The time ticked away slowly, and even though there were another couple of very nice performances, in the meantime my mind was already occupied with my own performance that was coming up soon.
When Aleksei and I arrived at the Art-deco studio where I was performing, I noticed it was completely packed. I don’t think any of the 156 seats were left, and the tv-crew was running around to make sure they could cover all angles. Not that that was anything near the number of people that Nastya and Sara had played for in a half-packed main hall, but it still left quite the impression to have to play in a fully packed hall.
I heard a lot of gossip about me being Aleksei Fjodorov’s student and Nastya Fjodorov’s rival coming from the crowd. Apparently, somebody had posted about that on Twitter, and it had made the rounds inside of the concert hall pretty quickly after that. It was clear that the crowd was expecting something amazing.
The old me would have shivered at the idea of playing in a hall like this, but my goal wasn’t to please these people. Getting reunited with Lise was all that mattered.
The second I touched Rosalinde, I could feel that she was excited to play in this old hall. Well, in her eyes this must be still pretty new and stylish since she is a lot older than this building.
“Ghosts do not age so I am not old. I am still 14! Of course, I am excited to play in a beautiful place like this! Who wouldn’t?” Rosalinde, the 200-year-old ghost, scowled inside of my head at my thoughts. I imagined the pout on her face as she said that, and it brought a little smile to my face.
“And try not to touch me when you have those kinds of thoughts!” I instantly started blushing. How unfair that she could read my mind. Aleksei interpreted my blush as stage fright and said, “Just ignore them all and focus on the music.” It was the most generic thing I ever heard him say. Could he be nervous himself? I observed him and noticed a couple of sweat pearls and his controlled breathing. He was keeping it at bay, but he seemed pretty nervous about my performance too. I guess the world was watching to see how Aleksei Fjodorov’s first student would perform.
I remembered how Lise used to always help me calm down whenever I had to go on stage. But not this time. This time it was my turn to be there for Lise and bring her back so we could be together once again. This time I would not let her go.
Aleksei left me to present my pieces to the jury. All the jury members were acting very amiable toward Aleksei. I could see they were doing their best to butter him up, but again, he wasn’t doing anything to come over amicable and I could see that irked a couple of the jury members.
The jury was looking with big eyes at my scores. I could imagine their shock that I was going to be playing arrangements I made myself in a contest. I was the only one here today that had taken a risk like that. I noticed them questioning Aleksei about that and I could hear him get mad from where I was standing on the stage when he shouted, “Just listen to her play, and you will understand!”
I could see the sour faces on some of the jury panel’s faces. Nice way to calm your student down, Aleksei… While I prepared my chair, I noticed that Aunt Christina and Ms. Vanderstuck were sitting together in the front row. Aunt Christina waved at me when she noticed me. This felt still as embarrassing as it had always been, but at the same time, it felt comforting to know that she was there.
When I finished Rosalinde’s final tuning, the hall grew eerily silent. I could feel the tension when I picked up my bow to start and play Bach’s first cello suite. I released a rollercoaster of feelings inside of my play. The entire road to get to this point. The struggles with keeping my sanity, the times I lost it, but mostly my hope and wish to be reunited with the ones that I lost. Rosalinde went with me and showed me that more and more ghosts were entering the hall. “The power of your music attracts them.” She said to me, to boost my confidence.
When the applause died down, I said to the crowd “I’d like to dedicate the next song to my late mother who used to sing this for me when I was a child.” A murmur went through the crowd. Remembering mom’s words of departure, I smiled tenderly at Aunt Christina and gave her a little nod, before closing my eyes as I started to play my own version of Solveig’s song. Instantly the hall grew quiet again. My tears ran down my face as I realized how much I missed my mom. I did not want to miss her, but this was the faith we had been dealt. This song was for her, and every time I missed her, I knew that I would play this song to remember her. I could almost hear her singing it with me. By the time I played the final note and opened my eyes, I could see several people in the crowd had gotten emotional, including Aunt Christina, who was crying on Ms. Vanderstuck's shoulder.
I wiped the tears from my own eyes, while thunderous applause roared through the crowd. Now the time had finally arrived. I felt my hands shake a little. This was the moment I had been working for. “My final piece is something I promised the person closest to me in the whole world that I would play if I ever played on a big stage. I am happy that I get to fulfill that promise.” I announced.
"You finally get your own version that was really written solely for you," I whispered to Lise, in the hope that she would hear me.
I closed my eyes again and started playing Für Elise.
My feelings for Lise inside burst out and I made the song a celebration of the time we spent together. Way too short, but it was our time. Nobody else but me would remember all those little moments we shared, and I poured them all into this performance. I remembered all her little quirks and gestures, the way she always saved me when I needed her help. I was so hopeless without her; her presence was the thing that completed me.
Slowly but surely, I started to feel Lise’s presence next to me. She did not need to touch me for me to know that she was here. I moved on to the dramatic part where I projected everything, that I felt during the accident to then arrive at the same song, but lonely. Longing for a time that would never return. I basked in the memory of her kisses, her embrace, and the way she held my hand until I reached the final note.
Rosalinde was shaking and I felt powerful surges coming out of her. As I opened my eyes, I noticed everything turned black, and this time we were standing in an empty space. I could see myself in the concert hall where time seemed to have stopped. The only difference was, that Lise was with us in this room.
I wanted to run toward her, and take her in my arms. This was the embrace I waited for all this time after all. Tears were running down my eyes. “I missed you so much!”
“I know.” I noticed that I had become taller than Lise who was still her 14-year-old self, but that did not matter. When I almost reached her Rosalinde shouted “STOP!” and made a weird gesture with her hand and a second later there was a barrier between Lise and me. There was no longer a way to reach her.
Lise looked scared at Rosalinde. What on earth was going on?
“What is going on? Why are you stopping us?”
“I am honoring our pact now. I will make her stay with you until she fulfilled her promise.”
“Explain it to her.” Lise then said to Rosalinde. “That’s right dear. I was getting to that point. There are a couple of rules you must be aware of and some rules you must never break unless you want to make Lise suffers for all eternity.”
I gulped. Normally I would have thought someone was joking when they said "suffer for all eternity" with such a flair for the dramatic, but I could sense that Rosalinde was 100% serious.
“Although Lise is here, I am afraid you can never be lovers like you were again. There is a reason that marriage is only until death parts you. The living and the death cannot be bonded. This is not just ceremonial. Intercourse and even kissing are strictly off-limits. If you break this rule, Lise will suffer for it, and depending on the situation, one of you might even be weakened so much that you will never see each other again. The only way around this would be for you to join this side.”
So, I had to die if I wanted to be Lise’s lover again. I know I promised Aleksei… but this offer was very tempting. The strong emotions that started from my wish to join Lise were taking me over, and I felt driven toward suicide. Not out of despair, but as a means to an end. I would have everything I wanted I would just die.
“You promised you wouldn’t tell her that. Fleure, I forbid that option. I gave my life so you could live!” Lise said suddenly in a panic, and she slapped me in the middle of my chest. Suddenly I fell to the ground feeling really tired. The strong emotions had dissipated.
“It’s not as simple as that. If you would kill yourself, the consequences would be dire, and we would not be together either.” She then turned toward Rosalinde “No more games like this. You know what this place does to her. She is not used to being in her pure form.”
She looked angrily at Rosalinde, who smiled in a way as if she had just pulled a prank. “I was still getting to that part. As Lise said, don’t commit suicide. Terrible things happen to those souls.” That immediately made me think of Nastya’s father. Didn't he do just that?
Rosalinde then continued, ignoring Lise’s angry stare. “I’ve put that barrier up for a reason. Ghost touches are different. As you have noticed when Lise touched you, she ate part of your vital energy cleansing you of those dark emotions. When I ate your tears, I could read your memories, and even absorb parts of your emotions and soul to fuel my powers. I also used the same trick to stabilize you once, but if you start hugging and kissing, your soul will soon erode, and Lise will literally devour your soul. You will end up as a soulless plant.”
She wasn’t kidding when she said things would not be the same again.
“I will now make my offer to the two of you. I can bind Lise’s soul to this cello until she fulfilled her promise. But I want to know from Lise if she is willing to pay the price that comes from this.”
Lise looked downward and I could see that this offer was a severe emotional burden for her.
"The real question is “Do you trust me and Fleure?”"
Lise looked back up. I recognize that look in her eyes and I could see she found her resolve. She looked into my eyes and said “Please remember that I am doing this for you. I cannot bear to see you suffer like that anymore.”
“Excellent. This is all so beautiful. Things are finally going to liven up around here.”
Then Rosalinde clapped her hands, and I could see glowing chains entrap Lise. She screamed out in pain. I wanted to help her, and even though she was close, there was no way could reach her. Every step I took removed Lise an extra step from me. Rosalinde on the other hand did not seem to have the same problem. She walked up to Lise and put a collar around her neck. As soon as it was closed a bright light flashed and after that, the chains dissipated, and Lise fell completely out of energy on the floor.
“You are now bound to me,” Rosalinde said solemnly to Lise “Then she looked at me. “The ceremony is completed. It is time for you to go back now. Lise will be with you whenever you play, just like I am."
I wanted to ask more questions, but the room started turning and before I knew it, I was again playing the last note of Fur Elise and thunderous applause raged through the room. Some people even proceeded into giving me a standing ovation.
As I stood up to bow to the audience, I noticed the engraving in the cello had changed. It no longer just said “Rosalinde” but it had changed into Lise & Rosalinde and I could feel her presence. I was no longer alone. Lise was really here with me.
Did I surprise you?
@topoko
Nah. This will be it
things went better than I thought, though I already forgot the pact, was to make Fleure a "celebrity" or for her to "move on". Won't lie the idea of killing itself to be together isn't an idea I would refuse myself I guess(don't attack me pls).
what Rosalinde wants is the main question.
thanks for the chapter.
the pact is about giving Lise the chance to keep her promise to make Fleure happy.
Yes, there most certainly is more to Rosalinde than meets the eye...
Thank you for reading Trunk.