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Sayuri couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. The Crystalli Concertum was one of the best-known performance venues in Fiore. It was well-known that the guild Crystal Swan highly emphasized the arts, and its hall opened only to the best of performers. The opportunity to perform here could be once in a lifetime. And as always, with a performance scheduled to start in less than five minutes, the hall was packed. Every seat was filled, and everyone had arrived early, excited for the show. The musical group scheduled to play tonight, called Mirage, had started around a year ago, circulating a large number of recorded songs. They had been a hit right from the get-go. They were already becoming a household name. However, this was their first live show, and they had been invited to play it here. Of course they had accepted- they would be insane not to. Tickets had sold out within three days of going on sale, and for the past few days it had been a constant topic of conversation. Now the moment had arrived, and everyone was waiting with baited breath.
Sayuri had been relaxing in the guild hall when a frantic messenger had arrived, saying there was an emergency at the concert hall and that they needed help right away, and she'd hurried to her aid. The messenger had led her back to the venue without shedding much light on the situation, and Sayuri had wondered what had gone wrong. Perhaps the electrical had failed? Was there a fire? Some type of troublemaker? Or worse, a medical issue? Her heart had been racing by the time she'd arrived. But nothing could have prepared her for the situation she'd found when she arrived.
"Could... Could you repeat that one more time?"
The manager stared at her like she was an idiot. Clearly, he wasn't a fan of having to repeat himself, and he sighed dramatically.
"Pay attention! We just went over this! The show is supposed to start in five minutes, and there's no sign of Mirage. They aren't even on the ship yet! We need you to entertain the crowd so they don't get upset, while we figure out what is going on. We have to find the band! Oh, this is going to be a disaster!"
By the end the manager was practically wailing, clearly very upset over the situation, and she couldn't blame him. After all, the concert hall's reputation could plummet if the performance never happened. Worse yet, they would probably have to refund all the tickets, which would be a financial nightmare. But still, Sayuri wasn't sure exactly what she ought to do.
"So, how should I entertain them. I mean, I can sing, but I'm not that good..."
The manager huffed, stomping one foot in frustration. "It doesn't matter, as long as you keep them entertained! Juggle if you have to, or set yourself on fire. I don't care! Just buy us some time!"
Okay, yeah, no. She was not going to set herself on fire for the crowd's amusement, no matter how great of a reward they were offering for her help. That was not an option. But... There was one thing she was good at doing.
"Alright then. I'll tell them a story."
Had she grown a second head? Because from the way the manager and his assistant were staring at her now, she would have thought that to be the case. This time it was the assistant who responded.
"A story? you're going to tell them a story? Do you honestly think that will keep them entertained?"
Sayuri sighed, forcing herself to keep her composure. "I thought you didn't care what I did?"
The manager waved her off.
"No no, I really don't. Tell a damn story if that's really what you want to do. Just hurry up- they'll be getting antsy by now."
Sayuri nodded slightly. She had the upper hand here. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers, and they didn't have anyone else to step up and fill the role. She had one secret weapon that they didn't know about yet, so she was confident she could pull this off. She just needed two things.
"Can I have a microphone? And dim the stage lights please."
The manager nodded his approval, so the assistant dug out a microphone for her and ordered the stage technicians to shut the lights off. Now that she was all set up they bustled off to figure out what had happened to their performers, leaving her to handle this by herself. That was fine with her. They would just get in her way.
She pulled a small chair up to the door out onto the stage, so that she could see out to what was going on outside, although the crowd couldn't see her. She had no intention of going out on stage herself. By this point there was an expectant hush among the onlookers as they waited to see what would happen next. Sayuri took a moment to steel herself, recalling a story her older sister had often told her when she was just a child, one Sayuri herself had embellished over the years. Then she took a deep breath, dredging up her magic as she finally began.
"Before tonight's musical performance, allow me to tell you a story."
At those words confused muttering broke out in the crowd, but she didn't give them much time to dwell on it.
"A long, long time ago, back when the world was still new, there was a kingdom called Eleria. It was a wild kingdom, where beasts, devils, and even dragons roamed, and it was rules over by fairies themselves."
As she spoke, Sayuri used her magic to craft an elaborate illusion on stage, causing the crowd to gasp. She closed her eyes, imagining the scene, and as she pictured it in her head it began to take shape on the stage. A wild land, yet beautiful, with sharp mountain peaks, rolling hills, twisting hill, and vast forests, stretching for mile upon mile. There was a momentary glimpse of a huge dragon as it crashed through the hills, then disappeared off the edge of the stage and out of view.
"Now the fairies, they were very elusive. They lived in tiny villages, at the tops of the highest trees in the forests, or the tallest mountain peaks. People never saw them, but they knew of them. Oh did they know of them. They were spirits of the land, powerful allies or terrible enemies. If villages or towns honored the fairies they would be protected, but if they angered them, they would be left to the ravages of the wild beasts, or even completely destroyed overnight. No one was allowed to visit the fairies' homes, and those who strayed too close would disappear, never to be seen again."
"There was a town called Valyrie, nestled between the foothills of the Wolf Fang Mountains and the Dragon's Blood Woods. It was a quiet place, nothing special really. A village of hunters and farmers, and even a few warriors to protect the town when dangers arose."
As she spoke the wide view of the whole countryside dissolved, replaced by an image of the town she was describing. It was small, with stone houses pressed close together for safety, encircled by a fence of wooden spikes set into the ground. It sat along the banks of a small stream, tightly pressed between two imposing landforms. The roofs of the structures were thatched, and smoke curled lazily from chimneys. Children played in the narrow streets, although they were careful not to stray too close to the fence. It had the feeling of a quaint, cozy little village, but there was also an air of danger around it.
"In this village, there lived a girl named Electra. She, like the village, was nothing special. Just the daughter of a hunter. She knew a little about hunting, about how to shoot a bow, and track animals, and how to deal with them afterwards. She had a younger brother, Nathaniel, who she took care of because her mother was very sick, and her father disappeared when she was just a young teen. He left for a hunt. They said he must have heard the fairy music and been led astray, and lost his way home.
Throughout this the scene had focused in on a girl, about eighteen. She had long red hair and brilliant green eyes, dressed in a simple tunic and leather breeches, with a cloak of wolf fur. She was watching a young boy, around the age of ten, who was playing in the street, running around and messing with a toy sword. As she mentioned the fairy music a faint melody could be heard, distant and enchanting. The people in the illusion both heard it too, turning briefly to face the same direction, where the music must have been coming from. Then the girl put her hand on the boy's shoulder, leading him inside the nearest house.
"The hunter's wife became sick when he disappeared, suffering from a broken heart, and her daughter was left to support the family on her own, leaving the village to hunt just as her father had before her. One day, when she returned home from a hunt, Electra found her mother at home like usual, but there was no sign of her brother. She searched the entire town for him, but found nothing. No one knew for sure what had happened, but they all suspected he had wandered off, beyond the protective barrier and into the forest. They said he was gone forever, just like his father."
At this point in the narrative a heartbreaking scene played of the girl re-entering her home, carrying her equipment and a rabbit she'd caught, then moments later dashing out unhindered by that as she searched in vain for the brother who was no longer there.
"But Electra was not going to let her brother vanish the way her father had- she was not going to give up on him. She somehow knew, in her heart, that he was still alive, and she was determined to find him. So she armed herself, gathered her weapons and supplies, and left the village's safety to search for him. She found her brother's tracks just outside to entrance to the village, and began following him, using the tracking skills she'd learned from hunting. For almost a week, she followed the trail he'd left behind."
Scenes flashed by of that week, of her walking through the dense forests, bow gripped tightly as she kept her eyes pealed for danger. Of searching for sources of water, and trying to catch prey to eat. Of wrapping herself in her cloak, shivering on the cold day, clouds of her breath hanging in the air around her. Of long, sleepless nights sitting by a campfire, listening to the sounds of creatures shuffling around of her, of wolves and other predators crying out around her.
"And then, toward the end of the seventh day, she heard it. The faint echoing of the fairy music, in the same direction as her brother's tracks led, and she followed it, although it never seemed to grow closer. And then, suddenly, Nathaniel's trail ended, and the the sounds seemed to be coming from the trees above her. She knew the dangers of disturbing the fairies, but she was not deterred, so she gathered her courage and climbed the tree. When she reached the top, she found herself in the fairy court."
The scene that appeared as the lithe girl finished scaling the tree was breathtaking. It was a hall, made of solid wood, as if carved out of the very tree itself. For the fairies it was grand, but they were small, barely two feet tall, and the roof could be higher than about four feet, forcing the girl to stoop. Vivid tapestries hung on the walls. Along one of the walls, a fairy band was playing the enchanting music. The other members of the court were flying around the hall, danging, drinking from cups made out of flower buds, and generally making merry. At one end of the court sat the king and queen themselves, wearing flower crowns and sitting on thrones of vines. It the corner next to them sat Nathaniel, hunched over, with a dazed look on his face, unaware of what was transpiring around him. But all of this activity ceased when Electra appeared. Fairies shrieked and fled for the exits or gathered menacingly around their rulers as she grew nearer.
"Electra approached the fairy king."
""You have my brother," she told him, "And I have come to bring him back home.""
"Now the fairy king looked at her with a very sly expression, and she expected him to claim him as his prisoner. However, that it not what happened, for our tale does not end there."
""You are brave, human, to come here," he said. "And because of your bravery, I shall grant your request. If, of course, you can complete three tasks for me.""
"Now, Electra was sure his tasks would be all but impossible to complete, but she had no choice but to agree, and for her first task, the king told her to climb the white tree, and he sent one of his guards with her to show her its location, and to see if she succeeded at this task."
The illusion showed Electra and one of the fairies making their way through the forest, until they reached the tree. It was the tallest tree in the forest, with pure white bark, and while it had a wide canopy high above, there were no branches until you reached that- just a very tall, smooth trunk.
"It seemed impossible to climb this tree, but Electra did not hesitate. She drew her trust hunting knives and began to ascend."
The audience watched in rapt wonder as Electra began digging her knives into the tree bark and she climbed, using them as handholds and she slowly inched her way all the way up the tree, until finally she reached the top, then managed to shimmy her way down without falling to her death.
"Once she had succeeded she returned to the king, who was very disappointed to see that she had succeeded. So for her second task, he ordered her to find a magical flower. These flowers had once been common, but because of their healing properties they had been picked for so long that they were believed to exist no more. So for two long weeks Electra searched high and low for the flower, until she finally found one."
Again, the magic showed pieces of the girl's search, climbing trees, crawling into caves, and once even fighting off a wolf with her knives. Then they saw the flower, which was growing in the hollow of a tree. It was barely the size of a button, with tiny golden petals and a stem and leaves that seemed to be made of the finest silver.
"It was a tiny flower, but is was a flower nonetheless, so she picked it, and returned to the fairy court to present it to the king. Again, he was horrified that she had succeeded at the task he had set for, for he had intended for her to be humiliated with her vain efforts. So for his third task, he set her something that he knew was truly impossible. He told her that she must slay the Oak Dragon. Now, the Oak Dragon was older than the forest itself. Some even believed it had been around before the world was formed. It lived in the very heart of the forest, where no creatures dared to go, and ventured out at night to seek its prey. It was a formidable beast, as any dragon is, and it seemed to be impossible for this young girl, without even a drop of magic to aid her, could defeat the mighty beast. And so the king laughed as he sent her on her way, picturing her horrible death if she were foolhardy enough to approach the monster."
"But again, Electra was determined to free her brother, so she went in search of the dragon. She set off, traveling deeper into the ancient woods than she had ever dared to before, until she came across places where the trees were burned, and the very ground scorched and littered with skeletons, and where no living creatures dwelt. And that is where she encountered the dragon."
The picture of this was truly horrifying to see. The girl walked into a charred clearing and came upon a monster. The dragon was massive, almost as tall as the forest's trees, and just as long as it was tall. It has scaled the size of dinner plates, mottled browns and dull greens. Its amber eyes stared down menacingly as its jaws parted to reveal razor-sharp fangs, yellowed with age and dripping saliva that sizzled and hissed when it hit the ground, scorching wherever it fell. Its claws were the length of swords, and many times thicker, stained red with blood. It's tail was the size of a large tree, with a spiked ball on the end, and it flicked around with whip-like speed. The dragon was so ancient that moss, lichens, and even fungi grew undisturbed on its back. It glared at the intruder who had dared disturb its rest.
""Who are you, mortal creature, who dares enter my domain?""
The booming, serpentine voice echoed suddenly around the hall, eliciting startled screams from several members of the audience.
"Electra could have spoken with the dragon, distracted it, but she saw no point in delaying the inevitable, so she attacked. But against a beast like that, what can a girl, armed only with a bow and a couple of small knives, hope to do? Her arrows bounced off its tough scales, and her knives could not pierce its armored hide."
The scene of the battle played out before then, the girl firing a rapid succession of arrows that had no effect. Its tail whipped around, catching her off-guard and throwing her across the clearing, and she rolled out of the way just before the clubbed end smashed down where she had been just moments before. She darted in close, slashing with her knives, but they glanced off, and the dragon swiped her with its claws, and the crowd gasped as she staggered backwards, blood dripping from her wounds.
"She realized she was sorely outmatched, and if she stayed she would die so, badly wounded, she fled from the dragon, managing to escape from its clutches. She knew she would not be able to defeat it in battle, so if she hoped to save her brother, she would have to resort to trickery. She had grown up around these woods, venturing out into the forest of a regular basis, and she knew most that there was to know about them. There was a flower in these woods that was highly poisonous. Over the next few days she carefully gathered as many of these flowers as she could find. Then, she tracked down and killed a deer, and filled the carcass with the flowers. She knew that the Oak Dragon was opportunistic and lazy, fond of going after the first prey it found so as to go back to its rest, so she dragged the deer near the dragon's clearing. Then, she hid behind a nearby stand of charred trees and waited."
Again, the scene showed the girl, now wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, collecting the beautiful violet flowers, which looked too beautiful to be deadly, yet were, then bringing down the deer and leaving it for the dragon, before crouching behind the trees, hoping to see her plan come to fruition.
"Sure enough, that very night the dragon emerged to seek its prey. It came across the deer she had left and quickly gobbled it up before going back to its den. That night, the dragon fell ill. Over the next few days the poison worked its way deeper and deeper into the beast, until the dragon finally passed from this world. It is said that, if you know where to look, you can still find a hill covered in lichen and moss, and if you dig deep enough you'll hit dragon scales, where the dragon finally fell, never to rise again."
"Her final task completed, Electra returned once more to the fairy court, where there was much merriment underway. They had presumed the intruder to their court had perished days before at the claws of the dragon, for she had not returned, and the king was celebrating. They were all shocked when the girl suddenly reappeared, injured yet alive, and told them that her task was completed. They did not believe her, of course, so the king sent two of his guards to see the dragon. They found him just as she had described and reported this back to the king, who was furious. He had done his best to see this troublemaker perish, but his best efforts had failed. Still, fairies were creatures of honor, and once they had given their word they were bound to keep it. The king had no choice, so he returned Nathaniel to his sister, as he had sworn he would. But he cautioned them never to return to his kingdom, for the next time they would not leave alive."
"So Electra took her brother and departed, returning with him to their home. By this point it had been more than a month since she had left, and everyone was sure they were dead. When she arrived in Valyrie, she discovered that her mother had died, perhaps from the anguish of losing her children, and the family home and belongings had been given away or sold. There was nothing left for them there, and Electra had no desire to stay near the fairy court, so the two departed, traveling far over the mountains to find a new home, in the kingdom we now know as Fiore."
"Now, perhaps our tale could have ended there, but there is one more twist. After Electra slayed the dragon, magic began awakening in her blood, and she discovered that she could call upon the power of the Oak Dragon to aid her in her battles. It is said that she was the first to ever master dragon slayer magic. She and her brother became powerful warriors, and they waged war on the dragons that had plagued humanity for so long. It is said that they were instrumental in defeating this dragon menace, and bringing the world to the state of peace we know today."
She paused her narration as her illusion showed a glimpse of the two siblings, now grown, battling against the dragons, each mighty warriors in their own right. She opened her eyes, which she had kept closed to focus on maintaining her illusions, and glanced behind her. The manager and his assistant were standing there behind her, gaping at her little show, which they could see through the door she was seated in front of. Next to them were a motley crew of people wearing stage costumes and make-up, and she didn't have to be told that this was the band they had been waiting for. That much was obvious. It seemed that that was her cue to sign off.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of the beginning of the great Dragon Wars. But now, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to... Mirage!"
The entertainers hesitated for a moment, then took their cue to march out on stage, to the sound of much applause and cheering. It was impossible to tell how much of that was for the group, and how much was for her performance, but she didn't really care. She was hardly looking to get famous for this. She'd just been helping out, a warm-up act of sorts, and she was fine with that. Perhaps the audience would even think that it had been an intentional publicity act, tying on to the group's name. She stood, feeling exhausted. She'd burned a lot of magic with that little trick of hers. Still, she walked over to the manager and assistant, who were both staring at her.
"Well, if seems you managed to find our act."
That statement seemed to snap the two out their apparent daze, and the manager nodded.
"We... We did. That was... Amazing. I had no idea you could do anything like that."
He actually seemed a bit in awe of that, which Sayuri wasn't sure she really liked. Being able to do that was rather normal for her, and she shrugged slightly.
"One of my better talents. I'm just glad I was able to be of assistance."
The manager smiled at her. "Well, that's one show that I doubt they'll forget anytime soon." Then he gestured back toward the stage, where the group was just starting their first song. "You've welcome to stay back here and watch the show, if you'd like. After all, you did just save it."
Hmm... An invitation to get a backseat look at a performance whose tickets had been damn-near impossible to get? A smile crossed her face at her words. How could she ever pass an opportunity like that up?
Word Count: 4,253
Sayuri couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. The Crystalli Concertum was one of the best-known performance venues in Fiore. It was well-known that the guild Crystal Swan highly emphasized the arts, and its hall opened only to the best of performers. The opportunity to perform here could be once in a lifetime. And as always, with a performance scheduled to start in less than five minutes, the hall was packed. Every seat was filled, and everyone had arrived early, excited for the show. The musical group scheduled to play tonight, called Mirage, had started around a year ago, circulating a large number of recorded songs. They had been a hit right from the get-go. They were already becoming a household name. However, this was their first live show, and they had been invited to play it here. Of course they had accepted- they would be insane not to. Tickets had sold out within three days of going on sale, and for the past few days it had been a constant topic of conversation. Now the moment had arrived, and everyone was waiting with baited breath.
Sayuri had been relaxing in the guild hall when a frantic messenger had arrived, saying there was an emergency at the concert hall and that they needed help right away, and she'd hurried to her aid. The messenger had led her back to the venue without shedding much light on the situation, and Sayuri had wondered what had gone wrong. Perhaps the electrical had failed? Was there a fire? Some type of troublemaker? Or worse, a medical issue? Her heart had been racing by the time she'd arrived. But nothing could have prepared her for the situation she'd found when she arrived.
"Could... Could you repeat that one more time?"
The manager stared at her like she was an idiot. Clearly, he wasn't a fan of having to repeat himself, and he sighed dramatically.
"Pay attention! We just went over this! The show is supposed to start in five minutes, and there's no sign of Mirage. They aren't even on the ship yet! We need you to entertain the crowd so they don't get upset, while we figure out what is going on. We have to find the band! Oh, this is going to be a disaster!"
By the end the manager was practically wailing, clearly very upset over the situation, and she couldn't blame him. After all, the concert hall's reputation could plummet if the performance never happened. Worse yet, they would probably have to refund all the tickets, which would be a financial nightmare. But still, Sayuri wasn't sure exactly what she ought to do.
"So, how should I entertain them. I mean, I can sing, but I'm not that good..."
The manager huffed, stomping one foot in frustration. "It doesn't matter, as long as you keep them entertained! Juggle if you have to, or set yourself on fire. I don't care! Just buy us some time!"
Okay, yeah, no. She was not going to set herself on fire for the crowd's amusement, no matter how great of a reward they were offering for her help. That was not an option. But... There was one thing she was good at doing.
"Alright then. I'll tell them a story."
Had she grown a second head? Because from the way the manager and his assistant were staring at her now, she would have thought that to be the case. This time it was the assistant who responded.
"A story? you're going to tell them a story? Do you honestly think that will keep them entertained?"
Sayuri sighed, forcing herself to keep her composure. "I thought you didn't care what I did?"
The manager waved her off.
"No no, I really don't. Tell a damn story if that's really what you want to do. Just hurry up- they'll be getting antsy by now."
Sayuri nodded slightly. She had the upper hand here. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers, and they didn't have anyone else to step up and fill the role. She had one secret weapon that they didn't know about yet, so she was confident she could pull this off. She just needed two things.
"Can I have a microphone? And dim the stage lights please."
The manager nodded his approval, so the assistant dug out a microphone for her and ordered the stage technicians to shut the lights off. Now that she was all set up they bustled off to figure out what had happened to their performers, leaving her to handle this by herself. That was fine with her. They would just get in her way.
She pulled a small chair up to the door out onto the stage, so that she could see out to what was going on outside, although the crowd couldn't see her. She had no intention of going out on stage herself. By this point there was an expectant hush among the onlookers as they waited to see what would happen next. Sayuri took a moment to steel herself, recalling a story her older sister had often told her when she was just a child, one Sayuri herself had embellished over the years. Then she took a deep breath, dredging up her magic as she finally began.
"Before tonight's musical performance, allow me to tell you a story."
At those words confused muttering broke out in the crowd, but she didn't give them much time to dwell on it.
"A long, long time ago, back when the world was still new, there was a kingdom called Eleria. It was a wild kingdom, where beasts, devils, and even dragons roamed, and it was rules over by fairies themselves."
As she spoke, Sayuri used her magic to craft an elaborate illusion on stage, causing the crowd to gasp. She closed her eyes, imagining the scene, and as she pictured it in her head it began to take shape on the stage. A wild land, yet beautiful, with sharp mountain peaks, rolling hills, twisting hill, and vast forests, stretching for mile upon mile. There was a momentary glimpse of a huge dragon as it crashed through the hills, then disappeared off the edge of the stage and out of view.
"Now the fairies, they were very elusive. They lived in tiny villages, at the tops of the highest trees in the forests, or the tallest mountain peaks. People never saw them, but they knew of them. Oh did they know of them. They were spirits of the land, powerful allies or terrible enemies. If villages or towns honored the fairies they would be protected, but if they angered them, they would be left to the ravages of the wild beasts, or even completely destroyed overnight. No one was allowed to visit the fairies' homes, and those who strayed too close would disappear, never to be seen again."
"There was a town called Valyrie, nestled between the foothills of the Wolf Fang Mountains and the Dragon's Blood Woods. It was a quiet place, nothing special really. A village of hunters and farmers, and even a few warriors to protect the town when dangers arose."
As she spoke the wide view of the whole countryside dissolved, replaced by an image of the town she was describing. It was small, with stone houses pressed close together for safety, encircled by a fence of wooden spikes set into the ground. It sat along the banks of a small stream, tightly pressed between two imposing landforms. The roofs of the structures were thatched, and smoke curled lazily from chimneys. Children played in the narrow streets, although they were careful not to stray too close to the fence. It had the feeling of a quaint, cozy little village, but there was also an air of danger around it.
"In this village, there lived a girl named Electra. She, like the village, was nothing special. Just the daughter of a hunter. She knew a little about hunting, about how to shoot a bow, and track animals, and how to deal with them afterwards. She had a younger brother, Nathaniel, who she took care of because her mother was very sick, and her father disappeared when she was just a young teen. He left for a hunt. They said he must have heard the fairy music and been led astray, and lost his way home.
Throughout this the scene had focused in on a girl, about eighteen. She had long red hair and brilliant green eyes, dressed in a simple tunic and leather breeches, with a cloak of wolf fur. She was watching a young boy, around the age of ten, who was playing in the street, running around and messing with a toy sword. As she mentioned the fairy music a faint melody could be heard, distant and enchanting. The people in the illusion both heard it too, turning briefly to face the same direction, where the music must have been coming from. Then the girl put her hand on the boy's shoulder, leading him inside the nearest house.
"The hunter's wife became sick when he disappeared, suffering from a broken heart, and her daughter was left to support the family on her own, leaving the village to hunt just as her father had before her. One day, when she returned home from a hunt, Electra found her mother at home like usual, but there was no sign of her brother. She searched the entire town for him, but found nothing. No one knew for sure what had happened, but they all suspected he had wandered off, beyond the protective barrier and into the forest. They said he was gone forever, just like his father."
At this point in the narrative a heartbreaking scene played of the girl re-entering her home, carrying her equipment and a rabbit she'd caught, then moments later dashing out unhindered by that as she searched in vain for the brother who was no longer there.
"But Electra was not going to let her brother vanish the way her father had- she was not going to give up on him. She somehow knew, in her heart, that he was still alive, and she was determined to find him. So she armed herself, gathered her weapons and supplies, and left the village's safety to search for him. She found her brother's tracks just outside to entrance to the village, and began following him, using the tracking skills she'd learned from hunting. For almost a week, she followed the trail he'd left behind."
Scenes flashed by of that week, of her walking through the dense forests, bow gripped tightly as she kept her eyes pealed for danger. Of searching for sources of water, and trying to catch prey to eat. Of wrapping herself in her cloak, shivering on the cold day, clouds of her breath hanging in the air around her. Of long, sleepless nights sitting by a campfire, listening to the sounds of creatures shuffling around of her, of wolves and other predators crying out around her.
"And then, toward the end of the seventh day, she heard it. The faint echoing of the fairy music, in the same direction as her brother's tracks led, and she followed it, although it never seemed to grow closer. And then, suddenly, Nathaniel's trail ended, and the the sounds seemed to be coming from the trees above her. She knew the dangers of disturbing the fairies, but she was not deterred, so she gathered her courage and climbed the tree. When she reached the top, she found herself in the fairy court."
The scene that appeared as the lithe girl finished scaling the tree was breathtaking. It was a hall, made of solid wood, as if carved out of the very tree itself. For the fairies it was grand, but they were small, barely two feet tall, and the roof could be higher than about four feet, forcing the girl to stoop. Vivid tapestries hung on the walls. Along one of the walls, a fairy band was playing the enchanting music. The other members of the court were flying around the hall, danging, drinking from cups made out of flower buds, and generally making merry. At one end of the court sat the king and queen themselves, wearing flower crowns and sitting on thrones of vines. It the corner next to them sat Nathaniel, hunched over, with a dazed look on his face, unaware of what was transpiring around him. But all of this activity ceased when Electra appeared. Fairies shrieked and fled for the exits or gathered menacingly around their rulers as she grew nearer.
"Electra approached the fairy king."
""You have my brother," she told him, "And I have come to bring him back home.""
"Now the fairy king looked at her with a very sly expression, and she expected him to claim him as his prisoner. However, that it not what happened, for our tale does not end there."
""You are brave, human, to come here," he said. "And because of your bravery, I shall grant your request. If, of course, you can complete three tasks for me.""
"Now, Electra was sure his tasks would be all but impossible to complete, but she had no choice but to agree, and for her first task, the king told her to climb the white tree, and he sent one of his guards with her to show her its location, and to see if she succeeded at this task."
The illusion showed Electra and one of the fairies making their way through the forest, until they reached the tree. It was the tallest tree in the forest, with pure white bark, and while it had a wide canopy high above, there were no branches until you reached that- just a very tall, smooth trunk.
"It seemed impossible to climb this tree, but Electra did not hesitate. She drew her trust hunting knives and began to ascend."
The audience watched in rapt wonder as Electra began digging her knives into the tree bark and she climbed, using them as handholds and she slowly inched her way all the way up the tree, until finally she reached the top, then managed to shimmy her way down without falling to her death.
"Once she had succeeded she returned to the king, who was very disappointed to see that she had succeeded. So for her second task, he ordered her to find a magical flower. These flowers had once been common, but because of their healing properties they had been picked for so long that they were believed to exist no more. So for two long weeks Electra searched high and low for the flower, until she finally found one."
Again, the magic showed pieces of the girl's search, climbing trees, crawling into caves, and once even fighting off a wolf with her knives. Then they saw the flower, which was growing in the hollow of a tree. It was barely the size of a button, with tiny golden petals and a stem and leaves that seemed to be made of the finest silver.
"It was a tiny flower, but is was a flower nonetheless, so she picked it, and returned to the fairy court to present it to the king. Again, he was horrified that she had succeeded at the task he had set for, for he had intended for her to be humiliated with her vain efforts. So for his third task, he set her something that he knew was truly impossible. He told her that she must slay the Oak Dragon. Now, the Oak Dragon was older than the forest itself. Some even believed it had been around before the world was formed. It lived in the very heart of the forest, where no creatures dared to go, and ventured out at night to seek its prey. It was a formidable beast, as any dragon is, and it seemed to be impossible for this young girl, without even a drop of magic to aid her, could defeat the mighty beast. And so the king laughed as he sent her on her way, picturing her horrible death if she were foolhardy enough to approach the monster."
"But again, Electra was determined to free her brother, so she went in search of the dragon. She set off, traveling deeper into the ancient woods than she had ever dared to before, until she came across places where the trees were burned, and the very ground scorched and littered with skeletons, and where no living creatures dwelt. And that is where she encountered the dragon."
The picture of this was truly horrifying to see. The girl walked into a charred clearing and came upon a monster. The dragon was massive, almost as tall as the forest's trees, and just as long as it was tall. It has scaled the size of dinner plates, mottled browns and dull greens. Its amber eyes stared down menacingly as its jaws parted to reveal razor-sharp fangs, yellowed with age and dripping saliva that sizzled and hissed when it hit the ground, scorching wherever it fell. Its claws were the length of swords, and many times thicker, stained red with blood. It's tail was the size of a large tree, with a spiked ball on the end, and it flicked around with whip-like speed. The dragon was so ancient that moss, lichens, and even fungi grew undisturbed on its back. It glared at the intruder who had dared disturb its rest.
""Who are you, mortal creature, who dares enter my domain?""
The booming, serpentine voice echoed suddenly around the hall, eliciting startled screams from several members of the audience.
"Electra could have spoken with the dragon, distracted it, but she saw no point in delaying the inevitable, so she attacked. But against a beast like that, what can a girl, armed only with a bow and a couple of small knives, hope to do? Her arrows bounced off its tough scales, and her knives could not pierce its armored hide."
The scene of the battle played out before then, the girl firing a rapid succession of arrows that had no effect. Its tail whipped around, catching her off-guard and throwing her across the clearing, and she rolled out of the way just before the clubbed end smashed down where she had been just moments before. She darted in close, slashing with her knives, but they glanced off, and the dragon swiped her with its claws, and the crowd gasped as she staggered backwards, blood dripping from her wounds.
"She realized she was sorely outmatched, and if she stayed she would die so, badly wounded, she fled from the dragon, managing to escape from its clutches. She knew she would not be able to defeat it in battle, so if she hoped to save her brother, she would have to resort to trickery. She had grown up around these woods, venturing out into the forest of a regular basis, and she knew most that there was to know about them. There was a flower in these woods that was highly poisonous. Over the next few days she carefully gathered as many of these flowers as she could find. Then, she tracked down and killed a deer, and filled the carcass with the flowers. She knew that the Oak Dragon was opportunistic and lazy, fond of going after the first prey it found so as to go back to its rest, so she dragged the deer near the dragon's clearing. Then, she hid behind a nearby stand of charred trees and waited."
Again, the scene showed the girl, now wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, collecting the beautiful violet flowers, which looked too beautiful to be deadly, yet were, then bringing down the deer and leaving it for the dragon, before crouching behind the trees, hoping to see her plan come to fruition.
"Sure enough, that very night the dragon emerged to seek its prey. It came across the deer she had left and quickly gobbled it up before going back to its den. That night, the dragon fell ill. Over the next few days the poison worked its way deeper and deeper into the beast, until the dragon finally passed from this world. It is said that, if you know where to look, you can still find a hill covered in lichen and moss, and if you dig deep enough you'll hit dragon scales, where the dragon finally fell, never to rise again."
"Her final task completed, Electra returned once more to the fairy court, where there was much merriment underway. They had presumed the intruder to their court had perished days before at the claws of the dragon, for she had not returned, and the king was celebrating. They were all shocked when the girl suddenly reappeared, injured yet alive, and told them that her task was completed. They did not believe her, of course, so the king sent two of his guards to see the dragon. They found him just as she had described and reported this back to the king, who was furious. He had done his best to see this troublemaker perish, but his best efforts had failed. Still, fairies were creatures of honor, and once they had given their word they were bound to keep it. The king had no choice, so he returned Nathaniel to his sister, as he had sworn he would. But he cautioned them never to return to his kingdom, for the next time they would not leave alive."
"So Electra took her brother and departed, returning with him to their home. By this point it had been more than a month since she had left, and everyone was sure they were dead. When she arrived in Valyrie, she discovered that her mother had died, perhaps from the anguish of losing her children, and the family home and belongings had been given away or sold. There was nothing left for them there, and Electra had no desire to stay near the fairy court, so the two departed, traveling far over the mountains to find a new home, in the kingdom we now know as Fiore."
"Now, perhaps our tale could have ended there, but there is one more twist. After Electra slayed the dragon, magic began awakening in her blood, and she discovered that she could call upon the power of the Oak Dragon to aid her in her battles. It is said that she was the first to ever master dragon slayer magic. She and her brother became powerful warriors, and they waged war on the dragons that had plagued humanity for so long. It is said that they were instrumental in defeating this dragon menace, and bringing the world to the state of peace we know today."
She paused her narration as her illusion showed a glimpse of the two siblings, now grown, battling against the dragons, each mighty warriors in their own right. She opened her eyes, which she had kept closed to focus on maintaining her illusions, and glanced behind her. The manager and his assistant were standing there behind her, gaping at her little show, which they could see through the door she was seated in front of. Next to them were a motley crew of people wearing stage costumes and make-up, and she didn't have to be told that this was the band they had been waiting for. That much was obvious. It seemed that that was her cue to sign off.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of the beginning of the great Dragon Wars. But now, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to... Mirage!"
The entertainers hesitated for a moment, then took their cue to march out on stage, to the sound of much applause and cheering. It was impossible to tell how much of that was for the group, and how much was for her performance, but she didn't really care. She was hardly looking to get famous for this. She'd just been helping out, a warm-up act of sorts, and she was fine with that. Perhaps the audience would even think that it had been an intentional publicity act, tying on to the group's name. She stood, feeling exhausted. She'd burned a lot of magic with that little trick of hers. Still, she walked over to the manager and assistant, who were both staring at her.
"Well, if seems you managed to find our act."
That statement seemed to snap the two out their apparent daze, and the manager nodded.
"We... We did. That was... Amazing. I had no idea you could do anything like that."
He actually seemed a bit in awe of that, which Sayuri wasn't sure she really liked. Being able to do that was rather normal for her, and she shrugged slightly.
"One of my better talents. I'm just glad I was able to be of assistance."
The manager smiled at her. "Well, that's one show that I doubt they'll forget anytime soon." Then he gestured back toward the stage, where the group was just starting their first song. "You've welcome to stay back here and watch the show, if you'd like. After all, you did just save it."
Hmm... An invitation to get a backseat look at a performance whose tickets had been damn-near impossible to get? A smile crossed her face at her words. How could she ever pass an opportunity like that up?
Word Count: 4,253
