Chapter 5
The Bards Song
People were dancing, laughing, singing and drinking. Out side of the castle walls the Harvest Festival took on a more primal and informal perspective. Heresh's tavern, Singers Circle, was crawling with people of all races, from all over.
Heresh was the great grandson of Timmorell and the current owner of her legacy, the Singers Circle. He was a tall, red haired human with graying temples and a rounded belly, wrinkled eyes (from laughing too much, probably) and a smile and laugh that would cheer any rainy day.
The 'after hours' party was taking place in back of the tavern. It was a giant circular hole cut out of the earth, with stone steps and a stone wall. This place was commonly referred to as the 'gardens', because the walls were covered with vines that flowered and trees that made a brightly colored roof of leaves above them. Tonight the garden had open patches to the sky, and there was an enormous fire burning brightly in the fire pit at the center of this place. Lanterns were hung from the tree branches, giving off a faint yellow glow.
There were large round wooden tables scattered about for people to sit and drink, gamble or, as Willow was making use of one, to dance. There was a group of seven musicians playing their hearts out for this massive crowd of people and server's were rolling out barrels of ale, wine and mead for the masses.
Willow had discarded her sheer overlay, shoes, mask and gems, she now danced in her lavender under dress, her red hair ablaze in the fire light and her smile shining like there was a continual light spell cast upon her teeth.
"She is truly going to feel this in the morning." Beldovin laughed as he guzzled honey mead.
"Just like I'm sure we all will." Klayn laughed.
"I think she may win our bet old friend." Kaydell laughed as he watched his drunken sister wave at them.
"I think she may have won other things besides your bet." F'vell noted as the nodded towards a few men gawking at her. The stares of lust were being directed at her. She did not seem to notice, too immersed in her dancing and drinking to really care that she was the center of quite a few attentions.
"Indeed!" Beldovin howled, "Indeed!"
They all laughed.
"Excuse me gentle friends, I see an old friend I wish to become reacquainted with tonight." The young elf rose to his feet, finished his mead and walked some distance away toward a very lovely valley elf giving him starry eyed glances.
The three laughed, and continued to drink and laugh some more.
Things began to die down after a few hours, and the party of five had settled down close so the fire on the ground in front of the musicians who had begun to play remarkably beautiful songs. F'vell sat behind the party so stretch his wings and so as not to block the view of the musicians from the others gathered round. Klayn lay sprawled on his side in front of Kaydell, Willow and Beldovin. Willow lay nestled in her brothers arms dozing happily listening to the swell of the music and voices.
"Come in close my friends, I will sing you the song of our great lady." The lead musician called.
People began to crowed around and voices became hushed and eventually the only thing that could be heard was the crackling of the once blazing fire.
The musicians started their song; a slow calming song that was one of very old times past...in human years at least.
The lead musician started to sing:
Along the shore of the great West Sea
I tell this story I sing to thee
Betrayal from a father our journey starts
He sends his only daughter with a bleeding heart
To be alone she was never meant to be
The fates had more in store for her, daughter from the sea
From around the world the others came
Their journey as one but not always the same
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle and save their land
The deception of the father is soon discovered
But the truth behind the lies is yet uncovered
To the south our party turns, heading for the starting ground
they soon discover the castle is empty, he in no where to be found
On further inspection of what is amiss
A friend, our tricktress, happens to fall and trip
A portal is found to a dead and cursed place
They are chassed and beaten and leave with great haste
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle to save their land
To an old gray castle they make their flight
When the door is opened they are welcomed by fire light
An old couple feeds them and tells them the story of Paramin
The Druids, they say, used to culture this land
The land is now cursed and nothing will grow
The people have fled and they are left alone
It is cursed by the Kria, unnatural evil things
They are controlled by evil and ruled by undead beings
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle to save their land
The couple was packing and leaving in the marrow
The could not stay and deal with this death and sorrow
If you want this place you may stay
But if you don't leave soon, you'll never get away
The Hero's decide they will stay, it was time to stand
They will destroy the Kria and make this their home, their land
We will make a great country and call this our home
And if we fail in our dreams know we did not die alone
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle to save their land
Years had passes and all had grown
Their strength was growing and it was well known
Walls were built and the party had tripled in size
They had a plan to defeat the Kria, it was now time to rise
To the Mountains first they must go
To retrieve a holy item atop the snow
They were attacked along the way and the losses were great
But the item was retrieved, the Kria will be defeated, make no mistake
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle to save their land
Of their most hated enemy to the temple they traveled
Kria and undead they slew, at the feet of our hero's they graveled
To the center they pushed, destroying all like a great wind
But at the center our daughter found her slain kin
Her father destroyed, the Kria defeated, our party traveled home
Paramin had won, the battle was finally over, this land was now their own
The people they came, the land they did harvest
But we know that our hero's worked the hardest
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's go
To dangers awaited and adventures unknown
To make sense of the chaos one must fight to understand
Threw things unknown they must battle to save their land
This is not the end of my story my friends
Just a start of how the other story begins
That is of another party or fire, another time and place
Now this is our home, we shall sleep well and be safe
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's have gone
Threw dangers awaited and adventures unknown
They make sense of the chaos and fought to understand
They battled to save a place that is now this is now our land
Over hills and threw the planes our hero's have gone
Threw dangers awaited and adventures unknown
They make sense of the chaos and fought to understand
They battled to save a place that is now this is now our land
There was a long silence, and then there erupted a huge applause and cheering. The musicians rose and bowed to their cheering audience. The party on the ground stared, with tears in their eyes and their hearts thumping they cheered.
"Do you think they'll make a song like that for us some day?" Beldovin asked his friends.
Klayn chuckled, "If we live that long."
They all turned their heads to glare at him, even the semi comatose Willow.
Five lonely figures stood over looking the river on the walkway to the river gates, watching the sun rise. All were developing a massive headache and were insanely sleepy.
"I feel like somehow this night never happened." Kaydell muttered.
"You won't be saying that after you wake up my friend." Beldovin retorted.
"This may be the last autumn that I may ever be here, this may be the last sun rise that I see from the water gates." Willow mumbled. After they had each left Heresh a healthy handful of gold coins on the way out, she started seeming to be in a slump after the song, they all figured that it was most likely the alcohol. They all took turns supporting her on the walk home, she was rather intoxicated.
"Nonsense." Klayn said, "You know that your mother would not send us on this adventure if she did not think that we were not capable enough for it. And after all, it's in our blood, all of our parents did it before us. If they can do it, so can we."
"That is a splendid outlook, Klayn. You are correct though, it is in our blood, and the five of us would make an excellent adventuring party."
F'vell nodded, "I agree. Between the five of us we have a very nice range of skills."
They muttered to each other for a while and one by one they retired, all except Willow who stood alone watching the sun come up. She was plagued by the vision she had and was piecing it together with what her mother had just informed them. She couldn't help but think that this would be her last autumn here, her last harvest ball, her last winter...
A slight breeze blew and her cheeks were suddenly cold with something, she reached up to discover tears once again staining her skin. She sighed heavily.
"I know, I'm thinking the same thing."
Startled, but not shocked she turned to find her brother. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, Willow, think about it after you wake up."
"If I wake up."
"I'm pretty sure you'll wake up. And with a bang I'm sure, as much as you drank."
She laughed, only because she knew he was right, that she still couldn't walk a strait line. "I know."