114 Found at the Falls Part 4

When the song was done once again, Clovis began coming out of his trance, having truly enjoyed the experience with his little girl. He never realized Zither could be so pretty and relaxing. What was more, he was surprised by Kyera's teaching form. She never touched the strings or the child, she guided with her voice and never really chided her.

"You did very well, Princess. There is one major issue within this lesson though." Kyera assessed watching the child who suddenly looked lost. A small frown teased between Kyera's eyes as she tried to find another way to say this. "You didn't do anything truly wrong. However, I need to ask. Why did you stop playing halfway through the score?" Raina looked down at her hands her confidence shaken. Clovis" heart clenched slightly as he watched, expecting the next words to bully his little girl he couldn't just sit aside.

"She made a mistake in the notes so she stopped to start again like a good student should. However you ignored the mistake. Why?" Clovis countered turning a question on Kyera whose attention momentarily left her student. Parents weren't aloud at training in the forest. Now she knew why. Thankfully, she had patience to spare.

"Yes, and for good reason. She did not make a mistake. She adapted the tune to her play style." Kyera replied smoothly. "In music, no musician plays the same way twice. We miss notes, we change them so they feel better under our hand. The sounds are similar but not perfect. Raina felt it was a mistake because it wasn't perfect, but music isn't about being perfect. It is about embracing emotions and the beauty of imperfections." Kyera replied explaining just as much to the father as the daughter. Raina's eyes lit up as she thought on What her teacher said. The statement made much more sense than the normal teachers 'my way or no way' mentality.

Clovis sat still for a moment thinking on this and looking at the Zither in front of his daughter. It wasn't perfect either. The wood was smooth but the color and grain had its true texture and the strings were not all the same color. Somewhere toned from playing. "Does that, in a way, lead one to become lazy?" he asks seeing the flaw in the logic. Kyera sighed softly and shook her head.

"Yes, but only to those who do not love the art. You see the key is to master it but also to make it your own. You can not play every note or even every 5 notes wrong and still call it the same song. You must balance your changes to make the song sound its best." Kyera explained, countering him soundly. Clovis quickly came to see it her way. Mally smiled as she gently stroked Snow Drop's delicate wings.

"I see. It is beautiful and unique. I think Princess Raina will do well learning this." Clovis replied seeing so much more potential if his daughter learned to improvise and be herself. Music was already a useful and pleasing talent but to also learn confidence and self understanding for one so young would be wonderful. His hopes were not high, but even if it just brought her a occasional smile, it was worth it. "I will have to trouble you, Lady Kyera."

"Yes, Please, Warrioress Kyera." Raina replied turning her pretty blue eyes on Kyera. Her heart melted as the child watched her closely. It was as though her hopes and dreams all rested on Kyera's shoulders. A small smile curved the older woman's lips as she realized she was just fine with that. After All, who better for them to rest on than someone that believes in her.

"What did I tell you when i first agreed to train you?" Kyera asked with a smile and the little girl grinned happily.