#...and yes

Although intended to be a relaxing retreat for the hard working members of Panzer, for Malakortana, it provided the perfect opportunity to observe their behaviour in a casual setting.  Unfortunately, the Sorceress was nowhere to be found. 

...or was she?

“Now I know she ain’t the brightest Goblin in the joint,” remarked Inkeeper Vizzie with a hand cupped to her mouth so as not to be overheard, “but she’s quite good at gettin’ ya what’cha need… and in a hurry!  We don’t call her Gogo fa nothin’.”

“Very well,” conceded the Dread Father, rather annoyed by the notion he would be spending an entire weekend with those under his employ, but what good was he as a ruler if he didn’t lead by example?  Somehow he knew this would feel like the longest three days of his un-life.

Knock, knock, knock.

The rapping of tiny fingers was akin to a moth’s wings fluttering against the large wooden door, barely audible, yet to one who basked in complete and utter silence, it might as well have been a battering ram. 

“Enter,” commanded Pride, and a sigh was quick to follow.  Gogo was all too-eager-to-please and he found her cheery disposition nothing short of nauseating.

“Heya Boss, is there anything I can get’chya?” chirped the tiny Goblin while peeking a pair of auburn pigtails just beyond the threshold of the doorway.

“Come inside,” he barked while yanking the curtains closed, “and for the love of all that is unholy, shed that horrid skin and cut the act, will you?”

High pitched laughter ensued before transforming, mid-cackle, into something far more sinister as it dipped an octave.

“Oooooh,” crooned the Sorceress, “you mean to say you don’t enjoy my choice in disguise?”

“I’ve seen better,” he retorted with his back toward her.  If only she could see the wolfish grin peeling his lips away from his gums this very moment.  “Which begs the question of what you did to the real Gogo... dare I even ask?”

“She is alive and preoccupied.  That is all you need to know.”

Eyebrows raised, astonished by the Sorceress’ decision to let her live.  Perhaps the Goblin’s only saving grace was her simplicity.  “I imagine you have heard about the child by now?”

Malakortana chuckled darkly.  “With ears that large, it is nearly impossible for ‘Gogo’ to have missed it, even if she does possess the intelligence of a squirrel.  Shall I ‘dispose’ of it?”

“That won’t be necessary.  In all honesty, I am curious as to how this will play out.”

“And Duraxxor?”

“He is yours to command.  I imagine you will deal with him in a manner you see fit.”

“As you wish… Lord Pride.”

Shortly thereafter, ‘Gogo’ exited the cabin grumbling to herself all the while. “Gogo fetch this… Gogo fetch that.  Jeez!  Even the dead guy who don’t eat or sleep wants something.  I’m definitely gonna need a raise afta this.”

...I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FIC IT WAS FOR.

😭

I mean, obviously, when I read the title, it all came flooding back.

But. But still. I can honestly say that fic hadn't crossed my mind in maybe three years?

--So, I listened to 13 hours of AudioBook Lectures on Anglo-Saxon history/literature/culture driving out to the Poconos last week for a CME dealy (loved the Wilderness Medicine workshop...). Thomas Jefferson featured in the last lecture, dominating most of the discourse on Anglo-American legacy and cultural ID in the 18th century as the U.S. broke from the MutterLund. 

1) Old English/Anglo-Saxon is beautiful as a spoken language. Welsh/Brythonic holds its own, but I never realized how much Tolkien based Elvish off AS. I thought it was Gaelic spoken in LoTRs, but once hearing AngloSaxon it's hard not to recognize the phonetic nuances...

2) Mostly, I'm intrigued on the crossover of Arthurian mythos into the Dietrich von Bern sagas, and the intriguing Gothic names sprouting up in the Anglo-Saxon-Jute geneologies of the ASChronicles (Like the Bernician Ida’s sons, Theoderic and Athelric being named within a generation after Theodoric and his grandson, Athalaric...I could branch on Eutharic’s name resembling Uther’s as well, but totally tangential, and not really of any significance...) which is why this sudden delving into AS history. Not to mention, it's hard to write something in subRoman Britain w/o getting a balanced picture of the Teutonic elements of colonization upon the British Isles. Really, by the time just preceding Alfred the Great, the intellectual revivalism occurring from Ireland to Northumbria reframes the picture of ‘'dark ages’ as not so dark really...till the Northmen show up, of course...