Have you ever received a love letter from a fairy? You know what it looks like? It looks pretty awesome and Alwin Yeswarin really expected one. Especially from his dear penpal Isabelle Dazzlesparkle herself… Both of them lived in the most distant nooks of the Enchanted forest, so they could watch the same stars, but in order to hook up, they had to send each other greetings every week.
Well, he opened the rolled parchment by pulling slowly the red ribbon, which scented of jasmine, Isabelle’s pleasing perfume and while he was staring at her crooked handwriting, he felt full of great expectations. Imagining her rosy fingertips slipping upon the parchment, leaving pink ink spots everywhere, he thought about what his enchantress had in mind this time.
Two days ago in Fae Keep, whilst drinking her regular hot infusions, Isabelle Dazzlesparkle was writing a letter, which would express her innermost rapture, when she was dancing…because on the masquerade she had danced with Dew Lilycome – the elf of kindness himself. Dew Lilycome knew how to move and move it, and he liked doing so…and Isabelle was so bedazzled with his moves in her direction that she was hardly able to think of anything else. So…she was writing a love letter to Alwin, whilst thinking about Dew…and that was completely par for the course, don’t you feel?
Well, she messed it up. On the third sentence of her letter, Alwin was already frowning. In the midst of winter – there was summer in her soul. Why? In the fourth sentence, she had stopped eating from excitement. “In the sixth sentence, she mentions some demigod, who approaches her to invite her to dance only with his insisting look. In the next sentences, they almost become intimate on the dancefloor.” And the jasmine scent of her letter made him dizzy in the head.
“Romance…” he thought. “Well, I distaste romance, it is not something beautiful to witness. Especially romance between a dancing couple. Why I would hate to ruin Isabelle’s mood – but dance and romance – that’s just wishful thinking. I am also an elf who is down to earth. ” and he decided to declare all this, but since he was very thoughtful, he wrote it with kindness.
In Fae Keep Isabelle opened the white envelope with enthusiasm, she unfolded with eagerness the sheet of paper with Alwin’s neat and calligraphic handwriting and immersed in it.
In the first paragraph, he apologized for having realistic expectations about a dance. In the last paragraph, he apologized for having realistic expectations about a dance… In the rest of the paragraphs he declared that romance oozes from her words, but that romance was a dangerous, and an alarming thing. To say that to the Fairy of People in Love was probably a little insulting, but Alwin meant no ill. It felt like thousands of years had passed since Isabelle was melting in his arms, in a remarkable and sultry summer night, which had been everything else but romantic.
“You know that this fairy tale will evaporate in the morning as if it is a wish written on the sand,” warned her Alwin without a hint of romance, and Isabelle agreed with him because she didn’t want to argue. But the evening planted some seeds deeply into her. Her morning ritual now included sending a wake-up greeting to him, and to read some words from him was a delight. Basically, the White Rabbit (Forest’s postman) had to trot to and fro between the Fae Keep and Alwin’s Hold several times a day…
Oh, Isabelle had warned all her girlfriends that she’s got a new flame…She relished the memory of every moment spent with him…and his generous attention made her feel like a fairy wonderful. When they first met, it was at the Summer Shimmering ball, where everybody wore glitter on their clothes and faces. She was first to approach the newcomer and tilting softly side to side they spent several songs in each other’s hugs. She was so impressed, she didn’t dare ask him his name. But she thought of him, and she couldn’t sleep at night – turning in bed, inventing names for him. On the twelfth night, she asked a common acquaintance for his address. First thing in the morning was to send him an invitation for brunch in an affable café…Well, you have seen an invitation from a fairy, already, and you know what it looks like…but what happened next was not expected by anyone…
They shared the same sundae, they even managed to mix up their spoons. All of that was everything but romantic. When she asked for a kiss and he budged – that wasn’t sentimental – it was just very down-to-earth. It turned out their ardent kisses were something to bond over. However, they were two responsible adults, who found romance cheesy. So when their lips parted for the last time, before he left – they decided, they will not torture each other with romance, but will instead be friends with benefits.
Let’s return to Fae Keep when Isabelle is still writing the letter. Everybody knows that Isabelle hasn’t got the faculty to lie, even one bit, so she just felt, and poured her heart, and hoped Alwin will understand her – especially keeping in mind that he himself was quite the dancer. Yes, she had her mind set on someone important in his own way, but a friend with benefits would not mind, would he?
Later, when she was reading his answer, she thought she’d made a wrong mistake, but he still had sent her a kiss.
Back to Alwin’s Hold, where he is folding the parchment carefully and wondering whether to place it on his shelves full of huge fiction books. He smells the perfume and thinks: “It is good literature, but totally inapplicable in life.”