Disclaimer: Since this is a new fic I am rewording the disclaimer but it's still here 'cause unfortunately I still don't own any of the below ideas that can be found in the 'real' Valdemar *sigh*.
A/N okay, I am typing this during computer appreciation class (study hall) thus I may have to upload it before it is complete due to the fact that I do not have a disk handy. Having said that I will now commence with the fourth chapter. Thanks for the reviews everybody! Cat, Cye is a boy, sorry I didn't mention it, but I knew it so… Kerri thanks, I try to update at least once weekly and writing is my passion. Arwen telyn I'll try to flesh my characters out more, I just prefer 3rd person do first person makes me more impersonal. Stee, I totally agree about match-making sisters… hence I wrote one it… hehehe. Thanks Fireblade k'chona, I likey your review! And a special thanks to Light-fingers cutthroat who made theses review responses possible ;).
I was grateful for every moment of rest I got as throughout the next day my quickly scribbled answers were tested and the few incorrect ones reassigned. I was discouraged by this addition to my normal schoolwork, but found enough time between classes to once more work out nearly all of the answers. Correctly this time, I hoped.
I sat fidgeting in my seat waiting for the end of my last class, composition. I glanced from the teacher to the door and finally my classmates started packing away their things. Free at last! I bolted for the door and hurried to meet Eben, he had promised to introduce me to Tatty. As expected he was standing just outside the main exit of bardic. He and a girl of about his age were chattering happily. The girl was carrying something vaguely reminiscent of a harp. I broke into a grin
"Hi Eben," I called. Eben jerked around and smiled broadly as he invited me to join them.
"Cye, this is Tatiana, the harpist I told you about," he introduced me, "Tatty, this is my roommate Cymon."
Tatiana and I shook hands. I remarked upon her firm grip approvingly.
"Hello Cymon," Tatty said politely.
"Hi," I replied, "Eben mentioned that you might help me with harp?"
She nodded and lifted her harp in agreement, "That's right."
Having stated my intentions I felt nervous standing with the two older students.
"So, how about we go see about a snack and then you can go play in one of the practice rooms," Eben said as if he sensed my unease.
"I reserved one this morning," Tatiana added brightly. So we headed for the kitchens and got a nice snack. Eben said goodbye and left us to practice.
"Alright," Tatty said drawing a deep breath, "shall we start?"
"I suppose so," I said stubbing my foot against the ground nervously. I didn't know the first thing about harp, and now a kid barely older than me was going to expose my ignorance, to alleviate it yes, but still.
"Let me see your harp," Tatty said briskly. I handed it over as if it were a dirty diaper. She scowled at that and cradled the instrument carefully in her hands. I watched numbly as she slowly plucked a chord and then shook her head. She twisted some knobs and again ran her fingers over the strings. She nodded slightly and continued fiddling with the tuning. Finally she looked up at me and grinned, "it's tuned; you chose a very nice harp."
"Thanks," I replied, not sure I deserved commendation for my random selection but glad for it nonetheless. Tatty then twisted one of the knobs and handed the harp back.
"Fix that," she said simply. I stared blankly at her. Fix it? I didn't even know anything was wrong with it.
"What?" I squeaked.
"Retune that string," she elaborated flatly.
I glared at her for a moment meeting her determined gaze before turning my anger toward the harp. I stared at the strings and then glanced back up at my instructor's infuriatingly passive face, "I can't," I said acidly.
"Don't be daft, of course you can… you haven't even tried," she admonished.
I scowled and sat down. I didn't want to look up and see her staring at me so I fussed with the harp. My original hope was to exasperate her into fixing the miserable bit of wood for me, but as I ran my hands along the strings I heard a certain wrongness in the sounds it emitted. I scowled automatically at the offensive string and plucked it experimentally. It rang out of tune. Quickly I traced the string to it's tuning knob and turned it slowly. The string hummed higher and higher, then too high, I twisted it back and the string was returned to its proper note. I glanced up victoriously.
"As we thought," Tatty said her broad grin belying her serious tone of voice, "You my boy are a natural. We should get along just fine."
"What do you mean, as you thought … as who thought?" I asked, confused.
"Eben told me about you, and when he said you chose harp I thought that you might be … you're a natural with the music Cymon, you have never had to work at music right?"
Blushing I nodded at the assessment, "But why is that anything special, music's easy!"
"Not for everyone, I know it sound's odd to you, it did to me too when they first told me, it's that way for anyone like us. Music is just a part of life, there isn't any effort in it, it just is."
I nodded surprised that I understood most of what she had just said.
"I only agreed to take you on as a student because Eben suspected this, I've had students before but we just frustrated each-other. I didn't understand when they couldn't tune their harps, and they didn't understand why I didn't just teach them. You will not need to be taught harp the same way they would have, you just need help figuring it out."
I frowned in concentration.
"It's like trying to remember a dream when you wake up Cymon. No matter how vivid it once seemed it just doesn't come back the way it should … that's like your gift. You can't learn it on your own and no-one who didn't have the same dream can tell you about it, but if you dream it again, or if someone heard you talking about it in your sleep, they can help you."
"So how can you help me?"
"I have the same gift, like sharing a dream, I can help you fit the pieces together and then you'll learn, not before."
"This will be easier than learning normally then?" I asked cautiously.
"No, it will be harder. It's much easier to make up a new story than to record an old dream, but the results come out differently."
"Okay, so what's next?" I asked wondering how much I believed.
"We continue with tuning. Until you know what needs to be done just be looking at the strings and can adjust them properly without having to fiddle with them. Until you could build a harp that was tuned when complete."
"I'll never be able to do that!" I gasped.
"You will," Tatty said with a firm nod, "I will see to that!"
I just shook my head doubtfully. Fortunately she didn't notice. She spent the rest of the afternoon making me tune and retune the instrument. By the end of the session my eyes and fingers stung and my ears buzzed.
"You did well," Tatty said brightly as we left the practice room. Before we left the hall she signed the same room out for the remainder of the week. I groaned at that. The thought of spending every afternoon bent over a harp was not encouraging.
I trudged grimly to dinner. Eben had saved two seats for us, we were late, and he started asking questions before either of us could even sit down. Tatty answered most of them and I ate mechanically.
"Well, what did I tell you?" Eben was staring expectantly at me. I blinked and stared blankly before I realized he was addressing me.
"Tatty's a good teacher," I said putting down my fork.
"But?" Eben prompted hearing my resignation.
"But I don't think I can take the stress."
Tatiana grinned, "Then I am doing my job perfectly!" she crowed triumphantly, "tomorrow will be harder, so I suggest an early night for you."
Eben smiled, "I would take her advice Cye, she's known for being downright mulish and a student's worst nightmare."
"That's exactly right, and I wouldn't give up such a hard to earn reputation for anybody!" Tatty said imperiously, then she smiled, "finish up your supper and then off to bed!" she directed in a motherly tone.
Too tired to protest I followed her orders and was half-asleep before I even reached my bed, let alone crawled into it.
A/N alright now this chap is done and I can post it for real! Yay!!!!!!!!! I love study hall.