A Musical Tale

By: Nisovin

Some people have a knack for finding strange things; strange things always seem to find Zane Legends. One such strange thing, in the form of a musician playing the violin, found him just as he was riding into a small, peaceful village on the foothills of a great mountain. He had been riding for most of the day, and it was good to see his destination in sight. The musician was apparently waiting for him on the outskirts of town.

As Zane rode past him, the musician suddenly leapt to his feet and began playing a quick, triumphant tune, and walked alongside Zane’s horse. Zane looked down at the man curiously, but chose not to comment on the peculiar behavior just yet. He rode through town until he came to the small inn near the village square. He dismounted and handed the reins to a stable boy standing there.

The musician’s music was now a flowing, happy tune, fit for a relaxing evening. It put Zane in a good mood, and he felt like he could face anything. But, just as he reached out his hand and was about to push the inn’s door open, the music suddenly turned slightly ominous, and made Zane feel more anxious. Not able to take it any longer, he turned to face the man and asked, “Who are you?”

The man stopped playing. “Who am I?” he asked indignantly. “Why, I’m the musician! Everybody knows that!”

“Yes, obviously you’re a musician,” replied Zane. “You are clearly playing music, after all. But what are you doing following me around?”

“I’m the musician don’t you see? I’m here to make the story more dramatic!”

“What story?” Zane asked, somewhat confused.

“Why, the story of the adventure you’re about to have, of course!” replied the musician.

“Adventure?” Zane asked curiously.

“Yes, adventure. Zane Legend’s life is full of adventures!”

“How did you know my name?”

“Well, the story’s about you, isn’t it?” replied the musician, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Zane just stared at the musician for a few moments, but then decided to ignore him. As he turned back to the door, the musician began to play his flowing, happy tune again. And again, as he was about to push open the door, it turned slightly ominous. Ignoring the music, he was about to push open the door when a little boy ran up to him and shouted, “Are you Zane Legends?”

“Well, yes, I am,” Zane responded, surprised.

“Where did you get that scar on your forehead?” the boy asked.

“Well, it’s one of my favorite stories, really.” Zane said. “You see, I was walking down this path, when suddenly-.” The musician’s music had suddenly transformed into a tune so intense it left Zane stunned, and he was unable to continue his tale.

“Well?” the boy asked.

“Maybe later,” Zane responded, and pushing open the door, entered the inn.

He was immediately greeted by a sobbing woman who said, “Zane Legends! Thank goodness you’ve arrived! You’re our only hope!” She was then overcome by tears and could not say anymore. The musician’s tune was now a slow, high-pitched mournful song, filled with sadness and sorrow.

Does everybody here know who I am? Zane wondered to himself. “Uh, hello,” was all he said.

A tall, skinny man standing next to the woman said, “Zane Legends, we’ve been waiting so long for you to get here.”

“You have?” Zane asked, stunned. He didn’t even know he was going to be here until the previous day. How long had these people been waiting for him?

“Yes. You are the only one who can help us. You are the only one with the skills, the bravery, and the knowledge. You, and you alone can solve our problem.” The musician’s song had turned slightly triumphant during the man’s speech, but had now returned to the slow, mournful tune.

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I am the only one who can help you,” Zane said, while secretly pondering the best way to get out of this situation without running into trouble.

“You see,” the skinny man began, “we live on a small farm just outside of town.” The musician began to play a mysterious, dramatic tune, the kind of song that is played while a person recounts an ancient legend. The man continued, “Five days ago, a band of goblins attacked our farm and chased us away. But our son is still there and being held hostage!” The song reached an intense crescendo, then slowly settled back down again.

“I see,” Zane said. “What do they want?”

“We don’t know. That’s why you’re here!” he responded. “You have to help us!”

Being a good man at heart, and not seeing any good way out of the situation, Zane resolved to help the man and woman out in any way he could. The musician’s song had become steady and determined, which helped Zane reach that decision. It’s amazing what music can do to you sometimes.

“Very well,” Zane said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Zane Legends, thank you.”

Zane marched out the door to another triumphant tune, followed by the musician, of course. He called for his horse, mounted, and rode down the path that led out of town. Villagers lined up on the side of the road waved and cheered as he rode past, and some threw flowers. The musician’s song steadily increased in volume and intensity as they went. Just as Zane and the musician were at the edge of town, the horse stopped walking. So did the musician. The musician had stopped playing music as well.

Zane had discovered the hard way that the limitations of the story prevented him from leaving the village until the story was over. That left him in quite the predicament. How would he help that poor family if he could not go to the farm where the goblins were? Luckily, Zane was a resourceful man, and he had many hidden talents. Even luckier, the horse was a resourceful horse, and had many hidden talents.

Zane’s horse was not just any horse - it was a very intelligent and gifted horse. Zane dismounted and whispered instructions into the horse’s ear, and the horse took off in the direction of the farm. It was not far, and soon the horse was there. Walking on tippy-hoof, the horse slowly crept up to the window of the farm house and peaked inside. Sure enough, there was a troop of four goblins and a small boy tied up and lying on a bed. Somehow, the musician had ended up riding the horse and was playing a quick and quiet sneaky tune, but for some reason the goblins did not hear it.

Then, the horse was struck with an idea. It turned its head and whispered to the musician on its back, who listened carefully to the plan and nodded. He jumped off the horse, snuck to the other side of the farm house, and suddenly began to play a horrendously loud song that would wake the dead and kill the living. The goblins all rushed out of the house to see what going on and ran after the musician, who led them on a rather comical chase around the farm. The horse entered the house, grabbed the boy, and galloped as quick as it could back to the town before the goblins even knew what had happened.

When the horse came into view of the townsfolk, and they saw that it had the boy, they all erupted into cheers. The musician had somehow returned as well, and was playing a loud song filled with triumph and glory. Zane lifted the boy from the horse and carried it to the inn, where the father and mother were waiting with tears in their eyes.

There was a very happy reunion, and the father asked Zane, “Thank you so much, Zane. You truly are a Legend. Is there anything we can do to repay you?”

“Well, I could use a bite to eat.”

Everyone laughed, the musician’s song reached a finishing climax, and the song ended.