"Would you do me the honor of walking by my side?" Suindara asked, rising from his chair after dinner and offering his hand to Delina. She looked at him and placed her hand inside his.
"Sure." She replied and the two left the dining hall.
They walked through some corridors, until they came to a stone portal that led to the garden. The portal was arched, with some writing on it, but Delina didn't understand that language. Suindara caught her gaze at the words and whispered close to her face, making her feel a chill run down her spine.
"Whoever passes through here will find eternal happiness." He looked at her and they were very close. "Queen Maisie wrote it herself. This was one of her favorite places. She used to walk around here every morning." He said, looking around them.
"She seemed like a romantic woman." Delina commented, swallowing hard, uncomfortable with Suindara's proximity.
"Oh, she was, indeed. And very kind, too."
He took her through the lanes of the gardens, which looked more like a maze. She recognized some flowers, such as bonina, daisies, danish lilies, iris and hydrangeas. Delina was very fond of flowers and, therefore, knew some species, however, several others in there she had no idea the names. Suindara stopped near a small table, with a metal base, all white, with a few flourishes; the top was glass, thin, and with some words around it. There were two chairs that followed the same style as the base of the table. In the center of the table was a long, thin vase, with a single flower inside. Suindara pointed to the flower.
"That was her favorite flower. The Protea. It is a very different plant than what we are used to seeing. It grows in inhospitable places, adapting to different climates, which causes some changes in its appearance. But something amazing is that, after catastrophes, like fires, for example, she appears, more beautiful than ever. The Queen liked this flower precisely because it was persevering, shape-shifting and, in the midst of calamities, showed its best side." He said, looking at the flower with some affection, contemplative.
"She is very beautiful and different. I've never seen one up close, but it grows in my world, only further into South Africa. Of course, it is from there, but you can see in other countries too, due to globalization..." Delina commented, analyzing the plant, which had a long pale green stem, and opened up like something like a lotus flower, but not quite. She wasn't a small flower, and its texture was like rubberized plastic.
"South Africa... never heard of it. While you are here, we can exchange information about our worlds." He offered, to which Delina agreed. She didn't see anything wrong with him wanting to see her world. She herself was very curious to know more about Erfreut.
"I think this is awesome! Exchange knowledge." She said happily, and Suindara smiled. That was the first time she'd seen a more genuine smile on his face.
"We will have more time to look at the garden during the day. Unfortunately, at night we cannot appreciate all its splendor." He started to walk back to the castle, though, through another entrance. Delina followed him. She noted that the hallways all had a sort of 'carpet' hanging on the walls, in shades of red and gold. He opened a door and motioned for her to enter.
It looked more like a hallway, however, filled with paintings. She saw some people dressed in majestic clothes and deduced that they were kings and queens. At the end of this corridor, lit by torches on the walls, was a huge painting, bigger than all the others. There, the King and Queen watched them, in their magnificent garments. Delina looked at the King, the same one who was in the painting on the ceiling of the great hall. He was very handsome, with a slight moustache, red hair, and brown eyes that, while steady, seemed kind. Beside him, a woman with hair that looked brown, full, even in an intricate coiffure, and eyes as green as two emeralds. Delina was stunned, because apart from the color of her hair and eyes, since Delina had auburn hair and greenish brown eyes, the woman looked like it was Delina's reflection looking back at her. She looked at Suindara, to see if he was seeing the same resemblance as she was.
"You look a lot like your mother, if it weren't for your eyes and hair color. Even the texture of your hair is the same." He held one of Delina's curls between his fingers. "Your eye color is almost the same as your father's, but the shape is your mother's." He looked at Delina as if he saw someone else.
"Why are you calling them my parents? I already told you I'm not from here." She spoke, and noticed how the words were coming out of her throat, with some difficulty.
"Oh, you may have lived in the other location until now, but before, you were here. We all thought you were dead, or had been kidnapped to a distant land, after all, we found the queen's body, but not yours." He said.
"And how do you know that the princess is me?" She asked, feeling tears run down her face.
"Your looks would be enough, though," he took Delina's hand in his and kissed it, "this ring is concrete proof. Your mother was the owner of this jewel. This stone with a reddish tinge, in the center, is a polished hematite. It is usually metallic in color, but when we polish it, you can see this red tinge to it, like blood. It is believed to be the stone of the gods, directly linked to divine blood. It guarantees spiritual protection against bad energies. These two smaller stones on the sides are 'sun stone'. It is a special stone, as it was made when men tried to create a link between the other world and ours."
"Was that ring hers?" Delina asks, looking at the ring. Suindara nodded, and looked at the painting, pointing to the jewel that was there, on the Queen's finger. He also pointed to the one on the King's finger.
"These were their wedding rings. His stone is unaquite. An excellent stone for a leader as it brings the balance between reason, emotion and spirituality. When a person has magical powers, it also helps to awaken the power of clairvoyance." The stone was of a different green, mixed with red. She had never heard of any of those stones.
"But..." Delina started to stammer, not knowing what to say. Suindara bowed to her, and spoke, loud and clear.
"Welcome back, Princess Katrina!"