Originally published in the Spring 2020 edition of PRISM: UF Honors Magazine.

“Spinning round and round we go!

Blackened rose for endless woe,

Yellow iris for hope so bright,

Carnation for chosen love tonight!”

The children fell into a circle, giggling amongst themselves. Their flower crowns now hung askew on their foreheads, petals and leaves tangled in their hair. They resembled forest sprites, back from a night of mischief and magic.

Smiling, Clarissa returned to weaving the long line of daisy chains between her fingers, braiding one bright green stem to the next. It was only the second day of the spring festival, but already the chosen field was strewn with flowers, the floral vendors draping their carts and canopies with flowers of every variety--roses, lavender, honeysuckle, and many more bloomed in the air, releasing their sweet, bright scents.

“Clarissa! Clarissa!” A voice yelled ecstatically. Looking up, Clarissa saw her little sister Violet bounding across the field, long skirts clutched in-hand. “Violet, slow down!” Clarissa laughed, pushing back the broad brim of her bonnet. “But Clarissa!” Violet exclaimed, “There’s a hundred thousand flowers, and there’s going to be a million more at the Rose Ball tomorrow evening. There’s even a rumor that the Prince himself will be the Fae King!”

Clarissa rolled her eyes and tossed the daisy chain around her exuberant sister’s neck. “Just because the Rose Ball is a masquerade party does not mean that the Prince himself is coming in disguise. You dream too much.”

Violet huffed. “Well, at least you get to go! Mother refuses to let me do anything--even if it means I could marry the Fae King.”

“You can marry the Fae King when you’re older. I don’t think twelve is quite a marriageable age.”

“So you say,” Violet pouted, “but everyone knows the Fae like to choose beautiful young maidens.”

“Emphasis on the young, I see,” Clarissa retorted, gathering up her skirts and rising from the ground. The pleasant spring sun had drawn more crowds today than before. Many young couples were walking through the park, the women clutching parasols as bright as the bouquets in their gloved hands, and the men shielding their eyes from the sun with their top hats.

“Oh! Well fine! But if you don’t tell me everything that happens tomorrow, I’ll never forgive you as long as I live!” With that Violet darted away into the crowd. “Violet!” Clarissa yelled. She grabbed her own parasol and went to catch her sister, when she felt something fall from the ribbon of her bonnet and onto the ground. Startled, Clarissa looked down to see a bright red carnation looking up at her through the blades of grass.

She barely had time to question how Violet had placed the flower on her hat before she grasped the carnation and ran into the crowd, following the sound of her sister’s bright laughter… Not noticing the gentleman staring after her, his features obscured by a midnight blue mask. His eyes followed her briefly, before a sudden breeze stirred up a flurry of flowers, and he vanished.

Clarissa felt her chest heaving, constricted by the tight bodice after racing several paces after her sister in a most unlady-like fashion. “Violet! You can’t just go running off like that!”

But Violet merely giggled, clutching a handful of flowers. “I saw him!” She crowed triumphantly.

“Saw who?” Clarissa demanded, growing slightly more annoyed with her bouncing sister.

“I saw him! The man in the mask!”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no one wearing masks here.” Clarissa sniffed. “Your fancies about the ball are running away with you.”

Violet only smiled more, and taking the red carnation from her sister’s hand, neatly tucked it behind Clarissa’s ear.

“Carnation for chosen love tonight!” She sang, skipping through the forest, while Clarissa sighed and followed, ignorant of the singing breeze that spun Violet’s melodies around her ear, and dropped another red carnation onto her hat.