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Initially, the Rose Family grew from a gift of a single dusky pink rose. A shy stallion hoped his small gift would turn the head of a wise and beautiful mare. Charmed by the gift of the antique pink rose, the mare accepted the stallion's intentions. The pair's love bloomed brilliantly like a flower. The rose was the first of a long line of horticultural gifts the stallion presented to the mare during their matehood. The couple's love for plants passed to their descendants. All members of the Rose family and those affiliated care for plants, and many create goods and medicines derived from the plants they care for. It is also a family tradition to give a pale pink rose to their courting partners in the hope their romance will blossom as beautifully as their ancestors' love.
While the tale of the pink rose held the most symbolic meaning for the family, other stories were often retold as well. A sadder tale existed surrounding a courting couple whose love withered due to tragic circumstances. A member of the herd accepted the love token from a traveling mercantile stallion. The gift was a mysterious seed that the stallion had promised would bloom for the mare before he returned from his travels. Yet the stallion never returned to the Rose family’s land. Reports reached the family that the stallion had passed due to a sudden flood. Grief-stricken, the mare planted the seed as a sign of remembrance, but the plant never grew.
(W:251)

Yet over the years of use, the middle section of the territory had been drained of nutrients, and the field had been left to fallow. The field had been resting for several generations with the hope that the ground would redevelop fertility as nutrients returned to the soil.

During his mid-morning break, Briar heard an excited shout from the group of youngsters as they worked in the fallow field. Soon, a murmur of voices was heard across all sections of the territory as all work was put to a halt. A younger member raced to Briar and proudly shouted they had made an amazing discovery. Briar Rose approached the fallow field.
As Briar Rose observed the familiar plot, his breath caught—there, pushing bravely through the earth, was a tender green shoot. He quickly held his breath as his body cursed with excitement. He recognized the plant instantly as the seed that had never grown. No other plant had recently been planted in this plot of land. Besides, senior members of the herd were aware of each type of plant that had been planted. This seedling didn’t match the description of any plant the herd had grown before or currently. The seed had once been cherished by his ancestor as her love token but the seed had never shown any sign of life after it had been planted. After several years, the mare had accepted that the seed would never grow due to the territory's damp, cold winters.
Amazed and overjoyed, Briar gently brushed the soil from the seedling's little leaves. His emotions were complex as he gazed at the mysterious plant. He thanked his ancestors for protecting the plant. He also acknowledged his sadness that the plant had sprouted long after the death of the mare.

(W:296)