By Catherine LaCroix
Description:
Tobias Vaulten carries the
weight of his father's financial empire on his shoulders from birth. His
rigorous tutelage seems never-ending and his future looks bleak. That is, until
music captivates his heart and soul.
One fateful evening, Tobais
meets Ara—a silent young woman who expresses herself
through her melodies. The decisions they must face together will change their
lives.
~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~
Music is more than just sound, a compilation of notes, a score on a page. Music is an emotion, a latent fluidity
that exists within some, patiently waiting to be released into the blood, into
the mind. Its haunting melodies and entrancing verses capture the heart and
hold it hostage, threatening to dwell and agitate until heard once more. Music,
once awakened in the soul, becomes a necessity.
I was merely seven years old when I found myself
imprisoned within the confines of a melody. Orlando, my caretaker, was trying
to find something new and amusing to tempt me with as the usual attentions of a
young boy had been exhausted and found wanting. So instead of the usual
childish entertainments, he picked up his lute and strummed an easy melody-
something happy and carefree. The words he sang could have been anything, but
their harmony to the song his fingers created was enchanting. I perched in
front of him and listened intently, goosebumps rising to my skin. I
concentrated on how his hands moved on the strings, both above the opening in
the instrument and across the neck. Despite my perpetual search for new
amusements, Orlando had enraptured me within a few notes. It was only when he’d
suddenly stopped playing that I realized my breathing was in time with his
rhythm.
“Tobias, you couldn’t possibly be interested in a little
tune like this one, could you?” The smile that played at the corners of his
lips said he knew exactly what he’d done.
“Why did you stop?” I demanded, unaccustomed to such
mockery. “Orlando, how does the rest of it go?”
“I don’t know, little one. Perhaps you could tell me?”
As he played, I created lyrics. The mind of a child knows
no limits, and I sang whatever words that appeared on my lips. Nonsensical,
fantastic, and free. But I held the same harmony that Orlando had and it
matched his playing well, regardless of never having a day of music training in
my life.
“You have quite the knack for this, Tobias,” Orlando
mused. “Would you like to learn?”
“Yes!”
The very next day, he had a new lute in my hands and
taught me my first chords. My fingers were small and unpracticed, clumsy and
confused. But I learned at a steady pace and Orlando taught with the patience
of an instructor who taught many before me. By day five, my fingers were tender
and sore; plucking the strings so often had reddened and bruised them.
“Orlando, sir, my fingers hurt…” I sucked on one gently.
“You must build callouses on your fingertips to play as
often as you’d like,” he replied, showing me his hands.
“What are callouses?”
“Imagine tiny pebbles beneath the skin of your fingers.
They’re very hard, but useful in playing any instrument.”
“I don’t want rocks underneath my skin!”
“No, little one, not like that,” he laughed. “They’re not
actually pebbles, they just feel like that, see?” Orlando guided my hand to his
fingertips and I could feel what he meant- tiny, hard bumps beneath the pads. “It
doesn’t hurt when I play for an extended period of time.”
“How…how do I get those?”
“Well, you must keep playing.”
Keywords: Anthology, Fantasy, Music,
Medieval, Drama, Renaissance, Sweet Romance