Chapter 68 Draw The Bow
The day after Shamesh was created the trio were back inside the Arbencroft Estate. “Just let me know if you have any problems, regardless of distance, we are connected.” Isaac told his creation.
“I will.” Shamesh assured him.
“He’s such a doting father.” Sera teased Lenna. “It’s adorable. Can you imagine what kind of a hit his reputation would take if word of this got out?”
“Please don’t.” Lenna replied without even looking at Sera. “You know how he gets when people forget that they shouldn’t mess with us.”
Lenna’s statement sobered Sera up quickly. “Yes.” The duchess agreed.
Isaac nodded to Sera and then looked at Kathrin. “Teach him well.” He told the maid.
“Yes, my Lord.” Kathrin replied with a bow.
“We’ll be back after dinner.” Isaac told Sera.
“Yes, you should take the time to go on a date.” Sera told him. “Gods know Izen doesn’t take me on those anymore. Enjoy them while you have the time and no responsibilities.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Isaac replied and turned to leave.
“Thank you, again, Sera.” Lenna told the duchess. “If you ever need anything, you only have to ask. I won’t ask questions but I know Isaac would, we would still help you regardless of your answers.” She added the last part with a smile and wink.
Sera laughed genuinely. “I will keep that in mind.” She assured the pair and waved them goodbye.
—
Isaac and Lenna spent the rest of the morning meeting Jessica Silverstrand and talking about the drider silk. They also stopped by their manor just long enough to see the wide and deep foundation. They specifically didn’t stay long enough for anyone to notice them. After lunch they were in the orchestra hall with Branden.
“Here is the best Violin we have.” Branden said while handing Lenna the century old instrument. “It may need to be tuned. If you have any problems with it let me know and I will do my best to alleviate them.”
“Thank you.” Lenna replied and took the instrument. Branden then offered her a quiver of bows.
“There should be enough for as long and as hard as you wish to play. Again, if you need anything, please, let me know.” Branden continued with obvious excitement in his wizened features.
“I will.” Lenna assured him. She hung the quiver on her waist via the attached belt and withdrew a bow. She eyed the bow and made sure it was straight and the hair was taut. She looked over the violin and could already tell that the strings weren’t as taut as they should have been. She put the violin up to her chin and took a deep breath. “This is going to sound horrible.” She warned Isaac and Branden. She then pulled the bow across the strings one at a time. “It isn’t right but I’m not sure how to fix it.” Lenna explained. “I’ve never played before but I have heard it.”
“Oh.” Isaac said from a few feet away from her. He was sitting on the piano’s bench waiting for her. “The way you said it, I thought you knew how to play.”
“I can.” Lenna replied. “I have a blessing from Lua.”
“What?” Isaac asked with obvious confusion on his face and in his voice.
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“Lua can impart the ability to play music through her blessing.” Lenna explained. “Music is one of the first things that drow culture clamps down on so Lua had to find another way to give it to us. Most of us can’t just learn it like everyone can. Even owning an instrument can be grounds for punishment and playing anything that hasn’t specifically been sanctioned by the emperor is grounds for execution.”
“So she will just teach you how to play as soon as you start?” Isaac questioned incredulously.
Lenna shook her head. “No. It is not that easy. As long as we are dedicating the song to her she will guide our hands. Through doing this, over and over again, we can build up muscle memory of how to properly play and then go from there.” She explained.
“Huh, that is a really interesting way for her to give music to the silent.” Isaac commented.
“The silent?” Lenna questioned. “Those who cannot make music.”
Isaac nodded. “I think it is fitting.”
Lenna nodded in agreement. “Yes.” She then turned to Branden. “Can you tune this?”
Branden hummed. “I can try but it will not be perfect. I was hoping you would be able to.” He replied.
“Do you think one of the other ones would still be in tune?” Lenna questioned.
Branden shook his head with a frown. “This is the one most often used by visiting musicians. I am sure that in the duke’s collection there is one that is still in tune.” He offered.
Lenna sighed. “I’ll play with you tomor-” Her voice died in her mouth as a shimmering white light bathed both her and the violin.
Draw the bow across the strings.
Lenna felt the voice in her soul even though no one else around could hear it. Isaac straightened in his seat as he felt something within his own chest resonate with the light and faint presence that was bathing the hall. Lenna did as she was told and as the bow drug across each string the peg corresponding to it began turning until the string was tuned perfectly. Lenna swallowed hard at the sudden pressure she was feeling from her goddess very obviously watching. The fact that her goddess had specifically helped her just made her even more nervous. “Th-thank you.” Lenna whispered and the light vanished.
Branden had fallen onto his rear on the hardwood floors. “Wh-wh-what was that?” He questioned with wide eyes and in obvious shock.
Isaac and Lenna ignored him as they locked eyes. “Go ahead.” Isaac told her. “If I can join you, I will, but don’t concern yourself with me or anything else going on around you. Just play, play and pour your heart into it.”
Lenna nodded and closed her eyes. Her fingers found the strings along the neck of the violin and her bow felt perfect in her hands. She drew it across the strings and felt her fingers move almost on their own. It felt to her almost like she was being embraced and the one doing it was guiding her fingers through the motions of playing a sonata that sang of peace and adventure, wilderness and freedom, love of all things and a world full of serene brightness.
She fell into intrigue and wonder, interesting mysteries and secrets to be learned. From there she began building intensity until all at once everything stopped. A sharp pain rang out from the violin as she aggressively tore the bow across the smallest string. A sound that felt like a knife in the heart. After a moment of silence the melody was full of sorrow, guilt, and grief. It stayed that way for quite some time until finally it seemed to find resolve and chose purpose. It continued on with firming power and direction until it reached its conclusion that left the feeling of a never ending uphill battle hanging in the air.
Lenna slowly opened her eyes to see Isaac watching on in awe and Branden still on the ground slack jawed. “That’s her story isn’t it?” Isaac asked.
Lenna nodded slowly. It was then that she realized she had been crying at some point during the song. The tears hadn’t quite dried which meant that it hadn’t been very long but it also hadn’t been the end. “Yes. No one really knows what happened back then other than those who were there. Lua won’t directly talk about it and hers is the only account that can be truly trusted, I think.” Lenna replied.
“Have you asked her?” Isaac questioned.
Lenna shook her head. “No.”
“Then how do you know she won’t talk about it?” Isaac replied. “Maybe she has been waiting for one of her followers to ask about the song she teaches them? What if she’s been waiting for someone to talk to?”
“That’s… that’s almost blasphemous, Isaac. She is a god older than elves. A deity of a celestial body. Can someone like us, like me or any of the other drow she has rescued, pry into something so obviously painful from the past of our goddess like she is just another friend who needs counseling?”
Isaac nodded. “Yes, you can.” He assured her. “Maybe not now, but you can. She has been watching over you for a while. The worst she will tell you is to leave it alone. I have a hard time trusting most people with power but gods and deities are different for one simple reason, they must abide by their nature. Lua’s nature is that of a kind teacher who cares so deeply about their students that it borders on motherly love.” He explained. “If you ask, and she wants to talk about it, she will. But if you never ask then she, in all likelihood, will never answer.”
Lenna sat on his words for well over a minute. Isaac decided that he was fine with letting her and he would move on to stretching his fingers. Isaac closed his eyes and let his fingers move to something akin but not quite the same as what Lenna had just played. After a few minutes of trying Lenna took a deep breath and put the violin back up to her chin. “I’ll try again.” She told him.
Isaac stopped and waited. “Go ahead.” he told her.
Lenna began again and Isaac gently tapped each key that felt right to him. He didn’t press any of them hard enough to make a sound but simply tried to make a note of each one. It was quickly apparent over the course of the evening that Lenna was only gifted with that one song. That was fine for now because she could learn to play plenty of other ones in the future by building on the lessons learned from playing the story of Lua and her greatest regret.
Branden sat quietly as the pair played and could only watch in shock as after the dozenth time through the song Lenna had learned from Lua, Isaac started playing along with her almost perfectly. Another half dozen times later and Isaac was playing a perfect harmony and echo to Lenna’s violin. It needed some work to be a proper duet but it was enough to introduce plenty of commoners to cultured music. There was plenty of racket in the whorehouses downtown but nothing those amateurs could play stacked up against what he had just heard. Even still, he could feel nothing but joy from music regardless of where it was from or why it was being played. Maybe, just maybe, a human had been touched by the elvish goddess of music.