by oggbashan
This fits the opera (or a little bit of it) very well, not only in plot but thematically: the couple are asked to commit themselves to each other before they really know each other.
If you enjoy high fantasy, you might like Marion Zimmer Bradley's full-length retelling, Night's Daughter. She makes one change to the relations between the characters: Pamina is the Queen's daughter *by Sarastro*, which explains both the nature of Pamina's interest in him and the Queen's interest in keeping Pamina away from him. The setting is a world in which a lot of genetic engineering has been done in the past, creating not just bird-people but dog-people and many other mixed human/animal kinds.
... and I almost passed it by. Implausible in lots of ways, but very nice in others. A real romance, too. Beautiful.
I do not know why I had picked it to read most likely because it was short, But I am so glad that I did pick it because, I really, really enjoyed it.
light, fun and romantic. what a good read.
Thanks.