Each time the couple kissed was like a slow execution to Vanordan, the court magician. He had grown up with the princess and harbored a childhood love. But a prince from a neighboring land couldn’t be refused.
There were many such lands, Vanordan realized, and he was young. Why stay and torment himself?
He packed his wand, his spellbooks, his herbs. Before leaving, he brewed a steaming green potion. “A farewell gift,” he said to the princess, and turned his back.
Suspicious, she dumped the potion in the royal garden and watched, a bit sad, as a gorgeous rosebush sprouted.
Author’s Note: Some tales of unrequited love end in malice, but they don’t all have to.
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