"W-w-what..." Joanna stammered. For a second there she forgot that she had the microphone positioned in front of her mouth.
Joanna's eyes fluttered repeatedly as she stared at the face of the man in his red royal regalia whose gaze was glued on her.
[No wonder Bacon came to me when he was supposed to watch over him... he followed him here]
Joanna was in deep thought as she stared at his handsome face. She forgot that she was on stage and they were people behind waiting to be called to perform.
Those waiting backstage got worried when they didn't hear Joanna's voice. Raymond was forced to peep after the time to be called on stage passed and Joanna still didn't say anything.
"She seems to be in a daze. What are we going to do now?" Derrick whispered.
"It's normal to freeze on your first time climbing a big stage like this one, so let's give her some more time," Raymond addressed the anxious people who were currently waiting for Joanna's signal.
On the stage, Joanna was still in a trance when she heard someone chant her name. A few more chants from the familiar voice were enough to pull Joanna back to reality.
"You can do this, Big Sis," Joanna heard a boy's cheerful voice chant once more.
Although many people were talking at that moment Joanna didn't need to look at where the chants came from to know that it was Anthony who was cheering her on.
"I will to you on stage, to give a show like none you have ever seen, The Golden Mercher Group," Joanna completed her sentence at last.
The once hostile crowd screamed in excitement the instant Raymond climbed on stage.
Per their arrangements, they did their modelling first. Their fusion of ancient and modern attires got everyone off guard.
The audience who paid little or no attention just because Joanna was a member of the group was seen stretching their necks to get a glimpse of their outfits.
Although modelling on the stage was the first time for most of Joanna's group members including her, they gave nothing but a flawless show and that was all thanks to the tips Derrick and Raymond gave them during rehearsals.
At the end of their first activities, the crowd cheers and applause tripled.
While Joanna and her others got changed for the play Derrick and two other guys kept the crowd entertained with dance and jokes just like they had planned.
"Guy, although this is the highlight of our performance for the night and as such it should be to perfection..." Raymond paused as he stared at the faces of his group members whose anxiety they couldn't hide.
"But my advice is that we have as much fun as our audiences. Let's not feel pressurized ok," Raymond advised. He didn't forget to flash them his sweetest smile.
"Let's go," Raymond instructed. Together, Roy and Joanna, who was acting in the first scene, stepped onto the big stage.
Because the play Joanna and her group members presented dealt with one of the major events that led to the creation of Twipera Kingdom.
Also coupled with the fact that it wasn't a happy occasion, none interrupted the flow of the story neither did any of the audiences cheered for them.
They paid rapt attention to the tiniest details. Among those watching the drama were also people trying to find fault and instigate the crowd. But thank goodness Joanna and Raymond did a lot of research before they put a finishing touch to the drama.
Joanna and Raymond dared not imagine what would become of them if they were accused of distorting history.
Midway into their play Mr Finley sitting at Kayden's right-hand side leaned closer and started a conversation with the man whose attention hasn't moved away from the stage for a second ever since Joanna's crew took over the stage.
"When I learned that they were gonna performed a play about the Great Ancient War, I was very worried," Mr Fin admitted without sugarcoating his words.
"I was worried that apart from infuriating the crowd that you might get dragged into the problem if things turned sour but..." Mr Fin paused and shifted his gaze to the stage which Joanna and Raymond currently occupied.
"They have proved my fears wrong so far. She was able to perfectly handle such a huge responsibility despite that it was her first time..."
"She is Joanna after all. As long as she sets her mind on it, there is nothing she can't accomplish. She is your future Queen, you should have put more faith in her," Kayden replied, his attention still fixed on the stage.
After they finished the play, Joanna and all her group members took their position on stage.
"The Great Ancient War has always been a sensitive topic none dared to touch. I remember, people always lowered their voices whenever they talked about the incident that happened back then. They were afraid of offending their next partner whose family might have been a victim of that great war... others were afraid that they would be accused of a crime they didn't commit if they spoke too loudly," Joanna started in a serious tone.
Her demonstration as she said these words had everyone present captivated.
"Yes, I admit that such a topic should be dealt with with caution, but that doesn't mean we should stop discussing the incident in totality. It was an incident that brought us to where we are now, but how will the future ones remember what took place back then when everyone is afraid to mention the event?" Joanna spoke confidently as if she had been a public speaker all her life.
She was just so good at this that everyone couldn't help but admit to it.
"It's true that unlike some of you present here, I and my group members were not given birth to when this event took place. But our play tonight was a way of saying we remember the heroes, heroines, soldiers and the family of those who fought that great battle to give us the life we are living now," Joanna concluded with her hands spread in the air.
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