„After many centuries the king's dragon son finds his innocent human mate at the royal ball and he courts her to make her his."
Seraphina is a lovely young woman who was raised to be kind, good and delicate by her grandparents. She helps around kit...
Reaching the village's outskirts, the loud cheers, applause and good music echoed across the streets. Seraphina aims to be at the center where the fountain of youth is located, also the place they agreed to meet at. However, the moment she steps in, the crowd envelops her, and she must take a few steps back. Seeing children running freely in every direction and people laughing everywhere, she bursts into giggles.
„What a sight to see!" thinks her getting lost in her thoughts for a moment. From behind her, a hand reaches her, tipping the shoulder. Gyrating towards that hand like an opposite pole to two magnets, Seraphina comes eye to eye with Belletem, who offer her some splendid yellow tulips.
„A flower for a flower." says Belletem smiling from ear to ear. Like Seraphina, he has prepared a nice outfit for the occasion.
He wears a white satin shirt layered with a button-up pine green vest that has golden accents on the margins. Over them there is a winter coat decorated with intricate designs: the neckline is adorned with white fur; the bottom line is embroidered with golden twisted lines. The elaborate motif includes geometric shapes and cultural and historical symbols, like the stars on the middle of the garment that symbolize all the major events that happened during battles against other kingdoms. This choice of embroidery reflects the cultural influence of the coat, enhancing its visual appeal, making it a unique and distinctive piece of clothing. Matching with the upper part, the shoes and the pants are colored the same shade of green. Taking into consideration that it was still cold outside, the prince adorned his hands with gloves, wearing over them two rings that represent some very powerful symbols. The ring on the middle finger belongs to his grandfather, the late King, while the other one is the ring with which the royal seals are made. This shows Belletem is ready to reveal his status to his loved one.
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(inspired from this post)
Accepting the flowers, the girl thanks him. In a tender embrace, they wrap their arms around each other, drawing close in a gesture of affection. For a few precious moments, they stay like that, hugging. Following that, the decision to take a stroll around was made. So, hand in hand, they scour the pavement made with ruby stones.
Not even going a few meters, Seraphina is great by the villagers who recognize her, usually the ones who were helped in any way by her. Like Ms. Daphnis from whom Seraphina brought the apples recently. Or the town boy, Alexander, who sells picture frames.
„Miss, it's so good to see you again!"
„Hello to you too! How is everything going today?" she politely asks, without noticing how envious her partner becomes.
„Oh, some children came, and they wanted to see me in action, so I showed them how I craft the wood frames. At some point, they wanted to join, so I let them. Look, this is the section they carved."
The girl praises both his and the children's work. Even though Alexander would like to talk some more, her partner puts his arm around hers and silently pushes her in their original direction. After they leave behind the art stall, she looks at him, observing his changed texture: his skin is translucent and scaly. She starts worrying about him and asks if he is still okay.
„I just... couldn't see you taking with another guy." he admitted. In this context, Seraphina explains to him her relationship with that boy is purely platonic.
„You don't have to worry. Alexander is my art seller, and I'm his customer. That is all. I prefer to buy from him because he is skillful at what he does." she reassures him.
„GOOD. That is good to know." coughs Belletem „Though I must admit, the pictures he exposes look very much alike Christopher Dresser's artwork."
Seraphina turns her head in his direction and gasps <>
He stops walking and looks attentively at her. „Yes, the book from 1874. A brilliant way to geometry some botanical structures." * (For those interested in learning more about the author: https://archive.org/details/Studiesdesign00Dres/page/XXX/mode/2up)
„It is indeed. It was a great source of inspiration for me. I took some of his samples and painted them in acrylic. After I understood the pattern, I started embroidering it on cloth."
„Impr..pressive!" he stutters, amazed. Recomposing himself, he adds a question about what type of flowers she decided to work on.
„Well, my first project, if I remember correctly, was a bunch of poppies, because they were easier to simplify than other flowers. I also embroidered some white lilies. I find their long filaments magical, that end with anthers, where the pollen is received and produced."
They talk some more on their way. Children stop to thank Seraphina for her previous acts of kindness, a gesture that makes her smile. Even some elderly people greet her with respect. This is something that doesn't go unnoticed by the young prince.
„It seems you are quite popular around here. More than me." he puffs.
Suspiciously, she asks him why he thinks he should be recognized by passers-by, a hint he is totally missing.
„Hm, we could say I am a communicative person." she acknowledges ending, for now, the subject.
Arriving at the villagers' fountain, located in the middle of the old town, the structure was ornamented with colorful ribbons hold together. Citizens hold the end of strands dancing around the fountain. This is a maypole celebration, a ceremonial folk dance performed in this case, around the well garlanded with multicolored cords and some greenery as well. The dance ensures fertility as a part of spring rites. All the villagers celebrate the arrival of spring by dancing around the decorated springlet, thanking their God, the Bringer of a new season and a new beginning.
Accordingly, the young couple join them all, taking both of them the end of a ribbon, positioning themselves in the right spot. A new march starts, and they begin dancing. Hopping from one leg to another, the dancers create two semicircles, intersecting at one point and making a big round. The direction changes and the big row splits in groups of two people. Connecting their arms, they whirl around themselves, braiding the strands. The rhythm becomes slower, allowing Belletem to look deeper in Seraphina's eyes, but not for long, because they disconnect, regrouping. A part goes further away from the middle point while the other side moves closer to it. The musical composition features a steady beat, creating a sense of determination from the viewers to join in. Then, the dancers create a united circle that holds inside another circle, one moving clockwise, and the other one moving counterclockwise.
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The powerful dance performance evokes a range of emotions in the audience, such as joy, awe, and nostalgia for the past celebrations. The melody repeats and the big rows split, allowing Belletem to have his mate in his arms yet again. * (I inspired myself from this beautiful dance: https://youtu.be/ncIAdeQGxoo?si=dtA3YGbc1n5omZ3)
