Friends in Low Places

Sarah knew she had fallen asleep the moment she felt the drool on her face. She always drooled in her sleep, and the fact that she had done so while watching over her "guest" was a scary thought. But if she had fallen asleep, then that meant-

She jolted awake in an instant, and glanced about the place to see only what she had expected to see: an empty house, with no traces of her guest (not even his sword). Judging from the light outside, it was early morning, but she hardly noticed that at first in her panic. Fearing the worst, she slung her bow over her shoulder, and bolted up the stairs to check on her son, even though she knew it would already be too late...

Inside the small, snug room obviously meant for a young child or baby, she saw that her son's crib was still where it was standing before, marred only by the slightest scratches on the edge. And peering over the side and looking into the crib, to her utter relief, the little bundle of joy she had the privilege of calling her son was sleeping soundly, yet to awake and beg to her for his meal. Smiling softly, she leaned down and gently gave the sleeping figure a kiss on the forehead. It caused him to stir, but not enough to wake him.

Satisfied that her son was safe, Sarah now decided to check the scratches on the crib edge again. Closer examination proved that those claws had not been made by a creature attempting to harm, for they were too small and shallow for that. Not to mention, it almost seemed like they had been carefully made, as if aware that they should show extreme care around the defenseless baby. And looking at the claw marks again, they were still quite fresh, so her guest must have left quite recently.

Had her guest taken a quick look at her child before departing? She wasn't sure if she should feel scared or not about this thought, but at least she could be rest assured that her son was safe... But for how long would that last? As much as she loved the woods, Sarah knew that it was still too dangerous for her to raise her son here on her own. Even if the Goblins were not as bad as she believed they were, (assuming that her previous guest had spoken the truth), there was still the necessity to leave her house and find food for herself, as well as for the child. During which, he was always alone, with nothing between him and whatever dangers lurked outside but the door and the walls of the cabin.

But he was still too young to make that journey with her. Not yet, at least. No, she'd have to wait just a little longer, and that was what scared her. What if something happened before then? The world was a dangerous place, especially when far from the human cities, and any number of things could occur that may bring harm to herself or her child.

Sarah sighed. She knew what she had to do, even though it wasn't a desirable thought for her: she'd have to wait a little longer, until her son was a little older and could make the journey with her. It wouldn't be easy, but she had little choice.

In the meantime, she'd just have to be more careful than she had been before...

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Sarah didn't find any traces of tracks that her guest may have left behind. But at least the storm had died down to a light snowfall by then, so she was able to travel from her door and back without any trouble with her meat. She had her supper after giving her son his own and putting him to bed, the rest of the night going by silently. It was dark outside for a few hours when she finally got to bed, and snuffed out the light of the lamp in her room.

She awoke after what seemed like a few minutes (but what had really been a few hours at least) to a surprising sound. At first, she thought it was an earthquake, but when it continued over and over again, she realized it was the sound of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of tramping feet, and the beating of hide drums. Like an army marching into battle, and yet... She listened again, and she heard cackles of some kind.

Her heart froze then, for she knew what it was now: Goblins! And so close to home!

Her first instinct was to jump out of bed and grab her bow, which she did. Then she strapped her quiver to her back and crept over to a window installed into the room. Then, she slowly peeked out of it to see what was going on outside.

And what she saw was nothing short of a celebration of some kind. Barely several yards away (if the darkness of night wasn't deceiving her), a large bonfire was lit - no, multiple ones, all across the forest. Lit up by the firelight, mostly as silhouettes or shadows against the light, she saw the Goblins dancing about the fires - too many to count, and there were no doubt plenty more not illuminated by the fire. By the faint glint of the light on them, she could tell that they were armored, weapons and all.

But the biggest surprise for her was the large, fat figure sitting at the bonfire closest to her window. Wearing a rusty crown upon his head, a ragged cape around his shoulders, and several kinds of bone necklaces and other similar adornments. Beside him, about twice as tall as Sarah herself, was what she presumed to be his scepter: a large, thick tree branch, with a ram's skull adorning the top of it, the horns sharpened to a point from how they looked. He obviously was their king, and all of the Goblins seemed to give him a wide space, as if in fear or reverence.

However, as awe inspiring as this scene was, Sarah also realized the level of danger behind it. Originally, she had taken the bow to try and kill a few of them, but seeing just how many of them there were, she realized that to do so was suicide. She'd probably kill little more than three or four of them, before she'd get swarmed and torn to pieces. Not to mention what they could do to her son! Pausing, she considered her options, and really she found that she only had two: fight and die, or sit back and wait for it to end. Both were dangerous, but at least the latter option had a higher chance of survival.

So with great reluctance and uneasiness, she eventually moved away from the window, crept out of her room, and into her son's room. Then, after a brief peek at her sleeping angel, she sat in a chair across from the crib and waited. Still keeping an arrow on the string, in case one of those cackling figures came through the door. Sure, she might not stand a chance against them, but if she was to die tonight, she'd take as many with her as possible before they'd reach her son.

Hours ticked away - how many, she couldn't tell. The partying never seemed to end, and the festivities were at an all-time high from what she could gather. If she wasn't already wide awake, she probably would have been utterly exhausted just listening to them.

But eventually, after what felt like forever, she noticed that the first light of dawn was starting to show through her windows. And like a ripple effect, the Goblins suddenly started to go quiet outside. Little by little, she heard the festivities slow to a halt, followed by the scuffling of thousands of feet rushing back in the direction of their mountain homes.

And then, silence. Complete silence.

Though that didn't reassure her in the slightest, and she stayed in her seat with arrow on the string, until rays of sunshine peeked in through the windows. Only then did she slowly rise up from her seat, walked out of the room, and made her way downstairs. Her door was still intact and shut tightly, and there were no signs of any entry, attempted or otherwise. And she still couldn't see or hear anything outside related to the Goblins. So she gathered up some courage, and after making her way over to the door, she opened it up enough to see outside.

The snow covered forest floor was definitely littered with countless footprints, to the point of becoming slush, but it was to expected with such a large gathering. The remains of some still-warm fire pits scattered all around, in front of, and no doubt behind her house could be seen too, recently snuffed out. Nothing else remained as proof that the Goblins had been there, and there weren't any signs to suggest that they were still nearby.

Sarah stepped out of the doorway, and looked about her to see more of the party's aftermath, but it only seemed to confirm what she was seeing already.

"Why were they here? And why did they leave our house untouched?" she wondered. Was it truly possible that what her guest last night had said? That perhaps the Goblins weren't as bad as they were made out to be? But then again, they weren't exactly peaceful either; rarely was there a time when Goblins and humans hadn't tried to kill each other on sight, including what had occurred the night before.

So, why was this different?

She soon got her answer when she saw the crude, faded paper nailed into her door with crude spikes or nails. Definitely not there before, and definitely recent too. And on it, a message written in a crude, yet readable handwriting:

*Kind Hooman,

By order of King Won-Eye the Merssiful, after ur kindness to Prince Snaggletooth the Hansome, you, ur home, and ur familee ar now under our protecshun. Enee Goblin who defeyes this order will be exekooted in the most brootal fashun.

Signed, Frakah, Cheef of Polees.

LONG LIVE THE KING!*

Prince? Now that was certainly news for her. But it also showed her that Goblins had a very low standard for what counted as handsome, if anything about the prince's arrival the other night had told her anything.

It was all making sense now: the Goblins dancing around her house all night were indeed celebrating. Celebrating the return of their Prince. And they had left her house alone, because she was now seen as a friend... Or at the least, their king had chosen to spare her, out of respect and gratitude for saving his own son . Whatever the reason, Sarah could at least rest easy knowing that the Goblins would not harm her.

Though that would take effort on her part too, starting with refraining from shooting any of the creatures that she came across. Not an easy habit to curb, and not something she was particularly keen about, but if it would keep Sarah and her child alive a little longer, then she would take it...

A cry from inside the house brought her back to reality, reminding her that her son had yet to be given his breakfast. A cry that always warmed her heart, despite the selfish demand behind the cries. Coming back inside and shutting the door, she laid her bow down at the bottom of the stairs (she had no need of it, now), and made her way up back to the bedroom where he lay in his crib.

The child himself was quite a beautiful boy. A nice tuff of brown hair adorned his head, with sparkling blue eyes and a cheery smile. His skin was the same as his mother's, but otherwise he looked very much like his father. Upon seeing her face peering over the crib edge, he ceased his cries and gave a small giggle. Sarah smiled lovingly at her child, and gently lifted him up into her close embrace. She pulled aside enough of her attire to give him access to one of her breasts, and quietly began to nurse him.

It was moments like this that she enjoyed the most. Hearing his suckling warmed her heart, to know that her son was getting stronger every day, and that he was quite healthy for his age. And in her arms, she knew that he was perfectly safe from all harm. The worries of the world could wait for another time; right now, her child deserved all the love she could spare before life would demand her attention as well.

At last, things seemed to finally be looking out for her. Maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to wait long enough for her child to grow, and make the journey to civilization with her...

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[Meanwhile...]

There were only two kinds of people who could be found deep in the heart of the mountains on the edge of the Shaded Growths: the dead humans captured by the Goblins long ago, and the Goblins themselves. The latter always scurrying about through their maze-like network of tunnels and caverns, digging new tunnels, enlarging older ones, or rushing to the various posts that they were required to station to keep their economy running.

For while a Goblin community wasn't very much like a human one, it was a community nonetheless, and they abided by rules that were strictly enforced to keep order - or as close as you could get on a primitive level. There was also an undisputed pyramid to their economy, and none dared to question their position; however, that didn't stop them from fighting for the titles above their own.

A typical Goblin community typically was a series of holes carved into the rock, where tons of the creatures would huddle together in the hundreds whenever they slept, which wasn't too often. They were connected by a series of platforms carved into the rock, or built with whatever materials they could scavenge, along with primitive lifts, rising platforms, ladders, and ropes all serving as means to get from one floor to the next. And Goblins were constantly climbing up and down the walls or previously mentioned lift systems, getting to their destinations as quickly as possible, and showing no signs of tiring in the slightest.

Of course, this rabble didn't stay in line on their own; every few centuries, a Goblin King was chosen, through a trial by combat against the toughest of warriors before facing the king himself. The sole survivor was hailed the new king, but if they died then the older king was permitted to stay a king. The Kings often came in various shapes and sizes, and all varied in their ways of leadership.

The current king, One-Eye the Merciful, named due to his efforts to prevent all-out war amongst Goblins and humans, (and by extension showed mercy towards humanity), was a large obese character. The weight he had accumulated over two hundred years of rule showing like a sore thumb. He had sitting on his throne through most of reign, since it had been relatively peaceful times. Even so, few had dared to challenge him, and those who did were consequently flattened into jelly by the time he was done with them.

But today, he wasn't thinking about protecting his title, or the growing tensions between Goblins and humans. Today, his thoughts were preoccupied with that of his son, and the human who had saved his life. It was odd to him, that a human would take the time to save one of his kind, let alone his son. The very beings who had tortured, persecuted, and slaughtered his people; yet, this one woman, whether out of kindness or something else, had actively saved his son's life.

How puzzling humans could be.

Now, One-Eye didn't particularly like humans, but he always demonstrated his thanks to others for whatever acts of kindness they showed to him or his son. And given this Sarah's current situation, and what his son had revealed about her, what better way to thank her than to ensure her protection from other Goblins? With his official decree, any Goblin would think twice before causing her trouble from here on.

Still... why had she shown such kindness, when so many other humans seemed devoid of it towards his kind? Why now, when war was almost certain between the two species? The Goblin King sighed and reclined in his throne with a wry smile.

How odd humans were, with every changing of the century.