Chapter 2 #2
“What about me?” I asked. “I get to rest. I can shed this imposter’s mantle of a supposed hero and go live in my family’s cabin and…
knit, and then I’ll join my parents on the coast and just be Ellinore.
Besides, it was only a matter of time before I was discovered bending the rules anyway.
Aven almost caught on this time. They were so close to realizing that the giant spider had already been dead for days before I found it. ”
Dave sighed. “A sad end to a centuries-old creature.”
“But hey, we’ve given a few of her children a chance. Aven and the others may have harvested a few of the smaller spiders, but one of those eggs might grow to her size and be terrorizing that canyon in a few decades.”
Dave smiled at that, as close as a dragon could smile. “And what did dear Aven say about you quitting?” He waggled the curve of scales that acted as eyebrows.
I flinched, then bristled. My back stiffened as I straightened from my tired slump. “What does it matter what Aven said? Their opinion is of no interest to me.”
Dave chuckled. “Sure.”
“What?” I stood. “It’s not. I don’t care what spoiled royalty thinks.”
“If that was the case, you wouldn’t be worried about being deemed a fraud.”
My mouth dropped open; then I snapped it shut.
Shame made my face grow hot and my shoulders sag.
“That’s different. I don’t want the entire kingdom to demand all their gold back once they’ve found out I’m a sham.
That I’m not a real champion. That Ellinore the Brave is a construct composed of embellished bards’ songs and the whimsy of a populace primed to believe in heroes and fairy tales. ”
“That’s cynical even for you.” Dave lazily eyed me from his pile. “Didn’t the king and queen deem you the best quester in all the land?”
I raised a finger. “They’re wrong. I was the best at winning. There’s a subtle difference.”
Dave stretched his long body. A golden goblet rolled from the small hoard, clinking over the other gold and jewels until it came to rest at my feet. My reflection in the glossy surface warped with the curve of the metal, creating a distorted caricature that felt like a mirror of my court persona.
He hummed a jaunty tune under his breath, one I recognized as a song about me. “Do you want the opinion of a very old and wise being?” he asked, blinking slowly.
“Why? Is there one around?” He growled in offense, and I held up my hands. “I mean… I guess.”
“You’re not an imposter, Ellinore,” Dave said.
It was a nice sentiment, but Dave was my friend and thus obligated to say nice things about me. “I literally dragged an already-dead spider from the forest to win and had you move the egg sacs I supposedly destroyed. I not only lied but used an accomplice.”
Dave smiled. “All the same. You are not a fraud. Yes, you’ve completed quests in your own special way, but you’ve completed them.
You have done what was asked of you, just differently than what the royals expected.
Take me, for example. You were sent to rid the kingdom of the dragon terrorizing a village.
And you did. I’m not terrorizing anyone anymore.
” He grinned wide. “Other than you, of course.”
I crossed my arms and sank down slowly into the chair.
“Thanks, but I don’t think wordplay is going to save me if they ever find out.
Especially with the bigger tales the bards have concocted.
I need to quit while I’m ahead. Before the clever untruths catch up to me.
I finally have some time to figure out who I am without a sword and an epithet. ”
“It’s your choice,” Dave said. “But who will come tell me fun stories? You won’t have any.” He flashed a comically large pout. “And I won’t get to travel as often as I do now.”
“You can always come live by the sea.”
Dave scoffed. “And leave my hoard? Now you’re speaking nonsense.”
“Well, until it’s time for me to move, I promise to come visit when I can, and I’ll tell you all about what Zig is up to.”
“Oh, he is unruly. What has he done lately?”
“I don’t know. He’s been home alone ever since I was able to send my parents to their new life. I just hope he’s not done something reckless and impulsive while I’ve been away.”
“If he has,” Dave said, “you can always leave and live here. I enjoy your company. But not when you smell so bad.” He wrinkled his nose.
I sniffed and gagged. “Look. I’m aware. I was hoping you would heat the spring for me.” I clasped my hands together and gave him my best pleading expression, complete with pouty lips and puppy eyes. Dave huffed, then sighed.
“Fine.”
He trundled over to the spring, took a deep breath, and released a torrent of fire into the basin. Steam ballooned upward and the water bubbled with heat.
A bath would do wonders for my joints and for my mind. It would make the remaining short ride back to my village more pleasant. And once I returned home, I could really start to enjoy my retirement. With no more quests in my future, I could finally, finally relax and just be myself.