After helping Vivan pick up his tools once more, the blond opened the white gate into his garden and allowed me to walk inside. When I walked in, I felt the warm sun hit my face and body as I walked into the center of the floral. I took a moment to myself as I admired all of the different colours and flowers.

"So, Lumaria," I heard from behind me, followed by a click from the gate shutting behind him. "You work for the Queen, yet you don't enjoy gardening?"

I looked down and shifted my feet slightly, feeling a bit like a hypocrite. "Not really, no. I just don't find joy in spending hours a day, slaving over plants when Mother Nature is good at it herself," I explained, hoping I didn't offend him.

Vivan chuckled lightly and brought his hand up to try and hide the fact that he laughed. "Ah, I understand," He said, still with a faint smile and walked over to a patch of yellow flowers.

I watched him as he knelt down and picked up his shovel and I gave him a quizzical look, "What's that supposed to mean? Why did you laugh?" I asked, not seeing how it was funny.

I didn't see as Vivan roll his eyes, but he turned to me and smiled up to me, "It tells me that you're one of those people who don't understand what gardening is all about."

I blinked a couple times before kneeling next to him slowly on the cool grass. "What do you mean?"

Vivan still had a small smile on his face as he began digging in some of the dirt and loosening the soil. "Gardening isn't all about slaving over plants, it's about caring for them and loving them. I can see why the Queen's garden isn't as beautiful as mine now," He said with another chuckle.

I continued to listen to him, "Why not?"

Vivan rolled his eyes once more with a smile, this time I noticed it. "Because her workers don't care about the floral there. Just so long as it pleases the Queen, no one really loves the garden. See, me for example, I come down here everyday and nurture my plants. I make sure the soil is fresh, the plants have no weeds, no dying branches and give them water each day. You guys at the courtyard do the same thing, but you guys do it for pay," He said, and I felt my face heat up in shame. "While I do it for, well, because I love flowers. I care for and love everything in this garden, which is why it's as beautiful as I want it to be."

I listened to him talk so passionately about his garden. I was amazed at how someone found such interest in something so simple yet beautiful. When he was done fixing the soil, he showed me around each part of his garden, teaching me the different names, and a bit of information about each type. Not that I will probably remember most of them, but I learned the odd name here and there.

We came up to one plant, this one I knew what it was, a bush with deep red, blooming red roses. I watched as Vivan knelt down by them and carefully grabbed one and pulled his head closer to the flower. I watched as he brushed the rose across his lips as he closed his eyes and took in a whiff of the red flower. His smile grew and he turned and looked up at me with the same wide smile.

"Roses. They're my favorite of all my plants," He told me. I smiled back down at him then carefully knelt down beside him once more.

I looked at the roses and smiled once more, carefully grabbing on the same way with my hand and ran my thumb over the delicate petals. "Wow..." I said lightly, mesmerized by how soft and beautiful they were.

I saw Vivan turn his head towards me in the corner of my eye. "They're such a strong, almost dangerous flower, with the thorns and what not. Yet they're still one of the most captivating flowers out there. So simple, yet so beautiful."

I nodded, careful of the thorns. I let the rose go and turned back towards the young man, "Yours are much more beautiful than the ones at the Queen's castle. But don't tell her that," I said with a faint chuckle.

I watched as Vivan nodded gently but his smile faded to a frown. I stopped laughing and my own smile faded.

"That's why I'm afraid of her finding this place..." Vivan said, looking down at his roses. "If she ever found something that was better than her own, she'd destroy them, or maybe even me..."

Something inside me fluttered as his expression saddened at what the blond said. I hesitated, but then brought my hand up and gently touched his shoulder. He looked up at me and I smiled faintly at him. "I promise I'll never tell, or let her find out," I said, my smile growing slightly. "I won't let them harm your garden or you. And if they do, I'll harm them."

I spoke as if I was talking to a mother about her children. I found it rather strange to have made such an odd promise, but I didn't want anything to happen to this man. I have seen what the Queen can and will do, and something inside me can't bear to see that happen to this blond.

Vivan smiled at me a warm smile which I couldn't help but grin back at him. "Thank you, Lumaria. I appreciate it."

---

After that, I went home that night and had something to think about that evening before I went to bed. I woke up early the next morning and left for work, finishing it all around 2:30 once more. On my walk home, I stopped by the shaded path and stared down it, not sure if I should intrude or not.

I ended up finding myself at Vivan's garden once more a few moments afterwards, and I noticed him watering his plants. He looked up at me and smiled with a faint wave, "Hey, I was hoping you would return."

I smiled back and let myself in his garden.

---

I ended up going to Vivan's garden after work for the next week. We would sit in the middle of his garden and get to know each other a bit more each day. I told him about my boring life and how I was glad to find something so new and interesting. He told me about his own life as well.

"I live with my father and older brother. My father expects great things from me and my brother," He said, then chuckled lightly. "He thinks that I'm actually at the castle right now."

I blinked and tilted my head lightly, "The castle? Why?"

"Well you see, he thinks that me and my brother work at the castle. And part of that's true, my brother is a knight there. My father things I'm working up to be one as well and I go to train each afternoon. But really I come here," He explained, then I noticed his smile falter slightly.

"... Why don't you tell him about your garden?" I suggested, suspecting that his father was someone who wouldn't be too pleased to hear his son had something so feminine.

Vivan then shook his head, closing his eyes slowly, "I could never do that. He wants me and my brother to be loyal servants or knights at the castle, and he's disappointed whenever we have our minds set on anything else. He expects us to become something great, with a family, and raise our kids the same way. My brother has a girlfriend actually, but me..." He trailed off and looked away. "I can't see myself with something like that..."

I watched him look away and then I looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry to hear that..." I said, not sure what else to say.

Vivan shook his head then smiled once more. "Don't be, it's just who I am. If I have anything to do about it, he'll never know."

---

The next day as left the castle courtyard and onto the dirt path, it started to rain. I had nothing to shield myself from getting wet, so I started to run home. When I ran past the entrance to the shaded path I stopped and looked down the path, wondering if Vivan was there still. I quickly pushed through the branches and felt the rain get softer as the tress above me shielded the falling drops. I continued down the shaded path until I came to the garden. I looked walked out from under the shielding branches and up to the white fence, looking to see if Vivan was maybe behind or under one of his plants, but he wasn't there.

I was about to turn around and leave when I heard a voice call from behind me, "Luma!"

I proceeded to turn around and saw Vivan run up to me, soaked from the rain. "Vivan, I-" Before I could say say anything he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his garden to the back by the tiny shed.

He opened the wooden door and stepped inside, pulling me in as well. I stopped before going in and looked at the tiny shack. "There's barely any room in here!" I said, having to raise my voice as it began to rain harder.

Vivan smiled and tugging on my hand, "It's alright, we'll fit!" He said, then I hesitantly stepped inside. He reached beside me and pulled the door shut. He was panting lightly and his hair was let out from it's ponytail and dripping, as was mine. The blond was sitting down on a bench that was built with the shed, it looked like he stored tools in it. I was standing over him and leaning slightly on the wall.

It felt strange in the shed. It felt like we were in there forever, dripping wet and looking at each other, when really in was a few moments. I felt my face heat up and tried to push away from the blond, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable in any way.

He looked out the window at his garden for a moment before looking back up at me with his warm smile. "Luma, what are you doing here on a day like today?" He asked with a slight laugh, but still sounded a bit surprised.

I blinked and the name he called me and ignored the question for now. "Luma?"

Vivan nodded lightly and looked out the window, "Lumaria sounded too formal. I prefer calling you by something easier. I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head and smiled lightly, "Not at all. Most people call me Lu, I've never been called Luma before."

Vivan's smile grew, "Then it'll my nickname for you." I felt my face heat up and hoped that I wasn't blushing, but the faint chuckle from Vivan that followed, told me that I was. "So, what are you doing here? There's no use coming to a garden when it's raining," He asked me once more.

I looked out the window at the rain and the garden, not sure if I was blushing still or not. "I know, but I came to see if you were here," I said, looking back down at him slightly and smiling. I noticed him blush lightly then looked out the window as well. "Why are you here? You can't work when it's raining, I thought?" I asked, deciding to break the silence.

Vivan shrugged a shoulder lightly, still looking out the window. "A knight has to train each day, rain or shine," He explained, then I remembered how his father assumed that he was at the castle training.

"Ah, I see," I said, shifting my weight onto my other leg. "So you come here and stay in this shed every time it rains? It seems kind of... boring."

Vivan nodded, "I'll admit, it's boring, and lonely when it rains. But it gives me some time to myself, I suppose." He continued to look out the window and I began feeling a bit bad, as if I had intruded his personal time. I was going to say something until he looked up at me with a bright smile, "But then I met you, and my days haven't boring anymore."

I couldn't help but smile warmly back at him. His smile made me happy, and it seemed like he was always cheerful, which raised my mood quite a bit. "I'm glad I met you too, Viva. You give me something to look forward to in my days," I said, having found a nickname for him as well.

Vivan continued to smile, "I'm touched, I thank you for coming into my life as well."

I watched Vivan as his smile grew, and something inside my fluttered, but in a good way. I noticed a few drops coming from the ceiling then looked up at the wooden roof. "Hey, Viva," I began, hesitating slowly. "How would you like to come to my place? It's not so wet, and probably a bit more comfortable then here. No offence."

Vivan chuckle and shook his head, "None take. And I'd love to, I bet you're a bit uncomfortable?" He guessed right.

"Yeah," I reached behind me and pushed the door open, then turned around as he stood up behind me, looking out into the heavy rain. "Alright, I don't live too far. If we run, we still might be able to keep ourselves from getting completely soaked," I joked.

I felt him put his hands on my shoulders then looked up over my shoulder into the rain. "Lead the way!" He said, then I dashed out from the shed and grabbed Vivan's hand the same way he grabbed mine, then led him out of the garden, down the shaded path and towards my house as we ran through the rain, both with smiles on our faces.