MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Almost three months later and I hope you all find this a fun enough christmas present! Yugi finally gets to see my favorite of the market squares: the Sister of Paint and Song (boy was she tough to get accurate EXTRA Special Thanks to my wonderful betareader PineappleBun784 for her wonderful editing and for getting this back to me just in time for Christmas! you rock girl!)

Chapter summery: Yugi explores the final of the Four Sisters, meets a new rival and shinanigins ensure when Yugi's bodyguards track him down but a new ally may just be the escape artist he needs!

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go absolutely nuts!

Chapter LXXI: Music

If the Sisters of Leaves and Flowers, Salt and Bone, and Cloth and Jewel were bright glittering stars, then the Sister of Paint and Song was the golden sun that outshined them all.

Stepping out into the brightly-painted pocket of the city, Yugi whirled around and his eyes widened in wonderment.

The square, itself, was built atop one of the hills that flowed right down to the water's edge and spilled out into the fields beyond. Rather than following the canals, the streets and walkways wove and twisted between buildings into a labyrinth of winding passageways that sloped up and down with the hilly contours of the landscape. Tall houses and shops creeped along the road, lining either side of the streets; glossy shop windows glittered with rainbows of colors, paints and canvases, clay pots and glass jars, brushes and scrolls, and all manner of art-making supplies.

Undoubtedly the largest of the Sisters, she wore majestic structures like they were glittering jewels: towers boasted stained glass windows and conical roofs soared high above, grand buildings that rivaled the Palazzo in size and grandeur stood off in the background. Open courtyards and parks displayed elegant flower gardens, splendid statuaries, stone ponds and small fountains. Arched bridges with balustrades of stone carved into dome-topped pillars connected the studios and apartments that crowded the upper layers, shading the painted streets below where artists had their studios. Galleries of all sizes boasted beautiful paintings, breathtaking pottery, stunning sculptures, and all sorts of artistry. All of this spiraled around the center square like the balconies of a great theatre. And at its heart, the dazzling Sister of Paint and Song dominated the square, the diamond patterns of her stone dress seeming to dance themselves as they glittered in the sun.

Running his hands along the walls, Yugi saw that, up close, the deceptively beige-white bricks that composed the walls sparkled with flecks of gold and silver and rose. Stepping out further, he saw murals bursting with explosions of color that rivaled the painted walls of his brother's own House in Kemet. Nowhere he looked was untouched; even now, artists and children were adding their own masterpieces. Whole buildings were dominated by gigantic paintings; others sported a series of smaller, more contained paintings like a tapestry of stories. Statues had spiraling swirls of color while fountains were finely detailed with blooming flowers or brightly-colored fish, as though they were living gardens or fantastical pocket-sized seas.

All around her, the square was alive with music and color: shoppers crowded their favorite stores, musicians played lively jibs as performers danced in the streets, and others relaxed by the fountains or clapped along as they listened to the music twirling in the wind. The tunes were both familiar and strange, rousing and heartbreaking; its character would shift from solemn and steady to upbeat and carefree. Laughter and merry-making soon joined in alongside the melody, drawing in everyone within its reach—Yugi included.

Men and women alike flocked to join in the revelry. Incredibly, there was nothing chaotic about it: the troupes of performers were small and mere pockets of an orchestra positioned themselves around a particular fountain or beneath a pergola. People continued to circle about the street where performers were engaging in their talent; even the busiest of shoppers seemed to know of the unspoken rule that governed the territory for they all were quick to remove themselves if they stumbled, though many of them seemed graceful enough to continue despite the interruptions.

Yugi had never seen anything so chaotically wild and fantastically beautiful in all his life.

He honestly didn't know where to start: the sights, the sounds, the colors!—there was nowhere his eyes did not wander.

Yugi made to join in the daily activities, then halted abruptly, catching the glint of silver reflecting in the window.

That's right, he remembered, his mirror-self confirming that the silver medallion of his status was still hanging loose and open. Blushing, he quickly slipped it beneath his collar and removed the bracelets from his pocket and slipped them on: gold on the right, silver on the left. No sense in hiding them if it did nothing to conceal his identity—let the world see he had already been taken and belonged to another. He would display them proudly.

Weaving his way through the crowd, he stopped by every troupe, explored every shop and watched every performance, be it dancers in the street or glassblowers in their forges. He passed by a store that sold precious stones and pretty rocks in their rawest forms, a workshop that worked wood into instruments, and another shop selling all kinds of furniture.

The majority of store fronts glittered with masterful crafts: sparkling vases, bowls and glassware looked to be sculpted from jewels but were simply polished smooth. Figurines and little sculptures carved from stone or wood dotted the displays; few were painted and the rest were naked to boast the shine and beauty of the natural material. The second layer was more for classes and homes than anything else, though there were a few small shops here and there. Convenient, he thought, to have the studios and forges on the bottom and the abodes upstairs.

He passed art galleries whose walls were alive with fantastic paintings and magnificent tapestries. He wandered into a courtyard where a maze of hedges concealed topiary sculptures behind its walls, and then proceeded to spend almost half an hour getting lost within it until he found them all.

To his great surprise, he didn't see any dancer's guilds, though plenty of people performed in the streets. Was that it?

Suddenly, the air shifted; sounds both familiar and strange filtered through the breeze. Yugi could recognize the whirl of strings, the rattling of cymbals and the low baritone of a drum. He followed the music and quickly found himself in another courtyard outside what could've easily passed for a temple or an open-air music hall.

Like the surrounding buildings, its columns and half-walls were richly painted; its decorations resembled colorful winds emerging from the voices of lovely women and the instruments they played, as if music had not only sound but also color and life. Curtains shielded the open walls from the harsh sunlight but did nothing to inhibit the open, airy feel of the space. Wooden benches were arranged in a half circle about a raised dais upon which a group of elderly women were playing lively and youthful tunes, unhindered by their advanced age. The instruments were strange in their shape and design, and their timbres were unusual yet familiar.

Another song started up, its tempo slow and calm like the gentle rising of the sun before taking on a livlier beat that reminded Yugi of bustling streets on a busy morning. A spark of fascination glinted in Yugi's eyes and his smile widened into a delighted grin.

The women who performed wore long, flowing dresses and short sleeves native to the common folk, yet their colors were more muted and less bold; all wore identical silver medallions that shimmered in the sun. Upon its surface, blazing with intricate detail, was the illustration of an insect flapping its wings. The symbol was at first unfamiliar to him, but then an image appeared in Yugi's memory—an image of the insect who rested in the hand of the Iron Lady on Locri's seal. Cicadas...

"Citharede!" Yugi finally remembered the term. "They're the Citharede!" He all but burst forward to meet them, but stopped himself just short of the dais as they continued into another song that he dared not disturb. Instead, he tapped his toes in tune to the beat, his dancer's instincts unable to resist. His heels clicked as the tempo picked up again; a combination of baritone brass and high fluttering strings mimicked the playfulness of the wind and the wild energy of spring.

The sweet music dripped like honey, then edged into a swift-moving wind, punctured with driving, relentless drums and deep, thunderous brass notes that reminded Yugi of a storm at sea.

He could resist no longer.

Yugi leapt in front of the stage and danced, his feet moving in strong, heavy steps that followed the deep, sonorous sounds of the brass. A warning of thunder rumbled amongst the high, breezy lyres and reeds; Yugi raised his arms and waved them through the air with sprightly, forceful movements, imitating the wind.

The music turned deeper, darker. The reeds shrieked like bolts of lighting and he leapt, dropping with a graceful crash as he bowed towards the ground. The strings released a long, pregnant howl like a series of fierce gales; loud bells and metal plates rattled in a torrent of rain, punctured by the stentorian crash of thundering drums. Yugi let his body be overtaken as the music transitioned from a gentle spring to a ferocious summer storm.

With memories of the storm aboard the Eye to guide him, Yugi leapt, dipped, dived and spun; his arms were the wind, his feet the thunder, and his eyes the lightning. He could feel the tempo of the music changing: what should've been the storm dying down into a gentle sea instead became faster, fiercer, as if the wind and ocean had challenged each other and were now clashing in competition.

The onlookers started to clap in tune with the rhythm. Children jumped up and started spinning around, joining him and shrieking with laughter, until the song ended.

Another dancer joined the throng, but she was neither a child nor a bystander; tall and willowy, she had the long limbs, the slender figure, and the confident stance of a dancer. Her every step was graceful and her body was swaying with the music—even her feathered brown hair seemed to have its own rhythm.

In the brief silence between songs, their blue eyes met: hers, bright and shimmering like the sunny skies of the morning; Yugi's, deep, dark and full of secrets like the night between twilight and moonrise.

A challenge was spoken.

A new song began and neither of them hesitated. The melody was unfamiliar to Yugi, but his opponent moved as though she'd known it all her life—and she clearly did. Her steps were confident and precise; each arch and curve of her body matched the music perfectly, and every pirouette was an effortless transition between one movement and the next. It was a dance that told a story, Yugi realized. One moment, she stood tall and proud; the next, her limbs were more fluid and graceful. Her arms arched like wings and spread wide as though she meant to fly, then she landed like a bird on the water. The movements reminded him so much of Mut's beloved ibises, yet it was no simple display of technical precision: there was a deep emotional depth to them as well. As a woman, the movements seemed almost angry and rebellious, but as a bird, she moved with an aching sadness that invoked both heartbreak and pity.

Yugi had no hope of mimicking it, so he didn't bother to. Instead, he remembered the way the ibis flew, as though their aerial acrobats were a secret dance that no one else was privy to. His steps were wild and boundless, his movements, unrestrained and rapid: carefree and with no effort to contain them. The mood of the music then shifted to that of heartbreaking joy, and as he let that emotion fill him, he once again imagined that night on the Eye—the night Timaeus saw him dancing in the rain as he danced his best for the man he loved. Music flooded through him with an aching sweetness, and he became lost in it.

When he and the girl danced past one another, their eyes met again. The challenge remained, but this time their eyes flashed with mutual respect and a rivalry that bordered on friendship; their styles, though dramatically different, told the same story and complimented each other. The final note rang out and they both finished with a long, dramatic bow.

The concert hall erupted with laughter and clapping. Fatigue suddenly overcame Yugi and he collapsed on one of the nearby steps, panting. His fellow dancer sat down next to him, red-faced from exhaustion.

"That was pretty impressive," the woman greeted him with a smile. "I have never seen anyone dance the way you do!"

"Neither have I," Yugi returned her enthusiasm, pausing in his inhale to smile and allowing his eyes to further admire her. Her fluffy bronze hair fell in a halo about her chin, emphasizing the roundness of her face and the curve of her cheeks, and she had a wonderful, natural smile that only highlighted her beauty and bright eyes. She boasted a shapely figure, both buxom and curvaceous, yet slender and subtle. He raised his eyes again, aware as he met her wide blue eyes that she, too, was looking him over.

Their conversation was cut short when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around their shoulders, aaccompanied by the rest of the Citharede. Laughter, praise and conversation soon followed.

Yugi explained that his love of music came from his mother, who taught him how to dance, and from his childhood with the Singers of Amun; the Citharede, in turn, introduced him to their instruments. The lyre-like cithara was their namesake, and was often used to accompany dances and epic recitations; it was far more complex than the stringed instruments Yugi knew of. The baritone was its brash, brassy cousin that produced the bass notes that Yugi immediately recognized. The aulos—a member of the wind family—produced a distinct sound that was frequently heard in social events. Lastly, there was the scabellum, whose metal rings and rattles reminded Yugi of the sistrum of his old home; it produced a similar sound, and was mostly used to keep time.

Fascinated by all of them, he listened attentively as they taught him how to position his fingers over the struts, and learned different techniques for strumming the strings to make certain sounds. He followed their directions with minimal success—to the amusement of the ladies—and made a note to have Serenity teach him to play all of them.

When the crowd called for another song, he surrendered their instruments and ushered them to continue playing. They did so, though not without reluctance. They played a less rambunctious tune this time—one resembling a peaceful gathering full of fun and frolic rather than a wild ruckus.

Alone once again, Yugi found himself in the presence of the dancer from before, and quickly found himself enjoying her company. She told him about her youth in one of the far cities up the coast before coming to the capital, and how the endless dances and celebration rituals there inspired her to pursue the art. Yugi, in turn, explained his foreign roots and the wild, bestial nature of the desert dances as well as the more graceful ones.

"You're from the desert, then? Cross the Great Green?" she inquired, eyes wide with curiosity. "What is it like? I've never seen a desert, and the stories some folks tell of them are horrible, but I've also heard many sing nothing but praises for its kings and cities and its fertility. I've not a clue who's telling the truth and what's sailor's talk."

Yugi laughed. "Well, they all probably have some truth to them," he said with a sly smile. "It's true that much of the country is desert—and she can be a cruel mistress—but she protects us from invaders with her fierce winds, wicked sandstorms and sweltering heat." There was a dreaminess to his words as he recalled his former home. "The Nile provides all the country with life, and so everything around it flourishes; it's like paradise in a single oasis. And our cities are indeed vast, yes: they're built from sand and stone, and many have stood for thousands of years."

His smile brightened as her eyes glistened and her lips parted in an amazed gasp. Briefly, he recognized himself in her; he recalled his excitement when Timaeus and Rhebekka were telling him of Locri—though after today, he felt that even their passionate narrations did not do the city justice. It occurred to him that, like he with the floating city, she had never seen anything akin to the desert: the shifting dunes and hills of the golden sea of sand, the lush palm trees, the feathery ferns, and the beautiful blooming lotus and papyrus reeds of the river—she had never seen any of it. Looking up at the waterfall, he thought instantly of the Nile, and wondered how it would look through her own eyes. Would his home be as fantastical and surreal to her as Locri was to him?

"It sounds absolutely…" she paused, breathless with amazement as she puzzled for the right word, "...incredible... I wish I could see it one day."

"Mayhaps, you will," Yugi smiled, half-serious. "I still have family that lives there. I know the journey will be demanding—not to mention the amount of preparation that is required for it to even happen—but if the king returns, perhaps you could come with me?"

She smiled a small, pondering smile. "Perhaps," she sounded wistful and almost sad. "Not much of a traveler, I'm afraid, although..." A smirk that rivaled his notorious impish grin spread across her face. "I do have a husband who makes his living sailing on ships. Perhaps we need not wait so long, especially if yours does the same."

Yugi rounded on her, the question already on his lips, when she gestured towards his wrist, still smirking.

Ah. The silver bracelet. With a defeated sigh, he conceded.

"I take it you wouldn't be wearing it if you weren't married," she teased.

"Aye, I am," he said, his cheeks reddening. "Recently, actually. It's why I came to Locri."

"You must love him very much to leave it all behind for him," she winked playfully.

Memories of their beginning resurfaced in Yugi's mind, but he chased them away with happier, more recent ones. "Oh, I do, though I'm afraid our actual marriage was for..." he paused, "...different reasons." He was grateful when she did not pry further. Instead, she chuckled.

"Oh, that's always the case. Making it work is what's important."

There was another pregnant pause where the two simply listened to the music, though it wasn't long until they were nodding their heads, swaying their raised feet and moving in some form with the music.

"That dance you were doing before—was that a formal dance?" Yugi asked, curious. "It looked familiar."

She laughed. "Yes and no. The song they were playing is from The Maiden and the Sparrowhawk, a ballad about a maiden who was in love with a falconer; she refused to marry a cruel man who thus cursed her to become a heron. I usually dance the Heron's Ballad at the Sparrowhawk Festival, but since this was just for fun," she grinned, her eyes glinting with mischief, "I added my own twist. How about you? Did you make up the dance that you did?"

Yugi's cheeks flushed pink despite his smile and he gave a slow nod. "I...your dance reminded me of the ibis birds my mother and I used to take care of. My dance was based on how I used to dance with them as they flew away."

Her eyes widened with fascination and her smile stretched with delight. "That's wonderful!" She clapped her hands together gleefully. "What a precious memory!"

Yugi returned her smile.

The music started up again. This time, it was a jollier folk song that had people dancing in circles and stepping in irregular angles; soon, the whole concert hall was full of laughter. Wasting no time, the girl grabbed his hands and pulled Yugi to his feet, spinning the two into the thrall. Yugi copied her movements, and before long, he had the steps down and was soon joining others in their laughter as they spun and traded partners.

Never could he recall having so much fun. Then, out the corner of his eye, he caught a familiar glint, spun, and it all came crashing down. In his panic, he crashed into someone, apologized, and swiftly wove his way through the crowd; his new friend followed. He heard the Citharede miss a beat as they watched him leave.

"What is it?" the girl asked, surprise and concern in each word at the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Yugi peeked behind them, then jerked back into hiding with a gasp and gestured to the three newcomers scanning the crowd with scrutiny.

Her eyes widened with recognition. She turned to him and nodded in understanding.

Yugi's blush darkened and his eyes met the floor with a solemn nod.

A loud, exasperated sigh escaped the tall girl, and she pressed a palm to her forehead. Then, a grin flashed across her face and mischief danced in her eyes. "In that case, follow me." Again, she took Yugi's hand, and with a tug of strength, she spirited him away.

Yugi nearly stumbled with surprise when she pulled him back into the crowd, but she was quick and caught him. With a speed and grace blessed by her profession, they danced through the crowd, weaving through the throng of bodies like streams through deep, forested wood. She was so sure of herself, she didn't even blink when she swooped him right by his pursuers, doing so with such ease that Yugi nearly gasped. If the trio of men saw them as they fled, they gave no indication—though Yugi swore he caught a glimpse of Otogi's green eyes widening, but he made no move to stop them.

Their flight continued even as they stepped outside. His new friend kept her grip firm on his hand as she led them through the maze of city streets and the labyrinth of people crowding the Sister of Paint and Song. They followed the curve of the pathways and houses, crossing bridges that covered smaller canals, and ran down the cliffs towards the sea.

They finally stopped when they reached the harbor, but only long enough for her to get her bearings, and then they were off again. In the brief period of rest, Yugi's eyes caught sight of a large ship with sails and colors he couldn't quite make out pulling into the harbor. His companion took a sharp turn down the jetty and did not stop until the cobblestone pavement gave way to a rougher, more rugged path worn into the meadow; they were clearly outside the city but still close enough to the shore.

Finally safe, the two plopped and caught their breath.

"That was entertaining!" the girl laughed.

"Yes, it was!" Yugi joined her, suddenly energized, though his lungs burned for air. "You certainly know your way around."

"Oh I know that district like the back of my hand," she said quickly before she needed to catch her breath. "It's my favorite, you see. Even if I get lost in all the others, that one I was determined to know—and know well." She paused, and the sound she released was half a laugh and half a gasp for air.

She wiped the perspiration from her brow before turning back to him with a wry smile. "So, what did you do to have the Magister's top three chasing after you?"

With a darker blush, Yugi replied, "I sort of ran away from home this morning. They work with my husband, you see, and he's away on business at the moment. I'm not familiar with the city just yet, so he asked them to keep a watch on me, but Ti—pardon," he corrected himself quickly, not wanting to reveal his identity just yet. "My husband is returning late, so I haven't left the house for a few days, and, well..."

"You were going stir-crazy, weren't ya?"

With a nod, Yugi continued, "I planned on returning by sundown, but I fell in love with everything and I just couldn't leave. They must've figured me out sooner than I thought."

"I get it, my friend, I do," she sighed. "When I caught a chill that was nothing more than a cold, my husband—bless his fool heart—was so insistent on keeping me safe, he wouldn't even let me leave the bed! I got tired of that right quick," she said with a sharpness that betrayed the temper flaring beneath her sweetness, and Yugi immediately decided he liked her all the more for that.

After a moment's rest, the girl rose. "If you truly mean to return by sunset, I know a place we can hide until then—if you'd like to see. There's this lovely spot on the shore I like to visit and gather my thoughts."

"I'd love to!" Yugi jumped up eagerly. "I've not seen a shore save for the ports."

She gasped, eyes wide with horrified shock. "You've never seen the beach?!" Her jaw set with determination, her eyes fixated on their course and she shot forward. "Then off we go!"

Yugi laughed at her enthusiasm, liking her more with each bit. "Oh!" he suddenly remembered. "I'm Yugi, by the way." He blushed, realizing he didn't know her name.

She giggled. "Pleasure to meet you then, Yugi. My name is Téa."

X X X

Otogi stood frozen in shock, watching the plaza entrance where the little she-devil he knew all too well had turned around and had the sheer audacity to wink at him before whisking away the Magistrate to who knows where.

The Magistrate had no idea who that woman was, and she who had no idea who he was. But when she finds out—when he tells her—! Oh Great Leviathan and all her dragons, the shadows of the abyss will burst forth and consume them all!

Otogi wished for nothing more than for the abyss to open up and swallow him whole right then and there. Oh, by all the gods in all the lands, what did he do to deserve this? Surely this had to be some sort of punishment?

"Good news, lads! We're saved!" Malik came crashing into Ryou's shoulder.

Otogi didn't move.

"What is it?"

"The Citharede said they saw a lad matching our little prince's description," Malik whispered behind the back of his hand. "The lad's bound to be close by!"

"Thank goodness," Ryou beamed, heaving a sigh of relief so heavy, he sagged from it. "Did you hear that, Otogi?"

"We are doomed."

Malik and Ryou blinked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"We are doomed, lads!" Breaking through his paralysis, his shaking fingers wove into his hair and pulled. "We are doomed beyond all hope!"

"What the abyss are you going on about?" Malik demanded as the man continued to babble.

"She took him," he muttered. "She doesn't know who he is, but she'll find out, and then—! Oh, Great Leviathan, what is that woman thinking?!"

"For the love of all that is holy, what are you going on about?!" Ryou screeched, temper overpowering his patience.

He didn't notice the spectators who had stopped to spare them a glance.

"My wife just kidnapped the Magister!"

The music stopped. It took both men all but a moment to register Otogi's words and overcome their shock.

Sensing the attention of the room spotlighting them, Ryou's brain scrambled for a way to salvage the solution until he was cut off.

"That sweet lad was the Magistrate!" one of the Citharede exclaimed with blissful delight.

Their stomachs dropped.

They truly were doomed.

I love the ending! Its just WAY too much fun being mean to Ryou, Malik and Otogi in their quest to see their Magistrate safely home and keep their Magister from massacring them :)

The sister of Paint and Song was very fun to create and design given its the artists district! The painted murals and sidewalks however, was inspired by Baltimore City. I live in Maryland and though I've never been a city girl i absolutely love the murals painted on the walls and how they fill the city. The sidewalk of the library where i work even has a gorgeous mural painted on it and it was so inspiring I had to add it!

Little Historical Note: the Cithdrade and all the instruments are historically accurate! The Cithdrade was a position in historical Locri held entirely by women after the Cithdr instrument that they played, which was a slightly more complicated version of the lyre. Music was a critical part of ritual and daily life in Locri so their position was highly respected and often Cithdrade would specialize in one particular instrument or several depending. As no one knows what life was like in Locri (or southeastern Italy) before the Greek era so I improvised.

As always enjoy the chapter! Only two more left and the next one is already with my Beta! I won't lie i'm procrastinating the last one because...it's almost over...five years of hard work and its all come to this...then i plan on editing it up and trying to get it published as an original novel! Wish me luck!