That bastard threw a chair at me. I managed to duck before it crashed into the wall behind me. Well, this was just fantastic. I slowly lifted my head, watching the very angry man as he breathed heavily. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have spoken in anger. Or at all, in fact. I should've minded my own business. Apologized and left. I stood up and brushed off my skirt. I sighed and tried to push down the need to flee.

"You know, if you let me play another song, I think I can calm you down."

"I think not." He growled.

I looked helplessly at the bartender. "A little help?"

He shrugged, wiping down the counter. "Your song paid for the drink. But someone has to pay for the chair."

I groaned and looked over to the angry man. "You're the one who threw it."

"You're the one who made me mad."

"You're the one who got angry first!" I hissed in frustration.

"And you're the one who was playing that gods awful music!"

Now he was pissing me off. I was fine with ignoring a majority of insults. Especially when it came to how weak I am. Sure, I'd throw back a quip or two, but it was all in good hearted fun. I knew I was weak anyway. But when someone insulted my music? That's when it really ruffled my feathers. I stomped up to the man. I could feel my face heat up with anger.

"First of all, the very kind owner of this establishment asked me to play music. Second of all, you were the one who came in here and ruined the good atmosphere. What, are you some sort of noble? The governor of this town? No, I don't think so. So why don't you be a good patron, sit down, and shut your mouth?"

The tavern was silent as I finished my ranting. My hands clutched the viol and bow until my knuckles turned white, my chest heaving as I glared up at the imbecile that decided to insult my music. He stared down at me with surprise. After I finally gathered my wits, I sat down on the stool. I set down the viol and looked up at the bartender, silently signaling for a fresh mug of mead. He grabbed a rather large mug.

The man huffed and shook his head. "You've got guts, brat."

"Does that mean-"

"Nope." He sat next to me and crossed his arms. "The name's Vurg."

My eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Ah… I'm Cahira."

"A little advice, Cahira. Don't go starting fights with people stronger than you. I'm being nice by deciding not to throw you."

Vurg was right, as annoying as it was. I may be a war elf, but the only indication was the markings on my face. I looked down at my outfit. A dark blue skirt with flowers sewn on the hem, heeled boots, a rosy white corset, and a white blouse. Everything else about me screamed "girl who has never lifted a sword." Which wasn't true. I have lifted a sword, I just wasn't good at it. My hand went to one of my belt pouches. I felt the cool glass of the poison and antidote vials. This world was dangerous. My parents knew that. I knew that. And yet, I was acting like a complete idiot. If a big, burly, and scary man tells me to stop, I should stop. So I could keep my life.

The bartender slid the mead over to me. "Partly my fault. Sorry, kid. Should've warned ya."

I grunted in response and took a big, long chug. The cloudy yellow liquid made my mouth dry and slid easily down my throat. There was a hint of sweetness, but it mainly tasted stale and strong. "Yeah, yeah. Lesson learned."

I ended up drinking myself into a stupor. I didn't handle my mead well. After having a long and somewhat drunken conversation with Vurg on how not to piss off people, I stumbled out of the tavern. The good calm air felt good on my flushed cheeks. I hummed softly to myself as I walked over to the inn. I teetered up the stairs and into my room. I plopped down onto the bed, my eyes closing. 

My journey just started and I'm already making a mess of things. Mistakes may be a part of life, but some were just too dangerous. Some could end up in me getting myself killed. Exhaustion washed over me. The excitement of my journey was starting to wear off. Reality was setting in. If I want to achieve my dream, I need to be more careful.

***

After a not-so-tearful goodbye at the tavern, I started my adventure once again. The bartender wanted to give me the viol, but I declined, telling him to save it for the next poor bard that had the misfortune of happening upon his tavern. I had a feeling that thing brought bad luck anyhow.

I continued my journey to the entrance of Elfil forest. Every time I passed a town or village, I crossed it off the map. Well, where I thought I was. My father had told me that if I just followed the road and didn't make any turns, I should have a straight shot to the forest. He had repeated, several times, not to get distracted.

Of course I got distracted. It was my first time away from Asmar. I wanted to see everything. It's not like I was in dire straits and needed to go to Othesh right away. I was allowed to have a little leeway. And make some money as well. I learned my lesson from the last place and only offered to play in taverns if I was paid. Sometimes I'd use my flute, sometimes I'd sing (terribly), and other times, I'd use whatever instrument that they had on hand.

There was an odd trend that I started to notice whenever I did my job as a bard. I was around four weeks into my journey. I've played at several taverns or on the street. And almost every time, someone would come up to me and say they just got this odd feeling. Someone had described it as a bucket of joy being poured over them. I couldn't tell if they were being serious or if it was some cheesy compliment.

As a bard, of course, my goal was to make people feel with my music. Especially if I was telling a story. But the way people described how I made them feel was as if I was putting a spell on them. A large part of me knew that wasn't possible. Magic was a blessing from Empyria, the heavens above. It was only given to those worthy or those with a job, such as the Fairy King. It wasn't given to a Northern War Elf that wanted to make music instead of fight.

And yet… a part of me wished I did have magic. That the Empyrians thought of me as worthy to spread the gift of music. There was nothing wrong in wanting to be special. I didn't want to be special in the way that would bring me an abundance of money. I wanted to be special in the way that it brought others happiness and an escape from their lives. It's a bard's job. And I wanted to do my job well. If I was born with an innate gift and that gift was only elevated by those above… then I really had to lock in on my duty.

My legs hurt from so much walking. I wasn't much for physical activity other than dancing. I wanted nothing more than to lounge under a tree and take a nap. Alas, I had lots and lots of walking to do. While I wanted to hitch a ride on someone's carriage, not many people traveled through Elfil Forest. It was ripe with magical creatures and plants, all of them potentially dangerous. Those that did travel through there were too scary for me to talk to. Nor did I have enough coin to spare. My feet dragged through the dirt. My only company was the bird song… until it completely stopped.

There it was. The forest. Large, dense trees loomed above me. It was like a vacuum. A majority of sunlight was sucked away and there was barely any noise besides the rustling of leaves. A shiver ran down my spine. I would be in this forest for a majority of my journey. There was a worn down trail to help guide me, but it wasn't guaranteed that I would be safe. It would be dangerous. It would be deadly.

I didn't care. I was exhausted and needed a nap. I pulled the straps of my bag tighter over my shoulders and went right into the trees. I walked for around five minutes before finding the perfect spot to rest. A sturdy tree with good shade and a nice layer of moss around the trunk. I set down my bag and sat down, leaning against the tree. I took out my flask and drank some water before setting it down and closing my eyes. 

It would be fine. Completely safe to take a nap here. It's not like my body would get up at the moment anyway. With a content sigh, I closed my eyes. I let myself relax. The soft moss below me acted as a nice cushion. The forest sounds weren't all that bad. I focused on them as I slowly drifted asleep. The leaves, the wind, the occasional bird. Normal forest sounds. I could also hear some light jingling, almost like the sound of bells. There was some giggling… ah. I couldn't keep conscious. But it was fine. Those were definitely normal forest sounds.