15th Cylus, 719
Sleep had been a lost cause. Despite the exhaustion she had felt after Vyndar's "visit," Ari'sora had been far too tense to sleep, knowing what this trial would bring. And after several breaks of trying to sleep, she had finally given up. The rest of the night had been spent trying to distract herself from the pain she was in by "playing" songs in her head as she tried to work out what she was going to do for her test.
The perpetual darkness of Cylus made it very difficult to tell what time it was without looking at a candle to see how much time had passed. Even so, Ari'sora guessed that it was morning when Vyndar entered the room. She watched him in silence as he undid the chains that kept her restrained to the bed. When he led her into the next room, she offered no resistance. Instead, she used the last few trills she had left to compose herself as best she could.
The silence that filled the room was oppressive. A fire crackled in the fireplace providing both heat, and light. The sound it made sounded almost painfully loud to Ari'sora as she moved into the room. Hathelrri sat in the middle of a row of chairs that had been placed against the wall. Ryl'ryn sat beside him in the chair that was in the corner of the room. Ari'sora studied her friend intently. Ryl'ryn was hunched over, curled in on herself as if she was in pain. Ari'sora had no doubt that she was. Her friend was pale, and a light sheen of sweat covered her skin. Ari'sora couldn't help but be worried. She thought that Ryl'ryn needed to be in bed recovering from her miscarriage. But she knew that if she dared say so, they would both be punished for her efforts. At least her seat was in the corner so she could lean up against the wall if she needed to.
Vyndar took the remaining chair. He watched Ari'sora's every move intently, like a hawk studying its prey from his seat. His cold, calculating gaze gave nothing of what he felt away, but it made Ari'sora shiver with fear all the same. It was much easier for her to tell what Vyndar's friend, Hathelrri was feeling. His smirk, and the anticipation in his eyes told her that he wanted her to fail the test.
He was going to be disappointed. Ari'sora was absolutely certain of that. She needed to be. She had failed once before. But not this time. This time, she was going to pass, and then she was going to leave this horrible room behind her once and for all. No other outcome would be acceptable.
A quick glance at her friend, Ryl'ryn told her that her fellow half Avriel was hoping that she would pass the test this time as much as she was. When she thought no one was looking, Ryl'ryn smiled encouragingly at Ari'sora. That meant a lot to Ari'sora; Ryl'ryn was clearly in a lot of pain, but she still found it within herself to show her support to Ari'sora. It was something that Ari'sora would remember, and if a way ever presented itself, she would find a way to return the favor.
"Good luck." she mouthed silently.
Ari'sora took strength from the fact that one person in the room wanted her to succeed. She deliberately refused to look at her captors. Instead, she took a few bits to center herself, pushing all of her fears and anxiety to the back of her mind. When she thought she was fully focused on the task at hand, she picked up one of her three liquid glass leaves, took a deep breath, and allowed herself to admire the beauty of her instrument. Then she began to play.
