#connar

The day that Connar found out he was red-green colorblind coincidentally happened to by the same day he first met Gen. And the two events were not all together unrelated. He’d been let out to play by his mother with the same vague warning she always told him, ‘don’t go passed the boundary’. The boundary being the yellow paint upon a selection of trees that marked the end of their property and the beginning of their neighbor Gen’s land. Or at least they said it was yellow. It just looked white to Connar.  

He had never met Gen, but his father had several times and for everything that the boy had ever heard about him, Gen seemed to be a very nice fellow. He just so happened to be a Vhasshalan giant. His father once told him that Gen was an old man, widowed, and liked his privacy. So to be good and respectful neighbors, they created the boundary so they never mistakenly foraged or hunted on his land.

“We’re not poachers,” his father told him once.    

Which was never a problem for Connar as his family hand plenty of space for him to run around and plenty of very good climbing trees. But what they did not have were the luscious blackberry brambles. They did have some brambles, but they had picked them clean of any and all berries earlier that season. From his favorite climbing tree near the boundary, he could see far into their neighbor's land and passed the low ridge near the stream, he could see the sprawling blackberry brambles. From even so far away and up so very high, he could see the berries. Sitting there. With only birds and deer to eat them.

The temptation became too great for the adolescent and he decided he was going to go pick a few of them. Not many. Just a few. Besides, Gen was a giant and blackberries were so small to him he would never notice or miss a few of them.

Careful of the thorns, Connar spent a good portion of the mid-morning greedily devoured handfuls of the little black jewels. It was only when he heard the first rumbles of thunder that he decided he had eaten enough and best head home before the storm rolled in. The sky was grey and the clouds thick. It would be a gulley washer for sure.  

He walked behind the thicker part of the bramble, ducking under the foliage and slipping through, when all of a sudden there was a loud snapping sound and the screech of metal springs. The clear path in front of him and the one he had just come through were abruptly blocked by metal bars and the force of them rearing up from beneath the ground debris sent Connar falling back onto his bottom. Under him he could feel the hard bars of metal.

Sitting there for a long moment and listening to the frantic beatings of his own heart, Connar looked around himself as he tried to decipher what it was that had just happened. All at once he understood and he was on his feet at the bars to one of the trap’s doors. He yanked ineffectively at them and when that failed, he began to push. Bracing his feet against one of the bars across the floor, he pressed his back to the trap’s door and pushed as hard as he could. But even then he only managed to move the spring loaded door a few inches before his strength gave out and he fell back down onto the floor, panting and shaking.

He had triggered a game trap; a spring loaded one. Near his feet he could see the trigger plate, hidden beneath more forest debris.

“Oh no…” he got back to his feet and peered out towards the direction of his family’s land. “Daaaaad! Mamaaaaa! Help!”

Only crickets and bird song answered him and before long, the thunder had its own say. A rolling rumble drew across the sky as the wind began to pick up. He felt the first few drops of rain hit his head and looking up through the foliage covering the roof to forest canopy and the swathe of sky visible, he frowned.

“…Mama’s gonna swat me.”

…………………………………….

The worst of the storm passed within an hour, but the rain persisted all morning and into the afternoon. Soaked through and shivering, Connar huddled miserably in the corner of the trap, hoping he would hear his family calling for him so he might call back and maybe his father could think of a way to get him out without alerting their large neighbor to the fact that they’d been trespassing or in Connar’s case, poaching blackberries.  

When he heard the crunch of footsteps, Connar got to his feet and looked back towards his family’s property, hoping to see he father crest the ridge and start yelling at him for worrying him and his mother…but belatedly realized that the foot falls were coming from the other side and were growing louder. Much louder. Until the sound of large boots sounded right next to the trap and through the foliage and brambles obscuring most of his view, Connar could make out a pair of very large feet. And then he heard the giant rumble above him.

“Hm…well ain’t that curious.” Connar edged himself to the farthest corner, staring up as leather clad hands pulled and swept away the vegetation covering the roof of the trap and revealing a greyed and wrinkled face. Brown eyes widened from under thick eyebrows as the giant huffed a short chuckle, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Well, well. Aren’t you a funny looking deer…”  

Connar hunched he shoulders as though he could disappear into himself.

“Now then,” The giant said and raised an eyebrow at him. “You wouldn’t happen to be Arthur’s little boy, would you?”

“Yessir…” Connar replied in a small voice.

Gen’s smile widened and he tapped the metal trap’s roof. “Tell me; how in all the seven hells did you miss seeing this contraption?”

“…it was hidden,” Connar explained, feeling just the smallest sting to his pride as the implied accusation.  

“It’s bright red, son.”

Connar blinked and looked beside him at the metal bars and the green brambles beyond. They looked the same to him. He turned his gaze back up and squinted at Gen, feeling as though perhaps he was playing a trick on him. “They look the same...”

Gen’s amiable expression turned incredulous. “You telling me this…” he tapped the trap again. “…and these…” he brushed a finger through the brambles. “…look the same color to you?”

Connar nodded, but jerked in surprise when Gen abruptly broke out into a fit of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Connar demanded, his face feeling hot and his pride feeling more than just a mere sting.

“Hate to tell you this, but I think you might be colorblind.”

“I can see color just fine!”

“Perhaps, but not all of them. At least not all the ones I can see,” the giant explained. “I paint my traps bright red so I can find them easily and also because deer can’t distinguish between the green of the bushes and the red paint. Humans should be able to see them just fine and dandy though. But not you.” He paused as though considering and then grinned. “So I suppose that really does make you a funny looking deer.”

Connar started to glare at giant, but a telling tickle at the back of his nose had him turn his face into the crook of his arm and he sneezed. Gen hummed thoughtfully and asked, “How long have you been stuck in there, son?”

“…a while.”

“And how long is ‘a while’?”

“Since this morning…”

With a resigned shake of his head, Gen sighed. Then, fixing the young boy with a curious, if not slightly amused look, he asked, “Suppose you’ll be wanting outta there, hm?”

“Please...”

“Alright,” he chuckled, slipping off one of his gloves and popping the top of the trap open. Connar felt a little silly for not having thought that the trap opened from above. But he had little time to contemplate as Gen reached inside, but with a deliberate slowness that may have been meant to keep from startling him. Large fingers wrapped around his back, cupping him into the large palm and lifting him up and out of the trap. Gen peered at him with a slight frown. “Boy, you are soaked to the bone.”

“It rained...” he replied. “A lot.”

Gen hummed to himself before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief. He then draped it around Connar’s shoulders. “That’ll keep you a tad bit warmer in the meantime,” the giant said and then rose to his feet carefully. “Now let’s get you back to your mother before she starts to worry.”

It didn’t take him any time at all to reach their little house, a handsome little homestead built into the side of a moss covered hill. His father was seated outside on a stool, idly carving a small piece of wood

“Hello there,” his father said, looking up with surprise at Gen approaching.

“Hello Arthur. Apologies for just wandering in,” Gen said and then knelt down to place Connar on his feet. “But I think this one belongs to you.”

His father leapt to his feet and marched over to his son. “Connar! What have you been getting into now? Gen, I am very sorry if my boy’s been bothering you...”

Gen laughed. “Not at all, not at all. Poor little fella had a rough morning though. Got caught in one of my venison cages near the stream. Soaked through and chilled, but otherwise fine. Don’t be too hard on him.”

His father grabbed his shoulder and began to steer him towards the door. “Maria! Come and get your son, please.”

His mother’s head peaked out from the door as she was wiping her hands on her apron and she planted them on her hips upon seeing her son. “Connar, what in the God’s Greenwood have you been doing? You are drenched!”

“Got caught in one of Gen’s venison traps,” his father said, echoing Gen’s explanation. His mother’s hand reached out and snagged his right ear and began to pull him along.

“WHAT?”

As his mother dragged him into their home, he heard Gen laugh and say, “By the way, I think your boy may be colorblind, Arthur.”

…………………….

Connar’s family and Gen remained very good neighbors and for the two years that followed his first meeting with the giant, all seemed well with the world.

And then Vhasshal declared war on Silvaara and their once peaceful lives shattered.

Retribution came swiftly and the first to suffer King Nethrin’s rage were the residents of the Blackwoods. Blue coats hunted at night, torching any human homes they found and capturing any human that came across. People they had known for years disappeared with nothing but the ruined and burned out shells of their homes remaining. Once trustworthy Vhasshalan neighbors became hostile. Though they had not heard or seen Gen, they all assumed he was of a similar mind.

And soon enough, the reckoning came for Connar and his family.

His mother had been struck with a nagging feeling all morning and all but demanded of his father that they leave their homestead that day and hide in their winter storage larder. Just in case. It was an underground cellar that when shut, was indistinguishable from the surrounding mossy rocks. It was secure, it was insulated, and well stocked.  

That night, the blue coats came.

Five of them walked around their homestead, kicking over their cart and trampling Maria’s flowerbeds and smashing in the small windows. Their old pony, their heifer, and her calf were all taken away. And then they set it all on fire. From far off, they watched their lives be devoured by the flames and the smoke rising up into the uncaring sky. The question of what to do lingered heavily.  

His mother wept and though his father tried his best to comfort her, he too had tears in his eyes. Their home had been in the family for seven generations. His grandfather carved the wood that made their bed frames. The quilts had been hand sewn by great aunts. But it all disappeared behind the wall of flames, framed between the voyeuristic silhouettes of the blue coats. Connar and his older sister huddled together near the back of the cellar, listening to the haunting echo of their laughter.

……………..

They were beginning to run low on food and though making soup of what little remained would have stretched it considerably, they could not risk a fire. His mother had feeling poorly for several days and his father did want to leave her side, so Connar was sent out to fetch the water. He wore his dark green tunic and hood so as to better camouflage himself in case any giants were about. He found a quiet bend in the stream that was well hidden by thin limbed trees with thick foliage and uncorked the water sac, submerging the end into the stream and letting the bladder fill with cool clean water. His mind began to wander and he was not as observant as he should have been.

The snapping of a branch brought him back to the present and he looked up and up and into a familiar face he hadn’t seen in months.  

“…Connar?” asked Gen. The giant had been emerging from a cluster of trees just a few yards from the stream, a leather satchel filled with wild vegetation at his side. Upon seeing Connar, his eyes widened and then abruptly narrowed and then he was stepping forward with a purposeful stride down into the stream. Towards Connar. With a squawk of alarm, the human dropped the water sac and ran with Gen bellowing after him. “Stop!”

Not since the day before the war broke out had his family seen or heard anything from Gen. Connar knew from the stories he told him that he used to work at the Vhasshalan castle when he was younger and he spoke highly of King Nethrin often enough that it did not leave any room in his or his family’s mind just what side of the conflict he stood. It hurt his father and him to think that their friend and neighbor would or could do them harm if he found them. Supposedly there were bounties being offered for captured humans to entice those who would otherwise have left any humans they found alone. In that moment, the only thing Connar could think was to lead him away from his family’s hiding spot and hope he was able to lose the giant under the thick brush.  

But as he dove for cover through a thicket, his foot caught and he fell forward and the sound of squealing metal springs echoed around him as the venison trap snapped shut. Connar looked around at the metal bars with a sinking dread.

“No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” He scrambled gracelessly to his feet and looked up just as Gen came into view behind him. He pressed himself against the furthest end of the trap and stared with terrified and bated breath as the giant bore down on him. It was all too familiar and he knew the outcome was going to be drastically different. 

“Connar…”

“I won’t tell you anything!” Connar yelled angrily at his former neighbor. Gods, his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. The giant knelt down beside the trap and with one hand, popped the top open. Huffing through his nose and shaking, Connar stared up into Gen’s face.

“Connar,” Gen said breathlessly. He did not reach in for him like Connar had expected. He only stared down at the human youth. “You’re alive…”

“No thanks to you lot!” the boy yelled, angry frustrated tears pooling into his eyes. He couldn’t get the image of his home burning out of his mind.  

Gen flinched at that. “Please, just listen to me…”

“No!”      

“Connar,” he said firmly as he reached inside. Bristling, Connar ran to the other side of the trap, but it was useless. There was nowhere to go that Gen could not reach. He felt thick fingers wrap around his torso and pressed into his belly, pulling him bodily from the corner and up. “Stop that…will you just…”

“No-! Don’t…don’t touch me! Let me go!” He thrashed and squirmed as best he could. He succeeded in shimmying partly out from his tunic, but Gen just tightened his hold and Connar found himself partially dangling from the giant’s grip. His cries for released were muffled by both the fabric of his tunic and Gen’s fingers. His legs bumped up against something as he was planted down atop it, the fingers retreating marginally, but only shifted to lightly hold him. Gen was sitting down against the thick trunk of a tree and had placed Connar onto his knee. For several seconds, neither spoke and were content to study one another. It was only when Connar began to struggle again that Gen spoke.

“I’m not going to hurt you, son.”

“Yeah, sure. You’re just gonna give me to the blue coats and let them do it!”

“I would never…”

“Liar!”

“Would you shut your gob for one minute and listen to me, dammit?”

“What is there to say?” Connar demanded, his voice cracking. “We’re at war. And your King wants us all dead. We didn’t do anything!”

“I know. I know…”

“Then why? Why is this happening?” he demanded, but his voice was softer. More pleading. “We didn’t do anything…”

“I don’t understand either. I don’t know,” Gen said, looking down, with a visibly anguished expression. “But that man is not the same King I remember. The one who I loyally served for all those years. The man I knew was a just and kind man. Whatever he’s become…he is not my King. It seems that he died along with Prince Thadeus. And now some demon wears his face.”

For a long while, they did not speak and Connar took a moment to study his neighbor’s face. He looked so much older than the last time he had seen him. “…they burned our house...”

Gen nodded. “I know. I went to look for you all and found what was left. Gods…I thought for sure you’d been inside when…or that they took you.” He looked into Connar’s eyes, moisture pooling under them as he said in a hoarse voice, “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s happened. What’s happening. Everyone’s lost their fucking minds. The world’s gone mad and...” He shook his head and sighed deeply. “You aren’t hurt none?”

“No.”

“And your folks? Your sister? Are they…alive?”

“…yes.”

“Thank the Gods!” He said, falling back against the trunk and looking up into the canopy of trees above. “Blessed Mother, thank you.”

Connar shifted and was surprised when the fingers around him pulled back. No longer holding him, but merely cupping his back. “You…you’re not…you don’t hate us?”

“Why would I?” Gen asked. “You didn’t kill the Prince, did you?”

Connar glared at him. “Of course not!”

“Then I have no reason to hate you or wish ill upon you. Or your family. I’m your friend, Connar. That at least has not changed.”

He wanted very desperately to believe Gen. If the giant did wish harm on him, why go through the pretense of making him believe otherwise? “I…I…”

“Listen to me, Connar,” Gen said before he could finish his thought and carefully scooped Connar up and placed him on his feet. “I’m gonna let you go. And you’re going to go back to your folks. Tell your father…tell Arthur that I can help. I want to help. The rangers are upping their patrols. Vhasshal is using the road only a few miles from here to transport their men into Silvaara. It isn’t safe for you all to be out here. I can protect you. Hide you. Please. Tell him.”

Struck dumb, Connar fumbled for a reply before finally nodding.

“All right,” he said with a tired nod. “I will wait near the south end of my property. If you don’t show up by sundown, I will know my answer and I won’t bother you again. I can understand…I do understand why you would not believe me. But I hope you will. I hope these passed years of friendship mean as much to you all as it has for me.”

…………………………………….

His father’s face was hard as stone and his sister wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Did he follow you?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Arthur reached out and grabbed his son’s hand. “He didn’t hurt you?”

“No,” Connar said. “He…he looked really sad. And…he was crying. I think he was telling the truth.”

“But can we risk it?” his sister, Penny asked. “Maybe he just wants you to bring us all to him. For a bigger payout. They probably already gave our land to him.”

For a long time, Arthur did not speak. Heavy in thought he stared at the ground, at the cellar they’d made their home and to his children. His ill wife. Their all but used supplies.

“Dad?” Connar asked. “What do we do?”

…………………………….

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Gen said, relief clear on his face. But only Arthur stood before the giant in the small clearing at the furthest point of where his land met that of another one of their shared neighbors; a human couple who had disappeared soon after the war had begun. Connar, his sister, and mother were all back inside a thicket several yards away, hiding and waiting for Arthur’s signal.

“I do value our friendship, Gen. Which is why I’m taking this risk and hoping to the fucking Gods you aren’t lying,” Arthur slowly stepped closer, never tearing his eyes from Gen, “I’m weighing my life, my wife’s life and the lives of my children on your word.”

Gen did not move as Arthur approached.

“Marie’s been ill all this passed week,” Arthur said, tight jawed. “With the yellow reap.”

“I have medicine,” Gen quickly offered, his face slipping into concern and worry and it did not go unnoticed by Arthur.

“You would risk your own health like that?”

“Maria is a kind woman. A good mother. And my friend. As are you,” Gen replied. “Of course I would risk it.”

“You look beautiful, Nenani,” she said. But there was something in her eyes that made her look sad.

“The sleeves are so long,” Nenani said, tilting her head to look at Lolly and flapping her arms. “I look like a bird...”

“It’s the fashion right now,” Lolly said with a suppressed grin. “All the ladies at court are wearing them long. You will be turning heads when they see you.”

“Why do I need to be turning heads?” Nenani asked, feeling nervous. After her talk with Jae and Farris about the upcoming dinner, she was beginning to have serious reservations about the whole ordeal.

“Because you’re going to a dance,” her mother told her straight faced. “And it’s better to go wearing the proper shoes.”

Giving her mother a befuddled tilt of the head, Nenani asked, “Huh?”

“This dinner will be our first introduction to the Vhasshalan court in an official capacity,” Oira told her. “It would be better to make a good impression. And clothes are the first thing they will see. Well, aside from us being human that is. People at court have a certain capacity to be shallow and cruel. It was true in Silvaara and it’s true here in Vhasshal. We have to present to them a carefully painted picture so we can’t give them anything that might come back to haunt us later.”

Nenani looked up at Lolly with an anxious look. “I don’t think I want to go...”

“Don’t fret, Nenani,” Lolly told her gently. “All you need to do is stand there and look pretty. His majesty and your mother with handle everything else.”

As Lolly finished the fitting, Nenani could not strike the feeling from her mind that she was not going to enjoy any of it.

…………………………………………………..

It was a little awkward carrying her dagger and the roll of leather, but even as Jae asked for the fifth time if she needed help carrying anything, she assured him she was fine. But as they rounded the edge of the guard barracks and made their way to the smithy, Nenani turned to stared at Jae as he walked beside her, noting the bottle in his hand. When he looked over and saw her staring, his brow furrowed. “What?”

“I thought you were going to get rid of that,” she said, pointing to bottle of whiskey.

“I am,” Jae replied with a dismissive shrug. “I’m givin’ it to Connar. To try and bribe him into making your belt for you. Not that I think he would refuse you. But a little bribery never hurt. Plus, it’s easier to give this away then just dump it.”

“I don’t understand how you could drink that stuff,” Nenani scrunched her nose up and adjusted the roll of leather under her one arm. “It smells terrible.”

“Wasn’t drinking it for the flavor,” Jae assured her. “But a lot of folks swear it’s the best tasting whiskey you can get. Keral’s famous for it.”

“Still smells bad.”

“Funnily enough,” Jae shot back with a smarmy grin. “So does Keral.”

In all her time living in Vhasshal, Nenani had met all the resident humans save for one; Connar. He was a metal and leather worker in the King’s smithy alongside his guardian, Hev. Another name Nenani was familiar with, but had no face to match it with. The metal medallion around her neck, Jae’s neck, and all other humans in the castle were all made by Connar. Ostensibly due their smaller size, the job was much more suited to human hands than a giant’s.  

And as they drew nearer to their destination, the steady beat of metal striking metal became more pronounced and there was a metallic bite to the air itself as though she could smell the forge in the smithy just as she could smell the ovens in the kitchens. But instead of crusty loaves of yeasted breads, the only thing being pulled from the mouth of Hev’s fiery forge were the glowing bars of heated metal.

The smithy was a wide squat structure more reminiscent of a barn than a proper workshop. There was no door, rather the whole front of the building was left open. Tables were strewn with tools and weapons of all kinds and all in varying states of manufacture or repair. There was a barrel off to one side filled to the brim with flat metal blanks in the vague shape of a sword, only waiting to be heated and shaped into their final form and given a hilt. The walls were filled as well with swords and daggers, axes of varying sizes from a small hatchet to an enormous battle ax. And then beneath all of it, Nenani could heard the great breathing bellows of the forge and waves of heat hit her face as they approached.

They passed under the shadow of the smithy’s interior and Nenani scanned the walls as they pushed inwards. So much metal and weaponry and leather. It reminded her of the first time she was taken into the kitchens where she saw all the knives and cleavers therein, but even that paled in comparison to the sheer number of blades hanging from the walls and laying atop tables.  

“It’s pretty nice coming here in the winter,” Jae told her. “Stays nice and warm. But the summer is just brutal.”

Nenani paused to look over at a mace casually leaning against the leg of the table, marveling at the idea that anyone could pick up something so lumbering and heavy. It looked like it would be a challenge even for a giant.

Beside her, Jae slipped the bottle of whiskey under his arm and cupped his hands around his mouth. “HELLOOOOO!”

From further into the space came a response. “Hello?”

Jae turned to her and grinned before yelling back, “Hello!”

A pause and then a confused sounding, “Hello who?”

“Hello you.”

“Hello me?”

“Yeah.”

Another pause and an amused response came back. “...Jae? Is that ye?”

The young man laughed and called back, “Yeah, its me.”

There was a series of clanks and the sound of something shuffling around the dirt floor before a giant head peaked out from behind a wall near the back of the room. He had a round pleasant face and a dark, short cut beard with streaks of grey. His long black hair had been pulled into a long queue and it swung out from behind him when he poked his head out. Large brown eyes stared at them and then there was a flash of white teeth. “Well so ye are!”

The rest of the giant’s body followed his head from around the wall and he walked with long legged strides over to the pair of humans. A dark leather apron covered him from his chest down to his shins with the tawny fabric of his sleeves rolled up over thick burly arms. Despite considering herself very well accustomed to giants by this point, Nenani could not quell the sudden nervous bubble that form inside her as he bore down on them. He was more broad shouldered than either Farris or Bart and perhaps even taller. He towered over them for only a moment before he dropped down to one knee, leaning forward even more to be closer to their level. His face and arms were deeply tanned and there was a faint dusting of metal shavings stuck to his face and beard.

“Been a while since yev been down this way,” he said to Jae with an easy smile. “Was startin’ to think ye didn’t like us no more.”

“Nah, nothing like that. Things have just been kind of...hectic?”

The giant threw his head back with a loud short bark of a laugh. “So I heard. Some nutter tried to kill ye? Threw ye off the roof was it? Must be goin’ up in the world if someone found ye important enough to try and assassinate, lad. I’d congratulate ye, but it sounds like it’s more a pain in the arse than anythin’.”

“Nah, no such luck. I was just collateral,” Jae replied, gesturing with his thumb to Nenani. “He was after this one. Hev, this is Nenani.”

The giant’s thick eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ah! So yer Farris’s lil’ squeaker? Ah, well, I suppose yer a Princess too, eh? Please excuse the state of me, yer grace. Always get a bit manky in the shop.”

“I’ll make you a deal. Don’t call me ‘princess’ or ‘your grace’ and I’ll forget everything else,” Nenani replied with a small smile.

“Oh?” Hev asked and then looked to Jae in confusion.

“She hates the titles,” he explained. “Best to just drop them.”

“Ah, well. I’ll try to do that, but forgive me if I slip once or twice. I don’t mean nothin’ by it.”

“Is Connar about?” Jae asked, holding the bottle up with a grin. “We got a commission for him.”

Hev dipped his head and huffed in amusement before lifting up again with a nod. “Oh, sure. He’s just nappin’ over near the rag pile. Cold weather makes his leg ache, so he likes to build himself a lil’ nest over there. I’ll get ‘im fer ye.”

Hev pushed himself back onto his feet and after a few quick stride of his long legs, disappeared back behind the wall. His voice could be heard clearly enough. “Connar, ye up? Come on then, wake up. Oi! Ye lazy bum. Put yer shirt back on. How can ye be complainin’ about the cold when he ye haven’t even got yer damn shirt on? Now get dressed and try to pretend yer civilized fer all of a few minutes, eh? Ye got company.”

There was a fainter groan and then a curse. “Huh? Wait...Really?”

“Yeah, Farris’s ward’s is here t’see yer sorry arse. Y’know...the Princess?”

“The...Princess? Wait. What?! Ah, shit!”

Hev gave a loud laugh.

“Where’s my shirt? Hev, where’s my shirt?”

“How should I know?”

“Well, I put it there and now it’s gone!”

“I didn’t steal yer grimy little shirt. What’d I even use it fer?”

“I dunno. Hide it for a laugh?”

“Ah, not this time.”

“Dammit...I know I had it...”

“...ye check yer pants?”

“What?”

“I said did ye check yer pants?”

“...wha…? Why would I check my pants for my shirt?”

“Because it’s tucked into yer arse, ye fuckin’ dolt.”

“What? Oh! Hey! There it is!”

There was a pause and the Hev said in a contemplative tone, “Sometimes I wonder how ye ever managed to miss seein’ that trap. And sometimes, like now, I don’t wonder quite as much.”

“...fuck you, Hev.”

“Love ye too, lad,” Hev replied cheekily and then shouted back at Nenani and Jae. “OK, yer grace. He’s decent enough. Oh, sorry. Already forgot about the title thing. I mean...yeah, yer good to come on back.”

Nenani shot Jae a look of confused amusement and he just grinned back. Rounding the wall that Hev had disappeared behind, the floor dropped two steps and opened into a large round room with a cone shaped ceiling that ended in a sharp point. Flat openings near the pitch of the roof were opened to the outside, letting smoke and heat escape. The farthest wall from the entrance was dominated by a round bricked forge that, to Nenani’s eye, looked very much like one of Quinn’s ovens, only much much larger. Around the lip of the forge were long black metal poles. Some were nestled into the glowing coals or leaning against the forge itself. Off to the left side was a large bellows, sitting on the ground and positioned perfectly for a giant to step upon it with their foot to breath air into the fire. Next to that sat a giant black anvil with on large hammer resting upon it.

To the right of the forge was an open barrel of water and just beyond that was a large pile of rags, all colored black from soot and dirt and it was there that Hev stood, looking down at a human as they adjusted their shirt and quickly tried to force their messy mop of hair into something presentable.

When Nenani and Jae hoped the last step and down onto the dirt floor, Hev looked up at them and flash a grin. “Ye might need to forgive the state of this one’s dress as well. I’d say he’s just feelin’ under the weather, but...he never really looks any better than this.”

“Shut it you.”

Nenani found herself slightly taken aback when she finally laid eyes on Connar. She had expected an older man by the way everyone spoke of him, but he was surprisingly young. Older than Jae, but perhaps more Riley’s age. Perhaps even a bit older, but only just.

Connar was a lean, dark haired young man with thin gray eyes and his face was marked with faint white lines across his tanned skin. Old scars. His hands were similarly marked, but the most prominent feature of his person was the distinct absence of his left leg. In it’s place was a carved wooden replacement. From his left knee down, his leg was gone and he stood instead with a false one peaking out from the folded fabric of his gray trousers. However, instead of a plain round peg as Nenani had seen before on some sailors, Connar’s fake leg was carved as though to mimic the real leg he had lost. It had even been oiled and polished and he wore a shoe as well to match the one on his right foot.  

He must have seen her staring at it, because when she looked up to meet his eye, he wore a knowing expression. “Lost it to a snap trap a couple years back,” he explained. “Some fucker was pouching on the King’s land while I happened to be trespassing through it and snap! No more leg.”

Her eyes widened in horror at the prospect. “That’s terrible!”

“Oh it was,” Hev agree vehemently. “Lil’ fella almost bled out in my arms.”

“But you’re not here to listen to my sob story,” Connar said, waving a hand and looking down at the roll of leather under Nenani’s arms. “Have a project for me, your grace?”

Hev bent down and tapped Connar on the head.

“Ow!”

“She doesn’t like titles.”

“Fine! You just needed to say. Ugh, that hurt!”

“Ah, I didn’t get ye that bad.”

“Says you,” Connar shot back, rubbing his head and wincing. He shook off the pain and annoyance and turned his attention back to Nenani and Jae. “So, what’ve you got for me, your-not-grace?”

“Nonna gave me this,” she said, holding out the dagger. “And I was wondering if you could make me a belt for it.”

Connar reached out and took the dagger, pulling it from its sheath and inspected the blade. Holding it to the light, he turned his eyes to Nenani. “You’re Thorn?”

“On my father’s side. Yeah.”

His eyes drifted down to the amulet around her neck. “And what about that?”

“It’s a fire opal,” she explained. “It helps keep my magic from spilling out all at once so I don’t die.”

Above them, Hev grunted, his eyed wide. “That can happen?”

“Yep,” Jae answered for her. “Almost did.”

“Well, that would be bad,” Connar replied. His eyes lingered on the metal chain. “Might want to swap that chain though. The links are far too thin to be holding up something that heavy. It’s gonna bust loose if you’re not careful.”

Connar slipped the dagger back into its sheath and then inspected the leather work of it. He hummed appreciatively. “They’re well made. The metal is very good. The blade needs sharpening, but I don’t think they really sharpen these. They’re ceremonial if I’m remembering right. Can’t have little kids stabbing each other, I suppose.”

He handed it back to Nenani, but as she tried to reclaim the dagger, the roll of leather fell from her arms. Connar picked it up and let it unroll. Holding it up, he whistled. “This would do well for a nice belt. But, is that all you’re wanting? Just a belt? There’s a lot more material here.”

She shrugged. “What else could you do with it?”

Connar gave her a devilish grin. “Oh, so many things. Tell you what. If can trust me enough, go on and leave me this here leather and come back to see me in...oh, about two days? I’ll have something for you.”

She nodded and smiled. “Okay.”

Jae stepped up and held out the bottle to him. “Here. Something to sweeten the pot.”

Connar’s eyes lite up. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah,” Jae replied. “Promised Farris I’d keep away from it. So I’m back sucking lime flower leaves.”

Connar quickly rolled the leather back up and slipped it under his arm before eagerly grabbing up the bottle. “Well, that’s your loss,” he said and then looked back to Nenani. “Let me revise my previous statement. Come back in three days and I’ll have something you’ll absolutely love. And I’ll see about getting a better chain for your amulet too.”

“Thank you!” she said excitedly.

Conna held up the bottle. “No, thank you.”

………………………..

Despite the cold weather, the repairs on the west wing were coming along at an astonishing pace. All the broken roof tiles had been pulled off and the masonry underneath taken apart, stone by stone, and finally the fire damaged wood beams. Large new timbers had been delivered and installed to replace them and the masons were now laying back the foundation stones with fresh mortar. But as the giants worked, their craftsmanship was not the focus of Nenani and Jae’s fascination.

“How would it even have gotten there?”

“It must be part of the original structure. Like the tunnels.”

“You’re saying that the humans who built those tunnels would have also been the ones to build that?”

“Well, who else would have?”

“There’s no way!”

“They must have, though. Unless ancient Vhasshalans did.”

“It’s huge!”

“What? You don’t think humans can build big things? Have you ever seen castle Nethwyn? Well...I guess you haven’t. But’s it’s freaking huge too. The great hall was big enough to fit a hundred people and thirty giants comfortably. At least that’s what I always heard.”

From the vantage point of a high gable, Jae and Nenani stared down into the open wound of the west wing’s roof and at an enormous stone head that rose up from within the thick walls. It was nearly as tall as a giant and three times as wide. The damage done by the dragon’s attack had revealed it when work began on the repairs and more astonishing was that there seemed to be more the further down they went. The back of its head faced into the corridor and was the majority of what was visible while its face, still obscured by the outer stone wall, looked out into the valley.  

“I thought Warren was just having a laugh when he said they found a giant head in the wall,” Jae said. “Or that maybe I just understood what he was telling me. Yaesha had given me some potent tonics.”

“Do you think there’s more of them?” Nenani asked.

“Maybe,” he said lightly. “But seeing how dug in that one it, it might take another dragon attack for the others to be dug out.”

Nenani made a face. “I wonder if he’s gonna have them wall it back up.”

“Don’t know. Seems a pity to cover it back up again.”

“Yeah.”

A short silence fell between them.

“So,” Jae said, breaking the quite, and tilting his head to peer at her curiously. “You ready for your official debut at court?”

“No,” she replied, her eyes watching one of the workmen slather a trowel with mortar and place a vaguely square shaped stone into place and giving it a rapid tap with the butt of his trowel before turning back to his bucket and beginning the process again with the next stone. “But I’ll be there. I’m just gonna do what Lolly said and just...sit there and look pretty. I guess. The dress is pretty heavy so that might be all I can do anyway. Are you going?”

He sighed. “Warren asked me if I would come and I tried to make an excuse, but Rosanna answered for me. So I’m going. And she’s already picked out my clothes for me and everything. And I swear she’s deliberately choosing the doublets that are just constricting enough for me not to be able to have any free movement. It’s like what I imagine wearing a corset’s like.”

Nenani laughed. “She knows you better than you give her credit for.”

“I mean...it’s nice not having to look over my shoulder all the time, but really. She’s starting to act like she’s my mom. Just this morning for example! When I went to talk to Warren, she didn’t like how I combed my hair and then did it for me. And Warren had the biggest shit-eating grin. It’s been years since I’ve had the urge to hit him, but ugh...got really close then. Could have done with that arm of yours. Wouldn’t thrown my damn shoe at him.”

“Yale must be right, then,” Nenani giggled. “Maybe she’s practicing being a mommy on you.”

Jae glared at her with an unimpressed look.

“So, speaking of the dinner,” Nenani said, steering the conversation away from the subject of the Queen. “Do have any pointers for me? On what I should and shouldn’t do?”

“Oh sure,” Jae replied. “A warning: a lot of courtiers might try to mess with you.”

“Mess with me?” Nenani frowned. “How?”

“Nothing too bad. And I don’t think Eldherst will bother you. I’m gonna bet he’ll be pestering Warren about the armory again. I just mean a lot of the Lords in power now were there during the war and some still harbor...ill feelings towards humans. Though not overtly. They’re a lot more...subtle about it. One or two of the older ones just saw me as Warren’s pet when I first came. One of them even asked me once wear my leash was and why I wasn’t on it. Should’ve told Warren about it, but I was still a kid and just wanted to leave. But I told Keral the next day. Supposedly he crushed up a dried red dragon pepper and slipped it into the Lord’s snuff box.”

With a look of horror, Nenani put her hand to her nose. Her mind supplying the mental image of someone snorting even just a small bit of regular pepper sounded horribly painful. But her horror turned into giggles and Jae grinned with her.

“For you though, the one I’d look out for most is Lord Calem. Tallish guy. Always wears this hideous yellow coat and wears too much cologne. You’ll be able to smell him long before you see him.”

“Why? Does he not like humans?”

“No. Opposite in fact. He is...very friendly.”

She looked at him askance. “How...is that a bad thing?”

It was Jae’s turn to make a face. “He’s a well meaning, but totally condescending idiot with no sense of personal space. And when he drinks, he gets all...cuddly. Especially with humans. I’ll tolerate Kol’s nonsense to a point. He’s my friend. But not Colem. He’s one of the main reasons I stopped going to those things.”

“What?” she laughed.

“Yep. He’ll want to pet you. Like...a pet. Like a dog. After two glasses of wine, he’ll get all up in your face and try to pet on you,” Jae said with a grin and then shrugged. “And since you’re small and cute, better watch out.”

She blinked at Jae’s choice of words, feeling her face flush.

“What?” he asked, looking at her.

“Nothing,” she replied quickly.

“...serious. You all right? I mean, the guy’s annoying, but he’s no Thrist.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“...you just...well...you called me cute.”

“Uh huh..?” He drawled, squinting at her and she felt the heat in her face increase and she turned away from him to try and hide it. He leaned into her field of vision, a single eyebrow raised. “You feeling okay?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“Yup.”

“Because you’re red.”

“I’m fine.”

“Like...beet red.”

“I said I’m fine!”

He smirked at her suddenly. “Oh.”

“Shut up,” she snapped and rose to her feet, turning to the open window behind them and hoping down onto the table below.

Jae leaned over to peer at her. “But I didn’t say anything...”

She glared at him. “I said shut up!”

With a smug grin so reminiscent of Keral that she felt the very real urge to punch him, he said, “You...you don’t fancy me do you?”

“No!” Her fingers sparked as she slammed the window shut and then pulled the latch down for good measure.

“Hey!” Jae got to his feet and pushed at the window. “Open up! Geez, Nenani, I was just joking!”

Nenani pretended she couldn’t hear him as she carefully climbed down the table leg, too angry and mortified to feel any pride in having gotten down off of a table all on her own.

“Nenani! Come one!”

“There are other windows!” she called back as she rounded the corner to find the tunnel door.

....................................

BONUS ART: Oh look! It’s ol’ Hev.