The sweet smell of baking bread hit Galin as he rode into Oakenhost. Thea trotted along the cobblestone road. He looked around and saw dwarves everywhere. It almost looked like a village of children, but with beards. They were running in and out of the small stone buildings and merchant stalls that lined the streets. Intermixed among the dwarves were Vulwin Elves, Gnomes, and humans. He leaned towards Jena. “I thought they locked all the humans up.”
Jena nodded. “That’s what Jason said.”
“Maybe they didn’t tell us the truth,” Ellis said.
Galin shifted in his saddle. “I don’t think so.”
Mae rolled her eyes. “He just said that they treat humans poorly, that’s all.”
“She’s right,” Jena said.
“Let’s find a place to stay.” Galin led them through the center of town. As they passed through the square, a two-story stone building with music flowing out into the street caught his attention. Above the door was a polished wooden sign that read The Kracked Keg. Two dwarves were asleep on the porch with empty mugs laying next to them. Galin smiled. “I guess this place will work.” They tied their horses to the hitching post outside the tavern. A beautiful human woman stumbled out onto the street.
Ellis grinned. “My kind of place.” He pushed past Galin and rushed inside.
Jena rolled her eyes. “He’ll never change.”
“I hope not,” Mae said as she ran after Ellis.
Galin cocked an eye at Jena. “You think they’re . . . ?”
Jena shook her head. “Not a chance.” She took his hand. “Let’s go before they get into trouble.”
Galin’s eyes twinkled. “Sure.” He led them inside.
As soon as they entered the bar, pipe smoke hit them in the face like a rolling fog. Beyond the sea of dwarves, humans, and Vulwin Elves, a human woman tended bar on the far wall. Just to the left of the bar was a staircase going upstairs. Tapestries depicting battles and the dwarven gods decorated the walls. Long tables with benches lined the room. The lute player was on a small dais along the right wall.
Jena smiled at Galin. “I love the music.”
Galin’s heart began to pound within his chest. “Me too.” He leaned in to kiss her.
“Oh please,” Ellis said as he pushed them apart. “Can’t you newlyweds wait until after you’re in your room?”
Mae hit Ellis’s shoulder. “Knock it off.”
Jena giggled.
“Let’s find a place to sit,” Galin said as he scanned the room for an empty table.
“I’ll get us some ale,” Ellis added as he rushed to the bar, with Mae close behind.
Along the right wall, near the window, was the only small round table in the room. It almost seemed out of place. “Over there,” Galin said as he pushed through the crowd.
“Are we going to be here long?” Jena asked as she sat down on a stool.
Galin’s heart pounded and his throat went dry. “We . . . we have to be social, don’t we?”
Jena bit her lip.
Galin swallowed.
“Here’s your ale,” Ellis said as he slid them across the table to Galin and Jena. He and Mae sat down across from Galin and Jena.
“It doesn’t seem like Jason and Sarah told us the truth,” Mae said.
Galin sipped his ale. “No, it doesn’t. There are plenty of humans here.”
“There has to be more to the story than they told us,” Mae said.
“Do we still try to free them?” Ellis asked.
Galin’s eyes wandered over towards Jena. “Let’s worry about that in the morning.”
Jena rose to her feet.
Ellis frowned. “Hey, I just got you some ale. Stay a while.”
Mae’s hand brushed against Ellis’s. “Am I not enough company for you?” Her plain silver ring emitted a faint glow.
Ellis smiled. “We don’t need them to have fun.” He waved them off. “Go and do your nightly married thing. We don’t need you tonight.”
Galin laughed. “Okay, see you two in the morning.” He led Jena upstairs to their room for the night.
The sunlight poured through the curtains and onto Galin’s face. He felt the warmth of his naked bride snuggled next to him. He loved being married. He loved spending every minute with Jena. Nothing else mattered to him. Galin looked down at his sleeping future queen. Yes, she would make a great queen and help him to be a good king. Just the two of them; they didn’t need anyone else. “Hey, we’ve got to get up.”
Her eyes opened with a coy smile. “We can wait a little while longer, can’t we? The mayor won’t see us first thing, you know.” She smiled as her hand began to wander under the sheets.
“I guess you’re right.” He kissed her. Marriage was great.
Two hours later, Galin and Jena wandered downstairs into the tavern. Ellis and Mae were sitting having breakfast at one of the long tables.
“Look,” Galin said, “they can’t take their eyes off each other.”
Jena smiled. “I know.”
Galin and Jena sat across from Ellis and Mae. “Have a good time last night?” Galin asked.
Ellis grinned.
Mae blushed.
“They did,” Jena said.
“Would you like some breakfast?” a human girl asked. She was just a hair over five feet tall with brown hair.
“Please,” Galin said.
“And you?” she asked Jena.
“Yes.”
“Just be a moment.” The waitress hurried away.
“How are we going to handle the mayor?” Mae asked. “We can’t tell them who you are. It’s too dangerous.”
“She’s right,” Jena said.
“Here you are,” the waitress said as she slid overflowing plates in front of Galin and Jena.
“Thank you,” Jena said.
Galin tossed a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth. “We have to tell them, eventually. How can we get allies if we don’t?” he said after he’d chewed and swallowed.
“Save that for the king,” Mae said.
Is she right? Galin asked himself. Sure, ever since they took Iron Fist Keep he had been less . . . concerned about people knowing his true identity. Why not? The Darkstriders had no doubt now, right? The stories about Stilgar Axfoot didn’t appear to be entirely true. Perhaps there was another side to the story that Jason and Sarah weren’t aware of. Maybe? Galin nodded. “You’re right.”
After their stomachs were full, Galin, Jena, Ellis, and Mae walked through the small town. Dwarf children played in the street with their mothers chasing after them. No one yelled or swore or threatened Galin. Were Jason and Sarah wrong? Maybe. There had to be more to the story than perhaps even they realized.
As the group reached the edge of town, the mayor’s home came into view. It was just like the waitress had said in the Kracked Keg. Large jewels were embedded in the gray granite walls. The decorative shutters were open and the gold lace curtains blew through the breeze going in the windows. A large mahogany door had a gold doorknocker that matched the handle. Galin swallowed. Stilgar Axfoot must have more crowns than most nobles.
Ellis’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. “Do you know how much one of those jewels are worth?
Jena glared at him. “Ellis, don’t!”
Mae’s hypnotic smile disarmed Ellis. “Our mission first, then . . . maybe?”
“No,” Galin said. “Absolutely not. We’re here for a reason, not for petty theft.” He approached the door and knocked.
Ellis shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not that petty.”
The door swung open and a dwarf with long, brown hair and a beard down to his belly button stepped outside. “What do you want?”
Galin swallowed. Should he tell him? Jason and Sarah know, so—why not? If he doesn’t know now, he would real soon. “I bring news from Axain. May we come in?”
The dwarf looked over Galin, Jena, Ellis, and Mae for a moment. He bit his lip. “No. Good day.” He stepped back and started to close the door.
“But—” Galin began.
Ellis pushed past Galin and put his foot in the door, stopping it from closing, and stared right at the dwarf. “We really need to talk, now.”
Galin blinked. He’d never seen Ellis act like that before. Ellis was almost acting like a . . . Dark Elf. He pushed Ellis out of the way. “Please, sir, we mean you no harm.”
The dwarf extended his hand to Galin. “I’m Stilgar Axfoot. Come in.”
Galin scowled at Ellis as he stepped inside. As he passed through the door, the odor of baking muffins made his stomach growl, even though it was full. They smelled that good! The large room had an elaborate woven rug on the floor, in the front of the fireplace. Two oversized, puffy, chairs sat next to one another with a small table in between them. There were two matching couches facing the table in the center. Tapestries and paintings decorated the walls. Across from the fireplace was the entranceway to the kitchen.
“You have a very nice home,” Jena said.
“I’ll get some tea. Please, have a seat,” Stilgar said.
Ellis plopped down into the left chair and dust flew up in his face. “Damn,” he said as he waved the dust cloud away
“I don’t think you should sit there,” Mae said. “Please, Ellis.”
Galin motioned towards the couch where Mae was sitting. “Come on, Ellis.”
Ellis shook his head. “I’m fine. Leave me—”
“No one sits in that chair!” Stilgar yelled as he came back into the room with a tray full of tea. “That’s my wife’s chair. Get out of that chair or get out of my house!”
Ellis jumped up. “Sorry, don’t have an ogre over it.” He sat next to Mae and smiled. “Sorry, sir.”
“It’s all right,” he said as he put the tray on the table between the couches. He took a cup and sat in the chair on the right. “What news is there from the south?”
Galin sipped his tea. “A revolt is happening, right now, as we speak.”
“So? Why should I care?”
Jena leaned forward. “Why are those poor people outside the village in chains?”
Galin frowned at her.
Stilgar leaned back. “Is that why you’re here?”
“In part, but let me—”
Stilgar waved him off. “It’s okay. After the Darkstriders took Staerdale Castle, they began to slaughter any human that was a knight or a noble.” He sipped his tea. “So, they came to Shumnar. We welcomed them for a time. Everything was fine for years. But then, they took the best grazing lands and the most fertile areas for their crops. When we went to talk to them about it, they simply told us that they were nobility and knights and didn’t have to listen. Naturally, that got the people upset.”
“Was that when you ran for mayor?” Jena asked.
Stilgar shook his head. “Just before.”
“Let him finish,” Galin said.
“About that time, the Darkstriders came north. They didn’t make it this far, but the rumors about what they were doing to the dwarves on the outskirts was . . . horrifying. My wife and I couldn’t let that happen to our people, so I ran for mayor. After I won, I spoke with the human leaders and told them what was happening. They agreed to move outside the town. Only two weeks or so later, the Darkstriders, led by Ryul, a Dark Elf general, camped outside of Oakenhost. The humans saw it before we did. They put shackles on everyone to make it appear that they were our prisoners. So, when the Darktriders came, Jason’s father told them that they were my slaves.” Stilgar’s eyes began to well up. “Ryul didn’t believe him. He questioned me about it. He stabbed my wife to make sure I was telling the truth. As they left, I held her close to my heart as she died. I kept my promise to her to keep the humans safe.”
Ellis frowned. “Why are they still in chains? That happened a long time ago, right?”
Stilgar nodded. “Yes, it did. But, the Darkstriders still come through Oakenhost.” He looked away. “They have a patrol camped outside the camp to make sure that we were telling the truth. They have been there since my wife died. If I free them or bring them inside the city, that patrol will burn Oakenhost to the ground.”
“How do you know?” Mae asked.
“The Feral Orc captain told me so,” Stilgar said.
“Didn’t the dwarf knights at Croft Keep help?” Galin asked.
Stilgar shook his head. “No. We are not valuable enough for the king. You see, dwarf stature is dependent on how much tribute they give to the king.”
“That sucks!” Ellis said.
“What if we kill the patrol for you?” Galin said.
Stilgar smiled. “Then I’d bring them into the town and give you whatever you want.”
“I could always use more troops. My army is getting bigger by the day,” Galin said.
The dwarf pulled on his beard as if in deep thought.
“Where are they?” Mae asked.
“They have a camp due north, just inside the forest beyond the pastures.” Stilgar looked over at the ax leaning against the wall in the corner by the fireplace. “I can’t speak for the town, but I may join you. But, you’d have to convince the king first.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Galin said as he stood up.
“Who are you?” Stilgar asked. “You seem to speak with authority.”
“I’m Galin V of Ravenward, nephew of Kade the Usurper. I’m the rightful heir to the throne. We already control everything east of the Wailing Mountains and I am here looking for allies.” He pointed to Jena. “This is my wife and future queen, Jena.” Galin motioned towards Ellis and Mae. “And these are our companions, Ellis and Mae.”
Stilgar grinned. “Okay, let me know when that patrol is dead and I’ll help you, even if the king doesn’t give me permission.”
Galin shook Stilgar’s hand. “I look forward to fighting by your side.”
“Me too.”