Aria sat in the audience chamber near the dais where a pair
of thrones stood. Her father, King Palos, stood to sing the pronouncements for
the last case of the day presented for judgment. His magnificent tenor
vocalized the decision. She heard a slight waver. She clasped her hands to
control the tremors. The end of his time as ruler of Harmony had begun.
She stared around the room. She would never rule alone for
though her soprano voice held a rich and extended range she had no skill with
composition. Her ability to use musical instruments was average though she
excelled in strings. Aria drew a deep breath. She knew where her duty lay. How
she wished there would be love in the marriage she must make but she would do
her duty to Harmony.
The moment the audience ended her father came to her. He
placed his hands on her shoulders. “You know what lies ahead.”
The sadness in his voice spoke of his need for comfort as
well as his gift of the same to her. “I know and I am duty bound.”
The king sighed. “So many generations have passed since the
heir to the throne had to wed for duty rather than for love.”
The rich tenor held the birr she’s heard earlier. Soon the
entire kingdom would know the king had reached the end of his rule and would
become Emeritus.
Aria stepped away. She drew a deep breath. Her answer flowed
on pure soprano notes. “Though I yearn for love I will do as I must. I pray a
man with a strong voice and talent in the other areas will sit at my side. A
man whose melodies will blend with mine.”
Paulus kissed her brow. “You must gather your clothes. The special
wardrobe, bed, table and chairs are being carried to the forecourt.” His notes
held deep sadness. “I go to fetch the Pipes of Discord.”
“The Pipes. The Pipes of Discord will seal my fate.” Her
soprano echoed her father’s emotions.
Aria rubbed her arms. Once her father played the strange
instrument she would remain in the amber cage until a man appeared to turn
discord into melody. The man who claimed her hand would excel in composition
and have a mastery over musical instruments and voice. Hope and fear caused her
heart to pound with the booming depth of the sound of a kettle drum.
She gathered simple gowns she could don with no help for she
would be alone. When her choices had been made she called the servants. She
followed them to the forecourt where they hung the clothes on one side of the
wardrobe. The other side was a small room where she could wash, dress and
attend to private needs.
Servants brought a bed. Aria stared. Curtains enclosed the
space but she was glad she'd packed no nightshifts. Sleeping in her clothes
made sense since she would be where she could be seen.
A frown wrinkled her brow. Though she’d read tales of the
amber cage she had no idea how food, drink and water would appear. Was magic
involved?
Words tumbled in her thoughts. Questions and ponderings that
needed music to make them complete. How she wished for the skill to change sad
thoughts into a solo. Alas, the music remained trapped between her head and her
heart. She placed her lute on the table. The instrument was a necessity. She
would need to strum chords for the short recitatives exchanged with her father
and the curious who came to view her and the cage. Would the man she would wed
arrive soon?
Her father approached. She saw The Pipes of Discord. He held
the bag over his shoulder and the mouthpiece beside his cheek. She walked
toward him.
“Are you ready?” he sang.
She gulped a breath. “I will miss our quiet times.” Notes of
sadness colored her song.
“As I will miss you, my brave daughter. The Academy is
prepared to judge those who will try to qualify. Summons have been sent to
every corner of the land. Already men flock into town and take a number for
their place in the line of aspirants.”
Aria watched her father stride to the steps. Members of the
palace staff, the king’s advisors and the noble families stood behind him.
Guards formed a line around the square of grass where the cage would appear.
The king primed the pipes and pressed the mouthpiece between
his lips and played. No song but ear-hurting noises like the squalling of
fighting cats, the screams of a dying rabbit and the growls of forest beasts
filled the air. The cacophony caused Aria to press her hands against her ears.
Her muscles and joints screamed with pain.
The ground beneath her trembled. Aria’s eyes widened. A slab
of amber covered the grass beneath her feet. Along the four sides bars rose to
a height at least thrice hers. From the bars amber flowed and met over her
head.
“I am enclosed. I am entrapped. I am a prisoner until the
man who possesses the three talents needed by a ruler arrives.” Her soprano
notes rose above the screeching instrument.
“She is enclosed. She is entrapped. She waits for her
rescuer to arrive.” The great mass of people sang in chorus echoing her
plaintive song.
Her father approached the bars. He stretched his arm through
the narrow space. “It is done, my brave daughter. And now we wait.” His voice
reached its lowest register.
“Now I wait. I wait for the man who can turn discord into
melody.”
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