Sound
She remembered the spring rains on the plains and how much she had looked forward to them as a child. She would always keep her ears alert for the chariots of thunder the vast, grey clouds rode over the mountains. It would excite her so much every time she even thought she heard them come. And when they did, she always had to fight her inner desires (and on occasion her own mother) to run through the whispering plains to meet the storms herself with wide, open arms. The winds would howl and tease her, and pull her hair all the while singing and whistling between the falling droplets. She sometimes liked to try and sing back, but always ended up giggling as she caught water in her mouth, and settled back to listen instead.
She had always loved the sounds of rain.
"Milady! Milady Lyndis, what are you doing? You'll ruin your hair and your dress!"
Strong, insistent hands grasped her shoulders and pulled her back and away from the outside air and her fond memories. With a wistful sigh, Lyndis watched as Miriam, her handmaid, closed the window and latched it, the small handle clicking into its lock. The sounds of the outside storm were muffled by the pane of glass and moments later cut off by the rustle of the curtains being pulled over it.
The maid, a sweet, if aged, little thing with an airy voice and all the wrong esteems, clucked at her, "Lady Lyndis, it is almost time for you to make your appearance and you've gone and nearly spoiled it with such silly nonsense as sticking your head out into the rain! Here. Come. Come and I'll salvage it. Let me fix you up, come now." She rattled off her words as she bustled around the room, picking up various utensils for her new purpose before setting them at Lyndis's dressing table, and patting the back of the chair instructionally.
Lyndis was helpless to do anything but obey and, taking a fistful of her many-layered skirts, she gingerly stepped towards the seat until she was close enough to turn and pitch backwards into it. Glancing into the mirror moments before her hair was dismantled by the woman, she internally sniffed and thought that it looked exactly the same as before she had leaned through her window. Very much disinterested in the long and unnecessary process of fixing her terrible misdemeanor, she closed her eyes and let the only one who actually cared manage the complications herself. The sounds of the procedure blended together- the fizzle of the boar-bristle brush sliding through her knots, the whisper and hiss of her hair being wound up and pinned with a comb, the click and clatter of the strings of small pearls being weaved into the end of her now abbreviated ponytail, until, "All right, I've fixed you up again. Now, please, Lady Lyndis, don't go sticking your head out of any more windows."
Lyndis opened her eyes to see her reflection looking, again, no different than before. She kept this to herself, however, and replied with a kind smile, "Thank you very much Miriam. It looks perhaps better than before, I think. And I shall try and restrain myself in the future."
"You flatter me, sweetheart, but thank you. And see that you do!" The woman looked Lyndis in the eye, as if to ascertain her sincerity on the matter, stopped a moment to straighten one of her lady's sleeves, and finished with a curtsy before exiting the room.
Lyndis exhaled gratefully as if a significant pressure had finally been lifted. She peered at herself in the mirror, preparing to make some adjustments of her own. Finding that the desk-mirror was not adequate to suit her needs, she rose up and walked over to her long mirror. When she was met with her full reflection, she frowned. The whole ensemble was too... tidy, too ridiculous. Leaning forward she pulled a few strands of her hair loose of the comb to hang by her cheeks and across her forehead. That was much better than before. She shook her head to loosen the tight bundles of pearls. Honestly, if they were intended to look like droplets of water hanging in her hair, it would do if they were less uniform.
As she started to inspect her dress, she heard a knock on her door. Absently she called out, "You can come in," as she began to hike her skirts up to see just how many of the blasted things she had and to examine the underside, perhaps to verify that she was still somewhere inside. She was barely aware that the door had opened behind her before she heard it slam again. She looked up from her skirts to turn around, but found that no one was there. Dismissing the instance she turned back to her reflection. How many absurd layers of cloth were there? Really? Was it all necessary? Amid the impracticality of it all, she would get terribly hot, she just knew she would.
Perhaps she could use them to at least some sort of advantage. With her feet securely hidden from view, she could wear a more comfortable, more practical pair of shoes within. She could wear her boots and no one would notice; she could even fail to wear shoes at all. That certainly was an appealing thought. Gingerly balancing on each foot, she stepped back and kicked off her shoes. Oh, that was so much better.
"Lyn? Lyn are you in here?"
Lyndis turned around to see her longtime friend Florina peeking in through her slightly open door. "Florina! Come in, come in!" Releasing the wads of fabric, she gestured enthusiastically, hobbling forward a bit as she did so. Florina smiled and finished ducking inside, closing the door quietly behind her. She too had been fitted with a formal dress, but nothing so extravagant as the one Lyndis was forced to wear. It was also, apparently, much easier for her to move in, as shown by how swiftly she was able to trot up to her friend.
"Lyn, you look beautiful!" Florina gasped, taking in the sight and marveling in awe.
Lyndis allowed herself to grin a little as she pressed the front of her dress down a little while she spoke, "Yes, well, I can hardly see any part of myself at all. This thing is absurd. Look at it!" She took fistfuls of her front and pulled them up, waving them around in front of her. "I still can't see my feet! I could probably hide a small dog in here and no one would notice." She chewed her lip and rolled the idea around for a moment, taking a liking to it, "Maybe I should."
Florina seemed torn between giggling and looking aghast, "Lyn, you can't do that!"
"And why not? It's my birthday. I should be allowed to do what I want, not be paraded around at some arbitrary display of decadence like a prize peacock."
Florina gave in to her petite giggles, which in turn transformed Lyn's scowl into a smile. She managed to chuckle a bit herself before readdressing a matter at hand, "Oh, Florina, can you help me with something?" She turned around and waved her hands around the small of her back, making clawing motions at the laces. "Miriam seems to have incredibly high expectations for my figure, but I'm afraid it's much too hard to breathe with how tight she's tied my dress. Could you loosen them for me, please? Though, I suppose you mustn't too much or I'll get caught and tied up again."
Florina nodded and reached for the strings, slowly pulling them apart to allow Lyndis the privilege to breathe without extensive constraint. After a short moment of silence, she spoke, "You might want to apologize to Sir Kent, you know."
Lyndis's brow furrowed, "Hmm? Why? What did I do?"
Florina giggled, "Well, when I came to your room, I passed him and he was standing all rigid and his face was terribly red. You must have done something, Lyn."
Lyndis thought back, trying to figure out what she may have done. She hadn't seen him all day, she thought. So when had he-oh! Lyndis's face broke into a broad grin, "Oh, I know what happened. I was adjusting my dress in front of my mirror earlier when someone knocked. I told them they could come in, but I heard the door close shortly after. He must have seen my reflection while I had my dress pulled up."
"Lyn! How terribly embarrassing!"
She brushed it aside "Oh, he shouldn't be so upset, I showed far more leg when we were off fighting with Hector and Eliwood. But, I suppose I will approach him about it later." She turned her head to see Florina better as she finished tying up the laces, "Speaking of them, you know they will be here, right? Are you excited at all?"
Florina's cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she cast her eyes down on the knot she was tying. "Umm, y-yes."
Lyndis smiled and turned around to fully face her friend again, "Do you know if he has anything he wants to say to you?"
"I...no...I don't."
"Will you be okay if he asks to dance with you?"
"I... ummm..." Florina proceeded to fluster and flush even more, but was spared from having to answer as a cheery voice wafted into the room from outside the door after a brief knock.
"Are you lovely ladies ready to be escorted to the floor?"
Lyndis gave Florina a look which indicated she was excused from speaking for the time being, before replying, "Yes, Sain, we'll be out in just a moment."
Both the girls looked each other over for final primping procedures, making sure everything was in place and pinned properly. When they were finally satisfied, Lyndis shuttled Florina to the door ahead of her before she could point out, quite obviously, that her friend had left her shoes in front of the mirror.
Upon opening the door, they were greeted by both the Knight Commander and Subcommander of Caelin. Each still wore the colors that characterized them, though their attire was much more formal, their armor ceremonial as opposed to completely functional. "You both look very handsome," Lyndis remarked as she slid her arm into the crook of Kent's.
Sain's face broke into a broad grin, "Why, thank you, Lady Lyndis, but I do believe your magnificent beauty outshines us by far." Kent merely nodded, fidgeting a little in his lack of extensive metal shelling. His accouterments were far inadequate for any amount of protection, and, without his customary style and expanse of armor, she could see that he felt a little exposed. Lyndis smiled up at him, however, and rubbed his arm encouragingly, though she was a bit pleased to know she was not the only one dissatisfied with their required formal dress code.
Sain proffered his own arm to Florina, which she timidly accepted, allowing them to to begin making their way to the atrium, where the enormous event was beginning to take place.
...
Blessedly, the general chatter of the crowds turned out to be less deafening that Lyndis had anticipated. She could actually hear herself think and hold conversations with guests (though many of which, she held absolutely no desire to associate with), and she could actually hear the symphonies performed by the musicians. She liked the strings, especially; they reminded her of the whispers of the wind back on the plains. The soft wisps of sound were always pleasing to her ears, and were much more preferable to the human voices that were wafting around the room. If she listened hard, she could just-
"Lyndis! There you are!" She knew that bold tone anywhere.
"Hector!" She smiled as she saw the lord wave and approach her. She watched as he shouldered through a clique of twittering females who scoffed and gave him the hairy eyeball for interrupting their conversation with his passing. Eliwood soon followed in his wake and was subject the same treatment. When Hector turned to apologize to them, they lost whatever interest they had in their location, sniffed, and turned away, gossiping amongst themselves in their departure.
He rubbed the back of his neck a tad sheepishly, "I'm not that horrifying, am I?"
Lyndis snickered, patting his shoulder, "Well, you do dwarf them by a significant measure. Regardless, it is good to see you again. And you, Eliwood. Did you lose Ninian in swarms of parasitic fi- I mean nobles?"
Both of them had a hard time keeping their laughs at respectable levels, though only Eliwood had to overcome his in order to form a response, "Florina wanted to talk to her, so they went off together some time ago."
"Oh?" Lyndis perked at the mention of her good friend and turned back to Hector, "Have you spoken to Florina yet?"
"Ah, no... I actually did want to ask her to dance with me though... it's kind of hard to even do that when I can't find her. Oh, speaking of dances, I've heard that Eric wants to have one with you, Lyndis."
She blanched and her hands tightened into fists, "Me? With the son of the man who nearly murdered my grandfather? Where does he find the nerve to think I'd willingly acquiesce to such a thing?"
"Beats me. Why did you invite him anyway?"
"It's not like I wrote the invitations or anything myself. I've hardly been allowed to have a hand in this ridiculous affair at all." She clipped.
Eliwood put a calming hand to her shoulder, "It's okay, Lyndis, it's not like we're going to help him or anything. You deserve to have a good time during your birthday celebration. Speaking of which, Hector and I both have presents for you--"
"That'll have to wait." Hector interrupted. " He's here. Lyndis, quick, before he sees you!"
At first she thought it must be a joke, but, by following Hector's gaze, she could see the disagreeable visage of Eric of Laus peering through the crowds in search of her. " I... can't I hide behind you, Hector? You're certainly tall enough!"
"In that umbrella? You're either flattering or insulting me, thinking I can conceal you while you're in that thing! At any rate, it's too late now, I think he's seen you."
Lyndis wanted nothing better that to run and hide, to cloak her footsteps in the ambient noises of the people and the music, and to disappear among the other absurd dresses and hairstyles of the evening. She wanted to be able to share her true feelings about the horrible man approaching her and shout and spit and scowl at him until she was hoarse and dry and her face hurt. But, like a good noble, she stood still, her hands folded in front of her, awaiting his approach.
It was agonizing, the time it took for him to reach her. She spaced out, and the world echoed in her ears. All sounds combined into one general mass of tones rising and falling, distorted as if she were underwater. There was no distinction in anything, no focus, no harmony. Just a simple, blunted cacophony swirling around her. As a result, the the many repetitions of her name never reached her sense of hearing, and Eliwood had to gently shake her from her daze.
"Ah, yes! I'm sorry!" She blurted, taking the world into focus, unfortunately finding that a great deal of her visual space was now occupied by Eric. She looked around, hoping to draw support from her friends, but found that they were already no help at all. In fact, they and the man before her were mutually ignoring each other and pretending the other didn't exist. She wanted to scowl at them for abandoning her in such a way, but her thoughts were interrupted by Eric himself.
He coughed into his fist before extending it to her, "I do not believe we have ever formally met. I am Eric of Laus."
She wanted very much to wither away from that hand, to not have anything to do with it or the man to whom it belonged. Instead, swallowing and trying to ignore the intense beating of her own heart in her ears, she placed her fingertips in his and curtsied as she had been taught, "Lyndis of Caelin." She internally shuddered as she realized what she had just exposed herself to. Eric bowed over her hand and brought it towards his lips. Screams, wails, and whimpers exploded within her. She wanted to cry, to scream, to holler and let everyone know, everyone hear how much she detested the man before her.
Blessedly, he did not actually openly kiss her hand, but instead pressed his lips to the back of his own thumb, as was proper. Her inner tantrum only lessened by a minute amount, but enough for her to hear and process his next words.
"I was hoping you might honor me with a dance, Lady Lyndis." His voice rang in her ears with deafening clarity, slicing to her core as only a personal offense could. Did he know what he was asking her to do? Was he really so dense as to ask this of her? Oh, but she could not refuse. The dictates of nobility and society ruled that she must accept. Especially in regards to another of equal class, she could not be inhospitable and reject his offer. She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak.
"I am sure Lady Lyndis would be delighted to share the floor with you under a shroud of fantastic melodies; however, there is a matter of great urgency which requires her attention."
That... those words were not hers. She looked around her for the source and discovered Sain standing just over her shoulder. Her voice failed her for the moment as she fish-mouthed. Had she just been...
"Is that so?" Eric looked quizzically at Sain, not sure if the interruption was deliberate or simply circumstance.
"Yes, I am afraid it is. The matter is most severe indeed." How Sain managed to hold a straight and formal smile while uttering those words, Lyndis could hardly fathom.
Eric turned to her, "Later, perhaps, then?"
Sliding her hand around Sain's arm, she nodded tightly, before allowing herself to be escorted away, surreptitiously swatting Hector's shoulder in passing for his uselessness.
As the two of them walked away, she allowed her frantic thoughts to rest, blanketing them in the myriad noises which surrounded her. By concentrating, again,she could hear past all the conversations and just listen to the orchestra and it was allvery calming, the strings, especially. She could breathe at ease, without worry for the time being.
"Thank you, Sain."
He grinned widely, "Of course, Lady Lyndis. I could do no less, but, what I said was not false."
She turned and looked up at him curiously, "Oh? Something has happened? What is it that might be serious enough to require my attention during an event of this scale?"
"I think you'll find that you see in just a moment."
That was odd. It was not entirely like him to withhold anything from her. Unless...
As they finished passing through the mobs of cliques and gossipers and standing diners, they reached the sparsely populated fringe of the atrium. And it was here that she spied her Knight Commander, leaning against the wall, sternly observing the proceedings ahead of him. Lyndis began to smile.
Sain gestured almost wildly towards the knight, "He has been there all evening and it's begun to worry me. He's scarcely moved an inch, and not even to partake in the fantastic feast that our magnificent cooks have provided. All he does is stand there and glare most fiercely at people who pass too close; I'm afraid he's begun to frighten some of the attendees. And what's worse is that I believe the man lacks a beautiful woman to share the floor with him." He looked down to her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you think you know how to amend this, Lady Lyndis?"
"Oh yes, I think I know quite how to handle this situation. Thank you for bringing this dire need to my attention. " She grinned at him before eagerly trotting forward and towards the man of their discussion. Incredibly, with the lack of a pair of noisy shoes clicking across the floor, she came within several feet of him before he noticed her approach, straightening to attention.
"Lady Lyndis," He bowed toward her slightly, bending at his waist.
Oh he was so formal, so handsome, "Kent," she beamed.
He stood without speaking for a moment, as if unsure of how to he was supposed to react to his new situation. Lyndis was patient, however, and waited for him to finally clear his throat and ask, "Is there anything you need of me, Lady Lyndis?"
She stepped closer to him, "I believe there is something you can do for me, yes." She paused for a moment before continuing, "I want you to dance with me."
He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying vainly to form a response he did not have. She had to hold in a bout of giggles as she heard his teeth click every time his jaw snapped closed. Only after she had circled her arm into his was he finally able to speak again, though in a voice that was a little raspier than before. "L-Lady Lyndis, " he swallowed, glancing around them for observers before returning his gaze to her own eyes, "I... certainly you would be more interested in... dancing with someone else whose skills surpass my own. And that aside, what do you think might happen if you were found favoring me?"
"I think I am allowed to dance with my own escort and Knight Commander as I please, which I do." She patted his upper arm encouragingly, "And it is not as if we will attract so much attention. I may be the hostess, but I am not the only dancer. Now come, it will not be so bad as you think. And besides, you cannot use the same excuse for your skills as the last time Caelin held an event. You and I both know how capable you are."
Still clearly a little ambivalent over the situation but not wishing to oppose his lady, he acquiesced with a nod and began to walk her to the floor. Consciously, he observed the people around them. It was as she had said, however, no one was paying any special attention to them. Even by trying to catch words of the conversations they passed, he could hear nothing of relation to them. It was as if they were momentarily invisible. He was startled from his surveillance when she removed herself from his arm to slide both of her hands into his own. She looked to him to lead, which he attended to in short order. However...
"Kent," Lyndis murmured to him in a teasing tone just loud enough for him to hear, "You do not have to be so stiff. You know that. Nobody is watching, I promise." With those words, she leaned just a little closer to him, though not far enough to quite touch. Still, even with the space between them, she was very happy to be near him in such a way. It felt so right, his hands with hers, the music around them. Nothing could spoil the feeling, she thought.
And then, from over Kent's shoulder, she spied Eric and remembered what she had promised.
No. No it wasn't fair! He had clearly seen her, even from his distance and through the crowds. And he was coming her way. Her mind boiling with thoughts and fears, she unconsciously squeezed Kent's hands a little in her anxiety.
"Lady Lyndis?" His voice wafted up to her ears, but she could hardly hear it. There had to be something she could do. Some way to avoid the undesirable entity making his way towards her and the simple dance he intended to cut into. Her breathing accelerated to short, abbreviated breaths. She didn't want to. She didn't want to.
By now, Kent's concern was obvious in his voice, and he had stopped moving to address her. "Lady Lyndis, is something the matter?"
Everything, she wanted to tell him. This place, this party, this dress...
This dress.
That was it. She had her escape.
And without a word, she collapsed into Kent's arms and ceased moving. At his shout of alarm, she let her eyes fall closed. She felt him slowly lower her to the floor and attempt to raise her once more, but she would not be moved.
"What happened to her?"
"Is she all right?"
"What was she doing?"
"The poor dear, collapsing at her own celebration."
"What could have caused such a thing?"
"She made me spill punch on my dress..."
All sorts of voices feigned concern and pity and all else swarmed around her, though none of the ones she was listening for. Where were they? She could feel Kent's arms shaking as he held her, unsure of what to do. She was terribly sorry to have to do this to him, but she felt she had little choice. She coughed a little, gasped, and moaned.
He was immediately attentive, "Lady Lyndis! Are you.. did I...?"
She did not answer except to breathe abruptly a few times.
Come on...where are you?
"Lyndis!"
"L-Lyn!"
At last, the voices she had been listening for, well, voice, actually. That Florina had spoken simultaneously with Hector was a benefit, or at least, she hoped it would be.
"Kent, what happened to her?" Hector's bold tone. He chose now, of course, to help in her plight. Well, no matter, this time she was taking care of it herself. She heard no reply to him, and assumed Kent was shaking his head, at loss for words.
Lyndis coughed and gasped again.
"L-Lyn! Um... did... did I not make it loose enough?"
That's it, Florina. Keep going.
"Loose... enough?"
"Umm... yes." Florina lowered her voice a little and Lyndis could tell she had moved a little closer, probably so no one else would hear. "Before... before we came... Lyn asked me to l-loosen her dress so she could breathe better. I... p-perhaps I did not do enough? And it... it is awfully hot in here. That m-might have something to do with it."
She felt Kent adjust his arms around her before he spoke, "Then... all she needs is air? A less-stifling location for a while? Nothing else is the matter?"
"Y-yes. I think so..."
She heard the rustle of her skirts drag across the floor and each other as Kent lifted her cradled form up. "Do you think she'll need anything else? Would you accompany me to make sure?"
"Umm..."
Lyndis took a sharp breath and let the motion roll her head towards Kent's chest.
"Ah... n-no. I think you'll be fine, S-sir Kent."
Lyndis had to resist the urge to smile in gratitude as she was carried away from the din of the people who were beginning to return to chatter and normalcy without her. As it faded away she could hear the soft, even step of her carrier taking her into the halls; she could even hear him breathing above her.
Feeling she was finally safely away from everyone, and not entirely sure where Kent was taking her for her 'air', she decided to release the poor man from her falsehood. She reached her hand up and, teasing his collarbone with her finger, murmured, "Thank you, Kent."
He stopped. "Lady... Lady Lyndis?"
"Mmm?" She started to tinker with his formal breastplate, pretending to pay him little attention.
"I... Lady Lyndis... was this... deliberate?"
"Mmm... and if it was?"
"Was it... necessary?"
"If I had told you of my intentions, even moments before I had decided to act on them, you would have felt obligated to rouse and return me to the function. It is my canton, my castle, my celebration, and my birthday. I think I have the right to do what I want and not what anyone else expects from me, don't you?" She stopped fiddling with his front to look up into his face.
"And... what do you want, milady?"
"I want to hear the rain."
Her answer seemed to catch him off-guard. "The rain, milady?"
"Mmhmm." She unfastened his breastplate and, pulling the abbreviated piece of metal into her lap, lay her head on his chest to hear his heart pulse through it. She paused a moment before sighing and adding, "I promised Miriam earlier that I would not stick my head out of anymore windows this evening, but I said nothing of not going outside. I am missing a wonderful storm inside this infernal stone stronghold, and if I cannot yet return to my plains, I would at least like to go out and be in the closest thing I can equate to them.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
After a pause, he smiled gently and lowered his head over her, whispering, "It is as my lady wishes."
Fin.
...
Well, I kinda worry if this has enough hearing-imagery or too much of other senses, but I'm largely satisfied. There are some parts which bother me a bit, but I suppose that happens.