The Poison Garden

Once upon a time, there was a princess who grew herself a poison garden. It was a garden she had created as a young lady in training, a fledgling still being molded.

When days were dreary, and despair was buried deep in her bones, she would escape to the barren lot for peace. On one particular day, as she desperately sought refuge with a quaking heart, shaking hands, and a pounding head, she had spotted one of the gardener's tools left abandoned to the side. That was when an idea stuck.

Taking up a shovel, she began to dig.

It did not matter how big the hole was. She only wished to occupy herself, regardless of how much her muscles screamed.

She dug as if she wished to dig her own grave. Eventually, she tired, dropping the shovel and pulling her body from the hole. Lying on the ground, she stared at the dull, gray sky, catching her breath.

As she brought her body to sit up, her hand came into contact with something textured and round. Curious, she plucked it up and examined the object. It was slightly rough around the edges but mostly smooth, a bit uneven where an opening was, and a deep swirl pattern.

It was a seed.

Unsure what possessed her, the young princess looked to ensure no one was around before bringing the seed close to her lips.

Then she whispered.

Her darkest thoughts.

Her greatest fears.

Her deepest regrets.

The festering darkness that had been eating at her chest all day.

She buried them with the seed. Hiding away her invisible secrets.

Oddly enough, she had felt lighter. As if it were a weight lifted from her chest. Returning to the castle, she rested better than she expected that night.

That was until the next morning. Once she had returned to the garden, she could see that the seed had sprouted. The beginnings of a willow tree were becoming very apparent. As time went on, the willow tree continued to grow, and the young princess kept planting more seeds. It didn’t take long until the tree and the flowers grew into the most beautiful garden, filled with the most potent poison. Every single plant was filled with the sweetest toxin; a single scratch, painful and deadly.

When the young princess was no longer a young girl and destined to become queen, the question of her betrothed arose. Princes and nobles from far and wide flocked to the castle for her hand. Swarming her with all sorts of sweet, empty words and ostentatious, pretty gifts. All full of great grandeur and guile, yet lacking in depth. All acts to win the favor of the king.

Overwhelmed and uninterested, the princess presented a challenge. She took residence in her private garden and presented the suitors with one task. The first to find their way to her would win her heart. A task that most thought simple, for after all, the path was visible and straightforward.

But when the suitors finally entered the garden, they found themselves stunned as the hedges grew as tall as walls, the flowers and ivy blocked pathways, and roots obstructed the floor. A maze had formed. And in the middle, controlling it all, was the princess under her solemn willow tree. Draped in ivy and thorns like armour, and tending to flowers for entertainment.

Challenge and competition sparked among the suitors.

In the face of the new adversity, some gathered their items and left. Unwilling to try or not finding the challenge or prize worth the effort.

Those who remained began to enter one by one.

The maze threw out anyone who forced their way through. Vines would wrap around their feet and drag them to the exit. Or, for the particularly violent suitor, tossed over the hedges and into the nearby lake. Some would cut into the wrong flower or leaf, poisoning themselves, only to be cured by falling petals and then dragged out by ivy.

Others tried to navigate the maze. Only to realize that the hedges moved. Guiding them out of the maze in new exits before swiftly closing up once again.

More than a few tried to cheat the maze. Climbing up the hedges or slipping through openings. They were met with unusable terrain. The hedges would engulf them and drop them back out at the bottom. While the roots shifted them back continuously, forcing them to remain stuck in place.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Slowly, the suitors began to give up. Those who remained saw completing the challenge as a matter of pride, either uninterested in the prize and only concerned with the trial or overly interested in the prize, wishing to covet her as proof of their success.

As time prolonged, the king tried to convince his daughter to end the challenge. Asking her to return to the castle and proposing alternative methods to get her to come back home. When all else failed, he demanded her return under the pretense that she had undermined his decision in the first place. Each time, she only responded that all she wished for was to choose her spouse.

The king sent the knights to obtain the princess, only for them to also fail at reaching the middle. Desperate to remove her from the garden, he opened the challenge to any interested party.

Many began to show up with piqued interest. From local to distant lands, it became something to do simply for fun. They all encountered the same obstacles. And none were able to reach the princess in the middle. Eventually, a large flower head held up by ivy sprouted at the garden entrance, blocking anyone from entering.

One day, a young traveler appeared. A musician full of life. Having heard of the challenge while playing in a tavern in the city below, he approached the garden, curious and concerned for the princess who resided inside. When it was finally his turn to enter the garden, he instead spoke softly to the flower before him.

“Dear Princess, may I enter your beautiful garden? I have a song that I wish to present to you, and it would sound better up close.”

He was met with only silence. So, he tried again.

“I care not for the prize, and I do not mind the challenge. It seems, though, that you have been in your garden for quite a while, and I can’t help but imagine that it's rather lonely in there. A simple song, played even from a distance, may be something that is at least interesting.”

There was another long silence. Those who were competing or there to watch began mocking his attempt, only to be shocked into silence as the flower fell to the floor to allow him to enter. Smiling, the musician said his thanks and entered the maze, careful not to step on the petal of the flower below him. None were able to follow as the flower immediately sprouted again to block the entrance.

As he navigated the maze, he put his flute to his lips and played a light, sweet melody. With each change of the maze, he followed along, that is until he saw that he had been led to the exit as the song came to an end. Putting his flute away, he spoke to a nearby flower.

“Thank you for listening. I'll come back to play you another song tomorrow.”

And so he did. Introducing himself once again to the flower head at the entrance of the maze and being granted access. He played his songs until he was guided out like last time. Then promised once more to come back to play for her again.

Something he did again and again and again.

“I brought you a popular dessert from the tavern. I'll leave it here if you'd like to try it.”

“If you want anything in the city, I could bring it for you if I can.”

“You've heard quite a few songs already. If you have a request, I could play it for you.”

When he wasn't playing, he spoke and asked about her endlessly while in the maze. Each time he was met with silence. But each time he came, he was able to stay in the maze a little longer. Until eventually he began to realize that he had been getting responses. Certain flowers would appear just as he reached the end to reply to some of his questions or as thank you for his playing. And sometimes moss would take shape on the roots.

As he began to understand her responses, he became excited to come play for her, heading back to the garden as soon as he could. Interacting with her in these complicated ways but still enjoying the fact that he was getting to know her.

Eventually, during one visit, he had stayed in the maze so long the sun began to set. As he reached the end, he said his goodbyes. Only to startle when a voice filled the air.

“Sweet musician. Why do you keep coming back here?”

The princess’ voice came from behind the hedge that separated the maze from the exit. Stunned at the sudden appearance but knowing he wouldn't be able to find her, he answered with a smile.

“I told you before. It seems quite lonely in the gardens all alone. Besides, it's nice to talk to you. Even if you preferred to do it so indirectly.”

“You don't think it's ridiculous and stubborn?” was the response.

He thought for a moment. “If that is what you're most comfortable with, who am I to say anything? Especially when I'm the one approaching you.”

There was a beat of silence before a mirthful voice responded.

“You're a strange man. You know that?”

“So I've been told,” the musician answered in amusement.

The next time the musician returned, he noticed things were slightly off. The hedges did not move and the flowers and moss did not respond. Disregarding the odd silence, he continued on as usual. Talking to the princess and asking her questions after he finished playing each song.

After he finished one more melody, he began to speak.

“You know dear princess, sometimes I wonder what you would like to do if this weren't happening. Would you like to travel around? Find a different job? Create something?”

He recognized the hedges that would usually take him to the exit and followed the turn.

“Would you like to learn music? I could teach you. That seems like it would be fun if we ever met.”

He finally reached the end and his eyes widened as he saw the sight before him. Beneath a large willow tree, seated on a soft layer of petals and leaves was the princess. Vines and petals accented her clothes in a beautiful combination. Her demeanor relaxed and confident as she gave him a small welcoming smile.

“It does seem fun, doesn't it?”

Pulling out a hand-carved wooden flute, she waved it gently between her fingers, “I would like that very much.”

Coming out of his shocked silence the musician immediately perked up.

“It'll take a lot of time,” he grinned as he approached her.

“I'm willing to put in the effort.” She chuckled as she made room for him beside her.

“Then let's both do our best,” the musician said as he settled down in the space she made for him.

Despite her initial confidence, the princess averted her gaze, noticing a particularly thorny flower growing beneath her hand. Before she could forcibly pluck it away, the musician's voice interrupted her.

“You let me through,” his sudden statement pulled her attention to him.

“You're the fool who kept walking through poisonous flowers. If I kept you out, who knows what could have happened,” she dodged his unspoken question.

The musician only gave her a bright grin, “They're only harmful if you don't listen and touch them. Hardly something to worry about.”

The princess gave him a soft smile, not noticing the flower losing its thorns. “Well, it's a good thing you listen.”

With that she shifted the focus on the flute in her hand. The musician enthusiastically began to show her how to use it properly and a few notes.

Soon the air filled with a duet of music as the princess and musician sat together beneath the willow tree. The sweet harmonies and gentle adjustments swept all the way to the castle. And, with that, everyone knew. The princess had chosen. The challenge had finally concluded.

The end