Trouble in the Land of Dwarves
Chapter 17
The Viking
Of course, Prince Nathan was
having all the excitement he could handle.
Having escaped the cave lair of
Snagglefang the dragon with the help of
Flindee the jester, he found himself running
for his life down Stormwatch Peak in the
middle of a terrible storm and right into the
open arms of an angry giant!
And
Gart WAS angry! He had obviously been
out searching for his beloved hawk for
hours with no success, and Nathan guessed
he was extremely frustrated by the situation;
maybe even a bit worried. Whatever the
case, the sudden pain in his leg, as the
prince ran into him, didn�t help his attitude
at all. And when he looked down to see
that his prized prisoner was trying to
escape, the giant gave a mighty roar of rage
and scooped the prince up once again in his
meaty hand.
�What you doin�
outside your new home, little pup?� he
sneered. His face was so close, Nathan
could smell his nasty breath. The stench of
it added to the fear in his belly and made
him feel sick.
�How could I
have let myself get recaptured so soon?� he
pouted. �Now it is truly over! I�ll never
escape!�
There was another
flash of lightning and an explosion of
thunder as the rain began to pour down on
them. Nathan�s head sank to his chest in
defeat as the giant started to walk back up
the path to the cave.
So lost in
misery was the young prince that he barely
noticed the song that had begun to rise
above the echoing wind. In fact, it wasn�t
until Gart stopped and turned around that
Nathan realized someone was coming up
the path behind them singing at the top of
his lungs. The voice was a deep baritone
and full of strength and grew louder by the
moment. At the sound of it, hope sprang
anew in Nathan�s chest for now he could
hear the words of the song and they held
promise of freedom and victory over
darkness!
This was the song he
heard:
In the Frozen
lands of Northreach
Where
giants make their home
Live a
mighty people strong at
heart
Who are not afraid to
roam
And when the blizzard of
the monster�s wrath is raging all
around,
These joyous folk lift up
this song
and see their foes fall
down!
So march on to
the victory!
March on for the
King!
March side by side
together,
And let this Anthem
ring!
The song of Courage goes
forth
rising from our
heart!
As arm in arm we tramp
the foe
and stand against the
dark!
March
On!
Gart got madder
as the singing drew nearer and began to
squeeze the prince in his armor again with
the clenching of his fists. But Nathan
noticed that he also began to move
backwards up the path as if he were afraid
of the approaching singer. His beady eyes
were fixed on the path and he shook his
head back and forth in irritation as if the
song hurt his ears.
Then, in the
flickering light of a thunderbolt, Nathan
saw a dwarven rider appear around the
corner of the mountain path! He was a
viking with horned helm and a braided
beard that flowed down his bare chest and
over the top of his kilt. In his muscular
arms, he carried a large battle-axe and
round, studded shield for battle. His feet
were covered in sheeps wool and wrapped
with leather.
But the most
impressive sight to Nathan was the viking�s
steed, for he rode upon the back of a huge
white bear from the snow country of the
north. The beast was nearly the size of a
small horse and had a fearless look in it�s
black eyes.
As the viking
approached the giant he ended his song and
shouted over the storm.
�I am
Vonkar the Vocal of Clan Axtagrind.
Release the warrior, foul giant, and I shall
spare thy wretched hide!�
Though Gart was surprised by this
sudden challenge, he threw back his head
and gave a mocking guffaw!
�You gonna spare MY hide, little
man? Now THAT�s funny! This I gotta
see.�
�So be it, dragonspawn.�
the viking returned. �Thou hast been
warned! Now thou shalt be
vanquished!�
With that, he
gave a great war cry and the bear lumbered
forward at full speed! The mountain path
was narrow and there was no room for the
giant to dodge, but then again, Gart was not
accustomed to dodging. With a shout of
his own, the giant swung one hammer-like
fist at Vonkar to knock him off of his
mount! The giant�s ape-like arms were so
long that he could pound his courageous
little enemy before the dwarf even got close
enough to strike back. But what the viking
lacked in strength and size, he made up for
in speed and wits.
Tumbling off
the bear�s back, Vonkar rolled forward
under Gart�s swing and stopped at his feet!
Missing his target, the giant overswung and
his fist slammed into the mountainside.
Rocks and dust showered Vonkar as he
scrambled back to his feet. Then, taking
advantage of his stunned opponent, he
charged the giant, driving his helmet up into
the nearest knee cap!
Gart let
out another shout; this time in pain and
stumbled back toward the rocky edge! The
heal of one foot slipped off and he swung
his arms wildly to regain his balance. For
one breathtaking moment, Nathan was
swung out over the side and looked straight
down at the ground far, far below! His
heart sank into his stomach with the
butterflies as he remembered the dark dream
and the feeling of falling down, down into
darkness. For the first time, he found
himself thankful for the giant�s strong
grip.
Wisely, Vonkar backed up
a few steps to let Gart regain his balance
and began to taunt the slow witted collossus
who was now blocking their escape down
the mountain.
�Did I not tell
you that you would be vanquished? Who is
laughing now, O� Lumpy
Head?�
Vonkar�s words were
having the desired effect. Gart�s head
turned so red with rage, that raindrops
fizzled to steam as they struck it and Nathan
wondered if the viking really knew what he
was doing after all. It was clear that if Gart
were able to land a blow on the hearty
dwarf even once, he would crush the life
out of him and now the viking had gotten
himself trapped with nowhere to run.
Never-the-less, Vonkar railed on as if
oblivious to the situation.
�Have at thee, you fat-footed beany
brain! Can you not silence Vonkar the
Vocal? Where is thy might, O�Boastful
One? I thought you were strong. Perhaps I
misjudged you, for me thinks you are
nothing more than a blubbering
bafoon!�
Another crash of
thunder deafened them, drowning out the
giant�s roar as he launched toward his hated
enemy! Nathan could hardly bare to watch
what was about to happen, but found he
couldn�t close his eyes either, afraid he
would miss another awesome move by his
would-be rescuer. Between each jarring
step Gart took, the prince watched as
Vonkar took a few steps back to brace
himself for the attack.
Suddenly
Flindee appeared right behind the warrior!
He was saying something, but could not be
heard over the thunder and whistling winds.
Unaware of the hapless jester, Vonkar
backed into him and the two dwarves went
down in a pile of flailing arms and legs!
Now Nathan DID close his
eyes. He had seen quite enough.
Chapter 18
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