His life had been so full violence and plotting for a long time, hard but worth it. This chance to play a song for someone he held in high regard lifted his heart.
The clasps on the case clicked open and Aodh smiled, he always loved that sound, he remembered when his da had opened it to show it to him the first time when he was a child.
Aodh took the Elzo Mandolin from its red velvet bed, again the soft light of the backroom danced on it’s embellishments.
He looked to Ava and smile, pride clear on his face.
“This is the Elzo Mandolin, it’s been in m’ family for generations. After my brother..”
He let out a breath, no not yet, he wasn’t ready to tell her about Cinad yet.
“When I left the kint, my da gave it to me. Anyway, here’s me carrying on when I said I’d play a song.”
Aodh smiled, cleared his throat and took up the mandolin and began to play.
The tune was soft and sweet, and filled the room like the warm glow of candles. Then he started to sing, his voice soft and low, filled with the same warmth, though it carried a sorrow with it.
“Oh, this heart is a foolish one it's, never worked right
it beats so loudly it keeps me awake in the night and it
forces me out of bed, pacing my floor instead
longing for things to which it has no right
and no whiskey or wine, can it swage.
My poor ludicrous heart as it, rattles the bars, rattles the bars of its cage.”
As Aodh performed once more his heart swelled in his chest and that old peace came to him again.
“Oh it speaks so persuasively it, argues convincingly it
drags me along where it wants me to go and it
bellows and yells and it sings and it wails and it
cries out and gestures and puts on a show
oh it thinks, the whole world, is a stage.”
With eyes closed he played, his fingers picked up the tune.
“Oh and sometimes it feels, like it must weigh a hundred pounds
sometimes it's light so much lighter than air oh but always
it wants too much, eats too much, feels too much
loves so much more than just one heart can bear
and sometimes in a piteous rage
My poor ludicrous heart it just, rattles the bars, rattles the bars of its cage.
Yeah my ludicrous heart it just rattles the bars,
rattles the bars, rattles the bars of its cage.”
As reached the end of the song and the last notes fade he opens his eyes and they shone briefly with un shed tears, he blinked them away. Before he looked at Ava, it felt right somehow that she so should be the first to hear that song. Rather than a bunch of galdori who wouldn’t have appreciated it.
He laid the mandolin across his lap and asked.
“How’d you like it? It might still need some polishin' maybe.”