Tyranny of Steel

endence, that she would begin the process of advancing culture within the City of Kufstein, hoping for it to spread to Austria as a whole.

The crowd gathered before her was filled with over a hundred men and women, primarily from among the ranks of the local nobility. They gazed in silence at the beautiful young girl as she began to play a song she had created to express the difficulties surrounding her relationship with the man she loved.

In particular, this song revolved around the sorrow she felt while he was away at war, leaving her behind to wait for his safe return. The sad song echoed in the venue ’s air, filling the noblemen and women with complicated emotions as they listened to the young girl pluck away at the strings of her instrument like an angel who wept from the heavens.

While Adela was playing the harp with masterful talent, a pretty young woman stood beside her and sang the lyrics that Adela had written. This woman was a talented singer from the common populace who was among the many musicians Berengar had sponsored during these past few years; her exquisite alto voice flowed perfectly with Adela ’s instrumentals as she pronounced each word without fault.