Col'Thiely glanced sideways, peaking down the corridor, her ears flopping gently to the side as she did. Noting that the coast was clear, she pulled her sheet music close to her chest, and huffed down the hallway. Pale green and blue crystals shun, casting a bright luminescence upon the walls as she made her way. She paused, considering an open doorway; it was devoid of what she needed however, and she continued.
The gentle staccato of a snare drum played off in the distance, its sharp strikes dampened by the thick walls of the theatre. Turning down another corridor, she found the chamber she was looking for. She rushed in, closing the door behind her and placing a green gemstone into a socket on the wall. She glanced sidelong at a mirror; ignoring the dampening buzz that arose from the walls of the room. He reflection showed a young woman, wide around the middle with deep dark patches under her eyes, hinting that she handed gotten much sleep recently. Her mauve shift clung to her frame, too small for her bulk.
Faint tears welled gently in her eyes, and she sighed at her reflection. Memories of how she used to look fluttered gently before her eyes until she snorted and shoved them aside. Sitting down in the stool, she placed her music on the stand, bracing her fingers against the strings of the harp. It was a small thing, a gift from her mother… Col'thiely kept it down in this chamber because musicians weren't allowed to keep instruments in the communal chambers.
She began to strum away, noticing how much quieter her notes sounded while the dampener was on. It made it somewhat difficult to ensure she was hitting the notes in the correct pitch, but she was only here to work on her rhythm anyway. She closed her eyes, the music her brother had written flowing seamlessly from her hands as she plucked along the harp. The song was a gentle one, and the images of trolls and knives that threatened to overwhelm her were kept at bay. She floated gently with the music, her mind venturing off to another place, somewhere devoid of complications and suffering. She felt her heart relax, and its beat slow as she found peace in her music.
Sneaking out of the dormitory to play was strictly forbidden.
She continued with her song, musing gently over words that might accompany it. She tapped her foot, making faint clicking sounds that were in time with the music. Just as she thought she had the tempo right, her clicking struck off beat, and she cursed herself in thought. Her sense of peace started to crack, as it always did, and she trembled as she practiced. Her clicking was off again, as she heard an extra one once more. Strumming, she felt herself losing track of the speed of the song, performing an un-intended rallentando.
"Last time I looked, it was forbidden to leave the dormitory at night…" said a voice behind her. "Blazenote is going to have a fit when he finds out, hmm chops?"
Col'Thiely froze, her fingers screeching across the strings of the Harp. She glanced tentatively over he shoulder, and her heart sank as she saw Cas'Triel grinning back at her. He was taller than her, though not by much considering her own height, and where her hair was a deep crimson, his was onyx.
"A pity really, considering how beautiful Silvermoon is at night… Although, if you're expelled, then I suppose you'll have a much closer look at it then I now won't you?" He said, chuckling.
Col'Thiely glared at him, throwing a roll of sheet music in his direction. He grinned and stepped to the side, barely managing to catch the music in the process. He took a few steps closer, and she gave him a dispassionate look, one of subtle sarcasm, her eyes shining as if to ask why he was out as well.
"Ah, but I am merely on my way to the bath-house to freshen up. You on the other hand are in quite a… different locale." He said, pulling up a stool next to her. She glared at him more, "Still not talking hmm? Fine, I can live with that."
She sighed, rubbing a hand along her throat and feeling the plumpness of the skin there.
"Regardless, I do believe that with the performance for the prince scheduled tomorrow, we should both be getting a great deal of rest." He said, and a far off boom of what seemed to be a base drum accentuated the word great. She gave him a thoroughly un-impressed look, and punched him on the shoulder, hard enough to make him wince.
"Ah, the one downside to you chops. You unfortunately, do not hit like woman."
Col'Thiely sighed, wondering when he'd stop pestering her. He'd done this many nights before, why won't he just let me practice in peace. He knows how nervous I get when I sneak out; why does he need to follow me and poke fun?
Cas'Triel yawned, stretching his arms out and showing off a surprising amount of muscle in his arms. He casually plucked at one of the strings on Col'Thiely's harp, and it snapped. He glanced at it, shrugged and rose. Col'Thiely looked at the snapped string, her heart plummeting out her stomach. Tears began to slowly well up in her eyes; tears of frustration and anguish.
Streaks of crimson flashed across her eyes, and the stench of trolls filled her nose. Her brother's muffled cry when the blade sank into his throat, and the red tear stains that streamed from her mother's eyes flitted by in a macabre dance as she tried to contain herself. Cas'Triel looked at her slightly confused, and simply rose to leave. He glanced back, somewhat off put by her immediate change in attitude. Shrugging again, he made his way to the door.
"Don't stay up too late, and… get some exercise chops. The dress is looking a little tight."
He shut the door in time to miss her losing her composure. She went from being teary eyed and upset to outright hysterical. She collapsed onto the ground and hugged herself as she rocked back and forth, screaming silently. A ringing ran through her ears, and she screamed inside her mind, why?
After a moment, she felt her consciousness ebbing away, darkness pulling at the edges of her vision, and the world exploded around her. She shook herself, struggling against the exhaustion and she felt something grab her roughly; images of her mother being dragged away, blinded ran through her mind before she descended into darkness.