A Bard's Tale,1st Mvment,1st Bar(Prologue)~A FFXI Love StoryFollow

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a story I’ve been tossing around in my head for quite awhile now. I’ve loved the idea ever since I saw the barest etchings of it in Vana’diel...but I never quite thought that the game did the story true justice.

So...that is what I will be attempting to do here.

I hope.

To me, the story is a music Composition, A Bard’s Tale, split up into three Movements played in succession, with each Movement containing a multitude of bars.

This story is in so many ways about music, and so I wanted to reflect that in my work.

Read, and review...rate-ups and constructive comments are always welcome.

Thanks!


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Composition: A Bard’s Tale

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Begin 1st Movement, Painful Memory

Begin 1st Bar, Prologue

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How many times have I seen people die?

The prisoner knelt down, his head bowed as my husband looked on without a single bit of forgiveness. “You've been charged with crimes that go against the Kingdom of San d' Oria. You were tried and convicted of treason under the Kingdom's laws, and sentenced to death. "Any last words?" His cruel whitened lips issued those words, and I felt a pang of sympathy rise up in my spirit for the young Elvaan who was about to die.

The faceless individual looked up into the ceiling, and I could tell that there was a quiet determination upon his face.

"Yes," he said softly. "May...Altana..." he stated, before crossing himself in Her name and continuing, "May...Altana have mercy upon your soul." He then lowered his gaze down to the floor, and offered the vulnerable back of his head to the waiting executioner standing behind him.

The masked muscle raised his two handed axe upwards towards the ceiling, the dim candlelight trapped within the dusty black metal cases mounted against the walls catching the blade and making it the sharp edge sparkle.

"And so justice is served."

With that command, a single swing neatly whistled through the air and cleanly met the soft tender spot where the neck and head were connected together, slicing through with near perfection. A soft crunch sound was heard as the spine was severed and the head flopped off, rolling against the ground a few inches before being carelessly kicked back against the body by the freshly-born again killer.

As the man fell over carelessly onto the straw mat that was laid out beneath him, I could see blood oozing out of the fatal wound.

He twitched twice, stopped, twitched once more, and then became a motionless doll.

Feeling sick, I stole a glance at my husband to see how he was dealing with it. His eyes were taking in the sight, and I could swear that he drew some sick satisfaction from watching innocent blood, stolen from the victim for the singular crime of whistling at me in the courtyard while I was tending to my flowers. After a moment, he must have noticed that I was looking at him, but he didn't even acknowledge me in return.

Instead, he was still transfixed by the brutal execution that had just taken place under his watch.

Under his rule.

My name is Aurora.

I am Queen of these people, the great Kingdom of San d' Oria...

And...I hate everything that currently is my life.

~end 1st Bar, Prologue