An afternoon filled with baking cookies and jam from many different fruits harvest from their garden, Marie and Fleur finally took a seat enjoying some tea with their homemade snacks. Fleur looked around the table filled with several jars and baskets before giving a sign of joy. 

"I am happy we finished it before dusk aunt" 

Marie nodded sipping her tea and glancing outside at the beautiful sunset. They had made tons of cookies and jams for Marie's family as a gift, since her family was big it was better they made jams as well because of the love everyone in that town had for jams. Fleur felt different today. It was the first time she wore her newly made gown. She remembers lacing up the front of her dress and trying her best to pull that lace along her chest up to cover her bust better. But she gave up, the dress made her look different, more of a woman than a girl. Fleur loved the dress, it was just the different style that took her a while to get used to. 

"I will pack the jams, you can pack the cookies" 

Fleur agreed to her aunt's decision taking the plates filled with now cooled-down cooked and grabbing the baskets. It was the week before they left to visit Marie's hometown, the first time Fleur would accompany them for a visit. The years before this, Fleur would only see her family for Christmas and she was excited to finally see a wedding and be a part of it. 

"Have you taken your shawl dear? and your socks, oh yes you need to take a cape in case it snows, and what about your petticoats, do you need me to run and ask the lady to make you a new one?" 

Fleur was caught up in answering Marie's questions as she packed the last set of cookies in a basket. 

"Yes aunt, I have everything I might need, you bought me far too many things I cannot take all of them with us" 

Marie sighs filling the teacup for the second time and taking a slow sip. 

"I am just worried you might get cold over there, it is in the hills after all. Oh! we have to get the carriage cleaned, oh dear" 

With that, Marie closed the last jar of jam putting it in the basket before running out. Fleur smiled watching her aunt and huffed before standing up and walking to the backyard and watering their plants. She stared at the newly planted seedlings and hoped they would survive till she got back home. Fleur shrugged off the need to visit the mountains and go for walk after what happened last time, resorting to sitting on the patio of the house and reading a book about herbs, something she loved doing. After visiting her uncle's shop of herbs in the town she wanted to learn more about them, it fascinated her. 

Fleur spend the afternoon on the porch reading her book until she saw Marie call for her to have an evening snack and before she noticed the week was over already and they were preparing to leave. 

*** 

"Good morning, Ms.Magret." 

Fleur greet her neighbor as she opened her door to Fleur holding a basket and some flowers. 

"Oh! Fleur, come in dear." 

Fleur smiled walking in and keeping the basket of cookies and bread she made on the table near their living room, keeping the flowers down beside the basket and unwrapping the paper around them. 

"Your garden flowers always make the house look fresh" 

"Thank you. Me and Aunt Marie made some cookies and bread. I wanted to ask a favor from you, Miss Margret." Fleur askes sitting down on the chair Margaret pulled for her before filling an empty vase next to her with water for the flowers. 

"Of course my sweet, what do you need?" 

"My aunt and uncle are taking me back to aunt's hometown this year. We will be gone for two weeks, I was wondering if you might be able to look after the garden? I planted ever seedlings recently. They might need some attention from time to time." 

Fleur explained arranging the flowers she brought into the vase and placing them near the foyer. Marget was the sweet neighbor for them, she occasionally baked cakes and even soup for them. And in turn, Fleur and Marie would bake something for her. Marget was the first woman who sparked Fleur's interest in gardening. Her gardens were filled with vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Fleur would go over to Marget to help her tend her garden and learn how to treat the plants. 

"Oh my! that is great, isn't it. Of course, I will look after your garden dear. This is the first time your aunt and uncle are taking you to her hometown yes?" Margret agreed as she poured some tea for Fleur and placed it in front of her. Fleur smiled wrapping her fingers around the warm cup for warmth. 

"Yes, it is." 

"Oh that is great then, I always wondered why she never took you with her back to that beautiful town and asked me to take care of you. It's about time you know where your father came from" 

Fleur snapped her eyes up to Margret as she happily poured herself some tea. Fleur knew nothing about her mother and father other than their names. Her memories were gone after the incident years ago. 

"My father was from that town?" 

Magret frowned at Fleur and her ignorance of such knowledge. 

"Oh yes of course he is from there, just like his sister your aunt Marie" 

Fleur looked back down at the teacup. She wondered why her aunt or uncle never mentioned it or perhaps the topic of her father's hometown never came into either of their minds. Something about her mother's name gave their hidden thoughts away. Some day in the past, at the last evening hours she had heard them talk of how her mother is different. They said she was not one of the town's people, that she came from a different land and with different kinds of people. 

But there was something serious about it that Fleur could not pinpoint. She naturally dropped her eyes and her smile faded away at the thought of her parents. She wished she remembered their faces but she could never do it no matter how hard she tried to remember.

The past was always filled with mist and confusion for Fleur, her life after that revolved around her aunt and uncle and the village near the mountains, the people she met were their neighbors and they were the only ones she knew. Fleur did not see a town in her life up till now, nor did she know how festivals looked like. She could only hope to see it whenever her aunt and uncle left to visit their family. Miss Margret always took care of her and told her many things about the town to make her curious and fill her mind with fascination. But Margret always told her one thing, to never walk away from the life of the town and towards the wood. 

It would result in dangerous outcomes. 

"But it is a great thing that you get to meet your father's family at last. They love him dearly" 

Fleur looked at Marget and sat up straight curious to know more about her parents. The little details gave her happiness. 

"How do you know about my parents Miss Magret?" 

"Oh, we go way back. Your parents use to visit your aunt and uncle pretty often. They stayed far away from villages in the mountains in the south. What a sweet couple they were, it is a shame how your father's family did not approve of your mother because of where she came from." 

Fleur caught that sudden sentence fast. She was confused why her mother wasn't approved by her father's folks. After all, there were several marriages between two who came from different towns. 

"Why? Why did that not like my mother?" 

Margret stayed silent unable to frame her answer properly for a while. She smiled giving a sigh as she thought while Fleur sat with curious eyes. 

"There are some things many people don't know dear, as far as I heard, she was from a village your father's folks did not want to associate with. Just local disputes within them. That is as far as we got to know. But either way, your mother and father cared only for their love and not for the people around them. And when they had you, they sort of hid you away. Not wanting many to know." 

Fleur frowned at the answer she received. Now after some of the truth, she thought maybe she was not invited to the town because of her parents. Maybe they hated her because of her folk's past and her aunt and uncle were protecting her all along. It was a sad revelation indeed, she started thinking whether she could really show herself to her father's family and receive some love from them. 

"You don't have to worry now Fluer. Everything is probably mended" 

Fleur smiled at Margret, very faintly but genuinely. 

"I am sure your family will love you as soon as they see you," Magret assures her with a pat on her shoulder before grabbing their teacups and turning to the kitchen. She tinkered around before coming back and smiling down at the young girl. 

"Off you go now, I do not want to see you frowning! I will be waiting for you to return so we can plant more herbs together" 

Fleur gasped as Margert pulled her to stand up and pat her back making Fleur chuckle. 

"Okay, okay" Fleur put her hands up and walked towards the door. 

Even if there might be some people who must have considered Fleur as an intruder in their family, she had a family back here including all her sweet neighbors. She felt better after talking to Margret and understanding a little about her folks. 

That night, they set out to Marie's hometown hoping to reach it by the next day at night. Just in time for dinner as Marie's mother had written to her.  Marie glanced at Fleur as she watched the houses pass by and the road soon filled with trees greeting them. It was Fleur's first time meeting people outside the village they lived in, a first time seeing a festival and marriage. Marie looked at John and their eyes met carrying a similar worry before looking down. 

Fleur soon fell asleep while gazing out the carriage. 

***

Sunlight hit her eyes and Fleur opened her eyes, the vast land of mountains of north greeted her. She blinked before sitting up and the carriage soon came to a halt. 

"Fleur dear, come out, we are having some food before getting on the road again" John called as he helped Marie down the carriage. 

Fleur rubbed her eyes before picking up her dress to get down and grabbed John's hand stepping down the carriage back. She looked around the beautiful view and noticed a lodge next to them for travelers. The horses has to be fed and they were hungry as well. 

"Come, let's freshen up" Marie grabbed Fleur's hand before guiding her towards the back and to the ladies' quarters.

They had their meal before leaving the lodge and looking around the view. 

"Where are we uncle?" Fleur asked as Marie dropped a warm shawl over her shoulder and Fleur smiled towards her as a thank you gesture. She pulled her shawl close for warmth. 

"I think we are close to the town of DawnVills, we pass that and we will reach there in an hour or so" John explained walking back to them and kissing Marie on her head. 

"Itis nice to be out and traveling again" 

Maire and Fleur chuckle. 

"Oh yes, it and you are going to love our hometown, Fleur. It is so vast and beautiful" 

Fleur nodded at Marie and she smiled looking out at the distant forests. 

"I cannot wait to get there then." She answered. 

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