The young apprentence smith looked at the lutes and lyres, harps and flutes. His hand stroked the stings of a harp then he took one of the flutes and gently blew into it. The craftsman came and asked: "Would you like one?"

"I have no money," said the apprentence.

The craftsman furrowed his brow for a moment. "Maybe we could trade. You're a craftsman too, aren't you?"

"Yes," said the boy, "I'm an apprentence to Leon Smith."

The craftsman tilted his head, his eyes betraying some of the excitement he otherwise held within. "I see. Perhaps you could forge for me a sword, then, in exchange for an instrument."

The boy shook his head excitedly. "Of course! I will make for you the greatest sword I've ever set to, you'll see!"

"I expect no less from an apprentence of Leon Smith. I will make a magnificent harp for you then in exchange. It is decided. Return as soon as you have completed the sword."

"That I will," replied the young smith.

Several days later, the young man returned with the sword. The musician saw it and stared blankly, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. It was the most pitiful and pathetic sword he had ever seen. The blade wasn't smooth at all, curved slightly, and had several jagged points that seemed to be nothing more than poor smithing.

"You want me to trade one of my magnivicent instruments for THAT worthless sword?" He exclaimed, almost in disbelief.

The young smith blinked, his up until now happy smile shattered into a confused, blank look. "Well, yeah. But this sword isn't worthless-"

"Just look at it! How could something so pitiful come from a student of the great Leon?"

The young smith smiled, nodding his head. "You have to try it out. You haven't even held it yet. Just try it once before you refuse me, please?"

The craftsman looked most annoyed and almost refused due to his wroth, but the glowing eyes of the young smith warmed his heart enough. 'I'll just humor him,' the musician thought.

They went out into the back where several straw training dummies were set up. The boy smith handed the weapon to the craftsman who held it for a few moments in silence. Indeed the sword looked like an accident. It had a sharp jag in the middle with a long splinter of metal sticking out of the forward point of the jag, which would surly keep the forward blade from cutting at all. The hilt felt funny in his hand. At first it seemed totally missshapen and wrong, but after holding it for just a moment, it was as if the very hilt shifted to fit his hand perfectly, better than any swort he had ever held.

The craftsman looked at the boy for a moment, then took a ready stance and slashed at the nearest straw dummy. The sword bounced off of the target, the forward splinter of metal acting as a high tension spring and sending the unprepared wielder spinning the opposite direction. Annoyed he stabbed the weapon into the ground and leaned on the hilt as if it were a cane, a grave insult to the smith.

"This sword is worthless, just as I said!" He exclaimed.

"No, it isn't," insisted the smith. He walked over to the dummy of straw and nudged it slightly. From where the sword bounced off upward, the straw fell back and onto the ground, a clean cut.

"But...how...?" stuttered the astonished craftsman.

"I am a student of Leon Smith. This is a sword from a secret craft, one of a kind and very powerful, the greatest sword I have ever forged, as I promised."

"I-indeed."

"So do you still wish to refuse the trade?"

"Oh no! I have...reconsidered. I have made for you a most special instrument as well. Come, let me show you."