Chapter 2: Yggdrasil

[Lord's bedroom, in the morning]

Lord: Hmm...morning already? What? Why are there several maidens sleeping around here in my bedroom, some in plant form, some in human form? There are like 30 other rooms in this castle where they could be able to sleep in.

Lord: Don't tell me they don't know the concept of men-women segregation? Hmm, come to think of it, from what they said "My lord" , ""You are a king of this castle", "We were born to serve you" , "We are bound by yggdrasil's magic" or my most favorite phrase "My body and soul belong to you alone, my lord", perhaps in fact they are, more or less, my concubines?!

Lord: I didn't truly realize the meaning of these words when I heard them yesterday. But now I just realized it. If this is true then my life is so good, isn't it?

Lord: Oh? There is a cool looking sword hanging on the wall above my bed. I don't have the skill to use it anyway. Let just leave it there.

A girl with long jet-black hair at a length of her waist, wearing weird white clothing and a white lotus on her head, emerges from an earthen jar full of water nearby.

Lotus girl: What are you mumbling about, my lord. Let me sleep a little more. My name is Lily, by the way.

Lord: Hmm...she dives back into the water? Oh, she is a water-based plant, I guess. After what I have seen during the past 2 days, nothing can really surprise me anymore.

Lord: OK, let check who are sleeping in my bedroom. Hmm...Peony isn't here. Sola and iris is sleeping in human form. This is Violet, perhaps? I remember her inflorescence. She is so full of flowers. Purple has been sent for the mission. Mythril, hmm.. I haven't seen her plant form yet but I don't see any dark blue flower around here. Probably sleeping on treetops somewhere?

Lord: Primrose ain't here too I guess, or otherwise I must have seen her bright orange flowers already. What kind of duty she is doing, I wonder? This thorny vine thing, the thorn is so sharp, better stay away from it for now.

Lord: Hmm..this plant has a small flower with weird red and white pattern.

Lord: Ah! I found a good source of food. This orange-sized grape is surely edible. Munch..munch... What the...This taste is HEAVEN, a hundred, no a thousand times better than kyo..umm.. just forget about it.

Lord: This one is pretty cute too. A sakura? There is also a bunch of purple gerbera on the foot side of my bed. Probably a real plant? Because it is always there the entire time.

Lord: This small thing looks like a mascot, not a trent, but not a maiden either, overfilled with some sort of syrup on its head.

Lord: Oh, this pure red flower are the cutest I have seen in flower form, with sweetest scent too.

Lord: OK, next one...ah...I know what this white flower is. It's jasmine. Flowers with a strong cool calming scent. I know if you put them in water it can make ordinary water smells good. Let sniff it a bit. Hmm...refreshing.

Puff! Oops, she wake up and turn into maiden from. She seems like a pale fragile little girl with short black hair and 3 oversized jasmine flowers on her head, wearing a short white skirt that look like it is made from jasmine petals.

Lord: Hi, your name must be Jasmine right?

Jasmine: ........

Lord: Uh, I am sorry if I make you mad, I just want to sniff your flower a bit.

Jasmine: ........

Lord thinks: [...sob.....How should I deal with this T_T, not only doesn't she say anything, but she is also emotionless, too]

Sola: My lord, what are you doing to her? Don't lie!

Lord: I didn't do anything.

Sola: Didn't do anything, huh? Isn't it the kind of answer often used by who just did something wrong.

Lord: T_T Sola, you are too clever. Forgive me please.

Sola: [giggle] I'm joking, my lord. Just want to have a little fun with you.

Lord: Grr....

Sola: She is mute. That's why she didn't reply you. She lacks facial expression too. Originally she wasn't like this until she.. uh...

Lord: She what, Sola?

Sola: DIED

Lord: Uh..are you saying that she is a corpse. This joke is way too dark you know. Fortunately this is 7 a.m. in the morning, even that, there is a little chill in my spine right now.

Sola: No, she is alive now, more or less, but she used to die once, and when reborn she became like this.

Lord: Really.

Sola: After we buried her, a few weeks later a seed from yggdrasil grew into new her.

Lord: Oh, an interesting story. It seems the rebirth cycle isn't perfect, am I right?

Sola: Yes, there seem to be a limitation, but this is better than she dying permanently, I guess.

Lord: But some time has passed since then, right? Now the rebirth cycle might have improved?

Lily, emerging from the clear water in the jar: If you really want to know for sure, I have to DIE for you.

Lily tries to kill herself by using a ruler.

Sola: Please don't mind her unusual sense of humor.

Lord: No, no, it's funny. I like her already, by the way, do you have a pencil or any sharper stationery.

Lily: My lord. Stop trying to help me. [giggle]

Sola: So? Do you want to sniff her more?

Lord: Uhh...that sounds a little pervert.

Sola: If you don't, she will be sad. She will think she is unworthy of being smelled on.

Lord: Hey, you made that up. She hasn't said a word since you were here.

Sola: OK, watch her head carefully, my lord.

Sola: Jasmine, do you want the lord to sniff you?

Jasmine nods.

Sola: See? Do you want to do it or not?

The lord gets closer and takes a few sniffs.

Sola: Sniff more, my lord. Scents can't run out no matter how many times you sniff them, right?

Sola, touching one of Jasmine's flower on her head: Sometimes when I touch her flowers, her face makes a little expression. Although this is quite far-fetched, but it is possible that this is a way to cure her silence you know?

Sola, starting to massage the flower: She seems to like it, right, my lord?

Lord: No, I don't see any changes in her facial expression.

Sola: Help me do it, or do you think she is too disgusting to touch?

Lord: Uh....

Sola: Who would want to touch a squishy lifeless girl that looks like a pale white corpse, right?

Lord: OK...ok.. [Sola is manipulating me again!] I will massage this flower then.

Sola: Do it a little longer. I think we are going somewhere.

Lord: Is it my imagination or her scent seems to be stronger.

Even though her face still show no expression, she breathes a little stronger and half a drop of tear is oozing in her eyes.

Sola: I think it might be easier if I just thrust my finger in her flower.

Jasmine moves back a little, with a little uneasy face.

Lord: Are you sure you should keep doing it? She seems to move back.

Sola: But she is still sitting here and let me do it.

Lord: Jasmine, if you don't want to do it, you can walk away anytime, OK?

Sola: You keep doing it too. Do it just like I'm doing. Don't stop.

Lord: OK.

Sola and the lord keep sticking their fingers into the flowers.

Jasmine fingernails dig deep into her soft white legs.

Sola: Did we do something wrong? Keep doing it for a while.

Jasmine trembles a little. She breathe a lot faster.

Sola: I will just try licking it, my lord.

Jasmine flinches back a little but still sit there and everything continues for a while. Suddenly her body trembles uncontrollably. A drop of tear falls from her eyes.

Sola: Hmm...even with all of these, she still doesn't make a sound. I think we fail, my lord.

Jasmine is too tired to sit, she lies flat on the floor.

Lord: Hmm...is she OK?

Sola: She is a bit tired, that's all.

A very small drop of clear liquid flows from Jasmine's flower.

Sola: Oh, at least she is giving us a bit of her nectar. Taste it, my lord. It is very delicious.

Lord: Hmm...it tastes like highly concentrated jasmine water, brimming with her scent.

Sola: Maybe next time we can get more juice from her.

Sola: Maiden's flowers can sometimes produce nectar if you stimulate them. Sunflowers can't produce nectar though, if you are wondering.

Jasmine turns into her flower form. Today her pure white flower seems to shine a little brighter than yesterday.

Iris, waking up: You guys are having some fun without me?

Peony, walking in: You can smell her all you want, my lord. She is just a piece of your property.

Lord, feeling a little guilty: Good morning, Peony. Uh... let smell her more some other time then, I guess.

Peony: My lord, there is some diplomacy mission I think you should carry out. Let go to the yggdrasil tree itself and meet Rosa the yggdrasil's guardian who lives there. Since she too was born from yggdrasil, she should at least be friendly towards you.

Peony walks away before the lord can say anything.

Lord: She is angry with me again, isn't she?

Iris: I think she is just jealous of Jasmine. Try sniffing Peony sometimes when you have a chance OK? Also, as far as I know, Peony, as a flower, does not produce any nectar. Sola: Just don't lose control of yourself when you sniff Peony alright? [giggle]

Lord: What about your scent then, iris?

Iris, smiling: Here, smell my flowers. Iris holds one flower attached to the end of her double pigtails and shove it into the lord's face.

Iris: Not much scent, right? Not much nectar too, but I might have other kinds of feminine charm instead. [giggle]

Iris: You can smell me all you want. I am just a piece of your PROPERTY.

Iris pretends to cry and dashes out of the room.

The lord and Sola giggle.

Sola: Better go today I guess, it's not very far. Or you can stay here and enjoy yourself with all the girls, but Peony might.....

Lord: Ok....ok. I will go right now. Prepare for the journey, Sola.

A small trent, just waking up: My lord, are you going somewhere? My name is Wevil. I go too. I am one of the maiden born to serve you. My body and soul belong to you alone.

She looks like a one-foot-tall plump rocking doll with one oversized greenish flower full of nectar meld onto her head.

Lord thinks: [You looks more like a talking trent].

Iris: Reciting the rhyme perfectly......

Wevil smiles happily.

Iris continues: ....doesn't make trent a maiden.

Wevil headbutts Iris.

Iris: She splashed her nectar all over me. My lord..... LICK IT

Lord: Thank you. I'm not that hungry.

Wevil: Here, drink from the source, my lord. Who know how dirty it is when it's on her

Iris: Grrr...

The lord lifts Wevil up and drinks her nectar.

Lord: Hmm...It's surprisingly delicious again, up to the standard of practically everything around here.

Lord: You're very useful, Wevil.

Iris: That's practically the only thing she can do. If it's not good, then I don't know what to say.

Wevil: Grrr....

Wevil: You can drink more whenever it refills. Best nectar in the world.

Iris: In quantity, but probably not quality.

Wevil: Better than having almost no nectar at all.

Iris: Grrr...

Sola: Ladies, stop bickering, let's go.

Iris, knocking on the jar: Lily, do you want to go too?

Lily, emerging from the water: Sorry, too much trouble. I'm a home person.

Sola: I think she's just lazy. No problem. Me and Iris would be enough. Everyone on the path is our ally.

Wevil: You forgot me.

Sola thinks: [I'm not counting her as a fighting force]

[The path to yggdrasil]

Sola: It's less than 20 minutes of your walk to the south. Before your slumber, you told us you specifically chose this location to plant the tree because it's near an abandoned castle, a hot spring and a river. Also, there is a large freshwater lake connecting to the sea, lying further to the south about an hour of walk. I think you are very clever to choose such a great location like this.

Lord: Thank for your compliment, I guess, whoa...Jasmine. I absolutely did not expect you here. Have fun travel with us.

Jasmine nods.

Iris, whispering: She has addicted to your juicing session, I guess.

Lord: Whoa, whoa...I don't know what you are talking about.

Sola: Even Jasmine's fighting skill is far below me and Iris, she can still take care of herself, my lord. You don't need to worry about her safety at all.

Iris: In other words, she can beat your ass in 3 seconds.

Lord: All right....all right.... I'm a weak man... T_T

Sola: If anything bad happens, always save yourself first and stay behind us.