Chapter Text
The lone woodsman hardly slept at all that night in anticipation of hearing that delicious voice of the mysterious bard he heard the night before. What sleep he did get was filled with images of those bright green eyes digging into his soul. The voice, the lyrics causing him to wake with a soft whimper of loss. It was still dark out but he smiled and eagerly tossed the overs off, bounding out of bed he tiptoed over to the hearth and stirred the coals there back to life. It was chilly but his spirit was afire.
He quickly ate a small breakfast not wanting to have too full of a belly for his trip back to town.
Stepping outside his cabin in nothing more than his raggedy trousers he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He loved the way the cold air made his senses heighten and his skin goosebump all over. He stayed like that till his thoughts were clear. When he opened his eyes the sky had begun to glow a faint pink in the direction of the rising sun. A slight breeze rustled the autumn leaves on the ground and a few remaining in the trees. It stirred the raven feathered hair on his head.
It was time to journey into the town to see and to hear what he beheld to be the most beautiful soul he had ever met.
The bard quietly climbed onto the stage, he smiled to a few people gathered faithfully there to hear him sing once more. The village square was nearly empty, people were just getting up and ready for the day. Birds started to flock and chirp, roosters strutted in their pens crowing at the new dawn.
The sky was turning ever lighter shades of pink blue and gold. Clearing his throat he pulled his mandolin from its sack and strummed it softly while humming each string. Pulling back his black fur trimmed hood he tucked a few long strands of his hair back up under his knitted hat. He once more looked up and found a few more folks had gathered at the bottom of the stage. Drawing a deep breath of the chilly air he started to sing.
“I'm drained but aching for more and the devil inside is reading the words of the saddest poem to be engraved on the stone of my grave,” the lyrics hung in the air as misty clouds of his breath.
He nearly lost his train of thought when a stirring of feathers made him look to the side at a raven that had come to perch on a beam that held up once side of the stage. It's had a gold coin in it's beak.
Blinking to focus, he continued to sing, “I'd kill to share your pain and sell my soul for you just to say,
I dream what your dreaming and feel what you're feeling, love's our shadow on the wall with the face of God,”
He looked up while strumming the riff to the song, nearly as many people as there were yesterday had gathered, all silent and soaking up the bard's music with impassioned expression. He shot the raven a glance and to his amusement it had edged closer to him. It's head was bowed down to him, dark green eyes solely on him. Wait----dark green eyes? The bard fumbled a note on the mandolin but no one seemed to notice. He bit his lip and focused once more on the song.
“Nothing will be enough for the ones who keep on stumbling in the garden of withering trust without the courage to leave. Id' take my life for your kiss and lose it all to take you across the abyss.” He forced himself to close his eyes and not look at the raven who's gaze he felt drilling into him as he sang the chorus again. He drew out the last notes of the song in is lowest baritone voice, opening his eyes, not looking at the crowd but the raven now crouching at his feet, one scaly black foot on the coin in a way most un-natrual. It blinked and cocked it's head at him mouth slightly agape.
The crowd startled him back to where he was. Cries and pleading for more of his songs. Even the raven at his feet cowed softly ruffing it's feathers in agreement.
The sun had just risen above the tree line with the light shining now more golden and clear on the village square. The bard nodded, cleared his throat once again and proceeded to sing another of his tunes.
The raven took to nesting on the stage off to the side of the bard's booted feet closing it's eyes and relaxing inward on itself, content and blissful. Rich vocals and gifted strumming swaddled anything with in ear-shot in a bliss unlike anything ever known. Haunting melody, lyrics of pain, love and possible redemption from it all echoed in the many gathered there. Including the raven with it's eyes closed rocking ever so slightly back and forth in it's nested position.
For how long the bard played he didn't know but there came the time when the music stopped and the rich voice bidding the crowd a farewell startled the raven awake. With a mild squawk of protest it sprung to it's feet and hopped back a bit from the bard as he bowed to the people in the crowd. Again, coins and trinkets of payment were flung up onto the stage from all directions. The raven took wing to the rafters overhead and watched as the bard picked up only a few of the many coins, including the one left by the raven, leaving the trinkets where they lay. He put his mandolin into it's pack and waving with a smile that beamed brighter than the sunrise he bowed once more and made his way off the stage quickly. Some people in the crowd wailed for more, a few others trying to get past the partition that separated the crowd from the backstage area.
The raven watched from it's vantage point the bard light up a smoke and make his way quickly down a side street and round a corner. A second later it was air-born, up over the buildings and scanning the streets below.
For long desperate moments the raven circled over the area where it last saw the bard making his way, sharp eyes seeing many faces but not the one he was now frantically searching for. Cawing in disappointment it flew to a large oak on the hill overlooking the small town to wait and ponder the bard's whereabouts.
A short while later it was startled out of its sentry on the top branches of the tree by a familiar humming from a tall thin figure drawing closer. Without a second thought the raven swooped down with a chortling caw and landed in the path just ahead of the bard blocking his way.
“Hmm? Oh it's you!” The bard stopped, greeted the raven and bowed to it. “Thank you for your coin, I am glad you enjoyed my music so much!” His face scrunched, scrutinizing the bird. “Tho a raven bearing money is quite an odd thing I must say. Then again, here I am talking to it!” The black make-up rimmed green eyes peered out from under the deep hood at the raven who hopped up and down at the complement. The bard's mouth twisted in amusement as he burst out laughing.
“My gods, y-you understand me?” He squatted down and peered at the large black bird as it sidled closer to him with it's own funny walk that only an enamored raven could do.
A guttural caw and fluffing of feathers was the bard's reply causing him to erupt into manic laughter his eyebrows rising in disbelief. “I'll be damned, you are a smart one aren't you? Are you some one's pet? A familiar perhaps?”
The raven shook it's head in reply.
“Hmmm you....you gotta come and have a picnic lunch with me!!” The bard blurted out, stood and held out his arm inviting the raven to perch on it. The moment the bard extended his arm the raven alighted and came to land on it, it's eyes gleaming in what could only be pure joy.
“I can't help but notice you have.....green eyes, I bet you are not a wild raven are you? In fact you can't be a wild raven else you would not even be near a human if you were.” The bard smirked at the raven as he made his way up the hill to the oak tree said raven was perched in earlier. He laughed when the raven's eyes widened and turned it's head away as if avoiding the prying comment.
“Very well then, be that way oh bird of mystery. Ravens always did puzzle and delight me. Now, this looks like a decent spot for a bite to eat!” He stopped at the top of the hill and as he set down his pack of goods and the other with the mandolin the raven hopped from his arm and watched as his new friend set about spreading a blanket to sit on and enjoy the sunny autumn afternoon feast. The raven watched without blinking as the bard took his thick concealing cloak off to reveal a sleeveless shirt, many interesting tattoos and a striking lean figure clad in patchwork many times mended clothing. Feeling those bird eyes on him in a most un-natural way he flashed a smile, adjusting the frayed scarf around his neck.
“Where are my manners, my name is Ville, Ville Hermani Valo.” He sat cross-legged on the blanket, patting beside him for the raven to join. Hopping over eagerly the bird bobbed it's head in reply to the name. The Ville scratched at the knitted beanie on his head. “Hmm, what is your name....” his eyes searched the sky for a moment then he exclaimed squinting at the bird at his side. “I know, Lintu!! I will call you Lintu. You know what that means?”
The raven flapped it's wings and cawed excitedly. It knew, this Ville spoke the same language from the North Lands! Ville chuckled reaching for a sack that held food and drink, “Of course you do, Lintu! Now, let's eat drink and be merry for a while!”