36: Rhapsody (5)

Author Note: Since this is a musical chapter, I may have to take down that chapter later if I were to get this story published. But in the words of the late Freddie Mercury, "You can do what you want with my music, but don't make me boring."

Also, if you want to see a solo piano cover for Bohemian Rhapsody on YouTube, I suggest Marc Martel's cover which he absolutely nailed.

Enjoy~

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One man may think this is just a song but in fact, it is around 5 or 6 songs joined up together. Each of them has its own emotions and when these songs were lined up together, they created the perfect emotional roller coaster.

That roller coaster was now taking some of the most talented people in the world of music to ups and downs never traversed before. A style of music that would appear not even a couple of centuries later but it was nonetheless something not repulsive or hard to the ears of someone from the era. It was classic at times, dramatic, theatric, and story-based, starting from life to death across love and tragedy.

As she finished the first four lines, her piano play upped its pace and displayed a skill that can't be scoffed at even by the best composers in the world, and despite not having an angelic voice or the best reputation at the moment, she sang confidently and sweetly, combining her strong clear voice with her accurate and fluent accent.

🎵 Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see… 🎵

But then it started to get personal and words made meaning.

🎵 I'm just a bad girl, I need no sympathy… 🎵

The piano play then shifted from the melodic smooth play to a pace that supported the feeling given by the lyrics.

🎵 Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low… 🎵

And then back gradually to the proper classical notes.

🎵 Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me… to me… 🎵

As the first phase of the song was over, a few seconds were taken to crossover to a new set of tones and a new kind of emotion not so distant from the previous one.

At that time, Vivian turned her gaze to her father, whose seat wasn't far behind the judges.

🎵 Mama… 🎵

🎵 Just killed a man… 🎵

Calling her mother, speaking about the recent accident where she shot a man. It stirred the crowd right up and didn't leave any of them breathing. It wasn't just a song because it was known to everyone what happened to her a few days ago when she was attacked and when she shot her attacker right in the eye.

While it was a shock to everyone, it was a whole different thing to her father who watched her with pitying eyes and his solemness melted away.

But her next words made those who didn't breathe hold their breath even longer.

🎵 Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead… 🎵 

A chilling choice of words from the one known to be the villainess, yet her words displayed emotions unexpected of her. Regret? Fear? Longing for her late mother?

🎵 Mama, life had just begun… 🎵 But now I've gone and thrown it all away… 🎵

The sad notes struck with the strong echo that vibrated in the hall of ceremonies. Such a small girl made her echo strike deep like magic and aura yet with only just music and emotions while she was just calling for a mother she bitterly missed.

🎵 Mama, oooooooh, didn't mean to make you cry… 🎵 If I'm not back again this time tomorrow… 🎵 Carry on, carry on… 🎵 as if nothing really matters… 🎵

And here it was, the one that almost brought tears to her father's eyes. The daughter, who went through a desperate struggle against powers that ruined nations before, just pleading for her mother, who is no longer with them, telling her not to cry, telling her it can be the end any second.

That's the extent of the words she sang to touch everyone… or nearly everyone.

Every note she played was a conduit to every emotion she wanted to convey and the piano kept going as she took a short rest to breathe.

🎵 Too late, my time has come… 🎵 Sends shivers down my spine… 🎵 Body's aching all the time… 🎵

Rather than changing the notes she played, she was the one changing, the lyrics were defeated and desperate but she kept raising the flow of her singing, foreboding her demise.

🎵 Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go… 🎵 Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth… 🎵

Her eyes gaze lowered down then once again her singing burst into emotion!

🎵 Mama, oooOooOooh… 🎵 I don't wanna die… 🎵 I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all… 🎵

And her emotions swept every part of the ceremonial hall with worry, fearing her demise, struggling through misery, and displaying her defeat.

There was a prince who watched all this and despite hearing that declaration of defeat and hopelessness, he found no victory or satisfaction. As soon as her emotions were clear and people looked at her for the person she was, his face became dejected like the devil. That was witnessed by no one except the Heroine, Matilda, whose face had nothing but fear and her body did nothing but shake and quiver.

Yet those words got everyone in Vivian's spell and her father was on the brink of losing it with those last lines.

But just as people were already feeling heavy and remembering to breathe, Vivian completely changed her piano play with some masterful movements and switched to the third phase, less classical, more lighthearted, but no less shocking.

🎵 I see a little silhouetto of a man… 🎵 Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? 🎵

With this new tone and that new way of singing, it started to sweep people off their feet one more time for a totally different reason.

She was light-hearted, playful even, twisting words, and using different languages.

🎵 Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening ME… 🎵

Even with this sudden change, she had everyone hooked, unsure of what was happening, knowing nothing but still braving ahead along with her.

🎵 Galileo, Galileo, Galileo Figaro, magnificoOoOoOo… 🎵

And in the same style but with a different note, her eyes looked ahead with dare and sassiness.

🎵 I'm just a bad girl, nobody loves me… 🎵 She's just a bad girl from a rich family… 🎵 Damn her for her life with this monstrosity… 🎵

It was then when it was figured out, what she was on about.

That arranged marriage that would drive anyone to suicide. The vicious verdict made against her by the Royal Family to not just end her, but to do so in the most humiliating way.

But even though she changed the original lyrics, she kept the original melody which sounded like she was switching voices between people having a conversation together—those who wanted to decide her fate and those who wanted to see her demise.

🎵 Easy come, easy go, will you let me go? 🎵 Besmallah! 🎵 No, we will not let you go! Let her go! 🎵 Besmallah! 🎵 We will not let you go! Let her go! 🎵 Besmallah! 🎵 We will not let you go! Let me go! 🎵 Will not let you go! Let me go! 🎵 Never, never, never, never let me go! 🎵 No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! 🎵

But was that begging for mercy? No, she said that she already lost but there were those who didn't want to let her go. Despite admitting to a wrong she is not guilty of, she was not let go.

🎵 Oh, mamma mia, mamma mia! 🎵 Mamma mia, let me go! 🎵 Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me… 🎵

Knowing that she is punished, knowing that a devil is waiting for her at the end of this orchestrated punishment. She still played her piano and the notes got quicker and louder.

And that's when the support musicians started getting into the act. It was hectic like never before. The piano in Vivian's hand went crazy and she was everywhere as she was daring enough to jump to the fourth phase with a glissando in front of such figures.

The drumist and the cellist behind her started going hard as well. All they did just now was provide a light background at some transitional parts to keep the music from going silent but now it was just a declaration of war with how wild it got.

Vivian's singing was cheerful the last time it was heard despite the meaning within but now it was loud, bold, no etiquette was given and the words were just direct, clear, and without hidden meanings.

🎵 So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? 🎵 So you think you can love me and leave me to die? 🎵

And it gave them all the chills of their lives. If not the Prince who is spoken to, then who else?

🎵 Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby! 🎵 Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here! 🎵

The rebellious piano couldn't be stopped at this point and it was madness incarnate. But as it went fast and the support musicians tried to keep up as fast as they could, the music calmed down and started to revert to the calm, collected classical start.

Even Vivian's singing got calmer and she displayed the best pitch she could muster.

🎵 OoooOooh 🎵 Ooh, yeah, ooh, yeah 🎵

And these were the most beautiful piano notes she ever played that evening, making the crowd feel the coldness of the sweat that accumulated on their skin while they were with her in the heat of the moment.

She then sang softly and smoothly.

🎵 Nothing really matters, anyone can see… 🎵 Nothing really matters… 🎵 Nothing really matters… to me… 🎵

As she looked up to finish the last set of notes, she uttered the line from the beginning of the song softly while watching the old man, Sir Theodore Nightingale, who parted from his seat just a couple of meters away from her.

🎵 Any way the wind blows! 🎵

As the playing died down and the echo faded away, old Sir Theodore Nightingale zoomed closer to Vivian carrying his hat ahead of him with both his hands.

"Lady Vivian, will you marry me?" Boldly, the man asked.

"No." Boldly, she replied with a face not hiding her comical shock.

"Is it because I am too old? Age is just a number, you know." He said and smiled cheekily.

"You can't say that when you're older than my father." She replied straight away.

The man burst into laughter and looked at Vivian with a grin.

"Then how about a date?" He asked.

"I'll say yes if I pass with the highest grades." She said.

"As if you have left anyone the ability to argue against that." He laughed, turned away, and walked back to his seat.

Vivian stood right next to the piano watching the old man leave and shrugged as she turned away but out of nowhere, somebody started clapping in the crowd.

From the VIP area, it was her father. He stood up and started clapping all by himself.

And what do you know, others started to clap right after him, not just one or two, almost half of the gathered people were clapping. Some were more fearful than others but finally, the herd mentality got to them all and some hid behind others to clap as well.

It may not be an explosive round of applause like how it happened with Prince Liam and Matilda but that was an acknowledgment nonetheless. Even Saskia, Vivian's stepmother, clapped from behind her husband and seemed as if she was engulfed by emotions, not that Vivian would buy it for rusty shelling.

This was a victory, something one can no longer ignore.

Despite her daring act of defiance towards the Prince, including the song she just performed, Vivian Moore has managed to regain her footing and the High Society can no longer antagonize her.

And that's a goal scored right into his face.

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