Wow, that was incredibly beautiful. Well written, poetic, and such wonderful imagery. One thing I would point out would be that some of your sentences feel too full, like you were trying to say too much at once. c:
I like that you didn't really focus the content of the story on his appearance, but when you did, it showed us that he wasn't the typical handsome, but a different kind. And somehow, it made it all the more beautiful.
I also enjoyed how you explained his demeanor. In most stories, everyone is always riled up in their views, but i liked how he was content in his own view, and didn;t need to change others to make himself happy.
I really loved that anecdote- thingy when you were explaining how though he knows what things are truly like, he can still believe, and probably still love them.
It was just really, really pretty <33 and i hope that you do well in the contest! c: