A Song for Winter: Valentine's Day

Everywhere William looked around Drakthorpe was covered in red and pink hearts and flowers. He had been informed it was time for another holiday from a different planet. This one was called Valentine’s Day and had something to do with chocolate and flowers. William hadn’t bothered to ask too many questions this time and just hand-waived the acceptance of the celebration in Drakthorpe. All the important information William needed was that he was supposed to provide a representation of his love for his wife, the purple-eyed lioness, Violet. Finding the perfect gift wasn’t going to be an easy task but William knew he could do it.

 

Harvest druids had set up a stall on the edge of the village where they had all kinds of flowers for sale. Natural and unnaturally colored flowers were crafted into wonderful bouquets whose scents could be magically altered to smell like almost anything. Along with the flowers the druids sold their famous crystalized honey candies that were filled with berry juice candies in heart-shaped boxes. While the flowers and the heart boxes full of candy were popular with a lot of the villagers it wasn’t exactly what William was on the lookout for. Violet was a druid and could grow her flowers and already had a nice-sized stash of candies. With that idea out William, continued to look.

 

Vendors from across the portal network plied their wares throughout Drakthorpe. Plush animals and characters of all types were a common sight around the village. Chocolate candies with all sorts of fillings in all shapes and sizes were sold in brightly colored boxes. Cards ranging from funny to sentimental lined crowded market stalls throughout the streets. Most people seemed content to just buy from these stalls but William was on the lookout for something more meaningful.

 

After Valentine's vendors turned out to be a bust, William decided to have a special gift made. He first visited a glass blower that lived on a different part of the planet. This glassblower was world-renowned for its ability to craft fine details into glass sculptures. William had the glass blower make a bouquet of delicate glass violets. Each one turned out to be a masterpiece in its own right. William’s next stop was back at his forge where he gathered a couple of bars of silver and gold he had been saving for a special occasion. Each bar was heated and then drawn out into a thick wire then both sets of wire were woven together to form a vase for the glass violets. Inset into the bottom of the vase were special prongs to hold the delicate flowers in place. A red bow was carefully wrapped around the vase before it was presented to Violet on Valentine’s Day. Tears came to the lioness’s eyes as she carefully took the vase and glass flowers into her hands. She loved them and proclaimed them to be the best gift she had ever received. The vase and the glass flowers were placed in a place of honor on the fireplace mantle.