She watched the fire eater with awe, even as the rest of his audience did. Dragons of flame flowed from his mouth into the night sky as flowers of blaze licked up around him, dancing from the power he radiated. His black and silver costume glittered and shone from the sparks beckoned by their master, but the cloth's magnificent glow was weak in comparison to the inferno of passion and pride in Dustfinger's eyes. How such deep blue eyes could burn so brightly, Roxanne simply couldn't fathom. And then those eyes met her hazel ones, smoking with promise and melting the minstrel woman's defensive walls.

Admittedly, Roxanne was frightened by Dustfinger's appearance. From the top of his golden-red hair to the bottom of his boot-covered feet, he was intimidating and unapproachable. Even when he whispered the flames away so that not a spark licked at the ebony sky, a fire still smoldered in his eyes. A man like Dustfinger was aggressive and frightening, and Roxanne had seen far too many men of that kind. But none of the others had appealed to her as this fire eater did. No other presence had called to her to follow, to step out of all propriety and dare to go against all thoughts of fear.

Roxanne followed the man as he left the Black Prince's camp. Silently, she walked in his footsteps, away from the world she was accustomed to and from the safety of her companions. Out here in the woods were dangerous beasts and mischievous fairies, but Roxanne's fears all rested in the man she was tracking. Her heart beat wildly as she pushed away moss-covered limbs and stepped into a glen full of mist and magic. She squinted against the darkness, and her eyes were relieved when a tiny light flashed ahead.

Fireflies flitted past the beautiful woman, all joining in a brilliant swirl in the center of the glen. Their tiny voices called to Roxanne, like children, as their glowing bodies began to dance, beckoning the woman towards them.

"You might not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies

Lit up the world as I fell asleep."

Hundreds of the illuminated creatures twirled around Roxanne, brushing her forward with their wings and forming a crown of radiating gold in her dark hair. She laughed lightly as they moved her towards their center where millions of lights shone like diamonds, making her skin glisten and her eyes sparkle.

The creatures parted, and Roxanne's smile faded when she saw the Lord of Fire standing amongst the tiny flames, his face expressing warmth and kindness. Dustfinger smiled at the frightened woman, and then his hand was before her, extended and welcoming. She was afraid to touch him, frightened that she would be burned, that an intense heat would sear all the way to her heart.

A tiny firefly whispered her forward, promising her safety.

"Everything is never as it seems."

Roxanne drew a deep breath, and pushing all anxiety aside, she placed her hand in Dustfinger's. Liquid heat, like lava, singed through her blood, but this was a pleasant heat, a warmth of fulfillment. She gazed up into the fire eater's eyes as he pulled her close, heat radiating from his body as his fingers wove through hers and she was pressed to him. He began to move her, keeping her close as he swayed her in a soft and languid dance.

He had seen her weeks before and the fire in his blood had boiled over. He had heard her voice, and it had fanned the flames in him to a burning inferno. And now that she was here, he had no desire to ever let her go. He had come to love this pretty minstrel woman, and only now, when he was in his element, when creatures of fire were binding them together, did he have the courage to tell her.

"My lady Roxanne," he whispered. "I have fallen in love with you, and though we have never before spoken, we live in a magical world where all is possible. You ignite my soul, and with even your simplest touch, my fireproof body is in flames."

Pink infused Roxanne's cheeks, and she turned her head to the fireflies, who whispered reassuringly.

"All my dreams are bursting at the seams."

"What is it you want from me, Dustfinger?" Roxanne breathed quietly.

"Could you possibly love me as I love you?"

She had watched him for weeks on end, and a new feeling had flowed through her. She had seen him speak to the fire, and a blaze all of its own had swept through her dry and lonely spirit. And now that she was here, she had no want for him to let her go. She had come to love this handsome fire eater, and only now, amidst the flickers of fireflies and the warmth of his arms did she fully realize it.

"I do love you, Dustfinger," she smiled up at him.

"Will you marry me?"

"I will," she whispered and closed her eyes as his warm lips trailed from her ear down to her chin. Her hands found the silk of his hair as he pressed light kisses across her lips and then molded his mouth firmly to hers. She moved her lips gently against his and then pulled back and laughed as he lifted her in the air and twirled her, the fireflies singing their approval as they spun around the humans.

"My beautiful Firefly," Dustfinger smiled as he set Roxanne on her feet and nuzzled her nose with his own. "I love you so."

She smiled and held him close.

Years later, they would wonder what magic had brought them together and kept them together through times of fierce difficulties and hardship, and both would come to a mutual conclusion.

Fireflies.