Hi, everyone (or anyone who reads my story)! I'm new to this so some advice and reviews would be great to help me improve my writing. *nervously laughs*Please forgive me if I have made any terrible mistakes, etc.
Disclaimer: All La Corda d'Oro characters and places belong to Yuki Kure. New characters, locations, and the story plot belong to me. All events and stuff which might be related to real life are merely a coincidence.
Prologue
She was tired. Completely worn out. Night had fallen but it was no different in the dark woods she was in.
Although she was near the brink of death due to dehydration and exhaustion after hours of running, her body trembled in glee. Her honey-coloured eyes shone with delight and a thought continuously ran through her mind:
She was FREE!
The little red head was merely a tiny slave girl in the general mines of Seiso. Seiso used to be a prosperous and peaceful nation. Long ago, it was rumored to be the land where ethereal beings and humans coexist side by side. However, those were just mere fairy tales and bedtime stories told to entertain people's brains. Now, the ruthless emperor of the Tsukimori clan ruled over the country. Overthrew the previous king and took over the country along with its riches.
Villages and noblemen's homes were raid; many who refused to submit to the king's rule were slaughtered. Men and children were taken as slaves while women were used as prostitutes and for other entertainment purposes.
Kahoko Hino was no exception. She was stripped of her family and thrown into the dark mines of Seisou from the tender age of 4. Every day she dreamt of the taste of freedom and today she finally spread her wings and soared. Of course, it was after the death of her slave master.
Caused by her pair of small hands.
*Flashback*
It was like any usual day in the deep, dark mines, the constant groaning and screams of fellow slaves and the barking of the slave masters, piercing her sensitive ears. She and Nao were slaving away in the stale mines alongside other slaves. As they were still children, they were given the task of collecting small rocks which may or may not contain valuable gems and also with digging the mines' walls. These tasks were tiring but the young slaves knew the adults were suffering much worse than them.
"Work faster you mongrels!" The familiar hoarse voice of their slave master echoed through the mines. She flinched at his harsh voice. It was as if the place wasn't torturous and noisy enough for them already. The deafening sounds of chains, rumbling of carts covered up their moans and groans. Kaho and Nao worked harder to avoid being whipped by the cruel slave master. Some of the other young slaves were already bleeding, having been whipped and kicked by the cruel man. Their scarred hands carried on diligently with their endless work of digging with the pickaxes.
Despite being stripped off her family, Kahoko didn't feel alone. She had been in the mines for a couple of years now. She started 'working' here at the tender age of four, so you can't really blame her for not really remembering her family. The slaves there showed her how things were done and run around the mines when she first got there. At first, she rebelled and faced the consequences. Although she was beaten pretty badly, her restless soul and spirit which yearned for freedom never died. It intensified as time goes by.
The slaves were her family now, especially Nao and Mio. They were one of the few slave girls who have survived the torturing for five years. Young Kaho being the youngest out of the three was always fiercely protected by her sisters. In the harsh conditions of the mines, they had wonderful and memorable moments together. Every night, they would gather around Grandpabby and listen to his tales of adventure, magic and their friends in the forest. Kaho's personal favorite was the tale of the warrior fairy queen, Eva who fought her evil sister with the legendary seven instruments.
Although it was merely a legend, the naïve Kahoko hung onto every word of it.
"Why don't you let me take over?" a smooth voice answered the slave master. All the young slaves stilled, some trembled with horror as a golden haired man, with eyes as blue as the sky took the whip from the slave master's hand. The young man was probably still in his early 20s. He had an air of grace and authority around him. Wearing a cotton white shirt and black pants, the young man took the whip away and shooed the slave master to another place.
He may look young and inexperienced but he was none other than the notorious head of all the slave masters, the Big Man, the one in charge of it all… Duke Sora Aoi. Sora was of the noble descendant. A distant relative of the Tsukimori Clan, or so he claimed. With the face of an angle but heart of a devil, he smiled warily at the slaves. The shift in the atmosphere caused everyone to tensed and halt their work.
Irritated, Aoi snapped, "GET YOUR ARSES MOVING ALREADY!" He whipped the whip and SNAP! Everyone was lost out of the trance and went back to work.
Aoi walked around as nimble as a cat and as smooth as a snake. Surveying everyone. All the slaves dared not glance his way. Kahoko and Nao quickly lowered their heads as he walked past them. Her hands were trembling with fear. She quickly picked up the scattered pieces of the rock she had crushed. Nao was about to the same but instead… she wheezed, staggering and fell to the rocky ground.
Aoi, having heard the fall, turned and smiled coyly. He slowly made his way closer to Nao, whip readied at hand. Kahoko quickly shook Nao and cried softly, "Nao… Nao-nii… please get up! Aoi-sama is here!"
"Get out of the way, midget," Aoi commanded and hurled Kahoko aside. Grandpabbby quickly grabbed a hold of her. Everyone remained silent as Aoi raised his hand and said, "Get up now, little girl,"
Nao staggered helplessly but ended up falling back to the ground again. "Tsk. I guess I will just make you stand then," Aoi then brought his hand down, whipping and beating the living daylights out of Nao. Some of the slaves quickly turned away to continue on with their jobs, some had tears rolling from their eyes as they prayed for Nao's poor soul. Grandpabby held onto Kahoko tightly and whispered soothing words into her ears, "Hush child. Do not be rash. Don't look,"
Nao's screams and pleads echoed throughout the mines. She was crying. She was calling her for help. She must save her. Kahoko thought recklessly and struggled against Grandpabby's steel grip. 'I must save her! Let me go!' Kahoko willed in her mind.
"Let me go, Grandpabby! I have to rescue Nao from the big bully!" Kahoko exclaimed. She clawed Grandpabby's arms and sobbed. Grandpabby tightened his grip, not because of fear of what will become of Kahoko but fear of what she WILL become. He knew but he will never ever let her walk that path as long as he lived.
CRACK!
The sound of bones being cracked echoed through the mines. Despite its noisiness, this tiny cracking sound reached Kahoko's sensitive ears. She stopped struggling and just stood limply in Grandpabby's arms. Grandpabby lowered his head in shame and said a silent prayer for his dear 'child', Nao. His grip loosened and he didn't even notice Kahoko walking away.
A silent storm was slowly raging inside of her. She tried to calm it down but she couldn't because she knew. She knew it was the straw to break her back. She knew this was her limit. All this crap and bullshit everyone took every day. This place was to torment not only her but every single slave inside here who once lived a peaceful and prosperous life.
Picking up a pickaxe and making her way slowly to Aoi, she made her way through the throng of slaves. Lifting her pickaxe which was twice as heavy as her, she was behind Aoi in a second. He did not saw it coming as Kahoko swung the tool, now her weapon, at his leg.
Aoi howled in pain and turned around to see a stunned Kahoko. She was trembling with fear and dread as the reality of what she had done dawned on her. She quickly dropped the pickaxe and tried to escape but Aoi had a steel grip on her.
"So, you think you can defeat me with that piece of scrap?" Aoi sneered. Kahoko tried to escape from his grip but to no avail. Aoi held a small knife near her neck, smirking. This was it, the end of her life.
'At least, I will be with Nao and my family soon,' she thought wearily.
Suddenly, a battle cry echoed throughout the mines. The slaves were rebelling. Literally, all hell broke loose. Aoi dropped Kahoko when Grandpabby knocked him out with the hilt of a sword from one of the slave masters.
"Run, Kahoko. Run." Grandpabby urged her. He quickly pulled her out towards the opening of the mines where many children were running away, away from the chaos. Everywhere, the slave masters and slaves were fighting with one another. Blood was splattered everywhere. On the ground, on the tools and goods. Kahoko quickly looked away from the bloodbath as she hurried towards the exit with Grandpabby in tow.
Just as they were nearing the entrance, Grandpabby fell and yelped in pain. He was shot with an arrow in his right hind leg. Kahoko quickly scrambled over to lift him up. She hauled his arm over her tiny shoulders and tried to pull him out. He pushed her away and gave her the sword.
"Run. Don't look back. Just run and never look back," he rasped.
Kahoko only nodded her head and let the silent tears rolled down her cheek. "Really?"
"Yes. Now hurry! And may Eva protect you,"
Kahoko nodded, picking up the sword. Then, she ran. Ran like she never did before. She was almost there, could taste the crisp air of pinewood of the Dark Forest. Most of the slaves ran into the vast fortress with the slave masters hot on their heels. Just as she was about to burst through the opening, her path was obstructed by none other than Aoi. Aoi raised his sword and tried to strike Kahoko, but she was fast and ducked in time. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Kahoko swung the sword in her hands and closed her eyes. It sliced through something solid but rubbery and the sensation was gone.
THUD!
Aoi dropped dead to the ground. Kahoko threw her sword to the ground and quickly run. Surely now, her chances of survival are zero. The kingdom will have her head for murder. Swallowing the bile in her throat, the young Kahoko Hino ran into the dark abyss.
*Flashback end*
Now, she was miserably lost in this thick and dense forest. It was probably almost the end of the year. She had no idea. All she knows now was she was hungry, thirsty and horribly lost. Sighing in defeat, she picked up her pace and ran straight on in the darkness, not caring where she went, as long as she was leaving everything behind.
Kahoko stumbled and fall. She fell gracefully like a shot horse. She cursed colorfully at the root that tripped her. Glancing around, she began to feel this all too familiar feeling.
Fear.
Fear of being lost in this vast and thick forest. Even though she dreamt of meeting the beings residing here, night was probably a terrible choice. Because now was the only time the dangerous, dark and evil ones roamed. Sighing again in both frustration and exhaustion, young Kahoko slumped against the tree bark.
"Curse the fucking empire. Curse the Tsukimoris,"she mumbled angrily. (A/N: Such nice vocab she has…)
That's when her ears picked up an unusual sound. It sounded ethereal. It wrapped itself around her, making her drift with it, blocking out all the other sounds around her. How it soothed her soul! It was luring her in, tempting her with its sweet melody. Pulling her into a dance, a trance. She imagined herself in those fine dresses worn by the noble women, swinging and swaying to every note and staccato. Never mind her tired and bloodied feet, she will dance and indulge in this song till the very end!
As the music slowly faded away, her heart lurched at the realization that the beautiful melody was ending. Kahoko quickly ran towards the source of the tune, her sharp ears straining hard to catch the tune. The soft melody kept whispering to her, caressing her name in so many ways.
"Kahoko… Kahoko…"
Quickening her steps, she burst into an open field. The meadow was filled with fluffy white dandelions and daisies. They covered the earth like a blanket of snow. What really caught her eyes was the majestic and humongous plum blossom tree in the middle of the field. The music came from there.
As she approached, the tree slowly glowed with a pure white light. When she was close enough to touch, it exploded into a ball of white, blinding her momentarily. When she regained her vision, the tree was gone. As if it vanished into thin air, poof! Gone. She glanced all around but could not find a trace of it. She edged closer to where the tree was and discovered something that will change her life forever.
There, laid a beautifully crafted violin in all its glory. The body was made of a glossy and beautiful reddish-brown wood. There were some strange inscriptions written on the side of the body, she could not interpret it. The bow was resting beside it. The strings gleamed in the moonlight. What really caught her attention was the last string which was made of pure gold!
'Oh! What a fortune she will make once she pawns it in the next city!'
Just as Kahoko was about to reach for the violin, the instrument glowed and hummed with life. Frighten, she pulled back and a shrilling voice spoke to her.
"Greetings, young Kahoko Hino! I've been expecting you,"
Kahoko let out a tiny squeal. The tiny being, not bigger than her small palm was floating in front of her. The little fairy had blonde hair and violet eyes. Like fairies, he had long ears and blue wings. Wearing white pants, strappy shoes and a brown pouch strapped across his chest, he grinned at Kahoko. He wore a light blue tunic with blue feathers for his collar. He held his scepter and pointed at the young girl.
"Don't be alarmed, young one. My name's Lili, Guardian of Corda,"
'Corda… wait! One of the legendary instruments which the faerie queen used to defeat her evil sister!' Her eyes widened in realization.
"Seems like you know more than you look. Yes, it is Corda. And he has chosen you to be his player."
'ME!?'
"Don't look so scared. Master Corda has been waiting for you, Kahoko Hino. This is your destiny," Lili said seriously. Corda hummed in sync to every word he said.
"But… I have never played an instrument before… I am not worthy," Kahoko hung her head. Her scarred fingers fidgeted nervously with her torn and dirtied slave garment.
"It's not a matter of talent. It is a matter of the heart. You heard the pure music just now, right? Only those whose hearts are like yours can hear it. Accept it, Kahoko Hino, for all these were already planned."
Kahoko pondered for a while, trying to wrap her mind around this huge piece of information. After much consideration, she gave a small nod. Lili broke into a huge grin and flew around happily, cheering for joy. His laughter was infectious and made Kahoko break into a grin.
"Now, pick up Corda and the bow." Kahoko timidly did so. Her hand wrapped around Corda's neck. Immediately, she felt a thin layer of cool air enveloping her small body. There was calm and when she opened her eyes, all she saw was white. A thin layer of mist was slowly gathering around her.
"Kahoko Hino. I'm glad you have accepted your true calling. What I am about to tell you… will change your life… forever," an ethereal voice whispered in her ear. Suddenly her head winced in pain. She clutched her head and felt something wet. Glancing at her hand, she realized it was…
Blood.
Her head reeled in pain. The throbbing pain won't stop. Her grasp on Corda's neck went limp, and Corda fell with a thud on the ground. Her vision turned blurry. The last thing she saw was a man with mauve hair, reaching out to her. She hit the ground and everything turned black.
Author's Note:
Please review,I would really appreciate it! For those who took their time to read my fic, thank you! I will update it sooner or later.
