Early Autumn, Year 756 of the New Age
Silverthorne, The Secret Garden

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The rain had fallen heavy and dense all morning, and although it had cleared up significantly,
the day still had a greyish tinge about it. The birds that had been silent most of the day began
to tweet again and squirrels rummaged in their nests, ready to continue their hunt after food
for their hibernation.

Fionn smelled the heavy odor of ozone mixed with the more fresh smell of wet trees and flowers.
Although autumn gradually took over, the plants and trees did not show many signs of wilt yet.
Until now the weather had been mild. In a few weeks, red and ochre colors would begin to
overtake Silverthorne territory, plants would begin to languish and when winter set in, everything
would finally be covered in snow.

Although Fionn preferred summer, she still enjoyed the other seasons. Only a heavy layer of snow
and frost could make her slightly grumpy. Plants and herbs were, after all, her specialty, and they
could be hard to find under a thick layer of snow.

Three birds chirped a happy song, making their charming little dance from branch to branch, as
they followed the young doe through the forest. There were three of them, pretty little fairy wrens
full of energy. They were a lot more brave and vicious than they looked though, Fionn knew.
She had seen them fly at the head of a big stag, who once wandered to close to the bird nests.
But they never attacked Fionn. In her mind they were her friends. Just like the mice and the
squirrels that lived in the little path of land, she referred to as … The Garden.

The Garden wasn’t really hers, all the land here belonged to the herd. But it felt like hers and most
Silverthorns respected that Fionn had taken this place as hers - like her mother and grandmother
had done before her. All the herbs and plants that grew here would benefit the herd in the end,
since Fionn used the plants to heal wounds on homecoming soldiers and others in need. With the
right training she hoped to one day be able to heal the more complicated illnesses that her mother
had been able to heal.

For now she was too young and inexperienced.

But she was learning fast, always training with high discipline.

A hint of a smile went over Fionn’s elegant little head, as she entered The Garden. A peace seemed
to fall over her here, that she never experienced anywhere else.

The fairy wrens settled on a branch, still chirping and sharing their joy over everything. Winter would
come soon enough, they all knew that. But for now the temperatures were still high enough to let
most of the plants and flowers keep their bloom. In a few weeks they would wither and hibernate
under the ground as colorless roots or fly about in the wind as dry seeds, waiting for next spring.
So Fionn took her time to take in all the colors and shapes in her beautiful garden, knowing it would
soon end once again.

She could still recall the first time she had come to this place with her mother. She could even hear
the older doe’s voice in her head, if she relaxed enough to remember it:

“This is our heaven, our garden of life, my little one. In here we have what we need to heal wounds
and cure illnesses threatening members of our herd.”

“Is this a magic place?” little Fionn had asked, receiving a mild laughter from her mother.

“To us it sure is. Your great grandmother found this place once and started gathering plant seeds
to grow the herbs she needed, right here where we stand. She also began making the pond by
pushing and dragging stones here, year by year. When her daughter – my mother – grew the age
you have now, she started helping here. And a few years ago I finally placed the last stone.”
The elder, golden doe looked around with pride. “Once I wither and die, this place will live on, and it
will be yours.”

“You will never wither,” Fionn said confidently. Then stumbled onwards on long legs, curious to explore
this new and magical place.

Fionn sighed with mourning as she followed the steps of long past memories down to the little pond.
The cool water surrounded her cloven hoofs lower legs, sending a light tingle through her skin. She
stopped halfway out in the pond and looked down at her own reflection. Sometimes when the sun
hit the reflection, she could trick her mind to seeing her mother in the water. But on this gray day
the wrinkled little doe beneath her was too dark and young to resemble her mother even the slightest.

“Fionn,” a voice called, that she knew very well. She looked up in surprise, as a beautiful golden stag
with silvery white mane and tail entered The Garden.

“Zeus, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be training today?”

The stag’s eyes burned with the pure white flame of anger, and she guessed what might have
happened even before he put it into words: “My dear father decided to watch the training today.
He spent the entire morning yelling at me in front of the others, then actually took the place as
my sparring partner for close combat, because he thought my opponent was too gentle.”

Zeus tossed his mane, trying to get loose of hair strands away from his eyes. As always the hair
twirled around his horns, dangling down in front of his face. It was one of the features that could
make Fionn’s heart melt, though she would never tell the stag that.

When he looked at her again, she noticed several fresh cuts on his neck and chest. His father
sure hadn’t taken it easy on his son.

“You need to stand up to him, Theseus,” she said, using the stag’s full name. “And I don’t mean
in a fight. But you need to tell him to back off.”

“Become a man,” he mocked. “That’s what he always says, but he won’t let me do anything on my
own.”

“Maybe that is because you are a lazy butt at times,” she said, starting to get highly annoyed by
his defeated manner. “And you do need to man up. You should be training to become a king or at
least a general, but right now you won’t even make it as a soldier, if you don’t get your things
together.” She walked up to him on dry land, looking at him with a firm gaze not to be ignored.
“I need a future mate who can protect me and our young. Someone the whole herd can be proud
of. And I want that to be you!”

“But …” Zeus started, looking like one big apologetic hare with sloping ears. “I can’t, it’s my father.
He is both bigger and stronger than me.”

“Power isn’t all about strength and body mass,” Fionn said with a heartfelt sigh. “Now go back to
training. I have things to do and can have your grumpy butt disturbing me.” She sent him another
stern look, and Zeus finally turned away, walking away on slow and heavy legs.

Fionn grunted and looked up at the fairy wrens in the tree above. “Go keep an eye on him, my little
friends.” The birds chirped and flew off in playful leaps and bounces.

“Stags,” Fionn mumbled annoyed and returned to the planned tasks of the day.



Art © 2013 *AgerskovArt
Breed and design © 2013 Ehetere