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“So then what…?” Megils words cut Julian from his thoughts and brought him back to reality, it seems he’d become engrossed in his own story.
“Hmmm…? Oh I took my fathers remains as far away from that accursed town as possible before giving him a proper burial under a sagging willow tree. I marked the spot with an ‘X’ in case I ever wanted to return but… I’ve never even thought about looking back, I suppose I don’t want to face him until after the Mori-Mongers have been stopped” Megil watched him with concern in her eyes but Julian was to busy staring into space. He didn’t even know if it was possible to stop the Mori-Mongers, they just kept coming.
“You said that your sword… Lina, could sing, and that when she did you could see that path the battle would take?” Megil was curious about the sword but also asked so that she might change the subject. Julian was aware of the fact but was more than willing to move on.
“Yes, it’s almost like magic, but it’s not just her, it’s me… it’s like we become one entity, she makes the song but my movements determine what song she plays… it’s hard to explain but it just feels right…” Megil nodded her head there are some things that you just can’t explain when it comes to your bond with your weapon.
“May I ask… why do you call her Lina?” Julian didn’t answer straight away, instead he pulled Lina up into his lap and withdrew her blade about a foot out of it’s scabbard until the words ’Lina Hyanda’ became visible.
“I assume it’s the name of the blacksmith who crafted her, it just seems like the right name for her.” Megil reached out and touched the engravings but the sound of an old, raspy voice announced that they were no longer alone.
“It’s not the name of any blacksmith…” Megil recoiled away from the sword and turned towards Noldo as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “It’s written in the old tongue, it means ‘song blade’.”
Julian looked up at Noldo but for the most part he ignored Julian. He moved around the bench and took a seat between Megil and Julian, Julian found himself disappointed for during their conversation Megil had been moving closer and closer, now she was pushed back to the edge of the bench, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind as petty.
“So it’s you my old dear… I thought you’d been lost under the sands of time… then again you always had the knack of seeking out sword-singers…” Noldo was no longer talking to Megil or Julian, he ran a thin finger down the blade and over the engraved words.
“Elder-Noldo… what do- Is there something you know of my sword?” To this Noldo chuckled.
“You don’t know how right you are, this is your sword as much as this is my hand, you are part of her and she is part of you… come let me tell you of the sword-singers but it’s getting late and will soon be chilly for such conversation, to the tribal hall.” Noldo stood up and started walking towards the large building where he’d first met Julian, both Julian and Megil followed suit.
“Elder-Noldo, though it is none of my concern what happened to Fitz and Kelbourn?” Megil warily asked for they had last been seen talking with the Elder.
“Not your concern? My dear they are your friends… nay your family it is within your every right to ask such questions about your family… and I had to send them on an urgent scouting mission. A… horde of Mori-Mongers are marching a little too close for comfort and my eye cannot see their path, if they turn north at the mountain cliffs they’ll be heading straight for us…” Megil let out a small gasp, Julian put his hand on her shoulder in attempt to comfort her.
“Oh don’t worry about it child,” Noldo assured her “Kelbourn and Fitz are very good at taking care of themselves, they’ll be fine I’m sure”
Julian and Megil continued to follow the Elder back to the tribal hall, he ushered them in through a back door that lead to the area where Noldo presumably lived. He offered them some sort of tea drink but both he and Megil politely declined.
“Ok so about the sword, do you mind if I asked where you got it?” Noldo peaked his head up over the table so he could get a look at it, Julian took the scabbard off his belt and laid it on the table so he could study it easier.
“I got it from my father, it’s a family heirloom” Julian responded which Noldo responded with a nod.
“Ah yes of course, no doubt fate saw your coming and gave the sword to your ancestors in preperation…” Julian couldn’t help but let a small smile flutter across his face.
“Sorry Elder-Noldo… but I don’t believe in fate” Noldo waved off his objections with a small movement of his hand.
“Bah, Fate is but an arbitrary word, it applies to anything you want to derive meaning from, it’s all cause end effect, there was need for a great swordsman, so you were born.” Julian frowned, he never liked the idea that something was controlling his actions and where he’d end up.
“I don’t understand, your saying I was born because I had to be born?” Noldo shook his head, almost in frustration.
“No, no, no… The people wanted a swordsman, so the sword awoke and found it’s next family, then it waited until someone was born who could wield it to its full potential, eventually it would have found someone with that natural spark, if not you then your son or his son and so on and so forth…” Julian wasn’t sure he quite understood but for the sake of getting on with it he nodded his head.
“Anyway where was I… ah yeah the sword singers… A long time ago, back when the old race still ruled these lands they had swordsmen that would put our Adu to shame, they would move through the air like an artists brush on the canvas, few could stand up to their blades… and of these swordsmen there was one, said to be the greatest swordsman of all time, it was written that he could cut the very air around him and leave a vacuum that could split a candle in two.
The thing is he could never find a sword beautiful enough, or perfect enough to fit his skill, if ever it was so much as a grain of sand two heavy on one side he would toss it away in disgust.
He made a promise, that if any blacksmith could make him the perfect sword, one that can match his skill then he would marry them or their daughter and protect their family for the rest of his naturally born life… and these were trying times indeed the old ones were bickering amongst each other on verge of civil war so such a promise from such a great swordsman, especially one who could wield a perfect blade, was a valuable thing to possess indeed.
Many master blacksmiths came to this swordsman, they showed him sword after sword but none flowed through the air well enough, none were balanced perfectly enough… but as the swordsman said before tossing each sword… none would sing just right…
Then, a blacksmith… a woman as the story goes fell in love with the swordsman, she wanted to be the one to give him his hearts desire and have him protect her for the rest of their lives… so she toiled before her flames, hammering away at the metals and tossing out anything with the slightest imperfections.
Six months passed and she was deprived of sleep, of food and drink. She’d wasted away to twig but her thoughts of the swordsman drove her onwards until she finally completed the perfect sword.
She took it to the swordsman personally, handed it over and cried tears of joy at the song it sang when he wielded it, the swordsman found it to be the perfect blade, he praised her for her flawless work and asked how she did it, and what he could do to repay her. She replied ‘I have no secret, no special mix of metals, I created the sword out of love, poured all I had into it, and if you wish to repay me all I ask is that you keep your promise and protect me with that sword forever.’
The swordsman was greatly moved by her words, he saw she was withered, once beautiful but now almost hallow, she’d sacrificed much to bring him the perfect sword and he would gladly love her and protect her for eternity for it.
Unfortunately tales say the blacksmith died not long after, some say she had given her very soul into the sword, others say she died of a broken heart after she realized the swordsman loved the sword more than he loved her. The only thing old enough to know for sure is the sword itself… it somehow found its way to other swordsmen, ones with a natural skill that could make the sword sing like the first sword singer had made it sing. Because of this blade they were called sword singers, but I don’t think we’ve had a sword singer for a thousand years…” Noldo scratched his chin as if trying to remember the last time he heard of a sword singer. Julian looked at his sword for a moment.
“Elder-Noldo… what of the magic? When I fight with Lina I can… feel where the battles going and how I can win.” Julians question jerked Noldo from his thoughts and he smiled.
“Oh that, well you heard the song ‘Lina’ makes when you fight with her. The magic you feel is just a sort of musical intuition, every fight has an ideal path and the music Lina makes in response to that has it’s own pattern, like a bards song… when you ‘feel’ the path your just feeling what music should come next and thus what movement to make in response to your opponents swing. There isn’t much more to it.” Noldo gave another friendly smile.
“You know the Sword Singers used to pledge themselves to protect single people with the- Lina, Kings and queens would send entire convoys to convince them to pledge their swords to their crown… but they always pledged their sword to the one they cared for most, usually a lover… just a curious piece of information…” Noldo’s smile curved slightly more into a conspiratory smirk. As if he knew something Julian wasa keeping secret.
“Really… what if the one they cared for most didn’t need their protection…” Julian forced himself not to look in Megil’s direction but from the corner of his eye he noticed her left ear twitch slightly at his question.
“Well I wouldn’t know about that, the Sword Singers, old though I am, were before my time… still the pledge itself is an act of love more than protection, and just because someone doesn’t need that love shouldn’t mean it should go un-offered anyway… wouldn’t you say Megil?” Noldo turned to Megil who looked visibly startled at suddenly being called on.
“I… uhh… don’t know of such things…” Megil shook her head, Julian let himself get momentarily distracted by the way the strands of hair came apart and fell back together with the small movement.
“Oh don’t worry child, just tell me what your heart says, there’s no right or wrong answers when it comes to love…” Noldo continued to prod Megil, she looked uncomfortable and shifted in her seat slightly.
“I… guess… two swords are better than one, if I- err… that is to say someone was good with a sword and received such a pledge there would be nothing wrong with accepting help to cut down ones enemies…” Julian was watching Megil closely, he felt inexplicably curious as to her response, as she spoke she glanced at Julian twice. Noldo himself seemed pleased with her response.
“How very true… It’s getting late, perhaps you two would like to head home, it’s been a long day has it not?” Noldo quickly ushered them back out the hall, almost too quickly, before Julian and Megil could really say anything they found themselves outside the hall alone, and awkward silence ensued.
“So uhh… good night Megil…” Julian gave her a smile but felt like there was something else he was supposed to say.
“Good night Julian…” Megil turned and started walking away but Julian stopped her.
“Megil wait… I… well you know, with you being my official guide and everything I though it would be best if I knew where you lived… you know in case I have a question and need to find you…” Megil looked at him for a while before smiling.
“Your right, you can walk with me to my place, it’s not that far so I’m sure you could find your way back to Naru-Helena’s” Julian quickly fell into step beside her and another silence fell, this one felt more comfortable this time, Julian just enjoyed walking with her in the starlight…

Description
“So then what…?” Megils words cut Julian from his thoughts and brought him back to reality, it seems he’d become engrossed in his own story.
“Hmmm…? Oh I took my fathers remains as far away from that accursed town as possible before giving him a proper burial under a sagging willow tree. I marked the spot with an ‘X’ in case I ever wanted to return but… I’ve never even thought about looking back, I suppose I don’t want to face him until after the Mori-Mongers have been stopped” Megil watched him with concern in her eyes but Julian was to busy staring into space. He didn’t even know if it was possible to stop the Mori-Mongers, they just kept coming.
“You said that your sword… Lina, could sing, and that when she did you could see that path the battle would take?” Megil was curious about the sword but also asked so that she might change the subject. Julian was aware of the fact but was more than willing to move on.
“Yes, it’s almost like magic, but it’s not just her, it’s me… it’s like we become one entity, she makes the song but my movements determine what song she plays… it’s hard to explain but it just feels right…” Megil nodded her head there are some things that you just can’t explain when it comes to your bond with your weapon.
“May I ask… why do you call her Lina?” Julian didn’t answer straight away, instead he pulled Lina up into his lap and withdrew her blade about a foot out of it’s scabbard until the words ’Lina Hyanda’ became visible.
“I assume it’s the name of the blacksmith who crafted her, it just seems like the right name for her.” Megil reached out and touched the engravings but the sound of an old, raspy voice announced that they were no longer alone.
“It’s not the name of any blacksmith…” Megil recoiled away from the sword and turned towards Noldo as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “It’s written in the old tongue, it means ‘song blade’.”
Julian looked up at Noldo but for the most part he ignored Julian. He moved around the bench and took a seat between Megil and Julian, Julian found himself disappointed for during their conversation Megil had been moving closer and closer, now she was pushed back to the edge of the bench, but he quickly pushed it out of his mind as petty.
“So it’s you my old dear… I thought you’d been lost under the sands of time… then again you always had the knack of seeking out sword-singers…” Noldo was no longer talking to Megil or Julian, he ran a thin finger down the blade and over the engraved words.
“Elder-Noldo… what do- Is there something you know of my sword?” To this Noldo chuckled.
“You don’t know how right you are, this is your sword as much as this is my hand, you are part of her and she is part of you… come let me tell you of the sword-singers but it’s getting late and will soon be chilly for such conversation, to the tribal hall.” Noldo stood up and started walking towards the large building where he’d first met Julian, both Julian and Megil followed suit.
“Elder-Noldo, though it is none of my concern what happened to Fitz and Kelbourn?” Megil warily asked for they had last been seen talking with the Elder.
“Not your concern? My dear they are your friends… nay your family it is within your every right to ask such questions about your family… and I had to send them on an urgent scouting mission. A… horde of Mori-Mongers are marching a little too close for comfort and my eye cannot see their path, if they turn north at the mountain cliffs they’ll be heading straight for us…” Megil let out a small gasp, Julian put his hand on her shoulder in attempt to comfort her.
“Oh don’t worry about it child,” Noldo assured her “Kelbourn and Fitz are very good at taking care of themselves, they’ll be fine I’m sure”
Julian and Megil continued to follow the Elder back to the tribal hall, he ushered them in through a back door that lead to the area where Noldo presumably lived. He offered them some sort of tea drink but both he and Megil politely declined.
“Ok so about the sword, do you mind if I asked where you got it?” Noldo peaked his head up over the table so he could get a look at it, Julian took the scabbard off his belt and laid it on the table so he could study it easier.
“I got it from my father, it’s a family heirloom” Julian responded which Noldo responded with a nod.
“Ah yes of course, no doubt fate saw your coming and gave the sword to your ancestors in preperation…” Julian couldn’t help but let a small smile flutter across his face.
“Sorry Elder-Noldo… but I don’t believe in fate” Noldo waved off his objections with a small movement of his hand.
“Bah, Fate is but an arbitrary word, it applies to anything you want to derive meaning from, it’s all cause end effect, there was need for a great swordsman, so you were born.” Julian frowned, he never liked the idea that something was controlling his actions and where he’d end up.
“I don’t understand, your saying I was born because I had to be born?” Noldo shook his head, almost in frustration.
“No, no, no… The people wanted a swordsman, so the sword awoke and found it’s next family, then it waited until someone was born who could wield it to its full potential, eventually it would have found someone with that natural spark, if not you then your son or his son and so on and so forth…” Julian wasn’t sure he quite understood but for the sake of getting on with it he nodded his head.
“Anyway where was I… ah yeah the sword singers… A long time ago, back when the old race still ruled these lands they had swordsmen that would put our Adu to shame, they would move through the air like an artists brush on the canvas, few could stand up to their blades… and of these swordsmen there was one, said to be the greatest swordsman of all time, it was written that he could cut the very air around him and leave a vacuum that could split a candle in two.
The thing is he could never find a sword beautiful enough, or perfect enough to fit his skill, if ever it was so much as a grain of sand two heavy on one side he would toss it away in disgust.
He made a promise, that if any blacksmith could make him the perfect sword, one that can match his skill then he would marry them or their daughter and protect their family for the rest of his naturally born life… and these were trying times indeed the old ones were bickering amongst each other on verge of civil war so such a promise from such a great swordsman, especially one who could wield a perfect blade, was a valuable thing to possess indeed.
Many master blacksmiths came to this swordsman, they showed him sword after sword but none flowed through the air well enough, none were balanced perfectly enough… but as the swordsman said before tossing each sword… none would sing just right…
Then, a blacksmith… a woman as the story goes fell in love with the swordsman, she wanted to be the one to give him his hearts desire and have him protect her for the rest of their lives… so she toiled before her flames, hammering away at the metals and tossing out anything with the slightest imperfections.
Six months passed and she was deprived of sleep, of food and drink. She’d wasted away to twig but her thoughts of the swordsman drove her onwards until she finally completed the perfect sword.
She took it to the swordsman personally, handed it over and cried tears of joy at the song it sang when he wielded it, the swordsman found it to be the perfect blade, he praised her for her flawless work and asked how she did it, and what he could do to repay her. She replied ‘I have no secret, no special mix of metals, I created the sword out of love, poured all I had into it, and if you wish to repay me all I ask is that you keep your promise and protect me with that sword forever.’
The swordsman was greatly moved by her words, he saw she was withered, once beautiful but now almost hallow, she’d sacrificed much to bring him the perfect sword and he would gladly love her and protect her for eternity for it.
Unfortunately tales say the blacksmith died not long after, some say she had given her very soul into the sword, others say she died of a broken heart after she realized the swordsman loved the sword more than he loved her. The only thing old enough to know for sure is the sword itself… it somehow found its way to other swordsmen, ones with a natural skill that could make the sword sing like the first sword singer had made it sing. Because of this blade they were called sword singers, but I don’t think we’ve had a sword singer for a thousand years…” Noldo scratched his chin as if trying to remember the last time he heard of a sword singer. Julian looked at his sword for a moment.
“Elder-Noldo… what of the magic? When I fight with Lina I can… feel where the battles going and how I can win.” Julians question jerked Noldo from his thoughts and he smiled.
“Oh that, well you heard the song ‘Lina’ makes when you fight with her. The magic you feel is just a sort of musical intuition, every fight has an ideal path and the music Lina makes in response to that has it’s own pattern, like a bards song… when you ‘feel’ the path your just feeling what music should come next and thus what movement to make in response to your opponents swing. There isn’t much more to it.” Noldo gave another friendly smile.
“You know the Sword Singers used to pledge themselves to protect single people with the- Lina, Kings and queens would send entire convoys to convince them to pledge their swords to their crown… but they always pledged their sword to the one they cared for most, usually a lover… just a curious piece of information…” Noldo’s smile curved slightly more into a conspiratory smirk. As if he knew something Julian wasa keeping secret.
“Really… what if the one they cared for most didn’t need their protection…” Julian forced himself not to look in Megil’s direction but from the corner of his eye he noticed her left ear twitch slightly at his question.
“Well I wouldn’t know about that, the Sword Singers, old though I am, were before my time… still the pledge itself is an act of love more than protection, and just because someone doesn’t need that love shouldn’t mean it should go un-offered anyway… wouldn’t you say Megil?” Noldo turned to Megil who looked visibly startled at suddenly being called on.
“I… uhh… don’t know of such things…” Megil shook her head, Julian let himself get momentarily distracted by the way the strands of hair came apart and fell back together with the small movement.
“Oh don’t worry child, just tell me what your heart says, there’s no right or wrong answers when it comes to love…” Noldo continued to prod Megil, she looked uncomfortable and shifted in her seat slightly.
“I… guess… two swords are better than one, if I- err… that is to say someone was good with a sword and received such a pledge there would be nothing wrong with accepting help to cut down ones enemies…” Julian was watching Megil closely, he felt inexplicably curious as to her response, as she spoke she glanced at Julian twice. Noldo himself seemed pleased with her response.
“How very true… It’s getting late, perhaps you two would like to head home, it’s been a long day has it not?” Noldo quickly ushered them back out the hall, almost too quickly, before Julian and Megil could really say anything they found themselves outside the hall alone, and awkward silence ensued.
“So uhh… good night Megil…” Julian gave her a smile but felt like there was something else he was supposed to say.
“Good night Julian…” Megil turned and started walking away but Julian stopped her.
“Megil wait… I… well you know, with you being my official guide and everything I though it would be best if I knew where you lived… you know in case I have a question and need to find you…” Megil looked at him for a while before smiling.
“Your right, you can walk with me to my place, it’s not that far so I’m sure you could find your way back to Naru-Helena’s” Julian quickly fell into step beside her and another silence fell, this one felt more comfortable this time, Julian just enjoyed walking with her in the starlight…