Phoebe's POV
I stepped back, falling into place behind Elder Tricia.
We strolled through the garden—the very same one I'd been gazing at from my bedroom window all this time.
I'd never actually set foot here before. I always kept to the interior of the palace, never venturing far. Flynn's warning echoed constantly in my mind: I wasn't supposed to wander the grounds.
The garden felt like a breath of fresh air. The fragrant blooms lifted my spirits, though my nerves about whatever the elder planned to discuss kept me from fully enjoying it.
Neither of us had spoken since we'd entered the garden. I had no idea how to start a conversation when he was the one who'd requested this talk.
We eventually made our way to a bench beneath a wisteria tree. That tree had caught my eye from the very first moment I'd spotted it through my window. I'd longed to see it up close, but my reluctance to venture outside had kept me confined to distant glimpses.
