Suddenly, out from the quiet and stillness of the night, a faint melody is heard echoing around.
A very...
Very—
familiar melody.
I climbed the balusters railing and leaped down to the ground from my bedroom balcony. I tried to follow where the sound is coming from while trying not to get seen by any soldiers.
I can't put my finger on it. But that melody is really damn familiar.
Finally, I saw an opened window.
The melody is played all over again.
Such a sad yet beautiful sound.
So pensive too.
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((A/N: Link to the piano:
https://bit.ly/2Ryj0V6 ))
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I cautiously took a peek at the window and saw a shadow sitting by the darkness of our parlour, playing the piano.
Why is this song so familiar?
I bit my lower lip in frustration.
I closed my eyes and listened to the thick melodious lullaby being played.
"...!?"
I remember!
It's the song Nora sings to us every night— for me and for the children.
It's the Song of the Ancients...
A song to remember.
I climbed the window and silently went in. Being careful not to disturb whoever it is playing the piano.
But as soon as I hid from the shadows of a corner of the room, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and soon allowed me to see clearly the figure who was playing it.
"Eriol...?"
He... knows the song too?
I stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the piano.
The soft beam of moonlight hazily beamed where he sat, running the line of his face and the tousled long hair he has with bangs that almost covered his eyes. The huge shinning black instrument complemented the ambiance as it gently reflected the soft beams of light, strings inside seemed to be golden under the moonlit room. The sound its producing is full and so thick and intoxicating to listen to.
The cold winter winds drifting by from the opened windows all but made everything more spine-tingling yet... stimulating.
His eyes are closed but when I walked to the side to watch him closer, he opens it up.
And his galant amethyst gaze steadily met mine.
I veered my eyes down and watched his long and slender fingers flew over the keys like a petal brushing off in a surface of a calm water. It ripples and affect the entire pond yet the tranquility stays the same, only but producing more life to the picture.
He went on coaxing such powerful but calming melodies from it for a while and I closed my eyes to listen.
I remember Nora's usual smile so clear and vivid in my memories.
How she latched on to me as her eyes watched mine as she beams at me saying,
「But I would love to see the day you will fall in love with Stray, Aerra!」
How odd, why am I remembering this now. And who is Stray?
「Just a perfect combination! A high born lady and her lethal mercenary! Sounds like a wild rogue romance don't you think?」
Everything suddenly feels light and weightless.
The feeling as though my consciousness is fading—
When Nora died...
I feel like someone was there for me.
I'm pretty sure it wasn't just Aeron...
「Take it all in— the fresh air and the view. Isn't it all great? ...with the wind this strong and how high we are now, no one will hear or see you... so go ahead and stop holding it in. It's more painful that way. It's okay to release it all now, Aerra.」
「Can't sleep? ...It can't be helped, I don't sing. So I'll just hold on to your hand like this until you fall asleep.」
Like a distant dream, I can only perceive... But no face can be seen...
「It's alright... You're safe... I'm here... Breath.」
But the warmth is there.
how strange that I could suddenly remember such things now...
Is it because of the song?
Or him?
A stranger in my presence who claims I have forgotten...
Everyone says I know him.
Yet I remember him not...
But these memories just now is pensive...
Why does my chest feels so tight?
I opened my eyes back as the song ended.
I watch him close the lid and stood back up.
Is he leaving? I thought, admittedly feeling disappointed.
But instead, he walked around the instrument and stood straight before me.
"You know what... the very first time I saw you back in the deserts, your eyes had bored into my attention. The way you stared back at me and how they gaze so deeply as if you're reading my mind. I thought to myself, hey— that kid is weird."
Uhh...💧 (-_-)
"And then there was that moment when you gave me the candy, I asked if you have red one but you deliberately gave me a purple one instead so I thought— maybe this kid is stupid."
My brows knitted. 💢
He chortled, "Just kidding!" Both his dimples emitted on his cheeks. "But even as a kid from back then, you always had those expressive eyes; a gaze that feels like you're hiding so many secrets, yet at lost on your own."
He sat at the edge of the piano bench and leaned forward with both elbows laying lazily over his legs. "I don't understand back then why I feel like I have to look after you. It seems like you attract trouble unknowingly. But now I know, you're just really a troublemaker."
"Okay stop! I've given you a chance to redeem yourself with all these reveries but you're just really insulting me, aren't you?" I said in a grimace but he didn't stopped there.
"You're like a walking accident waiting to happen. My instinct says getting involved with you means I'll have to stick around all the time just to make sure you're safe. And yet...
I always find myself drawn into you more.
...My reasoning says one thing but my actions says another. What the hell is wrong with me?" He covers his face with one hand, seeming to laugh at himself while shaking his head sideways.
"I don't know..." I almost whispered. "Maybe you hit your head." I said bitterly
I hear him chuckle.
His eyes opened and he eyed me through the spaces of his fingers.
Right now, my pulse threading nervously...
even all my limbs feel like shaking...
But—
as shameless and contrasting as it sounds, I found myself wanting to reach out and touch his face instead.
He stood up and took one step forward.
I took one step back out of instinct.
I can see that torned him.
"I understand if you're scared of me"
"I'm not! I'm just—!"
He took another step forward
and I took one back.
Goddamnit!
"That's out of reflex! I didn't mean to move!"
He chuckled. "Fine, come to me then"
He reached both his arms open at me.
I scowled at him.
"I'm waiting" he says in a half smile.
I stared at him for a while. I lift my feet up but put them back down again.
Err— what's the right course of action? I don't want him to think I'm scared of him but I don't want to throw myself to his arms so boldly either...
"You're seriously considering it?" He suddenly bursted out laughing. "HAHAHAHA!!!"
The sound of his laughter filled the silent room, dispelling all the stiff ambiance it had.
He wipes a tear in the corner of his eyes from laughing too much and then steadied his eyes on me.
"You still can't remember me, huh?"
I nodded.
"How about this, lets start from the very beginning?" This time he reaches one hand over for a handshake, "Hi, the name's Stray. I've been part of the Ouboros before but now I'm a vassal of the Leingod Household. My real name is Eriol and I'm sixteen years old."
'Stray...'
I took his hand and reciprocated it. "I'm Aerra Leingod. Nice to meet you...?"
He grins.
But soon that faded away when he studied me.
"So tell me, why are you still up?" He looked at me head to toe, "And where are you going dressed like that?"
"I was just trying it on until I heard the piano... so I took a peek and see who it is."
He rubbed his temples,
"I swear to the gods— You're the easiest person for a kidnapper to target. What if it was intentionally luring you out? You could've been taken away that easily. You're being careless!"
Wow. Okay, so what happened to 'let's start from the very beginning' stuff?
"First of, if I was that easy to target they shouldn't have taken this long to kidnap me. Apparently, they have some other plans! Second, I thought for a second there that you might be actually interesting to get to know but you open your mouth like this and all I get are these rude yappings!"
"Well sorry to disappoint you, that's because you're not thinking things through! All the people around you are trying to protect you but you're doing your very best to oppose all of that!"
"Then why can't you just say it in a nicer way! Why do you always have to be this crude and mean!"
"Because you're such a hard headed little girl!"
"Well you're being a jerk!"
"Well at least I'm not giving a hard time to other people unlike you, you're such a headache!"
"Then stop helping me! I've never asked you in the first place!" I stomp my feet down and faced him stubbornly
"I'm doing this not because you asked, you brat!"
"Then why do you even care?!"
"Because I don't want to lose you!!!"
We both paused.
I opened my mouth to argue back but my mind went blank.
Umm— what?
He also seemed to be surprised that it slipped.
Blood suddenly rushes to my cheeks. And I watch his face flush red as well.
He straightened his back.
I did so too.
He raises his hand and covered his face with his knuckles almost touching the tip of his nose, stealing his eyes away.
"Selfish brat—!" He murmured hoarsely.
I took a deep breath.
Again, I found myself uncharacteristically arguing with this guy.
I don't usually get into these kinds of arguments even with my own twin brother.
And yet...
I easily lose my reasoning when it comes to him. What am I doing, honestly?
"Are we... always arguing like this before?" I asked, perching a bit at the piano.
His shoulder loosens, "No... not to this extent."
He seems to have calmed down as well.
Without memories about him, all I can use now as a basis in interacting with him is what I feel... but even that proves to be confusing.
Would I have considered something otherwise if I have my memories from back then?
Have I really respected and trusted him so much before?
"I'm sorry..." I watched him, "I... just don't get it why you're so worked up all the time"
At some point, we really might have been close and I trusted him a lot and now— everything suddenly changed.
He's right though... about me being hard headed.
I gathered my guts to walk towards him on my own. I could see him froze in place as I stood before him.
He must really been a precious friend to me and to Aeron. I'm just being foolish to disregard his own feeling on this matter.
If Aeron suddenly forgets about me... I would also feel so troubled and stressed too.
I should have been more emphatic to Eriol.
"I want to remember you." I tagged small by the sleeves of his loose shirt. "I promise, I'll find a way to get my memories back from Faram. So until then, please don't give up on me."
His eyes widened.
CRAP!!! That came out wrong!
"What I mean to say is—! I hope you could be more patient with me."
Suddenly an explosion went off.
"—!!!"
I can feel the ground vibrating underneath us.
"Apparently your brother is not that patient, huh?" Eriol murmured as we both ran to the windows were the sky is glowing red from a distance.
"Fire—!" I gasped. I can tell it's coming from down below the castle, exactly at the direction where the orchard is found. "Aeron..."
"Don't worry. I would sense if he's in imminent danger. Right now you just need to stay put." He paused and look around the room. "Then again, just come with me."
I nodded.
••▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅••
We went running across the corridors, towards the wing where my parents are.
Along the way, we crossed path with Isera who seems to have just woken up.
"What's happening?" He asks as I just grabbed his hand along as we went on running.
"Just stay close, Princess." Says Eriol as Isera seems to look more confused than ever.
We soon reach a hall where I saw my parents in their tunics and robes, Papa is talking to Darion and some of the soldiers as Mama stood a little behind him.
"Aerra!" My mom ran to me and embraced me.
"Eriol, go to Aeron. Please—!" Papa ordered
Eriol bows down briefly and finally turns into a ball of light, dashing across the room in such raging speed until it flew out the window like a shooting star, disappearing from sight.
"I'm sorry you're caught up in this" I told Isera. He just shook his head.
"It's alright. I came here under my own volition as well, not just because Rohan asked."
"Just stay close and follow me" Papa says now as few soldiers gathered around us and began to march towards another corridor.
We turned into into a corner and went further and deeper to the castle, climbing one floor down to another.
"Where are we going, Papa?" I asked, Mama just held my hand tighter. I turned my head to her as she just smiled.
"There's a place under this castle where we can keep you safe."
Keep me safe?
"Just until everything calms down." added Papa.
Another explosion went off. And despite facing the opposite direction from the orchards, we can still see the night sky lit up for a brief moment.
I thought Faram hates unnecessary chaos and bloodbath? What happened to that—
We reached the stairwell and down to the underground passage where the entrance of the dungeons exist.
A place I never had tried visiting even as a child because it was always barred and locked.
All of a sudden, everyone stopped dead on their tracks. I can't see through what's happening with all the soldiers in front of us but I noticed they all began to take their swords out.
I can hear my heartbeat racing to my ears, drumming wildly as I panted from all the hurrying.
Mama and Papa stepped forward, hiding me and Isera from their back.
Isera grabbed my hand, "I think I get it now." he whispered. "I can still protect you. Just don't let go of my hand" he says.
Slowly his entire body glow in a soft white light, it spreads to his arms and towards my own where our hands connected.
I can hear the sound of chains emitting and clashing noises. Grunts and cries of men echoed around, the pain it portrays rips me apart in dread.
And then, one of the soldiers was hurled in midair and towards the ceilings, creating an almost imploding impact that created a crate on the floor as the soldier dropped down motionless.
Mama stretched her arm to the side and dozens of white formless spears materialized out in mid air.
Oh. Now I see where Aeron got his abilities from.
There was no one talking, no silly exchanges. The entire room was drowned in a thick dense ambiance of growing restlessness.
I began to feel worried for my parents.
"Don't let go" Isera murmured, when I tried to pull away from his hand.
This light that has enveloped me and Isera,
I think it's like a shield of some sort, created from light magic.
I remembered what Eriol said... that everyone is doing their best to protect me. I only need to comply instead of opposing it. So I clenched my teeth and just idly stood by, no matter how dreading it feels like on my part.
Papa took one step forward.
There was no longer a soldier left standing.
From the space, I finally caught a glimpse of the antagonist present before us.
He wore a face mask that had a vertically carved eye in the middle, behind it is a frosty shade of ashen blonde hair with a long braid draping from behind him like a tail. He stood in fine posture but the stillness seems more like a warning than that of a calm.
He was clad in several layers of dark garb with a torned gray scarf loosely wrapped around his shoulder.
Who is he—?
I don't think I have ever seen this man before, but I'm sure... it's one of Faram's emissaries.
The silence finally broke when he spoke in a muffled voice from that mask.
"The harvest moons has finally begun..."