View source for The Bards Rebellion by Alistaire D'Ischai

[[Category:Bardic Runners Up]][[Category:2005 Bardics]]
By: Alistaire
Posted on: April 15, 2005


She was quiet, the girl with the long black hair. She was beautiful, even with
the shadows underneath her light green eyes. She was strong, even with skin so
transparent you could see the blue veins underneath. She was mischievousness,
with the playful tilt to her lips, and sparkle in her eyes. She was rebellious,
with a hidden fire that lurked deep within. She was grace, it flowed from every
silken curve. Most of all, though, she was music, from the sound of her voice,
the tune of her laugh, and the way honeyed words poured from her cherry-red
lips.

So perhaps it was fate that she was meant to be first a Bard, and then the
persuasive leader among us all. I, a peer among Cyrene, one whose life was
politics, was about to fall. To fall from my path, to fall from prestige, and
all for the love of two things. Freedom to say what I wanted, and for the love
of her. Yes, call me foolish. I won't deny it. It is foolish, but then again,
love is never really wise.

Perhaps that explains why I'm here now. Standing among the milling Bards, and
those who supported the cause, overshadowed by these looming statues of muses.
Watching her, with a guarded look, hand on my blade, for should any try to take
her down, I will kill them without thinking twice about it. For so much of my
life it was Cyrene, then family, then guild. Freedom was never an issue. Now
its Freedom, her… No. No, that's not right. I have to be truthful. Its her,
then its Freedom. Anyways, its time now, the tension has been building, and
she's rising up to speak. So beautiful, my lady, that I would follow you to
death…

She lifted her head from where she'd been resting her cheek against the smooth
wood of her instrument, and gave a soft sigh, running her hands lightly across
the strings. Musical notes spilled forth in a pleasing cacophony of sound, and
then she was on her feet in a graceful movement. "We are displeased…"

At her words, the crowd fell silent, all eyes having turned to her at the sound
of the strings. Their breath caught. They didn't know why they followed her, for
so many were technically of higher rank, but they did. There was something about
the slim young girl that inspired trust. Maybe it was the pain that showed in
her eyes, hinting at a haunting history. Nothing was for certain, different
people saw different things that earned their trust when they looked at her,
talked to her.

"We are displeased." She said again, and reach long fingered alabaster-coloured
hands up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind one delicate ear. "For too long,
we have been ignored. Our problems overlooked by the leaders of the city that
our guildhall unfortunately resides in, our requests to be able to choose
another place to make our home denied." Her voice did not thunder, it did not
need to. The passion she kept hidden came pouring out even in her quiet tones
that carried throughout the air. "We are looked down upon. Treated as if we are
supposed to put up with our problems, and still produce beautiful music to lift
the spirit."

Her fingers wandered to her harp, and she returned naturally to her seat,
fingers drifting over the notes. "This we cannot do." She plucked a few almost
discordant, jangling notes. "Depression, rage, unease…" The notes she played
now were somber, painting a heaviness on the soul like rain-clouds that have
held their bounty far too long. "These play havoc with our minds, taint the
mind, and close it off, when it should always be held open. How can we talk of
love…" Light notes that brought to mind sunshine and flowers, and sweet
innocent kisses sang through the air, only to quickly become tainted with
darker, more discordant music. "…when we are not happy? When we cannot be happy
when we are as prisoners in this supposed Heart of the Vashnars?"

Cries of agreement rose up, then, and the sibilant ring of metal being drawn
from scabbards assaulted my ears, as rapiers were drawn, then pointed at the
sky. However, she was not done, and brought them back to silence with her next
words.

"But, we are a small force, and to do this…to openly rebel, with most probably
bring us each death. Each, ten times over." Jewel-like eyes met with first one
person's gaze, and then the other, impressing upon them the seriousness of what
they were wanting to do. "Are you ready for that, my fellow Bards, our friends?
Are you ready to risk death? To risk hatred? To possibly be punished by the
Divine for going against what they seem to want us to do?"

The notes she now played were quiet, quivering sounds that showed anticipation
for the answer, for something to be decided, one way or another. "My brave
ones, I care about each one of you, you are my sisters…my brothers. This is why
I have to ask this of you. Are you so unhappy that you will face all of these
things?"

It was obvious in her proud, yet unassuming stance behind her harp what her
choice was. She would fight to the death time and time again, if needed, and
that made me so proud of her, made me adore her even more. For too long, her
spirit had been beaten down, her liveliness dulled by the repression that even
I, although inadvertently, had forced upon her. My eyes went to her fingers,
which were bare of all rings, and I slipped a hand in my cloak pocket to feel
the small box there. I planned to ask her to take my hand in marriage as soon
as they were free of us, for I was still, although I did not know how much
longer it would last, a peer of Cyrene. I wanted her to feel completely free to
choose.

"Life is for naught without freedom!" The cry came suddenly from the back of
the crowd, near the statue of Euterpe, and a few people turned, but most began
to repeat the words again and again themselves, progressively getting louder.
Soon it was as booming thunder, which proved to me once and for all that all
Bards were gifted with an unusually large set of lungs. However pitiful my
capacity was, I too, added my voice, and when I did, I saw her eyes turn toward
me, and I gave an encouraging wink.

She began to play loudly on the harp, or at least it seemed like that was what
she was doing, but I could barely hear her from the shouts going on around.
However, slowly, the shouts began to die down, and her music got gradually
softer and softer as if she was guiding it down, which was what she was in
reality doing. Soon, the crowd had hushed once again, caught under the
charismatic spell she cast with her presence, and music.

Although she barely stood five feet tall, when she rose to her feet again, I
felt as if I were looking at someone of great stature. "I don't know…" She bit
her lip in a display of vulnerability. "I don't know how I became the leader of
this, I don't know that I deserve it, and I know right now that I should find
some inspirational words to say…" Her eyes went towards the back of the crowd.
"But, all I can think of to say is this…The wellspring of creativity cannot be
crushed beneath the tyrannical thumb of those whom think they should own us.
We, the Bards, have the strongest voice of anyone! We are the ones that will,
that do, tell the history of this world! We are the ones that teach songs that
soothe children's nightmares, and weave words that make you shake in a cold
sweat! Others inspire confidence! Others inspire leadership! We…" She gave a
smile then that lit up her whole countenance. "guide dreams, nightmares, hopes,
and fear. When we are gone, our words, our songs, will live on! Who else can say
that?"

Cheers rang out, and she pointed to two older people in the crowd, one male,
and one female. One was easily recognized as they made their way to where she
stood, for the person had been a very prominent leader of the Bards for several
years, and the other, a slim Siren, was just as recognizable, though perhaps not
as well known. Then she beckoned two other people, one an aged Mhaldorian who
the older Bards remembered with fondness, and another was the current leader of
one of the most influential guilds in Sapience. "These, whom most of you should
recognize, are our leaders! One…" She nodded at the former guild-leader. "has
been working hard to get them to see reason one last time." She pointed now at
the Siren. "Another has been working on recruitment, as some of you well know."
The other two she introduced as one who'd agreed to help bolster forces, and the
other, the Mhaldorian, whose name I only remembered from some scandal long
before my time, was introduced as one of their principle warriors.

"We will not be uncouth barbarians." She continued. "As soon as we get word
that our plea has been rejected, as we well expect, we will wage war! But
anyone not against is not to be touched! We fight for freedom, not for blood!"

She nodded at the elderly man, who made his way out of the Gardens, and then
said to the crowd at large again, "Everyone, make ready, declare your allies!
Sing and play! Prepare in any way you deem necessary!"

It wasn't too much longer, that a distant look crossed her emerald eyes, and
she sighed, visibly slumping, only to straighten up seconds later. "It begins!
Young ones!" She spoke to the novices, who weren't allowed to fight, but had
begged to have some part in it. "usher all those who are not against us to
safety, but keep quiet. We do not need panic!"

When the younger people had exited the Garden, she picked up her harp, looked
down at the ground for a moment, and then looked back up. A slim black brow
arched, and laughter bubbled up, and out of her, then her beautiful alto
echoed. "They had a chance, they made their choice, they kept us caged, and
chained our voice! Now we fight to shine our light! Onwards Bards, lets make
this right!"

And, as was so appropriate, the rebellion of the Bards had began with a song.