Music of the Old Master

Jesters, acrobats, singers of songs and poets auditioned before the Princess. Most were waved away by the satin blue and gold kerchief in her dainty right hand. She was preparing a celebration to mark the King's victory and complete annihilation of the Druvean kingdom.

An old crippled man limped into the ballroom and sat on a small wooden stool he carried with him. The Princess rolled her beautiful blue eyes and snarled,"What could such a ragged fellow have that may even come close to entertaining the King?"

The old man bowed and looked up through his white stringy long hair that had fallen from the sides of his face and said with a rasp,"Oh my Princess...I have prepared a composition which has taken me ten years to perfect for the King...it is written for his honor."

As he took his violin from the tattered case...the princess was astonished that the violin was ebony black and had five...not four strings. The violin also only had one "f" hole for the sound to escape.

The Old Master reached in his gray coat and pulled out a crumpled parchment.

The princess spoke out,"Is that the composition...I can read music...let me see it." A palace guard went immediately to the old man, took the parchment and handed it to the Princess.

The Princess read the title out loud,"Victorious." She scanned down the wrinkled parchment and said,"Play it now old man...your scribbles are confusing but I wish to hear it."

The Old Master tuned the strings to perfection and began to play. His playing was precise and sweet but strange...almost disturbing. As the Old Master played...a hand maiden whispered to the Princess,"Your father might enjoy kicking this old peasant through the halls and into the pig pits."

The Princess smiled and nodded her head...she shouted out as she handed the guard the parchment,"Enough...you shall play for the King...you shall also be cleaned and dressed appropriately for the event."

The Old Master was escorted away by the guards and the maidens giggled at the plans the Princess made for him. She ordered a hundred black birds to be killed...their feathers sewn to a sack cloth robe and a crown made of their beaks and feet. The old man would be dressed as a comedy for the King.

The evening of the event arrived. The King sat on his marble and bronze throne with the Princess seated on a royal blue velvet pillow leaning on his left knee. Tables were filled to the edges with vats of wine, meats, fruits and naked....decorated maidens to serve the foods.

Every maiden's breasts were painted with golden dust....their hair...braided in jewels...their mounds laced with tiny silver ornaments. Their backs. hips and bottoms were painted with battle scenes.

All of the King's royal relatives, Knights and friends were present. Goblets were raised with cheers...each time the King hesitated in his brutal stories of crushing the Druveans. He laughed and shouted,"We slaughtered them all...not one pinch of gold or silver did we find among the them....such a worthless people.....not even fit to be our slaves!"

The cheers turned into laughter as the guards presented the Old Master to the king. The Princess stood up and shouted,"Dear father...I give you this man and his music as the first of your entertainment....he has composed the greatest music and wishes to humbly play his instrument for you!"

The King looked at the old man's dress of a scraggly sewn feathered robe and crown of beaks and feet...with a hearty laugh he shouted,"Oh my daughter...this shall be my best amusement of the celebration.....(leaning forward...saying)PLAY ON OLD PEASANT...PLAY ON!"

The Old Master sat on his stool...placed the violin under his white bearded chin and began to play. The audience became silent as the music swirled like wind from his instrument. The music became louder and louder as if the stones of the palace walls were amplifying every note.

The King put his hands over his ears and shouted for the Old Master to stop! His cries turned to screams of agony! The Princess screamed for the guards to kill the old man but the guards could not move...no one could move but the old man and the Princess.

The Old Master played a high note on his violin and the stained glass windows of the palace exploded into colored dust! Hundreds...then thousands of black birds flew in and began to feast on the guests. The guests couldn't move...only cry and scream. All of the maidens but one escaped.

The King stood and madly ate the flesh from his right hand and arm. The Princess tried to stop him but he smacked her to the floor. She wept as the birds fluttered and feasted. Not one bird touched her.

The feast was soon over and the Old Master stopped playing...tossed his violin and bow to the black birds and they flew away with them.

Nothing but bones, empty blood soaked clothing,hair, chain mail, armor and jewels remained. The Princess got up and cried,"What evil are you?"

The Old Master went to her...grabbed her arm and shoved her against the edge of a large table. He Turned her over...pulled up her blood spattered dress and ripped her white under clothing away. He held her head down on the table next to three bloody sculls that had fallen from the shoulders of Knights.

He raised his gray garment and thrust himself into her. As she wept...he said to her,"You shall be the mother of a people who were murdered!"

He then gently stroked her beautiful milk white face until she smiled. He pulled the top of her blue and yellow dress down...exposing her breasts. He placed his hand at her cleavage and his hand turned into a silver light. A dark fog from within her heart escaped through his fingers like bats from a cave.

She moaned with pleasure as his seed filled her with heat. The Old Master dismounted her and helped her stand. He stepped away as a glow came to her face. She strained out the words,"You have killed my father....you have killed the guests and guards...and justly so...I have seen what a terrible thing was done by them in my heart."

The Old Master knelt and said,"My Queen...you shall bring our people forth from your womb and cast their seed into the maidens of your kingdom."

The Princess felt a tingle in her abdomen and a movement beneath her mound. She reached under her dress and felt the seeds moving within her. She almost fainted but caught herself on the table's edge while asking,"How could I deliver the seed....I am a woman?"

The Old master grinned and said,"By the warmth of gardens...the seeds will find their way."

She understood and said,"I will bring three thousand, four hundred and seventeen children to the light of the world....I will teach them peace...I will teach them love."

The Old Master smiled, bowed and turned to walk away. The Princess cried,"Where are you going...please do not leave me!"

The Old Master kept walking away, dropping the feathered robe and hideous crown...saying,"My Queen...I must go to another Kingdom who has murdered an entire people...my birds await me there...I shall play on my violin, Victorious!"