When Melody woke her ear's filled with a unfamiliar sound the sounds of bird songs and wind slowly passing though the tree's moving the leaf covered branches and the little sounds of people doing farming work she slowly opened her eyes meeting the glowing sunlight illuminating her room she moved sleepily in the bed before turning and noticing on the side table was a bunch of pink flowers in a little vase on the table as well as a bowl of some red little fruits and a little bit of paper beside them Melody sat up rubbing her eyes and slipping on her gloves as she discovered she had made the floor a little wet without noticing during the night she picked up the note which read "good morning Melody, I’ve had to head off to work for a while I'll see you later I'll meet you down by the gardens at noon, and as I assume you would never have had one, I left you some strawberries to try. see you later, Jamiey" with a little written kiss after it she giggled a little thinking how sweet he was being to her she tried a little strawberry and instantly fell in love with them eating the whole bowl before she even left the bed once she had eaten the strawberries she headed down into the city having her hair again wrapped up in her arms very messily before noticing a sundial in the city square it was almost noon already so she hurried to the large fields where people stood gardening and farming the land she stood there for couldn't have been two minutes before Jamiey appeared beside her his dirty blonde hair slightly askew his face and arms a little muddy as his light green shirt was rolled up to his elbows and his gloves now missing there figure parts and covered in mud so much it was almost impossible to see their original green color he stood one hand on the back of his neck looking rather nervous

"Morning" he smiled

"Morning" she giggled "thank you for the flowers this morning there beautiful" she smiled

"Your welcome, I thought you would like them" he smiled blushing like crazy "what did you think of the strawberries?" he asked

"I loved them" she smiled

"Good, cause I got you some more" he said removing the arm from behind him showing her another full bowl of strawberries

"aww... thank you so much Jamiey" she giggled hugging his arm before taking the bowl and eating a few of them "so... why did ... you want... to meet me?" she asked having to stop the more she ate

"whoa" he says taking the bowl away "slow down a little Melody, You don't want to get ill" he warned her "I uh wanted to show you something" he smiled taking her hand and leading her off into the forest away from the city Melody was intrigued as the closer she got she could hear the familiar sound of water after a few more steps the city long behind them it opened up to a clearing and a little waterfall

"The river" Melody smiled this was where Mithrildia's river ended up in a little waterfall in Valentina the water fell from a reasonable height into a large pond deep and wide enough to swim

"I figured you would miss the water a little" he smiled at her she giggled

"Mind if I?" she began

"oh no go for it" he shrugged she giggled slipping off her outer dress causing Jamiey to quickly turn his back to her as she jumped into the water blissfully swimming wetting her hair and relaxing her feet from walking she was in heaven till she stood under the waterfall letting the water uncurl and unknot her hair just as Jamiey turned to check on her

"Jamiey!" She yelled

"sorry, I just wanted to check you where okay" he shrugged "I wasn’t looking honest" he blushed making her giggle before she got out and slipping her overdress back on and taking his hand "oh your all wet" he laughed removing his hand from hers "that is a lot of hair" he said looking at her long hair that was still in the water a bit

"Thank you, it’s getting in the way a little though, I can’t walk around and such it will take hours to dry" she sighed

"oh I think I can help" her smiled leading her back to her room and sitting her on her bed then getting a little mirror and sitting it on her side table for her to look in and then sitting behind her with her hair going across the room "why is your hair so long?" he asked her begging to brush her hair for her

"its tradition in Mithrilida, women never cut their hair from the day we are born to the day we die, it grows with us and is a huge part of who you are, and when we die and our buried our hair acts as a blanket and a pillow to lay to rest on as we go to the mother" she explained

"Wow, that’s a very beautiful tradition, I guess underwater long hair is a lot easier to deal with then up here on land" he laughed

"Yeah, I Understand why most women up here cut it short" she sighed "I couldn’t live without my hair, it holds a million memories" she giggled as he got closer to her hair with the brush tickling her slightly

"that’s cute" he smiled beginning to plait her hair putting it into a long braid down one side then moving it over the top of her head all the way around using the plaid as a bobble to hold the rest of her hair then begging to plaid down her hair in tiny little sections

"What are you doing?" she asked him

"plaiting it, it will make it easier to move around and stuff, you have so much thought it’s gonna be very intricate and beautiful don't worry" he told her giving her another strawberry to reassure her

"How do you know how to do this?" she asked him

"oh I do it for my second cousin lavender and lobbedia's daughter, adopted daughter obviously, Rosie she's sweeter than a bowl of sugar, she often makes me plaid her hair" Jamiey explained it took almost a whole hour but at last her hair finished just in the small of her back the plaits and braids all over her head she looked beautiful "okay take a look" he told her so she stood up looking into the full length mirror spinning around looking at her hair

"Oh my goddess, it’s beautiful" she smiled

"ah, ah I’m not done yet Melody" he smiled taking his gloves off finishing the final plait and a little flower began to grow around her hair the stem of the flower going though and around her hair glowing tiny little colorful flowers around her hair so the plant was interwoven in her hair one last flower blooming just at the bottom of her head "when you want to take it out to swim or to sleep just pull that flower at the top it will come out like a clip then just set it down when you want to put it back in just hold it the flower knows the Patten I put your hair and it will weave your hair back to this again" he explained

"Jamiey, it’s so beautiful" she smiled hugging him tightly "thank you" she smiled

"your welcome" he smiled hugging her tightly back before her balcony doors flew open the sunset light bursting though they both quickly went to the balcony the sky was clouding over the wind stronger than any storm either had ever seen the air grew cold and rather fresh Melody and Jamiey hurried down into the center of the city and stood in awe at it all as many others hid in their homes out of fear as a voice seemed to echo on the wind the voice was for sure female and it seemed aged and worn before everything stopped the air was still the sky was motionless the voice echoed one last time before even that disappeared not even a few seconds later a shadow appeared at the rim of the forest and edge of the city the figure was cloaked so their face was unclear but the shadow stood for a moment before slowly and purposely walking towards the Centre of the city Jamiey and Melody both stood a little scared until the shadow was only a few feet from them "I assume this is the right place, Valentina isn’t it?" a aged female voice asked

"Yes" Jamiey answered trying to not make his fear to obvious

"good, it took me hours to get here" the voice said as the woman pulled back clothes revealing her face and body she had tanned skin and aged red eyes her face seeming lost in her hair, she had medium length blonde hair that had a lot of volume and structure the curls seeming to defy gravity to stay hovering above her shoulders all except the two parts directly in front of her face they were straight and passed down well below her stomach she wore yellow knee high boots and white trousers as well as a white long sleeve shirt over those was a small light yells dress that hugged her thin body closely as well as brighter yellow chest amour and arm amour of the same color she wore a gold necklace tight around her neck she seemed from her height and aged appearance older then Melody and Jamiey yet it was hard to tell she looked at the two her gaze shifting between them for a moment "water girl? That is an unusual sight" she sighed

"Melody Waterlilly" Melody said introducing herself

"Abbigale tapigolous, Waterlilly a royal family I believe" Abbigale smiled

"Yes, I am my cities princess, I’m sorry I know very little about your people" Melody answered

"Well yes that’s the problem with being the scholar race you know everything about everyone else, and no one else knows anything, don't worry I am just a simple medic" Abbigale explained "and you are?" she asked turning her attention to Jamiey

"Oh uh Jamiey HoneyLocust" he replied

"Son of pentavine?" Abbigale asked

"No actually he’s my grandfather" Jamiey answered and Abbigale nodded

"I assume we still wait for fire?" she asked

"Yes we do, feel free to go inside I’m sure the guards will lead you to your room for now" Melody explained nudging Jamiey

"yes...just inform lavender as you pass the throne room and she will lead you" Jamiey said his eyes flickering between Melody and Abbigale, Abbigale smiled going to walk into the tree Jamiey continued to watch her go before turning back to Melody and taking Melody's hand

"What was all that about?" she asked him

"Nothing Melody, nothing" he answered leading her back to her room "I’ll see you tomorrow" he smiled

"yeah I’ll see you tomorrow" she smiled before he left so she took the flower out her hair it going back two three small flowers and setting it down on her side table letting her hair fall perfectly back how it was perfectly brushed and sorted from where Jamiey had done it she giggled lying in bed resting in slight fear that at some point soon fire would be in Valentina.