Track Playing: Appel et Résponse
by Erinrad Viker Sinfonietta

'It's time for dinner Your Majesty.' The uniform adorned maid left with a bow. Miss Loverdous sighed, walking away from her spot near the human-sized Harp as Aiyana's teeth came out for display. The child grinned widely, jumping about in her place with the small Celtic harp forgotten in her grasp.

Beth Loverdous, the head musician of the palace, had never in her thirty years of life imagined that teaching someone to play the harp could have been so stressful. She glared at the jolly-looking Aiyana seated a few feet away from her. The grey walled room was yet to be plastered yellow like the other rooms in the huge castle. The creaks in the wall remained unfilled, making the room look more like a magician's lair described in novels at this hour of the day. A cold breeze blew from the window to her left, throwing her hair in her face. She got up, spitting out the hair that had got into her mouth, resting her hand on the board with musical notes written here and there. The candles on the chandelier faltered for a moment, dimming the room. September was here indeed.

She had taken upon the task of teaching Aiyana the art of music a few weeks ago. The lessons were taught smoothly, for a few hours after which she wouldn't pay attention and mess up the notes. She would talk, just not with her. Beth wasn't even sure if she was interested in music. It was her voice that said otherwise. For a seven-year-old she had pretty good vocal range, her pitch was near perfect given that she knew a few tricks. She knew when it was time to breathe in between, when to sing from the throat and when to use the nasal sounds. To say Beth was astonished was an understatement. And that is why she continued with the lessons despite the lack of interest and attention from the student's side.

Originally, it had been Her Majesty Arabella, who had decided that Aiyana be given music lessons.

A princess must know music. Once admitted, it becomes a part of the soul, a melody for life. She had sounded certain as she quoted.

Beth had no children. And she certainly didn't have any idea how to deal with one. One thing that was clear to her was that the wee devil wouldn't listen to her. It was her way of having fun inside the walls of the castle, which at her age would seem nothing more than confinement. Beth would just have to deal with her tactics until she would just stop. And Beth prayed for her too. Her pale forehead creased into fine lines as she did so.

'That's it for today. You may leave now.'

' A very good evening, miss Beth.'

She stared as the giggly princess left the room. She looked likesoner who had been freed after years of confinement. Just as her pastel pink skirt vanished off the corner of the room, Beth felt the atmosphere lighten. It was as if she hadn't been breathing in the necessary amount of air previously. The darkness had finally taken over the sky outside, the stars were yet to cover the sky.

Beth left the now dark room. The fatigue she suffered just moments ago seemed to vanish instantly.

It was probably the child, She shrugged as she continued on her route to her lodgings within the palace. Most of the staff lived within the boundaries of the palace itself. All she could think of was a good night's sleep as she tied her golden hair into a bun.

*

The doors pushed open with loud creak announcing another person's entry into the dining hall. Everybody turned their heads towards a blushed cheek, panting Seokjin. Even baby Yeonjun, who had previously been busy dodging the spoon his mother tried to shove in his face stared at the tall boy with curious wide eyes.

Seokjin rested his hands on his knees as he regained his composure, sweaty hair sticking to his forehead. He wiped his face with his sleeve in hopes to look presentable. His costume was different from what he wore that morning. The white shirt had been replaced with a black one, a black trouser and this time a full-sleeved maroon velvet jacket secured by another leather belt. The clementine necklace dangled in front, peeking from the collar of his shirt as he walked towards his seat.

'Good evening, Mother and Father.' Seokjin greeted as he took his seat in front of his mother alongside Aiyana. He turned to give her a warm smile which she gladly returned. This was their favourite time of the day. Thanks to their father no work, no politics and certainly no weapons were mentioned; just a time when everyone talked about their day. Their mother talked really less on such occasions, only reminding them about table manners when they seemed to loosen up a bit too much.

Both the parents stared at Seokjin, concerned, confused and curious. The thing was that he had never been late for dinner, he liked the little time they spent as a family and they knew about it. So why was he late today?

John cleared his throat, a large veiny fist covering his mouth. He stared at his eldest son with his oval, almond eyes which were similar to what his sons had. Seokjin shifted his attention to his parents who had their questioning eyes set on him and he knew immediately what was to come next.

'Where were you all evening son?' That was the exact question he dreaded because he knew he had no answer. Even Aiyana had turned to him now since he had been quiet for a while. His mother looked at him with strict, unwavering eyes.

*

Track Playing: In The Far Away Distance
Zen Gaya

A few hours before dinner

The breeze ruffled the brown locks from behind his ear, spreading them across his forehead.

Seokjin took another swift whiff of the contents in the terracotta bottle. He grimaced at the fermented smell but drank the Mead anyway. Mead as it was not as strong and bitter as other alcoholic beverages in the palace's wine storage. Nobody knew about this habit and that gave him peace.

He exhaled, shifting his back against the boulder to let his cramped body rest. Snatching another chip from the bag beside him, he downed the remaining liquid. The saturated drink made his mouth feel full and his mind felt hazier. He felt his muscles relax as he looked up into the sky as it devoured the light of the day into darkness.

The showdown was just a week away. The guests had already started arriving. The ground was already set. Everyone had high hopes from Seokjin, the firstborn of Kims. He chuckled, Why is it my job to please people in the way they want? Am I some sort of hero? He scoffed at the possibility of that being true.

He was insecure for whenever he thought he was good enough there had to be someone who proved him wrong. It's like accomplishing a mountain peak only to realise there's a higher one. And he was tired.

This time it had been the new boy his father had brought home from one of his expeditions. They knew nothing about him and he talked really less. Almost nothing. His father wanted him to be trained as army personnel of Seokjin's business to question the command.

It had been quite the match he had expected, the loud clanks of swords, the punches, kicks; everything that was allowed by traditional rules. Seokjin had always been praised to be a skilled swordsman with a knack for witty attacks. They were unexpected, but that was just how his mind worked. He liked the element of surprise is added to the boring exchange.

But today had been exceptionally different, The other boy, Jackson was his name, had been taken aback by the unexpected tactics as well but grew into them after a while. His face unreadable and stoic, his body lithe and Seokjin fell prey to his roundhouse kick. His eyes had surprisingly watered at the blow, something he did not take really easy. The bruise added to the collection of the others he had been getting for the last two days. The last one had healed quite well, though.

His body was heated, sweat dripped down his face and his rather toned chest. Jackson seemed to deal with the temperature difference his skin was red with heat but only slight signs of sweat.

The match grew more intense after that. Both of them abandoned their weapons and turned in for hand-to-hand combat. Seokjin was not easy to defeat, neither was the other lad. Both of them had carried on until the commander pushed them apart or the match would never end.

He had coddiwompled his way here right after.

The stray tear slipped down his right cheek. I'll never be enough. Doubt, that's what clouded his mind all through. And that's how he ended up intoxicated. What was he going to do when the time came? The showdown was in a week's time.

The water in the river continued to flow. Not many people liked to be near the stream at night. The temperature could drop really low. It was windy anyway. He was alone just like the wind, going with the flow. And he suddenly remembered:

You are a weapon, and weapons don't weep. He immediately wiped the tears off his blushed cheeks. He needed to divert his mind, so he looked at the flowing stream instead continuing till his eyes landed on the secluded cut-off. It was covered by trees of Oak but was visible from the altitude of the small cliff he sat on and the boulder hid him completely.

And that's partially why he didn't budge when the Callipygian women turned to the side. Seokjin grew hot at the sight, releasing a ragged breath. His heartbeat shot blood coursing his veins. He rose to his feet with instant turmoil in his head whether to go back or...

The woman ascended slowly to the bank walking in a rather feline form. The water trickled down her skin, glowing in the dim light of the evening. Something about this moment appeared so sensual to his clouded mind, he felt himself stir.

The distance was too much to recognise the lady. He noticed the gentle sway of her hips as she walked to retrieve the rag smeared with some soap. She descended into the water again, this time facing towards him.

The wet curly strands enveloped her shoulder, stopping just above the ample globular mounds. His mind was set by the time his eyes wandered down her hips to her womanhood.

He placed the bottle aside, sliding down the steep cliff and marched towards the woman who, obviously, was unaware of his hooded eyes. She continued humming to a certain melody, the notes changing every few seconds while rubbing the rag over her shoulder blades with concentrated eyes. She moved down to her breast and Seokjin swore he had never known for them to be so alluring.

Her nipples stood erect due to the slight chill of the slowly disappearing evening. A cold breeze blew past them, swaying her hair to the side. The low guttural sound she emitted as she rubbed them over and over again aroused Seokjin. He cleared his throat catching her off guard.

He walked closer to the panicked woman who sank her body deeper into the water. He chuckled, voice laced with arrogance. A smirk soon decorated his sculpted face when he realised who he had been watching.

*

'Son, I suppose I asked you a question.'

His head swirled, still tipsy with Mead. He was at a loss of words. The situation was twisted and inexplicable. Also, he wasn't in the right state of mind to describe the events of that evening. His eyes concentrated on his plate full of roasted chicken gravy and bread along with a sweet-savoury of glazed buns. He ignored the mashed potatoes as they weren't his favourite.

'I was at the stable grooming Apollo. You can ask the caretaker.' He wasn't.

'Don't be so defensive. It was just a regular question.' His father laughed at his son's immature behaviour. Johan was thankful each day for the sweet family he had created alongside his wife. His son's had taken a lot after in features as well as behaviour. He could sense immediately how tense his eldest son was. He had been the same before his Coming of age ceremony with a slight difference that he had Arabella by his side. They had fallen in love not so long before his showdown. And when the handsome prince Johan had won, he had proudly asked for Princess Arabella's hand in marriage. Yes, they'd married at a young age but he would never regret it.

And he knew all the better that his son Seokjin would do just like him. His combat skills were exceptional at such a young age. He was, therefore, sure that Seokjin would win.

'And my darling Aiyana, how was your day?' Aiyana looked at her father with mischievous eyes as her father chuckled at her face. She set her fork down. Arabella and Seokjin continued watching while eating their fill. Yeonjun, well, currently the youngest child was busy building a mashed potato and grape tower.

'I learned to play a song on the harp. Also, brother and I rode Apollo to the palace in the morning the other day. But Father, when will I have my own pony?' She spewed every little thing that came to her memory with utter fascination using her hands to add emphasis. A habit she was developing for quite a while, not like it did any harm.

Seokjin and Johan snickered at her tantrum. Princesses did not ride horses. They had exclusive palanquins made for them. And here, in Dun Broch, it was built by the brother and father according to tradition. Johan and Seokjin had already started working on the Palanquin for Aiyana and just the finishing touches remained.

'Soon, Princess. Did you have fun learning the song? Play it for me sometimes isn't it great Arabella? She learned so soon.' Arabella smiled at her excited husband uttering a Hmm and turned her attention back to wiping the remnants of bread off Yeonjun's face, who squirmed in her grasp.

Thud!

The shiny goblet fell off the table on the other side of the heavy, sturdy maple wood table, catching everyone's attention. A surprised Aiyana dropped her hot soup from her spoon onto Seokjin's lap, who hissed in turn. Arabella pulled Yeonjun aside on her lap, scolding the little baby for his actions. Johan ignored and turned back to eating.

Aiyana uttered a sorry to Seokjin turning back to her soup again. She loved chicken soup they had on several nights since fall. The chicken was her favourite food, to sum up. Stabbing her fork chicken breast she pulled her brother's sleeve to show him how she ate the piece, laughing as she did.

She turned away to continue her animated conversation with the spoon as she ate.

Seokjin stiffened, he still hadn't got rid of his problem yet. But now that he thought of it again, he felt dirty.

Okay, so we have finished the pre-settings. Chapters after the next one are gonna be leading deeper into the plot. Be ready.

Also, anybody has anything to say about Aiyana?

Who do you guys think is the main character?