| Sigurd the Norse Sigurd the Norse I On a cold dank day traveled Sigurd, the Norse. Sitting slumped in his saddle, riding Grani, his horse. He was holding a broken broad sword; looking full of remorse, For his father was dead, and his father�s sword, Gram, had been broken with massive force. Sigurd rode to the stronghold of Regin a master smith. The master smith was a dwarf, legendary armors of fame and myth. Regin heated and hammered Gram until the sword was repaired, forth with. II �There�s were it dwells,� Regin pointed to a mountain�s peak. �That is were the flying lizard lives, Fafnir, that is the dragon you seek.� �He is the one that has caused such death and pain, all in the name of gold.� �His treasure mound is piled high with coins and jewels and is surely a sight to behold.� �I would go by myself,� said Regin,� but I am not that bold.� �Perhaps with the two of us we can defeat this winged demon of old.� Sigurd�s eyes glared, �I have just the plan, come we must prepare.� Slowly the two climbed the road to the dragon�s lair. Sigurd rode Grani; Regin rode his pony and behind them trailed an old mare. Sigurd�s plan relied on the fact that horses are a dragon�s main fare. Reaching the top, Regin rode off towards the meadow pulling the spare. Sigurd dismounted Grani and slowly climbed the hold�s crooked stair. III Regin circled the border of the meadow and stayed hidden just inside the tree line. He got off his pony and tied him securely to a pine. He then led the mare out into the open, so she might dine. As she munched on sweet meadow grass, overhead a huge shadow blocked-out the sunshine. Huge talons descended silently, severing her spine. The dragon lands lightly, next to his quarry, and begins to eat his fill. Regin thought his presence had gone undetected � until. Fafnir looked right at him and said, � Do you have a death wish to fulfill?� The dragon�s yellow eyes seem to pierce his very mind; Regin�s blood began to chill. IV The stench of lizard was almost overpowering as Sigurd entered Fafnir�s abode. He quickly ran to the entryway of where the great lizard�s treasure glowed. Sigurd begin to dig through the entryway, thankfully it was dirt not stone. It would take him some time to dig a hole where he could lay prone. He knew that the dragon�s external side was tough scale and bone. But there beneath the floor, the soft dragon�s underbelly would be shown. He concealed himself and the hole, so his presence, hopefully, would go unknown. Lying there, in the ground, all of Sigurd�s thoughts where how his father�s death must be atoned. V Fafnir gave a loud shriek as he landed on the battlement wall. The very ground quaked with the great lizard�s steps; Fafnir was coming up through the great hall. �Thief, you can not hide from me, I know you are here,� came the dragon�s thunderous call. Sigurd knew he had only one chance to stop Fafnir once and for all. The dragon had to duck to go through the opening way; Fafnir got in all fours to crawl. Time seemed to slow, as Fate decided how the next moment should befall. As the lizard slid over the concealed pit, Sigurd thrust Gram deep inside Fafnir�s chest. Green and brown blood poured from around Gram, lodged in the dragon�s breast. The massive lizard fell over, he was pale and his breathing was quite distressed. � I shall be avenged, I swear this oath!� Fafnir gasped his last protest. The dragon�s eyes clouded and became transfixed, escaping to his eternal rest. VI Without ceremony Sigurd chopped off Fafnir�s head. He wanted to show proof, to all, that the dragon was dead Trophy procured, he went to retrieve his thoroughbred. Regin arrived and with a hand ax, quickly started to remove Fafnir�s heart. For a dragon�s heart is most beneficial to a practitioner of a dark art. A potion boiled from water, mead and the dragon�s part. The drinker and a human�s ways quickly depart. Elixirs that can make the mind�s eye see and hear all creatures, big and small. To understand the tiniest of creatures and the great eagles call. To engage in quaint conversation with the giant sea turtle and the narwhal. Universal law is now easily fathomed and to have complete and total recall. VII Regin pulled out an iron pot and started collecting wood for a fire. A strike of the flint, carefully feeding the wood, the yellow/blue flame grew higher. The pot was filled with water and hung up over the fire, by a thick wire. As it started to boil, Regin added Fafnir�s heart and then some mead, he had recently acquired. Sigurd noticed the cooking pot upon his return, and of its purpose he did inquire. � It is a wondrous potion I am attempting to make, my sire.� Regin smiled � it�s almost done, a little more boiling is all that is required�. Sigurd wondered why Regin was acting nervous and was beginning to perspire. He had never given it a thought that the dwarf could be a thief, crazy or a liar. VIII �I�ll need extra wood�, Regin mumbled as he went around gathering more. Sigurd walked over to the boiling pot and the huge fire underneath it that roared. He leaned over the pot, the smell of the cooking potion, simply could not be ignored. The smell of the brew was overwhelming he could not help but be allured. He picked up a wooden spoon and stirred the brew; he found he could not control himself anymore. He sipped just a taste of the potion; if it was safe he was unsure. At the potion�s very flavor Sigurd�s vision became blurred, obscured. His ears filled with hundreds of screaming voices, he was not sure how much he could endure. IX It seemed like less than a second passed, Sigurd�s eyesight immediately cleared. The screams lessened to buzzing whispers but the sound had not entirely disappeared. The whispers grew more comprehensible, but just where they were coming from was unclear. From up in the swaying treetops came voices he could just barely hear. � I wish the little man would hurry up and get it over with, I�m ready to eat.� Another voice spoke, � Hey, everyone is leaving; you going to stay Pete?� � We are waiting to if see the tall man dies by the small man�s deceit.� � The dwarf, promised his brother�s life would be avenged, if Fafnir met his defeat.� �Hopefully soon the dwarf�s dagger and the tall man�s turned back will meet�. Again came a voice on the wind, � for there is not a sweeter treat than human meat�. X Sigurd moved so he could see the tops of the trees, he had to see who it was speaking. Three large crows, these birds could not talk; they could not be voices that he had been seeking. Sigurd thought back to the potion that he could not resist drinking. If the potion made the bird�s caws understandable, should he believe what the crows had said? If the carrion birds spoke the truth, that would mean that Regin wanted him dead. Sigurd looked around quickly for the dwarf; He was there on the trail just ahead. Did he want to wait to see if Regin would kill him while he slept in bed? Sigurd return to the boiling, potion pot and sipped more, yelling to the tree tops overhead. Regin return asking Sigurd what he had just said? Sigurd slowly slid Gram out of its sheath; Regin�s eyes filled with dread. Sigurd walked up to Regin and quickly with one shift stroke of Gram, Sigurd removed Regin�s head. Sigurd loaded Grani and the pony with Fafnir�s treasure and started back to his family�s homestead. |