In the town square, which was already beginning to fill up with crowds preparing for the festival, Jonte sat on his small stool outside one of the town's local banks, his fiddle resting on his chin as he slowly began to slide the bow up and down the strings, singing a woeful song as he did. 

[i]“'Come, slack your horse,' cries George,
'Come slack it for a while,
For I think I see my father
Coming over yonder style.'

'Did you bring gold?
Did you bring silver to set me free?
For to keep my body from the cold gaol wall
And me neck from the high gallows tree.'

'I've no gold,
I've no silver to set you free,
But I have come for to see you hang,
Oh, hang upon the high gallows tree.'

Oh, the prickle-holly bush, it pricks, it pricks,
Oh, it pricks my heart full sore
And if ever I get out of the prickle-holly bush
I'll never get in there any more."[/i]

It was difficult to sing while playing, especially as the bottom of his violin began to dig into his throat, and his voice was strained and quiet, but he continued on no less. By his left boot was his violin case, with a small piece of paper resting against it saying "If you like the music, a coin would be appreciated'. Sure enough, there were several coins in the case, and every so often, a person would walk past and toss a coin in.

[i]“'Come, slack your horse,' cries George,
'Come slack it for a while,
For I think I see my mother
Coming over yonder style.'

'Did you bring gold?
Did you bring silver to set me free?
For to keep my body from the cold gaol wall
And me neck from the high gallows tree.'

'I've no gold,
I've no silver to set you free,
But I have come for to see you hang,
Oh, hang upon the high gallows tree.'

Oh, the prickle-holly bush, it pricks, it pricks,
Oh, it pricks my heart full sore
And if ever I get out of the prickle-holly bush
I'll never get in there any more."[/i]

The suns rays felt pleasant on his face, giving a golden tinge to his red hair. It was spring, the time when the Summer Fey were in power and the world was blessed with warmth and joy. Children would play in the grass, rolling down hills, girls sitting in fields making crowns from daisies, the blossoms were form on the tree tops, colouring them with pink and white and promises of fruit. Spring was a time of hope, joy, the cold winter months, as fun as they had been, had melted away and given back prosperous life. Jonte enjoyed all seasons, but the nature of spring was far more comfortable to him, as it meant he could use his powers as he pleased without upsetting the Winter Court.

As he readied himself to sing the next verse of his song, someone came to him and spoke to him in a manner that he found familiar, that made a small smile tease his lips. He didn't look up to meet her face. He didn't need to.

"Oh come now, Jonte!" said Jonte's sister, Keela, as she crossed her arms over her petit chest. "Couldn't you find a more cheerful song to play?" 

Jonte raised his head to smile at her. Her hair was a golden blonde, like rays of sunlight, and her eyes were the mischievous, cat-like green that Jonte had. She tied her hair, only about shoulder-length, into a ponytail, and was dressed in a quite boyish fashion, with her shorts - leggings underneath, it was still too cold to be exposing [i]too much skin[/i] - and a green jacket. His violin gave a slight screech as he stopped his song quite abruptly.

"Well," Jonte said. "This is a surprise."

Keela laughed. "Of course," she said. "It's much more fun to catch you off guard. I get to see what you're like when you're down here." She brushed away a small wisp of hair that had been dislodge from her hair tie and blown into her face by the wind. "Wanna go get something to eat? Catch up?"

Jonte chuckled. "Alright," he said. He stood up, gathered up all the coins into his pockets before putting his violin away. "But you're paying."

Keela laughed again and gave her brother a little punch on the shoulder. "Okay," she said. "Just this once."

Tucking his violin case under his arm, Jonte followed his sister down the road, leading her to a small coffee shop he often went for a snack. It had a nice, comfortable feeling to it and would give them a place to talk for a bit.