Arc 722, 23 Ashan
Now that the darkness of Cylus had given way to Ashan, Elisabeth had time to begin the project she had been anxious to get started for some time – the backyard garden. The young woman had wanted to create her own garden behind Haven House and thought it an excellent opportunity to test out some of the techniques they would use in the chapel garden, where they would be creating a much larger version around the structure once they finished it.
Balder had volunteered to help her for a few trials, collecting the seedlings from Munny Farm that Elisabeth and Delilah had set aside and scouting through the nearby wood for woodland plants that could be easily transplanted. The guard was a close friend of Balthazar's and often took it upon himself to watch over Elisabeth when the mage was away. She was aware of it and didn't discourage the behavior because it served another purpose as well – letting her instill knowledge about leadership upon him.
Balder was on the emergency council for Haven and the person the settlement looked to when she was away. Spending time with him allowed them to talk certain things over, and since the settlement couldn't spare many people to assist her due to the impending first crop planting, it seemed like the perfect arrangement.
Standing with her back against the back of Haven House, spread before her was a small, bare area that led to the tree line. If one walked through the trees, they would find themselves at the chapel site, set not too far away. Eventually, Elisabeth wanted to connect her garden to a pathway that would lead to the chapel, but first things first.
"So, where do we begin?" Balder looked at Elisabeth's drawing for the flower garden, scratching his head gently. She was getting better at the drawing thing the more she did it and practiced, but it still looked a bit alien to his eyes.
Walking over to where he stood, Elisabeth took the sketch from him and had him follow her to a nearby outdoor table. She was going to try and clarify the plan as they went. Quill in hand, she pointed to the box that represented Haven House. "So, this is the house. This is the back wall of the house, which is right here." Twisting a bit, she pointed at the backside of the structure she and Balthazar shared.
She tapped the area that was supposed to represent the tree area, which actually resembled something akin to a cluster of spined animals. "This is the trees right there. The flower garden will outline the perimeter of that area and be slightly raised."
Balder gave her a curious look, and she drew an example of what she was talking about that only slightly resembled what Elisabeth meant. Still, because Elisabeth explained as she drew, he could keep up. "So, I want to turn up the earth in the areas where the flower garden will go. Then, on top of that, we will pile a mixture of soil, sand, and compost from the farm. That will create a raised mounded area for the flowers. Since we turned up the dirt under, the roots of the flowers and shrubs will be able to grow down into the ground."
Nodding, he watched her draw but had a follow-up question. "Got it, but won't the dirt just flatten out after a while? And during the rainy times, I can't see it staying in those mounds." Smiling, she had been prepared for that question. "That's why we will line the raised flower beds with these medium-sized rocks to create something of a barrier. Over time, we can make the flower beds larger and taller, but this gives us a good start for now. "
Taking shovels, the pair walked over to the edge of the tree line, and Elisabeth marked out the rough outline of the flower beds using the edge of the shovel. Once that was accomplished, they began turning the soil within the marks. As with most places around the settlement, the ground contained a fair amount of orange sand, which pleased her as the warm sand helped plants weather cold snaps and aided growing in the settlement.
As they worked, conversation flowed. It started as thoughts on different settlement projects but soon drifted in other directions. Current affairs, more Scalvoris-wide matters. Elisabeth always enjoyed the chance to speak to people one-on-one, never wasting the time because of her belief that it was important.
Elisabeth moved some dirt to the side of the area she was working in, having found a large rock. It was then that a thought popped into her mind. " Balder, what do you think about purpose? Like, when you consider what your purpose is in life, what do you think of?"
Chuckling, Balder walked over to help her nudge the rock out of the ground, placing it nearby. He was used to the random conversation topics that appeared out of thin air. "I don't really. My purpose right now is to be the best I can for the settlement. Perhaps that will change in the future, or perhaps not. I try not to overthink it."
Elisabeth was so focused on the rock that she missed the approach of another behind her, announcing himself with a deep voice. "Mind a bit of wisdom from someone that's seen a lot. Maybe not as much as you in the whole supernatural department, but a lot of life? And, might I add, can see through that question you just posed?"
Twisting, she smiled as Bran joined the work, grabbing another shovel. Elisabeth nodded, allowing him to continue as she pointed out what they were doing.
"I've known you for a little less than an arc now, and here in Haven, we know who you are. Balthazar brought you here, and you watched, listened, and learned. You pitched in and helped, but more than that, you created relationships with everyone – even before that business with Balthazar. Relationships mean everything to you."
That was true - the relationship part. She did value relationships, but what did that have to do with purpose? Luckily, he explained.
"When you first got here, you floundered, trying to find your way, but the one thing you didn't do, was ask what your purpose was. You found a purpose, getting to know people and creating the a foundation that served you well for a future that you didn't know was just ahead."
As they worked their way through the flower beds, turning up the soil and making sure all the rocks and clumps were taken care of, Elisabeth considered what he said, but Balder had some thoughts to add before she could respond. "Did you ever consider that maybe your purpose is elsewhere?"
She turned to look at him, eyebrow raising just a little. "Elsewhere? What do you mean? I'm not leaving Haven."
Shrugging, Balder found another large rock that needed to be ejected from the flower bed and began to do so while he answered. "I didn't mean it that way. Perhaps I said it wrong. I don't think Haven is your only purpose. I think you are meant for something different."
Bran nodded in agreement, but Elisabeth was still confused. Jabbing her shovel into the ground, she tried to claw her way towards understanding. "Different? I mean, there have been other things. Dragons. Immortals, but I just deal with everything as it comes to me and see where I'm at when it's over."
"Exactly," the guard replied. "Just live your life and let it come to you. You always talk to us about hope and the belief that individuals can affect change. You've done that here, and I'd bet there's a lot more out there just waiting for you. You've just begun. Do what you want - help who you want. I know you want to find this all-important purpose, but I don't think it works like that. It's going to find you when you least expect it."
Elisabeth wasn't quite sure how to respond to their comments, and neither man pushed. They knew she liked to work through her thoughts and were used to conversations like the one they were having, but it was obvious that something was bothering her that she wasn't saying.
The trio worked their way through the entirety of the flower bed area quickly and moved on to placing the rocks, which would act as a barrier for the dirt mounds. It was monotonous work but rather rewarding seeing her vision come to life. Elisabeth knew that she should reply to the two men, but her mind was still chewing on what they had said. As they created the little rock barriers, other mundane conversations occurred, but she couldn't quite let go, thoughts whirling.
Finally, Bran turned to her and gave her one more piece of advice, patting Elisabeth on the shoulder. "Talk to Balthazar. He'll want to know you are struggling. You don't have to tell us what's wrong, but you should tell someone."
Sighing, she nodded but nothing further was said about the topic, allowing the trio to move on with their work and conversation.
