Ridahne took another apple, crunching it with satisfaction and shook her head at all the names of plants that Darin was pointing out. The only one she knew of was lavender, which grew in the mountains that bordered Azurei. Some of the Azurei elite took bunches of it and dropped them in barrels of floral, juniper-flavored liquor to infuse, and would drink the concoction on hot afternoons. Ridahne had tried some, both the lavender infused variety and straight up. Actually she had a few times when she was quite a bit younger and had more popularity among the court of the Sols and their various servants. Off duty, they would slip off to their quarters with a jug and pass it around. But as she gained rank among the Eija and became more specialized, she found she was not often invited to these gatherings. People were intimidated by her. And for good reason.

Ridahne smiled. "Well, at least I don't have to teach you too much about woodcraft. You've got that down well, it seems. Did you ever hunt, back home? Or did you trade for meats? There are not many farmers in Azurei, not like there are here. Not much to farm, honestly. But looooots of herdsmen."

Ridahne had not thought about the tree being effectively already dead. It wasn't yet, not technically, but realistically there was no chance of bringing it back. She was right. Why else would the Gardener leave his post and go searching for someone to begin the next generation? The thought churned Ridahne's stomach. It was not new information really, and due to her vision she knew more than most just how bad the Tree really was. But there was something about the finality of it that broke her heart. 

"Do you think," she began, her tone thoughtful. "That your seed will grow to be the same as the Great Tree? I don't mean same species, necessarily...but will it...do the same things? Prevent evil in the same way? Or will it change the definitions of evil? Will it be more specific or more general? I don't know if you've given any thought to that. I don't know. Just something I wonder about. I love Azurei. It's harsh edge, its wildness, its untamed sands and high peaks. And I love its people. I just...I want it to continue to be as it is. I don't want to see my people fall into ruin. I...I want to see you succeed, Darin." She shook her head as if trying to rid herself of something. "I don't know why I'm rambling on about this. Maybe it's just nerves or something. I don't know."