Harmony's Abandoned Garden

I would love to get my hands on that abandoned garden. It is probably growing wild with rare plants and beautiful blooms. Maybe if I ask her majesty nicely, she will let me have a peek.

~Libra Esor

The Gardens of Harmony are renowned for their beauty, variety, and expanse. From produce, to flowers, to rare trees that are only seen in books, there are thousands of plants in the Harmony gardens. Some gardens are open to the public, while others are for authorized individuals only. There is one garden that no one enters and is walled off from the world. The Abandoned Garden has high stone walls with a single stone door that has not budged in decades. Even the Queen herself does not visit. Or at least that is what everyone believes.

Before it was Abandoned

The official history of the garden goes back to a time when a young prince fell in love. Prince Soahc ll fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Liliana. She was kind, beautiful, and intelligent. She loved spending time with the prince, roaming the flower beds or reading under a tree near a fountain. Soahc promised her that one day he would marry her and all the gardens and flower beds would be hers. Soahc's parents did not approve of the relationship but figured when the time came, they would make him marry whom they decided if he wanted to take over the crown. His parents rejected one woman after another, deeming them all unworthy. His parents died without finding him a bride. The day after his coronation, he proposed to Liliana, and they were married within a week. As a wedding gift, Soahc gave Liliana a walled off private garden she could call her own. What little time she had to herself, she would spend in her garden. She refused to let anyone else in her garden to help tend it, and only Soahc was allowed to spend time inside the garden walls. Eventually, Liliana became pregnant and as it got harder for her to tend the garden, she allowed her main lady in waiting, Lady Ytrebil, to go with her and help tend her garden. Sometimes Soahc would do his best to help care for the garden as well. Unfortunately, Liliana died during childbirth. Lady Ytrebil took care of the child and the garden, while King Soahc ll grieved the loss of his wife. One day, for a reason, no one knows. Lady Ytrebil left the garden and the young heir behind, suddenly leaving Harmony. The king sealed the door to the garden and forbid anyone to enter ever again.

Painting of the Garden by Liliana

Answering a Call

Young Lokahina loved wandering the palace corridors. She wasn't allowed to go outside but, as long as she stayed under the radar, she could explore to her heart's content. On one such day, she came across a door that looked unused and forgotten, after checking around for any passerby she carefully opened the door. Inside was a tunnel, dirty, full of cobwebs and abandoned. Lokahina pulled out a small trinket from her pocket, closed her eyes and the trinket illuminated. Lokahina worked her way through the tunnel until she got to another door. It was harder to open, but she used all her strength and threw her weight into the door. It opened and Lokahina tumbled out into the sun. She looked around her and saw green everywhere. She was surrounded by a garden grown wild from years of neglect. The garden was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was strange, new, and somehow felt familiar. She felt like she had been there dozens of times before, despite knowing it was impossible. After doing her best to commit the scene to memory, before working her way back through the tunnel and closing the doors behind her. She visited the garden as often as she could. Every time she would tend a little area of the garden or clean a section of wall etc. While clearing a small section of a stone path that was mostly buried under dirt and plants, she found a name carved in the stone, “Liliana.” After that day, she made herself a promise that she would restore the garden and keep is closed to others until she found out who Liliana was.

With the death of her father, Lokahina was crowned Queen of Huggleland. To this day, she has done what she could to care for the Garden. Being queen meant she had at least one person with her, even when visiting Liliana's garden. She trusted the people around her, so it wasn't an issue. She could have the door from the main gardens unsealed and just keep the public out, but she kept it sealed to keep it protected. The public calls it “abandoned,” but Lokahina calls it “Liliana's.” She views herself as the garden's temporary guardian; however, the garden means so much more to her than a promise she made as a young girl. Every time she was in the garden, it protected her from everything the world threw at her. When she was little, it protected her from loneliness. When she was a teenager, it protected her from feeling overwhelmed as her father sent more teachers and tutors her way as he begrudgingly accepted she would be his only heir. As she grew into a young woman, it protected her from strangers who wanted to use her. After becoming queen, it protected her from doubt, insecurities, and uncertainty. No one and nothing could get to her in Liliana's garden. The world could be kept outside as long and often as she wanted.

One of the Public Gardens of Harmony

Alternative Names

Forgotten Garden, Soach's Regret

Type

Garden