"Your Majesty, the new Spring Vessel has arrived."
"Bring her to the throne room."
"Uh... Well, Your Majesty-"
"What is it, Richard?"
The empress's aide hesitantly stands at the door, wringing his fingers together. "The Spring Vessel for this generation is a young man, and Queen Viola and her entourage are with him."
The glass that the empress is holding slips from her grasps and shatters on the floor as she is stunned from hearing such preposterous news. "That's impossible. Only women can become the Spring Vessel."
"Your Majesty, the Winter Vessel was supposed to be of male lineage, but Queen Viola is a woman. Who's to say that such impossibilities could actually happen with the Spring Vessel?"
Empress Iris paces back and forth in front of her desk, biting her thumb. "But I had all of my sons killed the moment that they were born, so it couldn't have been a child that I gave birth, too."
"Actually, about that Your Majesty," Richard starts as he sweeps up the shattered glass on the floor. "There was a woman with the Spring Vessel that he calls his mother. We ran a background check and found out that the woman is a former palace maid who was the wet nurse for the princesses."
Stopping in her tracks, Empress Iris takes a deep breath. "I see."
"Would you still like for me to bring them to the throne room, Your Majesty?"
The empress quietly nods her head and flicks her hand to gesture for Richard to leave her.
----
"Make sure that when we make it to the front of the stairs, you kneel down gently as to not disturb the flowers in the room."
"Yes, Mother."
"Also, remember to speak politely and mannerly. Empress Iris has an unpredictable emotion pattern, so you have to ensure that she doesn't hate you so that you can live comfortably here."
"Yes, Mother."
"Also-"
Florent stops walking and turns to his mother, setting both of his hand on her shoulders. "Mother, I got it," he chuckles as he slides his mother's fallen hair behind her ear. "Don't worry to much."
"I do nothing but worry about you, Florent," his mother sighs with a light laugh.
"If anything happens, I'll do my best to back you up," Queen Viola cheekily responds with a thumbs up.
The group proceeds down the hall and arrive at beautifully adorned double doors lined with all sorts of flowers. "Now entering, the new Spring Vessel, Queen Viola, and her entourage!" a knight announces from the double doors.
Slowly, the doors open, showcasing a blindingly bright room decorated with irises. The light softens the more one enters as if it was to compliment the empress's appearance while she rests on her throne.
"Greetings to the chosen flower, Empress Iris," the group says after kneeling before the empress.
Empress Iris stares at Florent not much with disdain or hatred but more with nonchalant curiosity. She wonders if the young man in front of her might actually be her son. However, as her eyes wander a bit, she recognizes the former palace maid who raised her daughters before the two youngest princesses were born.
"Raise your heads," the empress commands after confirming the situation with herself. "Madeline, it has been awhile. How have you been?"
The surprised woman fumbles over her words a bit before finally saying something coherent. "I have been doing well thanks to the kindness and generosity of Your Majesty."
"That's wonderful to hear. It also appears that you have done nothing short of an outstanding job raising my son as your own."
"Ah.. that..." Madeline trembles at the sight of Empress Iris's irritated expression that she hides behind her smile. "Your-"
"How did your son end up with a former palace maid in the first place, Your Imperial Majesty?" Queen Viola interrupts with an innocent smile. "I thought you only had daughters."
The empress flinches as she feels something off-putting about Queen Viola's remark. "I-I would never abandon a child on my own volition. Boys are seen as inferior to girls in the Eastern Empire, and I would never put my child through that kind of treatment, especially in a royal setting where the pressure is already so heavy. Keeping my son a secret from the empire was the safest option."
Queen Viola glances at Florent then back at the empress. She knows that Empress Iris is probably trying to keep her reputation in good light by saying that she knew that her son was in the hands of another person for his safety. The queen plays along and pretends that she doesn't know the truth.
"My, you are such a caring mother for making the tough decision to separate from your son in order for him to live a normal life," the queen comments.
"Well, a mother's job is to ensure the safety of her children." Only an awkward laugh escapes through the empress's lips before she turns her attention to Florent. "How have you been, child?"
"I am doing well, Your Imperial Majesty." Despite the slight anger he feels towards the empress pretending to know and care about him, Florent is aware that he shouldn't say anything rude in order to protect his mother. "I am honored that you asked and are concerned about me."
"You are my child. It is a mother's duty to worry about her kids." The empress stands up from her throne and walks down the stairs to her son. "I was never able to give you a name as you had to quietly leave the palace as soon as you were born. May I ask what name Madeline has chosen for you?"
"Florent, Your Imperial Majesty."
An grin secretly stretches across the empress's face from behind her hand. "Florent. What a wonderful name! Do you know what a floret is in the flower world?"
Shaking his head, Florent answers, "No, Your Imperial Majesty. I am unaware of what it is."
"A floret is a small flower that is part of a bigger flower. Think of hydrangeas. Those smaller flowers are called corymbs, but that's essentially what a floret is. I feel like that's a fitting name for you."
"I am grateful that you like my name, Empress Iris."
"It is still unbelievable that you, my son, is the Spring Vessel." The empress reaches her hand out to Florent and warmly smiles. "Do you mind standing up for me?" Taking the empress's hand, Florent obediently stands. "In order to check for validity of the Spring Vessel, I will have to see if your powers resonate with mine. Will this be okay?"
Uneasy, Florent looks down at Queen Viola who pauses but ultimately nods to say that it's okay. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."
Empress Iris closes her eyes, so Florent follows and does the same. A light purple glow radiates off of the empress, accompanied with the smell of iris flowers, and starts to make its way over to Florent. As the glow reaches Florent, it begins to turn pink. Once the glow completely surrounds Florent, a strong scent of cherry blossoms overtakes the smell of iris flowers. Bewildered by the sudden scent, the empress immediately releases Florent's hands and steps back.
"Cherry blossoms... Your scent is cherry blossoms..." Empress Iris's shock could not be more apparent which causes everyone to become concerned.
"Is there something wrong with the smell of cherry blossoms, Iris?" Queen Viola asks as she uses her winter wind to fan the empress.
"Impossible. It's impossible. Nothing makes sense." The empress babbles those words over and over to herself as she attempts to put things together in her mind.
Seeing the empress's reaction to what just happened, Florent begins to become very worried for himself in the palace if he is to stay there. "Your Imperial Majesty?"
Florent's genuinely concerned voice snaps the empress back. "Ah- My apologies. I was taken aback by your flower's scent. You see, every child in the Abilene royal family has a distinct floral scent that they are born with. However, it is the intensity of the smell which will determine the likelihood of them become the Spring Vessel as they will be more entuned with the Eastern Empire's flora. It's also where their prince and princess's names come from."
"So, what is it with cherry blossoms that make you react this way?" King Alex asks, stepping forward next to Florent. King Alex feels as if somethings off, so he wants to ensure Florent's safety as that is what Queen Viola said that she will do.
"Cherry blossoms are a special scent that is rare for Spring Vessels," the empress explains.
---
The afternoon birds are eerily quiet as the group heads outside.
"It's nice that the empress allowed you to stay with Florent, Madeline," Queen Viola cheerfully comments, trying to break the silence.
"I was just grateful that she accepted Florent back into the Imperial Family," Madeline answers with an exhausted smile. "I'm sure his sisters will be very surprised to know that they have a brother."
"It's still unreal that so much happened, and it's only noontime." Florent looks around at the garden that separates the main palace with the guest palace that Queen Viola is staying in. "I can't believe that this is real."
"Queen Viola! King Alex!"
Three voices can be heard from another part of the garden. The queen and king turn to see who's calling out for them when they find three of the princesses running over.
"Princesses, you shouldn't run in the garden," King Alex warns handing the princesses his handkerchief for them to wipe the sweat off their foreheads. "What if you fell and hurt yourself? Your knights and maids will be worried."
"We saw that you and the queen returned from your boat trip, so we wanted to greet you," Princess Daisy replies after catching her breath.
With curiosity written all of her face, Princess Lilac approaches Florent and tugs at his pants since she's too short to reach his hand. "Who are you? You look like us, but I've never seen you here."
Queen Viola picks up Princess Lilac and stands in front of Florent. "Princess Lilac, this is your big brother Florent. He will be living with you guys from now on."
"B-Brother?!?!"