The clouds slowly shifted from a soft grey to dark charcoal as storms came to replace the jaunty sun that watched vigilantly over the Valesian countryside. To the denizens that still resided in the war torn town, there was no call or outcry for the shining sun to reappear for even that was to foreign a sight for a place ravaged by war. There had once been a time when the sun would be met with cries of joy and shouts of rowdy children, and yet those sounds seemed as if they had once been heard an eternity ago instead of a few short months. For now those cries of joy have been replaced by the wails of those mourning over the dead so now none wished the clouds away for some believed that it was nature's way of grieving for the fallen as well.
The streets were pock-marked dozens upon dozens of craters, and the dilapidated buildings that lined the streets were all remnants of the battle that had taken place in town not three weeks before. The survivors, along with with the aid sent from both Vale, and Mantle had done their best to clean up, but work was slow and the lives of the people mattered more than the state of old buildings and roads.
The town center was the hardest hit during the fighting, the large town hall building and the hospital now lay underneath a pile of unbreachable rubble that held tightly in a snug embrace the corpses of those that had fallen within. A miasma of death clung to the town center like a tic, forcing those who sifted through the debris to wear masks to help them breath. The work was unbearable, and miserable tears were shed all born from the fact that their once jovial and peaceful reality had been replaced by one so hellish and torn by war, a war that swept through the town like a wildfire uncaring for what is destroyed in the blaze. Though worse thoughts dwelled for what they would find just beneath their feet.
"I don't see why we have to do this," Theo remarked, tossing more rubble into the back of a nearby cart. "I've found so many toys that I could probably open a toy shop after this all said and done. I can't imagine how bad it is for them Valesian boys the town over that one was right in the thick of it." Theo looked over at one of his comrades, a demure looking boy named Nicholas, as he came trundling along with a seemingly heavy sack full of debris, ready to be tossed into the back of their cart. "Hey, where'd you find that sack?"
"This ol' thing I found it in that bombed out husk of house down the road," Nicholas replied gesturing to the row of destroyed houses. "Not a hole in the damn thing so I thought to myself why not take it we could use it to clean the debris faster, it's not like anyone besides us is going to be using it."
"That's someone's property they could come back to collect what's left of their possessions, and come to find out that they are missing their sack," Theo chided his comrade, who didn't even look remotely abashed. "That's thievery y'know."
"Yeah and that's slaughter of the common language it's you know not y'know. Besides it will help us get done faster, and it's not like anyone was using it." Nicholas said defensively. "Come on let's stop screwing around, and hurry this up i'm starting to get the creeps."
"I agree with you on that, at least. This quiet is unnerving, the Grimm they should of been all over this area after the fighting. Yet we've seen neither hide nor hair of them since that time the caravan was attacked." Theo replied, bending down to examine a wooden toy car its frame dotted with small splotches of blood. Theo gave a small morose at the somber sight before picking up the small car, and dropping it in the cart. "I signed up to be soldier so that I could be of service to my kingdom, but now that i'm actually out here in the midst of all this fighting, and bloodshed. I can't help but wish to myself that I remained a dust miner because maybe, maybe then I wouldn't have had to bare witness to this senseless slaughter."
The two men looked around mangled town before turning their attention to a large crater in the town center a miasma of despair and death drifted around it like carrion circling a fresh corpse. Both of them were awed by the sheer magnitude of what had occurred, this battle had marked a turn in the tide of the war, a grand message had been sent from the armies of Mantle to the people of Vale now all that remains to be seen is how Vale replies.
"How people do you think died down there? I mean just right here alone?" Inquired Nicholas, as he turned to Theo with a thoughtful look on his face. "It all just gets me wondering, why are we fighting this war all for what to spread some ideal that self expression is bad and art attracts Grimm. It's foolish if you ask me."
"I can't answer your question about the poor souls buried down there." Replied Theo. "But I think that this is just some giant landgrab by the kingdom's you cross out Vale, and Vacuo and that's two new territories under our control. Enough of this though let's just finish this up so that we can leave. For one I don't really want to think about who's rotting corpse i'm sorting through, and I definitely don't want the captain to hear us talking about this."
"I was jus-"
"I know Nicolas, but you're just too curious for your own good, and I don't want our conversation to make any of our higher ups angry." Theo continued. "So let us both just put a hold on this for now, and we will pick it up again later away from anyone else. Besides it feels like the rains are going to start, and i'm not really in the mood to catch a cold."
The two men headed back into the crater, working only with a small civilian cleanup crew that had volunteered to help clean the remnant's of their town. The work was miserable, and fetid the things that they would see would be burned into their minds for the rest of their lives. For with each plunge of their hands into the rubble their apprehension would grow. A single question would float around all of the workers minds: what would they find this time? Fragments of broken plates? A cracked frame containing the torn photo of a family no longer whole? Or worse yet the battered and broken corpse of one who had lost their life? The stress weighed heavily on the already tired souls, and judging by the severity of the battle which had taken place this job will not soon be over.
Nicholas paused as his breathing grew strained taking a step back from the rubble he glanced over the precipice of the crater. A figure above catching his eye. "Hey, hey Theo look over there," He said pointing upwards. "What's that woman doing over there?"
The worker next to him growled in exertion and threw a small slab of concrete on the ground next to him, turning around to look up. "Oh hey fella's its that girl again. It's been awhile since she was here last."
Taking the time to interject Theo turned to the man. "Who is she though?"
The man shrugged before turning back to the pile of rubble. "No clue kid she comes and goes as she pleases I think she's some sort of traveler or something."
"But… Why is she here now?" Pressed Theo.
"Just listen you'll hear it soon enough."
Both Nicholas, and Theo were about to ask what the man meant before looking back at the woman. She wore a simple tattered red cloak that went down to her feet, a hood covering her head. The perfect accent to add to the mystery of the red clad woman. She held herself with a sense of purpose, a hidden agenda that brought her to such a sorrowful place clouded in a miasma of despair and death. It was then that they noticed the case by her feet, from which she drew a small but elegant looking violin. Bringing it to her chin, the woman took hold of her bow and began to play.
The sounds chatter began to quiet down before stopping entirely as the sound of music began to cascade around them like the falling rain, the liquid esque sounds ebbing and flowing like water. It was a mournful symphony the sound was soft and melancholic as if quietly crying out for a time long passed. It called out to all of the tragedies that lay in the hearts of all of the men and women it spoke of their exhaustion and of their sadness. This small woman gave a voice for those quietly suffering as they labored their grief born from the violent war was echoed in the chords of the tune. Allowing all those who were present a small moment of release from their burdens. Even the those who continued to toil in the rubble for some unexplained reason it felt to them as if the debris was less heavy their next load felt lighter, the sorrow that would be brought on by a new find in the debris would faded into the wind as if added to the sound of music.
"I always enjoy listening to the little lass play," sighed one of the older workers wistfully, a civilian from the looks of his uniform. "It's a different piece from the last time she played. I like it."
"Why did she come here?" Nicholas inquired.
"Can't really tell you myself the little lass always pops up when you least expect her to. Always giving help where she can from playing music to ease the minds of the people, or doctoring up wounds I even heard from a trader that was passing through here that she saved their village from a pack of Grimm."
"Hmm that sounds real charitable of her does she ever ask for anything in return?"
"The lass barely talks I think the last time I heard ask for anything was a glass of water she has real soft pretty voice to, but the lass is an angel always helping never asking for anything in return." Said the older man. "Leave her be son everyone has a reason for them to do what they do." Said the man after taking note of Theo walking towards the edge of the crater.
The three men returned to the work as they let the wistful tune consume them, a bittersweet sound that led to their hardened hearts to soften even if only for a moment. The work was difficult for the men it was filthy and sorrowful yet no longer did anyone complain about the nightmarish job. The woman's tune helped to ease the pain... even if it was only for a short time.
The mysterious musician finished her final piece, slowly sliding the bow away from the strings as the last notes flowed freely into the still afternoon air. Above them came the tremulous rumbles of thunder, it was funny really to some of the men the storm waiting until the girl was finished playing as if even mother nature was enraptured in her song. Droplets of rain pitter pattered against her instrument as she gently placed it in her case locking it away. She walked to a nearby overhang multiple pairs of eyes followed her every movement. For to the men she was an enigma- a mysterious figure with only a song and multiple good deeds to her name. Dressed in her red cloak that none would ever see in shops only added to her mystique, some even thought of her as the phantom of a traveler from some bygone era. A spirit mourning for the world as it descends into chaos.
Salutations everyone for time being this is a one shot that is most likely going to be converted into a full story should I iron out a few things for the plot, this takes place during the Great War the character Theo is based off of Theophanes the father of Saint Nicholas in one of the stories for said Saint. So Theo is my take on the unnamed dust miner that was mentioned to be the father of Nicholas Schnee in the World of Remnant video for the Schnee family, and as a nod to the story of Saint Nicholas who I believe that Nicholas Schnee is based off of I named his father Theo. Also if any of you are readers from Petals of Time fear not for that is still being worked on and if things work out it may finally be updated after that unplanned hiatus. Enough about that though opinions, thoughts, anger inducing errors I am all ears.