Concerto

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Concerto

Spices hung from the beams of the small shed that the skydancer had rented. The entire hut smelled of sweet, aged fruit and herbs, a scent that hung in the air and permeated the wood. A deal with the local vineyard had permitted the dragon at work a place to concoct and experiment on flavors and types. Casks of wine sat about, dated and aging as their maker sampled a sip from one that had been waiting most of the year before sampling. It was perfect.

Concerto had always been a lover of wine. From the moment she tasted it till she was able to get her hands on her own winemaker’s tools, the skydancer was smitten. The delicacy of the grapes, the science of aging and the creativity of creating flavors spoke to her, calling for her to try her claws at it. And so she did, starting out small and in the small shed rented from a neighbor in her birth clan.

“There you are, ten casks of my special Amour Nights.” Concerto unloaded the cart at the local tavern, taking the coin purse offered to her by the barkeep. She’d created three signature styles: a white, a sherry, and a red. Her red was of course the most popular, coining the name Amour Nights after watching lovers sipping a red when she had been sampling other types at the tavern for ideas. Now it was her wine that lovers sipped along with the rest of her clan within the tavern.

“Thanks, love. Say, I hear you’re planning on traveling?” the barkeep loaded the last cask into the cellar of the tavern and then turned to look at her. Concerto nodded with a soft smile.

“That’s right.” she hummed. “I want to take my wine throughout Sornieth. Maybe sample other regions’ delicacies.” she grinned a little at the thought of drinking a white in the south, near the Water Flight’s territory with some baked fish. The barkeep chuckled.

“Well, we’ll miss you lass.” He tapped the cask. “And our patrons will miss your wine.”

The thought had crossed Concerto’s mind when she decided to head out on her travels. She was fond of her home, and fond of the people she had come to call her friends within it. Her life had started, the life of her wine business within its walls. But she also wished to grow her knowledge and to expand. She wanted to taste the wine of other places within the world, wanted to take her casks of her own to different clans and settlements and see the same look of delight and enjoyment cross the faces of others. There was much for her to learn and perfect, and so Concerto began her travels.

She set herself up with a small cart that allowed her to carry several casks of her three wines. She would stop in different clans and take root for a little while, tasting the wines they provided and trading her own. If she stayed around long enough she would even make regional specials with the grapes grown there. She’d built a bit of a name for herself in her travels, heading towards the Clan Embellished after leaving her last stop. It was there that she settled for a little while, selling her wine to the local taverns as she set up shop yet again and began to make more. Amour Nights had of course been very popular amongst the clan, but so had her white called Crystal Stars for the light and crisp taste that many felt was what a drop of stardust would taste like. Word of her popularity grew, reaching the ear of the monarch.

Concerto was brought before the monarch Forseti. The Coatl had heard all about her creations, her interests piqued at the wish to sample the wine that Concerto had made. The skydancer presented her casks, pouring a few glasses and awaiting the Monarchs approval with bated breath. It wasn’t unheard for her to be requested in the presence of a clan’s leader, but Clan Embellished was not the same type of clan that Concerto had visited before. Many were small, many had an elder council that led them. She never thought that the Monarch of Clan Embellished would request her as an audience.

“This is your red, is it not?” Forseti asked.

“It is, your majesty.” the coatl sipped at it again.

“It’s delightful.” Concerto let out the breath she held.

“Thank you, your majesty.” Forseti seemed to consider her next words carefully before placing down the glass.

“I’d like to offer you a position.” she spoke. Concerto blinked for a moment.

“Pardon?” Forseti smiled a little at the skydancer.

“If you’d like to stay within the clan of course, you would be well received. Though,” the coatl swirled the glass in her claws. “I think you’ve already won most of us over. Think it over, you are welcome here regardless.”

Concerto did need time to think on it. She had thought to travel throughout the world would be her heart’s desire, tasting the different wines that she came across and learning new techniques to make her own. But the idea of settling down and being part of a clan permanently was a bit of a surprise. Over the weeks she thought about it, continuing her work but also taking in the sights of the clan. She perused the different taverns, listened to the stories and the bards that played. One such dragon that she found herself enjoying the company of was Meliora, a bogsneak that worked as a navigator for the clan. The two grew close, with Meliora being the bug in Concerto’s ear that convinced her to buy a building in the clan. She requested it be permitted to become a tavern that would sell her wine, cementing her decision to remain in Clan Embellished. It was of course approved, allowing the skydancer to settle down and create her wine while operating a place for dragons to come and partake. Word spread of her tavern not just within the clan but out to others, causing many dragons to come and visit the clan just to enjoy the taste of Concerto’s special wines.