Basic Layout for part 1 of the book.

So anyways, over the last few days I've been running through some basic plotwork in the interest of making my story more cohesive. I think that I've found a way to tie everything together. Rhett lives in Canticle. His job? Hand-servant to the mayor's beautiful daughter. I'm fighting the urge to urge to name her Harmony or Melody or something dreadfully trite like that. Anyways, Harmony's probably the only person who actually treats Rhett alright. I mean, she's not in love with him or anything, but she's been more or less the only friend that Rhett's ever known. He's got feelings for her, but can't really express them in the way that she'll respond to (A full fledged chorus number). That's not to say that he doesn't spend a lot of time trying. But it's never gonna happen, because Harmony's got eyes for Gerald... Pretty much the town hero.

One day Gerald happens across Rhett trying to write a song for Harmony and basically mocks the crap out of him. He takes the lyrics, rips them up and gives him the whole, "Stay away from my girl" speech. Later, at the town fair, he tries to embarrass Rhett and succeeds, only to have Harmony stick up for her friend and... I don't know, push Gerry in the mud or something. Humiliated, Gerald leaves the town to blow off some steam and while hanging out at a bar, lets a mysterious stranger in on the situation, revealing his love for a beautiful young woman who's proven to be able to resist his apparent charm and her defense of a completely mundane individual. The man offers to help Gerald with his problem and brings him to "A friend that can help". That friend turns out to be the villainess of the story who after hearing the story reveals that Canticle is hiding the Chosen One. The only person capable of fulfilling a prophecy that would stop her rise to power. She gives the orders to a figure waiting in the dark... Canticle is to be burned to the ground. Gerald for his own part realizes the error of his ways and tries to escape to warn the others... He's dispatched off screen in some horrible fashion.

Back in Canticle, emboldened by Harmony's defense, Rhett's trying to finally get up the nerve to express his true feelings. But, at that point, a handsome young man suddenly appears and completely shows up Rhett in the romance department, wooing Harmony with a stirring song. Rhett tries to win her, but the guy's just TOO slick. The stranger sets up a date with Rhett's crush right in front of his eyes and lures Harmony out of town. With Harmony already heading to the date, Rhett tries to stop the stranger, but his hand goes right through the man. As Harmony rushes off to a romantic midnight picnic that the mysterious non-corporeal magicman has set up, the stranger confides in Rhett that he's there to save them. Any minute now, the town's going to be destroyed. Rather than simply give up on the people who've always treated him like crap, Rhett rushes into town to warn them of their impending doom. As predicted, a word of warning from what's essentially the town idiot yields little more than a sarcastic musical number. But, as a shambling horde of steam powered monstrosities approach the gates, the townspeople rally and launch into a musical plan of retaliation... Then another song starts up with a completely different plan... Then another... Then another. Rhett, realizing that there's no saving them, manages to cut through a secret path that Harmony and Rhett used to take out of town just in time to avoid obliteration, all the while having his vision obscured with a strange cloud of smoke that seemingly follows him.

When the smoke clears, Rhett finds himself at the feet of his beloved, and is faced with the harsh task of informing her that everyone she ever loved is dead. At that point, Rhett's already ingrained belief that he'll never be anything remotely resembling a hero is confirmed. He couldn't save anyone. With a sobbing Harmony in tow, and the mysterious man nowhere to be seen, Rhett takes off into the night, looking to start over. Back at the villainess's hideaway, a hideous dwarf, the master of the monstrosities that had destroyed the town, reports back to his dark queen. No survivors. Prophecy averted. The town that had supplied this fantastic kingdom with their music and dance has been wiped off the map. Now the real plan can move forward.