As Eory sat cross-legged in his own consciousness while he let Taylor take over, he remembered a special day Kori told him about when he was fourteen; a day that was celebrated by the humans in Maribel—a day called The Besmottment.
“It is a day to celebrate love and couples, despite the fact that not everyone is lucky enough to have someone to love…” Kori explained. “But, if you have no one to love, you can write a letter to the human god, and he might send you someone to love.”
Eory face lit up with happiness. “Truly? I shall write him right away! Oh, but… Do you think it’s okay? I don’t worship the human god, after all. I am loyal to the fairy goddesses.”
“Oh, have no worries, Eory. I’m sure the fairy goddesses will be understanding.” Kori assured him with an encouraging smile.
And Eory, while kept captive in his tower, counted down the days with dreamy eyes. He wrote out long letter to the human god, and handed it to Kori who said she would take it to a human shrine.
“You can’t look!” Eory said hastily as Kori began to unfold the letter. Kori respected his wishes with an understanding smile. Eory made her promise over and over during her visit to take the letter to the shrine.
Unbidden tears came to Eory’s eyes as he remembered how excited he was while writing the letter:
Dear human god,
My name is Eory Arroza. I know that my family is evil, but I have always done my best to be a good person, and I think I’m worthy of meeting the love of my life, Pollyanna. She’s a great hero! She’s tall and she can rescue me and protect me! It’s lonely up here in my tower, and I’d like someone to love.
Thank you for listening,
Sincerely, Eory.
He felt his pulse quickening and his heart beating faster with each passing day. He drew Pollyanna and read the books on his shelf and attended to his studies while he waited.
On a very cold and rainy day, he lay on the sofa in his room and looked up at the ceiling with his arms stretched out above his head.
His overactive imagination was sparked, and he envisioned the fourteenth so clearly in his mind.
He could see Pollyanna scaling his tower in a heavy cloak to protect her from the rain; he could imagine her hands, numb, worn, and blistering in the cold as she climbed, but she would never give up.
Not until she rescued him.
She was unerringly loyal to him, and she would come to save him—not only from the tower, but from himself.
He could envision her, so clearly, breaking his door down, and then lifting him into the air so he could look her in the eyes. He imagined himself leaning his cheek on her shoulder and feeling entirely safe.
And finally, the day eventually arrived.
He remembered twitching with excitement as he stared unblinkingly at the wall where Kori hid his door with her green magic—waiting for Pollyanna to break it down. An hour past, and then another, and still, the door stayed hidden where it was.
His heart began to beat with fear and disappointment, and a heartbroken frown spread across his face as his eyes drifted to the floor instead of the door.
But then, just as all hope was lost, his door was revealed with green magic, and the knob twisted. His heart leapt with joy as a grin dawned on his face and he jumped to his feet—ready to launch himself into Pollyanna’s arms.
But the door opened, and it was only Kori.
His heart dropped and he felt his heart skip a beat in disappointment. He felt sick to his stomach, and he couldn’t help but burst into tears immediately.
Kori ran to his side and asked, “Eory, what’s wrong? What is it?”
“I thought… I thought I would meet the love of my life. You took my letter to the shrine, right?” Eory asked as he hugged her for comfort.
“Oh, Eory…” Kori said soothingly as she realized he had taken the event so much to heart that she ended up hurting him.
She stroked his yellow head and murmured, “Eory, I’m sorry… Sometimes the gods don’t hear our prayers... But that doesn’t mean they have forgotten you; in the future, I’m sure you’ll meet the love of your life. You're young right now, after all. The human god probably recognizes that.”
Eory hiccupped with sadness and cried, “b-but I was so excited to meet someone who loved me. I was so excited to give her this paper flower…”
Eory held out a piece of paper in the shape of a lily, and it was Kori’s turn to nearly burst into tears.
“There is someone who loves, you Eory. I brought you something for The Besmottment. After all, I was besotted by you from the first moment I met you.” Kori handed him small, brown paper package and Eory stopped crying. He looked Kori in the eyes as the last of his tears seemed to freeze on his cheeks.
He opened the package slowly and with care.
Inside was a rope necklace with a heart-shaped pendant hanging from it.
Eory’s heart was warmed as he stared at it with wide eyes. He threw his arms around Kori and didn’t feel so alone anymore.
In a moment, he felt better and he said excitedly, “I’ll give you the paper flower instead!”
Kori smiled and sniffled a little because she was so touched.
In the depths of Taylor's consciousness, Eory wanted nothing more than to go back to that moment where he was safe in the arms of the one person who truly loved him.
It wasn’t an intense or romantic kind of love, but Eory knew it was the kind that would last forever.
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