Chapter 2-Sweet Sorrows

The Piper plucked out a melancholy tune on his lyre as he sat on his window seat in the tallest tower of Capricorn's fortress. A full moon hung in the midnight sky, shaming the stars around it. He abruptly stopped playing and pressed his hand to the body of the lyre to still the strings. He gazed up at the sky and sighed. He'd never had a flavor of the month before. Flavor of the week, of the day, even once of the hour, but one woman had never captured his attention and held it for a whole month.

A light appeared on the ground as a door opened and someone in a hood stepped out and walked toward the stable. She could have been miles away and he would have know her. With a sudden stab through his heart, he knew what he had to do.

The guards got a laugh that night when they saw the Piper flying down the stairs in a silken robe that cost more than a house in Ombra. Cursing every time he bumped into a guard on a landing or stepped on something sharp carelessly left on the stairs by a drunken fire raiser, he went down three stairs at a time. When finally got to the stable, only to find Minerva gone, the crowd of onlookers got another wave of swearing as he stormed back up to his room to dress for riding and go after the woman he loved.

Minerva had been riding for less than a quarter of an hour before another horse's steps came up behind her. She guessed who it was and steered her horse to the side of the road. He nearly shot past her, silvery clothes flying in the breeze. He pulled his horse up just in time, and it reared, almost flinging him off.

The Piper dismounted as soon as he got the horse under control. "Minerva." he ran toward her. "Don't go!"

"What am I supposed to do?" she demanded. "Do you think the rest of Capricorn's men will just accept this? You'll be laughed out of the fortress. The other maids might kill me, if Mortola doesn't first. This. Can't. Work."

He grabbed her shoulders and she saw desperation in his eyes. "I don't know! But please. I'll get you everything you want. You'll have anything you could ever wish for. And if the other maids touch a hair on your head, I'll make them wish they were never born!" he leaned in closer, caressing your face. "You'll be like a princess. My princess."

For a moment she stared into those pleading gray eyes and let herself believe that this was the man she would spend her life with. She wanted to believe every word he spoke with that sweet sounding voice, but eventually she pulled away and shook her head.

"No." The Piper stared at her a moment, not quite believing her. When she started toward her horse, he let out a little whimper of despair.

"Then let me come with you. Please!"

"The fire raisers will come after you. No."

"I love you." he stood beside her horse looking up at her.

Minerva looked down at him. "I love you too." she said. He smiled. "But that's not enough." she watched his heart break through his eyes as she turned her horse around and set off at a gallop down the road, tears drying in the wind.

"Minerva." she got farther down the road. "MINERVA!" the Piper ran a few steps down the road before she rode out of sight. Just at that moment, a few fire raisers looking to get a laugh by following him came around the bend, wine bottles in hand.

"Hey, Piper! Your girl get away?" One shouted in a drunken stupor. The Piper turned around slowly, voice getting louder as he spoke.

"I thought I told you NOT TO FOLLOW ME!" He slashed the nearest one across the face with his nails. As the man drew back, cursing, the Piper exclaimed, "And you got blood on my nails! You idiot!" and scratched his other cheek. Leaving the drunkards to themselves, he mounted his horse and sped back to the castle, gritting his teeth with pain and fury.

Firefox heard a clattering in the hall and the laughing of guards as he toasted himself. Again. He looked out the door to see what the commotion was about and saw a streak of expensive clothes riding off into the night. The Piper. What was he doing going riding at this hour? He waited outside the fortress, long after the other fire raisers had gotten bored and gone back to bed.

It was almost dawn when the Piper came back. Firefox guessed he had pulled over to let his emotions have it out until he could show his face at the castle. But his emotions about what? The Piper gave his horse to one of the stable hands and walked, proud and straight as a ramrod, to the door of the castle. Firefox hurried over until he was beside him, trotting to keep up.

"Where did you go? What would your poor mother say?" he asked jokingly.

"Don't talk to me." his voice was seething, like a viper had replaced his friend's tongue.

"Piper?" he tried to grab his arm.

"I want to be alone" he walked faster, reaching the stairs and starting to climb. Firefox kept following, vainly trying to match the Piper's pace. Heads poked out of doors and abruptly flew back in when they met the Piper's steely gaze. Finally they reached the highest room. Firefox was panting, while the Piper wasn't even out of breath. He tried to slam the door, but Firefox caught it and pushed his way in.

"Tell me what's wrong! Are you jealous I'm of higher rank than you now?" Firefox asked.

The Piper laughed a hollow laugh Firefox had never heard. "Firefox, you could be king of Argenta and Lombrica too, and you still would be below me!"

"At least you haven't lost your charm." Firefox remarked. The Piper laughed that strange laugh again and went to sit on his windowseat looking out at the lightening sky. He gripped the sill with such intensity his knuckles turned white and his hand began to shake. Firefox slowly walked over to him and sat beside him.

"Do you really want to know?" the Piper closed his eyes as they watered up.

"Yes." Firefox said softly.

"Minerva is..." his voice went up an octave. "Is...gone." he drew in breath sharply and squeezed his eyes a little tighter, but some tears got out anyway. They glittered in the moonlight like pearls.

"Why?"

"She's carrying my child. She wouldn't stay with me." Firefox sucked in his breath in sympathy.

"Well...do you really care about her that much?" he suddenly asked incredulously.

"I LOVE her." he looked into Firefox's eyes with such conviction and intensity, so much emphasis on the word love, that he had to believe him.

"Does she love you?" he tentatively asked.

"She said she did. But that love wasn't enough." the Piper broke down for a couple seconds. When he regained control of himself, he continued, "But I finally understand. All that rubbish other minstrels sing about, true love, soulmates, love conquering all-it's true. It's all true. Love IS enough. It HAS to be."

"That we'll get her back." Firefox said simply.

"What?!"

"We'll get her back. Tomorrow we'll take a small party, under the pretense of looking for Capricorn, and no matter how long it takes, we'll find her. Because I can't let you go on like this." he looked down, embarrassed, after he finished speaking.

"Thank you." the Piper smiled weakly. "Thank you so much."