The Lady of Shallot

Elaine's birth was quite chaotic. No one prepared for another baby coming out after a boy that's been predicted. The exhausted mother just minutes ago given birth to her pretty baby boy felt another desperate kick inside her and instinctively knew another one was on the way. Having given birth to three boys in a decade, the birth of the baby girl was a shock not only for the parents but for the entire Morigrad. Soon the confusion became a joy and the baby girl get the best name full of wishes and prays, Elaine Margrave Wilson.

Elaine grew into a lovely girl. Nothing outstanding or lacking about her. She inherited the silvery-blue hair of her grandmother and the grey deep eyes of her father. Just like other babies, she cried quite a lot. Yet, it seems like her personality changed around the time she turned two. The crybaby became quiet and reserved. Much that one may think she had been living another century before. There's a void in her eyes and Wilson's trait appeared way sooner in Elaine compared to her brothers. She preferred books over dolls. Her clothes were much but less diverse. One might think she used the same dress over and over again, not knowing the fact that she own ten pieces of identical robes and dresses. When Elaine likes one thing, she would stick to it until the thing is broken or her palate gets bored. 

So did the thing that fuelled her spirit just now. The memories belong to her two lives showed her loved of arts but she had zero talent for it. The butterfly always flew detailed in her mind, yet there was nothing she could do to transfer her imagination into pictures and it frustrated her. Surely when that bored little lady accidentally realised, she could visualize the tickling butterflies in her mind on a piece of paper, she was terrified! The excitement comes a bit later and soon she ran wildly to find her father. With messy hair and disorder breath, she tried to calm herself. Gently knocked the door then she said, 

"Father, it's Ellie! May I come in?" In silence, the door opened. Not even a single creek was produced adding an eerie in the air. 

"Speak!" said the middle-aged man sitting behind the massive mahogany desk. 

"Thank you for sparing me a bit of your precious time, father. But I come here for a favour." The middle-aged man nodded his head, signalling Elaine to continue her words. 

"I believe that I need a teacher, a painter to be exact! Man or woman doesn't matter, an excellent painter is preferred, but a decent one would be fine. Most important in all that he or she must have other side interest other than arts." 

"Okay! I'll find one and invite him to the castle soon." 

"No father, Please don’t bother yourself. Enough to inform me who's the person in your mind and I'll be the one to come to her and see whether she or he deserved to be invited and taught me their knowledge!" 

"Do as you, please. I’ll send John to you later, now leave!" Her father might be short in words, but he's the first father she bows with full respect. Once when she was a James, an orphan, fought in a ridiculous war, and die young age or when she was the little girl called Fei with an abusive father and a terrible future. Parents never be a figure to look up to. She raised herself with the help of some kind strangers that come and go in her life.  Nevertheless, God seems to have mercy for her in this life. Blessed her lonely soul with a good family and reliable parents. For Elaine, those things only were enough. Now, the kind of life she daydreamed of may come to a reality. The kind of life she always thinks about. 

And so, it brought her to the blue gate of the house with a lemon tree in the south corner of Mathe's market. Nervousness crawled into her fingers powered it with excitement knocked on the door she did. 

"Excuse me! Is anyone inside?" 

"Lady Elaine Wilson! You come faster than expected!" Said young man in his end thirties as he walking closer to the gate. He recognized her even before he opened the gate. Elaine surely didn't expect that. 

"Did my father told you about my arrival?" Elaine knew her father wouldn’t touch what belongs to her. She clearly stated that she wanted to be the one handling things. 

"Huh! that old man would never! Those bloody birds did!" As expected the Raven did. 

"Then surely you know the motive of my visit, dear sir …?" 

"BEN! Benedict Welch! I don't know why you have to come this far for a mere teacher. It's an honour, but I can't be your teacher or anyone's teacher! I am sorry you come for nothing." 

‘those damn bloody birds!! Need to find a way as soon as possible!’ Deep inside Elaine’s heart, there were worse curses than what I could describe to you. 

"Would you at least over me a glass of water, and let me explain myself before rejecting me!" 

silence..... 

"I'll go after a glass of water..." Elaine added Ben welcomed Elaine in and gave her the smallest cup of tea in the house. 

"You will surely regret having served me this tiny glass!" 

"huh!" he smirked, couldn’t be cared more. 

"But before that would you mind if I am telling you a bit of a story?" 

"If I mind, would you even cared to listen?" 

"No!" Elaine giggling, 

Leaning her shoulder to the chair she continues, "Once there lived a cursed young lady, trapped inside a small hut with a magic mirror as a company. She told that if she had ever stepped outside the hut and left it behind, then death would come upon her. So, the only way she could see the world was through the magic mirror she possessed. While longing for the vast sky, the glorious mountain, and the massive ocean one day, a knight emerged into her lonely world. Galloping on a white horse alongside his king and cavalry. The mighty knight soon become the excitement she never had. But one thing she hadn’t yet realised was the price for that excitement is a great despair! Over time, she noticed if the knight had been keeping a heart for his queen. A dangerous unrequited love which was prone to herd him into his death! Consumed by agony, the lady ran frantically scorned the curse behind and jumped out the hut eager to meet the man she loved. 'I am here! Loving you with all my soul! Come to me! I would love you more than she could!' that lady shouted into the void. As if the air could transfer her words. Under the willow tree, she found a boat, laying down there as the curse shallow her with every bit of her breath..." 

Elaine paused and take a deep breath, 

..."A longdrawn carol, mournful, holy, She chanted loudly, chanted lowly, Till her eyes were darken'd wholly, And her smooth face sharpen'd slowly, Turn'd to tower'd Camelot: For ere she reach'd upon the tide The first house by the water-side, Singing in her song she died, The Lady of Shalott." She chanted, ...

..."Ok! I have heard your story and your cup was cold, now go!" Damn old man! Elaine cursed, ...

"That was you! The Lady of Shalott, it's about you Mr Welch!" huh... she knew deep in her heart, how clumsy was she just now. Trying to act like a protagonist in the story ain’t easy. 

"How so?" 

"Aren't both of you the same? Just like how much she longed for Camelot, you too yearned for Leoth, aren't you?" Benedict Welch once again trapped in silence. Waste no chance, Elaine took a piece of ginger out of her pocket. 

"I planted it myself! Here is my family castle in Mathe." cheered Elaine pridefully. 

Speechless, the man could only stare at her with eyes full of questions. It understandable since the weather in Mathe was harsh and the soil is often frozen than not. Almost impossible for any kind of herbs to grow, the same reason why Benedict Welch ended up exiled in Mathe, Wilson’s headquarters. 

She knew what he longed for is not Leoth as his home country, but Leoth as a place. A suitable place where thousands of species of herbs can grow happily. Benedict was once a crown prince of Leoth. A country with absolute faith in God and divine power. It was equal to treason to develop medicine in Leoth. ‘lives or dies is God to decide!’ that’s what they believed. And so, for a crown prince of such a country, developing a cure for the long-lasting epidemic priced him his crown and the privilege that comes with it. 

"I asked my father to build me a room a few years ago. The room is designed to trap heat in controllable proportion suitable for the plants I like to grow. I have a bit of interest in gardening, you know. Especially in herbs, fruits, vegetables, anything consumable." Noticed her conviction works Elaine continues, 

"I care not for what are you in the past and what crime you had committed! But I know that my Wilson is strong enough to open that door without war as a price. I have the things that thrilled your dying soul and you have a skill that I wanted to own. So, please Mr Welch, come with me and be my teacher. Then I would be your partner and share with you my knowledge of plants, medicines, and diseases. So do with the facility that I got as a privilege for being a Wilson. With that, there would be no boundaries for your passion over knowledge and I will make sure no one dares to stop you except for me." 

The man stared at her empty cup and smiled, “Come back and I’ll come to see you in two days. I want a room close to the place you grew those plants. And you have to make sure your father is informed that I will only be responsible to teach you and take care... how again you call that heating room?”

“Greenhouse.” 

“Yeah, greenhouse!” 

“Absolutely! You won’t regret it!” 

 “Now go!” 

“Thanks for the tea.” Sparks glittered in Benedict’s eyes. He knew by the way she thanking for the tea instead of his willingness to become her teacher that her words value her life. That is how the Wilson was, they only are thankful for what others gave them, but not for the things they’ve been paid for. A Wilson’s word guaranteed by blood. 

“And then what happened with that cursed girl? Does she die?” asked Ben on his way sending Elaine off. 

“No! Apparently, she became some kind of spirit and save the king.” 

“Who’s she again?” 

“A lady from the far land of Shallot.” 

- 

Deep inside her heart, Elaine wonders if it's alright to mix up some myth with quite remarkable poetry like that. 'It doesn't feel right inside, but who cares? It's not like Tennyson would crawl out his grave and debate me for that!' she laughed. 

"How was it, Judy?" Her nanny, Judith been waiting for her under the salix tree. 

"The Raven had kept their eyes wide open. it would be difficult, but it may work for Mr Barson as long as you show him your true self, my lady." 

"Well done Judy! I'll take care of the rest, now let’s head back to the castle." 

"How was it, my lady? did you find yourself a good teacher?" 

"I told him that I would share my knowledge in plants, medicines, and diseases if he let me learn things from him, but he neither laugh nor doubt me." 

"Was that made him a suitable teacher?" 

"Although I am a Wilson, I am only six. No matter how talented a child was, telling they have that much knowledge to share arrogantly, a prideful man will look it down or doubt me at least. Yet that guy over there sees me as an equal. He might unsure, but he is open-minded enough to listen and observe before concluding. That trait he had is a pearl of wisdom and it's the thing that made him qualified enough to be my teacher." 

Judy nodded. 

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