be careful, because they felt they could trust nobody. They were trying to cross the river and head to the forest without being noticed. If anyone saw them wandering around and followed them, their secret would probably reach Zerefor’s ears and they would be in great danger.
-I still can’t believe how you convinced me to follow you in the woods without explaining why, Morcant muttered to Rubia, who kept walking ahead of him. I hope we will be back soon, otherwise we will be really sleepy at school tomorrow.
Rubia turned around, took a quick glance at him and nodded to him to keep going. Soon after that, they crossed the river bridge and began to walk through the forest. After they had made sure that they were all alone, they sat by the root of a tree.
-Yesterday we were trying to put my little brother to sleep, Rubia said. We tried all the fairy tales we knew, but he didn't want to sleep, he was bored. Then our grandfather came into his room and told him a story he had never heard before. I hadn’t heard that either, nobody in the family had.
-Are you trying to tell me that you brought me here to tell me a fairy tale? Morcant interrupted Rubia and glared at her.
-Yes. But I'm not so sure it's a fairy tale.
-What do you mean?
-The story was about a kingdom that was conquered by an evil king and his army. After his victory, he made a law about banning music. No one was allowed to sing or play a musical instrument, because it was a waste of time. Everyone had to work in the fields and the mine in order to make the kingdom rich and powerful. It reminds you of something, doesn’t it?
-A long time ago I went down to the basement and found something made of animal skin, Morcant said, trying to show the shape of the object with his hands. It also had some tubes. It really made me curious. I started blowing into the tubes and heard the sounds that came out. My mom came down to see what was going on. She looked so scared. She grabbed me by the hand and told me to forget it and not go down to the basement again. I was a little scared, I was much younger then.
-I guess we all have something like this to remember, Rubia said, thinking of the day her father had slapped her because of the harp she had found in the basement. After the fairy tale was over, grandma pulled grandpa into another room. I remember that I could hear them arguing even though they were trying to keep their voices down. When grandma came out of the room, I asked her what was going on. She didn’t answer, she just hugged me and cried. "Be careful, sweetheart," she told me. "It’s difficult to know who to trust. Anyone can be dangerous if we are not careful". I had never seen her like this before. Her eyes were red and full of tears. Just like my father’s eyes, the day he…
Rubia stopped. She couldn’t forget the moment she had felt her father’s hand on her face. She was so shocked, she couldn’t even cry. However, as she grew older, her father's eyes were the most vivid memory of that day. “It was more painful for him than for me”, she told herself every time she thought about it.
- Why did we come here? Morcant asked her after a few moments of awkward silence. So that nobody will hear us?
-Not only for that. At the end of the story I heard my grandfather say something about unicorns. They had their kingdom on the clouds. They left when the king banned music, because they could not live without it. But every time the full moon sheds its light on the trees, their wise leader comes down on earth and stands at the brightest point of the forest. He is waiting for someone to tell him how much the people in the kingdom need the unicorns and how much they long for their return.
-If the story is true, then ...
-Then we must find the brightest spot. Tonight the moon is full. Get up, Rubia said, and they started searching for that spot.
It didn't take them long to walk through dense vegetation and find the spot where the rays of the moon gave their strongest light. Hidden behind some trees, they saw something moving towards the light. It was the unicorn they were waiting for. Grandpa's story was real. Rubia stopped hiding and started going closer and closer to the magical creature.
- What are you trying to ..., Morcant tried to shout. The unicorn heard him and turned his eyes to the boy. He didn't look hostile. Morcant followed Rubia. While the distance between them and the unicorn got shorter, their fear faded away.
-I was waiting for you. For quite a while now, the unicorn told them
His voice was deep and calm. No, they didn’t believe that this creature could be a threat to them. They could sense neither malice nor animosity in his voice.
-Is this for real? Morcant whispered. And nobody had told us anything about all this until yesterday. Why?
When the last word came out of his mouth, his voice became louder and full of rage.
-The anger you feel is justified, the wise unicorn said. But it is not totally fair, my child. No one wants to go to prison and never see his beloved ones again. When people live a life full of fear and sadness, they believe that silence protects them from the worse that may happen. And this is so painful, especially for those who remember old Note City.
-Note City? Morcant and Rubia asked at the same time.
- You weren't born back then, and no one told you about it. But now…
- You have to come back. All of you. You have to help us change everything and live happily like before. We don't know what to do, we can’t think of a plan. We can’t even imagine the first steps, Rubia told him and her eyes and voice could not hide her impatience.
-Aodhan will help you.
- Our teacher? Morcant asked full of surprise.
-You will talk to him tomorrow when there are no other people around. Now you must rest. And when the next full moon comes, you will come back here as long as you convince him to come along.
They asked him nothing else. There was nothing to ask. He told them what they needed to know and flew away. They returned to their homes as quickly as they could. They had to get some sleep. School was not their only duty anymore. They had a mission to accomplish, a mission that would change everyone's life.
When the morning came, they woke up, but they felt tired. It was impossible for them to concentrate during the lesson. Aodhan could not help noticing that Morcant and Rubia participated less than usual. When the lesson was over, he asked them to stay and have a talk with him.
- What is Note City? Rubia asked without wasting any time.
Aodhan was taken aback, for a few moments he could not utter a word. Before saying anything, he wanted to know what they knew and who gave the information to them. But he wasn't sure how to start the conversation, so he tried to gain some time.
-Can you tell me first what you were thinking during of the lesson? he asked.
-We were thinking of yesterday's full moon, and the forest", Rubia said, after noticing that Morcant hesitated to speak.
Aodhan kept trying to hide his astonishment.
- Were you in the woods last night? he asked.
The kids nodded their heads yes. However Morcant intended to remain silent for a little longer. He was still too hesitant to believe all these that had happened the night before. He wanted to hear the story told by Rubia. He wanted to make sure that it was not a dream.
-We went to the spot where the moon gave its strongest light. Then a unicorn appeared. He told us that he had been waiting for us. He advised us to speak to you. You must help us change everything that makes people unhappy∙ and in the next full moon, we'll be back in the woods to meet him. Sir, what is Note City? How come no one plays music? Why is everyone afraid?
- You'll find out soon. But first of all, I want you to tell me something. Who told you to go into the woods last night?
-No one told us to go there, Rubia rushed to answer. But the day before, my grandfather told a fairy tale to my brother to put him to sleep. He was talking about a forest and some unicorns that went away. Then grandma started quarrelling with grandpa and she left the room crying. Who could cry for a story if it's just a fairy tale? Sir, don't tell anyone I told you. I had never seen my grandmother so sad before.
- Don't worry, Rubia. Note City is the place we live. That was the name of our place before its conquest by Zerefor the Great, King Zerefor's grandfather, Aodhan said and smiled with nostalgia. Perhaps it is time to swamp the world with music and start saying the old name again without any fear. You will come to my house tonight. You will wait until dark, make sure everyone is asleep, and then you will leave your houses. You will meet some people who want the same things as you. These people need someone to lead them, he said and looked at his two sixteen-year-old students. By the next full moon, the wise unicorn will be proud of you and what you will have accomplished. Go now. See you later.
Morcant and Rubia left school. Shortly before separating, Morcant was surprised by his own thoughts.
-Did the voice of the unicorn sound like the voice of our teacher or was it just my idea? he asked Rubia. It was so deep and calm.
- Hm, yes, now that you say it, Rubia answered. Probably all the great and wise creatures have similar voices. Maybe our voices will become deep and calm too when we grow older, she said and then laughed and sang some deep notes.
When the night fell, they went to bed when their families did and pretended they were sleeping. After some time, when everybody else was sleeping, they got up as quietly as possible and met at Aodhan's house. They knocked on the door and entered. They were taken aback when they saw that he was alone.
-Are you sure no one followed you?
- Yes, Morcant tried to reassure him. Everyone was sleeping and the streets were all dark and quiet. We were careful.
Aodhan looked outside the door, to make sure that they hadn’t been followed. He sensed nothing more than darkness and silence. He returned into the house, locked the door and took his students into another room. The children moved the table that their teacher showed them, pulled the rag off the floor and saw a hatch. Aodhan opened it and told them to go down to the secret room. The children hesitated a little, but they looked down, saw that there was light and heard people whispering.
-Well, come down, what’s the delay? a female voice was heard.
- We're coming, Aodhan replied.
The children came down first and saw about fifteen pairs of eyes looking at them. They saw people in the basement holding musical instruments in their hands and hiding, as if they were holding weapons, that would scare even the most dreadful enemy. Note City had not vanished. It was right there in front of them waiting for the opportunity to come back to the light.
-Have you lost your mind? one of the women shouted to Aodhan. Why did you bring those kids down here? We'll get in trouble.
- They're not kids, they're sixteen years old. And you have to get used to their presence here, because…
-Because what? she asked him and her wrath escalated as she sensed his hesitation.
- Because the time has come. We are going to defeat Zerefor. Rubia and Morcant will be our leaders.
-What are you saying? the woman cried, while the others could not utter a sound.
-Yesterday, they met the wise unicorn in the forest under the light of the full moon. They know. They know what had happened in Note City before they were even born. They already know about the barbarous law of Zerefor the Great. And they will soon learn what they don’t know yet. We will do our best to help them. By the next full moon, they will be ready to meet the unicorn again and some of us we will go to the forest with them. The wise unicorn will tell us what we have to do to persuade the other unicorns to return and stay here, on our own clouds.
They all listened to him attentively. Their leaders were younger than their reason could accept. But Aodhan’s passion made their worries disappear. After all, the wise unicorn trusted them as leaders, he surely knew better than anyone else.
-Does anyone want to learn how to play this? one of the men asked and showed his bagpipe to the new members of their team.
- Me, Morcant answered with excitement. We had one in our basement. Maybe we still have it, but my family won't let me get down there. They are scared.
- Don't be unjust to your family. It is hard for anyone to see people sent to jail, and feel the same fear for his beloved ones, he tried to explain to Morcant, while his eyes could not hide his grief.
- Have you seen a nyckelharpa before? another man asked Rubia.
Rubia got really curious. Nyckelharpa? The name reminded her of the harp she had found in her family’s basement, but this one was so different
-Will you teach me? Rubia asked him as she held the instrument in her hands and examined it carefully.
And the lesson began. Every night they gathered in the secret room of Aodhan’s house and then went back to their houses before dawn. And the weeks went by, without any obstacles against the secret team and their plan. The young leaders had taken their mission very seriously. They had to deal with adults; they had to prove their maturity to them. They were determined to convince everybody that they deserved the team's trust.
The first part of the plan was complete two days before the full moon. Fortunately, the secret team managed to have some time to rest before meeting the unicorn. Everyone was satisfied with the two leaders’ progress. And after discussing the meeting with the wise creature and listening to all the opinions, the team decided that those who would go to the forest should be Morcant, Rubia, Aodhan and his niece, Aina, the girl who was initially the most cautious of them all.
As time went by, Aina saw that Rubia and Morcant deserved her trust. And in order to make sure that the trust would be mutual, she explained to them the reason of her first reaction. Many years ago, Aodhan's wife - her aunt - was imprisoned for violating the king’s absurd law. Since then no one had seen her. Aina was afraid that if something went wrong, more people would be sentenced to imprisonment.
The young leaders were reminded one more time that the problems had begun long before they were born. The cautiousness they had to face did not seem irrational to them anymore. After all, they all belonged to the same group now and worked for the same purpose. That was all that mattered to them, not even the words of Aodhan who presented them to the secret team as leaders seemed more important than that.
The night of the full moon finally arrived. When everyone was sleeping, the four that had been chosen went to the forest. The unicorn waited for them at the same spot.
- We are more than you had expected, Rubia rushed to justify Aina's presence.
-I knew she would come. She always cared about her uncle so much, especially after her aunt’s imprisonment, the unicorn replied full of kindness and understanding.
-We're eighteen people altogether, Morcant said.
- Not bad at all. However, you can do better than that. I want each of you to bring one more person to the team. Think of someone you trust, someone good enough to have by your side even in times of war. Think carefully and you will have your answers. Find them and prepare them to help you with your plan. One month is enough. And when the next full moon comes, Note City will become as it was before. You will go out on the central street and play the music you have been preparing for so long. The rest of the city will follow you; after so many years of sadness, they will feel that this is the only way for them. And we will stand on the clouds, watch and protect you, he reassured them, knowing how much they needed to feel that the unicorns would be by their side again.
The unicorn’s words were not what they expected to hear. Nobody had a restful sleep that night. For a long time now they kept their meetings secret in order to build trust among them. And now they had to allow new people into the team. It seemed so difficult and risky, but they could not ignore the unicorn’s advice. They had been waiting for this for so long.
Rubia thought about her grandfather. He was the only one who seemed to suffer from the life he was living. He wanted to fight all this misery, do something to change things. The others around her were also unhappy, but they had learned to live with that pain. When she made up her mind and spoke to him, his face lit up with joy. “I knew this day would come soon. Note City will change. And I will see this before I close my eyes”, he said and Rubia hugged him.
Morcant examined one by one the people around him. He was sure that there was someone who deserved his trust more than the others and could also gain the trust of everybody in the team. Who could be that person? "Leon," he muttered. Leon was one of his cousins. Locked in his room and his world, he preferred the company of his books to the company of other people. He was looking for ways to escape from the reality that had been forced on him; he needed another world, without the darkness that the others accepted as normal. Morcant talked to him, he revealed everything about the secret meetings, the unicorns, the great day that was about to come, he didn't hide anything. Leon smiled. It was the moment when his books and their prophecies came alive before his own eyes. "When do we start?" he asked and his voice was full of serenity and optimism.
At the next meeting, the people that were gathered in Aodhan's house were twice as many as before. Everyone had managed to find someone that could be trusted. The unicorn was right, it was not so difficult. There were brave people around them, people who wanted to change the world that suffocated them and turn it upside down if someone encouraged them to do so. The team accepted the new ones immediately and their training began without any delay. Their enthusiasm had drove away fear and suspiciousness. After all, many of the new ones seemed to be familiar with musical instruments. Zerefor's law was not so powerful after all. It may have forced people to hand over the instruments to the king and watch them burn in the centre of the city, but it did not prevent them from making new ones in secret and keeping them hidden in warehouses and basements.
The night before the full moon, everyone had a rest. They needed to avoid wasting their energy in order to accomplish their mission. When the morning came, everyone went to work like every other day. Aodhan had his mind on Rubia, Morcant and Leon. They did not seem anxious. They didn't participate much during the lesson, but for the next few hours, the lesson could not be their priority.
In the evening, after the whole city had fallen asleep, the group gathered at Aodhan's house and set out for the forest. They stood on the brightest spot and waited. The wise unicorn did not take long to appear. They saw him fly, descend from the clouds and land on the ground in front of them.
-They are waiting for you up in the clouds. They are waiting to hear you play so that they can start dancing. Are you ready? the magical creature asked.
-Yes, we are, they replied almost with one voice, taking courage from his words.
They started playing slowly Cloud-Dance, the ancient melody that could heal every soul, and the unicorn flew back into the clouds. As they marched down the long road that lead from the forest to the city, the music became louder and louder. Up in the sky, the unicorns started dancing to the rhythm of the melody that reached to them. As the group arrived in the city and continued to play their music, people woke up one by one to see what was going on.
"It's raining!" one of the musicians suddenly cried out. The dance of the unicorns gave the miracle everybody needed. A colorful rain was falling on the earth of Note City and it was getting heavier and heavier as the sun sent the darkness away. The raindrops looked like water, but it was an illusion. It was a rain of musical notes that would fall until everything wοuld be covered. The world had to change and go back to the time before Zerefor’s domination, when everyone was happy and no one had a reason to be afraid. "Keep going!" Aodhan encouraged them, "don't stop playing your music!" And his team kept marching on the road, while Rubia and Morcant were leading all the others.
In the meantime, people were getting out of their houses. They could not resist to what was happening outside their doors, they had suffered without music for so long that they could not stay in. Some of them, the most courageous ones, did not hesitate to go out on the road holding musical instruments and following Rubia and Morcant. No, it was impossible to leave themselves out of this.
All this noise reached Zerefor’s palace. Noise? Yes, noise. For King Zerefor, Cloud-Dance was just a noise, an unnecessary distraction, a silly waste of time. So he immediately sent the army to impose order. The crowd saw the army approaching them, but they felt no fear. The musicians continued playing with more enthusiasm. The rest of the crowd began to sing, and the unicorns kept dancing on the clouds.
The soldiers kept marching. However by the time they reached the crowd, the shields and swords had become too heavy in their hands. How could they fight what was happening before them? How? All of them were exhausted, the life Zerefor had enforced upon them was a nightmare that had to end. They had the opportunity to leave their misery behind. Losing it would be worse than a blasphemy.
The army and the crowd stood still for some time, looking at each other and watching the notes fall around them. They stood until the rain stopped and instead of a rainbow, a colorful pentagram appeared. And as the unicorns continued to dance, the notes that filled the lines and spaces created the melody of Cloud-Dance in the sky. Aodhan approached the leader of the army and gave him a calm and determined look.
-What are you going to do? he asked. Throw us all in jail? Command the soldiers to kill us all? What?
Without saying anything, the leader threw his sword and shield to the ground and gave Aodhan his hand. One by one the soldiers threw their weaponry, too. Zerefor, who had not even bothered to follow them, was watching them from his palace that was up on a hill near the city. He was in panic. No, he did not expect to be defeated like that. He was isolated, unwanted in his own kingdom. Alone against all, he found out the hard way, that his throne was useless, without the support of people around him. He rode the first horse he found in front of him and ran away. No one followed or searched for him. Nobody tried to take revenge for all these years, and make Zerefor’s greatest fear come true. There was no room for more cruelty in their souls.
Note City became as it was before and nobody felt fear and misery again. They decided to lead the life they wanted and would never let anyone ruin their happiness again. And years went by and other people were born. And every generation taught the younger ones music and joy. Zerefor's kingdom belonged to the past and the unicorns returned to the clouds of Note City. And several years later, when the land of Note City could not feed them anymore, they scattered to other countries and kept their knowledge and soul alive from generation to generation, while their unicorns followed and protected them.
And when the descendants of those heroic people met in the same city a few generations later, they decided to let music into their lives, following the example of their ancestors who fought Zerefor. And that is how Fantasy Choir was born, a choir that will remind themselves and the world of the secret team of Rubia, Morcant, Leon, Aina and Aodhan. A handful of crazy people who believe that they will change the world, using their scores as a weapon. A handful of people who will look up in the sky every time they sing and see their unicorns dancing to the ancient rhythm of Cloud-Dance and protecting all those who believe in the miracle of music.
Dedicated to Fantasy Choir
You can find the greek version here
Very good!
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