Not only Erik and Christine learned an important lesson.

Noel was getting mature in thinking as well after he saw what Flo was capable of. He had to admit that before he could hear it performed, he did not think that symphony was that much great, and he envied Florian because he was taken to London for something everyone could do. Well, everyone but him, to be honest. Everyone played music in the family. Papa was a composer and played instruments, Mama was an opera singer, Mahtab was a violinist and pianist, Flo was a violinist and composer, and even Belle loved music and she was dancing. Only Noel seemed to be out of musical talent. He envied the rest of his family for it, and sometimes thought he was not really their son. If he was, he might be able to play just as fine as Flo. The truth is, though, he never was interested enough to try before, and Erik did not force anything on him. Now that Noel heard Flo's symphony during the rehearsals, he suddenly started to feel more respect towards his older brother. Otherwise, he liked Florian, but he never thought so highly of him before. He considered Florian as a "Mom's little crybaby" and "coward" and sometimes as "boring" as he was never into fun things. He was afraid of even smaller explosions or fires and would rather hide than fight or play battle with other kids. Noel often walked home from the streets from playing with other boys, being a total mess. His clothes were dirty and ripped many times, and Christine had to give him some less fancy clothes when she knew he will go to play with the boys on the square, as she knew Noel will arrive home as dirty as a pig. Flo yet was like Erik in that aspect- he would always tidy his clothing and made sure it was perfect in every way. Erik did not mind Noel's fights too much. "Boys will be boys." As he said, and he knew the little son would never get seriously injured in those games. The only thing he explained Noel was to never hit girls and if he can avoid fight, do not provoke it out on purpose.

But during the rehearsals Noel completely changed.

He paid attention to music only, and let it fill up his heart. He never imagined music can be so beautiful. Until that point, he only saw that his siblings were practicing for hours without any possible fun. It entertained them for some reason, but he felt he would die out of boredom if he had to sit down to play scales or learn a song. He enjoyed if Papa or Flo played, but a full orchestra was something else. It enchanted his soul and he finally met a feeling, that special one he did not know before. He heard Papa and Mama, and Flo talk about this feeling many times, but he never felt it, but when he heard Flo's music, and especially when Papa played that one violin solo, his clear blue eyes filled up with tears, and he could not even reason why was he crying. Crying…? Sobbing like a toddler for coco. He loathed crying before, especially in front of other people. He considered himself as a man, and a man never cries. Yet now he felt the urge to be all emotional, and after the main rehearsal, one day before the concert, he walked to Florian and hugged him. With passion. With admiration. He admired Flo the first time in their life together. Finally he felt like he could learn something from his older brother and Flo wasn't just a crybaby.

- Flo. You are a remarkable man. – He said.

The older boy was touched and surprised of Noel's passion towards him, and his honest admiration. It felt so good to be respected by the boy he considered much braver and emotionally stable he was. To tell the truth, he admired Noel too, for his mature and manly behavior, the lack of tears and that Noel always knew what to do.

Another surprising happening occurred when Noel suddenly walked to Erik after the dinner, looked his father in the eye and asked:

- What size of violin I need?

- You are rather tall for your age, and yet I'd say a 10 year old would need a ¾, you could try a full size already. Why? – He inquired.

- I want to learn. I know it will be long and I need patience. I have little patience but I am hardworking. Teach me.

- I thought you were not interested in music, son. – Erik smiled.

- I thought so too.

- Well, we can try. – Papa nodded. – Yet you have to know that most likely you won't be a musician any more. You are in a good five year delay, it is very hard to make up for it.

- I don't want to be a musician, not a professional at least. I just feel that something was missing from my life before everyone else had in my family, and I just understood what it was.

- Well, we can see what you inherited. – Erik smiled widely. – You have the most talented opera singer mother and your father is a musician after all. Music teaches you to patience. I was like you in my childhood, I could not sit on my bottom for five minutes and practice was pain.

- And why did you continue?

- At first, I started to like when I could finally play something. That gave me inspiration to bear scales easier. Secondly, your grandmother made me. I wasn't allowed to do anything else until I finished that day's lesson on the piano. I was forbidden from getting up from the piano bench until I finished as if I did, I never returned and was away, committing mischief.

- Did you not try to outsmart her? – Noel grinned.

- I did. Many times I tried to get away from it, making up excuses that I was thirsty, I had to go to the bathroom, or something like that, but it was only worse as I was just really procrastinating, and I received punishment if I did not do the lesson. Yet you must know that I won't force you to practice. If you practice, you do. If you don't, you don't. I won't implore you to do so either, as it is not for my good. You want to learn, you have to learn.

- I want to play. I will practice. – Noel stated. – Finally I know WHY to practice.

Erik got strangely delighted upon hearing Noel's plans. Even though he wasn't bothered by his youngest son's lack of interest in music, and he said as long as he was sure the children will make a living from what they do, they should do and study whatever they want to, it still felt good that his small "copy" finally understood the beauty in music and wished to engage in that activity somewhat.

The concert's day held some unpleasant surprises for the family.

Just as Erik started to think everything went too smoothly in this case and they are extremely lucky to have the concert will be gotten done without any trouble, Christine hurried into the salon where Erik waited for Flo to finally get dressed.

- I hope the boy is done with dressing. We have to get there shortly. – Erik checked his pocket watch.

- Flo isn't feeling well. – Christine stated worriedly.

- Oh God no. – Erik mumbled in front of himself. – What is his problem?

- He can't speak and I feel he is feverish. And he vomited once earlier.

- Meh. – Erik sighed. – Tonsillitis maybe? Or simply just a sore throat. Kids often vomit with a throat infection.

- I know, I am rather bothered by his temperature.

- Is it very high?

- He feels hot… Erik are you NOT planning to take him like this, are you? – Christine asked suspiciously.

- I am not sure, I have to check on him. – Frustrated, the man walked to his son's room.

He found the boy desperately trying to tie his cravat in front of the mirror. He looked feverish, really, but seemingly he was able to function.

- Flo come here, I do it for you. – Erik offered. – How are you feeling?

- It doesn't matter. – Flo replied, nearly inaudibly, but with a determined expression.

- Are you sure you are well enough to conduct?

- Music… is FIRST. – The boy grabbed Erik's bony wrist. – It is… first, Papa.

- A little Mozart. Composing on his death bed and conducting Magic Flute with rheumatic fever.

- Papa, don't make me… stay home. – Flo begged.

Erik did not have the heart to force the young composer in bed, even though he wasn't a hundred percent sure Florian was well enough to conduct a whole symphony. He sighed and patted the enthusiast's shoulder.

- That is the spirit, my son.

As Flo appeared next to Erik in the salon, wearing his full gala suit, Christine nearly screamed out in displeasure, but a glance from Erik suddenly silenced her. Of course, they can't chose the right thing always. It is Flo's big day, and the child himself made this decision. She just hoped it won't wear him out too much and it won't cause a more serious illness later.

She, to be sure, wrapped the boy in a thicker cover and he sat in the coach wrapped up in the blanket from head to knee- length not to catch the cold and damp chilly weather with his already hurting throat. Erik gave him a spoonful of some kind of medicine before they left, and it slowly made Flo feel better a bit. By the time he had to stand at his place, all his pain and worry seemed to melt away. Flo was too short yet, despite of his age, to see the sheet music and be seen by the orchestra at a normal conductor's place, so they needed to put an extra step for him to stand on it. Erik was standing at the solo violinist's place, in front of the string section's first violin seat. Flo was able to look into his eyes for a bit of emotional support, which Erik was trying to give him the best he could. Christine worriedly sat in a box with Mahtab, Noel, Belle and the Daroga. Belle was surprisingly a good girl, she was taken away by the sight of the theater. She looked around with mouth wide open.

As the orchestra started to tune, Flo's heart bet rapidly. There were so many people in the rows of the audience. He was never in a situation like this before. He was too young, and ill. He looked at Erik, but as a soloist, he was as well too much occupied tuning the violin, so they could not make eye contact. Flo took a deep breath and coughed some due to his throat being irritated, but looked up at the box where his family sat. Mahtab and Noel both noticed Flo's temporary fright and they both showed him a thumbs up sign, making him sure of their support. Flo was touched to see his brothers cheering for him, and he felt a bit less stressed. He turned to the orchestra and soon the big moment came.

He found out it was better to think it was just a rehearsal they were constantly doing by now, that thought did not stress him out that much. The first movements fast pace did not let him think that much anyway. It was gallop. His hands were dancing to the rhythm in the air, he had to go a good half beat before the orchestra in his mind, and the whole orchestra made of grown up people were staring at a 12 year old boy who did not reach higher than the music stand in front of him without that extra step. It was a strange but great feeling. These people could always tell him to go to his room to practice if he was just here as a member of the orchestra, but like this, being the composer of this whole symphony they perform, they obey his every move. Such a power…

Thankfully the audience did not ruin the symphony by clapping between two movements, as the composer feared. He could easily, without any distraction, switch to the second, slower movement. This section was the emotionally enchanting part, with some endearments, but a hint of pain included, some strange melancholy, but mostly hope was dominant in the notes. In the middle of this movement there was Erik's longer violin solo. The old man, yet he was performing in front of an audience before, was a bit nervous still. It was his first time in a concert hall, at a legally organized concert, not just his Russian or Persian show with tricks included. Music shall now enchant people in itself. Erik closed his eyes and gave himself to the sweet notes of his son's melody, he interpret the work mixing his own life experience, talent and feelings in it, and his violin really sounded like a divine instrument.

The audience was listening with breathless awe, most of the ladies were drying their eyes with handkerchiefs upon hearing Erik's solo, married couples pulled closer to each other, and some kind of strange harmony was going through the rows, as people were enchanted by the notes- nearly as they were in hypnosis…

When, right in the middle of the solo, the A string on Erik's finely tuned and prized instrument chose just this exact moment to give up work and got tired of this life under so much pressure, and with a pluck, snapped in Erik's face, hitting the mask and the glasses. Just the right moment!

Erik did not panic at all, but to Flo it was a bit of unexpected. The boy was a lot more inexperienced, and knew that a string replacement for a violin can take a little while, a few minutes. How will they handle it in the middle of a solo when the music was supposed to flow like a river? Papa… what's now? Will the audience be impatient…? It was just a few seconds while Erik just randomly put the "damaged" violin down and reached out for the replacement one to play, handed to him by the first chair violinist. Erik was actually an old fox in the business and it was utterly hard to make him panic just over a string. It happens. He was even better with the instrument given to him, it being a Stradivarius. "Better than my own" he thought. Flo nearly turned all pale while the incident, but his shaking little hands dictated the tempo for his father just as before. Erik did not miss a beat. He was trained, experienced and cool headed. The audience noticed the scene indeed, but as the music wasn't interrupted, and Erik reacted so naturally, they admired the old man even more for that.

The second, then the third and fourth movements went without any incidents. Erik was playing magnificently, and Flo did not feel ill at all. He was nearly out of his body and did not care about anything, only concentrated at his task. When the final accords of the last section played and were still floating in the air, Flo closed his eyes and nervously waiting for the reactions. Oh how good is that he is standing with his back to them. Looking at their faces would have bothered him a lot more. There was a few moments long silence after the last notes, giving everyone involved in the production a strange uncomfortable feeling. Erik perplexedly handed the Stradivarius back to the first violinist, while trying to figure out the audience's reactions. He did not have to wonder any more.

In the next moment there was a loud cheering exploded out of the audience, people were clapping, and excited cries of applause escaped their lips, busily chanting for both father and son. Erik climbed up next to Florian and gently turned the clueless little thing to face the cheering crowd. Flo just realized he had success, and half with a huge grin, half crying he bowed several times. Erik bowed as well, receiving the congratulations touched, but secretly he looked up at the box where Christine sat, and meeting his family's loving gestures, he felt such a bliss, more of a bliss than by anyone else congratulating him. They had to stand there and bow for the audience for long – long minutes, and the clap did not want to reduce. The audience stood up to clap for them, and chanted their names. When the clap reduced, they finally were able to leave the orchestra pit, Erik guiding Flo by the hand, and carrying his violin in his right.

Flo was tired and started to feel the throat infection overcome him again. He hugged Papa's neck when he was feeling more tired and finally he fell asleep in his arms. In the end of this long day, full of surprises and victory, the young boy slept so peacefully he did not even wake up in the coach, or while he was being carried to bed. Erik removed the boy's shoes, bow tie and frock coat, but did not fully undress the poor thing. He just put his palm on Flo's forehead to check his temperature, but it did not seem to be too high, so he just kissed his son good night and left him to a nice refreshing and curing sleep.

As he tiredly joined to the rest of his happy and touched family in the salon, and sat down to his favorite armchair with his violin on his lap to change the A string, Erik smiled and said:

- You know, my dears, if I died overnight, I could tell I had a happy life. – He sighed dreamily.