Page 42 of The Fae Girl 1

If I made a run for it and got caught, not by the Prince but by someone else, some chancer, then I was certain they too would lock me away, imprison me, just as Ghosh had tried to.

“We should head back.” Indi said breaking my thoughts.

I nodded, playing the obedient captive.

We’d barely been out of the room for half an hour but clearly yard time was over.

Time to lock the prisoner away again once more.

When we got back the stringlet was there waiting for me.

I immediately examined it for differences. It was slightly smaller than a guitar but that might actually be an advantage considering how much I always had to stretch my short fingers across the frets. It’s end with the keys was also different, instead of a straight edge it curved off similar to a violin.

I plucked each string listening for the notes. It was tuned at a higher octave too so I set about retuning it while Mira sat watching me.

“Play us something.” She said.

I looked up. “I don’t perform.” I replied, tuning the final string.

“You’re not performing, you’re entertaining.”

“That’s the same thing.” I said confused.

“Well even if it is you’re amongst friends.” Mira laughed.

I laughed too. Not because it was true but because it was absurd to think that these people could be my friends. That they would ever see me as anything more than just a thing to use.

“Fine.” I murmured looking at Mira’s face. Clearly she’d understood where my amusement had come from and despite how I felt, I didn’t want to hurt her unnecessarily. “But I’m rusty and I need to adjust for the size difference so…”

“Getting your excuses in early?” Nela asked with a smirk.

“Something like that.” I said before positioning the stringlet across my thigh and trying to decide on an easy song to start with.

Closing my eyes, I tried to pretend I didn’t have an audience and started plucking the strings of the intro, “I took my love, I took it down. I climbed a mountain and I turned around…”

When I finished Mira burst into applause. “That was amazing. Did you write that yourself?”

I laughed. “I wish. That was Fleetwood Mac. I can’t write songs, I just sing them.”

“Who’s Fleetwood Mat?” Mira asked.

“They’re a famous band where I come from.” I replied not seeing the point in correcting her pronunciation, it wasn’t like she was ever going to need to know the band’s real name.

“Sing something else.”

“She’s not a performing monkey.” Indi said.

Mira flushed bright red.

“It’s okay.” I said, feeling more sorry for her. “How about I teach you?”

“Would you?” Mira gasped.

I shrugged. “Why not? But I warn you I’m a mean teacher.”

“I doubt that.” Nela said and we all laughed.

“Seriously would you teach me?” Mira asked.

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