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There was a tiny country in Europe, close to Spain, France, and Italy. But they really hated England. The year is 1897, the year when the war between the toleranced country of Genovia planned a war with England and all of Great Britain.
But apart from the city and kingdom, there was a little flower garden in the national park, where all of the young handsome gentlemen would escort the young ladies and stroll around the gardens like there was no tomorrow.
There then lived a community of flower fairies that were fluttering around the gardens. To them, they called it Fairyopolis.
Suddenly, a flower had gently opened and a little fairy peaked out her head. Little Lillian was born. She couldn’t speak any words yet. She looked all around the scented garden and watched all of the other fairies flutter by.
I hope I’ll make friends here, she thought, smiling for the first time.
Lillian was surveying her flower bed and then found a golden thread. Luckily, she knew how to fly quickly. She fluttered around the red rose and tied up the petals, so that she would know where she lived and flew away to explore.
But very quickly her wings began to tire. She was very young to be flying around the garden. But she was brave. Lillian landed on a little daisy and rested her wings.
“Quite exhausted, aren’t we?”
Lillian couldn’t speak yet, but she looked around for the voice that spoke to her. She then saw another fairy fluttering in front of her.
“I’m Daisy. This one beside me is Ivy from the ground ivies.”
“You’re new, aren’t you?” asked Ivy.
Lillian tilted her head.
“We can tell because you haven’t learned to speak yet. But you will begin to talk by the next morning. Right now, you are exploring the gardens.”
“And by five months, you will be able to fly around the human world.” said Daisy, “But the borders between humans and fairies must never cross. If you do, then our kind will be exposed and it could lead to trouble.”
Then I won’t want to do that, Lillian thought.
“We will let you off, now,” said Ivy, “You must be off to meet the rest of the fairies.”
Lillian slowly fluttered up in the sky and waved to her new friends farewell. She then swarmed across the gardens and saw grass fairies. She softly landed on the sunny grassy meadow.
“Hello, there miss,” said Cottongrass, “You must be one of the new-bloom fairies. My name is Cottongrass and my partner-in-crime here is Rushgrass.”
“Our job is to help the travelers from other meadows around the world.” Rushgrass added.
Lillian just nodded her head.
“Say,” said Cottongrass, “You haven’t learned to speak yet. I used to think that you would be able to talk by the time you come out of your flower.”
“Well, it’s just how it is,” said Rushgrass, “Anyways, it was good seeing you. We have to go and help other fairies. We shall catch you later!”
Lillian fluttered up in the air again and waved both Cottongrass and Rushgrass goodbye. She then fluttered a bit more into the little meadow, but tried not to be seen by the other humans. She then hears the sounds of tiny giggling. She then lands in a forest of grass and finds two fairies Sloe and Privet playing a skipping game.
I’ve never seen a fairy do that, she thought.
She then fluttered by.
“Look,” called Privet, “I think that’s the new fairy.”
“I think she is busy exploring,” said Sloe, “We’ll catch up with her later.”
Lillian fluttered to Friendly Forest, a landscape in the hiking trail in Genovia’s national park. It was filled with a lot of colorful fairies and flowers. The temperature was a bit cooler as well. Lillian then spotted a pair of butterflies fluttering around her and then the way out of the forest. She then giggled and realized she had found her voice.
The next morning, I’ll be sure to talk to people!
Unsure how to get back to Fairyopolis, two forest fairies, Buttercup and Bugle, flew in front of her.
“You lost there, sweetie?” asked Bugle.
Lillian tilted her head.
“Don’t worry,” said Buttercup, “Follow the butterflies and you will be out of here in no time!”
Lillian then followed the butterflies and waved to the two fairies goodbye. She then found that it was quickly getting dark. One the way back to the rose garden, she spotted vivid scarlet flowers. The poppy fairy waved up at her and Lillian waved in return, flying back to her golden rose.
And then, she spotted her golden ribbon and rose. She then closed up her flower for the night and fell fast asleep, like all the other fairies and humans do.
Months have passed. Lillian could actually talk. She then fluttered all around her heart and home. But she was not ready to leave the gardens behind.
“A lot of fairies choose to stay in Fairyopolis,” said Daisy, as she was visiting Lillian, “But seeing how determined you are to live on your own, we are now going to see you cast off.”
“But…I will be all right, will I?” asked Lillian.
“You will,” said Daisy, “It’s getting dark, you best be off!”
As Lillian fluttered into the air, she then flew away from her heart and home. As she flew past the burrows, the meadows, and the babbling brooks, she then found another garden. She fluttered around and noticed that it was next to a castle. She turned to the other side and found a big tree. There was a hole that was roomy enough for her to sneak into. And so, she settled in and it became her new home.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Comfortably, Lillian slept in her big tree. But she woke up all of a sudden to hear a beautiful faint melody. But the meadow she was currently living in was much quieter than the one back in Fairyopolis. It was early in the morning, the sun hadn’t risen yet. Yet, she saw something glowing in the distance from her to the castle. It looked like a light.
Tilting her head, Lillian floated closer to the castle, trying to get a better look at the light. As she is close enough, she realizes that it is someone’s chamber. She lands on a branch near the window and looks inside, waiting for someone to come in so that she can tell who’s room it is.
Suddenly, a tall young man entered. Lillian hid herself in the leaves of the branch. She peaked her head out only a little. The young man then took off his coat and hung it up on the little coat rack next to the door. He then sits down on his desk, opens his notebook and begins to write.
Lillian then came out from the leaves and sat on the branch. She saw him writing something down on his green notebook. The young man was focused on what he was doing, and didn’t notice Lillian’s bright light.
As Lillian wondered why he was writing, she noticed that he had an instrument by his side on the desk. She tilted her head.
“Isn’t that an instrument?” she asked herself.
She continued watching him and was still trying to understand what he was doing. The young man quickly stopped writing for a moment and then looked up at the ceiling. That was when Lillian could see his beautiful eyes, in the color of brown.
“How can humans be considered dangerous when they have beautiful features on their faces?” she wondered in a soft voice.
The young man sighed and walked over to his bed and laid down on it. Lillian could see how somber this pretty young man was feeling. She saw that he was in melancholy at the very moment. The young man then stood up and went out to open the window and Lillian hid herself in the leaves again. The young man closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. The sky began to wake up from the sun rising.
Lillian got a good look at the young man’s appearance and saw how really beautiful he was. She was instantly falling in love. But she knew that it was forbidden to encounter a human in person. But this was her seeing an actual human for the first time in her life. It was a much different experience.
The sun was up in the sky, the birds started tweeting again and the flowers began to open up. Lillian saw what a beautiful sight she was seeing. But then, she saw the young man coming outside holding a carmel brown object. She looked back at the bedroom and saw that the instrument next to the notebook was missing. Lillian then realized that it was the same one that he was holding. His long fingers were feathering on the strings and the bow.
The young man looked up at the sky and closed his eyes, feeling the sun casting its warm and bright shine on his pale white skin and his raven-black hair. Lillian spaced out and fell asleep on the branch. She had stayed up in the early morning, it wore her out.
Lillian suddenly began to hear beautiful violin music. She was a bit slow to wake up. But she felt comforted by the sounds.
But…what could this be? Lillian questionably thought as she was trying to listen to the music and sleep at the same time.
The little fairy opened her eyes. She then realized that the music was getting louder. She then floated closer to the sounds. She landed on a lower, closer branch when she spotted the young man, playing his violin beautifully. She watches in awe.
He is so beautiful.
The young man’s playing expresses his beautiful soul. His fingers could not help but feather onto the strings and they leaped, with each note. He stood still at the trills. His music was beautiful. Slow…not so fast…and romantic. It was as if it was the sound of Angels singing like bells. But then he stopped. He was saddened as he put his violin at its resting position. He looked down with a frown.
Lillian was drawn to him. But she was concerned, too. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about after he stopped playing… why he was so sad.
She then rested her head on the branch and fell asleep again. The young boy flinched as if he was being called and rushed out of the little garden spot. Lillian was alarmed and she followed.
She saw the window and noticed that he was speaking with his advisor. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. But as he was coming out, she flew back to the tree branch and watched him come back to the same spot he stood before. He then sat down. He still frowned. Lillian wondered what the reason was for his melancholy emotion and his sadness.
The young man then tucked his violin under his chin on one hand and he feathered his bow with the other. As he began playing a different tune, he bowed the strings with grace and ginger. His fingers leaped and vibrated. His eyelids fluttered. Lillian fell head over heels in love.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Lillian watched him away. Deep down she felt this sympathy for the young boy. The sky grew dark and the young man lit up his room with the lamp and he sat on his desk, writing in his green and gold notebook.
She then fluttered closer to the window of his chamber and admired him writing with a quill.
“He is so beautiful,” she muttered, “I wonder if he is composing something. He must have the talent, after playing so beautifully in the garden during the day.”
He then stopped writing, closed his notebook and turned off the lights. He must be going to bed. Lillian then flew back to her big hollow tree. But she wondered what it was like, living as a human.
It must be fascinating, she thought, It must be a very interesting experience for a fairy. Wearing nice clothing, walking with someone beside you…it has to be a beautiful sight.
But the little flower fairy sadly looked up at the moon. Out of nowhere, two other flower fairies fluttered in front of Lillian’s big tree.
Lillian peeked her head out and saw Ivy and Daisy floating right in front of her. At first, she thought it was a human.
“What brings you here?” Lillian asked, slowly floating out from the entrance to the tree.
“We wanted to come and visit you.” Ivy said.
“But we didn’t know where you were until we saw you near this big house.” Daisy said, “You should be careful. Humans and Fairies are forbidden to encounter each other.”
“I understand,” said Lillian, “But I wonder what life is like living like one.”
“It’s a curious experience. But it is a difficult world to understand. Even us fairies have to be trained.” said Ivy.
“But,” said Daisy, “If you really want to become a human for a short amount of time…then you must find a warlock under the name of Edward. He can give you a necklace that can turn you into a human for three days.”
“When you find someone, and if that person’s love is true, you will remain a human.” Ivy said.
“But…” added Daisy, “If the person’s love fades away, then you would return to your original form, never to become human again.”
Slightly frightened, Lillian slowly nodded her head. But she was determined to meet the young man that she is smitten by.
“Well,” said Ivy, “Get some rest. We will come back to visit in another week.”
The little fairy waved her friends goodbye. As she tried to find sleep, she couldn’t help but think about life living as a mortal. She couldn’t handle it anymore. She got up and fluttered out from her tree and went in search of a warlock named Edward.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Late into the night she flew across the town and city. And far out into the countryside, she found a rusty old cottage. The woods were unstable and seemed destructible.
She fluttered inside the beaten up house. She wondered if a warlock named Edward was around.
“Come in, my child.” said a deep voice.
At first Lillian jumped away. But she gathered up her courage and floated forward inside the house. She then saw a cauldron and a tall man mixing in liquids and reading off of a big recipe book.
“Are you Mister Edward?” Lillian asked in a shaking voice.
“Indeed am I,” said Edward, turning directly at the little fairy, “And I know what is in your heart that you desire.”
“You do, your Excellency?”
“Oh, yes.”
Edward advanced towards the little flower fairy and brought her over to sit down.
“This evening, when you were visited by your friends, I couldn’t help but overhear your little conversation. You do want to become human, am I correct?”
“Very much, sire,” replied Lillian.
“Very well,” said Edward, in a seductive tone, “I will give you a necklace that will give you a three times a chance to be a human. If the one you are smitten by reciprocates your feelings and becomes your man-to-be, then you will forever be a human. But if not, then you will return to your original form and will turn into seafoam, as your little friends had forgotten to mention.”
“Then be it so, Sir Edward,” said Lillian, “I am willing to take that chance.”
“Of course…but only three times you get to be a human. And you must find someone that loves you truly.”
“But…if I become human…then I won’t be able to visit Fairyopolis or see my friends again.”
“That’s right,” said Edward, secretly snickering, “Life is full of tough choices, I must say.”
He then brought out a crimson jewel with a silver chain and he fastened it around the fairy’s neck.
“I have given you this special necklace,” said Edward, “But these things have a price to pay. We have not been in the discussion on the subject of payment. You cannot just get something for nothing, right?”
“But I have nothing to pay, sir.” Lillian said, “What could it be that you need me to pay you with?”
“‘Tis not a bit of a trifle that I ask. You have the sweetest voice of any who floats above the sky and might as well attract the prince of Genovia. But this voice, you must give it to me.”
“But without my voice, how will I communicate with anyone?”
“You have your eyes, your facial expressions, and, most importantly, your body language. Don’t underestimate it. Not a lot of people don’t like a lot of blabber. You might as well are better off without it. I am sure of it.”
“So…my voice will be gone once I transform into a human?”
“Indeed. Run along…the sun is nearly rising.”
Lillian fluttered away and the warlock Edward cackled.
The little fairy was inside her big tree. She held on tight of the crimson necklace and fell fast asleep, dreaming of meeting the young man of the castle.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The next morning, Lillian wandered around in the castle gardens, excited to see if the young man would come back out to practice the violin. As she flitted through the flower beds and the gardens, her thoughts kept tuning to him.
She then rested atop a tree branch when she noticed a familiar figure of the young man standing in the middle of the garden, holding the caramel brown object and bow in both his hands. Her heart began to skip a beat.
He placed the thing gingerly under his chin and gradually drew the bow across the strings and his fingers feathered each string, softly playing the music. Lillian couldn’t believe her eyes that she was seeing a beautiful human, playing his violin once more. She felt a wash of joy over her.
But at one moment, when he reached a high note, he furrowed his eyebrows. She was curious to know why he did so and wondered if it was to his own dissatisfaction. She wished to say that his own music was beautiful enough and that nothing needed to change. But she couldn’t help but smile as he trilled his fingers on the strings. It was fascinating by how quickly and effortlessly he could move his fingers across the strings, creating beautiful music.
But suddenly, Lillian mistakenly flew off of the branch and she found herself dangling right on the side of the young man’s violin. Shocked, she could not move. Otherwise, it would distract him from playing. And so, she let go and fluttered to the other side on his shoulder, where he held his bow. She was appeased by the way he played.
But he furrowed his eyebrows again. This time for more concentration. But his facial expressions were all that she could focus on. His fingers were trilling and fluttering on one string in a high position as it was marking the end of the first movement.
As the piece grew dreamy and graceful, Lillian could feel her tiny heart pounding and couldn’t help but think of it as a spell that she couldn’t resist. She then swooned when he held the final soft vibrato.
The final movement. As the young man played faster and faster notes, Lillian was blown away. The music had its energetic side and she couldn’t even believe that he could play this well all on his own.
The young man plucked a few strings and then officially ended the piece.
Lillian felt the necklace around her neck. She took it off and held it up high. She remembered that the warlock said it gave her permission to transform into a human no more or less than three times. She thought about the young man that she watched playing his violin.
Suddenly…she was transformed into a beautiful human. She wore a satin dress that was in the color of a red rose. It was as if she was a real life princess. As she looked around the garden, the young man noticed Lillian, now transformed into a human.
She’s so beautiful, he thought.
Lillian felt awestruck by this transformation. She really couldn’t believe that she was finally a human. She wondered about walking and talking like everyone else. She felt so alive!
Suddenly, she noticed that the young man had stopped playing and was looking directly at her with a surprised expression. Lillian ran and hid behind her own tree and in the bushes, not wanting him to see her just yet.
“Please,” he said, softly, “Fret not, fair lady.”
Lillian blushed and she was caught off guard by his gentle voice. She didn’t know what to do, besides hiding behind a tree.
But there came a problem. She had no voice. Once she became a human, there was no other way for her to speak. She would have to use her body language and her facial expressions.
“Please, come on out,” said the young man, “I dare not hurt you.”
Lillian felt tempted to come out from hiding. But she was too scared. She did not know how he would react if he found out that she was a flower fairy, now transformed into a human. She gathered enough courage and revealed herself out of the tree and bushes.
She looked him in the eye and saw he had no fear in him. Her cheeks blushed a bright red and she tried to run back behind the tree.
But then, the young man said, “Please, do not run away. I know you saw me playing my violin. I thought you were very pleased with the way I was playing.”
Lillian was embarrassed, now that she had been caught trying to run away. She yearned to tell him how much she loved his music. But she had no voice to speak. Instead, she could only nod or shake her head.
They would now only look each other in the eye. Lillian couldn’t help but stare upon his big brown eyes. They twinkled in the sunlight.
“I was only wondering why you were hiding behind the tree. That’s all.” the young man said.
But Lillian was lost for words. She still couldn’t speak. So she did the last thing she could do: body language.
She pointed to her throat and indicated that she could not speak and didn’t have a voice at all.
“You can’t speak?” asked the young man.
Lillian nodded.
“That’s alright…” said the young man, “I’m sure it will come back after a while. You must have been recovering from a common cold or a small flu.”
Slowly, Lillian stepped out from the bushes and closer to the young princely man. His big warm hand took hers. Lillian was overcome with euphoria. She knew that there was a connection between them. But she just couldn’t put them into words.
“Come with me, my princess,” said the young man, “I shall introduce you to everyone in my castle.”
He is the prince of Genovia, thought Lillian, I thought he was a noble, or a servant. No wonder he owned a big and fancy chamber.
As she looked up at the young man, Lillian felt a sense of comfort and safety. She knew that he would protect her and make sure that she felt welcome.
.
.
.
Lillian explored the castle all on her own. She admired the detail, structure and architecture. She couldn’t believe how beautiful the details were. It was intricate and exquisite. She admired that everything was in perfect symmetry. She had felt she had been taken to another world.
“How are you liking it?” the prince asked.
Lillian could not speak. She still had no voice. But she nodded her head and smiled.
“I knew you would like it.”
Lillian felt this unrequited happiness and followed the prince everywhere in the castle. Through the halls and gardens. And then, the prince presents his room to her. There, she saw the notebook and violin sitting aligned and lonely. The prince noticed.
“If you are wondering,” he said, “I was actually drafting a violin concerto. I played it the day before. And to be honest…I never played anything that was so beautiful before.”
Lillian tilted her head. She had never thought that the prince was this talented in making an original concerto. She wondered what inspired it.
“My father would tell me these stories about the flower fairies and how they come around beautiful gardens like ours,” said the prince, “I thought I would compose a concerto inspired by one of those stories. The backstory is about this little flower fairy that falls in love with a human prince. She wants to become a human, but her friends warn her about the cost of being a human. Once they are finally together, she learns that he had been betrothed and she is angered. In order for her to stay a human, she had to kill the prince, but she couldn’t bring herself up to do it. She then throws herself in the sea and turns into sea foam, taking the prince with her. They both become flower fairies and are never separated again.”
The concerto had hope and sadness, loss and love, and relationship. Lillian felt sympathy for the main character. She could not help but feel so sad for the little flower fairy.
“Once I finish it, I am going to perform at the Royal Jubilee. You should attend! But I feel bad about not knowing your name first. I am Jake. But my real name is Jaeyun.”
“Lillian.” Celine mouthed.
“Lillian?” Jake asked, “That’s actually really pretty.”
Jake frowned.
“I keep forgetting you can’t speak. I’m sorry.”
Lillian nodded her head as assurement. She thought that Jake was the kindest, sweetest person in history. She felt lucky that she had actually met him.
“Your Majesty,” called a servant, “Princess Roseline of Auradon has arrived to greet you!”
Princess? Lillian thought, You mean…he has already been betrothed? But…that can’t be!
As Jake and Rosaline greeted each other, Lillian felt a pang of jealousy. The one that she was fond of was betrothed to another girl. She couldn’t help but feel this wrath of anger inside of her.
“Lillian, this is my lovely bride-to-be, Princess Rosaline of Auradon. The day after the jubilee, we shall marry.”
Lillian nodded her head and curtsied to the princess. She felt a wash of emotions. She was happy for him. But at the same time, she was disappointed.
At dinnertime, Lillian could not help but think about the engagement between Jake and Rosaline. She wanted so much to tell them the truth. But she had no voice. She couldn’t say a word. As she was deep in thought, she frowned and wondered what she could do to change the situation.
It began to get dark. Lillian parted ways with the couple. Once they closed the doors, she transformed back into a fairy and floated away to her big tree.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to take this necklace from that wretched Edward! I only have two chances left of switching to human form. I must not waste it!”
She closed her eyes and thought of Jake’s violin concerto. She could not help but imagine the story along with it. Lillian cried herself to sleep.
“And he does not know that I am a flower fairy that is transformed into a human! What am I going to do?”
*~*~*~*~*~*
Lillian decided to not return to the castle in her human form. She was going to stay a fairy until the day of the jubilee and the wedding. She was on top of a tree branch when she saw the future wedding couple walking by her tree. They sat down on the spot where Jake practiced his violin.
“You play beautifully,” Rosaline said, “I think that is what Lillian loves best about you. Your passion for music.”
“I guess so.” Jake responded, “But…I’m not sure about our marriage. Lillian seemed heartbroken when she left. I thought I heard her crying as she walked away.”
“I think it was a lot for her to take in. She seemed to really like you…honestly, I wasn’t really planning on marrying anyone.”
“Should we tell them?”
“I want to. But…let’s be married for at least two or three years…and then we can file a divorce.”
But Lillian was depressed and stayed this way until the Jubilee. She carefully transformed into a human, dressing herself like a princess again. Hopeful about Jake, she then rushed inside the castle banquet hall.
After the king spoke his speech, he invited his son, Jake, to play his written violin concerto along with the royal orchestra. Lillian thought of him playing his violin for a long time. She still could not believe that she was actually hearing the final result of his piece of music.
The first movement of the concerto begins when a little flower fairy arrives at a garden near a castle. Suddenly, she hears the sound of the violin and figures that the prince plays really well. She starts to wish to become a human herself. But her friends warn her about the cost of transforming from fairy to human. And so, she is given a necklace by a warlock named Edward and waits for the right time to meet the prince. Lillian clutched onto the crimson jewel. She wondered if it was a mistake or a blessing of what she was actually doing.
The concerto continues with the second movement as the little flower fairy finds the prince outside in the garden, practicing the violin. Once he ends the piece for a little bit, the flower fairy puts on the necklace and eventually turns into a human and she eventually meets the prince. The two fall in love, however, the prince informs that he is getting married the next day, saddening the flower fairy. The movement ends when the fairy sees the prince and his future princess happily together. Lillian could relate. She felt sympathy as she wanted to love the prince, but couldn't because of his betrothal.
In the last movement, the notes are very fast. It describes the flower fairy’s anger and resentment against the marriage of the prince and his princess. She then attends their wedding. The old warlock Edward drags her aside, saying that before the sun sets, and if she wants to remain a human forever, she must kill the prince and throw the dagger into the sea. The flower fairy refuses and eventually gets her voice back. She then expresses how she feels for the prince.
In the conclusion, the prince and the flower fairy kiss…only to have the flower fairy throw herself into the sea. As he couldn't bear to be separated from her again, the prince joins her as they dissolve into seafoam. However, the flower fairy returns to her original form and the prince is now a flower fairy…in the end, they are never to be separated again.
The orchestra and everyone applauded Jake’s performance. The king and queen, and Rosaline smiled at him as the audience cheered for him. But Lillian frowned as the prince bowed to the crowd.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It was during the after party when Lillian waited outside for Jake. She felt excited and a little nervous. But she was curious to see what was keeping him so long. But as she spotted him with Rosaline, she exploded with anger!
Lillian could not believe that he was spending time with someone else after everything they had been through when Lillian first became human! As she watched them talking and walking, Lillian felt her heart breaking.
She felt a sense of defeat. She knew she couldn’t change the situation. She had no choice but to accept their arranged marriage. As much as it hurt her deeply, Lillian knew she had to support them both. But she saw how happy they were. It was hard not to be a little sad for herself.
Knowing that tomorrow was her last chance to transform into a human, Lillian felt this sense of urgency and pressure. She had to make sure that this final opportunity would go on without fail and that maybe she could finally come clean to both Jake and Rosaline.
The next morning, she transformed into a human for the final time. She dressed herself beautifully and took her place in the wedding with the bride. She saw how the mother and daughter happily rapt themselves in an embrace.
“You look stunning,” said her mother, the queen, “You and Jake will bloom a beautiful relationship.”
Rosaline turned to Lillian and said, holding up the veil trailing, “Do you mind?”
Lillian took the ends of the veil; Rosaline turned to the altar, where Jake was standing and waiting for her.
They slowly walked down the aisle, Lillian could not help but feel humiliated. She thought that she was going to be the one walking down the aisle and wearing a beautiful white gown. But she was holding a veil and watching her love getting married to someone he didn’t know very well. She then cried secretly, trying not to hide her hurt.
As the wedding ceremony came to an end, Lillian was suddenly dragged aside by someone. She saw that it was Edward! She couldn’t say anything! She had given up her voice.
“The prince’s love was not true. Your heart is broken. However, there is only one other way for you to become a human permanently.”
He gave her a small dagger.
“Kill him,” he hissed, “Kill the prince!”
But Lillian stood her ground. This made the gem of the necklace glow.
“No!” she finally said, “I will not kill the prince!”
She then stormed away only to face in front of Jake in the middle of the altar.
She sighed and said, “I have something very important to tell you!”
“Lillian,” Jake said, shocked, “You…you can talk. But how?”
She took a deep breath and decided to speak up and tell the truth.
“I am a flower fairy. And I transformed into a human. I was given three chances of finding the love of my life in order to stay a human permanently. And I knew…that it was you, Prince Jaeyun of Genovia. I really do!”
As Lillian looked at him, she felt a rush of emotions. She was scared and nervous, but also hopeful and excited. As they all watched her, Lillian figured that this moment would be one of the most important moments in her life.
“But why didn’t you say anything?” Jake asked.
“I wanted to,” Lillian said, “But as a payment to the warlock who gave me this necklace, I had to give up my voice in each chance. It was the only way I could see you. And I did all of that out of love for you!”
Stressed, horrified, and humiliated, Lillian couldn’t bear to stay in the same spot any longer. She ran away and found herself at the dock near the pier. She dove and threw herself in the sea! Now realizing that she was his true love, Jake could not bear to see her disappear. So he followed her…and they both dissolved into seafoam.
As Rosaline and the wedding party mourned the loss of their prince and his lady, Rosaline spoke up and said, “He did not want to marry me. He wanted to marry someone who would care, relate…someone who truly loves him. Let this be a lesson for us all!”
*~*~*~*~*~*
A flower had gently opened and a young man had peaked out his head.
Jake rubbed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
“Where am I?” he asked himself.
He found Lillian sleeping underneath the flower he was bundled up in. He wanted to climb down, but as he fell, something kept him from falling down so quickly. He looked around his back and saw his clear and transparent wings.
“What’s happening?” he asked again.
Lillian twitched her fingers…and then she woke up her whole body. She found herself outside of the palace gardens. She was back to being a fairy. She searched her neck for the necklace. It was now gone. She then saw the prince Jake. He was her size, but they were both small, like a fairy.
“What is happening?” Jake asked one more time.
“You’re one of us, now!” said Ivy, as she and Daisy fluttered by to greet the new fairy.
“Yes,” added Daisy, “You are now a flower fairy.”
It’s true, then, he thought, The story of the concerto I had composed was true!
But he felt his wet cheeks.
“Tears of joy,” he muttered, “I am crying.”
“So, you’ll join us in Fairyopolis?” asked Lillian.
“Gladly,” said Jake, “But first, I must let everyone in my kingdom know that I am still alive and well.”
Meanwhile, Jake’s mother, the queen, and Rosaline walked together to the spot where Jake had once played his violin. Rosaline could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia and sadness. They knew that Jake was no longer with them in the physical world.
“My son really couldn’t do it,” said the queen, “He loved that girl too much. And they are both gone, dissolved into foam.”
“What would the world think if he was the first to die so young in the name of the family.” said Roseline.
“Tell them not to worry,” said Jake fluttering onto his mother’s shoulder, “I am amongst friends and everything is all right.”
“Oh, Jaeyun!” said his mother, “We thought that you had died…and now…you are here in a spiritual form!”
“Jake…” pleaded Roseline, wanting to say a farewell.
“I must go now,” he said, as Lillian and the other little flower fairies waited for him, “But I’ll visit you everyday! Live long…and love each other well.”
As the prince flew away and through the trees, both ladies smiled with happiness.
“I now know this,” said the queen, “My son has not gone away…he will have a place and always will be here with us.”
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[THE END]
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