Cause the whole 🌎 loves it when ya don't get down

She remembered Rosetta telling her throughout her travels, cooking was the last thing on her mind. “Why cook, when I can indulge in the country’s delicacies? Oh, and the food too!” 

Rosetta cackled at her innuendo. 

She stopped once she heard Pearline’s stomach growl. 

The princess wandered into the manor’s kitchen, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Unlike most rooms in the manor, the kitchen was quaint in size. Deep earthy greens covered its walls, pairing well with the wooden finishings and cabinets. A long wooden table sat at the center, with a few beat up chairs surrounding it. 

She sat quietly down and watched her aunt. She was a few paces in front of her, near the icebox and other kitchen appliances. Rosetta stood in front of their cast iron stove, scrambling something in a frying pan. She held it with a worn mitten, her other hand firmly on her hip. Empty egg cartons and slabs of meat laid on the kitchen counter to her right. 

Pearline also noticed a small, burlap bag spilling white gritty grinds. Her eyes darted to a nearby pot. White-ish sludge bubbled out of it, popping onto the stove. 

She looked back at her auntie. A rosy pink bonnet covered Rosetta’s hair, matching the silk robe wrapped around her body. Pearline squinted her eyes. It felt reminiscent of her mother’s pinks, but…different. It didn’t make her feel on edge, so it-

Rosetta turned around. 

“Oh my-!” She jumped back, bumping into the frying pan. Rosetta clutched her robe and shot a look at the princess. “How long have you been there?”

Pearline shrunk in her chair. “Not too long, auntie…sorry…”

She widened her eyes, then composed herself. Rosetta shook her head. “Now, what’re you apologizing for? You took me off guard, is all. Not worth saying sorry over.”

Pearline opened her mouth. “Sor-”

Rosetta raised an eyebrow.

She snapped it shut. Pearline tilted her head, glancing at the now burning frying pan.

“What’re you-?” Rosetta stopped.

She sniffed, picking up the billowing smoke. She shot back around, grabbed it, and raced towards the kitchen sink. 

“Damnit!” Rosetta dumped it and turned on the ricky faucet. It trembled and shook, before blasting out freezing water. She looked back at Pearline. “Those were supposed to be scrambled eggs and bacon.” Rosetta sighed. 

Pearline lightly furrowed her eyebrows. “But…they already smelled burnt. Are they supposed to smell like that?”

“They were still edible!” The older woman crossed her arms. “God, Guiying is never gonna let this go. I paid good money for that meat, only to waste it…”

“There’s still more…” Pearline shifted in her seat and lowered her eyes. “And…I could always help.”

Rosetta stared at Pearline. A snicker slipped out of her. 

Pearline looked up, right as her auntie covered her mouth. “That’s very…sweet, Pearline. But you wouldn’t do much better. I’m sure you’re used to eating your fill in the castle, but-”

The princess flinched.

Her aunt paused. 

Rosetta drew her eyebrows together and stepped towards her. “Pearline…what’s-”

The chair screeched, cutting off Rosetta. Pearline stood up, eyes glued to the table. She held her hands behind her back. “I’ll be in the garden.”

A beat of silence filled the kitchen, mixing in with the lingering smoke. 

“...The pot is still on.” Pearline rushed out.

Her legs took her into the open seating area, located at the center of the manor. From its scuffed dark brown armchairs and hard maple center table covered in dust, it’d long worn out its purpose for accompanying guests. Rays of sunlight colored the area in a soft light orange hue. They spilled in from the glass double doors, which lead to the garden. 

She slipped on a pair of sandals sitting near the door. Pearline let the sun pour into the room, as she opened the doors and stepped into the garden. 

Although, calling it a “garden” would be putting in generously. It was a thriving garden once. Rosetta didn’t tell her much about it, or what it looked like. Just a brief answer, offhandedly said between sips of her nightcap. 

“It was kept after when I was younger. It used to be nice…don’t know what happened to it, really.”

Nevertheless, it gave Pearline a goal. She couldn’t do anything about her current situation. In the struggle between her mother and the capital, she’d lost. 

But if it meant getting the chance to garden, she could live with it. 

Six rectangular plots of land encompassed most of the garden. Three on each side, capped off with a stony fountain towards the back. All surrounded with a reddish brick flooring, caked with moss between its cracks.

Pearline walked towards the first plot of land on her left. Thick thorny vines and weeds grew out from all the plots. But unlike the rest, this one was…minimally cleared. And even that took two days to accomplish.

The princess stood in front of the only plant there. A bright bushel of marigolds, golden as the morning sun. Sprinkles of orange mixed in with the yellow, resembling a sunset. 

She smiled fondly. Her marigolds were the first flowers she grew successfully. She tried growing plants when she was younger, but her mother…didn’t take kindly to it.

Back then, Pearline was kept busy with whatever her mother could think of. She rarely had any free time to herself. So, they’d shrivel up and die in their decorative pots. If she ever got to a point where something had grown, they’d mysteriously disappear. 

After her mother put all her attention into her cousins, Pearline was able to grow them in peace. 

Pearline crouched down and examined them further. Her fingers gently grasped its petals. Nothing too worrying, besides needing more water. Switching from pot to the ground was certainly an adjustment, and one she’d-

The princess’ eyes widened.

Something caught her eye. Or, if she was looking at it right…

She leaned in closer. Her eyes focused less on the marigolds, and more on what was on them. 

Laying atop the flowers was someone. A very, very, small someone. If Pearline tried, she could hold them in her hands.

They laid on their left side, curled in the fetal position. With their shut eyes and chest rising up lightly, the princess assumed they were fast asleep. Their hands laid close to their chest, bawled in tiny fists. 

There were many details that stood out to Pearline. Like their warm brown skin, standing out against the yellows and oranges. Or the clothes they wore: orange leaves styled into a strapless dress, paired with matching sandals. Or their long brown box braids, styled into an intricate braid. Tiny leaves and twigs littered across it, with curls gracing its ends.

But the most obvious one was their tiny, leaf-esque wings. They shimmered lightly in the sunlight, bringing more attention to them. 

Pearline’s eyes stayed on them as she kept thinking. She knew what they were…but, she was having a hard time believing what she saw. 

The princess had seen fairies before, but only in books. Mostly fairy tales, but they still counted. Strangely, there weren’t many in the castle’s library. But the few she did see resembled the one sleeping in front of her. 

The servants also spoke about them amongst themselves, with her sitting in. There was always a story about someone seeing them, either in their youth or now. Fairies were rarely seen, so even catching a glimpse was a worthy enough story. 

Pearline watched the fairy’s eyes squint, before slowly opening their eyes. They blinked a couple times and slowly glanced over to the princess.

Pearline continued staring.

The fairy’s eyes immediately bulged out of their head.

They sat up and scooted backwards, teetering to the edge of the marigolds. “O-oh! Hello there!”

Pearline blinked back. “U-um, hello…” She said, somehow equally nervous. 

The fairy reached over and put on her glasses. From their angle, they looked her up and down. “You’re a human!” They gave her a shaky smile. 

“Yes…yes I am.” The princess sat on her knees, covered by her nightgown. “And you’re a fairy, aren’t you?”

“What! That’s-!” The fairy stammered, their eyes darting between Pearline and the marigolds they sat on.

Suddenly, they turned around. Though Pearline could only see their wings, their animated gestures told her enough. 

“C’mon Evangeline!” They slapped their cheeks. “There’s nothing to be scared about. It’s just a human! Momma just filled your head with superstitions!”

Evangeline waved their arms wildly. “You’ve seen way worse since you left! It doesn’t matter what they all said! You’re a smart fairy who can handle herself!”

“You do know I can hear what you’re saying, right?” Pearline asked sincerely.

She snapped back around to face the princess. “I’m aware!” She lied. 

“Oh…ok then.” Pearline looked off to the side. “Um, your name’s pretty.”

“H-huh?” She raised their eyebrows, mouth slightly agape. 

“Evangeline. It’s a lovely name to have…” 

The fairy stared at her for a moment. 

A light blush crossed her face.

Evangeline’s stare became bashful once Pearline glanced back at her. “Hehe, thank you! I picked it out myself~” She tried twirling one of the twigs in her hair. It quickly snapped in half. 

“A-Anyway!” She picked herself up and started taking the twigs out. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else here. I thought this place was abandoned!”

Pearline shook her head. “Me and my auntie came here a week ago. This manor belongs to her.”

“Oh! What’s the occasion? Vacation? Moving here for good?”

The princess’ face became solemn. She looked down into her lap and pinched her fingertips. “Not exactly…”

Evangeline watched her, tilting her head slightly. 

Pearline stood up. “Hold on, I need to water my marigolds.” 

She walked towards the watering can, nearby the double doors. Pearline leaned down to pick it up,

And came back to Evangeline, flying close to her face.

The princess took a small step back. Evangeline waved her hands in front of her apologetically. “Sorry! It’s just, um-” She pointed back at the marigolds. “You grew those?”

“Uh huh.” Pearline walked back with the fairy following. “I know it’s not much, but I’m still proud of them.” She smiled gently. 

“You should be! They gave me enough magic to feel rejuvenated!” Evangeline flew over Pearline’s head and made eye contact with her. “I haven’t felt this good in a while!”

The princess watered the plant and looked at her curiously. “Magic…?”

“Oh, right! Humans don’t know much about us, huh?” Evangeline giggled to herself. “How exciting! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

Before Pearline could object, Evangeline flew away from her. She could see the fairy’s whole body as she prepared her speech. “I’m a garden fairy! We thrive in nature and get our powers from them. They give us magic, and we help them in return!”

With a flick of her hand, a flurry of translucent orange leaves swirled around her. “The trick is, we only live in places where someone takes good care of the plants. That way, we can use our magic to bless them!”

“A blessing?”

“Yeah!” She flicked her hand again and the leaves quickly vanished. “Like fertility, a good season for their crops, or protecting their home! We offer a lot, long as the caretaker is doing their job!”

Evangeline smiled brightly. “If you keep at it, maybe you’ll get a blessing too!”

“Oh…” Pearline put down the watering can next to her. “That’s really nice and all, but I think I don’t want one.” 

“Wha?” Evangeline looked at her blankly.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with it…” She placed her hands together and positioned them under the fairy. 

She looked down at the princess’ hands. Slowly, Evangeline rested on them.

Pearline brought her a bit closer to her face. “All I want is to fix this garden. I’ve wanted to learn how to garden for some time…” She smiled warmly at Evangeline. “Even thinking about it makes me feel giddy. I’ve never been outside for this long.”

The fairy chuckled lightly. “What? You must be-”

The princess’ smile stayed, but became sadder than before.

Evangeline stopped. 

“I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors. I used to go out into our garden just to get a break from…” Her smile tightened. “Well, everything. It felt safer out there, than it did inside. I still think that way, too.”

The fairy grabbed one of Pearline’s thumbs. Pearline raised her eyebrows briefly. 

“What…kind of place doesn’t let you go outside?” Evangeline’s tone became oddly serious, given her bubbly demeanor before.

Pearline thought to herself, then let out a sigh. “A castle, I suppose.”

She winced as Evangeline’s grip fastened. For a fairy, she was stronger than she looked. The fairy dropped her jaw. “A castle?! A-are you a princess?”

“I was a princess. My mother banished me. That's why I’m here.”

Evangeline drew her eyebrows together. She let go of her thumb. “W-why would she-?”

Pearline shrugged. “I’m ‘unfit to be a princess.’ My cousins replaced me, so I’m not needed.” She sighed again tiredly. “It’s just how it is.”

The fairy pouted in response. She stood up and stamped a foot on the princess’ hands. “But it doesn’t have to be! Maybe-” Evangeline looked back at the garden, then to Pearline. “I can help you!”

Pearline blinked.

“If you restore the garden, that means I get more magic! I’ll get stronger and be able to do more for you!” Evangeline started counting off with her fingers. “Like helping you win people over! Or I can make you beautiful gowns! Or-”

The princess made a face. 

Evangeline stopped again. An embarrassed look crossed her face. 

“It’s not like that, Evangeline. I really do appreciate the offer, but…” Pearline eyed the fairy. “You said you’d get stronger if I fix it?”

“Mm hm,” She nodded. “It means I can do more spells!” A dreamy smile crossed her face. “Or I can get my human form. I’d love to see how humans live!”

Suddenly, a sparkle entered the princess’ eyes. “Ok. I’ll do it for that.”

Evangeline focused back on her. “R-really? I promise, I can give you anything you want once I’m-”

“All I want is to save this garden and give you more magic.” Pearline smiled. “That’s all.”

The fairy looked at her wide eyed, still in disbelief. After a brief pause, a nervous giggle came out of her. “Oh, c’mon now! I’m sure you’ll change your mind eventually!” She ended it with another, high pitched giggle. 

The princess lightly pouted. She opened her mouth to respond, but was met with Evangeline’s growling stomach.

Evangeline blushed in embarrassment. She grabbed at her midsection. “Ugh, sorry! I was so tired last night, I couldn’t find much to eat….” 

Pearline’s face switched to concern. “Well, that’s not good at all. Let’s bring you inside so you can-”

“It’s ok!” Evangeline waved her off, still clutching her stomach. “Keep working! I can go off and find something for my-”

She started walking towards the double doors, with Evangeline still in her hands.

“W-wait! I promise it’s not a big deal! I’m-”

Pearline shook her head. “If I work while you’re hungry, it’ll distract me. Now, we have strawberries, apples, and some pastries left over. Which one do you want?”