The day had been a long and busy one for Zeref. He was hosting a ball at his mansion, so he had to wake up early and work with the staff to make sure everything was done in time before the guests arrived. He wasn’t sure how many would come, despite how many he had invited, but he made sure that plenty of food was made for them all. The chefs cooked a variety of meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as desserts and appetizers and snacks. Alcohol was another thing that was a must have for a successful ball. Heck, he had even gone through the trouble to find and buy some very old wines. Being a drinker of wine himself, despite how rare it was, it was very difficult to restrain himself from popping open a bottle and tasting some of it. The older wine was, the better.

But despite all of the hard work he was putting into making sure the ball would go well, he dreaded the whole thing. Zeref was a very, very wealthy man with everything one could only dream of. He was the owner of one of the most massive businesses around, he had lots of respect from his clients as well as his business partners. He was also blessed with natural good looks, which got him the attention of countless woman. In a world run by money and beauty, he had it all. But what no one knew was that he really had nothing. Happiness was one of many things that money could not buy, and since he could only seem to have what can be bought, a happy life was out of his grasp. All of these fancy parties and balls, expensive clothes and jewels, the best of the best…none of it made him happy. But he had a reputation to uphold, despite how tired of it he was getting. He needed everyone to continue to see him as the fun, wild, and wealthy man he made them believe he was, and throwing balls was one way to do that amongst many others.

What had to be the one hundredth time that day, Zeref sighed as he neatly set an old -and highly expensive- bottle of fine, red wine onto the top of a table that had been placed by one of the walls in the ballroom. “Master Zeref.” He turned around at the sweet voice calling his name, and smiled softly at the young servant girl. Her long dirty brown hair was put up in a low, loose bun with a white bonnet, a hint of pink on her young, innocent face. “The hour is late, Master Zeref. The guests will arrive soon,” the young girl said, nervously glancing to the side every once in a while as she fiddled with the hem of her apron. She was always nervous around him for some reason, though deep down he figured he actually knew why. Heck, she couldn’t even clean properly if he was in the same room, and she usually wasn’t a very clumsy girl. “Ah, thank you, River,” Zeref replied, dipping his head with gratitude. “I suppose it’s time I make myself presentable.” River’s sweet, pink lips curved into a soft smile, and she curtsied as she added, “Then I shall see to it that everything is finished before the guests arrive.” Zeref replied with a quick “thank you”, then made his way to his bedroom where he began to change.

As he was changing he could hear his butlers and other servants welcoming the guests as they arrived. It wasn’t long until he had finished dressing up and made his way to the ballroom. Though, he found himself standing still in front of the double doors, hesitating on entering. Just on the other side were his guests whom had already started the party, for he could hear music and laughter. Now, they awaited their host to make an appearance. He wasn’t looking forward to it at all, but it was already too late to turn back.

With one last heavy sigh, Zeref straightened his posture and put on a welcoming face. Then, he pushed open the doors and stepped into the ballroom. None of them seemed to know yet, though, as he stood atop another floor -an inside balcony, if you will- with two flights of stairs, one on either side which led to the ballroom floor below. He stepped forward and leaned on the railing that marked the edge of the balcony, and began to look over his guests.

It had been a long while since she had been hired for a job. Her long hours of hunting down what happened to Brynn caused her heart to flutter. It was a broken curse that she had. The way her heart was mournful. It was past Brynn’s time to be alive and she knew that. She had remembered how upset Brynn was when she last woke him from his slumber. Her fingers reached up and played with the ancient ring around her neck that was next to the rose pendant on her chest. His tomb was empty but Brynn just didn’t exist. Did he turn to dust?

Calanthe’s golden eyes watched the crowd as she pulled up her violin and began to play. It was her song of spring. The telling of new life as magic in the form of song swept through the area. It was not like a normal magic but one of story. The life it brought to the heart of all that heard it was incredible as always.

In the minds of those who could appreciate her song, they could see the trees blooming flowers and the sea of wildflowers finally spreading their blossoms. The dew of a new morning on every blade of grass. The pink sunset of the days that would come to past. This was her bardic talent as she played her song of beauty.

Calanthe was a short but curvaceous woman with porcelain skin and waist length red hair. At the current moment, her wild curls were pulled up in many braids as not to get in the way of her playing. She chose to wear a more traditional dress of the highlands as a sign of her father’s pride. Though her father wanted nothing to do with her she wanted everything to do with his customs. This was her heritage after all.

Her song moved into the fleeting music of summer. The hot heat swept through the minds of all those around. The windswept grassy plains rolled. The trotting of young animals who were coming into their own after spring. The call of mates and summertime bugs. The long drawn out summer days and the spectacular starry summer nights.

At the end of two seasons, she lowered her violin to applause and bowed. She was being paid handsomely for this… The recommendation to use her was probably done by a noble who had heard of the Rose daughter’s fine skills as a bard. Why they had not hired Holly was an odd one at best. Though Angela could never pick what daughter was the better bard. Holly had better dancing while Calanthe could make people see what she wanted them to. Music to Calanthe was all about the feeling she could put into another’s heart.

She moved to the refreshments so she could take a long break for a minute. In the corner of the room was all the instruments she had brought with her. She was one of many talents when it came to songs.

    Finally, Zeref had gone down the stairs and started greeting his guests. He made sure everyone was having a good time, and even managed to find some partners and clients from his business and talked for a good while. That was what he was doing now, speaking to a partner. He was an older human man, a tinge of grey along the roots of his black hair and short beard. Despite his age, he was a very impressive looking man, especially with his expensive suit, and the beautiful woman on his arm. She looked at least ten years younger than her actual age with her long golden locks, fine hourglass figure -which her dazzling red dress complimented perfectly- as well as her sparkling blue eyes and full, red lips. Zeref never saw the woman very often, but knew fully well that she was the wife of his partner. Mr. and Mrs. Femen.

They were a lovely couple, however, Mrs. Femen was rather quite, and her husband had an annoying obsession with work. This was why Zeref usually didn’t want to invite him to any of his parties or balls, for the man always ruined the fun by talking only about business. One is supposed to take a break from work when at a party. And this time was no different. All the man talked about since the moment Zeref greeted them was their contract. The man was the head of transporting weapons for Zeref all over Revaliir and even further, so he was explaining some of his ideas and what not. Zeref wasn’t really sure. He stopped listening a long time ago, just looking for a way to escape this man.

Then, finally, his wife decided to speak up, much to Zeref’s relief. “Dear, you’re holding up our host. I’m sure he’s a very busy man. You can save the business talk for after the party,” she pulled closer to her husband, pressing his arm firmly against her rather large bosom. “Why don’t we go over to one of those dining tables and have some time to ourselves? I look forward to trying his chef’s prepared food.” Immediately Mr. Femen stopped talking and smiled at his wife, patting her hand gently. “You’re right, dear,” he looked back at Zeref, and added, “Forgive me for holding you up.” Then, the two walked off, leaving Zeref to sigh with relief.

This was when Zeref began to notice the music being played. He looked at the woman playing it, and seemed entranced by her music, somehow drowned by the feeling of the seasons that washed over him. Starting from spring, he could feel the new life that came with the season, the beauty as everything grew and blossomed. Then summer came, and it started all over again, changing his feelings to those of summer.

Before he knew it, the song was over, and the woman excused herself from the spotlight to the beverages. He applauded with the rest of his guests, then started in her direction. “Excuse me, miss?” He stepped beside her, offering her a friendly smile as he began to pour himself a glass of red wine. Might as well get a drink while he was there. “That was such a splendid performance. I’ve never felt so entranced by music before. It was magical.”

The memories of the time spent in Brynn’s court were still in her memory like a fresh wound. From the time she had played the song of Terra for him to the moment he had spoken that precious three words. It put a hurt in her heart that felt like there was a tear. She knew that Brynn’s life was unnatural and she knew that this time there was a good chance he could not come back. Calanthe had released him from his deep sleep once and he had been angry with her… This time could not do that for Brynn’s sake. It was a terrible life to live as a lich and she could not force him to do such a thing just for her.

Her gold eyes drifted down to her drift as she watched her hands gently tremble. She would need to focus lest her playing suffered at the hands of her memories. A man’s voice caught her off guard and Calanthe was quick to catch the wine in her glass as it rocked over the edge. A soft sigh of relief left her lips as she looked up at the man who spoke to her. “Thank you very much.” She curtsied the best she could with one free hand before bringing the wine to her lips. “I am still very much out of practice as it has been a long time since I was a traveling bard. It will come back to me as the night continues… You cannot forget something so engraved in your blood.”

A delicate smile was across her lips as she thought about the gift of music that she had. “I write songs of the seasons and nature for most of the noble courts. The song of seasons that I played tonight was originally written for the queens of Sularia for the Spring Solstice. I am afraid that due to my rusty nature that I have not prepared a new song for tonight. I only have the tales of old to showcase.” Her fingers drummed lightly against her glass and a look of embarrassment crossed her face. “I am so sorry… It is so rude of me to forget. My name is Calanthe Rose, a professional bard who comes from Sularia.” The redness of her face died down rather quickly as she flashed another smile his way.