The Ten-Drabble Challenge
Ten Songs, Ten Drabbles
So, the basics of this challenge are:
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn your music player on and turn it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabblet/ficlet related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterward! No matter how whacked out your drabble is.
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
NOTE: "Drabble" is used in the sense of a short story, not an actual 100-words strictly or anything like that.
Author's note: I decided to take Elfpen's challenge, about three months after she first posted it XD, and so I now present to you my epic failures. This is really embarrassing, but I decided to take the challenge, so here are the ten results.
KEY:
#. Title (Author) – Length: m:s
1. Mandolin Concerto in a minor RV 356 (Vivaldi) – Length: 8:52
Will couldn't believe it.
"No," he whispered, "No. Please."
But it was too late. He frantically tried to staunch the multiple blood flows from his mentor's broken, wounded body, to no avail.
Will found his vision blurred by all the tears forming in his eyes, constantly streaming down his face, constantly being replaced by more.
"Halt, Halt, why did you have to do that?" he asked, choking back sobs as he cradled his head in his lap. "You should have just left me there, even if it led to my death."
Suddenly, Halt opened his eyes and coughed weakly.
Will felt a renewed sense of hope rising in him, but it quickly died out as Halt whispered, "And how do you think I would have felt then? This...is the best way. For all of us, Will."
"But not for me, Halt. What will I say to Lady Pauline? What can I say to her, Halt? I'll never be able to face her again!"
Halt coughed again, and then, with an enormous effort, managed to grasp Will's forearm.
"Promise me, Will," he whispered. "Promise me that you will tell her everything that I told you right before my death."
"Halt, don't say that!" Will cried, sending another wave of tears down his cheeks as he fought back the urge to completely lose control. "Halt, you can't! You can't just leave us, leave me or Lady Pauline after all-"
Halt managed to smile sadly up at his former apprentice. "After all that we've done, Will? It seems wrong to your young mind. But I know that you'll come around and understand, later, perhaps when you yourself are put in this situation." Will opened his mouth to speak, but Halt cut him off.
"You still haven't promised me, young man," he told his former apprentice sternly, for just a moment returning to the grim, taciturn Ranger that Will had known for the first fifteen years.
"Yes," Will whispered. "I promise, Halt. I'll tell her everything."
A.N.: Well, that made no sense whatsoever. Particularly the ending. -_- I just can't wait for the next nine drabbles now. *cough cough wheeze hack*
2. Capriol Suite for String Orchestra Movement 5, Pieds-en-l'air (Peter Warlock) – Length: 2:32
Halt could remember having been with Caitlyn, his younger sister. All the fun they had, chasing each other around the castle grounds, giving each other gifts and presents, and just spending family time together, as siblings.
He especially remembered the time where their uncle had just died. Caitlyn had stood right next to him through the whole funeral without sniffling or showing any signs of outward emotion.
But then later, he had comforted her, through all her tears. And then they had realized what a close bond they had as siblings.
A.N.: And that was officially even worse. Will these actually get better, or will they just get worse?
3. bigcitydreams (NeverShoutNever!) – Length: 3:15
Will never liked being bullied.
For some time, he'd considered running away from the Ward. All too often, he could see Horace's sneering face towering over him, and then the huge body pushing him around, shoving him around, and all sorts of things like that.
But, however mean Horace was to him, Will somehow always found solace in exploring the big castle of Redmont.
He never ceased to get in trouble, especially with Master Chubb, but it was no matter to him. All he received as punishment was either a warning, or a missed swipe of a ladle, or one single hit. That was all, so Will considered the risks very little compared to the rewards.
Knowledge of such a big castle, to him, was extremely important. It was just one way to pass the time, but it was also interesting and consumed quite a bit of time.
Sometimes, he even dreamed about exploring the dark corridors of the castle, during the night, in secret.
4. Calypso (John Denver) – Length: 3:38
Erak never got tired of an exhilarating journey at sea.
It was his life, his job as a jarl, and much, much more.
Even better were the days when there was a nice wind blowing the mainsail, and the sea was not too choppy, but not smooth as glass either: Erak enjoyed a little bit of swaying movement while controlling Wolfwind.
"Ah," he said, breathing in the salty sea air, "this is the life."
His first mate Svengal smiled at him. "Yes, but isn't there a certain person on board that makes that life even more enjoyable?"
Erak flushed and put his left hand on his battleax. "Svengal," he said warningly, "I would advise you not to-"
"It's true, though, isn't it?"
Erak reluctantly nodded, then hurriedly added, "But Calypso's great. She really understands the high seas."
Svengal smiled and nodded.
A.N.: And that made the least sense of all. Well, still. XD I'm almost halfway there, thank goodness!
5. Moonlight Sonata Movement Three: Presto Agitato (Beethoven) – Length: 5:50
Tug's hooves were drumming on the ground, his body pelting full speed ahead, nose pointing right towards the bandits' lair.
Will had pulled up his cloak cowl, and grimly fingered a razor-sharp arrow on his longbow string. His mouth was set in a tight line, and there was only one thought running through his mind: Avenge Halt's death.
And avenge it he would. For the bandits that had killed his mentor knew how much it would hurt both him and Halt to do it that way.
Well, Will thought, a twisted smile playing at his lips, they're the ones who'll be hurting after all this is done with, once my duty is done.
He rushed in, released at the very first alarmed bandit he saw, and was already sending other arrows on the way before the other bandits could properly react.
And then Will came face to face with the leader of the bandits.
He smiled again, the way a wolf does at its cornered prey.
"Here is to your end, bandit," he whispered as he reached for another arrow from his quiver.
And then he nocked it to the string, aimed, and released.
Before the bandit knew what was going on, Will had sent another three arrows his way, one towards his head, another towards his heart, and the last at his neck.
The first arrow to strike instantly killed the bandit.
And then the other three hit him as well.
Will nodded grimly to himself. Now his job was done, now he could consider himself a worthy apprentice of Halt again, and now he would be able to face Lady Pauline.
He turned Tug's head towards home. "Redmont, boy. Go."
A.N.: I think that was the one that made the most sense so far! Yay! Now I'm halfway done. Geez, I wonder how many people will actually read down this far on the page.
6. Mars from The Planets (Holst) – Length: 7:55
Crowley was ready.
Morgarath and his troops might be the ones who were attacking, but with Crowley and his Ranger comrades all working against him, he stood little chance of overcoming the King's army.
Then he heard it: the drumming of hooves on the ground, slowly approaching, becoming gradually louder the longer he listened.
Crowley smiled, and then made his final tour of the places around the heath where the other Rangers were located along with his former mentor, the current Ranger Commandant, Samuel.
His fingers flexed on his longbow, a sure sign that he was no mere apprentice.
"Samuel, we're going to pay him back for what he did to the southern fiefs, aren't we?"
His mentor glanced sidelong at him, having to look up just a little bit—Crowley had long been waiting for the day when he could claim to be taller than his mentor—to look into his former apprentice's eyes.
"Of course, Crowley," he replied briefly, and then turned his attention back to scanning the horizon, searching for any sign of Morgarath and his Wargal troops coming over the meager hillside serving as the King's first defense.
"Samuel, what exactly is on that hillside?" Crowley wanted to know.
His mentor paused for several seconds before answering. "Well, I suppose you ought to know. There are hidden holes, animals switches and traps, all sorts of that kind of thing there. The hillside is only to serve as a hindrance to the troops, to slow them down so that we can gather more of our own troops and place them in needed positions, or defend the little holes in our positions."
Crowley nodded. It made sense; not all of the Baron's armies had been properly positioned yet, and they needed time to do so unless they wanted Wargals pouring through gaps in their defenses.
And then there was an assembled gasp from all the Rangers and troops who saw what had just come over the hillside.
"Here he comes," Samuel said grimly. "Morgarath."
A.N.: Hey, I don't think that was too bad. That song is totally awesome. But anyway, let's keep moving, shall we?
7. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Mvmt. 1 (J.S. Bach) – Length: 6:48
Gilan loved going to celebrations. He loved the festive music playing in the background, all the laughter and noise and happiness going on around him, everything about them.
Except for the sermons.
He always got fidgety during those, so his father had relented and had released him to go back outside, where all the stalls selling candies and caramel apples and such were, where the real fun was.
Today was the annual celebration of the day that Baron Morgarath had been defeated at the Battle of Hackham Heath, by one Ranger, two dozen cavalrymen, and twenty-five horses.
Gilan walked around for a little bit, and then he saw one little stall that no one else around him seemed to notice. (Apparently, he wasn't the only one who got bored to death by speeches.)
Curious, he glanced left and right, and then ducked past a deserted stall that had been selling shrimp to the stall he'd seen.
"Whoa!" he whispered, surprised by the amazing detail of everything laid out before him.
"It's a map of the Battle of Hackham Heath!"
"That's right, sir. Young Gilan, I presume?"
Gilan jumped. He hadn't expected the stall owner to still be there after having been ignored for five hours already by everyone else.
"Er, yes, sir," the boy replied nervously.
The stall owner chuckled. "No need to worry, Gilan. Come here and have a closer look."
Gilan stepped forward and was even more amazed by all the time and effort it must have taken to make it.
"Take it."
"Really?" Gilan asked, looking up at the stall owner with shining blue eyes.
"Really," the stall owner replied.
Gilan grinned up at the stall owner.
"Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, Gilan. Have fun with it! Don't lose it!"
"I won't!" Gilan called back.
The stall owner smiled and produced a mottled forest-green cloak from his bag.
8. No Average Angel (Tiffany Giardina) – Length: 2:59
Alyss truly respected Lady Pauline.
She had been more than a mentor and teacher to Alyss, she had been a mother, a comforting one, always ready to help her with her troubles, sorting out her thoughts. Lady Pauline really had seemed like an angel to Alyss when she'd been younger.
And not just any angel either.
The regular angels were there for you and protected you, yes.
But Lady Pauline was different. She not only comforted and watched over you, she also made sure that you were being a good person, that you learned things in life and about public speaking, the rewards of hard word, and so many other things.
Alyss smiled as she sat back in her chair.
Lady Pauline truly was no average angel.
A.N.: That seemed really choppy. Maybe it's because my word processor is reacting too slowly for my typing. XD
9. March of the Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky) – Length: 2:32
Jenny really enjoyed baking pies.
It was just something that she did. Her mother had passed the art on to her, and her mother had passed it on to her, and so on and so forth.
But even better than the baking part was seeing the expressions on her tasters' faces as they took the first bite.
It didn't matter which flavor, be it apple, orange, pumpkin, squash, cherry.
Her customers always left the kitchens feeling happier, lighter, and even bouncy. They always left satisfied, with full stomachs, and also, complimented her works on their way out to Master Chubb.
That was the best part, Jenny thought.
The praise from her mentor.
10. Summer Movement Three, Presto, from The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) – Length: 2:39
Halt couldn't believe that Ferris had just done...that.
Try to kill his own brother? How? How could he? After all their years living together, spending time together in lessons and at royal parties, enjoying time with Caitlyn?
But he really didn't have time to dwell on it right now, because he was currently being chased by the guards who understood Ferris' motives and totally agreed with them, even if it meant certain death to the crown prince.
Suddenly, Halt slipped and fell into a mud puddle.
He groaned and picked himself up as quickly as he could, and then darted for safety into the dark Rangewood Forest, just south of Dun Kilty, behind an oak tree.
Suddenly, he had a feeling to stand completely still.
Moments later, the guards rushed past.
And Halt stayed undiscovered.
A.N.: Yes! Finally, I am over with it! That was pretty much the hardest writing thing I've ever had to do. Harder than even NaNoWriMo, and that's saying something. I am so glad that I'm done now!
(By the way, my writing compared to Elfpen's is astonisingly horrible. XD)
I will have a heart attack if anyone actually likes this trash.
Flamers will rejoice at seeing this post.
But anyway, just review and tell me what you really think. I'll definitely use this as a learning experience, believe me.
Congratulations if you've actually read down all the way. -_- Oh boy, now I'm really looking forward to the reviews. XD Go ahead and tell me your favorites and least favorite ones, if you want to.
