The weather was beautiful at the Arbor, the fresh smell the only indication of the rain that had fallen all over the island the day before. Kovan’s mother was with his little brother, still sleeping after the exhausting journey they had all just taken. His father had awoken early to directly take breakfast with their host and begin their negotiations. Kovan had woken up not long after his father had left, and after unsuccessfully attempting to wake his brother and mother, had left by himself to explore the castle. He had expected the island to be small and covered in rocks, but it felt like just another piece of the Reach, as it had taken him almost no time at all to stumble across the first of the gardens. Kovan was a son of the Reach, he had seen many gardens, but the Arbor was different, growing a different variety of trees and flowers.
His bright green eyes twinkled in the sun as he looked up, catching sight of a tree sprouting a mass of beautiful pink-and-white flowers, the first of these flowers not yet having fallen. His mother would love those.
Without even pausing to think about what he was doing, the five year old boy shoved his sleeves up and began clambering his way up the tree fearlessly. It was a short tree. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to be afraid of. After he had made it sufficiently high, and was surrounded by the flowers, he plucked one and cradled it in his hands, then craned his neck to see around him, peeking through the flowers to survey the garden from on high. The view was gorgeous, the sun not long having cleared the horizon, the plants just barely shaking off the chill of the night, glistening with little drops left over from the rain.
He smiled for a bit, just enjoying himself and his little perch in the tree, but that was when he saw a very small someone running into the garden. From the distance, he could tell it was a child, a little older than his brother, and had long, chestnut brown hair. She was wearing a dress, so it had to be a girl. He followed the little girl curiously with his eyes, as she flopped into the grass not far from his tree with a little huff, holding something close to her chest. He tipped his head slightly to the side, and then realized that she was crying, wiping her face with her sleeve, and making little upset noises.
Eyes widening in surprise, Kovan looked down in the flower in his hand. He’d get his mother another one later. Crawling deftly out of the tree, he slid to the ground in a heartbeat and squatted down in front of the little girl, plopping the flower in her hair before she could do much more than look up at him in surprise with wide, blue eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, his face open and relaxed, not unduly worried that he had no idea who this strange little girl was.
The thing she was holding so gently was white, and looked at first like an oddly shaped lump of fuzz, but as he watched, he saw it twist around to face him with squinted eyes and a little pink nose. Why, it was a kitten!
He reached out to pet it, but the little girl jerked it away. “No.” She scolded him. “You leave it alone!” And then she surprised him by bursting into bigger tears, covering her eyes with the sleeve of her free arm again and sniffling loudly.
Kovan thought about it for a bit, then leaned forward, and very gently patted her on the head, instead of the kitten. That startled her again out of tears, and she looked up at him, seeming confused. She reached up as if to brush his hand away, but her fingers found the flower first and brought it in front of her face to look at it. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed him putting it there before.
He stopped patting her head, and when she looked at him again, gave her the biggest smile he had. “It’s pretty, right? Just like you! And the little kitty.”
The confusion vanished as she looked down tenderly at the flower and the little kitty in her lap, and then she looked at him once more and gave him the prettiest smile he’d ever seen, tears all but forgotten.
“I’m Kovan Vyrwel.” He told her, plopping his butt down so he was no longer squatting. “What are you doing with that kitten?”
Her little face scrunched up, and he could tell the tears were just a little bit away from coming again. “Marilla was being mean to it! She shouldn’t do that!”
Kovan thought about it, then laid down in the grass next to the little girl. “Who’s Marilla?” He wanted to know.
“My sister.” The girl with the blue eyes responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Who are you?” He asked, blinking up at her, as she started leaning over him.
“I’m me.” She stoutly declared.
The green-eyed boy laughed. “No, I mean. What’s your name?”
“It’s Kiyara Flowers.” She said, half-defiantly, half-shyly.
He popped up, surprising her again, and laughed. “You really are a flower!” He said, as if it was the most delightful surprise, and that set her off laughing. That was where his mother would find him, almost an hour later, grass in his hair and his cheeks flushed with the excitement of having made a new friend.