The Elusive Prince

Chapter 30: Color to the Air of the Moment

"Music gives color to the air of the moment."

-Karl Lagerfeld

Merideth

Well last night was fun but it will definately going to give me a headache and possibly a stiff neck, basing on my position on the couch I was left at earlier.

Groaning, I blearily opened my eyes to the blinding rays of the sun peeking through the windows of the living room. I rubbed my eyes a bit, to adjust to the sudden bright lights and was surprised to see that the "honarary chair" was reclined and thus making it more comfortable for me to sleep in. I also noticed the addition of a pillow on my head and the fluffy blanket wrapped tightly around me, protecting me from the cold wind. I looked around, confused as to who could've done it but then realized that it must've been Hailey. Smiling a little at the thought, I slowly got up.

I wasn't at all surprised when I saw the other scattered on the floor, though some was still inside of the sleeping bags while some were just straight up bundled on the other. We didn't exactly plan for this to be a sleepover but since the others fell asleep somewhere along the films, the others just decided to camp out on the floor. Though there was still the obvious separation of boys from girls that I'm pretty sure is either because Sir Hexford came down some time or Amity was the last one up and decided to create the divide so we don't get in trouble later, although I doubt Reince would mind that much but still.

Slowly inching myself away from the littered bodies on my way to the kitchen, trying my hard not to disturb them. Unsurprisingly, I saw all of the aides with the addition of Amity preparing coffee or tea for the others while balancing the boxes of breakfast probably sent from the mess hall on the kitchen. Hailey was the first to notice me and she immediately handed me a cup of coffee which I took gratefully.

"Good morning Your HIghness, I hope you slept well, even under the circumstances." she laughed a little as I sat down on the counter and began opening the box of breakfast handed to me. It was set of baked eggs and cheese croissants which I happily ate.

"Yeah, thanks for the pillow by the way." I said while holding the croissant up with a fork and began chewing. Hailey just looked at me confused for a second before lightening up, as if reaching a conclusion.

"Oh that. I didn't put that there. Cassian did. However I was the one to recline the chair." she said while passing a very groggy Layla a cup of coffee who took it gratefully. I looked up to her stunned a little before nodding. Well, Cassian was very sweet by nature really, so it was understandable. He will probably do it for anyone right? So there's no need for me to feel anything upon hearing that fact.

Calming myself down, I finished my breakfast at the same time more and more of my classmates bounded the kitchen to get their breakfast. I can feel someone's eyes on me but I tried to ignore it by talking to Hailey about which class would we be having a practical today. Since it was friday, it means group practical lessons day. Sadly, there were rotations of special classes, so that means no horseback riding this week. Feeling a little down by that fact but then I remembered my weekly Sunday visits to the stables and just remembering that made my mood brighten a little as I look forward to riding for free again.

Hailey, who has already memorized the schedule as it seems, told me that we had music practicals today which made me happy because that means I get to play my violin today. The others also seemingly having realized that today was music week began talking about which piece we should be playing today. I tuned out the conversation because no matter which piece we would be playing, I'm okay with as long as I can play with my violin. I haven't been able to touch my violin for a while since the last few lessons had us training other instruments swapped by who the teacher assigned us too. I got a cello which was relatively still a string instrument and closely related to violin but still, I missed my violin.

The debate as to what piece we should play for today continued until we reached the music room built in on the dorm for us. It was a room built to facilitate these lessons and for us to play whenever we want to during our free time. Our teacher just mostly comes to swing by to give us pointers and which songs to practice or when there was an event and we were required to play. Usually on fridays though, the whole class was allowed to just play whatever we fancied together.

I approached my locker in the room and pulled out my violin case and opened it to reveal my violin. It was just a simple white violin with little gold swirls on it but the most prominent feature was the insigna of the royal family of Wiyelt painted on the top. This violin has been a gift to me by my mother when I turned 10 and decided that I loved playing the violin more than the other instruments we were taught to play. I remember performing on my sisters of age ceremony and how ecstatic I was and how I played almost everyday since I got it as a gift. I don't play it as much nowadays however, but it was still very precious to me and I still liked producing music with it.

Taking the violin out of the case, I put the shoulder rest on the back of the violin to prepare it for later. I set aside it for a while before carefully grabbing the bow and tightening the hairs of the bow to the right place and proceeded to rub the rosin on it a few times all the while looking at the banter of the others as they prepare their respective instruments too.

As I was rosining the bow gently, I felt a presence beside me. I glanced at who it could be and saw Cassian looking at the others with a very tight expression etched on his face. Tilting my head at him for a little before something clicked within my brain and throwing him a gentle look.

"Do you play any instruments?" I asked gently but not stopping with what I was doing. I knew he didn't choose music as one of his special lessons that was conducted on Thursdays so I don't know if he could play any instrument. He didn't reply at first and continued on staring at the others which made me think that he didn't hear me or he didn't know how to play any instrument and was therefore uncomfortable with the conversation. I was about to say something but he beat me to it.

"Uh yes, I do." he stopped for a little while, looking like he was trying to collect his words. I just looked at him, encouraging him to continue.

"Umm it's just...I stopped playing years ago." he said with a very tight voice, like he was stopping his emotions from jumping out. He looked a little pained while looking at something. I traced where his eyes were fixed at and saw that it was on the grand piano smack dab in the middle of the room. Oh.

"It's okay if you don't join us for today. It's not actually required for you to play today. Today is just another free day." I said as I set down my bow and took my violin and rested it on my shoulders, checking for the strings. He didn't say anything but I felt him relax a little at that. Hmm...there must've been a painful memory linked to playing the piano or it reminded him of something when he saw it. Whatever it is, I  think it was bad enough for him to react this way upon seeing it so I'm not going to push it any further.

We stayed in silence as I warm up the violin before Ava clapped her hands and told us what we should be playing for today. She acts as the conductress when we play on specific Fridays. She's very passionate about music and was good at conducting anyway so that's why she was entrusted that role by our music teacher.

"Okay...I think we need a refreshing song to keep up the positive energy we established last night. So upon heavy deliberation, we're going to be playing Mozart's Violin Sonata No. 17 in C major, K.296." she said as she set up the stand and put her Ipad with the piece loaded on the screen already.

We all scuttled to our places and whip out our respective Ipads for the copy of the piece. We actually played this piece once on one of the events held by the school just last year so it was still fresh in our minds.

I went to sit on one of the empty chairs on the side but I didn't stray very far from Cassian though, who was looking at anywhere but the piano. Ava upon noticing him just standing there was about to say something but I just gave her a look and she got the message, thankfully, and nodded before adjusting her stand.

I threw Cassian one last glance before setting the violin on my shoulders, getting ready to play. The others who could play an instrument did the same as we begin to play Ava's chosen piece. Since it was a Violin Sonata, the violinists, which consists of me, Spie, Layla, and Levine were in the front lines with Yuma who was responsible for the piano at the moment. I was the farthest from the piano despite being one of first violinists, because I was keeping a close eye to Cassian who was stil looking unsettled.

Inhaling deeply to prepare myself for the long piece, before moving my bow on the strings when Ava signaled for us to start. The piece we were playing was upbeat and was as Ava said, cheerful. The longer we played it the more we got brighter as we enjoyed the happy trill of the sounds from different instruments uniting into one single piece. By the second movement, almost all of us were smiling, Luna was even gloriously clapping on the side (since she said she just wants to listen today and she was more of a singer anyways). Losing myself to keeping up with the others, I forgot about all my worries for a while as I immerse myself to the music. I even forgot Cassian being uneasy by my side as I stretch my lips wide with a smile.

Cassian, maybe influenced by the music or the happy atmosphere we created in the room, was also smiling now and clapped alongside Luna, albeit a little less loud. When I heard the soft clapping on my side, I glanced at him and saw that he was looking at me with a soft smile and I couldn't help but grin at him when he stared at me with wide eyes, as if embarrassed because he got caught staring. I just smiled at him again before going back to looking at the copy because I only memorized it until the second movement. When we reached the third movement, we were more energetic than earlier as we continued to play in sync, though some already stumbled but we kept going.

By the time we went through the whole piece, we were sweating bullets but we all had a wide smile plastered on our faces. I was catching my breath because we finished the whole freaking piece without stopping and it was tiring. I set down my violin from my shoulders and moved it around a bit to relieve the stiffness from having rested my violin on it for a long period of time. The others were also talking loudly as they discussed about how refreshing it was to play again without any pressures and fear, never stopping even when we made a mistake. Chuckling at their enthusiasm, I remembered Cassian at the side. I placed my bow beside my violin and looked at him and was glad to see him smiling instead of looking like death earlier.

Nudging him a little, he looked at me with confusion and I just gave him one big smile and went back to join the conversation they were having. They were already discussing what we should play next, with Luna suggesting we should do a modern one that they could sing to. They said they (the singers) felt left out about not being able to join. I laughed before voicing my agreement but also suggesting we take a short break after just having played a long piece not a minute ago.

Everyone agreed, especially Yuma who was smiling wide but at the same time looked tired because she just played for a long time. Although she was switched with Kairo half-way through the piece, she still looked ready to keel over. We all laughed as the aides, who dropped by from their own lessons just next door, volunteered to grab us drinks and snacks from the cafeteria. We thanked them and they set off. In the mean time, they were already discussing which piece we should try to play next. I just shook my head and went back to rosining my bow while sitting beside Cassian who positioned himself on the corner of the room.

We just sat there in silence, but it wasn't suffocating to say the least. It was in a way, comforting, even though the noise around us said otherwise. We stayed like that for a while until the faces of the attendants came into view with the snacks and drinks they got for us. I saw Shiloh getting flustered over talking to the others. He was still clearly shy around us even though it has been a week already. Well I guess it's just in his nature.

The others stopped doting on him for a few minutes and when he finally had a chance to breathe, he approached our little corner with Hailey, who was carrying my snack. I thanked Hailey and she just nodded before saying that she needs to go because she still has something to do. I just waved her off and told her I was going to be fine. She just smiled before excusing herself from the others and went outside.

Right now, I was chewing on the chocolate cupcake Hailey got me, tuning out the conversation around me. Cassian and Shiloh was at my side, discussing something in hushed whispers, trying so hard to keep their conversation to themselves. I got a little curious as to what they could be talking about but decided that it was private and I had no business eavesdropping to something so serious. Instead, I continued eating and replenishing my energy, ignoring the quick glances Shiloh was throwing my direction. I can tell that he was checking to see if I heard anything but I acted nonchantly, like they weren't just by my side discussing something that wasn't meant for my ears.

After a few minutes of them talking, and me trying to ignore the sneaky looks thrown at me, Shiloh was called over by Blake, telling him they should start heading back to their own room. Shiloh looked a little hesitant, clearly their talk was still not finished, but since they had their own lessons, he couldn't stay so he whispered something to his brother one last time before leaving. I didn't miss the look on his face though as he exited the room. I didn't dare look at Cassian beside me, afraid he'll know I was paying attention to them this whole time, despite not really hearing what they were talking about.

Hearing the deep sigh beside me, I couldn't help it anymore and looked at Cassian only to see a look of resignation on his face. He must've noticed me looking at him because he glanced up at me with tired looking eyes. There's something about that look that unsettled me. I mean he just felt a little bit better earlier but now he was back to being dejected. It feels like that look doesn't belong to his face. I don't know where that come from but before I knew it I was talking.

"Hey are you okay? You've been looking a little down ever since we entered the music room." I said and he just sighed once again and it almost made me think that I shouldn't have done that but a part of me screams for me to do something. I don't know what compelled me to do so. Maybe it was because he was always trying his best to lift my mood up and now I felt like I should be doing the same.

"It's nothing Merideth. Don't worry about it." he mumbled under his breath that if I wasn't hyper-aware of his actions I wouldn't have understood that. Too bad for him though, I did.

"If I had said the same thing, would you just ignore it too?" I told him and he looked at me this time. Great, I caught his attention. Time to execute this properly.

"Doesn't this contradict what you always keep on telling me? You tell me all the time that I should look for you when I want to talk about what's bothering me and has comforted me in times when I didn't even ask for it. Yet now, you don't even want to talk to me. I thought we agreed this would be a mutual thing? But why does it feel like it's one-sided?" I said and the longer I trailed on, the more I see his mask he's using to cover his emotions c***k. Clearly I was hitting something inside him, which was good but then as if he didn't just c***k, his expression went back to being caged. I almost let out a frustrated sigh but stopped myself. I had better things to do right now.

"Look, I'm not forcing you to tell me if you don't want to because it's your personal life really and I'm not entitled on knowing everything about you, but I just want you to know, and I always tell you so, that you can talk to me like how I talk to you." then I stood up from where I was seated beside him because they finally decided on which song we would try to play. Luna was already bouncing around, glad to be able to sing. I didn't glance back at Cassian, a little scared to see what expression was on his face after I finished speaking.

I settled on the chair farthest from him because I feel like he needed space to think after our conversation just now and I'm going to give it to him. I just hope he'll come around soon.