This is my first attempted fanfic, I'd really appreciate feedback to help me improve! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the material herein, except Mliss and, perhaps, her mysterious patron. The lyrics are from the song/poem 'Hallelujah', by Leonard Cohen.

The Secret Chord

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Being favoured by a deity is a particular thing. In some ways Mliss felt somewhat put upon; she didn't ask to be so singled out, and now she felt as though she was expected to do something spectacular with her life. Something that would require a great deal of application and hard work. Mliss was, after all, rather hedonistic and indolent, so did not like hard work – she was a creature of comfort, far too laid back and self indulgent to be a hero. On the other hand, she had no idea which god or goddess had so favoured her, and she couldn't help but feel rather curious about the whole thing.

That happy notion was promptly quashed when she received and anonymous, but rather firm, vision one night, bidding her travel from her comfy Tethyrian home, far to the west, to the sword coast and a place called Crossroads Academy. Apparently she was supposed to learn how to be an adventurer.

In principle, Mliss welcomed this idea; she enjoyed adventure, excitement and danger, but she had no interest in deluding herself – she always liked to be able to come home to a warm bath, a soft bed and fine vittles. This journey would take a long time, and she had no idea what would be waiting for her at the end of it, or when she would come back.

She made a living here as a guide across the sands and as an interpreter, and the occasional skirmish in the desert coupled with her uncanny knack with people earned her a good reputation. This provided enough gold for her to live a suitably indulgent life, but when one's deity calls…

xxx

Being, as she was, terribly absent minded, and a prolific procrastinator, Mliss' preparations for her journey were somewhat… haphazard. After three months of preparations, selling off all of her treasured belongings, she decided to pay a visit to Cadderly Bonaduce at the Spirit Soaring.

Mliss' link with her sponsor was similar to that of Cadderly's; Mliss' power seemed to come to her through a song, and her spells always seemed to others to be like powerful music. A defensive spell was harmonic, like a cantata or aria, whereas an offensive spell was more like a Dies Irae, healing spells were like a dirge.

Perhaps it was their similar link to the divine, or perhaps Mliss worked her womanly wiles upon the cleric, but he agreed to windwalk her to her destination.

So it was that on the afternoon of the first of Eleint, DR1377, Mliss looked upon her new home for the first time. Cadderly had deposited her about a mile from the Academy, at the end of a long straight road paved with alabaster and lined with Cherry Blossom trees. As the warm wind blew it collected some of the pink blossoms from the laden boughs and carried them in swirls and eddies into the distance. As Mliss made her way towards the structure on the horizon, she was surprised by how very green the land seemed; the road was surrounded by lush pastures, all set aside to fallow. This country was undeniably a feast for the eyes.

Crossroads Academy was impressive. Not quite as impressive as the majestic Spirit Soaring of Cadderly's, but it had a certain je ne sais qua. It was clearly built to be a fortress; the walls were thick enough for several people to stand abreast on. To one side of the gate was a beautiful wizard's tower, and beyond could be seen the Keep itself, with clear influences from Illefarn and Imaskar in its architecture. The brick was all different colours, and each corner of the keep had a twisting spire, each different to the last.

And in the centre was a great crystalline spire, over the top of which hung, suspended by powerful magic, a great tear-shaped boulder, about the size of the wizard's tower itself. It glistened white like raw mithril in the last of the day's sun, but as Mliss drew closer, and the sun fell down behind the hills, the tear began to glow like the moon.

As Mliss finally approached the gates, casting a wary glance at the magnificently armoured guards to either side, the enormous doors creaked open, framing the figure of a heavily pregnant woman in a beautifully embroidered gown.

"I have been waiting for you, Mliss, Chosen One," said the Knight Captain.