All right, the long chapter everyone's been waiting for! Anyway, sorry if Lucrezia is kinda turning into a Mary-Sue... it won't last. I just figured that if she's a heron she should also be extremely talented in music, right? That's about as perfect as she'll get.

Chapter 4 -- Lulu, Travelling Bard

The bustling town turned out to be much larger than it had originally appeared when Lucrezia first spotted it from the shore. It was, in fact, more of a city than a town. Lucrezia soon learned that it was home to one of the senators of Begnion's government.

Naturally, she thought. I'm so tired of dealing with nobility...

Alonzo suggested that they first find a place to stay before setting up shop. The inns looked more like castles to Lucrezia. Actually, all of the buildings of this town looked like castles.

Why are they so damn rich? Lucrezia thought in irritation. Half of this country is desert, and the other half is either mountains or Serenes. She sighed sadly at the thought of her homeland, knowing that by this point it was probably completely neglected and dead.

The merchants ended up with three rooms, since that was all they could afford. Nathan went to find a place to tie up the horse while the others divied up the rooms.

"Syndey and Lydia get their own room, of course," commented Alonzo. "So that leaves Nathan, Lulu, and me..."

"Could I possibly have a room by myself?" Lucrezia asked. "I mean, I am the only other girl and, well..."

"Oh, of course, Lulu!" Lydia replied. "You're right, the lady should have her privacy."

"Aw, but Nathan snores!" Alonzo whined.

"I do not!" came the voice of Nathan. He had just returned from tying up the horse.

"Look, Lulu has graciously offered her services, so we should let her have some privacy in return," Lydia explained.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

With that settled, the five of them went to their respective rooms and unpacked what little belongings they had. Which, for Lucrezia, wasn't very much. She sat down on the bed and marvelled at the elegance of the room. The people of Begnion had an obession with covering any blank space with carvings or paintings to add more decoration.

These large windows aren't great for my situation, either, she observed as she peered out one of the giant windows of her room. I can't stretch my wings too much, or someone will see in...

She sat back down again and decided to figure out which songs to sing first. She had composed most of them herself, but she still remembered a few from her Serenes days; however, she worried that she would be discovered if she sang those.

I'll need to purchase a lute somewhere as well... I prefer accompaniment. Lucrezia opened her small coin pouch and counted what little money she had. Suddenly, she felt a smooth, round object in the bag. She gasped as she pulled out the white gem she had found on that first raid.

"I thought I had given this to Naesala... I wonder if..." A vision of Naesala grinning and telling her, "I'll be charging interest on that, of course," filled her head.

"I'm sure all his generosity will come back to haunt me in the form of an even higher debt," she muttered. "Stupid crow..." However, she wasn't going to let her immense hatred of the crow king stop her from buying a lute. Putting the gem back in her pouch, she wrapped her cloak around her and casually walked out of the inn to go find herself a lute.

A small lute shouldn't be all that expensive, should it? Lucrezia grinned with confidence as she entered the first instrument shop she saw.

"Ah, good afternoon, miss! What can I help you with today?" asked a nice-looking old man when she walked in. "We've just received a professional-grade flute, crafted from the finest ebony!"

"I'm afraid my skill with the flute is a bit lacking," Lucrezia responded humbly. "However, I would like to see what kind of lutes you have."

"Lutes? Ah, yes, we have the finest lutes, imported straight from the heart of Begnion!" the old man answered. He showed her to a shelf carrying various types of stringed instruments. "What kind are you looking for?"

"Whatever I can afford, as long as it plays well," Lucrezia answered. She just wanted something that would be easy for her to pick up, since she hadn't played a lute in several years.

"Thrifty, aren't we?" the old man chuckled. Then he picked up a small lute made with light-colored wood. It was covered with various engraved designs. "This one sells for about 20,000 gold, but don't be alarmed by its price! It has an excellent tone!"

"Could I try it?"

"Of course!" The man handed the instrument to her.

Lucrezia took it and plucked a few cords. A soft, mellow tone came out. "It does have a nice tone, but I'm not sure this is the one for me."

"Oh? Well, then, how about this one?"

Lucrezia looked over the lutes. They all had ornate designs, like everything else in Begnion. Suddenly, one with a familiar design caught her eye.

"Was that made near Serenes?" she asked the shopkeeper, pointing to the lute.

"Why, yes it was! Quite informed, aren't we? Yes, this was made by one of the masters who happened to live on the outskirts of the old forest. Sadly, he left shortly after the... incident there twenty years ago."

"Yes, I'm sure," Lucrezia replied. So the beorc do not like to acknowledge their deed? Most interesting.

"Here, why don't you try it?"

Lucrezia played the Serenes lute. The tone was sweeter than any of the others, and it felt more familiar on her fingers.

"This was made by Master Robins, wasn't it?" she asked with a smile.

"Ah, you are familiar with him, then?" The old man almost looked surprised.

"He was my teacher."

"Your teacher?!" The shopkeeper's face turned to shock. "Goodness, he hasn't been heard from in twenty years! Just how old are you?"

"I was very young when he taught me," Lucrezia replied. "But I remember him and his lessons very well! Now, how much is this lute?"

"I... 80,000," the man answered flatly.

"80,000? Quite a bit much for a small lute such as this."

"It was made by the master! You know very well how valuable this is!"

"Could you give a discount to a former student of the master?" Lucrezia offered. "I am afraid I cannot afford such a hefty price, but I'm sure Master Robins would be disappointed if he knew that one of his prodigies was unable to buy one of his old instruments."

"Prodigy? You say you are a prodigy?" The old man laughed. "You hardly look twenty! How can I be sure you are not lying?"

"Ask for me to play one of his compositions," Lucrezia suggested. "Of course, it's been twenty years, but I am sure I could still play some of his more familiar ones."

"Fine, then! Play 'Lost Canto'!" the shopkeeper ordered. He grinned triumphantly, knowing that a young woman would never be able to play such a difficult piece.

"The 'Canto'? Yes, I am familiar with that one. Let me remember how it all goes." Lucrezia closed her eyes and thought back to her old teacher. The mysterious beorc who had convinced her to leave the forest and learn more about the beorc. The man who probably saved her life by getting her to leave only days before the massacre of her people.

"Play it flawlessly, and I'll sell it to you for 20,000!"

"10,000."

"Dammit!" The man cringed. "...Fine. 10,000. But no less than that! Now play 'Lost Canto'!"

Lucrezia smiled softly and gently plucked the first few chords of the piece. Old memories flooded back as she played, and she felt as though Master Robins himself was guiding her hand. In her mind's eye she could see the forest, young herons laughing and fluttering about. She could smell the leaves, hear the wind rustling through the trees. Master Robins was telling her about beorc culture...

"Why don't you try living among them? I think the only way you could really understand us would be to live with us."

"Are you kidding? The king would never allow such a thing!"

"Well, I'm sure you've already broken a few rules by coming to learn from me. You herons are always so secretive."

"But...ugh, you're right. I've been sneaking out. It's just that ever since I heard you play when I wandered out of the forest the one time, I've always wanted to learn! It's more fun to sing when there's someone singing with you!"

"Yes. This lute is just a piece of wood, but when you play it and pour your heart into it, it comes alive and sings with you. Now, let's work on the 'Canto' again, shall we?"

Lucrezia finished playing and opened her eyes. She hadn't realized that they had been closed that whole time. She looked at the shopkeeper, who was speechless.

"Th-that... I've never heard it played so well, except by Robins himself! Who are you, anyway?"

Lucrezia grinned. "Just a travelling bard who needs to make a bit of gold. Now, you agreed on 10,000 gold, correct?"

"Y-yes! I'll even throw in a few extra strings!" The shopkeeper eagerly ran to the back of the shop to grab the strings.

Sighing, Lucrezia pulled out the white gem and looked it over. That old crow would laugh if he knew I had spent this on a lute...

"Here you go, miss! Ah, a white gem? Excellent! I can trade that right away!"

Lucrezia walked out of the shop, lute in hand. She felt a bit odd, however. The return of old memories made her feel almost... sad. After she stepped into her room, she shut the door and leaned against a wall, hugging her lute tight.

Master Robins, Princess Lillia, Prince Reyson, baby Princess Leanne, Lena...

The names of old friends and family flooded her mind. She hadn't seen any of them, save Reyson, in over twenty years. She had seen Reyson for a short time when she visited Phoenicis for the first time, before stopping in Kilvas. The prince had been relieved to know that another heron still lived, but he was greatly troubled by the illness of his father, King Lorazieh. He had warned her to stay away from beorc lands, which was why she had gone to Kilvas.

Lucrezia set the lute down on a table and found herself crying.

I miss them... I never thought I would, but I miss them all!