"Back when the world was new, and the immortal spirits of magic were just learning their place in this land, the spirit of the winter snow was still a young man - an artist and an explorer.
"while he was exploring he met a beautiful woman. She had pale soft skin, and fragrant blue hair. She had cool eyes, and the warmest heart he'd ever seen. He loved her as soon as he saw her, and every minute with her he loved her more. She loved him as well, and she swore to spend the rest of her days with him.
"He took her away with him. Her love made him feel so light, so high, that the only place he could find that seemed suitable was the floating island of Luminance. It floated on clouds, surrounded by a myriad of crystalline songbirds. As they flew their bodies cast rainbows about the lovers, and their songs always soothed them.
"As a gift to her he enchanted the waterfall to freeze, and to cast small frozen flowers and stars about her feet and hair. She laughed, and delightedly told him that these flowers should be his spirit gift to the world. He agreed that whenever the world below was cold enough to hold them he would send the tiny six-pointed flowers down to delight the world as much as they delighted his truest love.
"For decades they danced, and loved, and reveled in each others company on the island of Luminance. He wove feathers from the crystal birds into her hair, and she would sing him to sleep every night. Their love was absolute.
"However, for all of his magic he did not have the power to grant immortality. He cared for her and loved her, even as she aged. She spent exactly one hundred and twenty years of delight with him. As the sunlight began to fade at the end of her last day she lay in his arms. She pressed her thin shaky hand to his cheek, her cool blue eyes bright and clear. She made him promise that he would love again, that one day he would find happiness as bright and true as he had found with her. And then she faded away.
"For a millennia he stayed on Luminance. The songbirds flew away, the brightness faded. The life left the island, but still he sat by the waterfall, directing snow to the cold lands, and brooding on his promise. He could not bear to break it, but he also could not bear the thought of loving another that was doomed to age as he lived on. Rather then decide, he simply stayed on the island.
"As the other spirits lost interest in giving gifts to the land and flitted about carelessly he still spread snow. Even as he sat lonely and lost his gift delighted the world, and helped keep the cycle of life safe. The Rainbow of Light noticed that he alone was infinitely dependable, and that he alone was drifting lost in such deep sorrow.
"The Rainbow visited him on Luminance. It wrapped about his brow and made him a solemn promise. If he would keep his vow to his love, the rainbow would grant immortality if her love was true. He needn't worry about losing another, the Rainbow would protect him from such pain.
"His heart filled with hope. Life returned to the island, songbirds sang anew. Now every blue moon he..."
A gust of wind blew the last remaining enchanted leaf from the birch. The white tree now sat silently in the deep darkness of the night, illuminated only by the light of the full moon.
"Oh bother," said Mittens "I rather wanted to know what happened next."
"while he was exploring he met a beautiful woman. She had pale soft skin, and fragrant blue hair. She had cool eyes, and the warmest heart he'd ever seen. He loved her as soon as he saw her, and every minute with her he loved her more. She loved him as well, and she swore to spend the rest of her days with him.
"He took her away with him. Her love made him feel so light, so high, that the only place he could find that seemed suitable was the floating island of Luminance. It floated on clouds, surrounded by a myriad of crystalline songbirds. As they flew their bodies cast rainbows about the lovers, and their songs always soothed them.
"As a gift to her he enchanted the waterfall to freeze, and to cast small frozen flowers and stars about her feet and hair. She laughed, and delightedly told him that these flowers should be his spirit gift to the world. He agreed that whenever the world below was cold enough to hold them he would send the tiny six-pointed flowers down to delight the world as much as they delighted his truest love.
"For decades they danced, and loved, and reveled in each others company on the island of Luminance. He wove feathers from the crystal birds into her hair, and she would sing him to sleep every night. Their love was absolute.
"However, for all of his magic he did not have the power to grant immortality. He cared for her and loved her, even as she aged. She spent exactly one hundred and twenty years of delight with him. As the sunlight began to fade at the end of her last day she lay in his arms. She pressed her thin shaky hand to his cheek, her cool blue eyes bright and clear. She made him promise that he would love again, that one day he would find happiness as bright and true as he had found with her. And then she faded away.
"For a millennia he stayed on Luminance. The songbirds flew away, the brightness faded. The life left the island, but still he sat by the waterfall, directing snow to the cold lands, and brooding on his promise. He could not bear to break it, but he also could not bear the thought of loving another that was doomed to age as he lived on. Rather then decide, he simply stayed on the island.
"As the other spirits lost interest in giving gifts to the land and flitted about carelessly he still spread snow. Even as he sat lonely and lost his gift delighted the world, and helped keep the cycle of life safe. The Rainbow of Light noticed that he alone was infinitely dependable, and that he alone was drifting lost in such deep sorrow.
"The Rainbow visited him on Luminance. It wrapped about his brow and made him a solemn promise. If he would keep his vow to his love, the rainbow would grant immortality if her love was true. He needn't worry about losing another, the Rainbow would protect him from such pain.
"His heart filled with hope. Life returned to the island, songbirds sang anew. Now every blue moon he..."
A gust of wind blew the last remaining enchanted leaf from the birch. The white tree now sat silently in the deep darkness of the night, illuminated only by the light of the full moon.
"Oh bother," said Mittens "I rather wanted to know what happened next."
