In a Time Gone By

Silence hung heavy like damp humid air. It was a boring day, there were no social events, no parties, no shows that I could go see. But it wasn't just myself that was cooped up at home. My mother and father also lacked any important business today, and it was also one rare occasion that my sister was visiting for a brief period from living in the palace for her work. That being said, none of my family were together at this moment, my father reviewing documents in his study, my mother weaving in the boudoir, my sister reading in the library. We were about as distant as we always had been these last few years. Nothing keeping us apart, but also nothing bringing us together.

I had fetched my violin from my room and brought it out to the courtyard of our home. After reflecting on the silence for a moment, I began playing the instrument. Nothing special, just musical tunes I was coming up with on the spot. My music felt damp and lifeless bouncing off the menagerie of well kept plant life, and I thought to my family, each separated by the halls of this great house. It was a house that had been home and hearth to our family for generations, but now even within its walls it felt like we were removed from one another. As I pondered, inspiration struck me. I rose from the granite bench I was sitting on, and continued to play as I my body felt the need to move to my own music. The tune was gentle and uplifting, something one might play on a rainy day while wistfully looking out a window. At first my movements were a simple sawing back and fourth, mirroring the dance of my bow across the strings, then as my song continued, I began to waltz. My red hair caught in the sunlight of the late afternoon, glistening around me in graceful ambiance. The beauty of my song entranced me, and it felt like I was simply moving in accordance with the music, like the spirit of music flowed through me, rather than being created by myself. 

I found myself drifting back towards the garden entrance, left open from when I had first come outside. My song dragged me indoors, as I now found myself gracefully moving about the floor of our great hall. My notes ringing through the adjoining rooms, echoing past the stairwells, bringing the cold halls to life. 

My song continued, as did my waltz. Nearly closing my eyes, my legs seemed to not need directing. I knew exactly where they were supposed to be. Past my own music, I heard my sound of my mother walking to the second floor landing, she looked down over me as my song filled our home, watching me dance. Her audience didn't affect me, it felt right that she be here for it.

Slowly as my performance continued, first my sister emerged from the library, at first I almost worried she would chastise me for interrupting her reading, but as she entered the hall, she began to dance in parallel to myself. Mirroring and complementing my Waltz with a graceful balletic sway of her own. 

Lastly, my father appeared from his study. Watching us from beneath the twin stairways in the center of the hall. My mother slowly descended the stairs to meet him. As she did, he smiled in a way that I had not seen in quite some time. He offered her his hand in gentleman like fashion. She accepted it, and at once they joined us both in dance for our unplanned ball. 

As we continued our dance, my music shifted. Its tone and feel stayed the same, though as we continued, motifs and rhythms from our families ancestral song, 'The Nights Song' bled into the music. We continued like this, our feet moving gracefully in circles around the great hall, the servants of the house all eventually started to come watch us dance. And dance we did. It continued for many minutes, my hands gliding the bow across the strings in elegant fashion, no note missed its mark. My  hair swaying to my movements, my sister dancing her own graceful dance, her beautiful dress gliding in its own majestic way. My mother and father, dancing closer and closer together, clearly caught up in their love for one another, the dance providing a way for them to show their romance. In this moment, our family felt whole.

As my arms slowly grew tired, I drew the music out to its natural finale. Ending on the same notes that closed out The Nights Song, I drew the last note out long as my bow seemed to not want to separate with the instrument. But as I did, the servants of the house all began to clap as one. 

My sister took a bow towards me in grateful fashion, and my mother left my father to embrace me. In that moment I was so overwhelmed with this feeling of love and appreciation, so genuine. No words were even exchanged, for everything that went without saying.

My father calmly and patiently clapped along side the staff, waiting for my mother to release me from her embrace. Once she did, he too approached me, taking my shoulders in his hands. Smiling pridefully before pulling me in for his own embrace. 

"That was so beautiful Christina. You're so talented, and you've made this old man so happy on this dreary day." He said to me as he let go. 

I didn't know what to say. I could tell my father was nearly choking on his own words. I didn't dare risk my own emotions.

"Its been so long since this family was reminded of ourselves in such a way. Thank you my dear." He paused, clearly something on his mind. "I know that you're leaving tomorrow for your trip to Port-Town, but once you get back we should speak, there's something I want you to know." 

My trip to port-town, going on vacation with some of my friends. I wondered what my father might want to speak to me of, or why this time together seemed to spark it. What ever it was, I looked forward to it. "Of course Father. Thank you all for dancing with me." I said full of gratitude.

This moment truly did feel magical. My sister grasped my hand, before my mother and father pulled us both in for a hug. I hadn't realized how much I missed being a family with them. I hoped that this would be something we could do again, maybe this was how our family brought itself back together. 

Despite that it hadn't even started, I was looking forward to coming back from my vacation.