Chapter 59

 Leorin and Sara stood in the wings and watched as the audience streamed into the theater and began to take their seats. Although they would not be on stage for this performance, their paws were sweaty and their hearts pounding from stage-fright and with good reason. After all, the play that was being put on this evening was not just any play, but their play; the one they had written, and it was  in this theater, one of many in Zafol, that it would have its premiere.

It was in Leorin's head that the idea of writing a play had first taken form. He had shared his ambition with Sara, who had asked if she could help out. Leorin accepted, but only on the terms that they would both stand as co-authors and so, their collaboration began. Their first object was to decide what the play would be about. After some discussion and throwing ideas back and forth, before Sara came up with the idea to let the play be based on real-life. Not ancient history, but something that had happened fairly recently. Leorin understood immediately what she meant and the two of them started working on their project in earnest. They kept on working on the play whenever they had some free time and, after nearly a month of intense labor, the cat and the porcupine decided that it was time to present their opus to Eramus.

At the time, the troupe was staying at a hotel in a town whose role in our narrative is so minor that it's not worth mentioning here. Having first checked that Eramus had not gone out, Sara and Leorin went to his room and knocked on the door. It opened and Eramus appeared in the doorway.

"What can I do for you, my young friends?" The Faun asked, with a jovial smile on his face.

"We have written a play" Sara announced, taking the lead. "Show him, Leo" she added, giving her boyfriend a light nudge.

At his girlfriend's prompting, Leorin took out the notebook he had held behind his back, the notebook which contained the fruits of his and Sara's efforts and showed it to Eramus.

"We would like for you to tell us what you think" he said.

"Gladly" Eramus replied. "I can't read it at the moment I'm afraid, but I promise to get to it as soon as I'm alone."

Sara and Leorin looked past the faun's shoulder and saw that Eramus was not alone in his room; Rufus and Griselda were there as well, alongside two persons neither of them recognized: One of them was a feline with corkscrew-shaped whiskers, the other was a bulldog wearing a monocle.

Having taken the notebook out of Leorin's paws, Eramus gave the young playwrights a nod each and closed the door. 

"Who do you think that was?" Leorin asked, as they walked down the corridor.

"No idea" Sara replied, "but I have a feeling that we'll find out soon enough."

The Porcupine's feeling turned out to be correct. In the evening, just as everyone was seated for dinner, Eramus suddenly tapped the side of his glass with his knife, asking for everyone's attention. He then revealed to them that he had been visited by two persons hailing from the Kingdom of Zafol.

"That's on the Eastern Continent", one actor remarked.

"Correct" Eramus said, raising his glass to the actor's geographical knowledge. "They are the co-owners of a theater there, which they want us to perform at." 

The Faun paused, letting his words sink in. Then, having taken a sip of wine, he continued.

"At any rate, I have decided to accept their offer."

This announcement gave away to a buzz of excitement around the table. Although the majority of the actors had visited most of the countries on the Western Continent, very few of them had set foot on its eastern counterpart.

"So, when do we leave?" Another actor asked. 

It was Rufus who answered.

"The Day after tomorrow"  the fox said. "That is, if things go as planned. We need to look over the ship and refill our provisions."

"Another thing" said Eramus. "We will have a brand new play to perform at the theater."

This was big news, perhaps even bigger then travelling to another continent. It had been many years since the troupe had added a new play to its repertoire.

"What kind of play is it?" Someone asked.

"Its a drama" replied the troupe-leader, stroking his tiny beard. "Based on real events, I believe. As a matter of fact, its authors are present among us, at this very moment." 

And that, to make a long story short, was why Sara and Leorin were currently waiting with bated breath for their play to begin. Leorin moved his gaze up towards the balconies and as he did, he let out a gasp of surprise.

"What is it, Leo?" Sara whispered.

"Up there, on the balcony!" Leorin whispered back, his voice trembling with emotion. 

Sara followed the direction Leorin's finger was pointing in, until her eyes reached its target. There, seated in one of the balconies, wearing a blue dress and talking to someone Sara did not recognize, was a person that neither she nor Leorin had seen in five years. 

"Incredible" the porcupine whispered, shaking her head in disbelief (something which prompted a sudden yelp from Leorin as her quills pricked him). "It really is her. What are the odds?

She did not get more time to ponder this question, for in that moment , the curtain rose and Eramus stepped out on stage. The Play was about to begin.

*****

The Tragic Death of King Narash of Livoni, told the tale of a wise and just King who was murdered along with the rest of his family, by his favored daughter. Who wanted his throne for herself and had tired of waiting for the old fool to expire from natural causes. The Traitorous Princess then took control of the Kingdom and began oppressing its people. However, all was not lost; another of the King's daughters, had managed to escape the massacre, having been warned by the children of the country's foremost General. Together, the surviving Princess and the siblings managed to sneak out of the palace and board a ship bound for distant lands.

After he had finished reading the play, Eramus had showed it to Rufus and Griselda, with the latter commenting that they had better be careful not to perform it on Vinolian soil, since it was bound to arouse the ire of that nation's head of state.

"And I for one, do not intend to end my days in some roach-filled dungeon, dahling" the sow had informed Eramus. He, in turn had assured her that he would make sure that such a thing would never take place, even though he had always been of the opinion that an actor's mission should be not merely to entertain people, but to shake them up as well and put a tack on the seats of those in power. 

For the moment, however, Vinoli was far away and all the actors gave their utmost to bring the story penned by Sara and Leorin to life. About an hour later, the curtain fell on the first act and the director announced that there would be a ten minute intermission, to give the audience a chance to stretch their legs.

"A fine play" Kiros remarked, with the air of a seasoned theater-goer. "Perhaps the dialogue is a bit stilted in certain places, but the performances sell it. Its a shame that the others weren't interested in coming with us."

"Indeed" Risha agreed. She rose from her seat. "Will you excuse me? I need to...powder my nose."

Shortly afterwards, the female lynx was about to return to her seat, business taken care of, when a voice called out to her:

"Risha! Is that really you?"

It was a voice that, although somewhat altered by the years gone by, was instantly recognizable to Risha and although she had come to the theater expecting to hear it and had even intended to seek out its owner, she was not prepared for the emotions that welled up in her at this moment. 

Tears were obscuring her vision. She wiped them away and turned around. 

"Yes, Leo" she said, and smiled. "Its me."