Thumbelina couldn't stop thinking about Cornelius.
Over the summer, he was either writing to her or coming to visit her house. Thumbelina could hardly wait for his first official visit to introduce him to her mother to show her that yes, fairies DID exist and yes! Thumbelina wasn't the only tiny person in the world!
She showed him her life around the farm. Cornelius found the concept of large domesticated animals fascinating. He also had the same gift of understanding and communicating with the animals. He said it was a fairy trait.
Another evidence point that she was somehow a wingless fairy.
When she became more comfortable with him around, the girl asked him to teach her how to wield a sword. Many of Mother's legends about vikings involved sword fights and she was interested in the practice. Cornelius was surprised, but he was impressed at her drive to learn. It took a couple months, but Thumbelina was competent in the basics of swordplay.
Summer waned and the pair grew closer with each passing day.
Mother had told Thumbelina enough of her own courtship from when she was young that she guessed Cornelius was courting her… and she welcomed it. There were nights she would stay up reading the letters Cornelius had sent while humming the song she'd been singing when he had first shown up. Her heart would flutter every time she heard Buzzby buzzing at the windowsill.
The August and September nights were filled with Cornelius and Thumbelina sharing their knowledge of the stars. Thumbelina shared the constellations and stories Mother had told her while Cornelius regaled her with fairy legends of the stars.
One night in October, the pair sat once more under the stars on Thumbelina's windowsill. Buzzby sat nearby enjoying a plateful of sugar water Mother had prepared for him. A brisk breeze allowed Thumbelina the opportunity to snuggle further into Cornelius' side. He wrapped his arm around her.
"How go things with the fairy court?" She asked.
"Mother and Father are busy as ever preparing for the Goldening of the Leaves. The weather fairies have been baffled with everything as of late. Many humans have already taken in their harvest, but the conditions have not yet been right to turn the leaves."
"Do your wings change color with the seasons as well?"
Cornelius's wings fluttered at the notion. "It's subtle, but yes. They've shifted to more of an 'autumn gold' than the pure gold they were when we met at the beginning of summer."
Thumbelina sighed. She loved her life and her mother and Cornelius, but in her heart of hearts, she knew she was missing something.
"I wish I had wings."
Cornelius paused, then turned to her, a grin overtaking his face. "Maybe you can!"
He whistled for Buzzby, the bumble taking his sweet time waddling over to them. "I can't believe we haven't done this yet! Would you like to go for a spin, my lady?" The prince bowed, gesturing towards the bee like he was a golden carriage.
"Really? That would be- oh! Wait a moment, please!" Thumbelina darted back into her room to leave a note for Mother to find under the magnifying glass and to ask Hero to wait up for her. "Alright. Now I'm ready!" She secured herself behind Cornelius and Buzzby took off, the rush of adrenaline pulsing through her. The pair laughed and whooped as their steed bore them across and beyond the borders of the farm.
Thumbelina leaned against her prince's back, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt his intake of breath as he placed a warm hand over her own.
"Let me be your wings," Cornelius sang. "Let me be your only love. Let me take you far beyond the stars!"
They flew over the wider stream that Thumbelina's home creek fed into. She dared loose one hand from around Cornelius's waist as she skimmed the surface of the water with her finger tips. She squeaked in surprise as he lifted her off Buzzby's back and began to glide over the water, kept aloft by his magic. He continued singing as a pair of juvenile bugs dropped a daisy-chain of forget-me-nots around her neck.
"Let me be your wings, let me lift you high above!
Everything we're dreaming of will soon be ours!"
Cornelius must have been transferring some of his magic to her, because now they were both gliding over the water in a waltz. He brought her closer to him as a swan gracefully landed next to them.
"Anything that you desire… anything at all…
Every day I'll take you higher,
And I'll never let you fall!"
He gripped her hand once more and flew them away from the water. They landed on a nearby pumpkin still waiting for harvest. They twirled and danced around the pumpkin, causing the squash to grow as Cornelius continued singing.
"Let me be your wings, leave behind the world you know,
For another world of wondrous things!
We'll see the universe and dance on Saturn's rings!
Fly with me and I will be your wings…"
The prince launched them back into the air. The feeling of flight was indescribable, but the feeling of being in Cornelius' arms surpassed that. Thumbelina knew that this man, her heart's desire… her best friend was who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
"Anything that you desire… anything at all…" He twirled her away in midair before bringing her back to him.
"Anything at all…" She sang back.
"Every day I'll take you higher, and I'll never let you fall!" Cornelius tossed her further into the air before catching her bridal style in his arms.
Thumbelina knew that he would truly never let her fall. She lost herself within their song.
"You will be my wings!"
"Let me be your wings,"
"You will be my only love!"
"Get ready for another world of wondrous things!"
"Wondrous things are sure to happen…" She pressed her forehead against his, vaguely aware of them touching down on a lily pad. They danced together, ignoring the world around them.
"We'll see the universe and dance on Saturn's rings!" They sang together.
Cornelius leaned in to whisper, "Heaven isn't too far…"
"Heaven is where you are!" She responded. They finished their song together.
"Stay with me, I'll let you be my…"
"Stay with me and let me be your…"
"Wings!"
They launched into the air, Thumbelina reveling in the rush of wind blowing through her hair and the blood pumping through her veins.
This was the single best night of her life!
The moon had risen to its peak by the time Cornelius brought Thumbelina home. He leapt off of Buzzby to help down his lady. Both of them had smiles that refused to dim.
"Oh, Thumbelina…" The prince twirled the girl within his arms before setting her down. "Something… I don't know... Something happened to me tonight. Something I never want to forget!"
She smiled shyly at him. "Then don't." She lifted the flower chain over her head and onto his.
"Forget-me-nots?" He fingered the chain before capturing her fingers within his. Cornelius seemed to be considering something. "Thumbelina, may I see you again?"
"Do you really need to ask at this point?" She laughed.
"Yes," He replied seriously. "Please? Tomorrow! My parents and I will be participating in the Goldenening of the Leaves for this part of the province. I-I would very much like for you to meet them!"
Thumbelina's hand went to her stomach, a sudden bundle of nerves.
"Y-your parents? The king and queen of the fairies?"
"Oh, say you will!"
With the look of pure adoration within those eyes, that boy could get her to do anything.
She caressed his face. "I will."
"Really?"
The girl laughed again. "I will. I will, Prince Cornelius, yes."
Cornelius laughed with her, picking her up to spin her once more. When he set her down, he removed his green signet ring from his finger and placed it on Thumbelina's left ring finger. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. He was clearly nervous.
"I will return for you tomorrow night."
Thumbelina didn't like the lines of worry etched into her prince's features, so she decided to play with him a little.
"Are you certain you won't forget?" She asked cheekily, flicking one of the forget-me-nots.
That got the chuckle she was aiming for. What she did not expect was for his arms to snake around her waist and draw her closer. His face pressed closer to hers, noses barely brushing.
"I never break a promise, Thumbelina."
"Never, never…" She whispered back, leaning in.
"WOOF!"
The couple sprang apart at Hero's bark. The dog had nudged the window open, disturbing their kiss. He gently took Thumbelina's dress within his teeth and pulled her inside.
"Okay, I get it, Hero! It's late." She looked apologetically at Cornelius before bopping the dog on the nose. "At least let me give him a hug good night!"
Hero snuffled his assent, a wary eye watching the pair.
Cornelius wrapped Thumbelina in a tight embrace. One would think he wouldn't be seeing her for a week, much less a day! Eventually they pulled away.
"Good night, Cornelius."
"Sleep well, my lady."
Thumbelina blew him a kiss before ducking through the window to prepare for bed.
The prince glared at the dog as he mounted Buzzby. "You couldn't wait TWO more minutes, could you?"
Hero smiled and wagged his tail. He barked Cornelius a 'good night' before settling into his dog bed for the evening.
As Cornelius flew off into the dark, everyone had forgotten something.
The window remained open.