Baroea Chap 2 The Princess in the Garden

          Lara ran up the stairs to her bedroom. It was a small corner of the upper story just big enough for a twin bed and a dresser. The sheer sky-blue curtains and colorful quilt on the bed was welcoming, despite the chill and the gray sky outside. On the dresser was Lara's small collection of figurines - a glass horse, porcelain cat, pewter knight and her favorite: a flocked brown bear cub that Paul had given her. She ran her finger over the bear's tiny, fuzzy head before climbing onto the bed. She then curled up under her quilt and gazed at what her grandma had given her.



          The title page of the sea-green book had ornate lettering, but was otherwise unadorned. "Baroëa" was the only word on the page. She saw no mention of an author or illustrator.



          The next two pages were covered with another picture of the garden. There were roses and lilacs, flowering vines and columbines. A white bench was cradled amidst the foliage, and a gray tabby cat was curled up in the sun on the lawn. Embedded in the picture was a verse in lovely white script:



          Come into the Garden of Summer and Spring

          Where the fruit grow with blossoms and strange birds sing

          Linger in sunshine with laughter a while

          In this, the Lady's fair domicile.



The poem barely drew Lara's eyes from the mesmerizing vividness of the illustration. The picture was like a dream: almost too real.



          Lara didn't feel sleepy at all. She was imagining the scent of the flowers and the warmth of the sun. The song of the colorful birds seemed almost audible. She closed her eyes, and a warm breeze brushed her face. The sensation of the quilt faded from her shoulders. She opened her eyes.



          The garden bloomed around her. Lara stood in sunlight at the center of a circular lawn limned by a red stone border. Beyond it, bushes and trees clustered together in blossoming profusion while smaller flowers hid the soil below. Cobblestone paths led away from the lawn in different directions.



          "Hello?" she called. She took a step, then turned to see a huge ring standing unsupported on the grass. Whether it was stone or metal was impossible to tell. It had strange symbols and decorations on it, and vines covered it, some bright red, others bearing roses or blackberries. Lara backed away from the beautiful thing, perplexed. Was it a doorway? Where was she?



          Lara turned to the garden. The fruit trees near her had a strong, sweet scent, and she realized ripe fruit hung from all their branches as well as blossoms.  Strange. She reached for a purple pear hanging nearby.



          "That's my pear," a voice said. Lara turned quickly, an apology on her lips. Behind her stood a little girl, her brown hair falling in long curls from jeweled barrettes. The girl wore a ruffled dress of white and blue, and was so beautiful that she could have been a life-sized doll. "You may have it, though, if you'd like to be my friend." The girl laughed, obviously not angry.



          "Thank you," Lara said. "But who are you?"



          The girl came closer and looked up at Lara. She was about ten years old. "I am Princess. I rule this garden, and everything in it belongs to me, except the cat."



          Lara looked around for the cat, but didn't see it. "Why not the cat?" she asked.



        "Inreith belongs to herself and no other. No human can rule a cat.” Princess smiled. “What is your name?"



          "I'm Lara.” Lara knew she had to be dreaming. Was this girl supposed to be the Lady in the book? “You must be part of the story."



Princess didn't seem to hear, or perhaps she misunderstood. "Do you like books? I have ever so many." She took Lara by the hand and led her running through the garden. There was a curving path that led away from the wall, into the depths of the growth. They entered a low hedge maze, and Princess pulled them through, laughing. Even she could see over the sides, Lara was head and shoulders above them. There on the other side was the white bench from the picture in the sea-green book. And there was the cat.



          Princess let go of Lara's hand and sat on the bench, picking up some books that lay on it. Lara noticed others scattered on a blanket under a tree. There were at least thirty or forty.



          "You must read a lot," she said, sitting next to Princess on the bench.

         

          "Oh, I do. It's one of my favorite things to do." She proceeded to tell Lara about her favorites, none Lara had ever heard of.



          Lara didn't feel much like reading, though. Here she was in a strange world out of a fairy tale, and whether it was a dream or not, it seemed a waste to sit under a tree all day.



          Lara gazed around them, but saw no sign of a house anywhere. Close to where they sat was a stone wall with a door in it. The door had a strange symbol on it, a kind of four-sided knotwork with a ring woven through it. Lara stood up and wandered in that direction, curious as to where it led.



          "What are you doing?" Princess asked, her voice sharp.

         

          "What's outside?" Lara asked. "Do you ever go out there?"



          "No," Princess said, looking afraid. "Don't ask about it. It doesn't matter."



          "Don't you ever wonder?" Lara thought of all the fairy tales she'd read about princesses confined to gardens. "Don't you ever want to leave the garden and see what is out there? Is someone keeping you here?" Princess didn't reply, her eyes huge and scared.



          The gray tabby suddenly rose from where it watched. It ran past them and leaped onto the fence, facing them.



          "This story is not the one you think," the cat said. It's voice was feminine and sounded loud and clear, though Lara couldn't see how it spoke. Lara was so shocked, she stared with her mouth open.



          Princess put down her books and came over. She took Lara's hand, looking up at her trustingly. "The land beyond the door is Baroëa." she said. "I don't know that place or wish to leave. The garden has always protected me. Please don't go! You won't be able to come back to the garden until you find what you're looking for."



          "What do you mean?" Lara asked.



          The cat Inreith swished her tail. "If it is your wish to travel those hills, then you must. Only you know what you seek. It is beautiful out there, but a dangerous place, not like this threshold to your world. Lara, you must be sure of your direction before you go."



          Lara shook her head. "I have no idea what I would seek. I don't want to decide right now. Can I have some time?"



          "Of course," said Inreith. "But don't be long."



          Princess took Lara's hand, leading her back into the hedge maze. They went through it and then took one of the cobblestone paths, coming to the north side of the garden. The spot was wilder than the rest of the garden, untended. Flowers and fruiting vines grew in tangles over the trees, completely covering the walls. Princess stopped at a tangle of shimmery silver leaves, and pulled them aside, revealing another ring portal. It was edged in red, with green vine carvings.



          "Here is your way home," she said. "You can't return the way you came in. Remember, when you return, you must decide what you seek."



          Lara shook her head, angry that the lovely dream was making demands. "Why can't I just open the door and go where I want to?"



          Princess smiled. "Baroëa is a magic place. Don't you know how magic works? You have to know your purpose." She gave Lara a fond hug and stood back. "Come back soon. I'll miss you."



          Lara looked around one last time, realizing what a gift she'd been given just to see this place. Whether she ever returned to this dream or not, she would never forget it.



          Lara stepped into the ring portal, seeing nothing but the wall beyond. A rush of chill wind whipped her hair, making her shut her eyes tight. The quilt was around her shoulders once more.



          Lara opened her eyes.