Silken Strings
There was silence, only the gentle whispers of the breeze as he watched her, and waited for her to begin playing the Elyria. The Elyria was an ancient, intricately carved harp, shaped like a table harp, with 25 Silken strings that shimmered like moonlight. It's body was crafted from polished rosewood, adorned with delicate inlays of silver and Jade.
Lily lifted her hand and slender fingers slowly danced across the Elyria's strings, coaxing sorrowful melodies from the instrument. The Alpha, seated on his chair, watching with an unnerving intensity, his eyes fixed on her.
Every noon, she was forced to play the harp for hours, her fingers moving mechanically, despite the blistering pain. The music poured from her like tears, a lament for her lost freedom.
As she played, the song interpreting the silence while the Alpha watched her, filling his ears with her melody and his eyes with her presence.
"Play 'Moonlit Lament'," the Alpha suddenly commanded, his voice dripping with coldness, and Lily froze.
Stiffening her fingers as she paused for some seconds, before resuming.
As she played the Elyria, changing the music, Lily's mind wandered, trapped in a prison of despair. She felt the Alpha's gaze on her, crawling under her skin.
"Why must I play for him?" she thought. "Does he truly enjoy my music, or is it just a twisted game of his to control me?"
Lily's fingers trembled as she obeyed his wish, the notes echoing through the room like a mournful sigh.
Silken strings weep tears of sorrow, moonlit melodies, a captives tomorrow. Strings of captivity, melodies of pain. A heart ensnared, forever in pain…
Those were the silent words of her music. If only the Alpha knew the meaning behind the song he asked her to play -which she invented herself, he wouldn't have ever told her to play it. It seems he was only captivated by the tones and the person who played it, that he didn't care to know the silent words it spoke.
Her fingers moved mechanically, but her heart ached as water welled in her eyes, and a tear was about to drop while she remained expressionless. Each note was a silent plea for freedom, a cry for help.
The Alpha, entranced by Lily's music, continued to watch her play. Perhaps it was her music, or she herself that had become a prized possession in his eyes, he wasn't sure. But his obsession grew with each passing day.
He has never been affected by the rumors that surround the girl, despite how terrifying the villagers make them to be. "Blood follows the redhead's stride. Death's shadow, her constant guide."
But Jederek never believed in that. Lily's 'curse' only fueled his fascination. Each day passing by, his mind flooding with sinful thoughts.
"She's mine. No one else can have her. Her music, her beauty, her soul.... all mine."
His fixation stemmed from a twisted desire to own and dominate as he stared at her body, filling his gaze with her ethereal beauty.
Amidst the dimness of the Alpha's room, Lily shone like a celestial beacon. Her red hair cascaded down her back and covered her face like autumn leaves, a fiery halo framing her heart-shaped face.
Tattered Rags clung to her slender frame, but could not diminish her radiance. Each threadbare fold seemed to accentuate her delicate features.
The Alpha's obsession stemmed from more than physical allure; he craved the essence of her soul.
Noticing how her hair covered her face, he picked a staff and used it to push her fair away from her face. Lily remained calm and emotionless despite his action as her fingers worked her magic.
Now, he was able to see her bare face. He could see no happiness or light on her face, only void of emotions, yet it still didn't hinder her beauty.
Her pale skin glowed with an otherworldly light, as if kissed by the moon itself. Her sea-blue eyes which sparkled like sapphires, shining with a deep, inner beauty, now it's light dimming each miserable day that passes by.
Pink lips, tender and inviting, curved into a perpetual whisper of sorrow. Yet, even in despair, Lily's beauty mesmerized.
"I'll never let her go," he vowed in his dark mind. "She'll play for me, and me alone," his fists clenched.
As Lily's fingers danced across the Elyria's strings, the Alpha's room faded away the moment she closed her eyes, causing a drop of tears to fall from her lashes.
And she met herself, sitting on the floor of a grand candlelit hall, surrounded by opulent tapestries and shimmering silks.
There was an harp on her crossed legs, and while she played, she saw a figure emerge from the shadows.
She herself continued to play the strings as the figure walked up to her, the face covered by the shadows.
Instead of being scared, Lily surprisingly saw herself smiling gracefully, as if happy that the figure was there with her. And while the figure moved closer and closer to her, she continued to play wholeheartedly, like she was playing for her true lover.…
Lily snapped her eyes open, and looked up to find herself back in Alpha Jederek's room -with him staring down at her. She quickly lowered her eyes and continued to play the harp, while her thoughts raced with the vision she just had.
What was that??
Was that a memory?
But what memory??
She played on, yet entranced by the new memory that flooded her mind.
This wasn't the first time this was happening to her. Whenever she played the harp to the Alpha, she suddenly gets this vision that feels like lost memories.
She could still remember the ones she has seen; Glimpses of laughter, whispers, and stolen glances. Moonlit strolling through imperial gardens. Secret meetings in hidden places.
It was like each note she played, awakened a piece of a memory, a lost memory...
After hours of playing and playing, he finally told her to stop. Lily bowed her head, placed the harp down and left his room, she went to her room and sat down. She sighed, and stared at her hands, feeling the blistering pain vibrating from her fingers.
Shortly after, she was called again to serve the family lunch. She sighed and walked to the dining room, seeing the family seated, as they waited for her to come serve them like always.