It was not hard to find the main fire. Several were spread around the clearing that our wagons rested in, surrounded by some of the largest trees that I had ever seen, except for the oak in Hespira’s sacred grove. One fire was considerably larger than the others and was placed in the very center of the clearing. What I did not see were any sort of buildings to indicate that a village existed, much less that we were inside of it as Vesha had indicated. “I thought there was a village?” I thought to Sharai in confusion.

-Look above you, child,- the spirit bade me in reply.

I did as asked, only to stop and stare. There were cottages and walkways high up in the branches of the trees, illuminated by faerie fires in various colors. Occasionally, my sharp Faerie eyes could spot figures moving along the walkways, flying between them, running along the branches, or making their way up or down vine ladders that hugged the sides of the trees. I found myself smiling at the sight before moving on toward the large bonfire at the center of the clearing.

There were few people there yet, some of my fellow Voyagers, a pair of Brownies, and the svelte cerulean-haired Faerie woman from the woods. Aishlin’s right shoulder and left hand had been properly bandaged. Umm… hello… Aishlin, is it? How are you feeling?”

The Faerie looked up and smiled at my tentative inquiry, “Probably a mite better than you, after draining your mana reserves as you did, child. Your Healer managed to save my wing, but I will have to avoid flying for a few days to let the healing take full effect. He also placed an enchantment on these bandages to draw out any further cold iron toxin as his healing spells work on my other wounds. Your troupe is fortunate to have such a knowledgeable Healer among you. I see that you have brought the Tien’jin, as I requested of your Master.”

I looked down at the ornate box in my hands a little self-consciously. “Yes. She said it was a gift, but why would you give me such a thing? It must be extremely valuable.”

Aishlin smiled kindly and gestured for me to sit beside her. “What value can be placed on a life? Let alone three lives. You and your fellow apprentice saved my companions, and me. What is a mere trinket that I will never use again against that?”

“Never use again?” I asked with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“I once attempted to master them in my youth,” she explained with a sad smile and a shake of her head. “I think that all those of my lineage have at some point in their lives. I thought that I would be the one to do so since I thought myself a talented dancer. It takes more than being able to move one’s body properly though. I did not have the proper knowledge or appreciation of the work that goes into making music.”

Aishlin looked thoughtfully at the box in my hands for a moment before a smile touched her lips and she spoke again. “Those Tien’jin have been passed down through my family since before the fall of the Ancient Ones, but never have they been in the hands of someone who could truly appreciate them or use them to their true potential. I think that you are such a person, but I do not possess the aptitude or inclination. They are an instrument and are meant to be played, not hidden away in a box. A challenging instrument to be sure, but from what your Master has said of you, I believe that you are up to the challenge. All that I ask is that you return here someday, once you have mastered them. I would like to see them used at their best.”

“But…” I started to object.

The other Faerie turned serious as she reached out to put a finger to my lips. “Hush, young one. I did not call you here to discuss why the Tien’jin are now yours, but to help you learn about them and show you how to wear them properly.”

With that, she had me put on the Tien’jin under her instructions and observation. Each piece had a sigil in the Fae language engraved on the back of the plate where the crystals were mounted that told where it was meant to be worn. I had no experience with the Fae written language though so I had to get Sharai to translate them for me.

We started with the main crystal, which was embedded in a choker that went around my throat, a delicate chain of moonsilver with the crystal mounted in the center, and a clasp to connect to one of the chain links and secure it firmly around my neck. Similar pieces were meant to be worn on each of my upper arms and thighs, as well as a circlet for my head, each with the crystal displayed front and center. Then there were the clips that would connect to the tips of each of my wings, which explained why this set was made for a Faerie.

After that, things got a little trickier. First, there were the pieces that secured around my wrists. Connected to their crystal plates were short chains connected to other mounted crystals, which would fit over the back of my hands. Then that branched out into five other chains, which in turn connected to rings that would be worn over each of my fingers and thumbs. I had to start by putting on the rings first and then getting everything else in a position to secure the chains around my wrists. The rings on the pinky finger and thumb also housed small crystals. There was a similar setup on my ankles and feet, but with only a single ring to be worn on my middle toes.

The one that I wore around my waist was probably the most troublesome though. First, where a crystal rested over my navel, it had a chain that ran between my breasts to attach it to the choker, with another of the crystals positioned in my cleavage. Two more chains connected to it traveled down along my outer hips, with the crystals positioned over those hips, to connect to the chains around my thighs. It was a little awkward and uncomfortable, but Aishlin said that I would get used to them.

I was worried that the arrangement would be difficult to wear over clothes, especially skirts, and my fears proved true as it caused my clothing to bunch in uncomfortable ways. “I may not be an expert, but I do not see how I am supposed to be able to dance like this,” I complained.

“Those garments would make it difficult,” the other Faerie agreed. “You could wear them beneath your clothing, but it would muffle the tones and obscure the light that the crystals create. Traditionally, Tien’jin dancers wore as little as possible, aside from the Tien’jin themselves. The music was only part of the show, you see. The flashing lights of the crystals in time with the tones and the movements of the wearer were meant to enrapture the senses of the audience. Tien’jin dancers often wore delicate scents as well, for this reason. You could have custom clothing made for when you perform though.”

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as Aishlin imparted that information. “I… umm… well… I will consider that,” I replied awkwardly. I could see the wisdom in trying to master the Tien’jin, if only to help progress my mastery of swordplay as well, but the thought of dancing in front of others while wearing next to nothing made me feel like crawling into the closest hole that I could find. Maybe I would have to ask Zenna about something that I could wear while practicing, she was already working on trying to make me something like traditional Voyager’s clothing, though my wings made that difficult.

Sharai had told me that the Fae had no taboos about nudity, and from what I had seen since joining my troupe, the same extended to their Voyager kin. People often saw one another naked after changing shapes and nobody but me had batted an eye about it. I was fairly certain that the only reason that they did wear clothing was for the theatre of it; to convince people in the cities or who they encountered on the road that Voyagers were Human travelers from distant lands. It allowed them to blend in, the colorful scarves that they wore on their heads hid the tips of their ears, and vests and voluminous skirts afforded great hiding places for hidden weapons or stolen goods.

“Aye, do that, lass,” Aishlin said with a faint smile. “Now that you have the crystals all properly placed, you can activate the enchantment on them by speaking the word ‘Mivüs’. Speaking the same word will deactivate the enchantment.”

“Mivüs,” I said almost too quietly to be heard in my uncertainty. The instant that I spoke the word, I could feel the magic in the crystals flare to life. The cacophony of light and sound that I expected as soon as I moved never materialized though.

At my look of bewilderment, the Faerie Woodwarden laughed. “Your movements must be precise, quick, and graceful to make the crystals sing for you. Part of the challenge is developing that control and grace and learning to combine your movements fluidly into song. I was told once that a Tien’jin dancer must find the song in their heart and dance to it. Only once they have done that and the song of the crystals matches it will they be able to discover the dances of other songs. I was a dancer, not a musician, and had no song in my heart; I danced to the music of others. I think that you will fare better, young Bard.”

Find the song in my heart? Did I possess such a thing? I loved music, but until now, I had largely played the songs that my mother had taught me as a child. Master Niryln told me that my mother was a composer. Could I do that too? Could I write songs like those she had taught me to sing and play? “I hope I can.” The words escaped my lips with a wistful sigh before I was aware of speaking them.

“I believe that you will,” she told me without a hint of doubt. “I would not have given you the Tien’jin if I thought otherwise. Now that you know how they should be worn, let us return them to their case, they are not meant to be worn over clothing.”

“I… thank you for the gift, Aishlin. I will treasure it and do my best to master the Tien’jin. When I do, I will come back to find your village someday as you asked,” I replied, my cheeks painted crimson by my awkwardness.

Once we had removed the Tien’jin and placed them all carefully back in the ornate box from whence they came, Aishlin said with a faint smile touching her lips, “I should let you return to your Master now, lass. She bade me not to keep you for long, should I value the evening’s entertainment, and I should very much like to see you play. It is not often that we have Bards visit, and there are not many in our village with the talent for music, beyond simple jigs and reels.”

“I am afraid that I have not been a Bard for long,” I admitted as my cheeks flushed once more. “I am not even an apprentice officially yet. I will give my best though.” With that, I picked up the box and returned to the wagon that I shared with Vesha and Master Nirlyn.

With the box containing my new instrument stowed carefully away in one of the cupboards for my belongings, I was in a very good mood as I got to practice with the Grand Harp for the first time under Master Nirlyn’s watchful eye. Not only was I going to be playing alongside Bards tonight, as one of them, but also I was playing a beautiful instrument and I had an instrument that belonged to me, not just something that I was borrowing from Master Nirlyn or Vesha.

It certainly was not the instrument that I would have chosen, or even have imagined before it was presented to me, but it was mine. While I was a little uncertain about some of the peculiarities involved in learning to play it, I also found myself excited by the prospect. It would be a challenge, it would help me to become a better swordswoman, and I would be one of the very few people in all of Esmere to play such an instrument. If I did manage to master it, I might perhaps be the only one to do so for hundreds of years.

As I practiced, I was pleased that Master Nirlyn seldom had to correct my finger placement or strumming. Some of the songs that she had me playing were new to me though and I had never played such a large harp before, so it took several repetitions to get comfortable playing. I could read music fairly well but Master Nirlyn wanted me to practice more so I could learn to play songs other than those I had committed to memory or that she personally taught me. She also wanted to start teaching me to write music, something that she called music theory, composition, and how to read and write more than just the basic letters and words that I had learned as a child.

She said that she had gotten a pretty good feel for my strengths and weaknesses since I had joined the troupe, and these were areas that I needed to work on. I could sing fairly well, though she felt that I needed to get used to the range of my new voice, and I was competent with the fiddle, lute, and pipes. The harp was my favorite instrument before meeting her and she said that it showed in how well I played it.

She had not been trying to flatter me when she said that I was the best of us on the harp, I had learned early on in my lessons with her that Master Nirlyn did not believe in flattery or unearned praise. Whether she thought that I was doing terribly, needed to work on something, or had some ideas on how I could do better she always told me candidly. She believed that apprentices do not learn by being coddled, they learn by being taught and guided. Therefore, if I played a note that she felt would curdle kirgen milk, she told me as much, usually with very colorful language.

Still, the Grand Harp was the most wonderful instrument that I had ever laid hands on, and I took great care in doing it justice as I played. I had been practicing for a while when Vesha returned from her task and took out her dulcimer and hammers to join me. Master Nirlyn had decided to play her pipes that evening and had talked with Daivin who said that he would be playing the snare drum while his daughter and apprentice, Korine, would be singing for us and playing her lute.

Before I knew it, we were heading outside for the evening meal with our hosts. The food was simple fare, a hearty stew, a thick traveler’s bread that was a staple among the Fae, and some roasted acorns and sweet blueberries. I could feel my nerves building as we ate and our performance grew ever nearer. Vesha sensed my nervousness and placed a hand on mine to give it a gentle squeeze that seemed to both calm and excite me at the same time.

Before long, Master Nirlyn and Journeyman Daivin returned to our wagon to retrieve the great harp and place it where we would be playing, far enough from the fire to prevent the heat from warping any of our instruments. Then they and the others gathered their instruments as I took a deep breath and stepped up to the Grand Harp to caress the body gently. It gave me comfort and I lost some of my nervousness. The rest faded as the others joined me and Master Nirlyn whispered, “Relax, lass. We’ll only be playin’ songs yer familiar wi’ tonight. There’s no pressure ‘ere, jus’ a l’il music among friends, aye?”

Those words had barely left her lips when Daivin set the beat for The Ballad of Min Melrue. It was a song that would rely heavily on the harp and I found myself getting lost in the music as I tried to match pace with Daivin, and then the others as well while doing my part. From there we went straight into The Faerie’s Favor, and then I had to switch to the fiddle that Master Nirlyn had brought out for a few songs as we took a moment before launching into a lively jig by the name of Mossfoot Mary.

It was late when we finally had to stop playing. We were all becoming weary and Korine was starting to strain her voice. Our audience enjoyed the performance though and while playing I enjoyed myself more than any other time since the days when my mother was teaching me to play. The encounter with the Demons and my various worries were momentarily forgotten, and that night I fell asleep with a smile on my face.