Chapter 8: Tulvarick

The snunorf king left Tulvarick in charge of making preparations to repel a possible dragon attack. Ganrikter Chrisskarson II himself went to the capital of Norvinoria - Frostgarstrad. And the king was now represented by Richten Bjordflodson, who annoyed Tulvariсk…

Tulvariсk looked at the furnace. The northerners were showing him a certain liquid that could be used to lubricate armor, chainmail, helmets, and other metal or even wood and other surfaces. They called it astvatska. The northerners put a helmet with chainmail untreated with liquid into the blacksmith's furnace, and then a similar helmet with chainmail treated by astvatska. The fire in the furnace was brought to the maximum temperature, waited, and then pulled out the stuff, the untreated metal partially melted, but the treated astvatska did not even have the appearance that someone was acting on it with fire!

"Well done!" Tulvarick said, "And how much of this liquid can you make?"

"Your tonnebeard Majesty, glorious dwarf king, we have made a stockpile of astvatska for about one- third of the possible coverage of the armor. But we can create more, if only we had the time.

"All right," Tulvarick said, "you have your time, my northern friends," and he wanted to pat the blacksmith on the shoulder, but snunorf was too tall, and Tulvarick decided to scratch his own beard.

On all the streets of Forsholden, the snunorfs and tonnebeards were putting together different parts of ballistae. King Tulvarick was passing by and he was met by Hemrockhever, a cousin of the deceased Darfairick, a friend of Arinella.

"Hemrockhever, greetings," the king said.

"Your Majesty," Hemrockhever bowed.

"Listen, do me a favor, I'm just leaving the blacksmiths, and they told me that the blend… What's it called? Aswatsatki–"

"Astvatska," Hemrockhever corrected.

"Yes, yes it is. I want to know if they'll use it for ballistae how much quantity will be left for armor?" Tulvarick asked.

"It will be done, Your Majesty," and the tonnebeard bowed and headed for the forge.

Tulvarick decided to go to the city gates to reprimand the soldiers because of Nulara. As he walked, he caught the disdainful glances of some northerners. Old wounds don't heal...

"Who among you decided to pass a girl through the gate yesterday?" reaching the gate, the king asked the city guards.

The two guards looked at each other.

"Your dwarven, forest Farderlandian Majesty–" the tall blond soldier began.

"Many snunorfs have some problem with my titles," the king laughed, interrupting the soldier.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," the other soldier put in, "but Nulara Tossed is an acting yarlantan and snonungyarl and a subject of Norvinoria, we had no right–"

"She's a traumatized child!" Tulvarick could not restrain himself. "Tell me, buddy, if your father's head was planted on a spear as well as your cousin's and his father's and other loved ones heads, would you be able to keep calm and not to get involved in trouble?"

"I don't know. I think not, Your Majesty," the soldier replied.

"And you?" Tulvarick turned to the tall blond northerner.

"No, your short, low, sorry, tonnebeard Majesty."

"Then in the name of Sumnargish, why the hell did let her through the gate?"Tulvarick was losing his patience.

The soldiers were silent.

"Ahh, well," the king relented, "the girl isn't stupid enough to sail home, so she headed east, not west, most likely. But keep in mind, if she did drown in the Outland Sea, or she was burned by dragons, and if her dead body will be found, it will be your heads on the spears!"

"Or yours, dwarf!" the second soldier, the shorter one, snapped.

"What did you say?" the king was more surprised than angry.

The blond snunorf ran out and stood in front of them and turned to the king, "Your glorious, supreme farderlanden dwarven majesty, forgive him, please! Thorhild lost loved ones, dragons have burned Ingredringen to the ground. Forgive him graciously, Your Majesty!"

Tonnebeard walked up to Thorhild and looked up at him.

"That's what I'm talking about, buddy! Because of grief, that the snunorfs, tonnebeards, larmarians, even any elves can do a rash act. But your loved ones died quickly, and Nulara's father could be beaten, tortured, tormented. If I had been in Fishgartard at the time, maybe my head would have been on a spear. But I was lucky, and so were you, and your job remains to protect not only the city gates but also the citizens of your country. Think about, by letting the larmarian lady go, did you do your duty and save her?

Thorhild did not answer. Tulvarick smiled slightly, shook his head, and walked back.