Drabble #207: United

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 206, with entries by apachefirecat and redwolf, and comments by apachefirecat and redwolf

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

United

Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
$your_beautiful_drabble

I'll be running weekly challenges in the space around jalenstrix's monthly challenges.

You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Gardening

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah had never been much of a gardener. While she appreciated the end result, her participation had only gone as far as following the patient instructions of her more green thumbed family members when they needed another warm body. As plants were not her domain, she always forgot that the clothing suited to daily life did not work well with long exposure in a greenhouse.

With a longing glance at the light clothing worn by Thadie, Sarah swore to herself that next time she’d change before she visited.

“How can I help?”

Thadie handed Sarah a pair of heavy gloves. “I have some repotting that will go faster with two.” She showed Sarah how to backfill the plants and they settled into a rhythm.

“I have a plant related question.” Sarah theoretically knew of carnivorous plants that had adapted to nutrient poor environments, but she wasn’t certain this was what she’d seen when Jareth had seemed to melt into a hedge. It didn’t explain goblins clambering over a greenery covered wall as if hand and foot holds had appeared. Nor the time she’d seen a vine curl around Rook’s leg, that was lovingly patted before it retreated to leave a tattooed mark in its wake. “Are plants a little more sentient in the Underground?”

“Not as such.” Thadie passed another pot onto Sarah. “But the Labyrinth is capable of manipulating them to suit itself.”

Nodding to herself, Sarah had experienced this herself when the Labyrinth bloomed for her benefit. “Is it a minor capability or could it be fully utilised for defence?”

Thadie chuckled. “The Labyrinth isn’t just bogs and oubliettes, the plants are far more lethal. Many years ago there was an assault on the northern gate.”

Sarah frowned in thought as she tamped down a pot and started on another. “That’s the one with the spectacular climbing roses surrounding the gate?”

“That’s the one.” Thadie upended a plant to remove it from its pot, loosening the roots before she placed it in a prepared pot and passed it to Sarah to finish. “Jareth had been called away from the kingdom on an urgent request and a force of several hundred men arrived at the gate. They all fell asleep before they could enter and the sleeping bodies were dragged into the shrubbery and bound.”

“I would assume that was not a coincidence.”

“Well the summons did turn out to be inconsequential, but it was certainly an oddity that there were so many abandoned horses in that kingdom’s livery on our doorstep.”

“So what happened to the men?” Sarah shuffled her pots along the bench to make room for more.

“The Labyrinth wasn’t going to release a threat and their home kingdom had detained Jareth for too long.” Thadie shrugged, leaving Sarah to draw her own conclusion.

“There are skeletons bound in the entry?” Sarah gasped.

Thadie shook her head. “And waste all those nutrients?”

“I guess that does explain why the roses grow so well in that area.”