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Austrian musician Roderich Edelstein is an eccentric who adores piano keys and sheet music. He can get lost in supermarkets, but always sews his own clothes with care. Every Saturday night, he secretly admires a regular at the Vienna Opera House. This person is not conventionally gorgeous, but stands out to Roderich in a captivating way. Perhaps it's the alluring red hair, or the sometimes indifferent yet entrancing green eyes, or the beautiful lips that so rarely smile... No, it's the entire enchanting ensemble, regardless of appearance or temperament.
A colleague informs Roderich that the object of his affection is a famous Scotch whisky seller, and Roderich can immediately envision the strong, rich, slightly smoky Highland Gaelic aroma.
"Forgive the intrusion, but your hair color is utterly striking. You must not be from these parts?" Roderich begins the conversation in an endearingly awkward manner, but to his delight, the other person still responds.
"Edinburgh, you're not that dull, are you?" The first words from the person who secretly fascinates Roderich are a touch biting. For so long, Roderich has been the one calling others foolish, but now the tables have turned. Yet it's true, a rather clumsy conversation starter.
Still, something delicate is beginning to blossom, even amidst these trivial exchanges and stolen glances.
In a certain forest, there was a shy blue magpie who secretly adored a radiant red sunbird. The talented magpie sang with exquisite elegance, but did not know how to initiate a conversation. One day, he finally summons the courage to stop the sunbird, awkwardly inquiring, "Sunbird, why do you have such breathtaking feathers? This is the first time I've laid eyes upon a color so captivating."
The sunbird suppresses a chuckle and replies, "This is simply my natural feather hue, you fool."
The magie feels both bashful and elated, for he has finally found the chance to speak with the object of his affection. "The forest over yonder has the most wondrous flowers. Do you wanna go to see them?" The sunbird agrees, and each week the magpie guides the other to a new forest, doesn’t know the sunbird has already visited them all but still joyfully follows along nonetheless.
Though the magpie's initial overtures may have been clumsy, something precious is beginning to take root between them, blossoming with each shared adventure through the enchanting woodland.
"What does your name Roderich mean?" the red-haired Scotsman, Allistair, inquires, his captivating gaze locked onto the Austrian musician.
The Austrian responds, "It means 'famous ruler', perhaps because I have royal origins." As the words leave his lips, Roderich inwardly cringes at his own clumsy attempt at humor, worried it will make him appear dull in the other's eyes.
However, to Roderich's relief, Allistair does not seem the least bit bothered. The red-haired guy continues strolling with Roderich along the Graben, listening intently as the musician regales him with stories of the statues and historic buildings lining the street.
But one fateful day, the red sunbird divulges that he must depart, for this forest is not his true home. The blue magpie's heart sinks with sorrow, though he dares not voice his anguish, fearing the sunbird may have found love awaiting him back home.
"I will return to Scotland tomorrow," Allistair solemnly informs Roderich. "It may be a great while before I can visit these streets once more." All the musician can muster in response is a hesitant farewell and an elaborate dinner, a glimmer of disappointment flickering across Allistair's enchanting features as they part ways on that bittersweet evening.
Roderich wakes the next morning feeling hollowed out, his heart heavy. That Saturday, he cannot bring himself to attend the opera, for Liebestraum echoes endlessly in his ears, yet when he sits at the piano, he cannot bring himself to play a single note. The brown-haired Austrian fears that time will run out before he can finally find the courage to profess his ardent affections to the bewitching Scotsman.
The time will come, the time will come
When you will stand at the grave and mourn*
Now every corner of the streets of Vienna bears the shadow of that person, the time spent together was not much but Roderich knew it by heart like music theory, but the melody coming from the grand piano now is full of sadness. So this is missing, when every memory associated with the other person is so beautiful it breaks the heart and keeps running back and forth in the musician's head.
Simply breathing evoked the longing within him.
Roderich has never been to Edinburgh, Vienna has always been his beloved city, but now every day the Austrian longs to know what the four seasons are like in Allistair's homeland.
"Can we go to Edinburgh together, walk on the Royal Mile, climb to the top of Arthur's Seat in May and June where the gorse flowers are in full bloom, and watch the city at sunset?"
"Can we hold hands tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that?"
"Can we be lovers, or are we two parallel lines destined to never truly meet?"
“The distance between Edinburgh and Vienna is 1,582 kilometers - so how vast is the chasm between ours?”
This January, the Austrian musician ached with Allistair's absence at the New Year's concert. He decides then to visit Edinburgh alone, so that if this relationship is doomed to end, at least Roderich can see the scenery that Allistair gazes upon each day.
After nearly six hours on the plane, changing trains twice, Edinburgh airport compared to sparkling Vienna is somewhat quieter, creating a feeling of tranquility, and not as humid as London. However, when the evening comes, the New Town area is brightly lit, wearing a mysterious twilight coat. Wandering to the Old Town, the sound of eating, drinking, and singing makes Roderich wonder if Allistair has ever been one of them, reveling in the vibrant local culture.
Allistair is always the most outstanding person in his eyes.
In the midst of the crowds
In the shapes in the clouds
I don't see nobody but you
In my rose-tinted dreams
Wrinkled silk on my sheets
I don't see nobody but you**
"Now I know what Roderich Edelstein means," Allistair says, his piercing green eyes locked onto Roderich's captivating purple gaze.
Roderich's heart pounds as Allistair's voice cuts through the haze of his thoughts. The Scotsman stands before him, the familiar scent of whisky and the warmth of his presence enveloping the musician like a comforting embrace.
The musician feels himself being drawn in as if Allistair's very being is a siren's call he cannot resist. "The only one I love," the red-haired murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper.
The distance between them closes, Allistair's warmth radiating onto Roderich's skin. Their hearts beat as one, the reverberating rhythm deafening in Roderich's ears.
Allistair's lips brush against Roderich's, igniting a spark that threatens to consume them both. "All the way to Edinburgh and you have nothing to say?" the Scotsman teases, his tone laced with a hint of playful annoyance.
The brown-haired's mind races, the words he has longed to say now catching in his throat. But summoning every ounce of courage, he declares, "I hob mi valiebt in di, Allistair."
It is the sentence he has cherished for a long time, reciting in his dreams and when he missed him. As if afraid that the other person would not understand, he quickly repeats, "I love you, Allistair."
The Scotsman's features soften, a radiant smile spreading across his lips. He pulls Roderich into a warm embrace, their bodies molding together as if they were always meant to be one.
"My Roderich," Allistair murmurs, his breath tickling the Austrian's ear. "I've waited so long to hear those words."
Be sure that your heart burns,
And holds and keeps love
As long as another heart beats warmly
With its love for you
And if someone bears his soul to you
Love him back as best you can
Give his every hour joy,
Let him pass none in sorrow!***
The blue magpie's heart soars with hope as it embarks on its journey, traversing thousands of kilometers in search of its beloved sunbird. With each passing mile, its determination only grows stronger, fueled by the memories of the day the sunbird graced its forest home, captivating the magpie with its vibrant plumage and enchanting song.
As the magpie navigates the vast expanses, it holds onto the belief that it is not too late, that it can still convey the depth of its affection to the sunbird. "Since the day you came to listen to my choir, I have loved you," the magpie whispers to the wind, "and with each moment spent watching the flowers by your side, my love has only grown stronger."
Finally, the magpie's perseverance is rewarded, as it catches a glimpse of the sunbird in the distance. Disbelief and sheer joy flood the magpie's senses, and before it can utter a word, it is stunned to hear the sunbird's declaration: "I love you, my starling."
The magpie's heart melts, and it can no longer contain its elation. Spreading its wings, the blue bird pulls the sunbird into a passionate embrace, exclaiming, "I love you too, I love you so much, sunbird!"
From that moment on, the red sunbird and the blue magpie are inseparable, their love a testament to the power of unwavering devotion. Wherever the sunbird's vibrant plumage takes it, the magpie follows, its heart forever entwined with the one it holds most dear. And the greatest gift the sunbird gives to the magpie is the promise of a lifetime of love, a bond that transcends the boundaries of their avian worlds.