The growing gardens of the Summer Court proved to be vastly different from the musical gardens they'd visited in the morning. Here, the very air seemed thick with life and possibility. Plants that couldn't possibly exist in the mortal world grew in elegant spirals and impossible arrangements - flowers that bloomed with actual starlight, vines that seemed to be made of liquid sunset, trees whose leaves chimed like tiny bells in a breeze that affected nothing else.
Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn led them through paths that seemed to form themselves as they walked, the vegetation parting and reforming in their wake. The garden-eyed fae moved with a fluid grace that made them seem almost part of the garden itself, their copper hair flowing like metallic vines in the eternal summer light.
"Every growing thing has its own song," they explained, stopping before a cluster of flowers that appeared to be made of crystallized rainbow light. "Just as Melody-In-Moonlight has been teaching you to hear the music in air and light, I will teach you to hear the songs of growing things - and perhaps, in time, to sing to them in return."
They demonstrated by humming a soft note that seemed to resonate with the rainbow flowers. The blooms responded immediately, their crystal petals shifting and chiming in harmony, creating new patterns of color and light.
"Would you like to try?" they asked Ali.
Remembering her earlier success with music, Ali stepped forward carefully. She focused on the flowers, trying to sense their particular resonance the way she had learned to feel the threads of light in her previous lesson. There was definitely something there - a subtle vibration that reminded her of wind chimes in a distant garden.
Hesitantly, she hummed a note that seemed to match the flowers' frequency. To her surprise, they responded immediately, their crystal petals shifting to create a cascade of rainbow light that danced through the air around them.
"Excellent!" Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn exclaimed. "You have a natural affinity for this, just as Melody-In-Moonlight suggested. The growing things recognize something in you - something that rings true with their own songs."
They spent the next hour moving through the gardens, with Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn teaching them to recognize and respond to the different songs of various plants. Sage showed a particular talent for communicating with the twilight blooms - flowers that existed in the space between light and shadow - while Ali found herself drawn to plants that seemed to sing with multiple harmonies at once.
"Every growing thing in our court serves multiple purposes," their instructor explained as they worked. "They provide beauty, yes, but also protection, information, and... other services." Something in their tone suggested these 'other services' might be more complex than simple decoration or gardening.
As if to emphasize this point, a new figure emerged from between two trees whose leaves seemed to be made of woven sunlight - Nightshade-Among-Stars, making his third appearance of the day. The garden around them seemed to respond to his presence, the brighter blooms dimming slightly while shadows among the plants grew more pronounced.
"Ah, Star-Walker," Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn greeted him, using what must have been another of his names. "Come to observe our new students?"
"Among other things," he replied, his star-filled hair creating interesting patterns of light and shadow in the garden air. "I see they show promise in growth-songs. Perhaps they might benefit from learning about night-blooming varieties as well?"
There was something in the way he made the suggestion - a subtle emphasis that made Ali think he was proposing more than just botanical instruction. She noticed Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn's copper hair shift slightly, like vines responding to an unexpected breeze.
"Perhaps," they said carefully. "Though of course, such instruction would need to be properly scheduled and approved. The agreements have certain... requirements about the balance of education."
"Of course," Nightshade-Among-Stars agreed smoothly. "I merely suggest it as a potential future avenue of study. After all, a complete understanding of growth requires knowledge of all its aspects - day and night, light and shadow."
Ali found herself studying him more closely as he spoke, noting how similar his features were to Twilight-Stars-Dancing's. The same star-filled hair, though his was midnight black where hers was deep blue. The same fluid grace of movement, though he seemed to embrace shadow where she balanced between light and dark.
Her contemplation was interrupted by a subtle chiming sound - one of the bell-leafed trees was reacting to something, its tiny chimes creating a pattern that made several nearby fae look up sharply.
"Ah," Blooming-Vines-At-Dawn said, their garden-eyes focusing on something distant. "It seems we're needed elsewhere. The afternoon court session is about to begin, and there are matters that require attention." They turned to Ali and Sage. "You've both done well today. Return to your quarters and rest - there will be more lessons tomorrow."
As their instructor departed, melting into the garden as if becoming one with the growing things, Nightshade-Among-Stars lingered for a moment longer.
"Remember," he said softly, "in our court, growth takes many forms. Some flourish in full summer light, others..." his star-filled eyes seemed to fix particularly on Ali, "others might find their true nature in different seasons entirely."
With that cryptic statement, he too disappeared, leaving Ali and Sage alone in the garden. The plants around them continued their strange songs, creating complex harmonies that seemed somehow different than they had during the lesson - more mysterious perhaps, or simply more noticeable now that they had learned to hear them properly.
"Well," Sage said after a moment, "that was... interesting."
"Very," Ali agreed, touching her mother's bracelet thoughtfully. "Did you notice how many layers of conversation seemed to be happening? Like everyone was talking about one thing but meaning something else entirely?"
"Politics," Sage nodded. "My father warned me about this - how everything in the fae courts has multiple meanings. But it's different experiencing it firsthand."
They made their way back toward their quarters, following paths that seemed to remember them from their morning journey. Ali found herself increasingly aware of the songs around them - not just from the plants now, but from everything. The light threads she'd learned to see earlier seemed to have their own melodies, and even the air itself hummed with complex harmonies she was only beginning to understand.
"Do you think," she asked as they walked, "that all these lessons - the music, the light-weaving, the growth-songs - are really just about learning those specific skills? Or is there something else we're supposed to be figuring out?"
Sage considered this as they turned down a corridor that shimmered with evening light - somehow it had become twilight again, though Ali could have sworn it was still mid-afternoon.
"I think," she said carefully, "that everything here is a lesson in something else. Like how reading light in the archives isn't just about reading, it's about learning to see beyond the surface of things. Or how weaving light isn't just about making pretty patterns, it's about understanding how different elements can be combined and shaped."
"And the growth-songs?"
"Maybe they're about learning how things change," Sage suggested. "How they can be influenced and guided, but also how they sometimes follow their own patterns regardless of what we want."
Ali nodded, thinking about Nightshade-Among-Stars' final comments about growth taking many forms. There were definitely patterns here, connections she was only beginning to glimpse. Like the light threads she'd learned to see, or the songs she was learning to hear, everything in the Summer Court seemed to be woven together in ways that weren't immediately obvious.
They reached their quarters to find the room had adjusted itself for evening rest - the golden vine beds looked particularly inviting, and the eternal twilight visible through the domed ceiling had shifted to show early stars beginning to appear.
"Tomorrow will bring new lessons," Sage said as they prepared to rest. "New patterns to learn, new songs to hear."
"New politics to navigate," Ali added, thinking of all the subtle tensions she'd observed during the midday feast.
"That too," Sage agreed. "But at least we're in it together."
As Ali settled onto her bed, she found herself humming softly - one of the growth-songs she'd learned that afternoon. Tiny motes of light appeared in the air around her, dancing in patterns that reminded her of the rainbow flowers in the garden. She quickly stopped, but couldn't help smiling slightly. Whatever else these lessons might really be about, they were certainly changing how she perceived the world around her.
The question was, what other changes might be in store as their summer in the fae court continued?