Legends of Belariath

Zingara

Zingara Gets Her Name

“Ah what is there to say?” the elf's voice hummed along as Nateshia stirred to. “Ah see so she is still alive… you owe me ten mhl Ludo.” She nodded and moved away, her voice carrying on about something

The voice ran about her for several minutes, she couldn’t make any of them out she was still so faint, however when the glass of water was to her lips she knew to drink and the liquidly glop they called ‘stew’ was offered she knew to swallow it. A few hours and much care, the Chirot was able to understand something’s about her.

“I… I ran away from my home two winters ago…” she muttered holding the warm tea she was now sipping, she was dressed in rags, and a warm blanket, sitting in a large tent that housed a small fold away bed and a few chests along with four other people…

Ludo, a torian, clearly not impressed with the child being there, and as he would so often remind her, sharp shooter, then there was the scantly dressed woman who called her self a nymph, she danced with a grace and skill that made gods blush and men think only of great pleasures, when off stage she was sweet and bubbly and eager to talk with anyone Murg the Minotaur, the one who found Nathsiea he was scarred through one eye, which made it unusable, other than that he was tall powerful and looked mean, but in truth he was soft caring and passionate, he had taken to the bat-girl tending her to health, against the desires of Lisandra, the Owner of the Caravan, the Gypsy Elf herself, and a remarkable lute player in her own right.

“Run away aye… I bet there's a reward I say return her” sneered the ever loving feather-winger. “No and anything happens to her, my hammer meets someone's skull…period.” Murg settled the issues quickly

“she’s to young”

“Oh, I don’t know she’s kinda cute… like a puppy..”

“puppy? She isn’t a slave”

“Oh yes a slave, the bat can be our slave”

“listen to you people… she’s half starved scared and alone”

“she would die out there, she was close to it as it was”

“oh come on what do you expect us to do… we have no food as it is…”

“she better earn her keep fucking bat”

she didn’t get the whole of it, until she was looked back “You will stay with us for now” the large horned one spoke, “and you will be put to work, we ALL work… for now, you will help cook and clean and tend animals… at night you will have lessons with Lisandra on how to play that lute you were carrying…clear?”

“y..yes..” she stammered, she was so happy, she would live, this would show her father.

That was her drive at first, to prove to her father she could make it, but time is funny, it took not more than a few months for her to forget her drive and accept her life as a traveling performer, she stayed always close to the Murg, and avoided Ludo. She worked more and more, and forgot her family, her old life more and more, it was becoming more a distant thought as she went.

“You scared?” she whispered as she set her hands on Nateshia shoulder

“a little Lissy…” she whispered “I’m not sure I’m ready to play in front of people…”

“oh don’t worry they are all drunk anyhow.. they won’t notice if you miss a note” the Gypsy teased as she patted the young chirots shoulder “show them what you have..”

And as Quizella the flame spitting fae left the stage the eight year old girl slowly took the stage, it caused silence, it was seldom to see a child on a stage in a bar, and in truth down right dangerous, it did help however, to have a large Murg standing in the back corner of the stage…

Eyes, it seemed like unending eyes were locked upon the little girl as she tried to prepare tuning, then the first note came and another, and soon a whole song was starting to emerge from the lute the woman held, she was shaking the room seemed in awe, then it happened,

“boo”

“get her off the stage”

“this a fucking joke!?”

and the bottles were thrown as well as glasses and anything and everything else, including a stool from a drunk wolven. Which hit the chirot hard taking her of her feet and curling her into a ball crying hard to herself the rest acted quickly Murg slamming a wolvens head into a table.. a bar top.. a wall.. and door.. and finally out the room, Ludo shooting arrows at the lights to cut them out, candles wicks being severed to make it darker, the nymph finding other ways to take attention from the crowd, which meant a lot of time on her back, or knees, and the gypsy slide the small girl with the large bruise on her head from the stage

“I’ll never perform again.. I knew I wasn’t good enough.. I’m not good enough at anything… I shouldn’t be here, I don’t deserve this…”

“hey hey don’t say that…” she whispered as she held her hugging her “you know you’ve been a big help to us, you’re like our child….even Ludo… see how he was quick to help?” she spoke cradling the child chirot “see we all have given effort especially Murg, so unless you are saying he wasted all his time on you, and shouldn’t care then I think you need to try again… in a little while, maybe after me and you put more effort into the show…” of course the words had little effect on Nat as she cried and muttered and sniffled “I know.. we forgot your stage name!” the elf smiled “See none of us use a real name, we all took new names when we took to the stage… and you never did… so how about we rename you here and now, and that way the gods will bless you okay?” she whispered softly

“really?” she child asked silencing her sniffles

“uh huh….”

“what…what… should I be called…”

Ludo unexpectedly answered as he listened “Zingara… it means winged Singer to my people….”

And the child loved it, taking up the name then and there, now of course both Lis and Ludo were lying none had changed there names, and Zingara meant nothing to the Torians but for the elf, it was a way to comfort and give confidence to a shattered child, and Ludo, well if asked, “it shut the brat up right?” and so that is how she was known ever after as Zingara.

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