Garden

In her time in the mountains, Gwydion has made her little research station into what might better be described as a cozy cottage. The furniture is comfortable, decorated with throw pillows and soft, woven blankets she bought in town. The decorations are sparse, but warm. Her instruments and research notes are strewn about, as they were when she arrived, but it just makes the place look lived-in. She’s awfully fond of the little place now; she’ll be sad when her work here is concluded and she’ll have to leave.

Outside, when the weather is warm, she spends time in the garden out back. Bordered by an old wooden fence, the soil there is just slightly less hard and rocky than the soil outside. It’s hard work coaxing anything to grow there, but Gwydion has a lot of free time while her instruments make their analyses and calculations, and she has the kind of determination that sends someone up into the mountains, alone, to pursue a science she doesn’t know she’ll find. Which is to say: it does not deter her when something is challenging.

Sometimes, it makes her put her head down and try harder.

So far, she has managed to grow a few edible plants — not much, and not impressive ones, but edible. The flowers are easier: she ensured they would have the best possible chance by gathering the seeds of mountain flowers to plant, rather than trying to grow a plant more accustomed to temperate weather and soft earth. The blooms are large now: purple and blue.

Next time she goes into town, Gwydion intends to ask at the general store if there are herbs that grow well in the mountains. They would make a lovely addition to her soups.