Well, here's my first story for Eternal Sonata. I came up with this idea a little while ago, and I think it will turn out pretty well. I haven't seen the end of the game yet, so names and places are subject to change. Also, this takes place sometime during the second trip to Baroque, so there's a spoiler warning up to there, and possibly further on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Eternal Sonata. So please don't ask.

She shivered at the cold weather. She'd probably never get used to this climate.

When she reached the glass staircase, she took the steps two at a time. The Eternal Count was someone best not kept waiting.

She headed through the entrance, closing the large doors with a little effort. She then headed deeper inside.

A friend had once told her that the layout of the palace was similar to Baroque's castle. She thought that she'd like to look at it now that she was in the area.

She pulled the hood of her cloak tighter around her as she made her way through the halls. She smiled up at the ceiling, the sun sparkling through the glass like an icicle. She thought it was odd that someone like herself could still enjoy the beauty of the small things in life. Her mother had always said she had an artist's eye, though. Her train of thought halted when she found herself at the doors of the audience chamber. She took a deep breath, then stepped inside.

The chamber was very wide, the ceiling much higher than in the halls, all of it made out of glass. All the way at the back of the large room was a throne (also made of glass), where the Count sat. She approached him slowly, a sudden nervousness and intimidation hitting her. She tried to make her face as blank as a sheet of paper.

She kneeled down when she reached him. "Your Highness."

"Rise." She did as he said. She tried to make eye contact with him, but his eyes were so sharp that she couldn't hold his gaze for long.

"I tried to come immediately, but I was... delayed." She thought it was best not to tell him that the cause of her delay was a snowstorm. Once again, she couldn't begin to describe how she hated this climate.

"I see. No matter. There are other things to attend to. Here." he produced a portfolio and handed it to her. "You'll find everything you need to know inside of that."

She opened it and started looking inside, flipping through some of the contents. "... I have to do this?" she looked at him disbelievingly.

"Is it too much for you to handle?"

"N-no... it's not that, it's just... I expected something a little different."

"I know that you can handle this. Of course, if you rather wouldn't, I can find someone else..."

"No!" She shot forward, almost dropping the portfolio, her voice panicked. "I mean... You know I wish to serve you however I can." She bowed her head, clutching the portfolio to herself.

"Good. Feel free to let me know if you need any assistance.

"It won't be necessary. I'll be on my way, then. I need to hurry if I'm going to catch them. Your Highness." She bowed, then turned and left.

"Yes, that's right... Bring him to me... Bring me the son of Shamisen."

Well, this is probably one of the shortest prologues I've ever written. This is, like I mentioned, my first Eternal Sonata fan fiction. It looks like this might be a good one, though. Hopefully it won't take me too long to write this one! Anyway, we've seen the introduction of two new characters (with the mention of another) and one new place. By the way, in case anyone was confused, the count mentioned is not Count Waltz. Also, there will be some romantic pairings... Sorry, I couldn't help it. Besides, with the stuff between Allegretto and Polka, you can't really avoid it in an Eternal Sonata story, can you? Some pairings to note are Allegretto x Polka (of course), Beat x Salsa x March, and Jazz x Viola (Falsetto would have been involved in this one, but I'm not sure if she's going to be in the story yet, since this may or may not include Aria Temple). I think I'll throw you a little bit of information, too: the name of the palace our mystery characters were in is called Key Palace. Another note is that there will be some more new characters introduced, maybe in the next chapter. Anyway, I'll shut up now. I hope you enjoyed this, and chapter one should be done (hopefully) soon!