Eavan

Chibi by @Samzart

“Tch, no…” claws plucked at the harp in front of her, fumbling on one of the strings and making her curse aloud. She’d been practising early that morning, before her teacher arrived. The imperial that poured herself over the instrument had been up most of the night as well, testing the pitch of her voice against a cave near her teacher’s clan.

“Blast it all,” she huffed again. Lack of sleep made it harder for her to focus, but she was determined to learn and work on her skill. Soon she would be thrown into the day’s worth of work, and sleep would be even further away. She didn’t notice her teacher watching from afar, wavering near the door as they regarded their pupil at work. A thought crossed their mind, and they dipped out of the music room without a word.

Eavan was an imperial of humble beginnings. If one had come across her in her younger years, they would’ve thought perhaps her fate had been written with an early death. But as it turns out, fate enjoys music, and Eavan grew to be one of fate’s favorite musicians. Born to apathetic parents that did just the bare minimum for her while she was a new hatchling, Eavan was soon left on her own. Abandoned within a few days of her hatch day, she had little to go by in means of survival. She began her wanderings, attempts at securing food and shelter for the nights where she was not guaranteed such. Many a dragon took pity upon the young hatchlings that were seemingly abandoned by those not fit to be parents, and Eavan was one of them. As she grew into her adolescent years, she found herself capable of running errands here and there at different clans while traveling for a spot of coin that would net her something more filling when dinner came. She’d save up for special treats as well, one such being a traveling band of performers in the settlement she had come to.

What she saw amazed and inspired her. Singers, dancers, musicians, bards and poets. They had poured their hearts and creativity into their performances and had done so beautifully. Eavan was smitten with it all. She listened to a bard sing a song about kings and queens while a dancer performed an invigorating show that had the audience clapping along to the beat. Two actors put on a mini play that made all in attendance grip their sides in laughter. It was beautiful. It was exciting. It was fun.

Eavan realized then that she had found what it was she wanted to do in life. She wanted to sing and dance and play all sorts of instruments. She wanted to join the traveling group and perform across all of Sornieth for everyone else to see. The sensation she had gotten watching the performers had made her want to give it back to the world as well. Eavan knew it would not be an easy road to go down, especially when she lacked a good amount of coin to make it possible. She’d need an instrument, and lessons to play it. She also wanted to be able to sing, knowing her voice already quite lovely, but would undoubtedly need lessons on that as well. She wasted no time, waking early from her dream-like evening and rushing off to find jobs to work.

It took years for Eavan to secure enough coin for her lessons. A few hiccups along the way had meant dipping into her savings for things to survive, but she always paid herself back. The imperial had managed to build up a reputation among a few clans as being reliable, and it was usually she that many would call upon for help. She particularly liked being a barmaid at the taverns, as it gave her the chance to talk with travelers and listen to bards that came through. Plus, the owner usually let her sleep there for free. Eavan found herself to be quite good with customers as well, her personality and desire to keep conversation going paired well with working in a bar. Many would love to talk with her and hear her (sometimes over-dramatic) stories of travels about the world, ordering more and more ale.

Finally, the imperial was able to start her training. At first, she was hesitant to learn the harp. But after her teacher played her a sonnet on it, Eavan fell in love with the sound. She took to it quickly, claws learning the chords but fumbling over the thin strings. Her teacher watched her dedication and hard work, but saw the struggle with such a small instrument. It was that morning where Eavan was there early that they produced a larger harp, handmade by a local artisan for larger dragons. Eavan stared at it as it was wheeled into the music room.

“You can put that small thing away now, dear.” her teacher hummed, placing the larger harp down in front of her. “You’ll be working with this one from now on.” Tears welled in Eavan’s eyes, unable to speak.

“I’ll pay you back-”

“You will show me you deserve this by fulfilling your dreams.” her teacher cut her off, nodding towards the harp. “Now, let’s give it a whirl.” Eavan touched at the instrument gently, then found her claws drawn toward the strings. She plucked at them, delighted that it felt more natural in her hands. Her teacher watched her explore, pleased with how much better Eavan was doing with a larger harp.

“Wonderful. It seems it was meant for you,” hummed her teacher. “Now, if you would, let’s hear a C minor.”

Eavan continued to excel at her learnings of the harp, and her voice training grew her control as well. Confident in her training, her teacher let her keep the harp as a gift, requesting she come and play it for them sometime during their travels. Eavan was grateful to her teacher for all that they had taught her and agreed, taking the harp and heading into the world ready to share her gifts.

As she traveled, her popularity grew amongst those she came across. Eavan became known for her lovely harp playing with accompanying singing. Her voice was beautiful and clear, complementing the way she played the harp well. Eavan was also quickly known for her dramatic flair in her songs and the tales she would tell afterwards. She loved being in the spotlight when she performed, equally enjoying the time where those who stuck around would sit by her and listen to her talk about her travels like she had when she worked the taverns for extra change. Now she did it for fun, sometimes exaggerating her stories to watch the look of awe on other dragons’ faces. It was fun and she loved it all, but still she felt like a loner; an outcast who was only enjoyed for short breaks before she left. Eavan didn’t mind her travels and visits, but she still wanted a home of her own.

During one of Eavan’s performances in The Embellished clan of the arcane flight, a coatl female happened to be within the audience. This coatl was no ordinary dragon; she was the monarch of that particular clan, and was particularly fond of music. Eavan was unaware of such a high status individual, performing as wonderfully as she did for each of her shows. Afterwards, she was surprised to learn of the coatl Forseti, as she lingered after the performance. Eavan took no time to figure out that she was obviously of high ranking, as most of the other dragons gave her a respectable distance as she approached the imperial.

“Your highness.” Eavan bowed to the coatl when she explained who she was, though Forseti just watched with a slight smile on her face.

“Dear performer, your show was outstanding.” Forseti hummed.

“You do me such a kindness with your words.” the coatl chuckled softly at her comment.

“Will you walk with me?” she asked, requesting Eavan to follow. The imperial nodded and gathered her harp, keeping a few steps behind the coatl as Forseti took them throughout the clan at a leisurely pace. “I hear you travel throughout the land, moving from clan to clan.”

“Yes, that’s right.” the coatl nodded, humming.

“I see.” They walked in a bit of silence for a moment. “Do you like it here? In our clan? I find it beautiful. The landscape is very inspiring, and we’ve managed to acquire such talented dragons to join our ranks.”

“It’s quite lovely, your highness.” Eavan answered back. Forseti nodded in agreement.

“Tell me, performer. Do you wish to keep traveling? Is that where your heart lies?” Forseti turned to look at her. “Or do you think you might find our clan suitable as your permanent residence?” Evan blinked at the monarch, her mouth hanging open slightly.

“I… beg your pardon, your highness?”

“I’m offering, if you would like, a home.” Forseti waved a pwa at her surroundings. They’d made their way towards the gardens in their walk. “I’d like to have you as my personal musician. Of couse, you’re welcome to perform within the clan wherever you’re requested. But I would like for you to perform for me in the palace as well.”

Eavan wasn’t quite sure what to say at first. She took a moment, took a breath, then nodded. A home. A clan. A monarch to perform for. She almost cried on the spot.

For the first time in her life, the imperial finally felt she had a home. Over the years, she would perform for the monarch while doing side performances here and there within the clan. Her popularity grew, her stories sought after. Forseti and she grew close as well, forming a steadfast friendship that made The Embellished feel more like home for Eavan every day.