tried to get comfortable. Her eyes wandered to Amaranth's flower, so the nymph tilted it in her direction.

Hevani sniffed the air around her and looked offended. "Are you doing that pollen thing?" She shrank away. "To make me a whore?"

'No, no, no, no.' Amaranth blinked her flower once. 'My flowers have a naturally strong scent.' The rest of her flowers wilted. She hadn't even done anything and this girl was scared of her.

Hevani inhaled. "You're not, are you?" She saw Amaranth's flower wink and relaxed. "Sorry. I don't trust people easily and I heard Rozenwild telling you to do it. I also saw what she did to Kerensa with her flower and I don't want that to happen to me."

Amaranth had seen the size of Rozenwild's flower and she knew well the kind of mischief the girl could cause.

"It's a nice smell. Sort of like violets and honey."

Amaranth fluttered her flowers at the compliment.

Hevani sat quietly in the leaves for a long time, just staring out at the woods. When she got up, she brushed herself off and said a shy goodbye as she went back the way she'd come. She didn't see Amaranth wave her flowers in farewell.

***

The next time she saw Hevani it was early morning. Amaranth was cheerful, bursting with joy from the day before. Ellowyn had given Sarielle her seed, and she'd made sure Amaranth was the first to know.

She was unable to keep her elation from the elhuven. Several extra flowers bloomed in greeting.

"Hello." Hevani slunk out of the trees and came to sit by her base again.

'Hello, leaflet. I thought I'd scared you off.'

She sighed. "Everyone's bathing together in the stream. I didn't want to join in. They stare." She picked up a twig and fiddled with it. It took her several minutes to speak again. "You must be bored out here by yourself. I don't know what to talk about that would be entertaining. I'm quite dull and not worth mentioning."

'Oh, flower, what a horrible thing to think of yourself.'

"I could tell you the story of Selrilve. There's nothing else for you to do, so I guess you won't mind if I repeat anything you might have heard. Why don't I start from the beginning?"

It started nice, but the tale got darker and the closer to the present the more twisted it became. Something had gone very wrong in that village. Maybe it was the tree's influence, but the people had passed beyond parochial customs into sheer derangement. Amaranth's emotions were so overwhelmed they became blank and a cold, empty feeling settled over her.

"I can show you if you want?"

'That is the last thing I want to see. I want for none of this to have ever happened.

But as hard as it was to hear, Hevani needed to have someone listen. Amaranth could see expelling all the horrors she kept within was her first step to moving on.

Hevani lifted the skirt of her cute yellow dress and shimmied out of the tiny bloomers she had underneath. She parted her legs tentatively. Her finger skimmed the length of her slit, over the silver metal creeping through her groin. Pieces of it tunnelled right through her flesh. A small shield hid her clitoris, held in place with chains connected to a belt around her waist and the top bar. Another chain ran between her buttocks, attaching a toothed circle around her hole. Amaranth felt ill at the sight.

"Father thought I had a little bit too much access and would be tempted to touch myself so he added the front piece. And then Kerensa got caught with that boy, so that meant another piece added to the back. And a slap on the face because he'd had to go to so much trouble."

Hevani continued on the topic of her father. She was quite engrossed in her stories and seemed to forget Amaranth was there. Years' worth of horrors spilled from her lips, sometimes accompanied by tears, other times by gritted teeth and spat words. Amaranth was sure she hadn't intended to get so deep or divulge in such detail. Perhaps there was so much held inside her that once she started it was impossible to stop. It made sense now, why Hevani wasn't like her cousin.

"Hevani?" yelled a voice in the distance.

That made her pause. "Apparently my absence has been noticed." She stood up on wobbly legs, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to dump all that on you. You don't even know me. Of course you didn't want to hear all of that horrible stuff." She lifted her head, finally noticing Amaranth's drooping flowers and the moist lines coming from the knots that were her eyes. "Are you...crying?" She reached her hand as if to wipe away her tears, but the voice called again and it spooked her. "I have to go."

Heartbroken, Amaranth watched her flee.

***

Amaranth spent her time resting, eagerly awaiting a guest to jolt her awake. Her sisters were able to sneak up on her, but the elhuvens she could hear coming. Crunching leaves and snapping twigs told her one was on the way. It was Abelia, the shortest of the elhuvens. She said hello and stood awkwardly for a moment, clearly at a loss, before continuing. It wasn't long before the girl was on her way back. And she brought someone with her.

'Flora!' Amaranth screamed in joy. Her flowers danced.

"She'll think I don't like her, or be angry I didn't help her." Abelia fretted.

Amaranth's leaves shook. No!

She'd seen Abelia's reaction to her—uncomfortable politeness. If she'd felt the same way around Flora, there was no way she'd be bringing her back now. The girl must have found something special about her sister. And Amaranth was overjoyed for them both.

Flora patted her trunk. "Amaranth will find someone soon."

Amaranth blinked her flowers to say yes.

It seemed mere minutes after they left that Flora brought everyone to Amaranth for some meditation. Amaranth was relieved to know her friend was helping Hevani while she couldn't. The elhuven looked different afterwards, lighter, more serene. She waited until everyone was gone, before she came over to Amaranth.

"Wasn't that wonderful?" She smiled. It filled out her hollow face and lit her up from within. She looked beautiful.

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The magic in the circle made Hevani feel blessed and it was reassuring to know how strong her new friends were. She'd wanted to ask Sarielle something, but her cousin left with a group. Then she'd been preoccupied with Laceleaf and retrieving Evadne from the town. Hevani didn't want to bother her when she was busy, so she waited until that afternoon, when everything had slowed down a bit.

Sarielle was sitting by a bush with Ellowyn, having just come back from doing...Hevani didn't want to think about it.

She hesitantly went over to her cousin. "Sae?"

Sarielle could see she was nervous. "Is everything okay?"

Hevani glanced at Ellowyn. It was too hard to say with her there, so she crouched beside her cousin and whispered in her ear, "Can you help me with my lock?"

"Of course! Stay here."

Sarielle dashed off to find Kerensa's bag and came back with the wire cutters discreetly by her side. She took Hevani's hand and walked her into the trees. Hevani sat down in some dry leaves and wriggled out of the tiny shorts they used as underwear. She pulled back her skirt and parted her legs.

Sarielle stared at the metal and grimaced. "Oh, Hevani. What have they put on you?" She shook her head. "Gods, they probably would have tried putting this junk on all of us eventually." She rested the cutters against Hevani's skin. "Just stay still now."

Sarielle carefully got the blades under the chain and clamped down. She cut the other side and moved on to the dome covering her clit.

Hevani grabbed her wrist. "Just the extra bits."

Sarielle hesitated, before nodding. It took some finessing to cut the attachment off and even more to free the one at the back. But her cousin soon had her free of them.

Hevani hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

Sarielle rubbed her back. "I'm so proud of you."

***

Hevani knew why Evadne ran away. That made it worse, knowing she felt compelled to return to a place she hated. It played on her mind before bed and she woke early. It frustrated her, but she forgot all that when she heard soft whimpers and the wet sounds of fucking.

"That sounds like a challenge." Rozenwild shouted across the garden. It was followed by a loud squeal from Kerensa.

Hevani panicked and bolted from the camp. She did not need to hear them doing dirty things to one another. She hurried through the forest to Amaranth and collapsed by her trunk, panting hard.

"You won't believe what they're doing this morning. Ellowyn and Sarielle were doing naughty things and everyone could hear them, so Rozenwild took it as a challenge and now her and Kerensa are at it too. Why can't they do that somewhere else? I don't want to hear it. It makes me think....things I shouldn't think." She leaned against Amaranth. "Are you sad about Evadne going back too? I know she's not the nicest, but she doesn't deserve that."

Amaranth blinked her flowers. They were drooping a little.

"Can I show you something?" She got up and lifted her skirt, pinning it to her sternum with her chin so she could slide down her underwear. She actually felt a little proud. "Sarielle helped take them off."

Amaranth's flowers perked up and gave a flutter. The nymph was happy for her.

She covered herself and sat back down. "I'm not quite ready to take the lock off." She played with her skirt. "But maybe I will soon. Flora said she'd sit with me every day to help me feel better."

Hevani combed her hair with her fingers. She liked talking to Amaranth. It was better than in front of people. She didn't have to see anyone's face dripping with sympathy. Or hear any 'helpful' suggestions.

"You've got such a lot of flowers out today. Is there a special occasion, or did you just feel like being pretty?"

Amaranth squeezed her blooms shut and popped them open again. Hevani didn't understand what she was trying to convey, but she was the silly one who'd asked two questions at once. She got the feeling Amaranth simply felt happy.

"I like how your friends all have big ones growing from their heads. Did you notice Sarielle has one of Ellowyn's flowers in her hair? And Kerensa has Rozenwild's. It's cute."

A pink flower dropped to the earth, cushioned by the leaves. Hevani glanced up at Amaranth's branches. Was the nymph feeling unwell? Or...was it because she'd been talking about...

"Is that for me?" she tentatively reached out and picked up the bloom. "Thank you."

She slipped the flower behind her ear. Her fingers fiddled with the leaves, absentmindedly threading them together in a chain while she hummed quietly. Always quietly. Try never to make noise.

"I'm getting thirsty." Hevani got up, nearly letting the leaves fall away, before she had an idea. She slung the leaves around Amaranth's trunk as a necklace. "Here, you need some clothes."

The nymph's flowers twinkled in a happy way.

Hevani left her to walk towards the stream. She swore the water tasted sweeter fresh from her cupped hands. A shadow blocked the sun behind her and she flinched. She hadn't heard anyone approach, but there standing over her was Willow. These nymphs were a light-footed bunch.

"Did I startle you? I apologise." Willow came around to see her face, but immediately covered her mouth in shock. "Did you pick one of Amaranth's flowers? Oh, you mustn't do that, Hevani. Amaranth will forgive you, but it's not nice."

Her hand moved to touch the bloom. She'd forgotten it was there.

Willow made a thinking face. "Although, if Sage had been so enraptured by my flower, perhaps I would have liked her to take it."

"It fell on the ground," Hevani said. "Maybe the wind blew it."

Willow shook her head, a small smile curling her lips. "Our flowers don't wilt or fall."

"It happened right after I told her how all the elhuvens were wearing them."

She seemed delighted. "And she saw you had none, so she gave you one of hers to wear. Amaranth's very generous and a wonderful friend."

Willow was so compassionate it was hard to tell if she was just telling her about her friend, or trying to persuade her to sleep with her. Hevani couldn't blame her if that were the case. If her friend needed help she'd want someone to aid them. But Willow didn't know what she was asking. To her, a licentious, frivolous creature, sex was as normal as breathing.

Willow bent at the waist to bring a handful of water to her lips. She wasn't curvy by any means, but it made what little butt she had beautifully rounded. The lines of her body were slender and elegant in a way Hevani felt she never could be. The pose also made her leafy excuse for a skirt ride up and Hevani could see the tip of that...thing between her legs. She turned away so she didn't have to see it.

"Are you coming back?" Willow asked, leaving the water.

Hevani went to get up, pausing for a second to remove the flower from her hair and set it on a rock.

"Would you like me to grow it a root so it will stay alive?"

She shook her head. "No, wearing it would only lead to questions."

Willow frowned, but nodded in understanding.

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The problem with being away from the garden meant Amaranth missed a lot of the goings on. The arrival of a new elhuven came as a shock and the mention of Laceleaf really puzzled her. She agreed with Ellowyn about Evadne—Laceleaf wouldn't like her. Amaranth would graciously accept help from anyone. But she couldn't help but feel disappointed at the idea of that being Evadne. The girl looked...cynical and not at all interested in her.

It was Laceleaf who came to her next. Her sister stayed for a while, but she didn't talk. She looked immensely sad. Amaranth guessed she was mourning. She had to wait for Ellowyn to tell her who was responsible for Laceleaf being there. Amaranth's first response to hearing it was Evadne was relief, but she felt terrible for thinking so.

Before the tribe moved, they all came to play a game with Amaranth. Her brown bark gave her away, but she was glad they'd included her. With delight, she watched the elhuvens blindly try to find their partner. Hevani stood in the centre, seemingly with nothing to do. Perhaps prompted by curiosity and a false sense of privacy, she half-heartedly joined in. Instead of stumbling off in search of a target, she turned in place and took only a single step forward. She opened her eyes and started right at Amaranth.

You can sense me! Amaranth fluttered her flowers.

Hevani's lips hitched into an almost smile and she turned around so none of her friends saw.

Flora came over a few minutes later. "I saw that." She patted her bark. "I'll help her free you."

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The new garden was stunning, but Hevani found herself too distracted to enjoy it. She picked at her fingernail and let her mouth twist into something ugly. She appreciated what Flora did with the trail and that she mentioned it so casually, with no expectations. But Hevani still felt obligated to release Amaranth.

Flora crouched in front of her and placed her hand on her knee. "You're stressed, Hevani. Why?"

She shook her head dismissively.

Flora sat on the ground and took her hands. "Relax. Release all the bad. Shed those leaves. Flake off that bark. Absorb the wonderful energy of the sun. Suck up the nurturing nutrients of the earth."

Her voice was so soft and calm. She had a presence so tranquil that Hevani felt better just being near her.

"You're magical."

Flora chuckled. "We're all magical. But especially those of us in this forest." Her thumbs rubbed the back of Hevani's hands. "What happened? Are you upset about leaving Amaranth?"

"We left her all alone."

"I know. But it wouldn't have been good to split the tribe. We needed to get all of you settled here. Amaranth can't tell how much time passes right now. It's not the same as if she were conscious. She essentially shuts herself down when no one's around. I can take you to see her if you want. "

"I went this morning."

Flora looked surprised. "You did?"

She grinned. "I'm good at sneaking. Everyone's so preoccupied with the seedling. All their focus is on Sae."

"So that's why I haven't seen you today." Flora moved to sit beside her and gave her a hug.

"I wish she could get better by herself."