A Bard's Tale, 4th Bar,Bedtime Fantasies (A FFXI Love Story)Follow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story is surprisingly hard to write. I have a set framework that I have to work within, in order for the story to fit within the realm of FFXI. There is also the matter of how to develop the characters, and a solid storyline with a subplot (the love story is the focus, yes, but cannot be the only part of the story) was surprisingly harder for this work than for my first story.

The story will start to pick up steam though, after this chapter that finishes setting up the basic background for the characters. So hang in there!

And more will be coming soon…when I can work it around my busy endgame life and law school x.x;

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

Comments, suggestions, etc are always welcome^^

*****
1st Movement

1st Bar, A Prologue

2nd Bar, Beautiful Music

3rd Bar, Dinner Conversation

*****

Begin 4th Bar, Bedtime Fantasies

It is an honor to be the one to hold my shirt sleeves as I undress, and redress for bed.

I was not the one who came up with that silly honor, but the San d’ Orian noble ladies craved to be the one that would hand me my silk gown every night, sliding it around my back and to start to button it down to my knees.

And every night, I tried to protest it.

"Please Lady Qu’lan, that is not necessary. I can dress myself, I promise." I said with the air of a tired queen about me.

The bedchamber was as elegant as every other room in the palace, and I found it to often be too busy for my tastes. The riches and tapestries wore on my rather quickly, and I sometimes wished that it would all be thrown away and replaced with nothing but a single mirror and perhaps a music box.

"But it would be my pleasure to do it for you, my queen." Lady Qu’lan replied with an unmistakable tone of deference in her voice. I looked at her, and I could see that her eyes were adverted from my partially clad form, as if she was not worthy to gaze upon it, even as she started to slide the silver buttons through the silk holes, to lock each one in place.

I could see that arguing with her was pointless, and I maintained perfect posture, not moving but an ilm until all the small metal disks were secured in their individual place until the noblewoman then knelt down upon her knees before me, finishing the last one.

"Is there anything else that you may wish of me?" I looked down, a little sad to see such an individual that often was one of the first to display the latest fashions at court in such a humble and submissive position.

"No, that will be fine." I said, placing a single fingertip upon her shoulder to indicate that she should raise back up. "You may take your leave."

She proceeded to walk-backwards out of the room, being careful to never turn her back upon me. "Thank you, my queen. If you need but a trifling thing, I do swear that I will answer to you as soon as possible."

I nodded my assent to her as her hand fumbled for the door brass, before finding it and sliding soundlessly outside.

I waited for the door to close before strolling around the room, cupping my fingertips around the edge of each of the tall Beaucedine-colored candlewicks, my breath softly extinguishing each of the flames until there was but the one at my bedside left and the half-moon outside my partially cracked window to throw any sort of light upon the only true place of refuge that I had.

Most nights, I would leave the single candle glowing by my beside, for it would remind me of the familiar light of my grandfather’s pipe, the smell of the lit mixture of sage and marjoram washing over my face as he checked in on me at night.

I should count myself lucky that my husband has a vice for other women...otherwise he might want me to spend more nights sharing a bed with him in his chambers. And he hates if there’s any light in the room while he’s trying to slumber.

Besides, sure, he claims that he loves me and that I am the only one for him...but then he can't explain away why his pillows and blankets have the stain of other women upon them.

I'm not that stupid, even if he thinks I am.

My feet sunk into the central rug, as I locked the heavy bolt to my door, before turning back around and crossing to my bed, pulling aside the lightweight drapes as I took upon the two steps of the small stepstool made by the finest woodcrafter in the all of San D’ Oria into my waiting bed.

I closed my eyes, my blonde hair drifting across my face slowly with the rising Shiva’s wind, the former rainstorm’s leftover humidity outside providing a nice respite to the dry castle air. I felt my limbs suddenly go stiff as a face floated to my forefront, and I found myself thinking about the graceful performance that I had only witnessed from my throne just a few hours ago.

Such sweet music...

My hands subconsciously squeezed the sheets, and I felt myself suddenly becoming jarred awake as I longed to hear that tune again. I tried to ignore that impulse, and tried any number of tricks that I had used since I was a little girl to get myself to fall asleep.

None of them worked, and I briefly reflected that it was probably too late to ask for a command performance to lullaby myself to sleep before the thought struck me that I –was- the queen, and I could do nearly what I did damn well want to do.

I reached out my hand to a small gold bell at my side, and rung it twice. The clear notes rang through the room, and the door nearby, because before I could put the bell back down, Lady Qu’lan spoke up and I could hear her muffled voice through the door.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Can you see if the new bard that my husband favors is available for me to listen to?"

She paused, and I could hear her inquiring of a guard nearby as to the bard’s presence. After a moment, she turned her voice back to the door.

"I’m afraid that he is performing a command performance for our majesty in his own bedchambers, is there perhaps another musician I could get for you?"

I shook my head, before realizing that she wasn't able to see me.

"Umm...no...just...could I have something to help me fall asleep then, perhaps?"

"Of course", she replied, her voice barely breaking through the tough wood.

"Would you mind unlocking the door while I retrieve it for you?"

I got out of bed, unlocked the door, and slid back into bed before Lady Qu’lan had a chance to finish getting whatever it was that she was going to get for me.

After a few moments, I had just gotten resituated in bed when Lady Qu’lan opened the door and wheeled in a small metal dish-tray, draped in a white cloth with the San d’ Orian crest embossed upon it at the edges.

She brought it over to me, and I could see over the tray’s edge yet another object made out of silver, this time a small pill box, and a glass of fresh river water of what I knew was from the Chavel River, just outside the castle walls. She opened up the lid of the pill container, and held it out for me to take out its contents.

As always, her eyes were adverted from me as much as elvaanly possible.

Sitting up some, I shifted the pillows around until I could easily peer inside. There, nestled among a small amount of reflective beeswax paper, I could see a small pink tablet by the candlelight.

"What is it?" I asked, curiously.

"It’s a new medicine that was created by the local alchemists. It's supposed to help you relax and go to sleep without much in the way of troubles."

I simply nodded my understanding and popped the pill into the back of my mouth before trying to drown it with a huge gulp of the river water.

The pill tasted really bitter and dry, and I couldn’t help but notice a sour chemical taste to it and it’s texture, and I blinked back a few tears as I let it wash down me.

I reflected, perhaps too late as I put the glass back down on the table, that I should have had someone else take the pill first, in the case that it turned out to be poison to eliminate me. Such things were sadly not all that uncommon here, and I hoped that...

...

...Wow.

The room lit up, and I felt a great wash of happiness come over me as everything seemed perfectly fine. I what I felt was a slightly overly-big smile to the noblewoman, who simply wheeled the tray back out of the room, her back once again never being turned towards me.

It works fast inside me than I expected.

As I breathed, I felt a warm sensation from the silk clothing rubbing my bared skin, and the wind once more blowing in from the window created a whirl of sensations that I had not experienced before.

I briefly wondered what it was that the noblewoman had given me, before I closed my eyes.

Somehow, I felt purely safe and happy for once.

I just wished that I had that bard’s song to listen to as well.

~fin 4th Bar, Bedtime Fantasies

Actually, I seem to recall that you didn't want me to add ********* to my thread.

I added these, if you want them removed let me know, if you want ********* added, let me know too