Personal History

       The long-lived Circassian people are deeply attached to tradition, and their artistic skills are passed down through the ages.

       "String" was the title of a musician, a name handed down from generation to generation. It was said that the ancient Circassian melodies played by this master possessed a soul-stirring power: they could bring such joy that listeners forgot their sorrows and even the taste of food, or evoke such profound grief that hearts were shattered and tears flowed freely. Yet, this enchanting music has since become the stuff of legend; the warlord Mazdak, claiming to restore the orthodox teachings of the Tarab faith, banned all musical activities. While singing, hand drums, and elusive wandering bards proved difficult to eradicate completely, "high" music suffered a devastating blow and vanished long ago.

       The name "String" had not been heard in years, at least not since the conclusion of the Secret War of Zarab and the subsequent rise of Mazdak’s power. People assumed that, given how few royal houses had escaped his clutches, and considering Mazdak’s intense loathing for music, a mere musician would have had little hope of slipping through the warlord's fingers.

       They were right;String had indeed failed to escape his grasp, she was currently living within Mazdak’s own court.

       Despite being the bearer of such precious Circassian artistic traditions, String remained a frail, delicate young woman, not merely in her slender fingers and slight physique, but in her spirit as well. As an artist, she was exquisitely sensitive; she was prone to melancholy over the changing seasons and bouts of self-pity. At the slightest hint of harshness from others, she would whimper and beg for mercy; conversely, a mere gesture of kindness would leave her overflowing with gratitude, and sometimes even prone to wishful romantic delusions. Yet, perhaps it was precisely this hypersensitivity that gave her music its deeply moving, unforgettable power.

       The Secret War had left String destitute and displaced; having devoted her entire being to music, she knew no other way to earn a living. Unwilling to endure hunger and poverty, she had no choice but to seek the patronage of the only powerful figure who might still have a use for high art: Mazdak himself. Out of desperation, she sought out Mazdak to offer a musical performance, an ancient Circassian melody of such profound emotional resonance that it instantly dispelled whatever cruel or wicked thoughts had been brewing in his mind.

       The warlord himself cared little for the music, yet he allowed his harem to listen as a form of diversion, hoping to alleviate the melancholy of the "golden canaries" confined within those high walls; thus, the musician became a confidante to whom the concubines could pour out their woes.

       Surprisingly, however, this musician, who appeared so vulnerable and easily bullied, served as a crucial intelligence source for the anti-Mazdak resistance. She was a close friend and "informant" to the bard Alansi. Mazdak’s every move was observed by his concubines, shared in casual conversation with the musician, and subsequently passed on by Alansi to the militia.

       Alansi had long realized that the musician’s character defied simple labels like "fragile" or "sensitive." She would often speak of having no will to live while heartily devouring fruit and *pilaf*; she would lament her inner turmoil in one breath, yet instantly detect the slightest error in Alansi's playing or singing in the next. She had frequently witnessed Mazdak’s acts of brutality during his rages, yet she recounted them to Alansi with remarkable composure and precision, suggesting she had remained equally calm while witnessing the horrors firsthand. Even Alansi, who prided herself on her worldly experience, could not quite fathom the nature of this "String": was she truly frail and prone to snapping, or was she like tempered steel, supple enough to bend around a finger, yet unbreakable?