A Tale of True Love for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. How the heck did a defiant priest become the basis for a holiday of lovers, celebrated with hearts and candy and engagement rings? There are many, many legends. My favorite claims that Valentine was jailed because he defied Emperor Claudius by marrying young men and women against the law--a law that said no young men were allowed to marry (in an attempt to boost numbers in his army.) On the eve of his execution, Valentine wrote "the first Valentine" to his beloved, his jailer's daughter (whom some legends claim was healed of her blindness by the saint) signing it, from your Valentine.

As that story goes, and all stories of Valentine, the man was executed and thereby martyred, attaining eventual sainthood. I don't like that ending. Not at all. Therefore, in Heroines of Fantasy tradition, we're going to turn things around a little and make it our own. Using this picture and the basic Valentine legend above, let's rewrite the story, and this time let Valentine LIVE!

Same rules as last time: FIVE LINES ONLY! No cheating. Please do not be offensive. Sex and/or violence is allowed, but please don't get too graphic. Posting ends midnight on Saturday, February 11th. I'll conclude with the last five lines, and post the whole collective story on Sunday, February 12th.

And so it begins: the story of a boy and a girl, and love unattainable; at least, that is what their kin wanted them to believe. Her name was Adalaide, a maid small and slight even for her kind. He was Valentine, his temper wicked even for his. They met in the wood. They fell in love; and turned the world upside down.

Now it's your turn...