• The Eighth Note || Chapter One: Crescendo

    “Oh, Your Highness!” A small shrimp sushi looked up at the prince in delight. “Let me and my friends show you our dance!” It put it’s small arms together in a prayer position. It was jittery in the prince’s hand from excitement.

    “Please do, sire!” Another small shrimp sushi from the table looked up at him. “It is quite the show, sire! You will be very pleased!”

    The other sushi nodded in agreement. “It is very entertaining!” “We look so delicious while we perform it!” “Please, let us do it, Your Highness!”

    The handsome, young prince cocked his head to the side, and sighed. “Go ahead, guys. The pleasure is mine.” He set the little shrimp sushi on the table, and the rest of them huddled around it.

    “A-one! A-two! A-one, two, three, four!” The sushi danced along the table in a ragtime fashion.



    “Brandt!” A voice called from afar. “Brandt Drews Bae, wake up!” Tall and Handsome Prince Brandt Bae was but only Twenty years old.

    Brandt looked over the table to find a sushi in the back calling his name. “Brandt, get up, you lazy!” It said, scolding him.

    “Wha—?” Brandt began to protest but a sharp pain in his cheek caused him to fall out of the throne he was sitting in. The ever reoccurring dream about Brandt’s Shrimp fantasies had got him again. Brandt looked up at his mother, blinking tears from his emerald green eyes. “Why’d you hit me, Mom?”

    Brandt’s muscular build was more than enough to defend against his mother. But she had an unfair advantage. She was awake.

    His mother—forty-two-year old Ashtion Bae—looked away in disappointment. “What would’ve happened if one of our enemies from another country had come in here to kill the Prince of Morana just now?” She said tapping her foot as Brandt got back into the seat of the throne. “A Sleeping prince is an easy target, you know.” Queen Ashtion’s light blue eyes glared at him through her eyelashes.

    “I had a late night, Mother.” Brandt crossed his legs and put his chin in his hand, leaning over the arm of the throne. “It’s not really my fault I’m not conscious at the moment.”

    Ashtion sighed and pulled him out of the throne. “It could only be your fault, but, it doesn’t matter. There are much more pressing matters right now.” She sat down herself and tapped her nails impatiently across the arm of the throne. “I went to visit Elezar in Sare, as you know.”

    “I don’t care about Elezar. How is my sweet Arisa?” Brandt asked impatiently. “I was thinking about her earlier, how I can’t wait to see her again—”

    Ashtion’s expression fell. “See that’s the problem.”

    Of course Brandt jumped to the worst conclusion. “Don’t tell me my Princess had an accident!? She’s not harmed—or worse—dead, right?!”

    Ashtion shook her head. “No, she’s not harmed nor dead. But it’s not pleasant. Elezar called in Arisa’s suitors from the other kingdoms and throughout Sare…” She sighed loudly and began to tear up. “Arisa’s been proposed to, and Elezar won’t let her refuse!” She held her head in her hands and cried loudly. Arisa was the princess of Sare, a country south of Morana. When Arisa was young, both her parents passed on, and Elezar was left to take care of her. Arisa has been reigning as Princess for a few years, she didn’t want to take over as Queen until her twenty-first birthday. Arisa was like a daughter to Ashtion, and she always hoped that Arisa and Brandt would be married.

    Angrily, Brandt threw a glass vase that sat on the table adjacent from the throne across the large throne room. “That a*****e! Elezar knew, he knew, that I wanted to marry Arisa! And I didn’t even get a call!” Brandt paced about the throne room, furious on so many levels. “See, I knew that guy was no good. I knew it! You should’ve stopped King Lune when he appointed that son of a b***h. Elezar hasn’t liked me from the start, and he was always forcing Arisa to do things she didn’t want to do in the least bit.” Brandt slammed his fist on the table. “I’m going to Sare. I’m going to sweep Arisa off her feet, and we’ll come back here and get married. That’s the end of it. I don’t see any other way to do it.”

    Ashtion looked up at him. “Oh Brandt… But, Sare is so very far away. You’ll never get there in time!” She dabbed her eyes with her palms.

    Brandt’s shoulders sank as he let out a loud sigh. “You’re right… Wait!” He turned around, face lit up. “I’ll just take Snow with me!” Snow was Brandt’s trusty stead, a gift from his father years ago…

    “I’ll also need someone to come with me…” Brandt looked thoughtful. “Lind, of course. He was a friend of Arisa’s as well as my own. He’d be delighted to come, I’m sure.”

    Ashtion put her lower lip out. It’d been no secret that Ashtion was dating Brandt’s good friend Lind Cage. It wasn’t very serious, but Ashtion was really into him. After Brandt’s father, King Leoa, passed away she was worried that she’d never get over it. Lucky for her Lind was older than Brandt—if only by a few years. Brandt thought it was gross. Lind was his best friend, he and Brandt had gone to high school together—not too long ago either. And it was obvious that Lind wasn’t as into the relationship as Ashtion. “Don’t take Lindy with you, Brandt.” Ashtion put out her lower lip.

    “I can’t take a road trip with out my best friend. Besides, I think you guys are gross together anyway. I hope he dumps you.” Brandt snickered as he spoke. “I’m going to go get him. Well, I guess I’ll pack first. I’ll leave by nightfall, alright Mother?” Brandt smiled to Ashtion, placing his hand on her shoulder.

    Ashtion smiled too. “Alright. Be safe, Brandt. And Good Luck. I love you.” She got up and kissed his cheek.

    “I love you too, Mom.” Brandt returned the kiss. He then walked down to the entry way of the throne room. He stood in front of the door then turned around to Ashtion again, who was still standing. He saluted her. “I promise I’ll bring Arisa home, Your Highness.”

    The Queen nodded. “I have ever lasting faith in you, Prince Brandt.” She looked thoughtful for a moment before she also saluted him. “When you come home, I shall crown the next King and Queen of Morana.” She bowed to him. “Come home quickly, Your Highness.”


    Lind Cage wandered to the music hall. He held in his arms pages of sheet music. Many pages of sheet music. He struggled to not drop it all. Lind Cage was twenty-thee. He had a jet black mop-like hair style. His deep red glasses shimmered in the luxurious lighting of the halls, brightening his grey eyes.

    “Shoot!” Lind circled around to pick up a page of music that fell out of his hands. Brandt and Lind worked together to compose many pieces. The page that Lind dropped happened to come from the set that was the piece Brandt had wrote for Arisa’s birthday this year. Lind wasn’t very familiar with the piece of music, and couldn’t put it back in place. I’ll have to make sure I remind Brandt about this… Lind thought to himself. To his surprise, Brandt was already in the music hall. “Brandt!” Shocked, Lind nearly dropped all of the music.

    “Got your hands full there, Lind?” Brandt rushed over to help him with the load of music.

    Lind handed his half of the music to him. “I-Is Ashtion home, then?” His voice trembled.

    “Oh yeah. Mom’s home.” Brandt took the sheet from L'amour le plus doux and put it back in with the rest of the piece. L'amour le plus doux was French for the sweetest love. It was what Brandt had named the song he wrote for Arisa. “She’s not looking for you though, don’t worry.”

    Lind sighed loudly. “Thank God.”

    The two men put all the music on a table behind a big, black grand piano. Brandt began sorting it out by piece. “But we’re leaving for Sare tonight.” He’d finished sorting and was sitting at the piano now, L'amour le plus doux in front of him. He started to play it softly.

    “We? As in you and I? Brandt Bae and Lind Cage?” Lind stared at Brandt blankly. “It’s such short notice, I mean. We can’t go tomorrow or later this we—“

    “Arisa is in an engagement that she should not be in! Elezar has forced her to agree to marry some suitor that she doesn’t even know! There is no way I am letting that go down, Arisa is betrothed to me- no matter how unofficial it maybe. We’ve been betrothed, ever since we were young! And I love her. Surely this guy does not.” Brandt began to play fiercely. Clearly not part of L’amour le plus doux.

    Lind handed a blank music sheet and a pen to Brandt. He quickly scrawled down the new notes as he played them. “Poor Arisa.” Lind managed, after a quaint silence. “And poor you, Brandt. That must have torn you up hearing the news.”

    “Go get your stuff. I’ll go ready Snow and May.” Brandt picked up L’amour le plus doux, the new music, and a few other pieces. Standing up, he smiled at Lind. “Meet me in the stables in an hour, we need to leave soon. I’m gonna call Arisa before I go to the stables.” He walked to the left wall shelf and pulled two books out from it. “We’ll bring Arisa home, to Morana; where she belongs.” Brandt left the music hall, waving at Lind from behind.

    Lind straightened everything out, and left the hall.


    Brandt rushed around the room, looking for any thing he may have forgotten. He moved things around on his dresser. His necklace with the family crest was still draped along the surface. There was a note next to it. “’Check your closet floor. Love Mom.’ I just cleaned out my closet.” He walked over to the large mirrored doors. Sliding the doors over he looked on the ground. There was a black box. Brandt picked it up gingerly, tipping it side to side. In silver letters on the top it read, “TO BRANDT FROM DAD” Brandt threw the box on his bed in surprise. “Dad?!” He gasped in shock. Scrambling to the bed he picked up the box and threw the top open. On top of a wrapped parcel, there was a letter folded over with Brandt’s name on the front. Brandt picked up the letter and read it to himself. After a while, Brandt chuckled quietly. “It’s a gift from Dad. An early Wedding Gift. I guess Mom set it out.” He un-wrapped the parcel to reveal a long, black scarf. Brandt held it up to himself, and walked over to the mirror over his dresser. He set the scarf on the dresser picking up the necklace and put it on. Brandt then draped the scarf around his neck. Brandt smiled fondly.

    Brandt’s bedroom door creaked open. “You look just like your father did when he was your age.” Ashtion came in through the door, looking at Brandt’s reflection in his mirror. Her eyes were watery and she was smiling. “That was his favorite scarf. But he decided to give it to you.”

    “This gift from Dad,” Brandt started, gesturing to the scarf. “, the letter said it was a wedding gift—I’m not married, Mom. So…?” Brandt turned around and the long scarf followed him in the circle.

    Ashtion picked up the letter from Leoa, looking over the familiar, almost illegible handwriting scrawled across the page. “Leoa wanted to give it to you himself on the day you got married. But what with the acc—“

    “The murder. No use hiding it, Mom. I already know.” Brandt looked at her with a crooked smile.

    Ashtion sighed, but nodded in agreement. “What with Leoa’s Murder, he was never able to do it himself.” Ashtion held the letter to her face, it was still drenched in his scent. “But, Leoa knew his life was in danger. That’s why he gave me this box, and this letter to give to you. He told me,” Ashtion cleared her throat and tried her best Leoa impression. “’Give this to Brandt on the day of his wedding. Make sure he knows I would want to be there. And that I love him Five million times as much as the lucky girl he’s marrying.’” Brandt chuckled softly, and Ashtion coughed. “But I think, if you’re going to go prevent Arisa’s marriage, I know you. So well that I’d be you wouldn’t come back home before you two were married. And it’d make your father very happy if you wore the scarf he wanted you to wear.”

    Brandt wrapped his arms around Ashtion tightly. “Thank you. Mom, and you too Dad.” He looked upwards, closing his eyes and nodding his head slowly. “It means a lot to me to have this part of Dad.” He let go and walked to his bed he sat on the end of it. He put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. “I miss Dad, Mom.”

    Ashtion sat down next to him, pulling Brandt into a hug. Resting his head on her shoulders, Brandt sighed loudly again. “They—They just took my Dad from me. Those heartless sons of bitches! He was their king! And they—they--! What did he do?” Brandt started to cry softly. “My Father. He was, he was better than anyone else in this country… Better than anyone will ever be in this country…” Brandt buried his head in Ashtion’s shoulder and cried more.

    Ashtion stroked Brandt’s back soothingly. “Shhh, Shhh. Dear, dear! Brandt, calm down dear… I know it was hard—I know it must still be hard—I know it’s hard for me. But your father wants you to be happy. He wouldn’t want to see you crying over him anymore. He’d want you to go to Sare, and bring Arisa home safely.” She pulled him back to see eye to eye with him. She took the pendent of Brandt’s necklace in her hands. “You are part of the Bae family. You’ve got to show the world what we’re made of, Brandt. I know you’re good. And you’ll make a great king. You’ll be just as great, if not better, than Leoa was. You’ll make him proud.” She laid the necklace back on his chest, and patted his cheek softly.

    Brandt cried more openly. “I-I couldn’t!” He sobbed. Brandt fell back into his mother’s embrace. “There’s no way I could live up to Dad’s legacy! He was too great! He was the best!” Ashtion started to stroke Brandt’s back to calm his sobs. “He was perfect. He’s my Dad, my hero. I’m hardly even worthy to be able to grace in his shadow. I’m a disgrace to the Bae family…”

    Ashtion shushed him again. She ran her fingers through his ponytail and cradled him as well as she could. “Non-sense, dear.” She said softly. “You haven’t disgraced this family. You aren’t either. Your father always talked about how he’s so sure you’ll become a great king.” Ashtion stopped stroking him for a moment. “And you know what, dear?”

    “What?” Brandt sobbed softly.

    “Your father always had dreams of you surpassing him.” Ashtion chuckled. “He’d wake me up in the middle of the night and. He’d say,” Ashtion cleared her throat. She started in her best Leoa impression. “’I had that dream again, Baby! I had the dream about Brandt finally uniting Morana and Clef! You know how much I wanna do that. How that’s my goal!’” Ashtion coughed. “He used to have prophetic dreams, you know. They often came true. He had a dream once about how I’d fall into our pond in the back trying to pick a pear from our tree. It came true a week later.” She nodded surely.

    “So—Since Dad believed in me, it’s sure to happen? Since he’s had these dreams…?” Brandt pulled back from Ashtion and wiped his tears.

    “And because you’re a great man, Brandt. You’ve got so much heart. So much determination….” Ashtion pushed Brandt’s bangs behind his ear. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you can do it.”

    “Basing your trusts on Dad’s prophetic dreams is not the best idea, Mom.” Brandt sniffed and rubbed his nose.

    Ashtion shook her head. “I’m not basing my trusts on Leoa’s prophetic dreams. I know you can do it.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Keep your chin up, baby. You’ve gotta save Arisa, remember?”

    Brandt smiled, and nodded. “Oh! That’s right. I was going to call Arisa. My sweet angel. I hope she’s alright.” He got up and walked to the phone on the nightstand by his bed. He almost picked up the receiver. “Mom. Thanks for the pep talk. And the gift.” He turned to her. “I love you, Mom.” She smiled as she got up to leave. Once she was gone, Brandt took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. He turned in Arisa’s number, and waited for her to pick up.

    « Hello? » It was Arisa’s voice, Brandt would know it anywhere.

    “Dearest Lamb, My sweet, sweet, angel. How are you this evening?” Brandt tried to use his most suave voice.

    « Brandt? » Arisa’s voice was surprised, and pleased.

    “What ever can I do for you, love?”

    « Oh Brandt! It’s awful! This horrible Prince from Clef! He’s come here to marry me! And Elezar won’t let me refuse him! And sweetie, I don’t want to marry him, I really don’t, and--! »

    “Arisa Maria Phoe, will you marry me?”

    « Are you serious? »

    “More serious than I’ve ever been in my life. Do you not want to marry me, sweetheart?”

    « Of course I do, I wouldn’t want anything more than to be Mrs. Brandt Bae. »

    “You’re the only person I want to rule Morana with me.” Brandt held up another Bae family crest necklace, one that was in the bottom of the box from Leoa. It’d be Arisa’s soon.

    « But, Elezar and Prince Ryohei… What will you do about them? »

    “I will whisk you away from all of them. I’ll bring you home with me. Where we’ll rule over Morana as King and Queen. You’ll never have to put up with either of them.” Brandt turned the necklace in fingers.

    « Brandt, Prince Ryohei doesn’t… Ah! No! Your Highness, please, he’s my friend and--! » Arisa gasped as her voice was thrown off into the distance.

    “Sweetie? Arisa!? Arisa!” Brandt was on the edge of his seat.

    « So. You’re this “Mister Magical Dream Prince” Arisa has been talking about for the past week, eh? » A deep husky voice replaced Arisa’s.

    “You sick son of a—!“ Brandt’s lips curled over his teeth as he swore. “What did you do to her!? If you hurt her, I swear to god…”

    « She’ll be fine, she just took, … a spill and—Brandt! Please come quickly, he’s—Wench! Learn your place! Come here if you dare, Mister Magical Dream Prince! It will be your end, and then Clef will conquer your country too! » The Phone cut out

    “A-Arisa!” Brandt tried to re-turn in Arisa’s number, but the line was completely disconnected. “That b*****d! How dare he call my Sweet Arisa a Wench!?” Brandt threw the receiver on the table.

    Brandt began pacing around the room in an unsightly manner. “I’ve got to go. It’s time to leave now. Arisa won’t be safe for much longer.” He scooped up everything from his room that he’d be needing and exited, turning out the light on the way out.




    Brandt found Lind in the stables, saddling up the horses himself. “What took you so long, Brandt?” Lind asked him, tossing an apple in his direction. “I’ve been down here for thirty minutes!”

    Brandt caught the apple with expertise. “My mother had a gift for me in my room. And then we… got into a conversation about Father. After that I called Arisa, but who ever is forcing her to marry him took her away from me.” Brandt fed the apple to Snow, petting her mane in short, swift strokes.

    “Is that scarf the gift? It’s pretty snazzy.” Lind climbed on May’s back and started to stroke her mane.

    “It was Father’s. It was a gift from him, supposed to be my Wedding gift.” Brandt threw a side of the scarf over his shoulder, and climbed onto Snow after loading the rest of his things.

    The two were silent for a long time.


    Brandt spoke next. “We’ve got to go, though. Arisa isn’t safe, and we’ll want to make it to Lisian by Midnight.” He spurred Snow up and she dashed out of the stables.

    Lind followed suit and May quickly caught up to Snow. “We’re going all the way to Lisian without a stop?” Lind asked. “There’s no way we could possibly get there by Midnight. Are you mad?”

    Brandt shook his head. “We’ve got to try. It’s important to get there soon. We don’t know when the wedding is. It could be tomorrow, for all we know. And how dare we not be half way there by then.” Brandt whipped the reigns, and Snow ran faster.

    “Do you even know which way Lisian is?” Lind questioned. He too whipped his reigns.

    “Of course I know.” Brandt scoffed. He took a map out of the pack on Snow’s back. He held in up. “We’re here, in central Morana.” He pointed to Lyc, where the Morenian castle was located. “If we keep heading southwest we’ll run into Alce and then we go south from there to get to Lisian.” Brandt made a trail line with his finger.
    Lind sighed loudly. “But that’s not half way at all. We’d still have to go through Clef at that point, and Clef is enemy territory!” Lind made a circle around Clef with his finger. “There are all sorts of soldiers from the Clefian Royal family stationed in MeriAna, and we’ll have to go through there.”

    Brandt laughed and shook his head. “Nope, that’s wrong. We’ll just go over the river to the south of MeriAna. Then we’ll follow it down to Clydson.” Brandt tapped his head. “I know people that live on the farm near Clydson. The Bae Family has been friends with the family, but they moved down to Clef a few years back. They sold us our horses.” Brandt folded up the map and stuck it back in the pack. “We’ll stay there for a night and then continue on to Sare.” Brandt whipped the reigns again. “Our first stop will be Alce. But only for supplies. We can’t stay there for more than an hour. Because, like I said, we have to get to Lisian by midnight. We’ll then stay in Lisian for the night.”

    Lind nodded. “Alright. Let’s get going then. It’d normally take hours to get to Alce, and it’s already 5 ‘o’ clock.” The two whipped their horses faster.

    The Race against time had begun.