The sun shone through the canopy, casting abstract patterns on the forest floor. An elf danced through the forest, admiring its beauty. Singing and skipping to her secret spot in the woods; she sighed happily as she came up upon the tall, glass greenhouse. Vines covered every other panel and flowers grew out of the ground and invaded the checkered tiles inside. She loved this room. How it echoed when she sang, and when she danced it swarmed her heart with delight and happiness. She sat down on the floor, looking up at the sky. She was never sure how this greenhouse got here, but she found it and claimed it when she was younger.

Her pointed ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. She sat up immediately. Peeking out through the wooden door, she saw a pirate taking in the breathtaking views that her forest had to offer. He came up to the greenhouse and entered through the door.

“Wow..It’s so beautiful here.” The pirate said. The elf held her hand over her mouth. He looked towards her. “Oh! I am sorry I didn’t know you were here…uhm.”

"Go away." The elf said sternly, voice wavering slightly under the tension she held throughout her body.

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly. “Well, that's fair. I just washed up on the shore. Our ship wrecked last night after we were attacked and robbed.” His smile faded into a frustrated frown. She noticed he had a dagger that sat comfortably in a hilt upon his waist. 

“And? What business does that have with invading MY greenhouse, Pirate Boy?” The small elf said, standing up and pushing some of her long, white hair out of her face.

"I have a name, y'know. I'm Ithil, and who are you?" He said, trying to lift the mood to be somewhat friendly.

"Why should I tell you my name?"

“Because I’m trying to be friendly?” Ithil said with a confused tone slipping out. 

“Well, you can call me Sei. We’ll leave it at that.” She moved to the opposite side of the room from him, sitting down on the floor, hair pooling beneath her as if it was water. He watched as every movement she made was as graceful as a swan. 

She got up, not being able to keep herself still enough to sit down. She danced in the center of the room, bored and trying not to pay Ithil any mind.

After a little while of her dancing and him watching her intently and happily, she walked to the middle of the tiny greenhouse and offered her hand, turning her head away. 

“Well?” A brief pause surrounded the two.

Ithil looked confused, but nonetheless he took her hand. 

She pulled him into her, interlocking both of her hands with his; vines protruding from her arms, knotting and wrapping against Ithil’s arms. He panicked, not sure of what to think about the situation. She started moving strangely. That strange motion, Ithil caught onto quickly, she was making an attempt to dance with him. She started to sing softly, eyes meeting with the young pirates’. 

Seikatsu sang, and with every step Ithil noticed all of Seikatsu’s beauties.

One step.

He loved the way her words seemed to flow out of her mouth like silk and were as sweet as honey.

Another step.

He admired how her smile sparkled with the force of a thousand stars and was the only one he’d ever let himself be captivated by.

A third step.

Her hair flowed softly and when it brushed against his hands it felt like velvet. In just mere moments they were waltzing across the room. Smiling, Ithil broke the trance, the vines that bound them snapping and falling to the ground, and took Seikatsu for a quick spin and then pulled her back into his arms and then to dip her. Her laugh was sweet. He had never noticed small details like these before, not even with his other lovers. The two sat down, smiling and looking towards the sky. As the time passed and the sky darkened, Seikatsu pointed towards the sky. “Look, Ithil! The stars are so beautiful tonight.” They spent the rest of the night together. Looking at the stars and looking at each other. They soon slept, holding each other in their arms.

As Sei awakened, she noticed how amazing Ithil looked in the morning sun. His hair was fiery-red. His face was charming and strong. She noticed he had a dagger that sat comfortably in a hilt upon his waist. She looked back to his face, melting in the radiating beauty of this random man who happened to walk into her greenhouse. She wondered if the All-mother gave him to her, knowing she suffered alone in the greenhouse. Laying down and re-positioning herself into his arms, curling up next to him affectionately, she just appreciated the friendly yet strange intimacy. He slowly awoke, immediately noticing the light strands of silky hair that were covering his face. He sat up, trying not to wake the girl. Sei stirred, sitting up and meeting his gaze with tired eyes. She yawned.

"How did you sleep, pirate boy?" She asked groggily. 

He smiled. Even half awake she still managed to tease him. 

“I slept well, elf girl.” He said with such a wide grin he couldn’t keep himself from chuckling. 

She stood up and stretched. She walked out of the greenhouse, the wooden door creaking on its hinges. He went to follow after her, and as soon as he stepped foot outside he heard the shouts of his crewmates. He ran to the shore, bewildered by the sight. 

“We saw you in there with him! You took him, wench!” One shouted. 

Seikatsu was thrashing in their hold, two of the crew holding her from the arms. Vines grew from her arms and legs, large thorns grew from the vines, the thorns doubling in size each second as she screamed and thrashed.

“I didn’t take him! Let me go!” She shrieked. Waves crashed ominously as the sky darkened, lightning warning of the incoming storm. Ithil ran to his crew-mates, barreling into the one who held a dagger to her throat. 

“What the hell, Ithil?! She took you!” The other pirate said breathlessly, Ithil having knocked the wind out of him. 

The thorns grew to be a foot in length each, her own blood dripping from them as they tore her skin as they grew. Dark reds and greens shined in the little rays of sunlight that still wriggled their way through the rolling clouds. All that was heard next was a loud, “Thud”, followed by the horrific, bloodcurdling scream that arose from Ithil. 

Seikatsu’s head rolled at his feet, stopping with sand and blood matted into her hair that was now cut short, just like her life. The lifeless body of the girl fell onto its front. Blood pooled beneath her body as Ithils heart beat seemingly into his throat. 

“What have you done?!” He cried, knees buckling as he reached for her, weeping and picking her up to coddle her in his arms. Her spinal cord had been cut clean at her neck, severing her head as blood still spewed out, covering Ithil’s face. His sorrow turned into anger at the pirates whom he had once considered friends, and he set Seikatsu’s body down. Drawing his dagger to seek revenge for the beautiful stranger he had already wished to share his life with since the last night he had met her.