(This was actually part of a story that I was going to do several years ago. But things did not pan out. So, I figured, I might as well write it now. No reason for a good story to go to waste. The setting is the world of Tellus, that was put together over at www.qfgc.com)
It was warm. The sun was bright as it burned in the blue sky. It was perfect. Of course everyone had expected it to be perfect. Springtime in Cynosure exceeded every man's expectation of the season where things were beginning to come back to life after the winter chill. And better weather could not have been picked for the 100 Years Celebration.
The cobblestone streets of the city were packed with people from all over, filling the air with their excited shouts and jovial rhapsody. Not just the denizens of the city or only the country of Varro, but spanning all over the continent. All were here to partake in the festivities, the games, the parades, the food and wind, and everything else Cynosure had to offer on this day of days. A day that was said would mark a new era. A day that would represent a turning of a page and start of a new chapter for the entire world.
But even on an auspicious day as this, the weight of the historical significance was totally missed by some. One in particular, who was drowning in her own nervous anxiety as she waited in the eaves of the grand stage that had been erected in the center of the city. Of course, Cynosure could never do anything with simplicity. But today was even more over the top than any festival had ever been in the city's history. And she, Ariya, was about to become the main attraction amidst the brightly colored flags, the dancers that capered down the street, the glittering pomp that soaked city from the gates to the castle and back again.
The other orchestra students milled about her with the same nervousness, putting their instruments together and getting ready for the performance. They had been practicing for months for this day. And in recent weeks, the preparation had been toiling. Grueling probably a better descriptor. But now all that work was going to come together in what was the largest performance most of them would ever have. Ariya had been given the "honor" of having the solo. She didn't ask for it. She didn't even want it. But when Professor Ickman told you to do something, there was never a way to refuse him. She knew, because she had tried, several times.
Ariya peeked out and saw the hundreds, perhaps thousands that were filling up the city square. And she knew that even more were hanging from balconies and out of windows, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the Collegium Arcanum orchestra, one of the Varro staples when it came to magic and music. Ariya could feel the color draining from her face. In fact, she was pretty sure that she was going to be sick.
The dull roar of whispering, moving about, and clanking of instruments soon faded away into silence. Ariya turned to see Professor Ickman walking into the eaves with his wife, both dressed in conducting robes, the seal of the Arcanum emblazoned on their backs. Time for the performance was getting ever closer.
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