The Crystal Keep, Celestial Terrace 1
Capital Province, Frosthelm Prime
Frosthelm Galaxy – Quadrant 7, Sector V
Danika Starbourne,
This letter will no doubt come as a shock to you, but understand that I do not write frivolously. We are bound. Fate has decreed it. As I have no intention of ignoring what has been set in motion, I am reaching out to you.
The moment you were born, I awakened to the connection between us. It was an inevitability, a certainty woven into the fabric of my existence. I searched for you, first upon my own world, where I expected you to be. But you were not here. Your signature was absent from the courts, from the noble houses, from the bloodlines of power where you should have been.
I searched nearby realms for many solars with no luck. Instead, I found you on Earth of all places. A planet so distant and insignificant that no proper portal has ever been forged between our realms. A world of fleeting lives, crude technologies, and no understanding of the power that governs the cosmos. It is unthinkable that my fated mate should be born so far beneath my station. But fate does not ask for my opinion—it simply is.
Though the thread between us exists, it is weak. The only opening I have found to reach you is through this primitive box. It is a disgracefully small conduit, but it is all we have at present, and it allows me to send this correspondence so that I might make you aware of our bond.
The alternative to this form of communication is for me to travel to Earth by ship. A journey that would take a quarter revolution of your planet around your star. An absurd delay, an inconvenience I do not have the patience for. You can prevent this.
All that is required for you to come to me is for you to accept the bond between us. Accept that we are fated mates simply by saying “I, Danika Starbourne, accept you, Orion Thalos, as my fated mate.” Once you say the words, the magic created by our bond will allow me to amplify our connection and open a proper portal. I will bring you here, where you will take your place at my side as my queen, as fate has dictated.
I do not expect this will be an easy adjustment for you, but be assured, I will make the transition as seamless as possible. But I must warn you that this small conduit between your world and mine will not remain stable on such a weak bond between us. The magic I used to reach you strains against the limits of your primitive world. Do not delay in your response, or the thread may fray beyond repair, and the portal’s creation will become impossible.
I await your response and your imminent arrival.
Orion Thalos
Crown Prince of Frosthelm
Your Fated Mate
Danika Starbourne
High Ridge Observatory
17488 Starview Trail
Mount Palomar, CA 92060
Mom,
I don’t know how else to say this, so I’ll keep it simple: I am not going to Bebe and Matt’s wedding.
I sent back the first RSVP. And the second. How many times do I have to decline before people take the hint? I do not want to go. I will not go. End of discussion.
Also, please stop giving people this address. I came up here to work and get away from all of this nonsense, but apparently, my mailbox didn’t get the memo. Every time I check it, there’s another letter pulling me back into a world I have no interest in. I moved to an actual observatory to avoid people, and yet, here we are.
Just so we’re clear—I am not happy for Bebe and Matt. I am not angry with them either. I am ambivalent. Completely, utterly indifferent.
Bebe was never a friend to me. I learned that when we were kids, when she used to spread rumors about me at school just to watch me squirm. Then she’d get mad when I didn’t care what the other kids were saying about me. She’s always been more interested in making herself look good than in actually being a decent human being. If she thinks she won something by taking Matt, good for her. I broke up with him months before they started sneaking around. I’d stopped answering his texts, and eventually, he got the message. Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe Bebe swooped in and saved him. If so, too bad for her.
As for me? I’m not interested in dating right now. I know that will disappoint you. I know you’d rather me show up at that wedding, having shoved my size ten body in a size three dress, with a male model or a billionaire or whatever fantasy scenario you’ve cooked up in your head. But I have comfy yoga pants that I fit in and more important things to focus on.
My art.
I have an opportunity to show my work at a major gallery. This is the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had, and instead of wasting time worrying about a wedding I have no interest in, I’m pouring myself into my work. This is what matters to me.
Please try and understand.
And give me some space to work.
