A Short Story

Love Silenced

Song credits:

Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

This is the last place he wanted to be. Standing at the edge of a cliff, a taller rather slender man stood, arms crossed with messy mid-length hair that was pure jet black. He wears simple clothing, well-tailored but not nice enough to perform in, a tunic and fitted pants at best, and a shoulder cloak with a hood of muted colors. Before him, there were more grass hills, where he stood happened to be much closer to the mountains, and below the small cliff was a village. He could see it all, the familiar streets he had run in as a child, the tavern that everyone frequents, house of old neighbors and friends, the chapel, somewhere he would have been.

"Melusine!" A familiar voice called from behind. Turning around slightly, from the path that led back down to the village was his closest acquaintance. A shorter hafling, adorned in dazzling jewelry and a very colorful and vibrant outfit. His vibrant deep blue eyes stared blankly for a few moments at his friend before he would offer a small smile. "Melusine! Finally! You just disappeared...It must be hard coming back home after years on the road huh," he said and would join his friend on the cliff. "I remember the words you wrote to us before we came here; Kyros...everyone, only for your success," Kryos would add, trying to do an impression of the man's voice, looking for confirmation only to receive a small head shake and a soft chuckle. Kyros shrugged and would grab Melusine and pull him back towards the path.

"Either way, at least stay hidden in your room. We don't expect you to perform, however, everyone here has been asking about you. I do not understand why you cannot tell us, or even speak, it's a choice right? But why...bothers me every day but, I trust you have a good reason, yes, I'm sure you do." Kyros loved to speak, and Melusine loved to listen. That's how the two always got along. Even if Melusine did not respond, Kyros would end up finding his answers after enough rambling on. The voice was at least pleasant. It had a warm tone, deep and every word spoken from Kyros had confidence and power. It was easy to see why he left home to pursue acting and singing.

"Melusine, when I asked around where you might be, nearly everyone in town said that you would be up at that cliff. Must be an important place. I mean back in my hometown, I had a secret place in the fields where I would go and sing all the time. You found me there! Do you remember? I was so confused when you tried to dance to what you were trying to say! At the same time it touches me, you know? I could feel the... Desperation, the need for comfort." Kyros fell silent for a moment. That day was something else. Melusine must have traveled for 3 days away from town, he was exhausted from the running. Hearing Kyros voice for the first time, it was a voice that he could trust, or maybe it was the song he sang that made him feel something other than pain. Like his fiance said to him whenever he sang.

"Melusine, I love your voice, your songs. It takes me away, it makes me feel something other than the pain from home." His fiance said, sitting at the cliff together, legs dangling over the edge as a gentle breeze came, watching the beautiful long dirty blond hair dance slightly in the wind, revealing the beautiful deep vibrant blue eyes that stared at him with so much love.

"I will always sing for you My Love, every song, just for you," Melusine said. He would notice the pain that flashed across his lover's eyes, as they would stand up, holding his hand out to help their fiance up. This was their place, where they could go to escape, so what better time, if anything, now before it was too late. "My voice sings out for you, my body moves thinking of you. You are my Muse, My love. Cursed, but I cannot deny these feelings I have. I cannot wait any longer, knowing I could be causing you pain, but," he caused, getting on one knee, and pulled out a beautiful blue ring, dusted with gold with a small blue gem on top, embedded into the ring itself. "Not being married to you causes me greater pain. Drystan, will you marry me?" That night was joyous, tears flowing from both their eyes, knowing, the sooner, the better.

"Melusine...Melusine?!" Pulled from his thoughts, outside of the tavern, feeling something wet on his face, and quickly whipped his face as Kyros looked on. "Did I bring up...something bad? I'm so sorry, I had no idea!" he started to blurt out, but with a single hand coming up from Melusine, he stopped, seeing the shaking head of a no. With that, the halfling was left outside, as Melusine walked back inside, quickly heading to his room, with his head down, and ignored anyone who tried to speak to him. It was all too familiar. The sounds, the smells, the sight. Everything became a blur as he reached his room, opening the door to his room to see red.

All red, covering his hands, his feet, his clothing. He was holding someone in his arms and he felt his body grow weak, collapsing to the floor. There were footsteps behind him quickly coming to see what had happened. This wasn't just anyone. It was him. The one person he never wanted to hurt, but couldn't help. He didn't mean to. It's not his fault, it wasn't his fault, but at the same time, it was. Melusine held the body tighter, tears rolling down his face as he watched Drystan struggling to stay alive.

"My love...it's all my fault, I…" he started to say but seeing the pain it caused he stopped. "Melusine, not for a second...did I regret falling in love with you… one last time, let me hear your voice. Sing me to sleep, one last time my love," Drystan would say, his hand barely able to lift and hold Melusine's face. Through the pain, through the tears, holding his finance tightly, he sang his lover to sleep, the last words Drystan would hear being "Take my hand~ Take my whole life too~ For I can't help falling in love with you~ For I can't help falling in love with you~~". There was silence as Melusine could see the life leave Drystan's body with a smile, and then, his body went limp. Silence. That's what filled his ears instead of the laughter, the clapping, the praise from his love. It was all gone. At last, Melusine cried out, cried out, his sorrow filled the tavern they were getting ready for the wedding that day. The man he was to marry, now the man he killed. Taking the ring he gave his fiance, he would put it in his hand, not before reading the inscription on the inside You are my muse My Love. He would take the ring and would have one last performance, one last for him.

Melusine would be sitting in the doorway, on the floor, holding his head crying as his troupe would come upstairs, seeing the distraught bard on the ground. No one knew what to do. They have seen him cry before, but never like this, never in such, pain. The type of pain that you can feel and cry with as well, even though you do not understand why. Kyros was the first to move, helping him up and get into bed, while the others silently went into their rooms, leaving Kyros to quietly coo Melusine into sleep. No one knew why he cried, but no one needed to ask, whether out of respect or simply to understand the feeling, the next day came as if nothing happened.

They had come back trying to get some more gigs, and unfortunately, they got one last second. Kyros came running back to the tavern one day holding a piece of paper. Only needing to see it for a moment. Melusine stiffened up and his right hand went over his left, grabbing the rings.

"Guys! We got a gig at a wedding in two days!" He said, excited as he slammed it down at the table everyone else was at. While they talked in joyous words, Melusine went blank, the two days were a blur. His nightmares and visions happened more often until the day came. Entering the chapel, he would look down the aisle.

The wedding decorations were soon replaced with funeral decorations, the room was full, packed with such a tragic story, even though not everyone knew the full story, it was one you didn't need to ask to know it was tragic. The family had gone up to say a few words, before it was the last speaker, him. Slowly, he would go up, he knew what he had to say, to do, and finish with. Melusine would stand there, everyone wondering what would happen to the bard who used to sing with so much joy and love.

"I never meant to fall in love, but I did. I tried to push away but he loved my voice too much. My words never meant to hurt him in such away. This will be the last time...I speak, for everyone's protection, for him, I sing one last time." he spoke, not a single tremble in his voice, but tears had started to form on their own. He must stay strong until the end. Looking up, for a moment, seeing Drystan's face, and there was a small sad smile as he started to sing, one last time.

"Was there something I could've said, To make it all stop hurting? It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless. So, before you go~" He sang out, falling to his knees, holding in his sadness, looking up, and everyone was in tears, everyone felt his pain, his sorrow, how tragically broken he felt. There was loud sobbing for some time, even till the moment they put his love into the ground. While everyone was busy, Melusine had packed his bags, leaving a note saying he was leaving. No one thought he was serious when he said he was to sing one last time, they didn't understand he was never going to speak again, or even see him for a very long time. With his last performance over, he couldn't say long, and left town, walking away without looking back.

Melusine starred as everyone was setting up, there were only smiles among the people helping set up, and he started to back away slowly. He could see Drystan standing with him up by the altar, saying their vows, if only he wasn't cursed.

"Melusine! Come here and set up! You're the star, one of the reasons we got the gig you know?" Kyros would say, motioning for his friend to come over, to see the start of tears again and the slow but increasing shaking of his head as he backed away.

"Melusine! We would love for you to sing!"

"It's been awhile Melusine!"

"Melusine! I CANNOT wait to hear you sing!"

"Melusine!"

People started to crowd the bard, people he recognized, people who supported him and Drystan, acting as if it was in the past, for him, it never was, it never will be. It was Melusine, Melusine MELUSINE. Over and over they spoke to him, it was too much.

Run

That was the only thought he had, as he turned and ran. Ran away, leaving everyone there. There was the last place he wanted to be. So he ran to start over, somewhere new, again.