Alps of Trento, north to the Duchy of Sforza.

"What happened in here? Avalance?" Asked Arnaud Jr as he walked across the ruins of a village with Verano by his side. Fresh smoke still left the ruins and infested the noses of the column of red-mantled warriors from Aarchen.

"I'd bet on an earthquake followed by an avalanche and then an episode of collective destructive mirth from the commoners." Said a pompous redhead young man fixing his glasses.

"We three know Arnaud and I don't know what mirth means." Intervened Varano facing the strange redhead. He noticed the boy carried so many scrolls that they escaped through the holes in the bag on his backs. His skin was so pale and soft that he resembled a damsel of a high court. "You don't go out a lot, do you?"

"Forget it. Argh--" Shrugged the boy struggling against the weight of his baggage.

"Need help with that? Arnaud and I can..."

"I'm carrying enough weight already!" Protested Arnaud.

"Well," faltered Verano. "I can help. What's your name?"

"Giovanni." He replied, blushing. "Giovanni de Sforza. You two are Princes Arnaud and Verano, if I'm correct. And no, thank you. I don't need help."

"Sforza? Strange," faltered Verano with a hand on his chin. "I don't think I've ever seen you around. You're from south of the Duchy?"

"No. I was just a..." Giovanni fixed his glasses as he glanced at his scrolls. "Busy guy."

Verano frowned curious at the documents.

"And why would you bring a bunch of scribbles to a campaign?" He asked.

A vein jumped off the Giovanni's forehead. He snapped:

"What do you think you're calling scribbles, you ignorant--"

"Silence on the lines!" Shouted an imperious voice from ahead of the column. "On guard!"

All warriors in the column silenced themselves and watched their surroundings. All they heard were the cold winds from the gelid mountains surrounding the ruined village. Yet Verano seemed bothered. He leaned his head towards his brother:

"Are you hearing this, Arnaud?" 

"Hearing what?" Faltered Arnaud. "Don't even start with your stupid bullcrap scares, Verano; it's not funny--"

"I’m not messing with you. It's a sound like an harp. Very distant--"

A lion-tigress roared at Verano's face. The creature's voice was so powerful that its breath knocked the boy on the ground.

"Your hearing is fixed, Prince Verano?" Chuckled King Heinrich petting his huge lion-tigress as he rode on her like a mount. "Pardon Lavine, she takes rules seriously."

"H-Hello, Lavine?" Faltered Verano raising his right hand and forming a fire on the shape of ball of wool.

The lion-tigress took a step ahead and attempted to catch the blazes from the boy's flame as if they were toys.

"I think she likes me," smiled Verano as Lavine licked him in the face.

"No," Heinrich frowned and pulled his mount away. "She doesn't."

"Lord Heinrich!" Shouted a bald man walking by the side of a large noble wearing a red coat. "I found the Baron and the commoners. They were locked in his castle."

"Thank you, Count Otto;" remarked Heinrich leaving Lavine's backs and walking towards the Baron. "May you inform us what has happened here, sir? I've come to recruit soldiers for a campaign in Alba, but there was no one to greet me..."

"Y-Y-Your majesty Heinrich?" Faltered the Baron. His body trembled. "It's so good to have you here!" He fell on his knees and kissed the King's feet.

"No need for this," ordered Heinrich stepping back. "Just tell us what happened. An avalanche?"

"Dark Spirit, sir." Replied the Baron.

"How many?" 

"One. Only one, your majesty."

The soldiers recoiled and exchanged sights between them. Voices gossiped:

"One spirit did all this?"

Count Otto rose his voice at the column again:

"Silence on the lines!"

The Baron continued:

"It was horrible. For three days and three nights, the Spirit came and ravaged everything..."

"Why haven't you called an Inquisitor? I can't do anything against a Spirit."

"But he did call one." Said a man wearing a white coat and black armor signed with the emblem of the Church Heaven's Shrine. He walked with a casket hanging on his backs. "Monsieur Guillaume de Champagn at your service, sir."

"You won't bow before the King of Aarchen, Inquisitor?" Questioned the Baron.

"An Airbender bows only to the Grey Guardian and the Holy Emperor crowned to champion his cause." Replied Guillaume smirking at Heinrich in disdain. "And as far as I'm aware, neither stand in front of me."

"He's right..." Remarked King Heinrich glancing at the Baron. "But not for long. So, Inquisitor," he crossed his arms. "Tell me why you haven’t done your job."

"This is not a simple exorcism of a spirit, your majesty. It's a hostage situation," he glanced at the Baron. "Explain to him."

"It's a Zigana, sir," the Baron frowned. "A Zigana came to the doors of my motte in a cold night. She asked to play music for our dinner in exchange of a night in the castle. I was merciful and allowed her in. And being a Zigana, she tricked us," he clenched his fists. "Her harp had no sound! And when I complained, the lady just busted a wave of air on my face and on my banquet! All the food was wasted and I expelled her from the castle for good measure. Then a spirit floated by and she started playing that damned harp! And guess what? The thing turned dark and started assaulting the village as the Zigana escaped. She left but the thing keeps coming back! And in the next day the thing took my daughter who sang innocently on her balcony!"

"You know where this Zigana is right now?" Asked the King. 

"Yes, sir."

"Simple. Send a group of Fire Knights from one side and the Inquisitor from another. The Inquisitor takes care of the spirit while the Knights retrieve your daughter."

"We've tried..." Faltered the Baron. "While the Inquisitor fought the spirit, the Zigana dispersed within the mountain range. She then used her harp to call back the spirit once she hid again. We only have one person that can hear her song and is willing to endanger themselves here, your majesty," the Baron referred to Guillaume, the Inquisitor. "It's impossible to trace her with so few men.”

"I have an army, that won't be a problem," said King Heinrich. "This will be a good exercise for them. Count Otto..."

"Yes, sir?" Replied the bald Count.

"Encamp our troops as to surround all the exits of the mountain range. Tell them to stay alert and attack if they spot a Zigana moving around the wilderness."

"What if they don't know what a Zigano is?"

"Then teach them what a Zigano is..."

Arnaud turned his head away from the conversation and sighed in relief at Verano:

"Finally some rest!"

He laid on the snow and gasped.

"I do not like this," frowned Verano. "We're only hearing one side of the story. This girl might be killed without having done anything wrong. We gotta find her before anyone else."

"Good luck!" Said Arnaud closing his eyes as he made snow angels.

"Arnaud, take this seriously, please!"

"Brother, I even wanted to help and all, but..." Arnaud recoiled. "These valleys are so large that she could be anywhere and we are only two! And we don't even know what to look for!"

"We must look for a Zigana."

"Okay, then tell me what a Zigana is. In detail so we won’t mix things up."

 Verano looked aside and crossed his arms.

"Zigana, Zigana..." He faltered. "Father Seneca once talked about something like that."

"That's what I'm telling you! We are two idiots!"

"Zigana is part of the Zigans tribe..." Replied Giovanni who mounted a tent while Verano and Arnaud talked. "They descend from a gang of young clerics who mixed water in the yearly wine offering that the Church of Heaven's Shrine does to the Grey Guardian. Legend says they got found out and expelled from the Church. And then a bunch of spirits in the shape of foxes possessed them and to this day, they have tails and ears of foxes..."

"So Ziganos have ears of foxes? You seem quite smart, Giovanni." Commented Verano as he watched the boy mount the tent with the ease of someone who breathed. 

"Thank you, Prince," smiled Giovanni. "Ziganos often live at the margin of society and are associated with crimes and plagues. They can’t own land but they know how to bend air, so they are not defenseless. Some play air instruments like flutes and harps to live, like the one that kidnapped this Baron's daughter. I'd love to see how this machine works in person..."

"Harp?" Recoiled Verano. "Could be that the harp song that I was hearing is coming from the Zigana?"

"That would be impossible. Only spirits and those with the potential of Airbending can hear these instruments. The music that they play can only be spread through the Song of the Wind, not through normal sound... And I'm done!" He beat both hands clean and crossed his arms at the tent that he had armed. "Cozy, warm and ahead of schedule."

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Giovanni noticed that the other soldiers quarreled and struggled to get a single piece of their tents standing.

"Since you've done our entire job already..." Faltered Verano scratching his hair. "Want to help us find the Zigana?"

"Me?" Recoiled Giovanni. He sweated in the cold. "I-I'm not a Firebender, I'm an architect! That Spirit will blow me to pieces."

"You said you've always to see an air instrument. I'm hearing one and I can find it. Will you come? This is your last chance..."

"I can go…” Faltered Giovanni. “But you can't judge me if I run on the first sight of trouble!"

Arnaud rose his voice:

"I also want that condition!"

Verano sighed:

"Fine. We need to go now while the Count is still distracted with his instructions," he glanced at King Heinrich who discussed with the Baron, Inquisitor Guillaume and Count Otto.

"I'm ready." Said Giovanni pulling a crossbow off the ground.

The three boys ventured into the gelid woods of the Trento Alps. Their smiles of excitement collapsed into scowls with every step into the wilderness. Wolves howled as the forestation became darker. Arnaud's right foot passed through a bush and he sprung off the ground:

"D-Did you guys hear that? Just there!"

"I'm focusing on the harp..." Frowned Verano with his eyes closed. Giovani glanced at him, skeptical.

"Are you sure you can hear this? I find it impossible. We've been walking around in circles for a while, too..."

"I found her!" Verano opened his eyes and pointed at the top of hill standing ten minutes of walking from their position. A tree stood by the peak. "Let's go!"

"Is he always like this?" Inquired Giovanni glancing at Arnaud.

"You get used to it after a while. He is much smarter than he seems. And stronger, too."

"Cielo, I hope so!"

They walked towards the hill and the chuckles of two girls bothered the symphony of howls from the wolves in the forest.

"I can't wait!" Said one girl. "My father loves that stupid cow of his, even more than the jewelry that his father gave him. He says that cow’s milk heals the ill. It'll be hilarious when you take her."

"Yeah, it will be..." Remarked another girl with ears and tail of a fox. She wore the Baron's crown. "Hey, do you like the music that I'm playing now, Princess Frieda? I made it just for you!"

"Yeah, it is..." Frieda rolled her eyes. She could not hear a note. "Beautiful! I'm almost crying!"

"You seem insincere..." Faltered the Zigana.

"You doubt me, Candorra? Look at me," Frieda embraced the Zigana. "I've never been so happy. Your music makes me feel so complete!"

"Then I will make my best effort tonight!" Said Candorra while a smile bridging both ears and her fingers playing the harp like a guitar.

"Yes, I can't wait! And you know..." Frieda looked at the castle from above the hill. "I think that King Heinrich and his stupid host is here. I heard he has a lion-tigress! I've always wanted one but dad said the King has the last one in Europa…"

"That stopped your dad," smiled Candorra raising the harp. "But it won't stop me! I'll get it for you! I just need to find my dancer."

"You two are not bothered with that whole setting fire on the village from yesterday, right?" Faltered Frieda. "I wanted your recital to end with the fireworks that it deserved.

"You're always thinking of me," blushed Candorra. "You're the best fan ever! I love you, Frieda!”

“Now calm down and go calling our dancer! Love you!”

“Don’t worry, he’s coming soon!”

Verano hid his head away and talked to Arnaud and Giovanni.

"What a spoiled little witch, that Princess..." He remarked. "I knew there was more to this story..."

"C-Can we go now, then?" Faltered Arnaud. "The Dark Spirit is coming. You remember the things that dad spoke about these things..."

"We can't leave." Asserted Verano. "They will kill Candorra and the princess will go unpunished. And who knows what Levina will do if that spirit messes with her." He referred to the King's lion-tigress. "Only we can stop this before it gets bloody."

"I agree!" Said Giovanni. "But we need a strategy and..."

Verano dropped the MAV, his sword. He climbed the cliff and rose his arm at Candorra. The young architect rested a hand over his face.

"I swear, dude," faltered Arnaud. "He's really smart! Even when he does stupid stuff like this!"

Verano spoke to Candorra:

"Hello? I'm Verano de Sforza..." Said Verano pulling the red mantle off his armor and throwing on the ground. "I'm not your enemy..."

"I-It's a lie!" Interrupted Princess Frieda. "Kill him!"

"Wait!" Verano rose his right hand at Candorra. "I'm your fan! I can hear your music. I know you're not a hack."

"Y-You..." Hesitated the Zigana. "You like my music?"

"He's lying!" Recoiled the Princess. "What you waiting for, Candorra? Blast him off the hill!"

Verano insisted:

"I'm not lying! How could I have come all the way from there if I couldn't hear your music, Candorra? Candorra is your name, right?"

She nodded.

"You see, Candorra," he glanced at the column of red tents in the distance. "I've come all the way carrying all this heavy equipment because I'm an admirer of your music. But the things you are doing are not right. Destroying a Barony should not be part of a spectacle."

"I-It makes sense..." Faltered Candorra. Her hands weighed over her harp. She did not dare to attack Verano.

A vein jumped on Princess Frieda's forehead.

"He's using you!" She yelled.

"No, she is using you!" Verano pointed at the princess. "Do you think real minstrels destroy every town where they play? I heard your music and it's beautiful," he blushed. "It's the second best sound I've ever heard in my life, actually."

"Second best sound?" Candorra frowned. She rested her hands on her harp.

Arnaud recoiled and glanced at Giovanni.

"I knew he'd mess up! Prepare to fire!"

Frieda smirked with malice:

"You see? He prefers someone else other than you, Candorra! I am the only one who truly loves you and your music! And..." She noticed that a tail of smoke roamed the forests as if patrols roamed the wild in search of Candorra. "He's with my dad! This is a trap!"

"Why..." Candorra teared as she noticed the torch fires in the woods. "How can people just lie to me like this?"

Verano stretched his right hand as if he could reach her:

"Candorra, wait!"

She played her harp and a strong wind busted from the instrument and knocked Verano against a tree.

"Brother!" Exclaimed Arnaud climbing the hill and punching two flames against Candorra.

Frieda exploited the distraction to pull ropes from the ground and tie herself.

"I'd better go fast..." She faltered. "Father's men are coming--"

"Don't move!" Shouted Giovanni with his crossbow pointed at her. 

Candorra faced Arnaud's fire and aimed her harp at the snowy ground before firing.

"Hope you like the cold, fatty one!"

"Wait, who you're calling fat--"

The Zingana played the instrument and a strong breeze mauled the ground and rose a tall wave of snow that swallowed Arnaud's attack and himself.

"Damn it, I can't move! Argh--" Bemoaned Arnaud with only his head out of the snow. "This armor is too heavy! I can't power out!"

Frieda noticed that both Candorra's foes had been repelled. She rose her voice:

"Candorra, help! This one is gonna fire at me!"

Giovanni sweated cold.

“T-This is totally not what it looks like!” He faltered.

Verano ran out of the forest and punched a flame against the snow burying Arnaud. His brother stood up.

"Quick, Verano," said Arnaud taking the MAV, the sword that Marzia had given Verano, and throwing at his brother. "You need to break that harp! Fast!"

Giovanni dropped his crossbow and rose his arms.

"I surrender!" He yelled at Candorra as the Zigana prepared to fire a burst of air that would send him flying off the hill.

"There are no lyrics like these in my ballad, cutie boy!" She replied as she dove her right hand into the harp.

"Stop!" Yelled Verano thrusting the MAV against the instrument. A flame with the shape of the blade escaped the weapon.

"Get down!" Yelled Giovanni as he stretched his arm to pull Candorra away from the fire.

She dropped her harp and accepted his aid. He pulled her upon him and saved her from the flames.

Verano sighed in relief as he saw his fire flying off the hill without having harmed Candorra. 

"And..." Arnaud rose his voice and punched a blaze against her fallen harp. "We won! Yes!"

He rose his arms and commemorated his victory as the instrument burned.

"You--" Candorra faltered as she stared into Giovanni's eyes. "Tried to save me?"

"Yeah, I did..." He blushed. "Verano said the truth. We are not your enemies, I swear."

"But I am!" Said Frieda raising Giovanni's crossbow off the ground and aiming at Candorra.

The Baron, Inquisitor Guillaume, King Heinrich and some of his men reached the top of their hill.

"Frieda? You are alright?" Asked the Baron with tears in his eyes. 

"Excellent job, De Sforza." Smiled King Heinrich. "As expected from my Marshall's sons."

"I don't deserve your appreciation, your majesty!" Said Arnaud bowing down with his forehead on the snow.

"This is not what you're thinking, your majesty..." Faltered Verano glancing at Frieda with a scowl. “The princess is—“

"This girl!" Said Frieda aiming at Candorra. Crocodile tears sprung off her eyes. "She did horrors to me until these three boys appeared! Look at how injured they are! She was trying to kill them and they still freed me! They are real heroes, father! Give them what they deserve..."

Giovanni protested:

"Stop trying to buy us! Baron of Trento, sir..." He faltered. "Frieda, your daughter, was never kidnapped. She was the one planning the attacks. Candorra is gullible and the princess was fooling her all along."

"I don't believe you!"

"Look at your crown!" He glanced at the Zigana's head. "Look at all your favorite jewelry," he glanced at a tent laying on the floor. "Only someone who knew you well would have stolen the right things to mess with you."

King Heinrich narrowed his eyes at Verano. He frowned:

"Is this true, De Sforza?"

"Yes, your majesty. We have no reason to lie."

"Well," King Heinrich frowned. "True or not, I'll leave the Baron's daughter to be judged by the Baron himself. But since we have three witnesses speaking in her favor, the Zigana shall be judged by a judge of my court as soon as possible.”

"Thank you, your majesty." Said Verano as he bowed down. He glanced at Candorra and noticed that she ignored the conversation about her destiny. She only had eyes for her burnt harp.

Inquisitor Guillaume took a step ahead and searched his surroundings.

"This is beautiful and all with this family nonsense," he faltered. "But where is the Dark Spirit?"

"Over there!" Yelled a Fire Knight as a dark blue bear-like beast rose a fallen tree trunk from the ground and threw at the Fire Knights.

"Spread out!" Ordered King Heinrich as he threw himself on the ground and his men followed him.

Inquisitor Guillaume kneeled down near Candorra.

"If it was you who disturbed him with your music," he remarked with his eyes narrowed at the Spirit. "You can calm it too."

"I can't..." She sobbed. Her tears washed her broken harp. "It's broken."

"Maybe I can fix it!" Said Giovanni pulling the instrument from her hands. "I brought spider-beetle’s web. The surface burned, but if I put all the shattered pieces together..." His hands searched the ground. "Help me find them!"

"We have no time!" Shouted the Inquisitor as the spirit descended from the wilds and ran towards him.

He punched the ground and rose his fist. A strong breeze lifted off the dirt and pummeled a huge wave of snow against the spirit. 

The spirit rose from the pile of snow with ease and ran towards the wild.

"Set the forests on fire now!" Yelled Guillaume at the Fire Knights.

King Heinrich and his Knights directed flames at the forest and set the leaves on fire. The monster faltered as it saw the intense blazes.

"It's surrounded now," said Guillaume moving his hands and conducting the wind as to form a strong whirlwind around the spirit. Smoke mixed with his winds. “The smoke will make it easier.”

"It looks like it's in pain..." Frowned Verano in disgust as the whirlwind turned grey. 

"Wait, I've fixed it with spider-beetle's web!" Giovanni spoke as he put the harp together. He rose his head and saw that Guillaume conducted a floating sphere of smoke over his casket. Nobody heard him.

"Open it!" Ordered the Inquisitor glancing at Arnaud and the casket.

The boy hurried to follow his orders and Guillaume conducted the sphere into the casket and closed the cover.

"Sealed." Remarked the Inquisitor as he closed all the locks to the casket. The object trembled as if the Spirit fought to get out. 

Verano frowned in disgust.

"This was..."

"Awesome!" Said Arnaud approaching the Inquisitor. "Does this always work? Can you pass by our Duchy and get rid of one that we have in the woods?"

"It only works with weak Spirits..." Remarked Guillaume without facing Arnaud in the eyes. He wore the casket on his backs.

"That was a weak spirit?"

"I have no time to answer your questions, Monsieur De Sforza." He glanced at the Baron. "It seems my work here is done. I'll bring this soul to the Sanatorium."

Verano took a step ahead.

"What's this Sanatorium?"

"Nothing of your concern, Firebender." Said Guillaume as he walked away nonchalantly.

Giovanni answered Verano's question:

"It's a huge monastery in the ground where they put all the dark spirits in and search for a way to pacify them. It’s also where they train Inquisitors like this guy. The location is a secret, though." Said Giovanni as he glanced at Candorra. "Here," he delivered her harp to her. "This is what I could do. Maybe it can still play some music."

Verano frowned at the Zingana:

"I think you'll be going with us for a while until the King can find some judge to decide your fate. Why not play some music?" He glanced at Princess Frieda who left the hill in her father's arms. "My sister always said it helps with the mood. Even when things don't go the best way possible."

"T-Thanks, you two..." She teared as she embraced her broken harp and meddled with the strings. "T-T-There's still sound! Thank you so much!" She embraced Giovanni. 

Arnaud walked by his brother's side and arched the arm around his shoulder.

"I guess everything went better than expected." He glanced at Verano. "To be fair, I was expecting you dying horribly, so..." 

"I had it all under control."

"Sure, right..."

"Hey, Verano..." Faltered Candorra with a scowl. "You said there was something that you preferred hearing over my music? What was that?"

He frowned upon the "M" carved on the MAV as he sheathed his sword.

"That's a secret," replied Verano.

"Okay, so, prepare for this now! Whatever you like, you’re gonna forget it now. You'll love this song I just invented! I call it the Ballad of Verano!"

"The name's already a masterpiece." Arnaud rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, fatty! I'm about to start!"

"Hey! Who do you think you are?"

King Heinrich watched by Count Otto's side as their recruits quarreled.

"Duke De Sforza's children sure are promising," commented Count Otto. "But will their good spirits survive in Alba? What do you have in mind for them once we face the Northmen, my lord?"

Heinrich smirked with malice in his eyes.

"You have no idea."