Spellfire

“ ‘We? You’ll come with us?”

“Aye, if you’ll have me. On your bridal journey, and all.”

The dwarf looked embarrassed, and then squinted at her defiantly, hands twisting nervously on his axe as he spoke. “I am a friend to you, Shandril, and will stand true by you and your lord. Few enough such you’ll find, mark you, and you need but little more in life than good food and good friends. The company’s gone now, all save for you… so old Delg’ll ride with you.

“If you make it to Silverymoon all well, and are sick of me by then, I’ll leave you. I hope you wont be… it is a trial indeed, when you be my age, befriending pretty girls anew to ride with… folks get all the wrong ideas, y’see.”

The old dwarf handed her his axe. “Hold this, while I carry your mage here-easy, lad, you’ll feel better soon enough; I know, I’ve lived through battles enough to tell, by now-down the road apiece. The sun waits not for all my talking.” Nor did it, but it was a happy camp that sunset.

In the morning, the dwarf walked with the young couple as they headed west up into the mountains. It was a clear day, and the green Dalelands spread out behind them as they went up the rolling hills toward the Thunder Gap. AH was peaceful. A lone black falcon soared high above in the clear blue air, and the day passed on with no attack or hurling of spellfire. Delg told Narm fierce tales of Shandril’s daring with the company, and Narm, recovering, told Delg of the struggle in Myth Dra

Near sunset, on the heights of Thunder Gap, they turned at last and looked back over the marching trees, and the road dwindling down, down, down from where they stood to Highmoon, hazy in the distance.

“Who could know, looking at it, that this beautiful land could be so dangerous?” Narm asked quietly. Delg looked, and smiled, and said nothing.

“Never mind,” Shandril replied, putting a hand on his arm. “We found each other, and that is worth it all.”

They walked off into the evening together, and thought on many mornings ahead as the soft stars came out above them, and were very happy.