Svarik and the company I :)

[VisAnastasis]

" Lot of the plants here are... From other plains of existence. " Emil said slowly, as he wasn't sure if his guests knew about layers of the world. " Cernunnos wanted to make this place feel like home, so he'd often travel for a bit, and gather seeds from another realms, and see if he can pamper them and persuade them to grow here. The rest of the plants are common, they only evolved under Cernunnos's care and influence to be able to grow all year round whenever we plant them. For example, Cernonnos loved strawberries, but it displeased him that they only grew in summer, so he decided to plant them here where it's always warm and filled with light and tend to them. Over course of couple of generations, he managed to alter their nature so that they could grow all year round without problem. However, if you planted strawberries from outside world, I suppose you would need to again work on them for couple years or decades until they would adapt as well as our own kind of strawberries are to growing in winter... But in theory, every plant can grow here if it's currently its season, though if you'd desire to grow in winter something we don't already have here and that usually grows at some other times - then it would take some time of adapting them, and I fear, despite my extensive experience, no one can quite measure up to Cernunnos when it comes to taking care of the plantlife, kind guest... " boy smiled gently.

[Mirach]

"I have a friend who could maybe get close to it though," Svarik smiled, thinking of Zephir. "He would really enjoy seeing this. Maybe I should bring him when I come to return the book..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Any friend of yours would be a welcomed guest, kind Svarik. " boy exclaimed warmly and nodded his head in respect. " I'll be honest when I say that guests with news from outside world are something we look forward to as much as we look forward to watching the flowers grow and bloom. I'd be only happy to meet your friend, and talk with him about my garden. If you have any question about it, you are welcome to ask too - if I am in power to reply to you, kind traveler, I will. There are some strawberries, tomatoes, carrots and such in bloom and growing, so if you see anything you wish to try, you can freely have a taste, kind guest - or I could bring you some of our honey to try as well, it is very healthy for heart and soul.  "

[Mirach]

"I would really like to taste the honey," Svarik nodded. "Could I see your beehives as well?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Of course. I'll also show you the adorable little critters, and wake up my favorite bee so you could meet her. She is very shy, but she's amazing, and she's a Queen of her beehive. " Boy said with some excitement, wanting to show her to Svarik with same enthusiasm other kids would show of their favorite pet.

He led them across the hall, to one part of the indoor garden that mostly consisted of flowery carpet filled with various meadow flowers, both from this and out of this world. There were quite a few beehives around it, though the bees seemed to be resting right now.
Boy reluctantly gave Sunshine to Erdel, because he couldn't show his bees to Svarik when he had his hands full with her.

[Mirach]

Svarik followed him with interest, curious about the bees in winter. 

[VisAnastasis]

Boy opened the top side of one of the boxes lightly, so that not too much light would come in. Bees were resting and some of them buzzed a little, but he spoke gently to them to calm them, and he reached inside of it and fondled them all softly without any fear. They calmed a little with it, and boy invited king to see them better. They indeed were rather peculiar beautiful breed, twice the size of common bees, very fluffy and chubby, and instead of yellow and black, they were of emerald-black color that was very shiny, as they seemed rather happy and healthy.
Boy fondled the sleepy critters some more, before from the hive he took the biggest and fluffiest bee, the Queen, in one of his palms, and while caressing her with the other, boy showed her to meadow king with a big proud grin.

[Mirach]

Svarik leaned closer to see the bee well, but did not touch her. "She's lovely," he smiled. "Once I will come here during the day so I can hear her song..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Yes, she sings the loveliest, that is why she is my favorite! " boy said warmly, and softly, he leaned forth and lightly kissed the little soft cotton ball. " I call her Aria, because her buzz is as sweet as sweetest music humans can come up with. You can hold her, if you'd like. She is very tame, specially when I am around. I've been looking after her since she was a youngling, and of her mother before her, and her grandmother, and so on, and so on... There had been so many generations of bee I lost count, but they always had song that cheered me up. " he offered Svarik little creature kindheartedly. "  I'd love you to hear it once, how happily she buzzed when it's morning and it's lively, specially at summer times. "

[Mirach]

Svarik took the bee into his palm gently, and caressed it lightly with one finger.

[VisAnastasis]

The bee was indeed very nice and friendly, and she was pleased with attention, showing very gentle and peaceful temper. She was nibbling on king's finger very lightly, mostly in sign of a greeting, as Emil taught her to be kind and polite even to strangers, though they rarely had them around.

[Mirach]

Svarik smiled with that, and held her for a while before returning her to Emil to not disturb her further.

[VisAnastasis]

Emil returned her gently into her hive, and from it, after looking for a moment, he picked out the comb dripping with sweet honey and he tore generous chunk of it and  offered it to meadow king with grin.
" This one should be tasty. Please, feel free to eat it and take more if you'd like. "

[Mirach]

Svarik thanked him, and tasted the honey, sharing it with Xia.

[VisAnastasis]

It had very nice and soothing taste to it, almost with first bites, honey made king feel rather relaxed and eased, carrying a strong gentle and protective scent of the Forest God with it. Xia adored it as well.

" Cernunnos poured lot of his love into ancestors of these bees. He adored them, and gifted lot of his magic to them, and fed them generously with his fruit. They became holy, protected by his love and kindness. This is distant generation from back then, but his blessing still beats within them. " Emil explained, gently caressing the bees in the hive to soothe them while king and Xia were eating. " I will tell you a secret. It is a very special food.  If you eat bits of it every day, it can prolong your life drastically. Only when it is given to you freely. If you steal it, though, the blessing turns to curse, and eating but one jar will kill you in less than a week. " he winked then innocently. "But when it's freely given, then blessing is interesting indeed... You have seen many both old and young people here, but the looks may yet deceive you. Some of the younglings that look twenty are over a century, while the oldest person is nearing his 300th summer, dear guest. Living here in the shadow of Forest God's has its perks. "

[Mirach]

"And you?" Svarik asked. "Are you as young as you look, or older?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Oh, my situation is a little more... specific. I need not honey like common folk to keep my health and looks. I am lord of this castle not for naught, after all. " Emil explained a little more quietly and thoughtfully, slowly closing the lid with bees so they could rest peacefully. " I am indeed ten, kind guest. But the better question is, how long I have been ten? " little boy grinned a bit mischievously, though there was a little grain of remoteness in his voice as well, as if Svarik's question led him to recollect his past more clearly, and upon his beautiful porcelain face, there was a light frown.

[Mirach]

"How long have you been ten?" Svarik asked wonderingly.

[VisAnastasis]

For a moment, silence lingered, as boy wondered if he will reply or do not. In the end, he seemed to like Svarik enough, to not deny that little curiosity sated.

" Well, heh, it's a funny story, but... Ever since cities were destroyed, king guests. The event left a... deep impression on me, to say the least. It took me long to recover from it, and father said something within me must had just broken up at those times, heh... " he smiled gently at his guests this time again, thought his smile was understandably a rather more polite and tense than merry this time. " Please, do not fear me or believe local superstitions - I am, by all means human. From Cernunnos I got but his gift with dealing with life, and a little trick here and there... I just do not age anymore like I used to. Everything can happen, when younglings face something so dare, he said. But I assure you, in all else, I am normal, just like you. " he continued to empathize a little quietly, as if, despite in company of demons, king would see him as some kind of grotesque nuisance, as there were apparently lot of local legends or tales that looked down upon the lord of castle that was ever frozen in his childhood, and despite it made little difference in his life, in some way it was superstition that still bothered him subconciously.

[Mirach]

"Don't worry, you are not the first immotal human I met," Svarik smiled a little. "The first in the age of a child, though. People must be quite confused by your age..."

[VisAnastasis]

" More often than do not, kind guest. " boy snickered a little shyly, licking his hands to clean of the remaining honey. " I don't say it to many strangers to avoid getting needlessly stressed out, though... But since you are so peculiar guest, I hoped you may have more understanding. You have such a Youngling of your own with you, after all. I figured you won't judge. " he said with little sad smile, as he gently caressed little playful Xia, that turned into a more nibble wingless form, and nestled around him, sensing his light distress and wanting to reassure him, for she grew to like him and wished to thank him for the honey he gave her as well. " She is probably handful, but by how I see it, you may be more in luck than my father - it's more predictable to care for pureblood kami, than for half kami, half human. As one, I can say, it's quite confusing... You never knew what you can turn to become. My oldest brother was normal human, middle brother was a demon that eventually wondered of to travel the world and left us - and I am like this. " he smiled a little. " With halflings, you can never really know... "

[Mirach]

"So do I understand it correctly that Cernunnos is your father?" Svarik asked.

[VisAnastasis]

" He is. " Boy confirmed. " My father, my God, and my savior, my gests. I am obliged to him for being alive at all, for I was wounded heavily in the attack too. " boy smiled a little. " Please, do not think ill of him for my state. He was the best parent he could be, and he married my mother out of love, despite not knowing what could turn from that marriage. For being alive still and being blessed to do what I can to take care of him, I am grateful to him. "

[Mirach]

"I understand," Svarik nodded. "Thank you for telling me this. I guess I should tell you something about myself as well, that I didn't want to share from concern that I might be treated differently than a simple traveler, which is all I wish to be at the moment... But I'm also a king of this land..."

[VisAnastasis]

Boy seemed awestruck for a moment, not expecting that turn of tide, and not sure how he should feel about it, knowing that by all means if Svarik would deem him threat he and his household would be at mercy of someone of such power and authority. He understood the need to not be treated differently because of who he was, and after initial shock, slowly, a gentle compassionate smile spread on his face, as he choose to trust him despite it, and have faith in his humanity and good will, judging him by king's good heart he sensed, not the title he bore.

" I think I can guess why you would want to keep that secret, kind guest. I would much more enjoy to learn something more personal about you than mere title, of course - but do thank you for telling me this. I have to burst your bubble, though, kind guest, but you're actually not king of this land... At least not this particular patch of land. " he said innocently to lighten up the mood. " Our Kingdom of Lin never actually became part of the old Kingdom you speak of, or the Empire we heard of last few centuries. By all means, we are a little sovereign nation still, with Cernunnos as it's king and me as it's prince. Don't get too relaxed, you are still but a guest of royalty, even if you're royalty yourself, after all. " he said jokily, but he gracefully extended his hand to meadow king for a handshake more solemnly and seriously, as if in offering of friendship, his gesture being one of respect to Svarik for choosing to be honest with him as well.