Cantrell Chronicles RESET, Part One
The Shaking of Foundations, a Cantrell Chronicles RESET, Part One_ Chapter One [With minor revisions] The call came in the dead of night. Reaching an arm out from underneath the covers, Joseph g...
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On The Way to the Quaver, a Cantrell Chronicles Reset update- Chapter Thirteen
To suggest he was overwhelmed would certainly be an understatement. Erik went from Proper Celebrity to Global Superstar at Warp Speed. He was aware of being constantly busy; concerts, photoshoots for various magazines, but he never fully realized that through all of these gigs, points accumulated. He came back from a royal event only to be caught up in a bit of a light show. He had no idea this would even be related. Worried, he glance around him to verify no press was around. Which was clearly wishful thinking, there were always press around.
Caught up in the moment, his heart thumping wildly, once the ‘light show’ was over he hurried into the castle. He did wonder what the reaction would be if they found out Crown Prince Royal, Erik from the House of Cantrell and Erik Cantrell, the Rock Star were one in the same. Would they be kind, accepting, or sneer at him? This was one question he was okay not answering, for the minute. He didn’t ask for this life he now found himself living. And while there were certain perks to being a royal, he also missed being just Erik.
Finding it mildly disconcerting when he read the latest image magazine, also questioning just who this Teen Idol, really was. By the end of the article, panic began to sink in. “Kayleigh, I need your advice on something,” he said into the phone. “Image magazine may be on to me. Yeah, read the Spring edition. Who is Erik Cantrell?”
“Well, yeah, I have to worry about it. What if I win on Sunday? Will they claim foul, and that somehow to please the Monarchy, they gave it to me? I want my wins to be for merit. To be real. Not some appeasement to the King of Ondarion. Sheesh I had no idea of what I was getting myself into. I know, I’ll settle down. I’ll try anyway. It would help if you were here with me. No, it’s not a ploy, I really want to see you. Good, will you be here for New Year’s Eve tonight? Okay, good. Love you, bye.”
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Erik spent the next few hours working on his archery and swordsmanship skills. Keeping busy and being fully focused on the task, he’d learned, was a good way to tame his nerves. As the afternoon drifted into early evening, he climbed down the vertical ladder and came inside. The family and a handful of guests mingled, chatted, ate, shared champagne and watched the traditional countdown to Midnight.
As per tradition, Erik grabbed his girl and shared a kiss at the stroke of midnight.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Standing in church, the next morning, Erik found his attention woefully adrift. His mind darting from one thought to another. Unfortunately, he kept thinking of what to expect when at the Tile Placement Ceremony. Father James gave a stirring homily, which Erik did find himself able to concentrate on. After the dismissal, the family greeted their fellow parishioners and then headed off to Del Sol Valley. There they met others whom they had invited to the ceremony.
To Erik’s chagrin, they all stood still, saluting their king and the Crown Prince Royal. Without flinching, Erik got through the moment. He removed his heavy overcoat, realizing just how warm it was in the Valley. There was also a crew to help guide the young Rock Star through the ceremony. Taking a moment, he walked up and down the sidewalk, picking which of the empty tiles squares he wanted as his own. Finally, his choice made, the ceremony commenced.
Reaching over his head, Erik caught the golden square, glistening in the sunlight.
Taking a moment to be silly, he gazed through it as if through the slats of a jail door. It was what he was feeling most recently.
At last, the ceremony was complete when Erik laid the square into the prepared ground.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Shortly after they returned to Bellacorde, Erik and his mother Queen Louise, hastened to return to Del Sol Valley.
The two beamed themselves up to the third floor of the PBP Studios Lounge for the broadcasting of the show. Taking their seats up front, Queen Louise was quick to assure her son, that the others often straggle in. “They chat, laugh, drink and finally make their way up the three flights of stairs. It’s a wonder any of them ever arrive on time.”
At long last the host took the stage and the microphone to announce, “Welcome everyone, to this year’s Quaver,” The host, Luke Tran said. “Yes, we start all over again with the special awards. And how nice it is to see a full house. Many familiar and a few newcomers, if my eyes aren’t betraying me. Shall we get started? I think we shall. Tonight, we celebrate the Song of the Year- 2276. Once again, the Committee has chosen the best of the best and there was no shortage of candidates. The nominees for this honor are as follows: Natalie Tobias for, Scent of a Rainforest. Thomas Williams for his, Coffee and Cigars. Shirley Mathews for her, When It’s Over. Parker Lewis for his Night Flight. And lastly, a newcomer, Erik Cantrell for his, It Hurts Both Ways.”
“And the winner of the 2276 Song of the Year is . . .” Luke Tran took the envelope presented to him on a nice silver platter, pushed gently on both sides, then blew into the slit. Deftly, he removed the blue denim colored cardstock from the envelope. Flipping it over he took a second to read it, then grinned. "For bringing such aural beauty to ears around the world . . . Give it up for our newcomer, Erik Cantrell for his ever so touching, It Hurts Both Ways. Congratulations, Erik.”
Erik stood, tugged at the bottom edge of his jacket and made his way to the stage. Feeling remarkably calm, he supposed his confrontation with the press, helped with that. He stood in front of the microphone, center stage, “Ahem,” he cleared his throat. “Is this thing on? I have to say I totally didn’t think I would win.”
“For those who aren’t aware, my mother, Louise Cantrell is here in the audience. Hi, mom. Isn’t she gorgeous. She just gave birth to my baby brother, too.”
“Like so many of the songs I write, this one has a story behind it. I met a girl years ago when I was twelve, at a park near both of our houses. While I was really taken with her, this wasn’t what I’d call a fairytale moment. You see, unfortunately for me, the girl was loaded for bear. Also, unfavorably, I was the fool for approaching her just to say hi. Yeah, the timing was off, way off. I just met her again, believe it or not. And the magic is still there. I won’t give her name; she knows who she is.” Gazing directly into the camera, he said, “This is for you, Babe.”
“If I may I would like to thank my fans, my parents, my many siblings, the Academy, the Committee and all who made this happen. I’m sorry, this is just the biggest thing to happen to me in my life. Something of dreams. Well, almost the biggest thing.”
"I'm so sorry, I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all."
“I know I need to go, but if I don’t get this out, I’ll simply burst. Yeah!”
“Thank you again, so much. I love you all.”
“Good night, everybody.”
All for now, thanks for reading!
Happy New Year to them all! 🙂
Congratulations to Erik on becoming a Global Superstar and on the placing of his golden tile! 🎉🌟 It is an exciting time for him! It is a sweet photo of him looking through the tile, but in a way sad as he feels at times closed in😞
Congratulations also to him on winning the award! 🙂It was special that he dedicated the win to Kayleigh ❤️
Erik is concerned about how others would think of him as both a royal and a rock star, but he needs to be true to himself and not be concerned with what others thinks or feel. His family, nobility and music career together are what makes him who he is ❤️It is good that he has his family and Kayleigh to support him.Thank you. Sometimes, your life takes a few turns you didn't expect and it may take a bit of time to fully be at peace with the changes. He will come around, in time, and you're quite right, all of these things make Erik who he is. 🙃
GalacticGal I can see why Erik was feeling so overwhelmed. Great screen moment with him gazing through the celebrity frame as if through a jail window. Yes, fame comes with both good and bad consequences, doesn't it? Great song title too, also relevant to what Erik was feeling. 🙃
Thank you. That song is from Sims 3 Showtime, one of my favorites. It fits what happened between Erik and Kayleigh upon their very first meeting. She cried and screamed at him to not make her love him, out of the blue. Being a military 'brat', she was so very tired of moving so frequently, preventing her to really have any friends. I will have to have the two talk about it so it's made more clear for the readers. 🙃
Congratulations Eric on becoming a Global Superstar and winning the award! You are juggling so many different demands and it is natural to sometimes doubt yourself. But I echo rosemow comments that all these different roles you have in your life, help make you the person you are.
Thank you. He's only just turning seventeen, after all. 🙃
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