Valor POV
As I grab Zora's arm and yank her away from the people outside the lady's dressmaker, the voices in my head scream for me to turn around and start a fight. "Valor stop! You're hurting me". I brought myself to a halt and let go of Zora. "My apologies., I just...we needed to get away from them. " My head has a throbbing pain, the voices just keep screaming. Zora must have noticed that something is wrong because she asks if the voices are plaguing me, I responded by nodding. What I would give for a moment of silence. The voices make it hard for me to hear anything else than their evil commands. When Zora speaks I nearly don't hear her say there must be street musicians somewhere. But we don't see or hear anything that resembles a street performer. Maybe it would just be easier to give in to the voices.
No! What am I thinking, they are telling me to hurt innocent people. Music, where is there some bloody music, I need it now. The voices need to shut up, I can't handle this. Then I hear it, a singing tone. This rose is railed on a rys. The words of a familiar song. "Thank god, I was worried we were gonna walk around to search for some music," Zora says. As I hear the words from the singer my mind becomes silent and calm. Since this curse started I have listened to many opera singers, sopranos, masters of singing. But no one has had this pull on me. The singer is no master, and her singing tune does frequently fail to strike the appropriate notes, yet her voice is mesmerizing. Zora interrupts my entrancement with a rude remark "Who should think such a rude girl can sing." First now, I look at who the singer is. Standing by a well, a short distance from the town square. Is the woman who we encountered outside the lady's dressmaker. Taking in her appearance, she is wearing a brown skirt. With an off-white tunic under it and a brown bodice. Her skin is very pale, it almost melts into the colour of her tunic. Her hair is the same colour as a doe's fur, and cut short just above her shoulders.
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When she stops singing, I hold my breath preparing for the voices to return. But before the whisper enters my ear she starts to sing I Have a Yong Suster. I'm not familiar with the song, but her voice makes it sound like it's the most beautiful song ever written. Small shards of metal fly towards the singer. Coins, people are tossing coins at her. Reaching for my pouch wanting to throw her a coin as well. But It is mostly gold coins, would it be too much? Silver might be sufficient but she deserves much more. Holding a silver coin in my hand, it's decorated with the royal seal, every coin in our kingdom has my family seal on it. Just as I am about to throw it, she stops singing. The fear of the voice returning makes me forget about the coins. In my mind, I pray for her to sing one song more. My prayer is answered as she begins singing a song I do recognize. God Speed the Plow.
As the last chorus finish, she bows for the people. Applause starts to grow from the crowd, and I too start to clap my hands a bit too eagerly. With this much applause, she must do an encore. However, it won't be so. The applause fades and the crowd dissolve. Being the last one to stop clapping, my hands burn after being hit against each other for so long. When I stopped the applause all I can hear is the crowd walking down the street and people happily talking. That's all that I can hear...Nothing but the sound of the market. My mind is silent.
How is it even possible? Sure, she's a fine vocalist, but she wasn't as impressive as others I've heard. Zora breaks my thoughts by asking "Do you feel better now?" A smile creeps onto my face. No voices, no speak of evil doings, no threats of harm. "They are gone," I say in a whisper. "what did you say?"Zora ask. excitedly I exclaim "Zora they are gone! The voices they are gone!" Zora looks at me sceptically "What do you mean?" "They're gone, her singing made them disappear, I need to go talk to her. " Eagerly I turn to go find the woman who can be the solution to all my problems. But when I look towards the well, no one is there, frantically I look around for her. The street is crowded with people and the street singer is nowhere in sight "Where is she?"