The Story of Miriel and Baltidos.
The Flower Kingdom was originally founded by a group of nomad soquili. Miriel, the angeni of Flowers, had been residing in a land that thrived on the outskirts of the tundra. Desperate for food and frozen to the core the angeni took pity on the poor souls. Miriel welcomed the travelers into her humble valley and gave them shelter from the harsh elements. Happy, content, and with nowhere else to go the herd decided to remain with the kind angeni.
Within the flourishing grounds nature was kept at a beautiful period of spring due to the spirits that resided on the land. Miriel possessed the ability to speak to them and could spread their wisdom of the land and its flowers to the families growing in her home. It was a peaceful place and with time and a trickle of new members every year the once small band of nomads grew to a peaceful kingdom.
Each family took up a Court, or a house, that was dedicated to one of the hundreds species of flowers that lived within the valley. There were several houses in the kingdom from the glory seeking Laurels to the modest Geraniums. The strongest Courts became the loving Rose Court, the wise Lucerne Court, the prideful Lilac Court, the pure Lily Court alongside its twin court: the courageous Tiger Lilies.
With the help of Miriel each house remained happy and content. There were no fits of jealousy or acts of rage upon one another. The families lived alongside the spirits and took care of their home. To receive new wares the exchanged their Courts flower seeds as currency. In order to receive new things from the brave tundra-crossing merchants who would come through from time to time, they traded exotic wares, flowers, and fruits that could only be created in this mystical land. The beautiful home the soquili had built with the help of Miriel and the spirits was absolute paradise.
Yet a drifter would eventually shred the joy that the herd had built over the many years. But it is hard to blame the stallion for the Flower Kingdom’s downfall because he had simply fallen in love with the beautiful angeni caretaker. That drifter was none other then Baltidos, a strong and confident traveler. An experienced dealer with the two-leggers (these creatures just a myth amongst the Flower Kingdom inhabitants) Baltidos seemed mystical and exotic to the simple kingdom’s citizens. He could tell them stories of lands with blazing sand and large rolling waves known as the ocean.
For long periods of time Baltidos would stay in the Flower Kingdom, but eventually he would leave to go off on new travels. Yet whenever he stayed, the mighty Baltidos and Miriel would spend time together. At first their meetings were very brief “How do you do?”s but on each of his returns, they’d only grow closer, until they were inseparable. Before you knew it the kingdom had a figurehead couple to croon over.
It was especially special because Miriel had been seen as unattainable. Her duty was to the flowers and spirits that kept the Kingdom alive and beautiful year round….not to sit in a field and giggle alongside a stallion about the outside world. Yet a few houses became concerned, love should not be mixed with business. They feared she’d become far too attached and lose sight of work. Miriel had never been in love before so they saw a weakness in her purity of such a difficult subject. What if she became so engrossed with Baltidos she lost the ability to speak with the spirits? Or simply would not do her duties? Some say Miriel and Baltidos’s love was the real weakness that broke the kingdom.
When the two souls were at their peak of romance, a tradition was shared between the lovebirds. Every time Baltidos would leave for a venture he would kiss Miriel on the nose and tell her he would return soon. And every time she would tell him she’d wait. It was simple, sweet, and something any couple would do before parting. When Baltidos returned Miriel would give him a gentle kiss on his nose, instructing him to hold it for her until he left again. They continued to pass this kiss back and forth until one fateful journey Miriel would end up keeping their loving peck.
On this journey Miriel’s love would not return right away. Severely injured by a skinwalker, Baltidos could not make it back home. Left to die out in the tundra just a day away from reaching his new home beside Miriel, a group of two-leggers took him in. Yet they brought him far away from his home since they could not survive for long in such harsh climates. Baltidos does not recall how they managed to transport him but when he awoke he was very far from home. The caring bunch patched him up and took care of him for three months due to how critical his injuries were.
Baltidos grew close to the kind humans who resided within the small tribe.
Yet trouble was lurking around their territory from wolves to a cruel neighboring settlement. Not one to simply leave without a proper thank you, Baltidos accompanied the Indians to their new home. He helped protect them against harm but was brought even further away from home while guiding them to safety. But Baltidos knew Miriel would do the same and help his rescuers avoid certain death. But in acting as their protector, it would take him over a year to return to Miriel’s side. Upon his return Baltidos came back to a Flower Kingdom drained of all its color and life. The place he had begun to call home was in shambles and his beloved Miriel dead.
In Baltidos’s absence Miriel’s heart grew weak with worry when he did not return a few weeks after his estimated time. It was supposed to be a short trip to a soquili herd that had established itself in the tundra. She had sent him as an ambassador in hopes of creating a bridge of sorts between two cultures. The journey was meant to open doors for the kingdom’s people and yet Miriel found it was crushing her heart.
Ever since she and Baltidos had become a unit, he would always return after two months but when six months came along Miriel didn’t know what to do. As time took its toll and fear sank deeper and deeper, the angeni found herself struggling daily to speak with the spirits and stay on top of taking care of the flowers. The land was dying as the spirits began to fall asleep, unable to thrive off the land or Miriel’s weak magic. Anger and fear began to grow and spread amongst the family courts. No one knew what to do and began to question Miriel’s power. Had her love doomed them? The strong connection Miriel had obtained with the souls was fading. In time different courts began to leave under fear that they could die because their paradise was drying up.
When the last flower died and the remaining spirit took to slumber Miriel fell into a coma, unable to be awakened by anyone. The valley she and the flower soquili had created was gone. The flowers had wilted and shriveled, their jobs no longer existed, food was hard to find, and the rivers had run dry. Without any spirits to take care of the land and Miriel’s powers the snowy tundra that could never get into paradise broke through. Eternal spring became eternal winter. Like a hungry child the storm swallowed the dying green land in white snow and icicles.
This was the state Baltidos returned to of his newly declared home. The few families that remained, the Rose Court being one of them, brought a panicked Baltidos to see his beloved. Yet not even for her love would she rouse. Fearing her dead as she did with him, Baltidos went on a rampage. The outgoing and kind stallion vanished and what was left behind resembled a crazed beast. Families who had managed to survive this long were torn a part and banished into the tundra. No one was able to take down Baltidos and those who tried were assumed dead. It is unknown who survived these dark days.
When the dust cleared Baltidos was the only being left standing. From then on Baltidos remained close to the cave Miriel’s body laid, not allowing anyone into the deserted kingdom. The herds that lived within the tundra dared not go near the entrance of the valley for they feared if they did, the transfigured stallion would hunt them down.
Those on the outside believed no one survived the last days of the Flower Kingdom when Baltidos was on his rampage. But one lucky soul did escape the stallion’s heart-broken and cruel storm. Rosalia, a little filly born to the Lord and Lady of the Rose Court, was the key to lifting the curse.
Still a young filly when the event took place Rosie was traumatized and left to die in the snow. Her luck showed its hand to find her a foster father after wandering the tundra for who knows how long. She knew not of where she came from or who she was. Her name was all the child could remember.
With a loving father by her side Rosie began to lead a regular happy life. But at night she was plagued with flashes of what she at first thought were dreams but then turned into memories. As Rosie grew these memories haunted her because she didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle. With the need to understand who she was Rosie left her father and ventured out into the world. After performing various good deeds and meeting folks from all around, Rosie’s memory began to piece itself together. When the final memory of her past came to light Rosie saw the whole story play out before her eyes. She had to stop Baltidos. After regaining her memory she had a new quest to fulfill, and that was to save the Flower Kingdom.
When Rosie reached the Flower Kingdom, she battled a fierce fight against a fierce Baltidos. So far gone the man did not recognize the child. Once disabling him, Rosie had a short amount of time to reach Miriel’s cavern. The roses Rosie wore in her hair were from the Flower Kingdom’s glower days. Somehow, someway, they had possessed a little bit of magic left to awaken the spirits and Miriel. It was just in time too, because as Miriel opened her eyes Baltidos broke through.
At the sight of his love, awakened and alive, all of his anger melted away. Baltidos was overcome with emotion. For the first night he didn’t leave Miriel’s side and they sat in silence. But in the morning Baltidos recalled everything he had done and resigned himself to the farthest corner of the Kingdom. He had to deal with what he had done by himself.
Miriel was shaken up by what had happened and was grateful for the silence. She went on a search with Rosie to awaken the rest of the spirits and think about what had happened. Love had caused this. Love had made her weak. But she couldn’t stop loving Baltidos.
Ever so slowly the two began to repair their relationship as the land repaired itself. Miriel began to visit Baltidos when she was not healing the Kingdom with Rosie and the spirits. Baltidos began to plant seeds around the borders to help Miriel and lighten the load of her work. Little things like that, similar to the kiss on the nose they would always share in the past, helped to rebuild their relationship as the kingdom grew back around them.
