Stepping through the entrance, the walls bore vibrant clusters of blooms at every turn. How did the Rosenites manage to keep them growing so well? The secret to that question might never be answered, but the thought was enough to add to the mystery. The maze was enchanting, in the best possible sense. Roses, roses, roses–all in various colors, sizes, and stages. This was a perfumer's heaven, and feast for the eyes in natural beauty. Cymbel soon found himself lost in the living walls, but he didn't mind. He wouldn't mind getting lost in a place like this anytime.

As he ventured further he came upon another entrance. And before it–flowers. A large stone fountain not unlike the one in the bazaar stood as a sentinel over the serene flowerbeds, and there were benches carved from stone for visitors to rest. He took a seat and admired the collection of flora gathered here. He could recognize a few plants from Feeorin and Parvpora, but no corpse flowers obviously. "What do you think of it so far?" He asked Vinsue. "The maze feels like it goes on forever."

she trusted his opinion and direction for she did smell the roses with the wins as well. coming into the garden was nice but it brought back some ruff memories. It was hard to enjoy their beauty as her past came back up. she put a smile on her face for it was lovely but the pain was still there. she slowly followed her friend threw the maze tell they come to the center. 

She took a seat beside her friend. "It is a beauty that is forsure." She said trying to hide the sorrow in her voice. she did not want to talk of her past and somewhat hoped that she would not be asked why she was not quite as excited as her friend. 

He nodded his head in agreement, and turned his gaze skyward. The sun was beginning to set, discerning the gradually decreasing levels of light. Not wanting to leave before having achieved his primary reason for coming to Sularia, he stood up and dusted off his clothes. "I wonder how much further until we reach the end, if there is one. Perhaps there are other pockets of flowerbeds tucked away within the maze like this?"

He did not notice Vinsue's lack of enthusiasm as he observed the sundial nearby. They still had a few hours before there was no longer daylight. This was quite the quandary; at the current pace they were going they wouldn't make it out before nightfall. He could try to climb atop the walls, but that would spoil the fun. After thinking it over, he resigned himself to accept whatever happened. He would have to come back some other time on his own if he missed seeing the lake before twilight. Looking back at his friend he asked her, "Ready to continue?"

She stood up and agreed that they should move on. The sooner they moved on the sooner they could get out and she would then fill safe once again. She looked at the many flowers as she pushed off her thoughts. She was going to enjoy its wonders. 

as they walked she decided to talk "You seem to know your way through the maze, any reason why?" she asked for they were both new to the mase but yet they had not run into any dead ends or half to double back. 

"This is the first time I've been in this one, believe it or not." Cymbel answered, as he stopped at a fork in the path and decided to take a left. "I've had a great deal of experience with mazes, actually. In my time I've picked up a few tricks to help make navigation easier. This has been a lucky run so far. Normally I have to retrace my steps at least once or twice. The fact there aren't any traps or time restrictions makes going through it more straightforward."

It was refreshing to walk through winding paths which weren't designed to outright murder you. Finding the right way through was not as difficult when you didn't have imminent death hanging over your head. If Vinsue ever planned to visit Parvpora, he would strongly caution her against going anywhere south of Iria. Feeorin was not the place for anyone to go, for any reason. The entire place was a living nightmare, likely second to Porta Inferi. The only difference was it was as beautiful as it was deadly.

"You know, I used to run through mazes quite often when I was younger. However this is the first one which I can say I like the best. Then again the others weren't very friendly to those entering for the first time." Seeing how his companion had gone quiet after they had entered the confines of the living walls, he tried to keep the awkward silence at bay through making small talk. A few twists, a few turns, and then he stopped in his tracks all of  sudden. He paused for a while, then turned to her, face beaming. "We've made it!  Come, look–at the center!" Moving aside for Vinsue, if she looked past Cymbel she would see Kirika Lake. 

She nodded at his answer for being able to run through it so fast with so few errors. it was nice to know that the maze held no horrible outcome if you were to slow or make a wrong turn. yet she still could not help but wonder if it was truthfully safe. 

Seeing him stop she stopped and saw how his face lit up and how he stepped aside. she looked past him at the lake. It was amazing and she liked it. "Wow" was all she could say truly transfixed by it.  

Cymbel was already making his way towards the lake, and it was clear that something had caught his attention. In the center of the lake's serenity was another clock. This one was larger, and looked far more intricate in its inner workings than the sundial they had seen earlier. Walking briskly around the lake's edge, he spotted some stepping stones on the water's surface. Cautiously, he took a step onto one and jumped from one to the other. He would have never been able to do this back at the manor. In this whole journey, he had done things that would have been deemed unacceptable in their eyes, and things which were considered foolishness. He could smile whenever he wanted, laugh at things he found amusing, and speak his mind without having to fear being ensnared by his own words. 

No more entertaining vacant frivolities, no more bowing and scraping with a fake smile on one's face. No more looking over his shoulder for assassins trying to stab him in the back or poisoned needles hidden in clothes or sheets. If he were to go back in time, he would make the same choice all over again. As he stood upon the last stone closest to the clock, he watched as the clock hands moved. When the larger hand reached the twelve, a chime resonated from the great timepiece which echoed throughout the entire maze. Dusk was finally setting in, and Cymbel had finally achieved what he had came for. Hopping back to the lake's edge, he returned to Vinsue. "It is done–I've finally seen the lake and what it had to offer. We can go back if you'd like, or if you would like to stay for a little longer I am willing to wait."  

She sat down and watched as he leaped across the stones to the clock in the middle. She smiled yet stayed tell the clock rang out. once her friend returned she stood up and stretched. she was ready to leave and started to lead the way out of the maze having memorized how they came.

though there was nothing to fear Vinsue stayed on high alert. It was part of who she was and something she could not help since she was hunted all the time. yet she keep up the look of having a good time and hid her thought. She would be happy to git out of the maze. 

It took a while, but they finally exited the maze. Cymbel himself was very happy, as he had one less thing on his list of things to see. It was now early evening, and the sky was illuminated by the light of the moons. "It seems night has fallen. Perhaps we should find lodging for tonight and set off in the morning? I still plan to see the island of four seasons." Horae Island. Its existence was an interesting puzzle, as each section of the island was eternally locked within one of the four seasons. How did it happen, and what allowed it to be so? He had also heard there were fey who lived there, and wondered what they would be like in comparison to the ones in Feeorin. Did they look different? What customs did they practice? These were all important questions for him. He hoped that he wasn't imposing too much on his friend by asking her to go with him all this way to the island, especially after having her guide him across the Harena.

She was happy to be out of the maze. She looked around at the multi coloured lights and then at the moon. "you're right, we need to find a place to sleep." she said looking back at him. Horae island is a place she had not yet explored and would be happy to see. "And I would love to come with you. Just know I have never ventured there before." she said and started walking.