Disclaimer: As a history major in college, I lack the true originality of an accomplished writer. I'm more inclined to read the works of others and comment on them. The same applies to this story. Some of the characters and the attempt at a plot are mine, but the rest belongs to Mercedes Lackey.

A/N: Hello again everyone, and time for Ch. 11. Unfortunately I'm not really happy with the first scene of the chapter but I couldn't think of a way to improve it, so your all stuck with what's here. I also have a favor to ask of everyone. Please, please, please leave a review at the end and let me know what you think so far. The wonderful WolfMusic (I tip my hat to you) has been leaving them after every chapter and I love her for it, but I have over 1100 hits so far and only 13 reviews. I don't like to beg, but the review party WolfMusic is throwing is off the hook so please join in the fun!

Ch. 11: Sweet Music Man

A week after I showed off my new trick I received one of my biggest shocks to date. I was heading to a workroom for my third session that week and found three people waiting for me instead of the usual two of Darkwind and Elspeth. The third person was dressed in hues of light blue and green and a dash of bright red, garb that normally would have been considered tacky and overly flamboyant, but looked beautiful instead of like rainbow puke. What was more incredible was the feathered mask of bright green and red, accenting his waist-long white hair and covering his entire face.

Recovering from the initial shock of this person's clothes, I smiled wryly and laughed. "I didn't know Valdemar celebrated Fat Tuesday. It's too bad I don't have any beads 'cause, dude, you could seriously use some with that outfit."

The mask laughed heartedly while Elspeth and Darkwind were torn between laughter themselves and confusion at what I'd said. The masked person leveled me with an appraising gaze and directed a comment at my two teachers.

"I do believe your student is making fun of me! So this is the brash experimenter Darkwind told me about who can seemingly burn mage energy. If I had your Gift of Firestarting, Lady Jennifer, I would have tried that trick myself. You were right, Elspeth, she's as powerful as I and her Gift is growing. You did right by calling for my help."

You know in the old Road Runner cartoons how Wile. E. Coyote runs off a cliff and hangs in the air for a few seconds before landing with a splat? That was me when my memory caught up and I realized who this guy was. The Big Kahuna of the Tayledras mages; the one Healing Adept they had. I had just made fun of Firesong k'Treva.

I involuntarily backed up against the wall as my eyes bugged out and jaw dropped. A Companion, Gifts, a book world, okay. I could deal with that now even though I still didn't accept anything. But just like when my Mage Gift manifested, meeting Firesong was never in the mental cards. I never dreamed I'd meet this guy, much less be trained by him if I understood him correctly. Hell, he had to be coerced into training Darian at the k'Valdemar Vale!

Firesong laughed again at my reaction, and this time so did Elspeth and Darkwind.

"Yes, I would venture she knows me now," Firesong grinned.

It took me a few moments to regain my composure, but when I did Elspeth informed me the bulk of my training was over and I was being handed over to Firesong for the rest. It wasn't that there was nothing more she and Darkwind could teach me and they would be helping Firesong, but I had forced their hand with my discovery. If I was starting to experiment on my own, then it was best to put me in the hands of someone experienced in that area and who had the benefit of learning many of the magics the Kaled'a'in.

It basically boiled down to Firesong could teach me more than they and I was ready to move on.

Firesong kicked Darkwind and Elspeth out after that and kicked my lesson into high gear. It was the strangest lesson in magic I'd had simply because his style was so different. It didn't even match up to what I remembered from the Books, partly because we discussed magical theory and its applications instead of mostly working. Lessons had just gotten much more interesting.

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Later on that day when I was cleaning up my room before dinner, Tashir came by.

"Hey," I greeted him at the door.

"Good evening, my lovely flower," he said suavely as he took my hand and graced it with a soft kiss. I rolled my eyes at this old gag, but felt my cheeks heat up none the less. "I have a surprise for you," he said pulling a long piece of blue silk out of his pocket.

I stared at the cloth, not quite sure what to say. "It's very pretty, thank you," I finally decided.

Tashir laughed. "This is not your surprise."

"Holy crap, Batman, you're gonna blindfold me."

His smile widened. "Yes I am. If you'll allow me, that is."

I eyed the silk warily for a while before giving in. "Okay, I guess."

With that he turned me around and lightly tied the cool cloth around my eyes, temporarily blinding me. Tashir then opened my door a little more and reached around me for something.

"It's a bit of a walk to our destination," he explained as I felt my heavy winter cloak drop onto my shoulders.

I smiled and laughed nervously but allowed him to lead me by the hand out of the building and into the cold night air. I shivered some as some air leaked through my cloak, but even more so when I felt Tashir place an arm securely around my shoulders and pulled me close. I wasn't so cold afterwards. A little too warm actually.

We walked for what seemed like forever across the snow. Eventually my nose was assailed with a hint of warm water and the tinge of fresh greenery. Momentarily we paused and a rush of warm humid air hit me square in the face, and Tashir lead me forward again.

"You could have just said we were going to the ekele," I chided him with a smile.

"Where would the fun in that be? This is simply the setting of your reward."

"Reward? The hell are you talking about?" I asked as we continued walking. He brought me around by the waterfall and stopped. He unclasped my cloak and I felt him untie the knot behind my head, but didn't remove the blindfold. Instead, Tashir leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"Your reward for surviving you first lesson with Firesong." The only part of Tashir touching me was his hands, but I was acutely aware that the rest of his body was mere centimeters away from mine, and the feel of his breath on my skin made the hairs stand on end. Damn, who turned up the heat in here?

The silk was slowly pulled away from my eyes, revealing the most picturesque picnic I'd ever seen. We were right next to the soaking pool and the waterfall which provided calming background music to the small rainforest-on-steroids surroundings. The blooming flowers provided a light perfume and there were enough candles lit to augment the moonlight streaming through the 'glass', illuminating food that was obviously provided by the few hertasi living at the Palace.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed quietly. I turned to face Tashir and saw his eyes glowing with pride. "Tashir, this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you, very much."

"It occurred to me recently we never had the meal I asked you to share back when you were still yelling at me. It would give me great pleasure, my Dragonheart, if you would join me tonight," Tashir said in a low voice, taking my hand in his. He was excited, but looked as if his very well being hung on my next words.

"How could I say no," I replied brightly.

Tashir inclined his head in acceptance and bowed. He kissed my hand again and swept his free arm toward the picnic. "Then come, my fair rose."

"By now you know much about me from our previous conversations, but there are facts about you that still allude me," he said smiling as he helped me sit on the side of the pool. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some more personal questions tonight. Nothing intended to make you uncomfortable, but more specific details to the generalities."

"Sure, what the hell," I shrugged. I was a little hesitant but I honestly believed he wanted to know. "Where do you want to start?"

"With music. Which of the various types you've mentioned before do you like? The popular compositions, classical, I believe you called it 'hip-hop'? Which do you prefer?" he asked intently.

"Well, really anything that I think has a good beat. I grew up listening to oldies, stuff my grandparents and parents listened to when they were my age, and then there are certain country songs that I just adore, but it's mostly the rock/pop music genre. Songs that have more of an edge to them. Whatever I can groove to."

"You mean music that makes you dance?" he asked.

"Yeah. Either that, or have you ever heard a song that sent chills down your spine? A song that makes your blood boil but freezes it in your veins at the same time?" Tashir smiled and nodded in understanding. "A lot of the songs I loved to rock out to would do that to me. They'd give me that shiver."

"Name your favorite." I shot him an incredulous look and laughed. "What?" he asked sounding slightly offended. "You don't have a favorite song?"

"No, I do, but it's like asking me to name my favorite book. Damn near impossible due to the sheer number," I replied laughing. "I mean, do you want it by genre, artist, or decade because let me tell ya it'll be a pretty long list."

Tashir thought for a moment, then answered. "That note you wrote me last fall in response to the poem I gave you, that was a song, correct?" I nodded. "Obviously it meant something to you because you chose it, so it must be from one of your favorite performers. Name one of your favorite songs by that person."

"Fair enough. The artist in question is considered one of the queens of rock an' roll, Pat Benatar, and the song I gave you was called 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' if you couldn't figure it out. While it is one of my favorites, I think my favorite Pat Benatar song is 'Invincible'. The first time I heard it, it made me sit a little taller and made my blood boil and run cold." I closed my eyes with pleasure as the chords of the chorus rang in my memory, bringing a smile with them.

"Sing it for me," Tashir asked after a few moments.

My eyes snapped open and I scoffed at his request. "What? I can't do that, I don't sing very well and I could never do the song justice."

"That's nonsense and I'm quite serious. Jennifer, I'm a Bard and can tell just by hearing a person speak whether or not they would have a good singing voice. Yours is a little rough, but beautiful in its own right. Please. You've heard plenty of Valdemar's music, it's time we hear some of yours."

It took a little more prodding by Tashir but I agreed. I could hear the notes and words so clearly in my mind I felt like I was listening to the song right there. The world melted away with every word sang and my worries were carried off with every note. And I felt truly and deeply happy, like all was as it should be.

Silence lingered between us as I ended. I almost wanted to break into another of my favorite songs, but wanted to know what Tashir thought. I looked over at him questioningly and was surprised to see one of the biggest and happiest smiles he'd ever given me. I blushed and looked away.

"You really do have a gorgeous voice and though the Bardic Gift is not one of yours, the Projective Empathy you do possess more than compensates. It's obvious you love to sing." I tiled my head in question, causing Tashir to laugh.

"You were Projecting the entire time. It was interesting because I could hear your voice and feel the emotions the song gave you. But I could also hear music unlike anything I've ever heard and a separate voice singing as well, which I assume was the original performer. I didn't know you could do that."

I couldn't believe it. "You…you could hear the music?" Tashir simply nodded. "I didn't know I could either."

As the night went on he got me to sing a little more and asked me more questions about myself, like my favorite book, movie, singer, and a few others. With each question I found it easier to answer and found myself really enjoying his company, to the point where I would volunteer information or ask Tashir the same question.

It was around ten when he walked me back to my room. But I didn't want the evening to end; I wanted it to continue on. We reached my door and I was about to ask him something that had been weighing on my mind for a while when he beat me to the punch.

"Before I leave you, I have two more questions, if I may?"

"Sure," I smiled.

"When is your Birthing Day?" he asked, locking my gaze with mine. I could have sworn I felt my knees give a little.

"You're the first one to ask that. It's on October twenty…umm, six days before Sovvan-Night, I think. I'm not sure how similar my calendar is the one you use here," I replied.

"Does anyone know?" I shook my head. "The anniversary of your birth has passed twice during your time here and nobody knew about it?" Tashir's voice rose slightly with anger.

"My birthday is a month after I came here, so it's not really a happy time for me anymore. It's no big deal," I defended as I felt my throat tighten a little at the thought. Who really wants to remember how long they've been away from home with a special event like that?

"Jennifer, that will not happen again, I promise you," Tashir said firmly, his eyes never leaving mine. He smiled again with a hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. "For my second question, how old are you?"

I laughed and raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't your momma ever tell you it's not polite to ask a lady her age?"

"With a vocabulary such as yours, I hardly think of you as a lady."

"Ouch! Now you really don't deserve an answer."

Tashir's smile widened but the sparkle died. "Seriously."

"I just turned twenty. Why did you want to know?"

"Curiosity."

"It killed the cat, y'know."

"I'll take my chances."

"Okay then, my turn for one last question, and I want a serious answer," I said leaning against the door jam and crossing my arms.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Back home a guy like you would never even notice me, so what did I do to catch your attention? Right now you're proving to be an absolute sweetheart and lately I've felt more comfortable with you than anyone, save Shayna, and I've told you things I haven't told anyone else. But why me? What do I bring to the table?"

Tashir chuckled quietly. "A thoughtful question and yet such a simple answer. You caught my eye because I never caught yours."

"Really? You're not joshin' me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Quite. It's no secret I have an easy time with the ladies, I always have. But you are the first woman I've met who has not been swayed by a pretty word or a glancing look; you wanted nothing to do with me and made me work for your affections. What do you bring to the table? The knowledge that I have to work to keep the one woman I desire most," Tashir said softly as he brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

I was struck dumb and winded. How do you respond to an answer like that? When I didn't, he took that for a sign to leave. He said goodnight once more and had taken a couple steps before I came to my senses.

"Wait a sec," I called. Tashir stopped and gave me a questioning look. I can't believe I'm going to do this, but for some reason it feels right. Quickly, I placed a hand on his chest, stood on tiptoe, and gave his a light kiss. A real one. I gave a small laugh when I saw the look on Tashir's face. His jaw had dropped slightly and was looking at me like I'd sprouted horns.

"You earned that. Thank you, so much, for tonight. It was amazing."

Tashir shook his head slightly, as if to clear it and gave me his most charming smile. I raised an eyebrow but returned it warmly.

"No, Jennifer, thank you." And he left.