{"id":69,"date":"2017-08-16T02:06:38","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T02:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=69"},"modified":"2017-08-16T02:09:26","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T02:09:26","slug":"fifteen-singing-of-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/16\/fifteen-singing-of-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Fifteen: Singing of Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diamond Raven was fussing at her as she walked over to the veiled Tzarin – but he walked with her the whole way. \u00a0Raizel didn\u2019t listen so much to his words as she listened to his tone. \u00a0He wasn\u2019t happy with her, no, but he was also worried for her. \u00a0Worried about her? \u00a0What could be all that dangerous about singing to a Tzarin? \u00a0He might laugh at her. \u00a0They all might. \u00a0Courtiers, she had heard, were like that.<\/span><\/p>\n

She stepped into the brilliantly-veiled tent – as covered and as decorated as the Tzarin himself – and bowed. \u00a0\u201cPrince, I hear you would have me sing for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d \u00a0The voice was raspy and strange. \u00a0The Prince lifted up the veils to reveal a visage that had been burned and scorched so badly that it was hardly a face anymore. \u00a0His left eye didn\u2019t appear to work correctly and his lips were curled in a permanent sneer. \u00a0\u201cYes, if it woudl not hurt your eyes or your voice to do so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His accent, too, was strange, but that, at least, could be explained by him being a foreigner. \u00a0Raizel bowed again and looked the man in the face. \u00a0\u201cI would love to sing to you, Tzarin – that is, Prince.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you not horrified?\u201d asked a courtier from behind her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is sad that one so young was hurt so badly, of course. \u00a0But do you think I haven\u2019t seen burns before? \u00a0The wilds of the mountains have forest fires. \u00a0A child can fall into a fireplace or against a forge. The world is not a safe place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you saying,\u201d asked another one, the voice higher and a little bit sharp, \u201cthat our Prince was out fighting forest fires or working at a forge?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWere you, Prince?\u201d she asked politely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d \u00a0His lips were still sneering, but she thought she saw something of a smile there as well. \u00a0\u201cNo, I was touched with a potion when I was very young, a potion meant for someone else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was meant for someone, at least,\u201d tittered a courtier. \u00a0Raizel was beginning to dislike them strongly. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSuch things are awful,\u201d she agreed. \u00a0\u201cYou wish me to sing for you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would like that very much, yes, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I will sing for you, Prince.\u201d \u00a0She set her feet carefully, closed her eyes for a moment, and hummed a couple bars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs that what counts for singing in the mountains?\u201d sniggered one of the audience. \u00a0Raizel paid them no mind. <\/span><\/p>\n

The song she thought of might offend, but it did not seem as if the Prince worried too much about being offended, what with the company he kept. <\/span><\/p>\n

She opened her eyes, looked at the Prince, and sang. <\/span><\/p>\n

She told the song-story of the One-eyed Fox, a man so stubborn he\u2019d never die. \u00a0She told how he climbed up the tallest tree in the middle of a forest fire and pissed down on it. \u00a0\u00a0She told about him loosing the waters of Pouifeson Lake down into the Valley, so that now there is only Pouifeson River and the fires no longer burn there. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was a long song, and she knew all the verses by heart, including the ones her grandfather and great-grandmother had made up. \u00a0When she was done, she had made her audience laugh and cry by turns, sniffle and sob. <\/span><\/p>\n

She found the Diamond Raven pressing a cup into her hands. \u00a0\u201cDrink,\u201d he murmured. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She bowed first to the Prince and then drank. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“A lovely song.\u201d \u00a0His voice was a little rougher, she thought, but no tears touched <\/span>his<\/span><\/i> cheeks. \u00a0\u201cTell me, honored tradeswoman, is this a true song of the mountains?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy people have been singing it as long as they know, and the mountains\u2026\u201d \u00a0SHe hesitated and looked at the Diamond Raven for a moment before glancing back at the Prince. \u00a0\u201cWe are all mountain folk, in a way,for the mountains stretch nearly to the capital. \u00a0But I suppose I\u2019m as mountains as they come, sir.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Your highness,\u201d<\/span><\/i> hissed one of the courtiers. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour highness,\u201d she corrected herself, before shooting that courtier a look. \u00a0\u201cHis title matters but his comfort doesn\u2019t? \u00a0Don\u2019t you people have trade accidents, down in Mipodek?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She was startled to hear a raspy noise like a cough come from the Prince. \u00a0It hacked on for a moment before settling into laughter. \u00a0\u201cArutep, give this tradeswoman a ring. \u00a0The one with the opal stone. \u00a0Honored singer,\u201d he said, pausing to chuckle again, \u201cshould you ever need anything from Mipodek, show them this ring. \u00a0It is my sigel and seal, and my promise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She took the ring from a distressed Arutep \u2014 the one who had corrected her on the Prince\u2019s title, who had to strip it off his own finger and press it all unwillingly into her hand. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, your greatness. \u00a0That is how we address a Tzarin, a Prince, in our land,\u201d she added, \u201cand while you are visiting, your greatness, maybe I could suggest something?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a fellow traveller, you can suggest anything,\u201d he told her grandly. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She hid her amusement \u2014 Princes and Tzarins were not much different, it seemed, if the stories about Tzarins were true. \u00a0\u201cTake the veils off, your Greatness. \u00a0People will stare \u2014 but they stare at the veils, too. And here, we understand trade accidents. \u00a0We understand pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She caught the Diamond Raven eyeing her strangely, but now was not the time. \u00a0The Prince was nodding solemnly, and that was what was important.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diamond Raven was fussing at her as she walked over to the veiled Tzarin – but he walked with her the whole way. \u00a0Raizel didn\u2019t listen so much to his words as she listened to his tone. \u00a0He wasn\u2019t happy with her, no, but he was also worried for her. \u00a0Worried about her? \u00a0What could… Continue reading Fifteen: Singing of Fire<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Continues!\r\n\ud83d\ude9e\r\nChapter Fifteen: Singing of Fire\r\n\ud83c\udfb6\r\nRaizel and the Diamond Raven walk on...","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-17","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/11\/fourteen-walking-with-the-veiled-prince\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":0},"title":"Fourteen: Walking with the Veiled Prince","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"August 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"She missed the carriage immediately, but there wasn\u2019t such a thing going from Esteronzerai to the train station for at least two days. \u00a0In two days, if she made good time, Raizel could already be on the train. She and the Diamond Raven joined a small group of people leaving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":72,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/22\/sixteen-the-arrow-pulled\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":1},"title":"Sixteen: the Arrow Pulled","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"August 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tzarin and his people wanted to leave slow and late the next day, so Raizel and the Diamond\u00a0Raven left them behind, not without some relief. The Raven was quiet as they walked, which suited Raizel. \u00a0It was early, the sun was low and rising lazily, and she wanted to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/25\/seventeen-crossing-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":2},"title":"Seventeen: Crossing, Cross","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"August 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cYou\u2019re old enough to be out on your own, yes?\u201d \u201cOf course I am.\u201d \u00a0She wrinkled her nose at him. \u00a0\u201cI am here, aren\u2019t I? \u00a0Everyone may keep calling me child, but I have an apprenticeship, I am carrying the weight of my family to the capital, and I -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/25\/eleven-the-diamond-raven\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":3},"title":"Eleven: The Diamond Raven","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Esteronzerai was the biggest town Raizel had been in yet, and it was where the carriage\u2019s route diverged from Raizel\u2019s, whether or not she had been stopping to lasso a wizard. \u00a0She bowed to the driver and, her grandfather\u2019s words in her mind, tipped him, although she had not been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":4},"title":"Twenty-Three: Cleaner","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"They made it to the bathhouse without further incident. \u00a0Raizel had never been inside a place like this, but she\u2019d heard the stories and descriptions from people in the town that went down into the flatter lands: There were rainfall devices where you soaped off, and then big drinking-trough tubs\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/08\/three-the-black-missive\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":5},"title":"Three: The Black Missive","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The walk to the strange man\u2019s cave was only an hour because of the rolling limp that affected his walk, and, it seemed, his speech patterns. \u00a0He would go up and down, up and down with his tales as they walked, telling Raizel all about the Empire\u2019s plans to read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/71"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}