[Sticks]

Prologue

Good day dear and gentle reader, I hope I find you in at least moderate health, as we look at another tale centred around the Mystical Realms.


You may recall, that it has been said before that our universe was one of the first membrane universes to be formed, and as such it developed as it wanted to.

(A short clip)

Youtube video

But then, in the spaces between the undulating membrane universes another one took form, and somehow our own universe, indeed humanity itself in ways we know not, through our collective unconsciousness influenced the direction that new universe would take. Time in that universe was accelerated and ran at a different rate to ours, and so on a world, created in that universe, races developed that bore a striking resemblance to creatures out of our myths, our folklore, our fairy tales and our darkest nightmares.

Such was the nature of the link between these two universes, which as membrane universe were quite close, some of these other races who lived in that universe were aware of our existence, and the link through the collective unconsciousness of humanity allowed some to cross to and forth. When the first crossings started, the mismatch between the rates that time flowed in each universe, were synchronised by means unknown, and from then on we and they moved in a lockstep. As time passed on our world and theirs, the clouds that formed their world, patterned on our thoughts, fantasies and fears dispersed, and soon the world there, and their universe was dubbed by the inhabitants as the Mystical Realms became a world in it’s own right, almost like ours, but a planet, orbiting a binary star system with four moons where all these races lived together after a fashion.

It was only a matter of time, before the two worlds clashed metaphorically, and sagas were told of those clashes, some of the creatures there, felt as they had superior powers over the humans that had given them to them, they should rule over them. One was the Spirit of Lust, who triggered a long and bloody civil war that involved orcs and split the Troll clans.

As the war progressed it became evident that it was not just opportunism by those from the Mystical Realms that fed off of misery, but even humans from our world tried to cash in, until with the help of a human male and a female companion, who became his wife, both on the Mystical Realms and later back on Earth, this incursion from our world was foiled and a kind of peace restored.

But wars, dear and gentle reader take their toll. From our side a young child by the name of Sarah Smith was orphaned by a treacherous gnoll and brought to the Mystical Realms and enslaved in the kitchens of a citadel that was the ancient home of the troll emperors, known as Karam Tag Chou.

This young child because she was only a young child was not as efficient in the kitchens as the other slaves, and so she was whipped and beaten by a cruel hobgoblin. Her cruel slavery was ameliorated a little by the kindly attentions of two other slaves, by irony two goblins, a creature we often assume to be evil. These kind goblins were in fact two married goblins, Chidal and his wife Fadol. They cared for the child as best they could until she was rescued by the human male and female, who were, by this time, for a season at least, the Troll emperor and Queen. The child was adopted as their own daughter, and returned to Earth with them when they left Reports filtered back, that back on Earth, the couple on their return adopted her as their own under our laws and retired from adventuring..

As a reward for looking after the child whilst she was a scullion slave, the two goblins were given their freedom, although it was nominal as they knew of no other place they could go at that time.

But, no wars last for ever and this one ended, but because the power structure was changed, the citadel became deserted, and was now used by two troll clans, the Manjura who guarded the devices that enabled travel between their world and ours, and the guardians of the citadel itself, the clan of the Rachtal. The only other users were humans from an elite squad on Earth, who had made an alliance with the trolls, to help prevent the interference in each other’s affairs by those from either their side or ours.

The Manjura and the Rachtals were fairly self sufficient, The people from Earth brought their own supplies and as the seat of administration had moved away, there was no need for ceremonial duties or feasts, so the need for scullery servants was not as great as it need be, and so, as a gesture of goodwill, the scullery slaves were to be released and granted a chance to journey their homelands away from the troll citadel.

The problem was, that whilst the troll citadel was in the mountains well away from the fighting in the civil war, the homelands of the goblin couple who had helped the human child, were not so fortunate, and whilst some would look upon them as being unfortunates as they had been enslaved and taken away from their friend’s and family, some might take a view, that they lived as we would say a “cushy life” as they had not been the target of orc death squads. Whilst they lived in servitude, those left behind lived in fear, and some did not make it to see peace descend upon the Mystical Realms.

These two goblins were soon to be exposed to the horrific aftermath of a ferocious war; they were protected from, when others close to them were not so fortunate…

[Sticks]

Episode I - Freedom’s just another word

Chidal woke up suddenly, from his reoccurring nightmare and sat up in bed.

He swung his legs out of the bed and tried his best not to waken his wife, who still seemed to be sleeping. He then sat there staring out into the night, through the dormitory windows at the two moons that were visible in the night sky.

A small tear glistened in the light of the moons and Chidal wiped it away with the sleeve of his nightgown.

Oh how he wished that nightmare would go away – especially as he knew how things had panned out in real life

He felt the soft arm of Fadol on his back

“Husband dear?” she asked, “Did you have that dream again” she enquired.

Chidal could only nod, he did not dare speak less he show too much emotion that was unseemly for a male goblin of his advanced years.

Fadol got up and sat beside him, and put her arm around her husband, “maybe we can see an elven healer” she suggested, “He might be able to stop the dreams”

“I keep hearing her scream” Chidal whispered, “I keep hearing her cry and my heart just breaks Fadol”
“I know husband” Fadol replied.
Chidal continued, “I know our emperor saved her, had her healed. I also know that he and his queen when they returned to the Realm of Mortals took her to be their very own and she is happy with them and a has baby brother”
“But her screams from when she was with us still haunt you?” Fadol asked
Chidal nodded, “I just felt so helpless” he whispered
“We did what we could husband dearest” Fadol consoled, “And as you say, she was saved and is now surrounded by love and free from pain”
“I know we did our best dearest wife” Chidal agreed, “I wish I could sleep a night with out the screams coming back”
“Now they have come husband dearest” Fadol replied, “Perhaps they have finished for the night, let us try and sleep some more”

The two goblins then climbed back in the bed and slept in each other’s arms, Chidal’s eyes glistening with tears of guilt.

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It was mid morning and a dry fine day

Chidal finished polishing the goblets for the umpteenth time, and they were as shiny as shiny could be, it seemed such a shame that nobody seemed to be interested in drinking from them anymore.

He packed them away in the cupboard sighed and sat down on a stool by the scullery table. He looked around to see what else he could polish or clean, but all the crockery, all the cutlery and all the cooking vessels had been polished and cleaned to with in an inch of their lives.

Maybe he could stock take the supplies

No wait, he did that when he came in, there was nothing, nada not a bean.

No point getting in food if it would just spoil waiting for non existent banquets. The only supplies were in their quarters, for their frugal needs. Even they had dwindled as the scullery slaves one by one were released and disappeared.

All that were left were Chidal and Fadol, the last of the scullery goblins. Technically they were not slaves, as a reward for helping a human child, they were declared free goblins, but as they had no other place, they elected to stay behind.

Fadol came in to the scullery carrying some napkins. “These are clean dear husband” she chided Chidal, “what is the point of washing them again”
“To pass the time until sundown” Chidal said forlornly

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Chidal jumped off of his stool and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the front door. Maybe there was a meeting that needed their services at last

In the doorway to Chidal and Fadol’s shock and surprised was the chief of the clan that held stewardship of the citadel of the troll emperors, the Clan Chief of the Rachtal



Instantly Chidal bowed as low as he could, just like he had done when ever visited by the disgraced and dead clan chief of the Delethon.

“GET UP GOBLIN” The clan chief ordered

Chidal sheepishly stood up and looked up at the large troll, “My apologies my liege” he said nervously, “your predecessor insisted we showed our humiliation”

The clan chief wearily shook his head, “I am not like that traitor”

“My liege” interjected Fadol, “to what honour do we have your presence?” she asked, “Is there a feast you want us to prepare? We need to get word to send supplies and”

The clan chief interrupted the female goblin, “Mrs goblin” he boomed, “There is no feast” then the clan chief entered the scullery, motioned for the goblins to sit at the table and pulled up the large stool the former hobgoblin slave master used to use and sat down.

“What is it my liege” Chidal enquired, “Are you unhappy with our service?”

The clan chief shook his head, “I have no complaints against you, especially given your service to the princess before our emperor came”
“Then what brings you to the scullery?” Fadol asked

“Chidal and Fadol” the clan chief of the Rachtal started, “you have been faithful servants the longest, and have been away from your homeland for many cycles ever since you were pressed into service”

Chidal was nervous, he sensed a but there somewhere

The clan chief continued, “I feel that as we have learned to fend for ourselves as a clan, and our visitors who come from the Realm of Mortals bring their own supplies when they come, that it is time for you to be granted passage back to your homelands.”

Chidal and Fadol looked at each other in surprise; they had never even considered they could go back. Surely their village was destroyed in the civil war?

“My liege” Fadol responded, “We came here to save our son and his family from being bonded when his debts we high due to a failure of a harvest. What of that debt?”

“If anyone is still alive and hold’s your family to that debt, I am sure we have enough gold in the treasury to pay it off with interest” the clan chief countered then added, “But the war was so bloody, I do not believe that will be the case”

“But what if the emperor returns, or there is another convocation?” Chidal enquired.

“Chidal” The Rachtal troll replied, “the seat of government is no longer here. It is only two clans and the occasional humans who come here. There will never be a need for feasting here again” then he added, “If there ever is, the humans have taught us about a process called contracting out, and that is what we would do”

The Rachtal chief then looked at them. “Chidal and Fadol, when you get up do you not fill your days washing and cleaning, what is washed and clean”

Slowly both goblins nodded their heads

“Then it is settled” the clan chief continued, “At first light on the morrow, two beasts of burden pulling a cart will assist you return to your homeland, escorted by a troll warrior”

The two goblins were stunned, going home – at last a reality?

Slowly Fadol lifted her right hand, the Rachtal troll saw it and asked what she wanted to say
“Please my liege, before we depart”, Fadol nervously asked, “May my husband see an elven healer about evil dreams that plague his sleep”

Chidal just shook his head, “Dearest wife, I do not think our liege wishes to be troubled by our trivial problems”

“Nonsense” boomed the clan chief, “He will be sent round as soon as I leave here”

With that the clan chief left.

Chidal looked across the table at his wife, “I suppose we better pack then” he said wearily
“Yes husband dearest” Fadol concurred, “Even with the beasts of burden it must be at least two maybe three days ride back to our village”
“If it is still there?” Chidal replied
“But it has to be” Fadol insisted, “Our son, his wife and younglings, the farm”

Chidal shook his head and got down from the table, “I heard the war was terrible”

Fadol got down from the table too, “but husband dearest, we must not give up hope” she told him, but her heart was not really in those words. It had been many moon cycles since she last heard word of their village and like her husband, secretly she feared the worse.

It was about noon time when the elf came round and spoke with Chidal about his persistent nightmares of the human child’s time as a scullery slave. The elf listened as Chidal detailed the dreams that haunted him.

In the dreams Chidal described how he he saw the child beaten on her bare back with canes, or whipped. He always tried to get in between the cane or the whip, but his feet were embedded to the floor, so he could just watch the child suffer, scream and cry. He could hear the long dead hobgoblin slave driver saying that the child was a clumsy hobbit, but when he tried to say she was a human infant, he found he could not speak. As Chidal recounted the dream he had a tough time controlling his emotions.

The elf gave no trace of emotion, nor any clues as to whether they could be stopped. Chidal even told the elf that even knowing that the human child was now safe, well and happy with new loving and caring parents still did not stop them haunting his dreams.

Then the elf asked him about his family outside of Karam Tag Chou. Chidal frowned, what had that got to do with the dreams, but the elf explained that maybe he also felt guilty about what may have befallen his son and his family. Chidal admitted that he had tried to shut that from his mind, he had heard terrible things and like in the dream, felt powerless. It seemed like in the dream; he seemed to be safe from harm, whilst others were not so fortunate.

The elf then pulled from his bag a potion and got the goblin to drink it, then he pulled from his bag a strange contraption the likes Chidal had never seen before. The elf then went on to explain that it had come from the Realm of Mortals and was called a Dream Catcher



The elf explained that the tribe of humans that made it believed that it would not allow bad dreams to come through and only good ones.

Chidal took it and thanked the elf and then went back to help his wife pack.

Chidal found Fadol sitting on the bed, looking at the cases that had been packed and crying.

“What’s the matter dearest wife” he enquired
“This has been our home for so long” she sniffed.

Chidal sat down next to Fadol and put his arm around her shoulders, “I know Dearest wife, I will miss this place too”
“I’m scared Chidal, husband dearest” Fadol replied
“But the troll clan chief said we would have a troll warrior to protect us” Chidal said
“That’s not what I was thinking of husband dearest”

Chidal was slightly confused, so Fadol went on to explain, “I am scared of what we will find Chidal, we have not heard from our son in such a long time”
“But dearest wife, were you not the one to say how we should not give up hope?” Chidal asked
“I know husband dearest, and I have tried, but I keep thinking maybe the worst has happened”

Chidal hugged his wife with his arm, there was nothing he could say, as even he had taken the lack of news to mean something dire had befallen his son and the family he and his wife had had. While they were shut up in Karam Tag Chou, there was the faint hope that news had just been delayed or stopped, but now they were leaving, they would find out the cold stark reality of what had happened to their son and his goblin family.

Were they alright?

Had they been slaughtered either by orcs or trolls

From what he had heard, the goblin tribes had tried to stay of the war by trying to prove to the orcs they were not like the fairer races, but as they were of small stature, he had heard that strategy had not been totally successful, if at all. Even worse, some goblin villages were attacked by loyal trolls who had thought they had sold out to the orcs, which had never been so.

The orc clans had believed that the fairer races made the Mystical Realms weak, and their removal would make the Mystical Realms strong once more. Some had been told that by winning the war, they could claim the devices that allowed the crossing to the world of mortals and feast, as human flesh to some was an exquisite delicacy.

Fortunately all but three of the troll clans had united, and along with the Gnoll tribes, the orcs were forced to disarm on mass, thus ending the war

But what of his son and his family? They had heard nothing since the cessation of the war, and the lack of news was worrying

As they prepared their last meal in their home at the citadel, it was a bittersweet moment. They had first come here as slaves to the troll clan of the Delethon so in one sense there were going to be free. But this had also been their home for such a long time; they had even at times managed to have the human child stay in their billet when they could. Fadol would gently wash her wounds from her back and somehow try and comfort her. The place had happy as well as sad memories. And with in a few hours, they would be free, but free to do what?

Their last meal was a meagre affair, cold meat and ale, they did not have the heart to cook anything, wash things up, and put them away forever, so they both kept things simple. Then together the stood outside and watched the two suns set over the mountains,



Then they tried to get some sleep before trekking out and away from what had been their home for more cycles than they cared to remember.

Mercifully for Chidal, his dreams this night were not interrupted by the screams of the human child that had once been a slave with them. Either the elf’s magic had worked or the human dream catcher had done the trick, never the less his dreams were of his son, his son’s wife and their two goblin younglings. Even in his dreams he had anxieties as to their fate during the civil war

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Fadol woke first at the sound of the troll knocking at the door of their billet, and so she roused her husband and he got out of bed and opened the door for the troll to come in and start loading up the cart.

The two goblins got dressed and headed out to the cart which by now had their belongings.

Chidal helped Fadol onto the cart and then carefully locked the door of their billet, went to pocket the key as he often did and sighed. He placed the key back in the lock, as he had found it when they first moved in, turned and attempted to climb on the cart also, eventually having to be assisted up by the troll assigned to accompany them.

The troll found it relatively easy to get onto the cart and after and instruction to the hobgoblin in charge of the beasts of burden, the cart lurched into motion and slowly headed for the gates of the citadel



The cart passed through the gate and out of the walls of the citadel of Karam Tag Chou, Chidal and Fadol sat in silence as they sat amongst the bags carrying their meagre possessions for the first hour of the journey, besides the troll and the hobgoblin seemed to be having a deep conversation about the new order, how some of the fairer races had returned from something that sounded like second life, what ever that was.

Chidal and Fadol managed to resist the temptation to look back at the citadel as it receded into the distance. That chapter in their lives had been closed for them, and now they were on a two, possibly three day journey back to the goblin farm they had left many cycles ago. Both of the goblins had awful feelings in the pits of their stomachs, neither had heard in a while from the farmstead, even after the surrender by the orcs. Both anticipated the absolute worst, that their son and his family may have been slaughtered by the orcs.

“Say you two” the troll asked, turning his attention away from the hobgoblin, “How did you come to be in service of the royal court”

“We had to” Fadol replied
“Yes sir” Chidal jumped in, “My son Keval lost a crop due to a flood and was unable to pay the royal tithe”

“But if he was indebted” the troll asked, “Why were you in service to the royal court”
“We offered to go in his place” Fadol replied
“Yes sir” Chidal added, “I reasoned that if the penalty had to be servitude, my wife and I would take his place, as he had a wife and youngling”
“They would have been placed in servitude if my dearest husband had not offered” Fadol continued.
“Indeed, it is as my dearest wife says” said next, “we had had our time and I was certain Keval would be back in action”

“So” asked the troll, “what did your son say about this”

“He did not like it” Fadol replied, “He thought my husband dearest was sentencing us to our deaths”
“He wanted to go to a money lender” Chidal added, “or even search the mountains for the lairs that the dragons dwell to find the gold that they use as bedding”
“But my husband dearest thought those options were beyond a mere goblin farmer” Fadol replied, taking over the conversation, “So we went instead”
“Next harvest time, he was able to pay his tithe” Chidal beamed, “But we found service in the court quite amicable and so we sent word he was not to try and redeem us, lest he get into more debt”

“I know he found it hard” Fadol chipped in, “but we thought it was for the best, and by then they had another youngling on the way so they needed every groat”

“When did you last hear from them?” asked the troll
“five or six cycles of the four moons before the war was deemed ended” Chidal sighed
“They said it may have been because the roads were too dangerous for messengers during the last moon cycles of the war” Fadol ventured, but it seemed obvious from her tone of voice, even she did not believe this to be the case.

Something must have happened, and they were one period of day from finding out.

The rest of that day’s journey was carried out in relative quiet, as both Chidal and Fadol did not feel like casual conversation.

As they started leaving the mountains and coming to the plains, the scars of war started to show up, a burnt out settlement here, graves by the track way there. Sometimes the smell of death would still be hanging in the air.

At one point they saw what looked like the body of a dead elf, hanging from a tree, a clear case of lynching, but as they past the corpse it became apparent that it was a dark elf, known as a drow. An hour later they past the hanging dead body of another goblin, this one a female and Fadol admitted to feeling sick, as it looked like the same age as her son’s wife.

The troll got the cart to stop, and jumped off and with his sword cut the body down. Who ever it was she had been dead for quite some time. There was a plaque attached to her feet, and according to the troll, it had read “***** to the orcs” She had obviously been a collaborator, it had been quite common, the troll told the two goblins after he had built and lit a funeral pyre for it. Some of the goblin women who had lost their men folk would try and make ends meet, or save their younglings by trying to sell their bodies to the orcs, or even some of the troll clans who fought with the orcs.

The trolls would never take advantage, whilst the orcs had no qualms. Of course once the war was over, there would be bloody retaliation against anyone seen as helping or giving aid to the hated orcs. The point lost on these hate filled mobs, was that for the most part, the goblin females who did this were only trying to survive and hated the very orcs that they gave their “personal” services to.

Eventually the cart restarted its slow journey and they passed through the remains of a battle. There were orc weapons and troll weapons scattered around. The tell tale signs of old funeral pyres also dotted the land as far as they could see.

It was a truly horrific sight, but then all wars leave such scars in the landscape.

As it approached nightfall, they came to a river crossing. The bridge was made of stone, but there were signs of fireball damage upon it. Someone had obviously been using magic, which side, Chidal and Fadol could not tell, and they held their breaths as the cart crossed over the bridge and made it to a tavern. How it had survived, Chidal could not fathom, but then it did seem to be run by ogres and gnolls, who had somehow remained neutral in the conflict.

That night in the tavern, they took sustenance and the hobgoblin opted to sleep with his cart and the beasts of burden, which had been released from the cart and stabled.

The troll had his room, next to Chidal and Fadol. What the troll did after they ate, Chidal did not care, as he just spent the evening, with his wife, just holding each other. Fadol was quite distressed still at the finding of the dead goblin female. She had never seen a dead goblin before, or any dead member of the thinking races. She had seen carcases a plenty in the kitchens of the animals they served as food, but somehow this had been different, it could have been her daughter-in-law.

Chidal was just as upset, but he thought he had to be strong for both of them; after all he was a male, if somewhat elderly goblin, so he did his best to hide his own distress at what he had seen. However it did not bode well, for his son and his family, and neither of them could hide that from each other.

So in a fitful state, the two elderly goblins fell into a troubled and fraught sleep, in each other’s arms. Their life of servitude in the citadel of Karam Tag Chou was now a distant memory and another world a way, a world where they had been living an existence, cocooned from all the bloodshed that they had seen on their journey so far.

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Chidal and Fadol arose early as was their custom and crept downstairs to the main bar where an ogre was tidying up after the previous night’s carousing by the visitors.

“If you’re after break of day meal” The ogre gruffly told them, “then you’re out of luck. The gnoll cook is not here”
“We can do cooking” Chidal offered
“We were scullery slaves at Karam Tag Chow” added Fadol

“Oh were you indeed” the ogre replied with an air of disdain, “I bet you were kept nice and safe up there”

Chidal and Fadol looked at each other, it seemed to both of them that the ogre was resentful of where they had been, and perhaps he had lost someone in the war. The two of them decided not to press the issue and so headed out the main front door, but it was locked.

“I need to open that up” the ogre gruffly remarked, and then put his broom down and came across with a large key, unlocked and then opened the door. Chidal thanked the ogre and ushered his wife through the door into the courtyard and headed for the stables where the cart was parked, with the hobgoblin still asleep in it.

There was no sign of their troll body guard.

“Do you think we should wake him husband dearest?” Fadol asked.
“He might be angry is we disturb him too soon dearest wife” Chidal replied.

Chidal then turned his attention to the two beasts of burden in the stables, they were up and feasting on hay, a young female gnoll had put out for them. So they were better cared for then the tavern’s guests Chidal thought, but decided not to voice that observation. Instead Chidal greeted the female gnoll with a wave and she waved back. At least someone did not seem to hold their enslavement in the royal kitchens against them, but then as a stable gnoll, she was not that high up in the grand order of things at the tavern.

The two goblins then sat down on a clean patch of ground next to the wheel of one of the carts, which was a bit hard as both were getting on in years, and just held each other’s hand as they waited for the hobgoblin to wake and for the troll to come back from where ever he had gone

It was an hour before the pair of goblins were awoken up by the troll’s shouts. They had both fallen asleep against the wheel of the cart.

The troll had come carrying what appeared to be four large fish from the river. This would be their break of day meal, since they could not get one from the tavern.
“I suggested that I and my dearest wife could cook” Chidal told the troll, “but he seemed angry that we had been kept safe at the citadel”
“Was he indeed” the troll replied, “I will have to have words”
“Please sir” Fadol pleaded “We do not wish to cause more ill feeling by creating a fuss, can we not cook the fish by the side of the road”

The troll smiled at them and replied, “As you wish, it has been a while since I cooked in the out doors” then the troll roused the hobgoblin from his slumbers and told him to get the cart on the road.

It took about ten minutes for the two beasts of burden to be hitched up, in the meantime an elderly gnoll with an eye patch came out to see the group.

“My apologies sirs” he told the troll, “my barkeep may have been a bit short with you”
“That’s ok” Chidal spoke up, “we do not wish to cause trouble”
The gnoll seemed to ignore the goblin, “If you wish I can cook your fish for you myself” the gnoll continued, “I may be old and missing an eye, but I can still do a mean broiled fish”

The troll smiled back at the elderly gnoll and told him how he was happy to take him up on his offer, even if id did mean he would not get his chance to do open air cooking.

Once again the goblins offered to help in the kitchen and once again, their offer was declined.

The hobgoblin cart driver asked if he could remain with his beasts, but the elderly gnoll called the young female gnoll to come and stay with the beasts, so the hobgoblin could come back inside. The young gnoll, the elderly gnoll assured the hobgoblin, was gifted at looking after animals, and besides, they were the only ones staying with animals, in fact they were the only traveller’s staying period..

The four travellers came back in to the tavern. The ogre was nowhere to be seen, maybe he had gone off to sulk Chidal thought, but if he had lost anyone during the war, could he blame him since Chidal and his wife had been located in the one place the war did not reach, until that business with the errant humans and the treacherous troll clan leaders?

The fish took about half an hour to prepare and it seemed strange to both Chidal and Fadol not to be working in the kitchen, but there they were sitting at a table waiting on the tavern owner as he stepped in to cook for his only overnight guests.

The troll and the hobgoblin again seemed to be talking like old friends and so Chidal and Fadol kept their tongues still and just listened.

The fish when it came was quite edible; in fact it was a delight to the palate. This gnoll would have made quite a good cook at Karam Tag Chou, but that time was over. Cooks and scullery servants or slaves were no longer required at the citadel. It was a culture shock, but Chidal knew he just had to get use to it, as would Fadol his dearest wife.

As they were finishing, Chidal idly asked the gnoll if he had heard how his village had spared.

The gnoll just sighed, “I heard that they had it quite hard there towards the end” he told them, then he added, “Some even said they could see the smoke from here, although I never did”

Chidal and Fadol looked at each other in alarm, and Fadol admitted that the news made her feel a little feint.

The troll asked if they wanted to stay in the tavern another night if she was unwell, but Fadol insisted that she had to go and see what had become of her son, her daughter in law and her grandchildren.

They loaded back onto the cart and soon they were on their way again. As they travelled, at every step of the beasts of burden the goblin’s sense of foreboding increased.

As they travelled through the countryside, they saw more evidence of the war, more burnt villages, more roadside graves, the odd burned out wagon

Around the middle of the day, they came to a troll patrol from the Manjura clan, but the troll body guard pulled out some kind of scroll and passed it to the captain of the patrol. He looked at the scroll grunted and waved the cart through.

“I thought the war was over?” Fadol asked
“It is” explained the troll, “they are still on the look out for potential renegade orcs as some did not like to be on the loosing side”

For the rest of the afternoon as the cart made it’s way down in to the plains where the goblins lived, there were more and more patrols of trolls from various clans apart from three who had withdrawn to ancient land. Occasionally there would be a gnoll patrol. Sometime they would ignore the cart and sometimes they would inspect it.

It was all very unnerving.

Then with one hour before the two suns were due to set, they entered into where the goblin village should have been.

Should have been, because virtually every dwelling had been put to the torch.

A few goblin younglings would scrabble past, sometimes there was the odd elderly goblin that Chidal and Fadol thought they knew, but for some reason they did not seem to recognise the two returning goblins.

Chidal then directed the hobgoblin as to where the family farm was, but already he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. His wife Fadol was not doing so well, as she gazed upon the ruins of the village they both grew up in.

There had been a lot of death in their little village, either from the orcs or from the trolls, it was difficult to tell.

Finally after quarter of an hour, they were coming onto the farmstead where Chidal had grown up, which he had passed on to his son and his family. But something was wrong, very wrong.

There were no crops, only scorched earth

As they got nearer the centre of the farm they say that the farmhouse was almost a pile of rubble

The barn where crops were stored was a mass of charred timbers and ash.

There seemed no signs of life.

The cart came to a stop outside the ruins of the house. Chidal told Fadol to stay in the cart and jumped out and ran to where the front door should have been. The building had been torched, and there was still the faint smell of burnt wood, even though by now the rain had seeped through the smashed roof.

Chidal looked around the farmyard and to his horror he saw what looked like three wooden stakes in the ground near the wreckage of the barn. Three stakes that should not be there.

With dread and trepidation, Chidal walked swiftly up to them, repeating under his breath the words “Please no, Please no”

But as he got to them it felt like his world had collapsed all at once

This was why there had been no word from his son and his family

The wooden stakes were marking three small mounds where three burials had taken place. On the stakes were the names of his son’s wife and their two younglings. These were there graves

“NOOOOOOOO” came a scream from behind Chidal, it was Fadol, and she had seen him run to the grave markers and had run to follow him. Chidal had never heard his wife scream like that before.

Chidal turned around and embraced his wife as she sobbed hysterically calling out the names of her son, his wife and the two innocent younglings who had been killed in the civil war.

Suddenly Fadol started gasping and Chidal asked her desperately what was wrong, but he could feel her sinking to the floor.
“HELP!” Chidal screamed out, “My wife is dying”

Immediately the troll was by their side and got Chidal to lay her on the cold grass.

Fadol looked grey and was clutching her chest, “My heart” she panted, “it is breaking dearest hus”

Then she passed out.

The troll knelt down beside her, and started trying to push down on her chest. “The humans at the citadel told us of a procedure they use that sometimes saves lives” he explained to the stunned goblin. Then the troll tried blowing down her mouth, which given the respective shapes of their mouths was not easy.

Press Press

Blow blow

Repeat

All the while Chidal kept repeating “Fadol, please don’t leave me”

After ten minutes, the troll looked up at Chidal, gently closed Fadol’s eyes with his fingers. “I’m sorry Goblin” He said sadly, “I tried, but I could not save her”

Chidal then let out a large howl, and sank to he knees and then fell sobbing over the dead body of his wife, while the troll and the hobgoblin kept a respectful distance.

Chidal the goblin had come home, and was free, but, if he had ever heard the song from the world of mortals, Me and Bobby McGee, then the line from the song

Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose

Would seem very apt

Youtube video

Chidal finally had his freedom, but now it seemed that he had lost everything

To be continued

[Sticks]

Episode II - Where do we go from here?

How many of you who have read those libellous tales of apparently evil goblins ever stopped to consider that goblins are people too?

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die?

Goblins have feelings, Goblins have needs and Goblins grieve

Chidal is a goblin

He worked for many cycles as a scullery slave with his wife Fadol and with the change of governance of the trolls; they were released from the citadel and taken back to their homelands, where their son and his family worked the goblin family farm.

But on arrival, they discovered that during the bitter civil war that swept the Mystical Realms, three graves on a wrecked farm. One for their son’s wife and one each for each of their younglings (Children)

But worse was to follow, for the shock of this discovery has proved too much for Fadol, and despite the best efforts of the troll sent with them, she died right in front of Chidal, who still does not know what fate befell his one and only son

In the words of the song once sung by Don Williams

Where do we go from here?

Youtube video

Chidal sat on the back of the cart whilst the hobgoblin cart driver sat next to him with an arm around the elderly goblin.

“It’s all my fault” Chidal kept repeating as he shook his head

The troll came back to the cart, and Chidal looked up at him, with tears streaming down his face.

“I have buried her with the others like you asked” the troll said softly
“Thank you” Chidal uttered
“Is there anyone you can stay with?” the troll asked
“I don’t know” Chidal replied, barely audible

“There is no way he can stay here” the hobgoblin chipped in, “all the buildings are destroyed and the farm is deserted”
“Agreed” said the troll, “We will try the next village, as the last one was in such a bad state” then he looked at Chidal, “if that is ok with you?”

Chidal just shrugged his shoulders, “What ever you think sir” replied, “There is nothing left for me here now, but it would be a day’s ride from here” Then Chidal looked up into the evening sky and quietly said, “Oh why could it not have been me that died”, and then he broke down, while the hobgoblin held him, trying to control his own emotions.

The troll just walked up to the remains of the farm house and banged with his fist on the stone remains. He was used to loosing comrades in battle, but for someone to loose a mate the way his charge had done, especially as he had got to know them over the last two days was something else.

The troll came back and told the hobgoblin, “As night is falling we will have to go back to the village here and see if there are any lodgings for the night”, then the troll sat next to Chidal, and the hobgoblin took this as his cue to go and start the cart on it’s way back to the remains of the settlement they had past in what little light there was in the afterglow of the suns set.

The troll lifted the goblin further into the cart and sat him down amongst the bundles he had left. Some of them were clothes belonging to Fadol, which made it seem more tragic. The troll then sat opposite him.

Chidal just looked up at the troll, “It’s all my fault” he whispered, “It’s all my fault that they died”

The troll scratched his head, “How do you work that one out?” he asked.

“If only I had let my son Keval take his wife and son to Karam Tag Chou, instead of saying we would go, they would all have been alive”
“But it would be you that was dead” The troll replied
“But Fadol and myself had had our lives” Chidal answered, then with a voice with raw emotion and tears added, “They were so young, they had their lives ahead of them and I selfishly took them away”

The troll put his two hands on the goblin’s shoulders, “Chidal, my goblin friend, you did not kill them. This was a war that started well after you chose to serve the penal servitude in your son’s place” then he added, “It was probably the orcs who butchered your son’s family, and since someone buried them and listed their names on the grave markers, maybe your son is still alive”

Chidal looked down, “But I can not believe he would wish to see me now.” Then he looked up at the troll with tears in his eyes, “That ogre was right, Fadol and I were safe at Karam Tag Chou while all this” Chidal pointed at the remains of another burned out hut, “was happening”

Then Chidal remembered his dead wife, “Oh Fadol, I killed you too, I’m so sorry” and then he resumed his sobbing.

The troll just looked up into the night sky and muttered swear words under his breath. He was from the clan of the Rachtal, and the Rachtal clan was one of those troll clans who had fought alongside the orcs during the civil war. They had told themselves that they were helping to overthrow the tyranny of the last leader of the Manjura Clan, the Lord Low Troll. The orcs had an extra agenda, their version of ethnic cleansing, and it seemed unthinkable that the troll had been allies with the very orcs that had slaughtered this loyal goblin’s family and lead indirectly to the death of his wife. The fact that the trolls on the orc’s side refused to indulge in what the orcs were doing, would probably be very cold comfort to this broken hearted elderly goblin.

The sky was black by the time they returned to what was left of the goblin village, the only light they had was from the three of the four moons, and the fourth one would not be up until later in the night.

The dilapidated building cut just as a pathetic sight by the light of the moons as they did in the afternoon suns. As Chidal looked at them he could just about remember how the village used to be before the ravages of the war had come upon it. It seemed amazing that anyone was still living there, but they were.

“Chidal” the troll asked, “Was there an inn when you used to live here”
Chidal just feebly pointed in a direction where he last remembered where there was a hostelry, it was run by dwarfs he vaguely remembered.

The hobgoblin got the beasts of burden to move in the direction that Chidal pointed, “I hope it is still there” the hobgoblin muttered.

As they were riding in the cart, Chidal noticed a number of goblins running in the shadows ahead of them, most of them were young adult goblins, and they all seemed to express alarm, maybe the hobgoblin looked too much like an orc Chidal thought.

After five minutes they came to the outskirts of the village at a river crossing, and there was the hostelry, surprisingly it was unscathed.

In front of it was a line of goblins carrying flaming torches and agricultural implements as weapons.

“What is the meaning of this?” barked the hobgoblin, “We are just three weary travellers”

A middle aged goblin stepped forward, “We have no problem with you hobgoblin” he shouted back, “It’s him we have an issue with” and pointed at the cart
“Oh no” thought Chidal, “They must think me a collaborator”

Chidal jumped down off of the cart, if they were going to kill him and string him up like they did with the female goblin they saw the day before, maybe it would be for the best, after all he no longer had anything to live for.

Chidal went round to face the crowd, “I am so sorry” he cried, then sank to his knees and got on all fours, “Do with me as you will” he then added.

“It’s not you sir” came a voice from the throng, “it is the troll. It was trolls that attacked our village”
“What?” Chidal replied and stood up and looked back at his troll bodyguard.

“Did these trolls say which clan they were from” The troll boomed out
“They did not” another goblin replied
“So what crest did they have on their helms?” The troll enquired further
“They had no helms Troll” the goblin replied.

The troll sighed and shook his head, “Those were trolls from the Yataxal clan”
“So?” replied the same goblin, “They were trolls”
“I am from the Rachtal clan” the troll insisted, “We were on the opposite side to the Yataxal, they were our enemies”

Chidal put his head in his hands, he had for the most part been working for the clan of the Delethon, and their clan chief had been in league with the deputy clan chief of the Yataxal and the evil humans who had brought some kind of poision the Yataxal took because they believed it made them better warriors. Somehow Chidal had been enslaved to and worked for the very troll clan that was allied with the troll clan that had brought death and misery to his village.

“So you would have slaughtered us with the orcs then?” the goblin shouted back at the troll.
“We only fought with the other trolls in battle” the troll insisted, “We never slaughtered non-combatants. Had we been here we would have fought the Yataxal with you”

“What is this disturbance” came a voice from the darkness. Chidal looked away from the crowd of goblins but could not see much.
“This troll has come to our village” yelled one of the goblins.
“So I see” replied the voice from the darkness as it approached further.

In the light of the flaming torches and the light of the moons, Chidal could finally see who it was, it was a middle-aged goblin, wearing a sash of leadership. Instantly Chidal dropped to his knees and bowed to the goblin village leader

The goblin leader came up to Chidal and unceremoniously pulled him to his feet, “Get up, I do so hate it when others bow to me”
“I apologise my liege” Chidal replied, looking at the ground not daring to look the goblin leader in the eye
The goblin leader then lifted Chidal’s head, “You are old enough to be first goblin or one of the elder goblins, had they still been alive, what is your name and what is you business here”
“Please my Liege” Chidal started, “I am Chidal, I was a scullery slave with my wife Fadol at Karam Tag Chou. The new troll clan running the citadel sent us home with the hobgoblin for transport and the troll for our protection”
“And where is your wife?” the goblin leader asked.
Chidal looked back at the ground, “My dearest wife, she died of a broken heart only this eventide when we returned to the farm that my son Keval ran, and saw the graves of his wife and younglings. The troll tried to save her, but she died” and then Chidal broke down.

The Goblin leader held the weeping Chidal in his arms, “let them through” he yelled at the amassed goblins in front of the hostelry.
“But there is a troll” came an objection.
“I said let them through” the goblin leader insisted, “The war is over”

At this and with some mutterings the crowd dispersed and the goblin leader held Chidal out at arms length, “Keval did you say”
Chidal nodded, “Was he slain as well” he asked tearfully

The goblin leader shook his head slowly, “He is still alive, but he was injured in the defence of the village, but has healed, although I fear his spirit may have been broken” then he ushered Chidal towards the hostelry.

The hobgoblin took the cart to the stables and once again said he would sleep with his cart. The troll waited outside the front door for the goblin leader and Chidal. Chidal just looked at the ground, a broken goblin.

The goblin leader opened the door, “There are a lot of changes here since you left for the citadel” he warned Chidal.

As Chidal entered he noticed that the long tables were no longer there, but there were a number of beds. Some housed elderly goblins some younglings. Some were asleep; others just sat on them staring into space. The bar was still there, but the beverages had given way to preserved rations.

A dwarf female was sitting on a bed talking to a female goblin youngling of not more than four cycles

“What happened?” asked the troll

“It was about two cycles of the moons before the war was declared ended” the goblin leader started to explain, “We thought we had kept out of the war, but an army of trolls approached from the west. We thought we would be safe because they were not orcs, but a goblin scout reported that they had slain a goblin merchant and had mutilated his body”
“That was certainly what the Yataxal clan ended up doing” the troll interjected
The goblin leader then continued “From what we could tell, they must have thought we were loyal to the orcs, which was not true. We sent an emissary out with tribute, but they would not even let him speak before they ripped him to pieces, so we had to quickly make up some town defences and send a runner to the citadel. When the trolls finally attacked the village, a large number of goblins were put to the sword and the axe when they over ran our defences”
“Oh Goblin leader” the troll spoke, “That sounds very much like the Yataxal clan. We hardly got to fight them as they always preferred to go after orcs, as they were mutilating them for innards to buy a type of poison from the World of Mortals that some treacherous hoomans were selling them. They believed it made them fearsome warriors”
“But it was good humans, the emperor, his queen and the princess and others that stopped them” Chidal chipped in.
“I know Chidal” the troll reassured him, “I know that hoomans are like trolls and goblins that not all of them are treacherous. Our hooman emperor had honour”

The goblin leader waited for the two of them to finish, and then continued. “The Yataxal trolls would have completely slaughtered us, so vicious they were when a high ranking troll of that clan came flying in on a dragon and shouted at them that goblins were no good. I never understood that until you mentioned this trade of orc innards for a poison. But by then most of our village was destroyed, and some of the outlying farms”

The goblin leader then swung a pointing finger at all the beds, “these are some of the survivors that are less able to fend for themselves”
Chidal looked round the room, and the leader was right, there were hardly any goblins of fighting age, and those that were had atrocious injuries. Most were elderly or younglings.

The leader pointed at the youngling that the female dwarf had been talking to and was now tucking into bed, “That youngling lost all her family, her mother, her father and sisters and brother. She only survived the attack because she had pulled a large cooking pot over herself when she was playing a game and so the trolls did not know of her existence”

Then he pointed to another elderly goblin, a female goblin, “She saw her husband’s head ripped off by a troll and then kicked around as part of a game”

At this the troll felt uncomfortable, “I think I had better find my bed with the cart and the hobgoblin” he told the goblin leader and then left.

Chidal just looked around the room and shook his head, “Why could his son’s younglings have not been amongst this lot”

“Chidal” the Goblin leader addressed him, “I know this sound’s horrible, but because we lost very ill and injured goblin defender last night, we have a bed for you to stay here”

“But I do not deserve to have a roof over my head” Chidal objected, “I was locked away safe with my wife in the citadel whilst you were all suffering”

The goblin leader put his hand on Chidal’s right shoulder, “That is nonsense my friend” he chided, “If you had been here, you might have been killed as well as the others”
“But my son, his wife, his younglings might have been safe at”
The goblin leader motioned for Chidal to stop, “I know why you and Fadol chose to do what you did, and had there not been a war, it would have been the right decision. Besides, suppose they had gone to serve in your place, we all thought that the orcs might consider that a primary target, and supposed they had managed to tame some dragons, like they tried to do, and take the place out, would you feel guilty because you were not their?”

Chidal just nodded and the goblin leader called for the female dwarf to show Chidal to where his bed would be.

The dwarf female showed Chidal up the stairs to a small room, “You are most privileged sire” she gruffly told him, “The goblin before you, because of his injuries was afforded his own room”, then the dwarf showed Chidal where the upstairs privy was.

Chidal just meekly followed and sat down on the bed and then after the dwarf had left he made a visit to the privy to prepare for the night. When he got back to his room, a bag with some of his clothes had been left in the room. He retrieved his night gown, changed into it, he sat back down on the bed kicked his sandals off, and swung his legs up to the bed and pulled the blanket over him.

In the darkness of the night, Chidal gently sobbed for Fadol, it had been too many cycles for him to remember since he slept alone, and so the bed seemed colder than it could be.

He loved her

It was only that morning when she was still by his side, but now she was dead, killed by the shock of seeing the graves of his son’s younglings and his son’s wife.

Chidal just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

Just what did he have to live for now?

+-+-+

The early morning suns cam streaming through the window, and as was his custom, Chidal awoke early. By force of habit he went to wake Fadol, but then remembered she was dead and forever sleeping in her grave next to her Grand-Younglings in their graves.

He sat up and quietly sobbed, and again wished he had died and not his precious Fadol.

Then he got up and changed into new clothes. The ones from the day before, he would later take to the river and wash them upstream of the hostelry. It would normally have been his wife’s task, but she was no longer around.

Then Chidal crept down the stairs as quiet as he could, so as not to disturb the others, and made his way to the front door. He tried the door, but it was locked. He looked around, but nobody else seemed to be up. He so desperately wanted to say goodbye to the hobgoblin and the troll, but it did not seem that was going to happen. Then he had an idea, and tried to creep through to the back to look for the back door, but the door to the staff section was also locked.

Chidal just sighed and resolved himself to not being able to say goodbye, and decided to creep back upstairs and return to his room.

“I want my mummy” came a sound behind him as he reached the stair case. He turned around, the youngling that he had seen the previous night with the dwarf. Chidal looked around, but no one else was up, so he went and sat on the bed next to the youngling.
“I’m sorry” he whispered to her, “She’s not around anymore, but I’m sure she loved you very much”
“But they told me she was just sick” the youngling replied, and then started to cry

Chidal then suddenly realised, they had not told her that her family was dead as she was so young, so he picked her up and put her on his lap. “I’m so sorry youngling” he whispered to her
The youngling looked up at his face and with tears in her eyes, as she was obviously an intelligent young goblin asked, “Are my mummy and daddy dead?” then she asked “are my sisters and brother dead too, they said they were sick too”

Chidal looked at the youngling and desperately wanted to lie to her to give her some hope, but his eyes filled up with tears as well, especially when he remembered how his wife was with younglings, that she was so much better with them than he. The youngling read his face and burst into tears, and all Chidal could do was hug her as he quietly cried too.
“I’m so sorry” he kept whispering to the youngling, then he whispered, “I lost my wife yesterday and I so miss her as well”

It was five minutes before the female dwarf came into the main room and found the two together.



Chidal saw her and gently placed the sobbing youngling on the side of the bed and hung his head in shame. “I’m so sorry, I did not realise that she did not know” he muttered.
“So you told her Sire” the female dwarf answered sternly
“She guessed” Chidal replied, “I was incautious when she asked for her mother and she guessed from my response”
“An itinerant elven healer removed memories of finding ther rest of her family slaughtered, my father said they were memories no youngling should have” The dwarf whispered into his ear so that the youngling could not hear, then she asked in a normal voice “Why are you up so early anyway?”
“I always got up early miss” Chidal responded, “I was a scullery slave and we always got up early at the citadel, plus I wanted to say goodbye to my travelling companions”
“I will let you out” the dwarf replied, “And then I need to take Shaval here to the bathing room to wash her and then get her dressed” With that the female dwarf went and opened the door, her irritation with Chidal was completely obvious.

Chidal wandered out and made his way to the stable where the troll and the hobgoblin were set to leave. The cart looked odd, being empty, but then they had fulfilled their duty and taken Chidal and his wife home, even if for one of them that meant being buried in the ruins of their farm.

“I came to say thank you and wish you a safe journey back to the citadel” Chidal shouted up to them.

The troll motioned for the hobgoblin to wait and got off of the cart and knelt down to talk to Chidal, “Officially my mission is over my good Chidal”
“I know my liege” Chidal replied
“I am so sorry about what happened to your wife, I tried to save her, I really did”
“I know that too my liege” Chidal replied and a tear rolled down his cheek.
“I will report back what the Yataxal did here, maybe we can send some Rachtal and Manjura to try and help in the reconstruction of your village. I asked the goblin leader after he left you last night why so long after the hostilities had ended most of the village was like it is”
“And why is it like this?”
The troll continued to explain, “Most of the able bodied goblins who had the skills to build were slaughtered in the attack, and the rest were conscripted to help rebuild the main city of the Mystical Realms. Those that blockaded us last night know only of farming and have been working the fields to stave off starvation, so have little time for building in the village.”

“I feel so guilty” Chidal told the troll
“Why?” asked the troll
“My son, his wife and younglings, Fadol”
“Stop right there” the troll interrupted, “This was a war nobody could foresee, it was triggered by a vengeful major spirit of vice and an arch orc that wished to grab power for himself under the pretence of removing a tyrant , and although both got their just deserts, their evil work developed a life of it’s own and also what we could not foresee was that it was kept going by a clan from the world of Mortals who sought to profit from our misery and from what I heard, deal in misery and death in their own world, again for mere greed. You can not blame yourself for that”

“I know sire” Chidal responded looking down at the ground, then he looked up into the trolls eyes, “but I am alive and they are dead, and it does not seem right”

“It is the way of war my goblin friend” The troll replied, “I know of what you speak, before I took service at the royal court of the emperor I was on a patrol, when we were ambushed by Manjura warriors, only three of us survived and all of us felt guilt at being the only survivors, even though we were vastly outnumbered. Take care my goblin friend, I will try and get help to come to your village.

With that the troll got back up into the cart and Chidal watched as they rode into the distance.

As he stood watching, he became aware of a small hand grasping his, he looked round and saw the dwarf female coming out, quite flustered and as he looked down, he saw Shaval, the orphaned goblin youngling clinging to his hand and trying to hide behind his legs, still in her flimsy nightgown.

The female dwarf stopped and in an irritated voice, “Shaval, you need to come in and get dressed, AT ONCE”

Chidal looked down at the youngling, “Hello Shaval, I do not wish you to catch cold out here, shall we go back inside”
“Yes sir” Shaval replied and so Chidal gently guided the youngling by the hand back into the hostelry and to her bed.
“Let her dress you and be a good youngling” Chidal gently told Shaval pointing to the dwarf female, and so Shaval complied.

Chidal turned his back while the dwarf dressed the youngling, and once she was dressed for the day, Shaval grabbed his hand once more.

“I’m sorry sire” the dwarf told him, “but for some reason she just want to be with you”
Chidal was momentarily confused, but then asked if he could take his break of day meal outside with Shaval, maybe he could find out why a person such as him could elicit such a following.
The dwarf said that would be ok, plus it would allow the elderly goblins to continue sleeping, as there was not much else they could do, since their lives had been so devastated, and the other older younglings to get up so they could go and help in the fields.

Chidal took Shaval to the table and seat outside and waited for the dwarf to bring the break of day meal.
“Why do you wish to be with me Shaval?” he asked the youngling
Shaval looked at him with sad eyes, “We both lost our family sir”
Chidal gently clutched her hand, “Are you upset I told you the truth”
Shaval nodded then shook her head, it was clear she was confused “They lied to me” Shaval said, her voice breaking with emotion, “Mummy told me never to tell lies”
“Shaval” Chidal spoke softly, “sometimes the truth hurts, and the grown ups wanted to protect you from that” Chidal found his voice cracking with emotion, wishing Fadol were with him to help comfort this youngling.

The dwarf delivered the break of day meal which was a meagre affair and then left them to eat and to attend to other matters.

The two goblins, united in grief ate in silence listening to the world wake up.

After they had finished eating, Chidal asked Shaval “What do you normally do with your day?”
Shaval looked down at the table, “Jovan the dwarf gets me to help her make the beds and then” Shaval looked up with tears forming in her eyes, “I sit upstairs waiting for mummy to come back” then she looked at Chidal “Mummy is not coming back is she”

Chidal just looked at the pleading teary eyes of the goblin youngling, all he could think to say at that moment, “I’m so sorry Shaval, I don’t believe she is”

Chidal watched as her face crumpled and she began to cry again, Chidal really thought he had messed up, before he had let on to this youngling, she had hope but by telling her the truth, he had taken that away. Maybe they had thought she was far too young to know the truth, but he had gone and ruined that.

Chidal got up and sat beside Shaval and put an arm around her, to try and comfort her as best he could. “I may not be your mummy”, he whispered to her, “But I’m here”
“Will you be my new daddy?” Shaval asked through her tears.
“I’m old enough to be your grandfather” Chidal replied.
“Don’t you want ot be my daddy?” Shaval asked, it was clear she did not understand what Chidal had told her
“I don’t know if I would be allowed to be” Chidal told her, “I was a daddy once” he added
“Did you have a little boy-goblin or a girl goblin?” Shaval persisted in her questions
“I had a boy goblin” Chidal answered, “and he grew up to be a daddy too”
“What did he have?” Shaval continued
“He had” Chidal started, then stopped as a lump in his throat appeared from nowhere. Chidal took his arm from around Shaval and then put his head in his hands. “He had one of each” he could just get out, as tears started rolling down his face.

Chidal then felt a small hand on his back, it was Shaval, in a nervous and sad voice she asked “Did the trolls kill them as well?”

Chidal could only nod, well he assumed it was the trolls from the Yataxal. For all he knew it could have been an earlier attack by the orcs, but nobody had mentioned an attack by orcs, only the one by the trolls.

The two just sat there for a period of time, how long, Chidal did not know.

One of the other elderly goblins came out, assisted by the dwarf landlord this time, and he was sat outside on a bench overlooking the river.



The female dwarf came up to the table where Chidal and Shaval were sitting. “Shaval, I need you to help me inside” she told the goblin youngling and so she got down from table and followed her into the hostelry.

Chidal got up and went to talk with the other elderly goblin, but he just stared into the distance and was unresponsive to Chidal.

“That’s Laqual, We can only get him to eat and do basic functions” the dwarf landlord told Chidal, “He saw his wife and daughter raped and butchered by the trolls whilst they held him down”

Chidal was shocked, “So why did they spare him”
“We don’t know” the Dwarf replied, “The trolls were just out of control, even the orcs were more controlled than these trolls”
“I was told the human’s poison mad them that way” Chidal told the dwarf. Chidal then thought of little Shaval, “Landlord, I noticed that Jovan almost treats the youngling that sat with me as a daughter by the way she dressed her and called her to do chores”
“My daughter does that with all the younglings” the landlord commented and then added, “Do not read into that any feelings from her for the youngling, as I do not believe she has any. My daughter would happily find someone to take her off her hands, like all the other younglings who lost their parents when the trolls attacked, but in the meantime she fulfils her duty to care for them although she does believe in making them earn their keep”
“How may I earn my keep?” Chidal then asked
“What can you do?” asked the landlord
“I was for many cycles a scullery slave at Karam Tag Chou” Chidal offered

The landlord shook his head, “Our scullery is small and my daughter is queen of that domain. She will brook no interference there”
“Before that I ran a farm” Chial offered
The dwarf landlord looked him in the eye, “My friend, you are too old to work the land now, and some of the older younglings here have already been helping with some of the farms, in fact a few now have moved to them from the hostelry”
“So I am of no use?” Chidal asked
“Maybe you can sit with the other elderly goblin and keep him company, whilst I go about my other duties and see he comes to no harm” the dwarf landlord suggested.
Chidal nodded and so the landlord went elsewhere.

The other elderly goblin looked about Chidal’s age, possibly older and it seemed so pitiful as he just stared out at the river, mouthing incoherent thoughts.

Chidal thought he would at least try a conversation, to while away the hours, “Hello Laqual, my name is Chidal”

No response

“I lost my wife too” he tried, hoping to reach him through some common ground.

Still no response

“She died yesterday, we found the graves of our daughter in law and her two precious younglings” Chidal still had trouble speaking about it as the emotion was still raw, because of the short passage of time, “and she died of a broken heart” and then Chidal could speak no more for a while as he fought back the tears.

Laqual just sat there, moving his mouth as if he was speaking, but making no noise, it was obvious, his mind had been destroyed by what he had been forced to witness. To Chidal it just highlighted how he had been spared the horrors while he had been in servitude with his wife. He had only had to suffer the horror of seeing the three graves and watching his wife die as her heart gave out. Fadol’s death was a tragic, but if truth had to be told, it was a death by natural causes. Laqual and Shaval had had the horror of seeing loved ones having their lives brutally ended by creatures larger than them, right before their eyes.

Chidal just felt thankful for the elven healer that had removed the memories of those horrors from poor little Shaval.

He thought about her, Shaval was almost the same age as his son’s youngest, if Chidal were younger and Fadol was still with him, and they had a place to stay, and all those awful ifs that just plagued him, he would have a go at taking in little Shaval, but it was pointless. Chidal and Shaval were effectively in the same state of affairs. They had no place other than the hostelry that had been turned into a shelter for the displaced that had been lucky to find a place there first.

He then thought of Karam Tag Chou, there were loads of good strong buildings and billets, all lying idle. The Manjura and the Rachtal clans took only a fraction of the space, as did the Troll Chamberlain. And as for the humans, they would hardly ever stay the night, they would gate in and gate out. Only rarely did they ever stay the night. He knew of only one occasion come to think of it, when only three came for one night, and they did not even stay for break of day meal. It seemed obscene all that space going spare, while every nook and cranny of the hostelry was crammed with a bed, and Chidal was certain there were some not so fortunate goblin younglings trying to live in the streets. Come the winter and many of them would most likely not survive.

Chidal thought he would try again with his companion, “Laqual” he tried, “Is there anything you want to do?”

yet again no response

So Chidal just sat with him in silence, watching the river for about an hour or so. Then Shaval came and sat beside him, and he put an arm around her and she tried put her arms around him, “Please be my new daddy” she whispered.
“I’ll do what I can Shaval” Chidal answered her, “But I can not promise anything”

About ten minutes later Jovan the female dwarf came out to the three sitting on the bench.
“WHY ARE YOU BOTHERING THE ELDERLY GOBLIN AGAIN?” she scalded the little goblin youngling
Chidal felt the youngling jump at the sound of the Dwarf’s voice
“Sorry Jovan” she said, obviously frightened by the dwarf, and made to get down from the bench.
Chidal to his own surprise, just held onto Shaval, and hugged her closer to himself, “She is no bother to me at all miss Jovan” he told the dwarf.
“This pest is like this all the time” Jovan replied, “Any goblin or any visitor that ever talks to her and she gets all clingy and they do not like it, and they complain to me”
Chidal, again to his surprise, picked Shaval up and put her on his lap and cuddled her, like he used to cuddle his son when he was but a mere youngling of Shaval’s age. “Please don’t take her away” Chidal found himself pleading, then he added, “She is no bother to me and gives me a reason”
Jovan the dwarf put her hands on her hips and looked confused, “So what reason does she give you”
“A reason to go on” Chidal responded, “Otherwise, what do I have to live for”
“Sire” Jovan insisted, “You are not really in a position to argue with me, since you are a guest here, and she has been told off before”
“But she is the same age as my son’s youngest was before she” Chidal said before his voice failed.
“Before the trolls slaughtered her” Jovan finished his sentence. Jovan stepped right up to Chidal and held out her arms, insisting Chidal hand Shaval over to her. Shaval just tried to hide her face in Chidal’s chest, she was afraid.
“She is doing no harm” Chidal insisted, but it was to no avail, as Jovan took hold of the youngling and told her “You, you little pest are not to bother this goblin again”

As Chidal lost his grip of the youngling, Shaval burst out crying, but Jovan just told her to shut her noise up, it would not wash and she was going to get another severe beating for bothering her elders.

“A beating?” Chidal said in horror, he had heard that some races would use beatings as physical punishments to control and discipline their younglings, but goblins never did, it was an appalling idea., “She was not bothering me, she has done nothing to merit a beating” Chidal pleaded
“It’s the only thing they understand” Jovan told him angrily.
Chidal made to get up, but Jovan immediately told him “You stay with this goblin, and whilst you are under our roof you do as we say or else, OK”

With that she carried the hysterical Shaval to the hostelry, and Chidal felt torn, between his duty to sit the elderly goblin whose mind had gone, and the youngling who would be subject to a brutal physical assault, because the female dwarf thought she had transgressed a trivial rule. Chidal felt sick, as he found himself wondering if his son’s younglings were killed quickly or made to suffer like Laqual’s wife and daughter had done.
“Please Laqual” he pleaded to the goblin, “We need to go and save Shaval” he added, trying to gently shake him, but it was to no avail, as Laqual just sat there, catatonic as ever and there was nobody else around.

Chidal just had to sit there, weeping as he could just make out the screams of agony as Jovan exacted her punishment on the youngling, and it reminded him of the human child when she was beaten back at the citadel for not being able to do tasks that were clearly beyond her ability. There had been no need for it as Shaval had not been bothering him, but the female dwarf was obviously on a power kick, just like the Tyrant had been before the civil war had deposed him.

It was near noon time before the landlord came to relieve Chidal from his enforced vigil of Laqual.



Chidal could not bear to look at him in the eye as he could only think of how his daughter could inflict pain on a youngling, just like the trolls had done.

The landlord could sense somehow Chidal was bothered with something, “Are you still upset that the youngling came and bothered you?” he asked, “Jovan said she had, and she would make certain she would not again”
Chidal just looked at the landlord contemptuously, “And if I somehow offend your daughter, does she give me a beating as well?”
“No?” the dwarf landlord responded with a confused expression.
Chidal was still upset and so told the dwarf landlord “The youngling was not bothering me; I pleaded with your daughter to let her stay, but she threatened me, took Shaval away and beat her” Then Chidal added, “Is Shaval still alive or was part of her punishment to be dispatched”

The landlord sighed, “Ever since we were asked to make our business into a shelter, Jovan has been angry at how we lost our profits. She was more used to dealing with rowdy carousers than dealing with elderly, infirm or youngling goblins. Like her long dead mother she believes in stamping out trouble before it grows with a very firm hand, and in the hostelry and tavern trade you need to”
“But she was a youngling, and she was no bother” Chidal insisted
“But Chidal, you are old, suppose you are no more, by encouraging her, do you not store up more trouble for someone else” the landlord suggested.
“Then why did she not beat me instead?” Chidal asked, “I was as much part to blame”
“Because you’re an elderly goblin”

Chidal gasped in disbelief and shook his head, “We goblins never hit our younglings, and we have never needed to”
“Dwarfs believe that a good beating does not do any harm and serves as a deterrent to others” The landlord replied, and then he added, “My father beat me countless times and I have turned out alright”

“If I had somewhere else to go” Chidal stated emphatically, “I would take Shaval with me”
“But you don’t” the landlord pointed out

Chidal looked down at the ground, the landlord was right. The farm was destroyed, his son’s family were slaughtered and his son was nowhere to be found. Much of the village was in ruins, even after the end of the war.

“I will find the leader of the village and tell him of how this youngling was beaten for no reason” Chidal told the landlord.

The landlord just wearily shook his head, “Chidal, my friend, your concern for this youngling confuses me, she is not of your blood, and besides the leader will have more important things to worry about than one goblin youngling”

Chidal did not reply and as the landlord was with Laqual, he left heading back to the hostelry.

Once he got in he noticed that the only residents there were the elderly or infirm goblins. The older younglings had left to work in the fields, but he could see no sign of Shaval. He looked round the hostelry, trying to find signs of her, but she was not in any room that he had access to, all he found were beds or the occasional elderly or injured goblin. No Shaval

He looked at the door to the staff section, and tried it to see if like earlier in the day it was locked; maybe she was in the staff quarters.

Then he thought he heard a faint whimper, coming from a small cupboard that held cleaning materials. He tried the door, but it was locked. He listened at the door of the cupboard and heard the faint sound of a youngling crying, it had to be Shaval. He looked at the construction of the cupboard door, it was too well constructed to break, and beside he might injure Shaval. Jovan had obviously locked her in as part of the punishment, and Chidal reasoned that as her word was law, she would most likely not let her out on his asking. As for the landlord, even if he had a key, it was obvious that his daughter could do no wrong, in his eyes and he would not let her out as in his eyes that could be seen as undermining her authority.

Chidal looked behind the bar, to see if he could see some keys hanging up, but instead, near the floor he caught sight of Shaval’s clothes. This was horrendous, Shaval must have been stripped, beaten and locked in a dark cupboard. Just like the day before when he could only watch as Fador died, he felt utterly helpless.

Fador!!

Suddenly he remembered, in the items delivered to his room was some of his wife’s things, so Chidal bounded back up to his room and rummaged through the bag with her belongings and found an old hair pin. He grabbed it and went down stairs to be greeted by the goblin leader.

“Chidal my good” The goblin leader started, but Chidal waved his hand to cut him off.
“Apologies my liege, but I believe that a goblin youngling has been locked in this cupboard” he hurriedly said and then started to try and pick the lock with the hair pin.

Chidal was then astonished when he heard the goblin leader bang on the door to the staff quarters and then pulled Chidal from the cupboard door.
“Please my liege” Chidal instinctively pleaded, “I’m trying to rescue the youngling”

But the damage was done, and Jovan came through the door looking cross. “What is it now” she complained and then looked at the goblin leader. “Oh it’s you” she said contemptuously.
“Yes it’s me” the goblin leader replied, “The one who still the designated authority in this settlement” and for good measure he added, “and also the one who holds the title in trust for the land upon which your establishment sits”
“Sorry oh leader of the village, I meant oh it’s you to this other goblin” A crest fallen yet frustrated Jovan then replied pointing at Chidal, “What did you require? The kitchen is not yet open, but I am working on the end of day meal”
The goblin leader pointed at the cupboard, “Open it”
“Leader” the dwarf objected, “I am teaching a very disobedient youngling not to bother others”
“But she wasn’t bothering me” Chidal piped up
“It has to learn” Jovan insisted, sounding very irritated at Chidal’s unwelcome intervention
“OPEN IT” The goblin leader repeated with more force.

Jovan muttered something that Chidal could not catch and then dug in her pocket and opened the cupboard door. Inside was Shaval, naked, cowering and covered in welts across the back of her lower abdomen.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” she kept whimpering.
Jovan, grabbed Shaval’s clothes from behind the bar and flung them in at Shaval. “Put those on and come out” she shouted at the youngling.

Chidal watched as the child tried to put her clothes on in the confined space, and it was clear she was in a lot of pain. Chidal felt guilty, by making a connection with this youngling, he was indirectly responsible for her unjust punishment. Yet again, because of decisions he had made, like the younglings in his son’s family, another youngling had suffered.

“Dwarf” the goblin leader told Jovan forcefully, “You do not punish goblin younglings like this again”
“If that is how you wish it Leader” Jovan replied, with a tone of annoyance in her voice, “But how else can I maintain discipline amongst these younglings I have to put up”
“You tell us and we deal with it” The goblin leader retorted.

Shaval just managed to put her clothes back on and limped out of the cupboard, whimpering how sorry she was and flinching when she caught sight of Jovan.

Chidal just could not take any more and picked up the weeping youngling, he so wanted to make amends by protecting her, although he did not know how.

Chidal then carried her upstairs to his room, lovingly placed the youngling on his bed, while he grabbed what clothes he could in his bag, picked it up.
“Shaval” he told the youngling, “even if I can not be your daddy, I can at least try and be your grandfather and love you like my own, if you will have me”
Slowly Shaval nodded.

Chidal then led Shaval by the hand back down the stairs.

“Where are you two going?” Jovan asked.
“I don’t know” Chidal replied, “just somewhere where Shaval will be safe from you, even if I have to carry her back to Karam Tag Chou myself”

Chidal grabbed the small bag of clothes by Shaval’s bed and led Shaval by the hand to the front door and began to open it,

Suddenly the goblin leader uttered, “Oh Chidal my friend I almost forgot to say why I had come”

As Chidal finished opening the door, he got a huge shock, and dropped the bags, but managed to cling onto Shaval.

There standing just outside was Keval, his son, with a huge fading scar down the left side of his face

“Hello father” Keval said
“Hello son” Chidal reciprocated, then he felt himself welling up, “I’m so sorry son, what can I say”

Then Chidal let go of Shaval and sunk to his knees, “Please forgive me son” he uttered, “I am so sorry”

To be continued

[Sticks]

Episode III – Love Hurts

How many of you have heard the expression “You always hurt the one you love”, well that is what the former scullery slave Chidal believes he has done. While he and his wife were enslaved at the citadel of troll emperors, it seems his son’s family was not so lucky and they were slaughtered during the civil war. This of course has lead to the death of his wife Fadol as the shock proved too much for her heart when she saw their graves.

Chidal has been given a room at a hostelry in his village which has been turned into a communal shelter for those who were displaced, when a rouge clan of trolls attacked the village before they were called off by their commander. While at the hostelry he became attached to a very young goblin child called Shaval, who has lost her entire family and inadvertently told her that her family were dead. (Prior she had had the memories of finding them slaughtered removed by an Elvin healer), Chidal also feels guilty here as well, because Chidal allowed Shaval to sit with him, but Jovan the dwarf female, the daughter of the dwarf landlord who runs the hostelry, took exception to this, and in the dwarvish way beat Shaval severely as punishment for bothering elderly goblins.

Chidal’s motives may be driven by love, but things seems like the words of the song, if he had ever come across it

Love Hurts
Love Scars
Love Wounds and Mars…

Youtube video

Now there is one more piece of hurt, Chidal has now come face to face with, his son Keval, Chidal thought he was protecting his son when he chose to do his son’s indebted servitude when they could not pay a tithe due to a crop failure. This meant that Chidal and his wife Fadol were safely tucked away at Karam Tag Chou, while his son and his family on the family farm ended up at the mercy of the trolls when they attacked…

-

“I’m so sorry about your family” Chidal wept, “It was all my fault, if I had let you and your wife go to Karam Tag Chou your family would still be alive”

“Father” Keval said with a strained voice.

”Now it comes” Chidal thought ”his hatred of me for surviving while his family was slaughtered, and I thoroughly deserve it”

“Get up” Keval told him, and then he went and grabbed his father’s hands, and yanked him up.
Chidal was shocked by this and instinctively stood up, he was even more shocked when his son embraced him.
“You’re alive” Keval suddenly started repeating as he burst into tears.

Chidal let this go on for a minute then pulled away and hung his head in shame, “But your family, I was partly responsible for their deaths”
“No you weren’t father” Keval insisted, “It was my entire fault father, I left them on the farm when I went to defend the village and the trolls killed them as they circled around”

“That is nonsense, both of you” came the booming voice from the goblin leader, and he came out of the hostelry leading Shaval by the hand.

Both Chidal and Keval looked at the goblin leader in surprise.

“The pair of you are both being ridiculous” the goblin leader continued.

“But two days ago” Chidal insisted, “an ogre serving at a tavern showed resentment that my wife and I were safely locked away at the citadel whilst others were touched by the war”

“And I told you last night that was nonsense” The leader countered, “As I said you were just fortunate that the orc offensive against Karam Tag Chou failed”

“Well I should have brought them to the village and not left them isolated on the farm” Keval insisted, and then he added, “If my mother had not seen the graves I had to dig, my mother would also still be alive”.

The goblin leader walked up to Keval, and with his free hand placed it on Keval’s shoulder, “Keval, there were many wives and younglings slaughtered in the village as well, they still might still have been victims of the Yataxal trolls”

Then the goblin leader turned to both Chidal and Keval, “I have often seen that some blame everyone else but themselves, but with you two the reverse is true. Leave the blame where it truly lies, with the Yataxal who attacked the village and the surrounding farms, how about those interfering humans who traded the poison with them, and that spirit of vice who triggered the war in the first place”

Then the goblin leader picked up Shaval and handed her to Chidal. Chidal duly took her and held her in his arms and lovingly kissed her on the top of her head.
“Will I get punished again” Shaval asked him still with tears in her voice
“Not if I have anything to do with it” Chidal told her, then Chidal turned to his son, “Keval, this hostelry was where I have been placed along with little Shaval here. She has lost all her family and that dwarf female in there gave her a beating just for sitting with me”

“I came to take you home father” Keval told him
“But the farm, it was destroyed” Chidal replied, confused, “And I saw no dwellings that could be used by goblins”
“To that farm I will not return” Keval told him, “Another goblin family will tend that farm one day when the land has healed”
“But Keval, you family is buried there? Fadol my wife and your mother is buried there” Chidal objected

Keval looked down at the ground then up at Chidal, “I know father, when our leader told me last night of how mother met her end, I went at first light to see her grave. When I saw again the graves of my wife and younglings, I spent an hour on my knees, clawing at the dirt, wailing” Keval now had tears running down his face, “I can not go back father, those are just bodies now, their spirits have long departed” Then Keval broke down in tears, as Chidal held Shaval in one arm and put his other round his son. Even Chidal had tears running down his face.

After a while the arm carrying Shaval grew weary and so Chidal was forced to let go of his son and place Shaval gently on the ground, but he then held onto her hand.

“Keval my Son” Chidal asked
“What is it father?” Keval replied
“Please may I bring Shaval, like I said she has lost her family as well, and I do not wish her to spend another moment with that female dwarf who beat her for no reason.”

Keval for a moment appeared to Chidal to be looking at her hesitantly

“Keval” Chidal continued, “If there is but room for one pleased take the youngling and I will stay here. I have had my life, but she needs a new home where she will know love and not brutality”
“Father you used that phrase once before about already having your life” Keval replied

Chidal looked down at Shaval, clinging to his leg, trying to hide from Jovan standing in the doorway and her icy glare, he thought back to when he elected for him and his wife to serve the indebted servitude in place of his son and his wife, and how it meant that when war came, he was locked away safe in a citadel whilst his son and his family ended up at the hands of the Yataxal trolls as they went on their murderous rampage through the village and the family farm.

Chidal looked up at Keval, “So because I chose wrongly all that time ago, Shaval must suffer? Punish me please Keval, but don’t punish Shaval, she is but an innocent youngling” he pleaded

Keval bent down and picked up Shaval, and held her in his arm. “DAWF” he shouted at Jovan the female dwarf daughter of the hostelry landlord.



“What has that little brat done now?” Jovan snarled and headed towards them. Chidal could see the youngling almost jump with fright in his son’s arms so stepped between Jovan and his son and held out his arms.
“Get out of my way!” Jovan ordered Chidal, but he stood his ground
“Jovan” Shouted the goblin leader, and Jovan stopped, but looked daggers at the youngling who was now in tears.

“She has done nothing” Keval replied, “I just wanted to know if we could take the youngling off of your hands”

“The little brat is more trouble than she’s worth” retorted Jovan, “She can not work in the fields and gets under my feet. You may take her out of my sight and do with her what you will, for all I care”, and then Jovan went back into the hostelry and slammed the door shut, just to emphasise her disdain for the youngling.

“Never mind Shaval” Keval quietly said to the frightened Shaval, “My father and I want you to come live with us”

Chidal looked at his son in awe, “I thought you did not want her when you reminded me of the phrase I once used to take your place in indebted servitude”
“Sorry father” Keval apologised, “I meant to say that you did not need to sacrifice yourself again as I have just enough room for both of you”
“Will you be my new daddy?” Shaval suddenly piped up and asking the question at Keval.
Keval looked into her eyes, “I will try little one, but I do not have a wife any more, so I may have to try and be a mummy as well”
“I would like to be your new grandfather Shaval” Chidal chipped in, “if you want me to be”

Shaval nodded and clung on tightly to Keval.

Keval then walked to a small cart that was pulled by a light beast of burden, not like the large one from Karam Tag Chou and the two beasts of burden with the hobgoblin driver. Chidal noticed his son walked with a limp, one of his injuries he sustained when he was a village defender. On reaching the cart he placed Shaval on it, along with Chidal’s and Shaval’s bags of clothing. Unlike the cart from Karam Tag Chou, Chidal did not have difficulty getting on board this cart, and so climbed in and held onto Shaval.

Keval got on at the front and with a voice command got the beast to start moving.

The cart went in the opposite direction almost to their old farm.

Shaval seemed quite mesmerised as she looked at the ruined parts of the village they passed through. Chidal held her on his lap, and tried to look ahead for things that he might have to shield the youngling’s eyes from, such as more hanging bodies, but thankfully there were none of those.

There were the odd roadside graves, and Chidal did his best to distract Shaval, as he reasoned she had seen too much of death already.

Chidal wanted to ask his son so many questions, like would he ever take a new wife especially as he was taking in Shaval as well, but for the moment he thought that such a question was inappropriate, so held his counsel. Instead, he spent much of the ride talking to and holding little Shaval. He had only ever seen one of his real grand-younglings before entering indebted servitude, and of course he never got to see the other one which was born after he took up service. Sheval was therefore the granddaughter he never had, and he would make sure she was loved, but then he was hit by sadness. Fadol his wife would have loved to have met Shaval, but alas that was not to be.

Shaval wanted to ask what her new home with her new daddy would be like, but Chidal toldl her that her new daddy was driving and needed to concentrate.

Keval’s overheard this and his response to this was to stop the cart and invite Shaval to sit on his lap, and held her tight as he drove the rest of the way home, in spite of Chidal’s protestations that such an arrangement might not be safe. Keval just said he used to do this all the time with his eldest. Shaval absolutely loved this and laughed with glee, that her new daddy was letting her ride up front with him.

At least Chidal was able to see that Keval had also opened his heart to the orphaned youngling

After about half to three quarters of an hour they finally came to another farmstead, and all disembarked from the cart.

The farmhouse showed little signs of destruction, and even the barn was intact, and there was a crop being harvested, by younglings on the verge of adulthood. Chidal was certain he could recognise the odd one from the hostelry the previous night.

“When I am fully healed” Keval said as they looked at the workers, “I will be able to take my place in the fields once more, until then because they think me some kind of war hero, they send the youth to help out so the village is kept from starvation, and I supervise.”

Chidal said nothing, but noted how frustrated his son was that he could not be working in the field.

Keval carried Shaval into the farm house while Chidal carried the bags from the cart.

“What happened to the goblins who lived here daddy” Shaval asked, clearly accepting Keval as her new father.
“Do you want to see your new bedroom my beloved daughter” Keval told her, deftly changing the subject, so Chidal noticed. Obviously something horrific had befallen the original occupants
“Ok daddy” Shaval replied and took her upstairs, leaving Chidal in the main living room.

While Shaval and Keval were upstairs, Chidal took the opportunity to examine the scullery, it was meagrely stocked, there was obviously not much food around in the aftermath of the attack, but even so there should have been more than this.

Chidal just shook his head in despair, and then tried to think what he could rustle up for the three of them; this was more Fadol’s speciality although he had done quite a bit of the cooking as well at the citadel. Then he looked through a window at the fields, were they expected to fix an end of day meal for the workers?. Chidal looked back at the stores; there was no way he could feed all the workers with this!

While he was deliberating Keval came down with Shaval in toe.

“Do you wish to see your room now father?” Keval asked him

“Ok son” Chidal replied and then followed Keval and Shaval up the stone steps, carrying his bag of clothes as well as the one belonging to Shaval, to a small single room.

It was fairly dark with a small window looking out over the field. The bed was a small single bed made out of wood with what he presumed was a feather mattress. Chidal sat down and looked up at the window. From the shadows he could tell that it was getting on in the afternoon and the two suns were low in the sky.

“It was almost this time yesterday” Chidal muttered quietly to himself as he remembered that it was coming up to one whole day since his beloved wife saw the graves of their son’s family and died of a broken heart. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt himself being hugged. It was Shaval, she had climbed onto the bed and was trying to show affection to one of the male goblins who had taken her in.

Chidal got her to climb onto his lap and he cuddled her, remembering how he once cuddled his son Keval when he was her age.
“I love you grandfather” Shaval told him.
“I love you too Shaval” Chidal reciprocated.
“Was she nice Grandfather” Shaval then asked.
“Who Shaval?”
“Grandmother”
Chidal paused, “Yes Shaval” he replied, then with his voice cracking with emotion added “She was one of the most caring and warm hearted goblins I have ever known”

Keval came down and sat next to his father and open his arms. Chidal guessed he wanted him to hand Shaval across so he lifted the youngling onto his son’s lap and Keval started to cuddle Shaval.
“You would have liked my mother Shaval” Keval told the youngling, “she loved little younglings like you”
“Grandfather said you had a wife and two younglings” Shaval then came back with
“Yes I did” Keval said quietly, the sadness in his voice was palpable.

Chidal could see where this might be going, so thought it was his turn to distract Shaval from topics of death, so he interrupted, “Shaval, would you like to come and help grandfather fix the end of day meal?”

Shaval turned to face Chidal, “ok Grandfather”
“Are the supplies for us or for the field workers as well?” Chidal then asked Keval.
“They were just for me as I have been living alone since” Keval replied and then his voice trailed off.
“It won’t be to the standard we had to do at the citadel, but I will try my best son” Chidal replied. Chidal then stood up and took Shaval from Keval and headed for the stone steps, after looking at them, he put Shaval down on the floor and held her hand as they slowly went down the stairs.

Eventually they made it back to the scullery and once again Chidal looked at the meagre supplies, knowing how some younglings have issues with certain foods, he gently asked Shaval if there was anything there she did not like. He did not want to start off with a conflict over the meal table. Thankfully Shaval shook her head, but did name a certain food that was not present as one she hated. It was however a food that Chidal quite liked, but that was how things were.

The obvious meal would be a stew, but what task could he give Shaval to do. Chopping vegetables was out. She was too small to man handle a pale of water from the pump out the back, as for shovelling fire wood into the stove, that was out of the question. She was even too small to set the table.

Keval came into the Scullery

“I’m sorry about the supplies father” Keval told Chidal, “Usually I only try and get some when I have run out. Sometimes I might skip a meal, after” Keval stopped, then continued, “it happened I did not see any point”

Chidal looked down at the floor, “That was how I felt yesterday, when your mother died”

Chidal then thought for a moment, and picked up Shaval, and kissed her on the forehead. Shaval clung onto Chidal and kissed him on the nose. “Then I met Shaval, and she gives me a reason to go on”
“How do you want me to help you grandfather?” Shaval asked Chidal.

“I’m not sure what you can do Shaval” Chidal told her, “Some of the things required for cooking can only be done by big goblins like your father here and myself”

Chidal saw Keval smile at Shaval, then Keval told Shaval, “Why don’t we let grandfather get on with the preparations, and I will show you to the goblins in the field to show what a nice new pretty daughter I have now”, and with that Keval gently took Shaval from Chidal’s arms.

Shaval then clasped her arms round Keval’s neck to hang on and gave him a big kiss on his nose. “I love my new daddy” she told him.
“And I love you Shaval” Keval choked out, and then the two left.

Chidal then got on with the cooking of the end of day meal, being careful to make sure there was something for break of day meal the following day. It was almost like old times in the scullery of Karam Tag Chou, minus the hobgoblin with the whip.

By the time the two suns had set,


Chidal was well on his way to produce the stew and Keval came back carrying Shaval, who was excited at meeting all the helpers, who were now returning to the village by cart.

Chidal had brought down a spare pillow that Shaval could sit upon in the chair to boost her height at the table. As they sat down to eat, Chidal secretly feared that Shaval might not like what was put before her, even though she had not identified the ingredients as items she did not like, but to his relief she cleared her plate with no fuss and told him that his cooking was better than Jovan’s.

After the meal was done, Keval took Shaval to get her washed and changed for bed, after all, his experience of being a parent was more recent than Chidal’s. Chidal just sat by the fire thinking of Fadol, and how much she would have liked to be here. Was it really only a day since she had died.

It was well over an hour later when Keval came down the stairs and reported that he had got Shaval off to sleep. He told Chidal that he was horrified at the injuries inflicted upon Shaval by Jovan and for a while, after she had been put into her night clothes, he had held her just like he had held is own younglings and promised her that he loved her and he would never let that happen to her again. He was her father now and to the best of his ability he would protect her.

“You’re right father” Keval told Chidal, “Having Shaval here gives me purpose, and on the morrow we need to go into the village to see what further supplies we can get in stock.
“But who shall supervise the workers?” Chidal asked
“The goblin that brings them from the village has done so on occasions I have had to go into the village, like yesterday when I came to take you home.” Keval explained, “I will ask him tomorrow, otherwise you and Shaval can look after them”

The two goblins then stared for a while at the fire, then Chidal asked who had owned the farm they were in.

“It was owned by one of the goblin elder’s and his grown up family, hence the number of rooms” Keval explained
“And they perished in the attack by the trolls?” Chidal asked
“Yes” Keval replied, “Sort of” he added cryptically
Chidal frowned
“He was the emissary that was sent out with the tribute to the trolls”
“Oh” was all that Chidal could say
“When the trolls attacked, because they were in the village, his wife and sons were slaughtered”

Then Keval put his hands to his face as he realised the implication of what he had just said, “He was right” Keval weakly uttered, then brought his hands down as tears filled his eyes, “The goblin leader was right, my family could have been killed in the village like he said”

Keval then sniffed, while Chidal kept his counsel, “As I was one of the few defenders to survive, who knew something about farming, I was honoured with taking this farm on when I realised I could not go back with the graves of my family there to remind me of what I had lost”

“Son” Chidal then spoke, “You will be a good new father to Shaval”
Keval nodded, “I hope so” he choked out.

After a few minutes, both goblins retired for the night.

+-+-+

As the two suns rose above the horizon it seemed all three goblins got up early at the same time.
Keval let Chidal get Shaval up, washed and dressed while he went to attend what remained of the livestock.

Chidal then got Shaval to sit at the kitchen table while he used up the last scraps of food for the break of day meal. By the time Keval had returned it was all ready to serve.

Shaval insisted on hugging Keval, her new father and planting a kiss on his nose after letting her do so they got on with the business of consuming the meal.

An hour or so later, the goblin workers arrived in the cart from the village to work in the field, following behind was the goblin village leader with another middle aged male goblin and a female middle aged goblin of Keval’s age. As Keval was talking with the driver of the cart bringing the workers, Chidal, holding Shaval’s hand, approached the other visitors.

“Hello Village leader” Chidal opened with.
“Hello Chidal” the goblin leader replied and then bent down to speak to Shaval, “Hello Shaval” he told her.
“You are lucky to catch us” Chidal told the leader, “The three of us were going to the village to see what supplies for the scullery we can pick up”

The goblin leader did not reply, but waited for Keval to finish with the cart driver and come over to meet with them.

After a minute or so, Keval came across to see the delegation as well and took Shaval’s other hand.

“So you are the goblin who has taken in my brother’s youngling” the unknown male goblin suddenly said to Keval.

Chidal was crestfallen at this news and let go of Sheval’s hand, his new granddaughter was to be taken from him, “Sorry sir” he told the goblin uncle, “I did not know Shaval had any relatives left, I just wanted her away from the hostelry and that brutal dwarf”

Keval just picked Sheval up, and held her in his arms while she put her arms around his neck. “Shaval” he told the youngling, “This is you uncle and he has come to collect you”
Sheval looked at her uncle and then back at Keval, “But I want to stay with my new daddy” she whined”
“And I love having you as my new daughter” Keval said quietly in a sad voice, “But if he is your uncle, then I may not be allowed to keep you”

“Do we need to do this brother?” the female goblin piped up, “Our dead brother’s last surviving youngling is in safe hands of a goblin who also raised other younglings”

The goblin uncle thought for a moment, then said “I came to this region from the goblin city as we had heard our dead brother had a surviving youngling. Before we were lead to believe all had perished, but a few days ago from a traveller we heard that Shaval had survived and was being put up in a converted hostelry and family duty demanded that being the leader of our clan now, I had to see that she was provided for and if she were not, bring her home. But I see she is in good hands so I am happy for her to remain here with her new father”

At this Chidal gave the goblin uncle a big hug and then let him go, “Thank you sir” Chidal told him, “She means such a lot to us as well”
“And you are?” the goblin uncle queried
“This is Chidal, the father of Keval” the goblin leader explained, “It was he who decided to take Shaval from the hostelry when she was unjustly punished by the dwarf I mentioned”

This time it was the goblin uncle that embraced Chidal, “I see you too are a goblin of honour”, and then he turned to the female goblin that by now was with Keval, holding Shaval in her arms. “Sister, now we know our goblin kin is in safe and in honourable hands we can depart back to our goblin city”

The goblin female looked at her brother, “if it is ok with these two goblins and with you brother, I would like to stay here, and be a mother to Shaval, as she is of my kin as well and it was agreed I was going to take her in had we had to take her back to the goblin city”

Keval gasped in surprise, and looked at Chidal.
“I will move into the barn so” Chidal started and pointed at the female goblin.
“Lupin” the female goblin chipped in on cue
“Lupin may have my room”
“Sir I would not dream of kicking out an elderly goblin from his bed” Lupin responded, “I will sleep in the barn”

At this interchange Shaval asked Lupin, “Are you going to be my new mummy?”
“That is up to my brother and your new father” Lupin told the youngling, “But I would love to be”.
Shaval then turned to Keval, “Daddy please can she be my new mummy?” she asked in a pleading tone, then without realising what she was saying, as she was quite young, “Mummy can have my bed and I will sleep in the barn, I promise”.

“I can not countenance my niece sleeping in a barn” the goblin uncle told her.
“As you wish brother” Lupin told her brother and placed Shaval on the ground and started walking towards the cart.
“I agree” Keval then spoke up, “I will go to the barn, and your sister may have my bed”, then he added, “if Shaval ever gets frightened in the night it will be big enough for her to shelter with her new mother.”

At this the goblin leader spoke up, since all had forgotten he was still there, “There is no need for any to sleep in the barn”, then he turned to Chidal, “Chidal after you left some of the other goblins heard how Jovan had punished the youngling from one of the other elder goblins who kept out of the way. They had words with her and her father, and Jovan complained that as she was not allowed to discipline younglings the way she thought fit she did not want to remain in our village, so she left this morning for the dwarf homelands”

Chidal looked at the ground suddenly feeling guilty, “I did not mean for her to be put out of her home” he uttered, “I only wanted my granddaughter to be safe”

The goblin leader placed his hand on Chidal’s shoulder, “Chidal my friend you have a good heart, you need not worry about her as she has kin there, but her father needs a new cook, and he suggested you, because of your experience in the scullery of Karam Tag Chou”

Chidal’s eye widened, he would be useful again? “I would love to assist in what ever I can do, but what of helping with Shaval?” he asked

“Father, do not worry about us?” Keval told him, “If Lupin is allowed to stay with us, we will be ok”
Shaval was upset, “But I love my grandfather as well”
Chidal picked her up, “And I love you Shaval. You can always come and visit me at the hostelry. Now that dwarf is gone you should be safe now” he told her

The goblin uncle then went to the cart and lifted off a canvas bag and handed it to Lupin, “I will send you your other things when I return” Then he got back on his cart, “Can you give a lift to your village leader back to the village, so I can press on to the next hostelry by suns down” and got the beasts pulling the cart to move off.

After he was out of sight, Keval took in the canvas bag and returned with Chidal’s bag and loaded up the cart, with Chidal, Shaval, Lupin and the goblin leader.

After an hour they arrived at the goblin village and first dropped off the goblin leader at the leaders hut, such as it was. Then the cart continued on to the hostelry, and Chidal noticed how nervous Shaval was, but this time, after getting off of the cart first it was Lupin who carried the youngling. Chidal could not help noticing from how she was with Shaval that Lupin felt just as he did about the youngling. Lupin was her aunt after all and Shaval was as Lupin had said of her kin.

The four of them then entered the hostelry to be greeted by the dwarf landlord



Immediately Chidal went to apologise to the landlord for the loss of his daughter and how he never intended for her to leave her home, but the landlord told him “My daughter was not really happy here since we stopped being a proper business, so I believe she was glad of the excuse. In fact a couple of moons cycles ago she did suggest the idea of returning to our homelands. I told her at the time that I had no one that could replace her”

Chidal slowly shook his head, then looked at the dwarf, “I will do my very best to be a good cook for you”

The landlord showed Chidal to Jovan’s old room, where Chidal left his possessions, then inspected what was in the scullery as he needed to know what he needed to get for the hostelry when he went out to help get supplies for the farmstead where Lupin, Keval and Shaval would be living. However, the scullery was well supplied, as Jovan had been most proficient in that department, and besides because like the citadel they purchased so much, it was the traders who came to the hostelry and not the other way around.

Chidal left the staff section and went outside to go with the others to see what they could find.

Lupin told him it was not necessary for him to come, but Chidal came anyway, procuring supplies was one of the things he knew about from his time at the citadel.

As they reached, on foot, what passed for a market amongst the ruins, such as it was, Chidal was astonished to see how skilled Lupin was in procurement. She even managed to involve her niece, or should that now be her daughter in the process. One other thing, Chidal thought he noticed, was that Lupin wanted to be tender with Keval, but kept holding herself back, did she really want to stay because she had fallen in love with his son at first sight?

After a while, they were all laden with supplies, and even Chidal had got a few extras for the hostelry. They made their way back to the hostelry and the cart was loaded up. Lupin lifted Shaval onto the cart, but she was upset, for Chidal was not coming back with them. So Chidal gave Shaval one last cuddle, and asked her to be a good little youngling for her new mummy and daddy, told her that he stilled loved her very much and she could always come visit.

Keval then came and embraced his father, “Thank you for coming back to me” Keval told him, then adding, “and thank you for finding me a new family, I will try and take better care of this one”

Then they left, and Chidal went back into the hostelry after all he did have the end of day meal to prepare.

In the days that followed, Chidal got more into the swing of things at the hostel and the patrons were very complementary about his cooking.

After a week, he was visited by his son, Lupin and little Shaval. Keval, while Lupin took Shaval to a privy could not stop saying how wonderful Lupin was with Shaval and what a great cook she was.

Chidal just smiled and nodded.

The next day, there was consternation in the village as a troll army turned up, but Chidal was able to calm everyone down by pointing out that they were Rachtal and Manjura, and not the hated Yataxal trolls. For a week the trolls helped with rebuilding the village and making shelters,

The trolls even brought along food supplies that they said had been sent from the realm of mortals. Chidal tasted it, and although it tasted strange it was not unpleasant.

These trolls were trying to make amends for the atrocity committed by the Yataxal clan

At the end, Chidal was visited personally by the Clan Chief of the Manjura


He told him that the Clan Chief of the Rachtal had wanted to come, but affairs of state had intervened. He passed on the message about how stunned they were to learn of the death of Fadol, a hardworking goblin at the citadel and the loss of his son’s family. Chidal told him about Lupin and Shaval.

The Manjura chief on hearing this winked at him and said “I hope they are well suited, just like our former emperor and his queen were”

Then the trolls were gone, and life continued after a fashion.

With the rebuilding in the village, the hostelry emptied of its refugees and soon it returned to it’s normal business, which suited Chidal as it was a bit quieter and Shaval could come and stay more easily if she wanted.

Then he heard news he did not expect, but wanted to hear at the same time.

Keval and Lupin were taking the pledge of union. Four days later her brother arrived, with other members of her family to witness the happy event, and Keval was welcomed into their clan.

Two moon cycle later, Lupin announced that she was going to have a brother or sister for Shaval, and all three of them were ecstatically happy, and even Keval had been able to start actually working his farm.

So dear and gentle reader, we asked at the beginning of our shorter than normal tale, how our goblin friend would come to terms with his fortune while others were not so fortunate.

Well simply he stopped brooding and had to realise that life still had to go on, which was what he was taught by Shaval. He also realised his son had his own demons and both needed to listen to the words of wisdom. Sometimes life throws us, to use an expression from our former colonies, a curve ball and to mix a metaphor we must play the cards with which we are dealt. That is what we call life.

That was the lesson Chidal and Keval had to learn, and it was one they took to heart



Good Evening