"Eyes Always Shut!"
"Eyes Always Shut!"
"Eyes Always Shut!"
The dwarves cheered.
They just wanted some fun and most of them were already very drunk from all the ale.
Rey inhaled and exhaled, controlling his breathing in order to calm himself down.
He took a few seconds to think about the song to deliver and nothing was coming to his head.
As time passed, the dwarves were becoming impatient.
"Boo!"
"What a killjoy!"
"Boooo!"
"Let us fight instead! That's more fun."
'Yikes!' Rey felt a bead of cold sweat travel down his spine as the negative remarks started coming in.
He had developed a good relationship with these people and a mere stage fright was not going to destroy it.
Rey's confidence rose, increasing exponentially as he recalled the countless and more dangerous situations he had faced in the past.
'This is nothing compared to those, Rey,' he reminded himself as he took two steps forward.
Rey placed himself directly under the light that shone from in front of him, using it as an excuse to close his eyes as if the light was blinding him.
Booming with confidence, Rey's lips parted and a mellifluous tune spread from them.
🎶
"In the hush of twilight's sigh,
Where the shadows dance and play,
A flicker of a hidden spark,
In the heart where secrets lay.
Through the glades where wildflowers bloom,
Two souls wander, chasing the moon."
🎶
Every dwarf stopped and focused their eyes and ears to the sweet sound that seeped from the young elf's mouth.
Rey was getting himself and flowing with the melody he was singing to them.
"Oh…? He can sing too…? That young elf really is full of surprises," Malindar laughed as she performed her chore of cleaning the mugs as soon as they were returned.
Having dropped the first verse of his rendition, Rey moved on to the chorus, winning more hearts over to his side.
🎶
"Beneath the veil of dreams we tread,
Where whispers linger, softly spread.
In every note the night breeze sings,
The promise of what morning brings.
Together in a world unseen,
We find our place, a silver sheen."
🎶
The male dwarves did not understand the depth of the lyrics of Rey's song, only enjoying the sweet sound of his surprisingly beautiful voice.
The females, however, were drawn in by the meaning of the words that came out of his mouth.
Many of them clutched their chest and dangled slowly from side to side as they listened to Rey sing from the stage.
Even Princess Citrea's eyes sparkled as little tears formed in them.
🎶
"In the silence, laughter flows,
Like a river's gentle bend,
In a realm where magic grows,
Time and fate begin to blend.
With every heartbeat, echoes rise,
A streak of starlit skies."
🎶
Princess Citrea cleaned the tears in her eyes with a finger before they dropped.
'What a sad song,' she thought, able to understand some parts of the meaning of the words.
"So touching."
"I'm almost crying."
"Aww, that's such an emotional song."
Rey returned to the chorus of the song. Already immersed in the melody, he was getting carried away and this made his voice sound even sweeter and more passionate.
It was like he was telling a personal story, an experience that he had firsthand.
However, Rey was only singing a song which his father had taught back in his village.
A song he was forced to listen to and eventually come to love since Eragon made sure to sing it always.
🎶
"In the hush of twilight's sigh,
Where the shadows dance and play,
A flicker of a hidden spark,
In the heart where secrets lay.
Through the glades where wildflowers bloom,
Two souls wander, chasing the moon."
🎶
Some of the male dwarves noticed how Rey had swayed their females with his lovely voice and started to wonder what charm was laced in the elf's throat.
"Are you sure he's really an elf…?" one whispered to his neighbour. "And not a siren?"
The neighbour shrugged, unable to give an answer to the question even though he also saw the reason for the question.
A good number of the female dwarves had a tear or two in their eyes as they listened, their emotions touched deeply by Rey's voice and words he sang.
Realising himself, Rey did the chorus two more times and then ended the song.
There was a few seconds of silence before he opened his eyes to look at his audience.
The silence was about to make him feel awkward when a clap resounded in the air.
Another clap, and another after and soon it continued.
Rey turned and saw the Dwarven Princess standing and clapping for his performance, cleaning her eyes from time to time.
Following in the steps of their princess, the dwarves started to applaud the elf and soon a rain of clap filled the air.
"That's a beautiful song, my friend!" a drunk Uncas yelled from the crowd.
Ulfgar crossed his legs and took a sip from his cup. He was happy and satisfied with how Rey had won the hearts of the Brownbeard Clan.
His heart rested easy from then on as he wouldn't need to contend with the higher-ups about his decision to save the elf in the first place.
'You are indeed an interesting figure, young elf. I guess my time babysitting you is over.'
As the dwarves clapped and praised his singing skills, Rey clasped his hand in front of his chest and bowed in different direction before turning to the royal family of the clan to bow as well.
Rey climbed down from the stage and walked back to where Uncas was seated and waiting.
Barely able to keep himself standing, Uncas found a stool to sit down.
As Rey moved through the crowd, commendations flew around him and pats on his hands and back came in until he reached Uncas' side.
"I didn't… (hiccup-!) …know you cou— (hiccup-!) — could sing."
Rey leaned into his ear while maintaining a grin.
"Uncas… I'm going to kill you when we get back," he threatened the dwarf.
"Hahaha!" Uncas laughed boisterously, disregarding the threat as a joke.
< Ding! >
< You have acquired a class >