1
Forum Settings
       
Reply To Thread

A Bard's Tale, 2nd Bar: Beautiful Music (A FFXI Love Story)Follow

#1 Oct 20 2008 at 4:13 AM Rating: Good
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Took forever to complete this...I ended up having to do the entire BRD AF storyline again, just to make sure that I got all the facts right for the bare bones of the story. This story will definitely be shorter than Aish*teru (I Love You), but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

My first work, if you want to read it: Aish*teru (I Love You)

Comments, suggestions, etc are always welcome^^

*****
1st Movement

1st Bar: Prologue
*****

Begin 2nd Bar, Beautiful Music

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I please present Almakus."

I looked down from my jewel encrusted throne, to see a sopping wet man stroll a bit uncertainly towards where I sat in the back of the room. As he moved from tile to tile across the carved and dull gray granite floor, I watched his patched felt hat droop down over his face, sopping wet, causing his face to be bowed down slightly towards the ground to keep it from draining into his hidden eyes. His pale, thin hands clutched the pockmarked wooden frame of his harp, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.

"Where did you find him?" I whispered as I leaned over to the throne next to me, finding myself instantly disgusted with my own lips for just parting to talk to the one I was forced to call 'husband'.

As always, he didn't bother to look back at me, but instead ran a finger along his perfectly trimmed facial hair to smooth and pat it back down into place as he spoke.

"I found him out in the rain, playing at his harp upon the street corner. His music caught my ears while we were stopped to let some sheep herd pass by in front of us in our carriage."

He lifted a heavy robed arm, the damascene cloth rippling in the light, throwing off extravagant colors as it caught the throne room=s torches and radiated into everyone=s eyes. As the bard finally shuffled to a stop two yilms away from us, I dimly remembered when the king had ordered that thousands of crabs be captured and brutally killed until enough fiber could be extracted from their stomach=s lining in order to produce a single piece of shimmering cloth.

That particular single command had nearly wiped out the crab population in both Junger Forest and Boyahda Tree in order to do it, but it wasn't until he had gotten the magnificent clothes that he currently wore that he stopped.

After silence from the king for a moment, he finally issued a simple command:

"Play something for us."

The bard stirred from the wet puddle he had just created from his soaking wet clothes and hat, seemingly taken to be taken by surprise by the request by a ruler.

"Al...Alright..." he said quietly, before taking a deep visible breath and forcing himself to stand upright. He used one hand to adjust his floppy hat, pushing it backwards upon his brow somewhat so the water would run down his back instead over his...

His...

His eyes...

Looking into those twin crystal-blue spheres, I found myself suddenly dropping and swimming down into them.

He looked around the room for a moment, ultimately resting his eyes upon my own.

I turned my head sharply away, feigning royal indifference.

What the...

"This song..." he said in a near-whisper, "is about choices...one man who had to choose between his dreams and being with the girl he loved."

He drew his index finger along a string, plucking out a solid note that was rich and powerful.

"Choices..." he whispered, as if it was for my ears, and mine alone.

He closed his eyes as he began to play, his body swaying slightly with the music he created as he slid from chord to chord, harmonic to rest, his heart and soul becoming mixed with the tone of music he was creating.

As he played, silence gradually fell across the room, the various nobles and aristocrats that gathered around our thrones like rats found their voices first dropping down to a mere murmur before ultimately to nothing at all.

My eyes traced down this bard’s form, and I wondered how someone so sweet could have ever wound up being poor enough to be only on a street corner to play.

His words were pure, and I could tell that his spirit was strong and good. His words spoke to me like I haven't been talked to in so long, and I suddenly found myself wishing that...

That his every breath was for me, that his every smile could be for me, that his every embrace would be arou-...

Oh Goddess...

I thought to myself, suddenly crushing my eyelids down, wrenching them tightly as I felt my cheeks gain a slight red blush to them.

How can I...

Without even...

Knowing...


The song ended, and he looked up as I opened back up my eyes, and almost unbiddingly, our eyes met again for but an instant. The bard then readjusted the harp so that it rested upon his hip as he executed a slightly imperfect bow before me and the king. As per royal custom, we both automatically gave only the slightest of nods to acknowledge the performance.

I felt a burning desire to share a gaze with him again, if only for the briefest of moments.

No...

What...

Is this feeling?...


~end 2nd Bar, Beautiful Music

Edited, Oct 20th 2008 8:06am by Nightsintdreams
____________________________
Proud citizen of Miranda.

-Currently on Pochacco Server of Hello Kitty Online.
#2 Oct 21 2008 at 3:35 PM Rating: Decent
*
108 posts
o0o0 This looks very interesting, i'm going to look forward to keeping up with this.

I always have a lot of time in the day at the computer, i'm going to try to read some of Aish*teru as well.

Thank you for the stories, and very very great work :)
Reply To Thread

Colors Smileys Quote OriginalQuote Checked Help

 

Recent Visitors: 227 All times are in CST
Anonymous Guests (227)