The garden was splendid, although small. It had a brook, flowers, a perfect lawn, and the most exquisite garden furniture. On the table, a tea set.

“May I offer you some smoked-tea?” offered Li-Hua.

“Yes, please. Smoked tea is our favored tea.”

Estella slowly turned the cup, letting the aroma rise to her nostrils. She took a sip and put back the cup on the plate.

“Li-Hua, I’ll be direct. Do you know where we are?”

“Yes, of course. This is an imaginary zsen garden. Our meditation masters teach us such constructs. But this… feels so real. You are indeed a powerful mage, your highness.”

“Thank you. It is a garden I made for you, a metaphor. On the right, you have that splendid rose bush. On the left, this majestic cedar tree. Soon, you will have to choose a path in life. How will love be for you? Will it be like a rose bush or like a cedar?”

“Am I supposed to chose now?” asked Li-Hua.

“Not now, but soon. This is just to help you make an informed decision. I suspect you like roses better.”

“Is it bad? They are beautiful …”

“The brilliance of the most beautiful roses

Disappear soon with them…”

“It's from one of my father's poems… You know his poetry?”

“By heart. I consider Secretary Lau the most accomplished poet on the Realm. Roses fade, wither like all flowers, and they prick your fingers too. Should you chose the roses, you will pick one, you will be pricked, it will wither, you will pick another one… and so on. They do not last. Cedars lasts. A cedar will protect you when the sun is too bright or during the storm, yet let you go on the grass when the weather is beautiful. Protection and respect. Choose wisely.”

She took another sip, and the garden began to fade as soon as she put the cup on the table.

“DONE! I’m so good! A real champ! Congratulations, me!”

“Done? Do you consider yourself too perfect to have your own trial?”

Estella turned abruptly on her heels. A bearded man of incertain age was looking at her. She noticed the surroundings too; they were atop the tower of a large castle, on an island in a lake surrounded by beautiful mountains.

“Who are you?” she frowned.

“Answer the question!” the man asked. “Do you consider yourself too perfect for your own trial?”

“No,” she replied.

“Good. Then we talk.”

“Who are you?” she asked again. “You look somehow familiar. Are you the Realm, by any chance? Dad talked to you once; he said it was a very intense experience.”

“I look familiar because your mind sees me so. Don’t you remember the portraits on the walls? Your ancestors?”

“The Captain… No! The First King!”

“Both, mixed. They both are characters who you trust, in your imagination, thus here I am.”

“So you are a representation of…”

“My child, it’s not whose image I represent in your mind that’s important, but who I am. I’m Probability's Horizon. The interaction between sentients and Realm’s Ener…”

“You’re the Magic!” she whispered in awe, putting both her hands on her mouth.

“Yes. And we might have a problem. There is a difference between what you and we see. By we, I mean the Realm and Me. In short, we see the problem is solved. You arrive before Alienor, take control of the army, capture her, and all is well. It’s like sunshine and butterflies over meadows everywhere.”

“Perfect!” she exclaimed. “That’s a relief because I see only a big fog.”

“That’s the problem. You should have seen the butterflies and meadows. In or out of the City, you are the most powerful Seer we've ever met. Why do you see fog? Who is right, we, or you? We have the feeling that we miss something.”

“Yes, I have that feeling too … Do you think there is more than meets the eye with Alienor?”

“Possibly. We felt her when she got that army two years ago, but even such an army is not a threat for us, so we let her be. Actually, we are delighted she wants to return with the Beauhemians. The question remains, why do you still see fog? Is there some hidden danger? I'll say just this: be careful. We will try to assist at our best, but direct intervention is not something we can do lightly. It could hurt everyone… symbiosis is a delicate thing. Well, take care, all five of you.”

“Thank you, we will,” she said as he disappeared.

I really feel I'm missing something… she thought while the mountains melted away.