When hidden gems shine

Featuring Sulaa, Blodwen and Jester

Spring, 767 YNA

Glenmore, The Glenwood

Jester

This was good. A break was exactly what the grey stag needed. He had spent all day preparing tomorrow's rehearsal for the commoner fawns. He had grown all the necessary shrubs and tucked a reed on top of each, so that the young ones could blow into them right away when they arrived tomorrow. It always started like that. Some would rush to their places and warm up, while others made little groups, talking, sparring, singing, or trying new tricks he had showed them on the way to the royal glade which acted as rehearsal place. They would learn the basics of those songs he had prepared for the big party in the summer. Jester was excited, but still a bit concerned too. There were still very few fawns attending the common fawn orchestra, while the Lords and Ladies, surprisingly, sent their children less reluctantly. Maybe it was that deep growing rift between royalty and common fawnlings that made the commoner does hesitate to send their fawns into a royal glade and entertain at royal parties. Why…? The secret remained.

All of a sudden, Jey’s ears perked. A soft sound caught his attention. His curiosity was triggered and in swift strides, he took the direction he had heard the sound coming from. The sound quickly proved to be a singing voice - a young singing voice. No! Two young singing voices! Jester’s heart all of a sudden accelerated while he peeked through a row of bushes that divided him from the two youngster singers. A colt on a rock and a filly next to it, both eyes shut, putting their very soul into their chant. A beautiful vivid one.

While the stag definitely did not want to interrupt the scene, he yet could not hold back either. He inhaled deeply and joined the young voices with his vibrant baritone, accompanying them with a basic bass line while he carefully stepped out of the bushes, so that they would see him, once they had noticed the recent arrival.

Blodwen

It had become a little tradition of theirs now that they could both move freely around in the kingdom. And to Blodwen it had become her favourite thing to do. Singing together with Sulaa was freeing and in its own weird way rather empowering, because it sounded good. She might not be able to hear or join the minstrels, but by joining him she at least got the taste of it, because he had joined them. She knew that because while they sung very often, it was not the only thing they did. It had been the beginning of their friendship - to sing together - but now they were also friends beyond that. At least she believed so.

Today they were singing something a little bit different. It was grander in a way. Usually they just sung common songs, those you would dance around to or hear commonfolk minstrels sing. This one was just different from them in a way she could not quite describe. It was still happy though, perhaps even uplifting.

Suddenly an unknown voice joined them though and from sheer surprise the piebald filly dropped her tones and swallowed her voice. While she loved to sing, she was not fond of singing to or with anyone beyond Sulaa, as she feared the potential ridicule.

In an attempt to locate the unfamiliar guest, her ears flicked and from pure habit she opened her eyes. She was flooded with the sensation of light, but as always the world stayed hidden to her behind a blanket everlasting snow.

Sulaa

Today, Sulaa had been feeling a little strange. There was a yearning in him that he couldn’t quite put a name to. A want to do something… grander? He’d been chewing on the sensation all morning. When it came time to meet Blodwen at their rocks, his ears were full of ballads and story songs. Long, majestic things more often heard in court than among the common folk. Sulaa only knew the few in his mind from careful sneaking and listening on the edges of large parties thrown by the nobles, and on the rare occasion he was near the royal glades.

Seeing his friend’s pale form against the sparkling stream, as it caught light and twinkled, settled some of the restlessness in his veins. He loved this. Seeing her, and spending time together lifting their voice in song, or exploring the wood, or any number of things! Being with Blodwen made just about anything enjoyable. Sulaa might have had a host of friends, but few he could count as close as he and Blodwen had become.

When he suggested they tackle one of the long, regal songs today, she didn’t hesitate. They dove in, working and reworking the faintly familiar tunes into their minds, growing more confident in the rhythm as they went on. Their eyes closed and their bodies relaxed as the music swept them away.

They had just reached a section about a valiant stag becoming a guard when a mature voice, deeper and clearly well trained, slipped in on their song. Sulaa heard Blodwen choke on her melody and drop into silence like a stone falling into a pond. Sulaa’s own voice faltered for a moment in his confusion. He opened his eyes and flicked his ears this way and that to locate the new singer. The stag didn’t take long to appear. He stepped confidently out from the shrubbery and into the clearing alongside the creek.

Sulaa eyed the minstrel, for clearly that was what he was. The stag was dark of coat and his brown eyes twinkled with enjoyment. Here was someone who appreciate music! But singing with Blodwen here, on the rocks by the water, had become something special to them. In some ways, sacred to Sulaa. And he knew that Wenny felt shy about singing in front of others.

Sulaa was curious about the newcomer, but felt a mild twinge of resentment for their private time to be interrupted. He didn’t like to see Wenny look uncertain like this. But the singer’s intentions weren’t ill, judging by the look of pleasure on the stag’s face. With a flick of his scarred ear, Sulaa brushed the negative thoughts away.

He wound the song to an end after the next chorus, even though there was plenty left in the ballad. As the last notes faded into silence, Sulaa spoke.

“H’lo, sir.” He said carefully, “We… we don’t usually get others joining us! May I have your name?”

Jester

When Jey joined in, the filly immediately stopped and looked into his direction. Jester kept singing, hoping, she would join in again too, but when she stared at him, he knew she would not. He had never seen a fawnling without eyesight, but when he spotted the pale eyeballs, he immediately knew the condition. The stag was considering to interrupt himself, but he then decided, that particularly for a blind girl, hearing his voice was the best thing to get to know him. And while she had stopped singing, the colt had caught his voice, and kept singing, while he eyeballed the newcomer carefully, not all that amused either. Then the young fawn dipped his head with the last notes of the chorus and slowed down the tempo into a perfect ritardando. Jester was impressed how easily the colt communicated his will to end here. He surely had some fine conducting talent beside his voice being well trained for his age.

“It’s a surprise you don’t, little ones. Your singing makes the birds join in and the rabbits scuttle out of their holes to hear you! I am Jey.”

For a moment Jester wondered whether he could step some closer, but since the girl could not see him, he figured, he would wait for them to invite him, or come closer towards him.

“Ye’ know”, he smiled at the two, “I see a lot of fawns making music all day. But I rarely find gemstones like you, hidden away within the forest.” Jey dipped his head, while he concentrated on the soil beneath the filly and around the rocks the colt laid on. A whole bunch of white forsythias sprouted, quickly growing into bloom, spreading their sweet scent of almonds over the place. He knew that blind individuals eventually develop their other senses drastically, so he figured he could need some help of his flower-friends. “Your music is like a sweet flower. It’s a pity if it grows hidden between trees and brushes. You want to share it with everyone, so that its beauty can fill many hearts with joy - just like mine when my ears caught the sound.”

Blodwen

Where she fell silent, Sulaa kept going strong, though he ended the song earlier than usually. In a way Wenny envied him for being able to stay confident like that in a situation like this, however she was mostly just happy that he could. If he had not been there she would certainly have fled the scene, too overwhelmed by the sudden and unknown attention.

The piebald filly stayed quiet while Sulaa and the unknown stag - Jey was apparently his named - exchanged pleasantries and names. It was not that she was shy, she just did not like to attract any attention towards herself and talking would do just that. Adding in the fact that she nor Sulaa knew the stag only worsened this - had it been someone Sulaa knew, then she would probably have introduced herself.

And then out of the plue, as the stag spoke, flowers bloomed around her. She felt the surge of magic and froze on the spot, her heart suddenly stuck in her throat. What had happened?! Why had he used magic?! Panic grew like a seed, searching for the sunlight to burst forth, however the sweet scent of the flowers stopped it in it’s tracks. It was not enough to completely calm her down, however it did dampen her fears: nothing bad came from flowers, right?

Sulaa

The stranger, Jey, as he called himself, had a way of speaking that captivated Sulaa’s attention. Clearly this was a stag used to taking the stage and commanding attention. Every word out of his mouth was rich and melodic. And… he thought Su and Wenny were… good? Hidden gems? This from a trained minstrel?!

Nameless hope burst wings inside of Sulaa’s chest. It was all he could do to keep his face straight. He hadn't quite worked up the nerve to search out a true singer to apprentice under, or at least one near so grand as this Jey seemed to be.

And then the stag burst flowers forth from the ground to surround Wen. Sulaa watched her expressions slide from discomfort to surprise, and then to a curious sort of acceptance. A magic user?! This Jey must be well thought of, some lords son, to have strong earth magic as he did!

“That-that was amazing!” Sulaa exclaimed in pure delight. He loved seeing magic, especially when it was growing flowers. He laughed in excitement and slid off of the rock he'd been perched on. Wenny would probably feel better if someone familiar was nearby her. Sulaa picked his way through the new growth to stand next to her. Gently, he laid the fluffy tip of his tail along Blodwen’s in mute support.

That decided it. This stag had to be an alright fellow! Sulaa turned a bright smile onto Jey. There were few fawnlings that could resist Sulaa’s particular brand of cheerful charm, and they were usually sourpusses and sticks in the mud. This stag didn't seem like either.

“My name is Sulaa,” he declared, “and this is my friend, Blodwen. We've never met a proper minstrel before- what is it like? What brings you to this corner of the wood?”

Sulaa had about a million other questions he wanted to ask, but clamped his mouth shut into another sunny smile before he could overwhelm Jey. Hopefully Wen would feel more comfortable if they got to know this stag better?

Jey

Jester chuckled at the two as he noticed the boy who introduced himself as Sulaa started to beam and then getting more excited as he wanted to show. The stag also noticed how Sulaa supported the confidence of his friend. What his voice as well as the scent of his flowers had not been able to accomplish, Sulaa’s presence close to Blodwen seemed to do. The two were adorable next to each other and Jey had a feeling that there was something about them that made each other complete. He would find out what it was, but he had to see more of them first.

Also Sulaa had a lot of questions. Jester was more than willing and tempted to answer them all right away, but he also still couldn’t just leave the filly stand next to it and listen. This fawn needed to find herself next to a stranger.

“Oh, I am not a mere minstrel. Focusing on one thing has never managed to feed my interests. A fawnling is always more than one single aspect. Like a song is more than just melody. There is so much more about it. And you can learn it - that is the best thing! If we just go back to that song - you made the melody and you, Blodwen, you answered with your melodic voice as well. But there is a particularly rhythmic note and if you manage to bring that out you will see that the song will make you dance.”

Jester now went to where Sulaa had been sitting on a rock. With clear, regular strokes he beat his hoof on the rock, setting up the rythm. “Now try again Sulaa - make sure to highlight the two’s and four’s in between of the rythms. You will see that Blodwen’s melodic voice will come out like a silvery line above it… One, two, three, four…”

Come, come oh knight, join our table,

Prove you are strong, chivalric and able.

Our circle is strong and nothing we fear

To the dignified codex we always adhere.

And so they sang. Jester had hoped to incite the youngsters to join in. He felt like particularly Blodwen would profit most from a direct experience rather than talks and explanations. And while their music echoed through the forest, Jey mused that he had rarely heard two so young fawns with that much talent. They both for sure had a bright future in front of them if they were willing to grab it.