In the land of Svearania, lies a forest where spirits hover around and trees grow rapidly... They called it, "Skönhet Trä."
During the night, Fireflies would come out of their nests and illuminate the entire place. At the time of day, grass-eaters dwell to feast on the greens.
This place is inhabited by those who value the aspects of nature - Elves. With their long-pointy ears, they possess the ability to hear sounds from afar. Daily, they hunt for fruits and vegetables to eat. Others practice the art of "Medeis" while some would go out and explore the vast world of Prigolane.
As for their statesmanship, Elves would choose to avoid conflict unless it's inevitable. When it comes to combat, they arm themselves with a bow mounted by arrows infused with the element of their liking. They also wield a two-sided spear in close quarters but that is as rare as finding gold in a river.
In recent times, they've allied with a community of humans that lived on the same soil. Because of this, both societies became ethnically diverse. Their allegiance with them is also the same reason why it got the name of their forest.
Our story begins with a girl named "Eleanor" - a young elf with beautiful sparkling eyes that changes shape depending on her mood. The lassie spends her resting days on top of a tree as she enjoys watching other animals minding their own business. She's also there to witness the beauty of the fireflies every night. The young lady is accompanied by Lovisa, an energetic human girl with blonde hair whom she recently became friends with. Her kind would usually avoid making friends with other species. But because they allied themselves with the humans, why not?
One day, Lovisa came to the forest in a hurry. She climbed every tree in search of her friend. Luckily, it didn't take long enough to find an easeful Eleanor on one of them. At a glance, the human's face was blooming in delight, clenching her fists in excitement. There was a thought that came through her mind which prompted her to this visit.
"Ella, there's something I would like to tell you. There's a Bout in the city where we can earn lots of gold coins!" cheerfully said the young lass. "Want to go with me?"
Suddenly, Eleanor's eyes widened out of curiosity. Ever since she learned the use of these currencies, the lady dreamed of being able to spend it on something of greater value. She's tired of only receiving a few bronze coins for her everyday efforts. That may not seem so bad at first, but in this day and age, there's barely a single shop where everyone can easily afford an item with this.
Now with that out of the way, this sparked the young elf's interest and she began asking her friend for directions. Lovisa answered by abruptly taking her hand and pulling her out of the forest. Outdoor doings aren't surprising for Elves like her. But to be persuaded by a human makes her nervous.
The two arrived in the city an hour later. At first glance, the location appears to be in a clean and positive environment. Furthermore, it is clogged with elves and humans going about their daily lives. Eleanor has been here before, but this will be her first time interacting with people other than her kin (save for Lovia), which makes her even shakier. Lovisa notices this and gently pats her friend's head for comfort.
"Don't worry, Ella. If anything happens, I will always be with you," humbly reassured Lovisa.
Her friend's kind words may sound a little creepy to anyone but this gave Eleanor enough strength.
"So... Where is this bout you're telling me?" She asked.
"It's just somewhere around here."
Along the way, they stumbled upon countless talented individuals, displaying their excellence in front of a crowd which in return was greeted with a round of applause. One of them was a Kalminarian mage who drained almost all of his mana to create an illusion projecting an army of dragons flying through the sky. Another one was a Columbian cowboy stopping a herd of buffalos with nothing but his rope and bare hands. And finally, there was a woman of the Renaissance delivering a romantic poem in her language as she managed to survive, steadily crossing a rope filled with a pool of amphibian beasts underneath.
Upon seeing this, Eleanor was amused. She couldn't to applaud them for their efforts.
After a walk in the town, this is where they finally turned up - at the event! At first glance, it's taking place in a huge building accompanied by echoes of performances. Seems like there are a couple of queues at the entrance - one is for the participants and the other is for the audience. While Lovisa was abundantly exhilarated, Eleanor wasn't quite content as she quickly figured out...
"This is it..." Lovisa slowly raised her voice, sounding excited.
Out of nowhere, the human lass handed out a couple of instruments: a harp and a trumpet.
"We're gonna be bloody rich! Now get in there."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?!" Reacting with a glare, Ella argued with Lovisa.
"I never told you because it would ruin the surprise..."
"And here I am, thinking that we're getting a high-paying job instead of a concert!"
Eleanor proceeds to argue with her until they finally conclude. Though ill-prepared, she ends up being the last person on the line. She only has to answer a few questions in a survey to become a contestant.
The purpose of this bout is for the participants to express their talents in front of many people, so they could end up like the ones Lovisa and Eleanor found forth. The winner is determined by the number of votes from the patrons. There can only be a total number of seven candidates to participate. On stage, two players have played their part. They were greeted with a cheer as the curtains closed.
All in a while, the young elf gazed through the rest of the participants waiting for their voices to be heard. As they are confident as a dolphin, Eleanor is as shy as a porcupine - the gleam in her eyes continues to change shape, and her hands begin to sweat. In her mind, she believes that her talent does not possess the same greatness as her fellow competitors. But instead of drowning herself with pessimistic thoughts, she kept a slight piece of optimism to her side.
By the time others have finished, came the elf. As she sat on a conveniently placed chair, she withdrew a harp and began plucking its strings whereby creating a beautiful rhythm. The audience was delightfully dumbfounded at first. The artists before her were talented but they based their works on a loud approach. For it to be followed by something so calm that changes the atmosphere entirely.
As if performing on a forty-seven string wasn't enough, an elven flute came flying from the curtains. It stopped near as she dropped a few notes before giving the harp to the winds she secretly cast in exchange for the instrument. Gently, she tooted the flute as soon as the harp started plunking on its own. This ended up complementing each other perfectly.
The final item served as the cherry on top. Unattached to the curtains, a floating trumpet played on its own. To avoid disrupting the beat that the harp and flute have created, it is performed at a reduced volume.
The young lady appeared to be playing a melody from Herr Mannelig - a folk song about a female mountain troll desperately trying to marry a human knight so devoted to the Gods that he actively rejects her for not sharing the same faith. This was well-liked among the mortals of this land. It was frequently played with a frightening instrument as a warning to children who dared to venture into the mountains. However, Eleanor's interpretation lightens the song with elvish instruments and elements of her choice.
Soon after, the lassie went all out; magical copies of each instrument appeared in the air. She played them all together with the wind, creating an orchestra. Each flute played a unique note, which was accompanied by a long blow from multiple trumpets on specific rhythms. Eleanor takes up the harp again, plunking at every tempo. At that moment, the Elf was intensely focused, her closed eyes framed by a frowning brow, ensuring that every note was played at the correct time.
When the song reached its conclusion, the young elf opened her eyes and relaxed. Magical clones disappeared while their replicants fell to the ground. Firstly, she was greeted with a dark atmosphere and a cone of light over her seat. Silent, it was. She wondered if there was a part she messed up. This left her secretly panicking until someone started clapping out of nowhere for applause. That left her flustered but the rest of the patrons gradually went along and started cheering on her performance.
"Not bad." Cheerfully praised a Commonlander. His voice gets overlapped by the crowd's yell.
"That was awesome!" Happily yelled a Columbian woman with a thumbs up, followed by a Yee-haw.
"Splendidus! Nunc scio quem suffragium facturus sim!" Joyfully screamed a clapping wealthy Legionary. He got scolded by a Seguidore man for simply speaking his language.
With a smile, Eleanor bowed down in gratitude...
She walked down the stage, only for a joyful Lovisa to suddenly pounce in for a hug.
"YOU DID IT!" yelled the heart out of Lovisa when tears started cracking her voice. "I honestly can't believe it..."
She pressed her face against Eleanor's coat and sobbed all over. The moment felt so exaggerated that it annoyed the young elf.