Music

Mirrim readied a picnic basket and some blankets. Today she and her family were going to the town square to play, but it never hurt to be prepared. The dutiful musician and mother made certain to pack sandwiches, beverages and snacks. And then she added in her standard supply-bag that contained just about everything she could ever need to fix, mend or distract. She slung her lute on her back and headed out to round up her wayward husband and the kids.
"Paul, Menos, Ondine!" she called, "It's time to go! Get your instruments ready!"
Her youngest, Ondine, was the first to show as usual. She got her long black hair from her mother and her bright blue eyes from her father. At 14 she had a lot of growing left to do, but all her mind was occupied by was her music. She always dragged her violin with her when she went out and of course today would be no different.
Mirrim's husband Paul came out next. His brown hair was messy and his clothes were creased but people expected a certain roughness from musicians so Mirrim held back from saying something about that. Paul's trumpet dangled from his arm while he tried to keep his faerie drak from tearing his shirt. Somehow the little creature enjoyed sleeping inside the bell of the trumpet and he didn't take kindly to being told to sleep elsewhere.
Lastly, their teenaged son Menos dragged himself to the door. From the dark patches below his eyes he must have been up late. His short black hair and tanned skin were a match with her own and Mirrim could only hope he'd inherited her common sense as well. But that was something time would tell. For now maybe it was for the better that she didn't know all her son was up to.
"Ready?' she asked.
When the three others nodded and started talking, she opened the door and ushered them through.

Ondine and Menos talked about the music they were going to play. They got so engrossed in their conversation that Menos almost missed a step. He went teetering forward, landing in the arms of Guardia who had serendipituously appeared around the corner. The red-haired girl blushed but held up her childhood friend.
"Heading out?" she asked.
"To the square to play." Ondine said excitedly while her brother blushed.
"Would you like to come along?" Paul asked, "We can make a small detour to get your Oboe."
Guardia smiled and held up the bag that contained her treasured instrument. Like Paul, her family had been keeping it safe and sound, handing it to future generations along with the lessons needed to play it. Which was how they'd met in the first place. Guardia had known how to play, but seeing the bard family pass through, she'd experienced what playing in a group was like and she'd lost her heart to it - and a certain young boy.
"Perfect." Mirrim grinned and together they headed out into the square.
Trees surrounded Acicade Castle but it's inner square was open so draks could land and take off. People walked about, others scrambled and yet others waited. Sounds and smells mingled and the place just felt alive. The girls readied the area while Menos set up a place for his cello and Paul started to wrangle an audience:
"Goodday to all! Anyone fancying some music is free to listen. We're performing as practice today but anything you wish to offer is greatly appreciated."
Looking every inch the part of a born bard, Paul introduced his family, spoke a little about their instruments and let them play. Everyone got in a little practice and they started taking on some requests from the audience.

Time flew by and before Ondine realised, the sky started to darken. It was time to head home and have dinner. She put in a last little extravagant solo and was rewarded by the audience with a big applause.
"Show-off." her brother prodded but he did so with a grin.
Ondine knew they got along better than most siblings and though he could be annoying, she loved him. But she still played better, although Menos would vehemently deny that claim. Neither of their parents would openly play favourites and Guardia only had eyes for her brother so she wouldn't be an honest judge. But the audience, they knew.
With the set done and the quintet packing up their instruments, the audience started to clear out. Only, there was one person who lingered. Finally, when everything had been packed and the musicians were ready to head back themselves, the female guard approached them.
"You certainly have a knack for entertainment." Ylleina said.
As a guard she saw a lot of people come and go. These musicians used to travel but since their children had grown they'd stayed at Acicade. Ylleina knew they were good people and as such she wanted to keep them around.
"Thank you." Mirrim acknowledged the guard, "Is there something you're interested in?"
"Well since you mentioned it, I don't know whether you ever tried to aspire for a clutch? I think all of you might do well."
"Aren't we too old?" Paul asked, "Well maybe the kids are the right age for it..."
He was maybe a little reluctant but being offered a chance to pair a drak was a serious matter and their children would be free to chose whether or not to take up the offer. But it seemed to female guard had other plans as she shook her head:
"We don't have that much of an upper age limit here. As long as you're healthy and able to take care of a drak you're allowed to try."
Paul looked down and saw at least three sets of eager eyes looking his way.
"Guardia, you better ask your parents. Ondine and Menos, you're free to try."
"What about us?" Mirrim asked, "It might not be bad to keep an eye on our children."

♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪

Mirrim - Paul - Menos - Ondine - Guardia

Music

Soirees of Delightful Symphony

Rachelle ran her fingers along the strings of her harp. She tried a few combinations before deciding on one of them and then noted it down. The pale, blond-haired young woman enjoyed composing and since she'd been living in the vicinity of Acicade Castle she'd had plenty of time to do so. Before she'd often been too unwell, getting motion-sick from the carts or being bed-ridden by fevers and the like. Every winter she suffered from serious colds, with coughing fits and wheezing. Her family had always feared that she might one day succumb to one of them.
But luckily, Rachelle had managed to hold on. She secretly hoped that a more stable life indoors would also improve her health though she hadn't dared voice that opinion herself. Instead, her older sister Nioi had insisted the two of them stay on at a local town where they could perform year round and still make a living, supplemented by teaching music or composing. Not a year had passed and Nioi had found love with the local piano teacher Raphael. Rachelle was fond of the red-haired giant and she hoped she would find love in a similar fashion. But so far, love had proved to be illusive.
"Getting somewhere?" a familiar voice asked.
"I sure am." Rachelle smiled at her soon-to-be brother.
Raphael didn't ask her how she was doing, but he and his fiancée checked up on Rachelle a couple of times a day to make sure she was doing okay. At present Rachelle seemed to be doing much better than the stories he'd heard tell by Nioi who, with her short black hair, tanned face and muscled body, hardly looked like her sister at all.
The two talked about their music and the upcoming concert that evening. Their place of employment held regular soirees where people could come watch for a small fee. The music changed according to the season and the musicians tried to switch the arrangements as much as they could. Tonight Raphael and Rachelle would sing lovesongs and ballads. Rachelle would probably play more classical pieces at the next event as it would be her turn then. Unless...
"Has Zion been roped into performing yet?" she asked.
"She's too busy running around town." Nioi replied, just coming in.
Nioi sighed and continued: "They told us she needed instruction but I swear they just want us to keep an eye on her."
"She is a good musician." Rachelle stood up for their cousin.
But she could not deny that the young woman was a handful. She had the family look, black-haired and tanned but still had some growing to do. Without a doubt she'd become a beauty, but at the moment she was far too precocious for her own good. She hardly practiced, was often running around somewhere without them knowing where and presumably got into trouble. At least she knew how to be discreet.
"I saw her with one of the pipers today." Raphael supplied.
"The blond one with the shaggy hair?" Nioi asked, "It seems they share a lot of time together."
"I know him!" Rachelle shared excitedly, "His name is Dennis and he is not a bad young man. He's always polite and he does work hard on practice."
Rachelle wracked her mind and then she remembered: "And he wants to be a travelling bard...."
"Well that explains it." Nioi said, "They share a dream."
Raphael raised an eyebrow in question, "It's not such a funny dream considering your family."
"I know, but things didn't exactly go well when she first joined the travelling group." Nioi argued, "She got in all kinds of trouble."
"Maybe it will get better as she matures." Rachelle offered.
"We can only hope."

Meanwhile Zion, the young woman in question was making plans with her best friend who was potentially a bit more. They hadn't talked about it but when they planned for the future it seemed to come naturally that they would travel together. They enjoyed eachother's company and almost never fought.
"When do you think the best time to leave would be?" Dennis asked.
"Late spring probably." Zion said, "It's not too hot yet but most of the rains will have passed."
Dennis tskd, "That's baby season on the farm."
The young man had grown up in one of the rural towns and everyone was expected to pitch in and help. Especially around that time. He only had his grandmother to thank for being allowed to take musical lessons in town. His parents were much less inclined to let him get away and they probably hoped he'd marry a nice girl and settle down in the vicinity.
But Dennis had other plans, especially with all the stories Zion had told him. Life on the road seemed like such a big adventure.
"When is your family coming by next?" Dennis asked.
"Not too long from now." Zion answered, counting her fingers, "They usually hibernate here."
"Would we be able to join them when they leave next?" Dennis asked.
Zion sighed. Dennis had suggested that on multiple occasions, each time she'd avoided a clear answer but she could tell he was growing impatient.
"The thing is..." she started, "That they won't allow me to come."
Dennis blinked, "Aren't you family?"
"I might have made a bit of trouble." Zion said and hesitated.
Luckily Dennis didn't pry.
"But they can't keep you grounded indefinitely." he said.
"I think they'll probably reconsider once I'm an adult."
"So two more years? That isn't so bad." Dennis said, "We can get in a lot of practice in that time."
Zion let out a sigh of relief and counted her blessings that Dennis wouldn't want to leave without her. She had come to rely on his presence to keep her going. Without him to talk to her life would be absolutely boring. Her aunts also didn't keep as close an eye on her as they probably should and she was doing her best to stay out of trouble. She absolutely didn't want to be held at knife-point again ever. But somehow her parents wouldn't be as easily convinced that she'd learned her lesson.

Evening came and Rachelle found Zion and Dennis watching Raphael playing the piano while Nioi sang from behind the curtains.
"You could sit in the front you know, family discount." Rachelle said and winked.
"Too many distractions." Dennis grinned, "I like the sounds here better."
"I can't argue with that." Rachelle nodded and sat down beside the two teenagers.
She wasn't actually that much older anyway. She did notice Zion's glances and sighed: "I'm fine, I won't collapse."
"Just checking." her cousin said a bit defensive.
"I know. I've been a lot better here than I ever was on the road. This life suits me better."
The three of them grew quiet when another song started and they didn't speak much until the end of the concert. Raphael and Nioi joined them in the courtyard, talking and having a drink, when they were approached by a short, wiry man with a mop of maroon-coloured hair.
"My compliments to you." he praised them, "It's been a while since I saw such a lovely performance"
"You must be kidding, we hold performance about every week." Nioi grinned, but everyone could tell that she was pleased with the compliment.
"I know but I hardly have the time to come and listen. Which is why I have an offer to make."
The man, Riku, let a small pause raise the tension and then continued: "Would you be willing to play at Acicade Castle now and then? Maybe some of the other castles would be interested as well. Some entertainment never hurts to unwind the knights after a long day of work."
"I don't know if we can..." Nioi said glanicng at her sister.
Rachelle just smiled and offered: "We'd love to."
"Are you certain?" Nioi asked her.
"I'm not made of glass." Rachelle said, "Travelling per drak might be more agreeable to me. I wouldn't mind testing it. And I bet you two or even Zion and Dennis would do a good job if it proves that I can't handle the stress."
"I'll make certain your transport goes as smoothly as possible." Riku assured them, "I know which knights to ask for that."
Then the Castle Judge grinned and bid them goodnight, promising to come back for them in a week's time. Just the prospect of seeing mmore performances at the Castle had him being merry, but he definitely hoped to get those five tied closer to the Castle just to make certain their agreement would last.

♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪

Nioi - Raphael - Rachelle - Dennis - Zion

Music

Nights of wild Folk

Laurence announced the next song with a slourish and got quite the few appreciative stares as his deep voice sang of missing one's hometown. It was a slow and moving piece that was hard to master despite it apparent simplicity. It was also usually their farewell song. He and the rest of the band had been at this particular town for a week now. It was time to move on. Without unexpected difficulties they would come here again next year, bringing news and entertainment once more. For a small fee they would take letters along and deliver them to those down the road as well.
They travelled on roads that were patrolled by the knights so all in all their travels were pretty tranquil with lots of time to compose and practice. It was a great opportunity for the younger people in the family to learn their trade and to develop a style to call their own. Some would decide to take up residence somewhere while others might form a travelling troup of their own. Like his younger brother Werner and his finacée Rya. It wouldn't be long now, maybe another year and then they'd be ready. Farain and Adrienne might even join them since the four of them got along. And Laurence would take on a couple new apprentices to teach the ropes. Maybe Farain's younger sister Zion would be one of them, and she would be a handful.
The evening ended in good spirits and the next day dawned early as the travelling musicians packed all their belongings in their stage-turned-cart and prepared for the journey. Only a couple of days would they need to travel to reach their next stop. Werner was whistling a lively tune, as adept as when he used his flute to play. He worked with practiced ease as he'd gone through this routine about a hundred times before. Rya mirrored his movements, tuned in to her future husband after about two years of travelling together. Maybe if Werner had been a farmer or tanner, they'd already be married with a child on the way. But Rya felt they both still had plenty of time to start a family. And their time would come. They were making plans together. To one day set off on their own.
"Thinking up cart designs?" Rya asked.
"I'd like one with purple to indigo sides so it looks like dusk. And then we can paint little stars on top."
"Maybe we can paint the insides to look like the dawn then? Maybe make them turnable."
"That would be a great addition." Werner agreed.
Truth be told, it would be easier for them to get a job at a Castle somewhere, maybe Savannah or Wo Yao Fei. But both of them loved to travel and it seemed a waste to not just keep touring. Werner secretly hoped that in a couple more years, his older brother Laurence would find a girl to settle down with so he could take over the existing wagons. Although with his brother's reputation that might just be an impossible dream.

Farain carefully watched his older cousins as they worked. One day he'd need to help them. For now he was content to take care of the bicorns who would be pulling the carts. They were fussy animals with their eight spindly legs that so easily got hurt. But they ran faster than camels and were friendlier too. Farain carefully checked each bicorn's legs and made certain they were all happy and fed. While doing so, his mind wandered. Leaving a town and saying goodbye always made him long for his parents and his home.
Adrienne hurried over and rang her chimes, making certain Farain was well within earshot.
"Worry not." she sing-songed and let the gentle vibrations of the metal disks carry away the bad feelings, hoping they might dissipate.
Farain smiled as his mind returned to the present and the fun things of being away from home on this trip.
"Thank you." he told the green-haired beauty, "I was lost in melancholy."
"And that's such a waste for a morning such as this." Adrienne reprimanded him, "The blue sky, the grass and the water wouldn't want you to feel bad."
"I guess they'd probably want me to admire them."
"Appreciate them at least." the young woman replied.
Adrienne had only joined the travelling musicians two seasons ago. She was reasonably new to this but had decided she could fill their lack of tuned percussion and her parents had gracefully accepted that their wild flower child had decided onher future on such a whim. Rya had soothed their worries as she had told him of her own experiences and Adrienne had not come to regret her decision. She was treated like an adult with as much say as the others on what and how they performed. And they even listened when she told them to cleanse their auras and meditate. Though not all in the same way. Farain had definitely been the one who'd welcomed her most. Over the months they'd grown closer and the first seeds of love were sprouting.
The two young people bantered on and started talking about the trip ahead and the next town they'd visit.
"Do you think they'll let us perform our piece?" Farain suddenly asked.
"Do you think it's ready?" Adrienne asked.
The two of them had been writing a musical piece though it was quite unconvential as it only had percussion parts. Farain used several of his drums and bongos to create an easy rhythm while Adrienne's chimes, cymbals and bowls weaved an ethereal, lazy melody above it. Though it was not something people would have heard before, it was soothing and - according to Adrienne - would heal the minds of those who listened.
"I feel it's coming along." Farain said.
"You'd know best." Adrienne encouraged, "You've grown up with the music."
Farain took a deep breath and nodded: "I think it's done."
"Let's go ask Werner!" as both of them knew that he was the one who knew how to pursuade Laurence.

One more day in their journey found Farain and Adrienne trying to practice while sitting in one of the carts. Their instruments kept getting jostled and frustration loomed. Werner and Rya had told them practicing at the camp sites would be plenty and Laurence had assured them that no piece of music was ever complete at it's first performance, but that didn't lessen their aprehension.
Suddenly the wagons stopped and Farain's bongo toppled over while Adrienne swayed dangerously until she found her balance by leaning against the side. Voices sounded outside and not all of them were familiar. Suddenly a draconic head peered inside.
"What wass that lovely szound?" the day drak asked.
"Our music?" Farain stuttered.
"I'd like to hear more."
But the day drak was called back by her knight and she vanished before she could repeat her request. Farain and Adrienne hurried out to follow her and caught Laurence talking to the knight.
"You mean to say we probably can't pass?"
"The road is heavily damaged due to the storms that have recently raged across this region. Some parts are as good as submerged and rocks and trees make the going hard in other places. We are working to get it sorted but it will take a week at the least to get everything cleared and in decent state."
"So what can we do?" Laurence asked.
They did not have enough food to last them a week. They could probably make a detour but that would take them even more days to reach their intended destination.
"I could ferry you to the castle so you can stay there while you wait. I can't take your wagons but the workmen can keep an eye on it and your animals while you wait." the knight offered.
"I don't know about leaving the animals..." Laurence said.
"I can promise you they'll be well cared for." the knight said, "Oh and you could probably make some money by performing. I would have to ask to make sure but everyone at the castle likes a little entertainment in these times. If you want to repay the workers I bet you they'd love a little performance as well."
Werner stepped closer to his brother and nudged his side: "You'd be a fool to decline that offer."
Laurence chuckled, "I can't say no to that reasoning."
"Make ssertain to play that nice sssoothing melody too." the day drak chimed in, "I bet you'd make good aspirantsss too."

♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪~♪♫♪

Laurence - Werner - Rya - Farain - Adrienne

Back to Acicade Castle
Lantessama Isle