Rothnop found the Dwarf taking a hammer to the smaller guard Dragon. This was extremely unusual for several reasons, most of which would ordinarily have incurred a sort of marathon sprint of Rothnop from the spring where he was bathing to the Smaller Front Gate.
“Okay,” said the Dwarf, “I think I see your problem.”
Orcs live a surprisingly long time. In his first fifty years, Rothnop definitely would have said, “Problem?””
Likewise, Rothnop was not about to say, “Perhaps you’d care to tell me why the Dragons haven’t eaten you.” Rothnop was basically a traditionalist.
But Rothnop was over 400 years old, and also, while he lived on a gold horde in a vast cavern, it was under the place, and he’d have to clean up whtever mess he made.
“I’m searching for a doll,” he muttered.
“Oooh, dark!” Rothnop signed. He was a traditionalist. “Well, dragons aren’t said to want to give up their treasure horde, and…
“…if’s for a little girl, said the Dragon.
Rothnop smiled. He’d be able to make the little girl happy. He’d get her exactly the doll she wanted.
And really, there was less than 25% of sacrifices who were eaten or torn limb from limb by the Dragon. Usually, he hired a painter to depict the image and show how villainous and powerful he was.
She wanted the doll. He found that cute. He’d likely not to fry her when she got close enough.
But he’d have to see.
She smiled up ap at him again.
“Will they be pretty pictures?”
The Dragon looked into the darkpths of his cave, the cold, hard-to-see inside which was essentially a gathery of brutal dragon-slayings, with a few brutal slains-by-Dragons just to keep it warmed up.
This was interesting.
She wondered if she could teach the little girl about some of the poisons in the forest.
If these were dragons determined to do Good, who was I to tell them hey were universel
Note even just a few. Nobody dared.
When someone did…
…you”ll be glad we didn’t tell you what happened. We’ll you think about it.
….big promise
Frankly, the Dragon didn’t want to eat her. She was annoying, spoiled, greedy, self-centered, and barely saw anyone else.
She was going to taste terrible.
And he was sure she would come right back up again.
He placed an ad in the local Almanac:
“HELP, I HAVE A WILL SACRIFICE BUT SHE’S NOT MY TYPE. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE SERVE SOMEONE WHO’S DEAF AND HAS NO TONGUE?”
We’re hoping someone out there sees it. Before she does.
______________-
As told to Jeff Mach
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