Part 15: Sunflowers

When Philip finally awoke, he was lying on his back in the dirt. As he slowly opened his eyes, his blurred vision at first picked out two colors – blue, and yellow. He gradually recognized the blue he was facing was the sky. The yellow that rimmed it was soon revealed to be some of the tall sunflowers in the field North of Yellow Field.

Sitting up, Philip was extremely disoriented. All around him as far as he could see were the stalks of four, five, and even six-foot tall sunflowers. Atop the sturdy, slender green staffs were the large, broad heads of the flowers, the center populated by a multitude of brownish seeds, rimmed by innumerable long, thin golden petals. It was a sight that made Philip smile.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, his head spinning slowly. Eventually, he gained his balance and began slowly walking. He brushed past the gently fragrant sunflowers and smiled, closing his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun on his face. There was an occasional breeze, and it gently ruffled the tall flowers in waves as it passed through the field.

As Philip walked, he came across a horse standing in the middle of the field, looking a little disoriented but otherwise fine. It had a beautiful black coat peppered throughout with specks of gray. There was a blanket and a saddle on its back, a bridle in its mouth, and a bag resting on the saddle. Philip smiled and patted the horse’s neck before wondering onward in a haze.

He passed countless sunflowers on each side. Every now and then, he would lean up and inhale the gentle fragrance of each flower, savoring it with each breath he took. Sometimes he would move his fingertips along the stalks of the plants, feeling the sturdy, slightly bristled and fuzzy surface. His hands would sometimes wander to the broad, deep green leaves, tracing across them slowly. If there were such a thing as perpetual bliss, if even for a short time, Philip had found it.

He wandered in this manner for nearly an hour, his mind a complete fog. He couldn’t even remember who he was, or where he was, or why he was there. All he knew was that he was at peace, at home in bliss. The old steed he had found followed at a distance, but he took almost no notice of it. His heart was happy and that was all that mattered.

At length, Philip became aware of another sound, aside from the breeze, his soft breathing, and the movement of his feet upon the ground. It must have always been there, because he reflected back and realized it had just been part of the background. It was a sort of dull, repetitive noise, a thud upon the earth that caused it to vibrate ever so slightly, As he listened further, he became aware of distant unison shouts and the clanking of metal.

Slowly, he moved through the sunflowers in the direction of the sound, his child-like curiosity aroused. As he approached the edge of the large field dense with flowers, the noise began to grow more distinct. There were footsteps, cries from one side and loud responses from the other. Philip couldn’t make out any words, but they sounded like battle cries. The movement of metal could be heard constantly now.

Eventually, Philip reached the end of the field and stepped between the last sunflowers. He nearly fell over backwards as every memory rushed back into his still-ringing head. The army! The many thousands of troops had already advanced past Fork and were heading North along the Great Eastern Road toward the White Mountains some twenty miles away.

Philip staggered back at the sight of the soldiers marching in black armor, men sitting atop armored horses at the front of each division. A large banner rose above each section of the marching army, a white sheet rimmed in gold with a symbol of the Dendrian realm on it – a black eagle with its wings spread, gripping a golden sword in one talon and a golden spear in the other.

“Oh, gods,� Philip muttered. “What happened?�