AN: Just a quick sidenote, I will be referring to various songs throughout this work, I will always post the artist of each song at the bottom of each entry.

Darkened Avens swept the skies, ogres, goblins, men covered the plains like an impending plague. His eyes swept past hers as he nodded. She placed the plugs in her ears and nocked an arrow, knowing she would never have to fire. He took a breath feeling the strong wind against his skin its whispering coolness calming his heated blood. Much like she had nocked her arrow, he lifted his fingers to his battered violin. Sadness leaked from him in a palpable aura. No note had been struck but his stance, his demeanor, demanded it. Soldier's Lullaby(1) was its name. The creatures before him were not all human, but none could halt the inexorable sadness that spread through their souls. Layering the melody atop of the chords he created a symphony that he wove into the wind. Carried even up to the high soaring avens the piece halted their advance. His power carried the desolate pizzicato and haunting rhythms to their battle frenzied minds and turned them. So beautifully sad, the approaching army faltered before the tear streaked man who stood before them. It was then he noticed that her face was no longer bound with determination. It too was streaked with tears. He lurched, but the sudden movement did nothing to alter the melody, instead it added the emotion, the anguish at the realization. She could hear it. She was doomed. He couldn't stop, not now. The song took on new meaning for him. The sounds cascaded from the piercing sadness to a new level of grief. He had doomed her as surely as his power had doomed all that stood before him. Soon after the army broke one by one, each individual drawing his weapon and taking his own life. Before his eyes, she drew her dagger, and was gone. He had saved those sheltering in his music, but had doomed her. Tears fell in rivers onto the plains accompanied by the sounds of a single violin.

He hated dreams. Too often they held nothing but forgotten memories. Awaking on the anniversary of The Defeat of Darkness held no joy for him. She wouldn't live again. Tonight, as he did every night, he would play one song. The song that defeated an empire, the song that killed his love, the song that never failed to draw a larger crowd than any he had seen post-exile. He didn't add his power to it obviously, as much as he didn't care if people came to listen to this annual performance, he couldn't just kill them all, not again.

There was a time when he thought he would never kill with music again. Long in the past another memory of death haunted his memory. His debut of a song at the unauthorized concert those many years ago, Gloomy Sunday(2), was the reason for his exile. Now he found himself playing in bars, inns, and the occasional palace when he felt like it. With a sigh he shook himself and slid out of bed. Now wasn't the time for memories. Save them for the concert.

and Performed by Alex Mitchell (yes its on youtube :) )

Sniper