Ayham Harb

Golden Blooms

Once upon a time, love and friendship flourished between two nobles. That flourishing love was destined to be destroyed by a feud between the two. A forsaken Witch, consumed by agony, found her way back to her old love only to condemn his life to a path of ashes as he once did to her.

Not too long ago, on a floating piece of land surrounded by three other lands within the same sphere, lived two noble families who harbored deep detestation for one another for each wanted to be powerful and above the rest. Amidst this enmity, a noble girl and a noble boy sought out a friendship in their young years that led to their demise. They happened to be star-crossed lovers from the very beginning. This tale unfolds with the nobles playing together in secret outside in the meadows of Camelot, a day of soft breezes and the sun soon to rest away. Without care of how their families will behave after they discover the two, they prance around the grand meadow following the ring of bells as they attempt to catch Chime Flies and gather as many flowers as they can in the grassy field to craft wreaths of flowers for one another. They wish they could play all day without a care in the world.

The future king had braided his friend a wreath of daffodils and surprised the noble girl. She tried to grab it, but he withheld the crown until she made a promise to him: a promise that their friendship shall stay forever and continue to blossom till death do them part. Without an ounce of doubt, the young girl vowed her loyalty. Still, he had not given her the crown until she grabbed it herself. At last, after running through the meadow, she captured her prize, and a sense of jubilation coursed through her and out about the field. The young girl took her crown and wore it on top of her head with a glowing grin drawn on her face. The wreath glistened in the sun and brought out life from her shiny raven eyes, this ordained the ratification of their permanent friendship.

Many a time the two would face tribulations as an outcome of their disobedience to their families’ wishes. However, much to their parents’ dismay, they persisted and would find themselves out and about in their same treasured meadow with shared solace but only to be locked away for a couple of days to pass. On days of woe where their hearts felt anguish from the absence of one another, the two gazed upon the brilliant silver stars sewn onto the night sky. While dazing, the Witch plucked away at flower petals repeating if the young boy loved her or

loved her not for hours until she settled on the final petal only to utter ‘loves me not.’ The girl could not end her day on such an odious petal and desperately made forth for more flowers but was found by her housekeepers who discontinued her measures. The housekeepers forced her to succumb to slumber as an order by her mother all to preserve her youth and beauty, but not until they replanted the golden daffodils she took from the many pots and urns in the esteemed estate.

As the young king yearned to see his dearest of all, he sketched and painted on hundreds of canvases, yet none captured the meadow the two cherished ever so much. As he was preparing for a new painting, he was interrupted by loud resonating knocks. Although vexed at the disturbance and aware of whose strikes those belonged to, he allowed entrance, but not before he braced himself for the look of his gruff and rotund older triplet brother with a poker-face look drawn upon his face. Disregarding the king’s apparent dissatisfaction, he relayed their mother’s command asking the young king to take refuge for the night as it was well past midnight. Even further irate, he began to debate as to why his brother may stay awake for as long as he wishes, and to that, his brother cleverly compares how the two go about their days and duties. Unable to respond to his quick wits, the incoming king dissolved his trivial discourse, and soon complied whilst hoping a dream in his rest may sate his need.

On days free from their cages called home, every now and then, the noble girl and the young boy would run off without a trace of their whereabouts to the nearest bakery and gaze longingly upon a display of delectable treats. The cloying scent entranced the two for so long until the baker at last capitulated and offered the two small cupcakes whom the girl and boy enjoyed with great joy. On other days, they would meet in secrecy upon finishing their seminaries, and bemoan their mishap of difficult assignments out in the field. Each had suffered their parents’ anger, yet all that brings them pain is the heartache of missing one another. For many years to come, their love for one another grew as far as an Albatross’s wing and they dreamt of marrying one another not only for their shared endearment, but perhaps as a way to settle their family’s hatred in the very near future.

Ayham Harb: I’m a student currently at Westshore, majoring in biology for a career path in either pathology or toxicology. The crafts of writing and drawing have always been one of my favorite hobbies. For, “Golden Blooms”, it is a segment of a book I plan on completing and then publishing soon. Thank you for reading!