HE-ST-2: In the Garden

HE-ST-2 In the Garden	Hortus de Escapismo: Sanctilaminium Ambrosii Previous HE-6 (Story) Next HE-7 (Story)
Though no longer unblemished, this flower still has not changed.

Characters

Federico Clément Erendel Estara Gerald Eileen

Backgrounds

1A 1B 2

“

The silent saint picks up the broken and burned flower.

”

<Flashback starts here>
<Background 1A>
Eileen	Look here, Holst! You've got to hand it to Clément. He really planted the flowers in front of the statue, prettier than anywhere else. I'm surprised Stefano was okay with it, digging a hole in the sacrarium floor, searching for the right dirt, all that.
Gerald	Take it easy. You're injured.
Eileen	It's just a little scratch.
Gerald	Even little scratches can get worse. And call me Gerald.
Eileen	Alright, alright. You're starting to nag like Stefano. That's why his face is all wrinkly. Don't end up like him. Worry less, meddle less. That's the key to a long life.
Gerald	Don't say that. Stefano wants the best for the abbey. It's thanks to him that we get to live here.
Eileen	I know, I'm just saying he worries too much. I'm afraid it'll become too much for him.
Gerald	Stefano is considered stubborn, even amongst the Sankta. He won't budge on what he thinks is right. But that's one of the reasons we've found refuge here. He says the Sarkaz are just like other people.
Eileen	And he's right. Well, you and I, we'll have his back if things become too much for him. We'll repay our debt. And stop thinking about what happened in the past. We turned our backs on Theresa when we left Kazdel. We can't go back, Gerald. Neither of us can.
Gerald	...I know. You don't need to remind me. I don't remember when I stopped believing in Her Highness's vision... I couldn't see the future of the Sarkaz in our two rulers.
Eileen	It's okay.
Gerald	I'm fine. We have a new life now. I led those who wanted to leave away from Kazdel. I'll take responsibility.
Eileen	Life is much better than it used to be.
Gerald	Be careful. We don't have the same resources we did before, and there are some tough customers among those bandits.
Eileen	Aren't you being a little too careful? How long will it take for the infamous mercenary to become a humble hunter out in the middle of nowhere? Five? Ten? Hahaha! Haha... ...Gerald.
Gerald	Yes?
Eileen	Have you really thought about what you'll look like when you put down your weapons for real, and settle in as a humble hunter? What will I look like?
Gerald	No, I've never thought about it. What will I look like...? You'll see for yourself, Eileen.
<Background black>
A long time ago, Gerald used to look up at the night sky when he needed a breather after killing. The sky is an oppressive black. The campfire has gone out, and even the embers have cooled. Bloodied mercenaries wipe away the dirt from their faces, gazing at their equally battered comrades, briefly pondering questions they hardly have the luxury to think about. Can Sarkaz like them truly hope for a happy life? He once believed that the day would come when the Sarkaz rebuilt their home, but he feels more helpless with each passing day. They have shed too much blood. They will run out of blood before their monarch's vision comes true. Eventually, Gerald abandoned Kazdel, bringing along those gasping for breath, running from the land they once fought to the death for. They hid from the world, ultimately finding a place that would take them. All they wanted was a normal, peaceful life. The dream came true, once. When did life turn bitter and oppressive? It is like a fine dish on the table that no one has tasted. It has gone bad through no one's doing. If only blood can end this all... Then there is only one thing left to do.
<Background 2>
Gerald	Don't bother trying to change my mind, Clément. I can't go, and I won't go. I never told you my old name. It's not a past I'm proud of. An infamous deserter, a broken man. With me here, they have an excuse to harm the others. Don't be so sad. I'm just going to see Eileen. Death is familiar enough to me, I used to trade in death. My life is a small price to pay for the lives of all the others. And don't worry about the ones left behind. They'll follow my order. Raimund is young. He might be impetuous. Do try to calm him down, won't you? ...... Finally... Tell Stefano that we probably shouldn't have stopped, back when we were wandering the wastes. Maybe we shouldn't have tried to stay. But this place was too good. It was like a dream, living together for so many years. Sooner or later, though, we all have to wake up. Tell Stefano... gratias, and me paenitet. I'll leave the rest to you, Clément.
[...]
Gerald	Here, at the end of it all... Am I a hunter, or am I still that mercenary? I'm sorry, Eileen. I don't suppose you'd like what I've become, what I look like now.
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 1B>
Clément	...Dawn has broken. It seemed like a lot has happened, but then it also seemed like it all happened in the blink of an eye. It was a long night, wasn't it?
[Federico walks toward Clément.]
Federico	What are you doing?
Clément	Nothing worthy of your time, Senior Federico. I just wanted to find a flower. Gerald shouldn't go to see Eileen empty-handed. But it looks like the fire last night burned everything. There's nothing left.
Federico	If it's just a flower you want, you wouldn't need to come here.
Clément	You don't understand, Senior Federico. It's not the same. The flowers here were different. A special breed grown only in this monastery.
Federico	They represent friendship and hope.
Clément	Yes, friendship and hope. The abbot told me they were a symbol of Laterano's partnership with Iberia, one of the abbey's most important possessions. Beautiful. I was struck, immediately. There used to be flowerbeds all over the abbey, covering every inch when you looked down from the bell tower during bloom season. Eileen loved the sight of it. So did Gerald. Many were scared to talk to the Sarkaz. But they got along a lot better after the first bloom season. People realized that the cruel and warlike Sarkaz would stop to take a look when they passed by the flowerbeds. They would take a flower or two to put in their homes. They weren't fearsome desperados. They were no different from us.
Federico	...... There is one here.
Clément	Ah, you mean the one beneath the statue. I saw it. It was lucky to lie beneath the statue when it fell. But it's not the one I wanted.
Federico	Why?
Clément	Look at it. Don't you see? It may have hid itself beneath the statue, but its stem is broken, and its petals are burned.
Federico	But it's still here.
Clément	Is it? I used to believe there were things that would survive, no matter the adversity. You may laugh, but I truly did. Life wasn't easy, but all was good. Amita Nina would make snacks for the kids when she has the time. Have you ever heard of herb pizzelle? Amita Nina and Hyman made them from a Lateran recipe using Sarkaz herbs. A dessert that everyone loved, one that belonged to this abbey, and this abbey alone. Amita Nina used to say that tasting bitter fruit is all well and good, but the children should grow up knowing more than bitterness. They should know what sweetness tastes like.
Federico	I will commit this dessert to memory.
Clément	Ha. It's not important. We forgot the taste of sweetness a long time ago. No one makes pizzelle anymore. I find myself curious at times. If Sankta weren't so special, if everyone in Laterano was mundane, normal, insignificant as I am... Would the Holy City still look the same? Would Laterano be Laterano?
Federico	...I don't know.
Clément	That's a shame.
Federico	Clément... Do you no longer have faith? Have your beliefs changed?
Clément	I was just made to see reality. Things are not as immutable as people think. Testing them only harms them. One little flaw, one little imperfection, one tiny, little wound, and it's broken beyond repair. Like the flower you found. The flower I'm looking for is no longer here.
Federico	......
Clément	It's almost time for Matins. I should go. Goodbye, Senior Federico.
[Clément leaves.]
<Background black>
Federico	......
Federico Giallo stands alone in the morning light of the sacrarium. The marks left behind by the flames have already been scrubbed away. Deprived of its furnishings, the sacrarium feels empty, with only the sound of footsteps to fill it. Federico is an outstanding Executor. He has been with the Notarial Hall for six years, carrying out his duties with excellence. But this is his first year as a saint. There is no one to guide him or instruct him. The silent saint picks up the broken and burned flower. The statue protected it from the flames. It was a miracle that it survived the fire. But this miracle is worthless in the eyes of another.
Federico	The flower is still here. But it is not the one he wanted? Wounds beyond repair... I don't understand. ...... Would Laterano still be Laterano? ............ Insufficient data to reach a conclusion.
Executor Federico realizes with a start– Clément's expression was too calm. He did not mention Gerald's death, nor the arrangements of the other Sarkaz. What about himself? Words without action have no power. That is why he did not say he would find out the truth. Nor did he say he would fulfill Gerald's last request. Federico gazes at the broken flower before his eyes. He has a feeling– A feeling that, someday, he will find the answer to all his questions in this flower.
<Background 2>
Erendel	Mm–uh– Morning, Sara... it's time to wake up... Mm... mmm... zzz...
Estara	Eren! Wake up, Eren! Mamma came back yesterday!
Erendel	Huh?! She came back? Where is she?
Estara	It must be her! Look–
Erendel	A new blanket from Mamma? It's a little torn... But there are pictures of circles on it! And people with wings! Like what Mamma promised us!
Estara	Who cares if it's a little torn? Mamma's clothes are torn too. We have to be good.
Erendel	I know, I know. Let's go and find Senior Federico!
Estara	Can we play with Senior Federico today?
Erendel	No, silly, we're going to tell Senior Federico that Mamma came back to see us last night, so he doesn't need to worry!

Trivia

• The interlude's title is directly quoted from Charles Austin Miles' "In the Garden" which was inspired by John 20:15 (NIV): "Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'"