20. Bliss, the year of the Unicorn  

Dear diary,

Today I want to tell you a few things about one of my favorite fairy events, the Yearly Ball.

I know that even humans sometimes have balls, but I can assure you that fairy balls are something special.

If you have never seen one, then you can't fully understand how enchanting and fun they can be.

Generally speaking, we fairies, love dancing, but nothing is like the Yearly Ball, for the simple reason that we prepare for it for a very long time, and we do our best to make it the most perfect night of our lives. Other dances are usually spontaneous, and not a lot of preparation goes into them, but this one is special.

It always takes place in the fairy castle, and let me tell you, it is the perfect place for such a grand event.

The castle itself is huge and beautiful, but during the ball, it is made even more charming by the dedicated fairies.

There is a group of fairies who do their best to help us have the most wonderful evening ever, and I am most grateful to them.

I was asked once to join them, but I couldn't do that because of my busy schedule. Even though I wasn't involved in the decoration, they did a fantastic job every year.

For this year's ball, I wanted to wear a ball gown that was more beautiful than any I have ever worn before, and I think I managed to do that.

It had to be just perfect, and my main goal was to match it with my blue eyes because I love how big and beautiful my eyes look when I wear the dress of the right color.

So, I decided to wear a blue dress, but finding the one that was just right was a much bigger challenge than I expected. They were either not the exact shade of blue I wanted, or the model wasn't the one that I approved of. However, I was determined to find the perfect one.

Although elves weren't invited to the ball, which in turn, meant Van wasn't invited, I still wanted to look my best.

In a way, I thought the way I dressed would subtly show how happy I was without telling anyone my biggest secret.

Now, when I think about it, it sounds ridiculous, but at the time I thought it was a very rational thing to do.

To this day, I am not sure why that was so important to me, but it was, and I spent days looking for the dress that would make me the most beautiful fairy of the party.

Finally, my efforts paid off.

I found a dress that was even more beautiful than what I had in mind. It was just the right model, and the color was perfect. Not only that, but it was also unique.

I thought it would represent me perfectly because other fairies were usually more traditional than me.

My chosen dress was a royal blue evening gown, off the shoulder, and it was a perfect fit for me. It was a lace-up ball gown, so I needed some help to put it on, but it was worth it.

The problem was I couldn't use magic to put it on because there were too many small details that had to be perfectly done for it to look the way it should, and I am not all-powerful.

So with the help of some of my friends, I put it on and looked at my reflection in the lake. And let me tell you, I was thoroughly impressed. I mean, I always knew I was beautiful, but in that dress, I was simply gorgeous.

I could see the details that made her unique clearly, and I was more than impressed. The upper part of the dress was royal blue, but towards the bottom, the color started getting lighter and lighter, and the bottom of the dress was light blue with subtle white lace in the shape of snowflakes at the dress's ends.

Also, on every fold of the dress, there were branches with blue leaves branching out down the length of the dress.

The thing that I loved the most about it was that it floated so beautifully when I twirled in it. I have this obsession with dresses that do that, and that one did it perfectly.

It looked as if I was using magic when I wasn't. All in all, the dress was a dream come true.

I completed the outfit with a pair of golden shoes with green details that went well with my green wings and golden freckles.

Since I couldn't very well bring Van to the dance, my friend Ang and I went to the dance together.

He has been my friend for a very long time, and we often went to dances together, although we were never romantically involved. We just both enjoy dancing and long ago we decided that we would go together on those kinds of events because we both love dancing equally.

Once, we made a mistake of bringing our dates, and it turned out to be a very bad idea (they couldn't dance). Since then, we have always gone together, safe in the knowledge that there was no room for misunderstanding since we knew each other too well for that.

He came to pick me up because with the huge dress I was wearing, I did need help.

We settled in a golden chariot that was pulled by hummingbirds and went off to the castle.

Upon arriving there, I couldn't help but admire the castle yet again. Every time I went there, I was left breathless by how grand and sparkly it was, a true fairy castle. It represented all that we adored, shiny things and magic.

We rarely got the chance to visit it, so I always cherished the moments we got to spend there. The interesting thing was, that the outside of the castle usually looked the same every time we went, but the decorations for the Yearly Ball inside were always astonishing, but completely different from the previous year.

When we entered the castle's ballroom, I was left speechless, and trust me that doesn't happen often.

The ballroom was even more astonishing than the previous years, and I adored its shining beauty. The enormous ballroom was decorated in golden and green details, which turned out to be a perfect combination. I could see that the ceiling and the top of the walls were dark green while the walls lower parts were covered in gold. The golden color and details were everywhere.

There were detailed artworks carved into the walls, and it was something I hadn't seen before. Detailed depictions of fairy life and historical events were fascinating in both their accuracy and beauty.

A few golden chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling with a lot of candles in them. Those candles made the chandeliers sparkle brightly, so everything was shining so nicely that some fairies were left mesmerized by it.

On the floor, there was a detailed depiction of the tree of life that must have taken them months to finish. But it was time well spent because it was just the perfect final touch to make the ballroom look mystical.

The moment we stepped in, the orchestra started playing my favorite music, so Ang and I started dancing immediately.

It was an awesome experience, to twirl around that magical place, and simply enjoy the music. Ang and I were, as always, amazing dancers, and I enjoyed the dancing. Still, I felt like something was missing.

That something was Van. I couldn't help but wish to share that magical moment with him.

After some time, it became impossible for me to ignore the nagging feeling that I was doing something wrong. I was enjoying myself without Van, and that made me feel guilty.

So, I told Ang that I was tired, and had to go. He did offer to walk me home, but I made some lousy excuse that he believed.

I immediately sent Van a flower message to meet me on fairy territory, in the meadow where we first met. I made that clear because I wanted him to come in fairy size to be able to enjoy how gorgeous I looked, and he couldn't very well do that if he was his regular size.

When I arrived there, I could sense his presence before I could see him.

Once he saw me, I could see that he was stunned, he didn't expect what he saw. I guess he never saw me in my full glory, and surprisingly enough, it left him with no words.

The charmer was left breathless and lost for words, my mission was accomplished.

Finally, he snapped out of his daze and approached me. He took my right hand and gently kissed it.

"My lady, you are the most breathtaking and gorgeous sight for sore eyes. You are simply stunning. I knew you were beautiful, but now I realize that your beauty has no limits. You keep finding new ways to enchant me, and leave me mesmerized by the perfection that is you." He said, with deep appreciation obvious in his expression.

After looking at me from head to toe one more time, he asked me a question I was hoping he would ask.

"May I have this dance?" He said.

I giggled like a schoolgirl before I could stop myself.

"But there is no music," I said after my giggles subsided.

"We don't need the music when we have each other. It is possible to feel the music even if it is not there. Let me show you." He said as he extended his hand in an obvious invitation.

I took his hand, and we danced. Oh dear Pan, did we dance!

It felt like we spent the whole night dancing under the starry sky, and it was somehow better than dancing in the wonderful ballroom because I was dancing with Van. He was the one ingredient that was missing, and that I needed to truly enjoy the night.

He kept spinning me around, and I kept giggling and blushing, two things I have never done before meeting Van, but around him, that seemed to happen more often. The strangest thing was that I didn't mind it anymore. I enjoyed the freedom and joy that giggling like a child brought with it.

We slow danced, and then he spun me around until we were both quite breathless.

Finally, we just fell on the soft grass and spent the night looking at the stars.

The next thing I knew, it was morning, and I woke up with my head on Van's chest.

Slowly, I moved away without waking him up and lay down next to him thinking about how perfect the night was. That was the wonderful end to a fantastic night.

Talking about nighttime I better go to sleep, I have a day off tomorrow, and I need to get up early so that I can spend every moment I can with Van. Good night!