GIVE ME FANTASY!RALBERT pls ily
I gotchu. I had too much fun writing this
Pairing: Ralbert (Human!Albert and Dragon!Race)
Genre: Fantasy / Songshot
Note: This fic is best read while listening to the song Soldier, Poet, King by the Oh Hellos.
That was the last thing Albert ever expected to hear. He looked up from the lute he held carefully in his hands, his fingers ghosting the tuning pegs. It was a nice instrument, one of the things he had swiped during the day. Although he barely tested it, it seemed to work pretty well.
"You... You don't know what music is?" He asked, expression quickly becoming one of shock.
"No, what is it?" Race watched Albert expectantly.
Albert stared at the dragon, barely able to process the fact the creature was asking such a thing. He expected Race to know a lot about music. After all, he’d been around for thousands of years. A sentient creature should know, especially if they’ve been around for so long.
With a quick glance around, Albert found barely anyone was nearby. Those who were weren’t within earshot. It was disappointing to say the least, throwing Albert’s idea out the window. Not too far off was the small town he had just stolen from, but that was it.
A few seconds passed before Albert continued. “It’s like… It makes you feel things. Sounds strung together in a way to get you to react.” He tilted his head slightly as he spoke. “Whether you want to dance or cry or clap along. It can make you do a lot.”
Race watched Albert for a few moments, his gaze boring straight into Albert.
“So humans do not need to experience pain to feel things?”
“No?” Albert’s tone was questioning as he frowned. “Why would we need to feel pain? We feel things all the time.”
Shrugging his shoulders, the dragon flopped back to the ground. "Humans and dragons are different. The way we feel is different. Dragons have no time or use for excess emotions."
Albert stared at Race incredulously. He genuinely could not believe anything he was being told. He stood there for a moment, scoffing as he turned away. His nails slid along the strings of the lute as he picked at them. The soft echo of the musical instrument was the only thing to break through the short silence.
How is he supposed to handle this?
His gaze drifted to the town and he grinned. He had a new idea.
Albert turned around and grabbed Race by the wrist. Tugging the dragon to his feet, Albert began to pull him along. "You're coming with me."
The dragon stumbled at first, clumsy and off balance. This didn’t bother Albert in the slightest as he simply pulled Race along.
"What're we supposed to be doing? Are you kidnapping me again?"
"I'm not-" Albert stopped walking to look back at Race. "I'm not kidnapping you again. Just come on." He continued to drag the dragon to the city, already exasperated. If this didn't go according to plan, he wouldn’t be happy.
"Okay. Well where are we going?" Race asked.
“To the city,” Albert said simply. He offered no other explanation as they approached the arching buildings of homes and storefronts.
It wasn’t too big of a city. If Albert had to guess, maybe 1000 people lived within the limits. Many who occupied the town were merely merchants and travelers crossing the prairie. It was constantly bustling and full of life, even during the night. Passerbys came and went every hour of the day, leaving no time to rest for the denizens.
Just now, it was the early evening. The loud voices of hundreds of people radiated through the streets. Merchant stands were set up along the main road, boasting colors of all kinds to try and attract customers. Greens, blues, purples, pinks. Everywhere were cloths and banners and tapestries adorned with gleaming fabrics and threads.
Albert kept his hand wrapped around the dragon’s wrist as he tried to find a good area. If he was going to do this, he needed to make sure he didn’t disrupt the flow of the market.
His search for a perfect spot was interrupted by a small child rushing up to him, two more in tow. The girl looked up at him with wide eyes, practically vibrating with excitement. She looked like she was about to explode with joy and Albert was mildly terrified.
The girl immediately pointed at the lute in Albert’s hand. “Can you play?!”
The ginger nodded, brows furrowing with confusion. “Yeah?”
The girl gasped and the other two children were beaming. The simple answer seemed to be the light of their little lives.
“Can you play something?”
Albert glanced over at Race, the dragon watching curiously. The blue haired boy tilted his head, looking down at Albert with the same kind of wonder as the kids.
Looking back at the girl, Albert smiled. “Of course.” He let go of Race, readjusting his hold on the instrument. It’s been a while since he’s done anything like this. Months, maybe almost a year now. It’s not like he hadn’t played in the time, just not for a group. He didn’t have much access to instruments in his line of work.
He looked down at the children, offering them a small smile as he strung the cords. It was a simple melody yet a recognisable one. Light and flowy, loud enough for those around to hear and grow curious. Eyes turned in his direction and the little girl gawked up at him.
A man nearby perked up at the tune just in the corner of Albert’s eyes. It barely took more than a couple seconds for him to rush over, dragging with him a couple of boxes. He sat them down and soon enough, the solid syncopated beat that fit so perfectly with Albert’s playing resonated in the air.
And then a sound Albert thought he would never share with the world came into fruition.
“There will come a soldier who carries a mighty sword.” He smiled softly at the three kids before him. “He will tear your city down, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord. O’ lei o’ lai, o’ lei’ o’ lord. He will tear your city down, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord.”
He couldn’t keep himself from being animated, swaying around with each word he sang and leaning forward from time and time to get the kids more engaged. The music continued, the short instrumental break allowing him to relax for a short moment.
As he did this, more townsfolk started to gather. Their curiosity boosted Albert’s confidence, allowing him to straighten out and move a round just a bit more.
“There will come a poet whose weapon is his word.” He side stepped around the man pounding out the vibrating beat, barely darting out of the way for the two men who moved in to join the first. “He will slay you with his tongue, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord. O’ lei, o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lord. He will slay you with his tongue, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord.”
As more people gathered, the song seemed to grow stronger. More people were stomping along to the beat while others added the harmony they knew by heart. Wordless voices joined along with the strum of the lute and the beat of the makeshift drums as adults began to dance around.
The gaggle of children grew quite a bit, all of them dancing around in the large circle that had formed around Albert and Race. Some older teens joined in as well, a young lady grabbing Race by the arm and pulling her along with him.
The dragon’s footing stuttered as he was moved, confused as to what was going on. He glanced at Albert, pleading and looking for help.
He sent a beaming smile in the direction of the drummers, nodding a short thank you.
“There will come a ruler whose brow is laid in thorn. Smeared with oil like David's boy, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord.” The crowd’s voices merged with his own, twisting together into a pleasant and happy medley. “O’ lei, o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lord. Smeared with oil like David's boy, o’ lei o’ lai o’ lord. O’ lei, o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lord.”
Albert spun around, the metal sole of his boot digging into the dirt path. When he came to a stop, he stomped his foot down and grinned at the woman before him. “He will tear your city down, o’ lei o’ lai… o’!” He dipped forward a bit with the final o’ before springing back up as his pitch lifted.
Instantly the music picked up. The crowd grew more lively as more citizens streamed into the circle of dancing children. Soon enough, Albert found himself dancing around with them, giddy with the rush of adrenaline. It was a struggle to keep from laughing, his own excitement getting the better of him.
At one point, he made eye contact with Race. The dragon seemed shocked in a way Albert couldn’t place, Race’s own smile dropping for a moment as he stared.
But, alas, the moment was broken as Albert whirled away.
Everyone got involved now. High voices of children and low voices of men intermingled with Albert’s own. The simply three words of the melody gracefully whisking their way out into the air.
“O’ lei o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lai, o’.”
Albert watched as nearby children tried to sing along, stumbling over the words time and time again. It was adorable.
He watched as the girl who initially grabbed Race taught the dragon the simple dance a majority of the teenagers were doing. There were only a couple steps as flamboyant as they were. Her dress twirled around her, splaying out with each twist and turn.
Her face was bright and her eyes were gleaming. Although her laughter was drowned out by the music, Albert could see the shake of her shoulders as Race stumbled over his own feet.
“O’ lei o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lai, o’.”
For the final verse, Albert climbed up a nearby cart of hay. With a couple short hops, he was to the top of the stack, a large grin adorning his features. It was amazing being able to look down on the crowd that had formed.
He forgot how nice it was.
“O’ lei o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lai, o’ lei, o’ lai, o’!”
With one final strum of the lute, the song was over.
Albert had never been so proud as he was in that moment.
