A Little Fanfare: Fantasy

A little fanfare greeted them when his ship sailed broken-winged into the port. He set his jaw grimly when he saw the midget bandleader and the assortment of ragamuffins dressed up in new band uniforms and provided uniforms. Only the midget appeared unfazed by their assignment. The musicians had a glint of desperation in their eyes that made him wonder if some cruel puppet-master had suggested that if they did a bad job, their payment would be much less favorable than the handful of coins that would have bought their services. If their services were bought, and not simply impressed from the streets or the jails. The noises they made were about as awful as one might expect from drunkards and bums rousted out and handed instruments they'd never played before, never seen before except in the occasional procession that passed them by. Except--the captain paused, as one of the small, bent figures in the back raised a trumpet to his lips and let a pure, clarion string of notes fly free to hang in the air, as pretty and perfect as any court musician might have managed.


Inspiration: Daniel Merriam's "A Little Fanfare"
Story potential: High.
Notes: The implied politics and twisted nature of this world are appealing. Because this is all a mockery of his failure, except....