Chapter Text
“I hope they are pretty.” was the soft call over the fence as Darcy slipped out of the garden, so shocked at hearing another voice, she almost dropped the small bundle of freshly pilfered flowers.
“I- what?”
“The flowers, they’re for someone, right? Whoever they are, I hope they are pretty enough to warrant stolen begonias.” The voice grew louder as the speaker walked through the garden, which was too tame of a word for the carefully managed explosion of leaves and petals. Rounding a bush, a girl so slim as to be invisible smiled softly as Darcy stood frozen.
A hand reaching up to her collar bone, “Those are my words.” Was all Darcy could say as everything about today just spiraled further and further.
“-and those mine. My names Bilba, Bilba Baggins. It's lovely to meet you.” She smiled as though she meant it. Like she didn’t know what today was… which, to be fair, she didn’t. How could this girl who glowed as the sun shown on her like rich loam know what today was for Darcy?
“I’m Darcy-“ anxiety beat in her chest a little faster “I need to go.” turning on her heels, she started to, not rush, definitely not rush, away from the person she was tied to by fate. Thoughts swirled as she got further and further away from that little garden gate with its perfect flowers and bright sunshine and fresh air.
“So, where are we going?” Again Darcy near jumped out of her skin; she hadn’t realized the girl, no Bilba, had followed. That she was right beside her as she walked looking around with eyes such a light brown as to be called golden.
Before she could respond, the girl kept talking. “Though I guess it doesn’t really matter.” She beamed a smile towards Darcy. “After all, I just met my soul mate, and we are going to be best friends forever, and whoever it is your meeting with I’m sure they will love the flowers. Did you know Begonias have a lot of meanings?”
“A lot of meanings? What like how red roses mean love and yellow means friendship?” That warranted another far too bright shining of teeth.
“Exactly! They are a very unique flower which is fitting as one of their meanings is about standing out in a crowd. They also represent gratitude and peace between all people.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Most people don’t. Momma says every peoples has a language to their flowers, yet almost all people have forgotten what petals and plants can say.”
“Maybe the plants should speak up.” Laughter flowed from Bilba like a fish jumping upstream, it was full of splashes and hiccups and starting again.
“Mayhaps your right, or maybe we just need to learn to listen.”
“Maybe…” Darcy trailed off thinking, while this girl who had no idea what was at the end of this break let her have the silence. Softly humming while brushing fingers across the leaves of every branch as they passed along.
“Here, this is a shortcut.” Ducking under some low hanging branches to cut across a field filled with spring flowers, she didn’t miss how wide Bilbas eyes were to the view “Do you- think you’re good? At listening, I mean. If I- if I told you stuff. Private stuff. Would you listen?”
“I promise! We are to be best friends, after all.” Some of the grass was still moist with the morning dew, as they cut through towards a large hedge, darkening Bilbas lehenga and Darcys jeans.
Darcy paused once they reached the hedge, finding the gap still dried and ignored, she moved through and lifted branches to keep them from shifting back and whacking Bilba across the face “Well you see the flowers, they’re for me mum, it’s just-“ sunlight poured over their faces as they breached the other side. To be greeted by row upon row of neatly trimmed tombstones. “she won’t be able to say much.”
A sharp inhale as Bilba realized where they were and what it meant, Darcy’s head down and waiting. Not expecting to feel a warm hand slip into hers and to be greeted with an equally warm smile. “That’s ok; I know how to listen.”
So many feelings all mixed up and twisted up together; they weren’t meant to stay trapped within a mortals soul. Those feelings splashed upon the very petals of some ill-gotten begonias that marked the beginning of a new chapter in two young girls’ lives.