Day: 992
Days Left: 4883
Lives Saved: 5
"Very good," said Lili, retreating a step. "Your form and footwork have improved."
Corinna grinned, happy to receive a rare compliment; however, it was followed by a long list of criticisms that took her self-confidence down.
"Are you ready to go again?" asked Lili, stretching her arms and rolling back her shoulders.
Corinna nodded, and then when Lili wasn't looking, her true expression of exhaustion and fatigue broke through. She was glad that she had lost her voice for this moment as her staggered and desperate gasp of breath and panting could not be heard by Lili. Ever since Corinna had discovered her mask's powers, her sparring teacher had become even stricter, perhaps sensing the student's strengthened resolve.
I feel like I'm dying, Corinna thought, her arm at her chest though she had no hands to clutch to it to steady the pain of breathing. She glanced over at Lili, seeing her still stretching; perhaps Lili had noticed that Corinna needed a break and was making an excuse to pause.
Ever since Pearl, Princess Alfreda's seamstress, betrayed the group and left the Abyss, the princess and her servants no longer wore different outfits every day, no longer so colour coordinated. Before, all of the servants wore identical uniforms with capes and boleros, but now Lili, Calanthe, and Oscar wore whatever they liked. Lili opted for the more practical, her muscular and broad physique no longer so hidden by a uniform, and instead, the tank tops she wore flaunted it.
Corinna's eyes lingered for a moment longer before she snapped out of her daydream and focused on the lesson. She gave an affirmatory nod to her teacher, indicating that she was ready to have another go at a sparring match.
"Actually, perhaps we should focus on your mask this time," said Lili as she finished her last stretch.
Corinna bit her lip, glancing at the blue, glowing mask in her bag aside.
"You haven't used it since the blood moon," said Lili. "You made great progress with learning how to use its powers. All of that would be a waste if you did not practise consistently."
Corinna nodded, then headed to her bag against a nearby tree. She crouched down, staring at the glowing blue light, hesitating to pick it up.
"If you still feel like you need time, we can try another day," Lili continued. "But I just thought of something that you could try."
After Corinna gave a look of curiosity, Lili explained, "I wondered if you would be able to fly."
Fly...
Would I be able to fly?
It was a dream that almost everyone had, the ability of flight. What if she could?
No longer so cautious, Corinna picked up her mask with her forearms and nodded at Lili before donning it.
A light flashed briefly around the border of the mask; then, it enveloped her entire body. Corinna felt lighter as she transformed into the celestial, an odd sensation as she did it of her own free will for the first time instead of forced during a blood moon. She controlled her breathing, attempting to stop her feet from burning the grass, but it only lasted a few seconds before smoke started rising, and thus she had to pace around.
"We know that you turn into this... ball of light when you concentrate," said Lili. "And it can move fast. So, how about you try and imagine going up instead of forward."
The celestial gazed up at the towering thin trees, barely able to see the very top. If she could fly, perhaps she could locate the Land of the Lost and map the whole area.
"Let's start first with trying to control the direction you travel in." Lili marked the ground, kicking up some dirt with her foot. "Try and go between these two points as accurately as possible."
At first, it took Corinna time to remember how to use her mask's powers, the light fizzing out and only moving a bare inch or in the wrong direction. Then, with more practice, she bounced between each point with precision and soon had to stop from nausea.
Once the celestial recovered from the dizziness and vertigo, Lili set up a slalom course with multiple points, numbering them, forcing Corinna to change direction and travel at varying distances.
It took half an hour before Corinna nailed the track multiple times successfully, and then Lili challenged her to attempt to 'fly'.
It wasn't technically flying; it was more perhaps teleporting upwards. To begin with, Corinna remained on the ground, only flashing in and out and almost setting fire to her surroundings, but Lili had come prepared and put everything out before it spread.
"Remember how you first used your powers," said Lili. "Imagine being higher up, close your eyes and concentrate. If you have any doubt in your abilities, then you will fail."
Corinna sucked in a slow breath and closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to be above the treetops, to reach out and touch the clouds, for everything to be so far away that it was just her all by herself and the empty sky...
Even with her eyes closed, she could feel that straining and dizzy sensation whenever she zoomed, and then she felt her feet land on the ground.
She turned to see a slight smile on Lili's lips; then, it faded into her stoic impassiveness.
The celestial moved her arm up and down, asking how far she travelled.
"About an inch, I would estimate," answered Lili. "Don't stop; keep going."
She did it; she had actually done it! Yes, it was barely an inch off the ground, but...
Corinna stared up at the sky.
With a newfound determination, the celestial continued to practise travelling upwards, marking her progress on the tree, leaving a burn mark on the bark.
Lili eventually called it a night, as she noticed the fatigue defeating Corinna, though the celestial remained stubborn and wanted to continue training.
"That is enough for tonight," Lili pressed. "You have already reached your limit, Miss Warren. I highly advise stopping for now. You can continue to practise tomorrow."
Corinna gave in and obeyed, glancing up at her record of one meter.
She controlled her breathing, giving herself a moment before detransforming back into a human and stashing her mask into her bag.
"Right, it's getting late," said Lili, picking up her belongings. Before she was about to leave, she was stopped by a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Corinna, who glanced at the ground before mouthing the words 'thank you,' with a beaming smile.
Lili swallowed. "Not a problem."
Corinna always said thank you after every session, sometimes expressing her gratitude more with her whiteboard, and Lili wondered when she would cease with it. Lili got that Corinna was thankful the first dozen times, yet the woman persisted in showing it after every lesson.
And yet, even though it did happen after every lesson, somehow it still left Lili... was happy the right word? That she was doing something that made someone else... happy? That she still had a use to someone... That she was still needed...
But how long until Corinna no longer needed her? When Miss Warren could fend for herself and knew how to use her mask, would these lessons end? Would there no longer be any reason for them to spend time together? What would happen then? Lili would be back to standing guard of Princess Alfreda's tent and... and that would be all there was...
Lili straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. "Keep practising, Miss Warren. You will... get there..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to come up with lines of motivation. Regardless, Corinna remained smiling, a skip to her step as they left to return to camp.
Roughly 300 Years Ago
It had been a week since the piano lesson with Queen Violette. As a footman guided Calixte through the castle, Calixte studied his lesson plan, making notes on any minor changes. He then stopped and looked around in confusion.
"Is the ballroom not in this direction?" Calixte asked the footman. "Or am I not remembering correctly?"
"No, you are correct, Lord Barbeau," replied the footman. "The ballroom is that way; however, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Violette, has requested the lesson be held elsewhere."
Not wanting to object to any of the queen's requests, Calixte obediently followed the footman and was led to the east wing, the opposite side of the castle from where the ballroom was situated. This part of the castle was more for personal use compared to the east wing, which was primarily used for hosting galas and guests.
They arrived at a door along a long corridor, which the footman opened and motioned to Calixte to enter, which he did.
Inside was a grand piano, a white pair of armchairs and a sofa. It was heavily decorated with potted plants and porcelain sculptures for such a simple room as a 'piano room'. This was the type of room where Calixte usually taught his lessons, though not as frivolous and decadent with the furnishings. As it was in the morning, a warm patch of sunlight passed through the large windows and coated the wooden floor with a spectacular shine.
Approaching the grand piano, positioned in the centre and focus of the room, Calixte found the instrument to be, though not as extravagant as the one in the ballroom, still, quite a fine and expensive model, one which Calixte again noticed had rarely been played.
He played a few notes to check it was in tune, then resisted any temptation to play any further and sat down to wait for his new pupil to arrive.
When She finally did, the door was opened by the same three servants and two bodyguards from last time, followed by Queen Violette herself. The queen wore the same white and purple mask as before, but this time was in a dress with no large ball gown skirt, but instead, one with a sheath skirt, thinner but still flowing as she walked.
After the usual formal pleasantries of bowing, the lesson began. The queen sat down before the piano, and though Her dress no longer covered the entirety of the seat, leaving plenty of space for someone to sit beside Her, Calixte opted to use his own chair to be beside his student instead.
"I apologise, Barbeau, if it is of any inconvenience for us to be using this room instead of the ballroom from last week," said Queen Violette.
Calixte could sense a level of bitterness in Her voice. "There is no need for any apologies, Your Majesty," replied Calixte. "It is of no inconvenience at all. This piano will play just as splendidly as the other." But, though he spoke with words of sincerity and reassurance, he was also secretly glad that they were using this room instead. Whilst he loved the wondrous acoustics of the ballroom, the large and empty space slightly unnerved him. Calixte could not fully explain the feeling himself, but it was like a chasm, a void which threatened to swallow and consume him whole if he did not tread carefully.
Queen Violette paused for a moment, then said, "my royal husband, the king, is currently using the castle's west wing, and He so very much dislikes music. His Majesty wishes not to hear us play."
Calixte wanted to burst out in rage. How could anyone possibly dislike music? But then stopped himself as he knew his place, and it was unwise to speak of any ill will against the king, especially in front of His wife.
"His Majesty believes music is just rancorous noise," continued the queen, Her gloved hand gently caressing the piano's keys. "He does not entirely approve of my learning to play the piano, but so long as He does not hear it as if it does not exist, I may continue learning under your tutelage." The queen straightened Her back, then turned to Calixte. "I apologise once again, Barbeau; I do not mean to put a damper on the mood, especially when our lesson has yet started. Nor do I intend to act like a spoiled child and complain when I have a life of luxury and ease."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to apologise," replied Calixte, bowing his head low after a moment of thought. He did not know how to respond to the queen but knew what he wanted to say. But, of course, his true thoughts could not be spoken about the king perhaps being controlling, selfish, or inconsiderate about the queen's passions, as that would likely land him in prison for such words. He wanted to comfort Her somehow, but it would be inappropriate of him to do so once again. So instead, Calixte responded, "I am sure Your Majesty's life is still filled with stress and responsibility. What I find to help me relax is playing music."
"Yes," said the queen, Her voice flat. "Let us begin the lesson."
Firstly, Calixte asked Queen Violette to perform the scales that he had asked Her to practise in the last lesson. He was amazed to find how much the queen had improved, not even needing to look at the cheat sheet before Her and instead remembering which notes were in each scale. However, though Queen Violette demonstrated skill in memory, She did not show any gentleness or subtleness in Her playing. On the contrary, every note was slammed down, clanky and rancorous, though still correct. The noise reminded Calixte of a few of his past students, children to be exact, of how they would slam their fingers down, heavy-handed. Though they tried to keep their amiable smiles, the servants and royal guards in the room would wince and grimace from the din.
As the queen did not require the cheat sheet, Her eyes were instead focused on Her hands, watching intently on twisting Her fingers and Her hands jumping to the correct keys. With Her head looking down at the piano, Her shoulders were hunched over. Calixte imagined a vulture pecking at the keys, especially with the ruffled white collar that the queen wore, only aiding the image.
"Well, Barbeau?" asked the queen once She had completed all of the scales on the list. "How did I do?"
Calixte hesitated, wondering if there was a more polite way of telling the queen that Her playing was more reminiscent of a herd of stampeding elephants. He then reconsidered giving Her any criticism, fearing for his job and perhaps even his life. Instead, he remarked on how excellent Her memory of the notes was and continued onto the next stage of the lesson: sight-reading. Calixte retrieved some music sheets from his bag and placed them on the music shelf before the queen, then taught Her the mnemonic he had invented to remember how to read each note on the sheet, both treble and bass clef. To aid in learning how to sight-read, the queen was given several exercises. These exercises were all from a children's book on learning piano, which Calixte copied out for his older students not to hurt their pride, especially as the book contained pictures and perhaps patronising lines of motivation. All of the exercises were titled after an activity such as walking, running, and leaping, the melody mimicking the rhythm of these physical movements.
Once again, Queen Violette was a quick learner and effortlessly read the sheet music once taught. Calixte barely had to correct Her. He thought it was rather... unfair how fast the queen could learn everything. When he himself first learned how to play, it took him years to be able to read sheet music as confidently as the queen. After a few minutes of seeing the piece, the queen had already memorised all of the notes and was playing it, Her eyes on Her hands, repeating it until Calixte asked Her to move on to the next sheet.
Calixte knew that there was always going to be someone out there better than you at your life's passion. He would never be the greatest pianist in the world nor the greatest teacher, but he did not particularly desire either of those things. Yet, when he watched the queen play, how She picked everything up so quickly, something twanged in his stomach. However, that feeling soon disappeared as he reminded himself that there was a big difference between playing notes on a piano and playing music, which Queen Violette was currently demonstrating. Despite playing every note correctly and in perfect rhythm, it was just rancorous noise.
The hour lesson had finally concluded, much to the servants' and royal guards' relief, as the queen stopped playing. Before ending this week's lesson, Calixte gave the queen some more sheet music to practise as homework.
Queen Violette rose from the piano seat and thanked Calixte graciously for his teachings and then, to Calixte's surprise, began to leave the room.
Calixte bit his lip in disappointment, having expected that the queen would request him to play again, for he had practised every day on a piece that was sure to impress Her. He had spent so much time racking his brain on why the queen was not satisfied with his last performance and believed he had finally found it. Yet, the queen was now leaving, his efforts wasted.
"Does Her Majesty wish for me to play again?" Calixte blurted out.
The queen paused and turned back to Her piano teacher. Her servants and royal guards stared at Calixte, visibly shocked.
Calixte swallowed, realising how upfront and rude he had just been. He was about to apologise when the queen spoke.
"Very well, Barbeau," She said, motioning to the piano. "We shall listen."
Nodding, Calixte hesitantly moved to the seat in front of the piano, regretting every single one of his life choices that had led to this moment. Once Queen Violette sat down, Calixte sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils and began to play. As the queen liked the piece of music that he had been caught playing, Calixte searched through all of that composer's works and found one that was technically challenging but still in the same mood and genre.
The servants and the royal guards seemed to enjoy the music, but Calixte was not interested in their opinion, only wanting the queen's approval. After he finished playing the last note, he dared to look back at Queen Violette to see Her reaction.
"Thank you, Lord Barbeau," She responded, rising from her seat. "I shall practise for our next lesson." And with that, the queen left the room, followed by Her servants and royal guards.
Calixte lingered in the room for longer, gazing down at his gloved hands and the piano keys. He could tell the queen was only being polite before. What did the queen want to hear him play? What was he missing?