The first couple of fish were something of a mess, with far more bones likely still caught inside than were taken out. But, luckily, there were more than enough fish for Rance to get some practice in and, with the help of the magically-crafted blade, the process of gutting was significantly swifter and cleaner by the time he was finished.
He can’t help but think that Jigano’s bardic roots are showing by the request of song or tale to fill the time, but he’s already pondering what stories he could tell when Amalia speaks up. He leans forward, instantly interested and attentive, nodding when she looks for affirmation. It was a simple tune, maybe a lullaby, but Amalia’s voice was good, and the lyrics were a telling sign of just how important the Spark Bird was to the culture of the Grounders. By the time she finished, Rance realized that, maybe, he ought to be a bit more respectful to the creature they were trying to lure.
“I’m not much of a singer, so I can’t offer anything like that, but I think I might have something.” He shifted a bit, leaning forward more without thinking about it. “In the old kingdom, when my folk didn’t need to stay ‘hidden’, the royal family was blessed with a prince. Or, rather, ‘cursed’, for on his back were great feathered wings, as pale and shining as new snow.”
The story continued as Rance described how the royal family tried first to hide the wings then, as the prince grew older and his wings grew larger, to decorate them with chains and jewels as if they were a cloak, chaining the appendages together in the process. How the king banished the prince to a tower of ice, a magically constructed prison to ‘save’ the kingdom from his ‘curse’. How the prince’s one friend followed, scouring the kingdom until he found the tower. The friend’s journey was, of course, shortened from how Rance had learned it, with many of the details trimmed if they were too tangled with the lore of his homeland, but the story still led to scaling the tower, and the friends reuniting.
“...The story is a little vague on where they found the magic to break the prince’s chains. Some say the friend was blessed in his own way, some say there was more magical about the prince than just his wings." Rance shrugged, waving a hand as if brushing the detail away. "Whatever they did, they shattered the chains and the tower began to melt. They had just enough time for the prince to grab his friend and fly them both away to safety and, finally, freedom.”
He can’t help but think that Jigano’s bardic roots are showing by the request of song or tale to fill the time, but he’s already pondering what stories he could tell when Amalia speaks up. He leans forward, instantly interested and attentive, nodding when she looks for affirmation. It was a simple tune, maybe a lullaby, but Amalia’s voice was good, and the lyrics were a telling sign of just how important the Spark Bird was to the culture of the Grounders. By the time she finished, Rance realized that, maybe, he ought to be a bit more respectful to the creature they were trying to lure.
“I’m not much of a singer, so I can’t offer anything like that, but I think I might have something.” He shifted a bit, leaning forward more without thinking about it. “In the old kingdom, when my folk didn’t need to stay ‘hidden’, the royal family was blessed with a prince. Or, rather, ‘cursed’, for on his back were great feathered wings, as pale and shining as new snow.”
The story continued as Rance described how the royal family tried first to hide the wings then, as the prince grew older and his wings grew larger, to decorate them with chains and jewels as if they were a cloak, chaining the appendages together in the process. How the king banished the prince to a tower of ice, a magically constructed prison to ‘save’ the kingdom from his ‘curse’. How the prince’s one friend followed, scouring the kingdom until he found the tower. The friend’s journey was, of course, shortened from how Rance had learned it, with many of the details trimmed if they were too tangled with the lore of his homeland, but the story still led to scaling the tower, and the friends reuniting.
“...The story is a little vague on where they found the magic to break the prince’s chains. Some say the friend was blessed in his own way, some say there was more magical about the prince than just his wings." Rance shrugged, waving a hand as if brushing the detail away. "Whatever they did, they shattered the chains and the tower began to melt. They had just enough time for the prince to grab his friend and fly them both away to safety and, finally, freedom.”
