Queen of Their Colony (Kindred Tales)

“Oh, it’s best not to get too attached to those ones, deary,” the grandmother daisy admonished her. “It’s not like they’re fancy skinkles, as can be had for pets, like the princess’s little man, Duncan, you know.”

“Oh, they’re not?” Terra wondered what it would be like to have a miniature person for a pet. It would be too weird, she decided. Carrying around a Chihuahua-sized person or putting them on a leash? No thank you—much too bizarre.

“Come on along—we have to get you washed before dinner,” the grandmother daisy said. She turned and continued away from the kitchens and the skinkle pen and Terra and the Monstrum followed her.

They had a refreshing wash in a small, clear pool. Terra would have liked to take off her dress to dive in completely, but she felt shy because of the way the older female daisy was watching them.

“Bless me!” she’d say every now and again, shaking her petaled head. “Giant talking skinkles! Who’d have thought it?”

It made Terra feel like a circus freak and she was glad when the washing was finished and they all trooped back to the area were the Froozles lived. The grandmother daisy led them to an enormous table which seemed to be made of vines woven together. It was three meters high—much too tall for Terra to reach and even too tall for V’rone and Rive and Tem.

“Don’t you worry, dearies,” the grandmother daisy said to them. “I’m certain his Majesty has something worked out for the four of you!” And she led them over to where King Randolph Percival the fourth was standing at the head of the enormous table.

“Well now, here you are—faces washed, petals brushed, and fronds all clean and neat!” the king Froozle bellowed, smiling down at them. “Do come up here—I’ve got some special accommodations for my four favorite little guests!”

He nodded to four step ladders which had been set up on the right side of the table.

“Do climb up—we usually reserve these for our children, before their roots deepen,” he told Terra. “But I thought they might be just the right height for giant skinkles.”

Terra thought about telling him that they weren’t actually skinkles but it seemed like too much trouble to try and explain that she was a human and the guys were Monstrum warriors, especially since they were leaving after the meal was over. She thanked the king daisy politely and climbed up one of the step ladders, which put the table at around chest-level for her. V’rone was on her right and Tem was on her left with Rive beside him.

Across the table, Mirabel, the little daisy princess with the pale purple petals, was standing on a similar step stool. Terra peeked under the table and saw that she was standing on roots that looked very like feet. Were the younger Froozles able to “uproot” themselves, then? It seemed so, though she didn’t see any of the adults doing it.

Mirabel had her little man, Duncan, under one arm and he seemed to be sleeping. Terra wondered if she was allowed to have her pet at the table, but since the king didn’t say anything, it seemed to be all right.

“Let me welcome everyone to tonight’s dinner,” King Randolph Percival roared, once everyone was settled. “And I have an announcement! We have some special guests from a far distant land—some talking skinkles!”

He waved one leaf hand with its long, frond-like fingers at Terra and the Monstrum and suddenly every eye was on them.

“Go on, my dear—say something,” the king told her.

“Er, hello. It’s lovely to meet you all.”

Terra waved politely and tried to smile at the many daisy faces who were staring curiously at the four of them. But it just felt weird to be exhibited like circus freaks to giant sentient daisies.

Luckily, just then the serving flowers—whose petals were plain white—came and started putting huge platters of food on the table. An enormous plate of fresh-baked bread landed in front of Terra and the yeasty smell made her mouth water.

“Just a moment, let me check that,” Rive told her. He reached around Tem and ran a small silver stick over the platter of bread. A green light flashed at the end of the stick and Rive nodded and murmured, “Safe.”

Eagerly, Terra took a slice of bread—which was about the size of a hubcap—and slid it onto her plate. It had a crispy brown crust and a dense, pillowy center.

“Do have some slibbum butter and some jingon-berry jam with that, my dear,” the king daisy said to her. “Maribel, my darling, do pass the butter and jam to our esteemed guests.”

“Yes, Father.” Obediently, the daisy princess passed two huge earthenware jars across the table.

Terra reached for the one that seemed to have pale pink substance in it and nearly dropped it.