A New Hero

Bring Him Home

A deafening silence stampeded down the caravan as they rolled up to the entrance into the dwarven kingdom. From a mile back, the deep scar into the earth was evident, near on fifty acres of ground shattering into the deep roads. Pillars and statues rose out of the depths, heads leering just above the edge as if the dwarven paragons were bobbing in a pool. Circling all around their claim was a wall already ten feet tall and, knowing dwarves, likely to get larger and more indestructible the longer they were on the surface.

The Princess marched at the front, her hands dangling to the side, while Daryan formed up beside her. The Knight was armed, while Rosamund chose to wear only the mail of peace. A few scoffed at the idea, but Gavin had to give it some merit. There was no way the dwarves would be welcoming to what was about to happen, why instigate them more?

He glanced down at the sheet draped over the wagon he and a few other squires were pulling. Snowy's nose prodded it upwards, sometimes the lights of a lengthening day giving the illusion that he'd twitched or breathed below. After years growing up in a hospice, Gavin knew the truth, though it spooked his fellow squires something awful.

As one, the entire caravan paused right outside the great gate. There were no guards outside, no one wanting to greet them. The dwarves truly wished to be left alone. Rosamund's eyes darted around trying to get anyone to give her ideas.

"Should I knock?" she asked, waffling on her feet.

"We should have brought a battering ram," Daryan sighed, staggering onto her feet.

"Do not even speak such things," Karelle whipped her head at her before turning to stare up at the great wall. "We could wait for someone to...?"

Fire leapt up into the air dancing straight above the barren lands before erupting into a red and orange flower in the sky. Every head spun over to Myra who smiled and curled her magic fists up. "That should get their attention," she said smugly while bundling her arms behind her back.

"Your father will hear of this," Karelle whispered towards the wayward daughter but Myra was unimpressed.

"Course he will. You tell him blighted everything. It's a wonder..."

"Shut up," Rosamund hissed, her eyes whipping up to the gate beginning to slide open. Every back and head snapped in place to watch as the great stone door began to roll inward. It was slow, the thing seeming to only be capable of moving a few inches a minute.

Gavin's heart thundered harder in his chest, his fingers digging into the wood of the wagon while he kept glancing down at the body already rotting to bone without any runes around. It was probably horrifying to look under the sheet, the smell difficult even with burning herbs around to mask it.

After some time, a dwarf slid out between the small gap in the door. He was fully armored, a beard trailing down to his knees. The dwarf twisted a halberd back and forth in his hands, his eyes sizing up the fifty or so people standing on his doorstep.

"What do you want?"

"Good sir," Rosie stepped forward, "I humbly request an audience with your queen."

He glared at their Princess a moment before grunting, "No."

"Wait! We have a reason to..."

"I don't care. We're not talking to any of you. We don't want no treaties. No bargains. No trade agreements. Not even any of your Knight cookies. Now piss off!" the dwarf snarled fully, about to spin on his feet.

"Please," Rosamund was not about to give up, "I beseech you. This is an important matter of life and death."

The guard rolled his eyes wide, the whites evident under his helmet, "As if I ain't heard that a million times before. What'd I say...?"