Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 25 - Hierarchy Climbing Plant

I've been a bit crappy with getting chapters out, so please enjoy a double update! <3

- Sian

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone about this?" Sage asked after they had stared at each other for an awkward amount of time. Sage didn't know what to say while Taro didn't know what to say that would make the situation easier to handle.

"I would prefer it if you didn't," Taro spoke frankly. "I'm not saying that you can't talk about it, but it might sound a little crazy if you start talking about plants who can turn into people."

Taro had a point. Sage couldn't deny that he would sound mad if he talked about what he was experiencing with his Valet. He wasn't sure if Taro would even show others what he could do. "Okay, so I go on like normal." Sage pulled at a curl. "How can I go on like normal? You can turn into a plant. How can I go on like normal when this is so much more than normal?"

"You're a Prince who is next in line to be king," Taro said calmly. "You have to go on like normal."

Those words brought Sage's mind tumbling down to earth. He was right, Sage couldn't afford to get ahead of himself and to start questioning everything. He couldn't afford to lose himself in the madness of his Valet being a plant. "Well, I best go down for breakfast. A Prince is never late." Sage got up, straightened out his jumper, sorted his hair in the mirror, but not without an awkward glance towards his Valet. "You should go too. The other staff will wonder what you're doing."

Sage stormed to his door, but before leaving, he asked, "Are there other staff members like you working here?"

"Of course." Taro slowly strolled to his side. "Where the Royals go, we go, remember?"

"Right." Sage left his room to get on with his day.

At first, he tried to pretend like he hadn't just discovered that Taro could transform into his Devil's Ivy houseplant. Ignoring it only built his frustration when he scolded himself for zoning in on the vases of flowers dotted around the castle. How could he not think about it? The more he looked, the more the signs were right in front of him.

Plants were the main theme in any painting, and in any carving. Even the skirting board where the wall met the floor was carved to be one long devil's ivy cord twisting and turning along the length of the corridor. There was a silver lamp in the dining hall that was made to look like winding vines with heart-shaped leaves. Even a bookshelf was made with special carvings of ivy vines, and even the carpets had small flowers woven in symmetrical patterns.

To have a family crest wasn't unusual, but now that Sage knew about Taro Vinea, his family crest suddenly meant so much more. The vines weaved around their interior and exterior homes. According to Taro, it had been that way for a very long time.

Why did we forget about Taro's kind? Sage wanted to dive into his family's history. He wanted to hear every tale of the Greenthenors. He wanted to know exactly what had happened in the middle ages.

His day trailed on excruciatingly slow, but by the evening, Sage's head was a little less tangled. He still had many unanswered questions, ones that he hoped he could ask Taro when he visited to change Sage into his nightwear.

Sage was nervous to see him again. He paced back and forth, reaching out to pull the Valet's cord, then changing his mind and returning to the window. Taro was no longer just his Valet. Sage needed to know everything about him, everything about Taro's family history, everything about his life. He would get to know him in a way he wasn't supposed to get to know a member of staff.

He has already pushed boundaries. Maybe he knew I'd one day find out about who he really is. Maybe that's why he hasn't taken his job seriously, he never intended on keeping a professional relationship.