Chapter 5 Learning to Forge

The sunshine lit the room with a golden light as I looked up to see the stone ceiling. Last night I felt different like I let go of something in my heart and soul. Today, I was going to learn and make my first weapon. I no longer had the idea that I was an elf, but a dwarf that has lots to learn about. Dovna said that one of the blacksmiths would teach me to swing a hammer and forge weapons. I grabbed clothes to get dressed in and ran out of the stone castle and to the town to find Black Mead Forge. I heard from the townspeople the first time I came it was "the best place for weapons."

As I got there the smell of smoke, and the clanging of metal rang in my ear as the closer I got to the door. I heard voices of Dovna and someone else talking about weapons and armor as I walked in. Dovna smiled as she saw me and the man in front of her was young with glasses as he looks at me with shock. I did not know who he was, but I looked over my shoulder to see Ada and Calen looking over my shoulder at the weapons in the building.

"Alva!" Dovna screamed with joy as she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards Smith. I knew who he was looking at as Ada was to focus on the metal staff he had made. Calen on the other hand was glaring daggers at me as I turned around to speak to the smith.

"Thorn!" she spoke, "this is my cousin, Alva."

"Nice to meet you," I spoke as he looked over me, seeing if I had a good chance to make a weapon. "I think she will do Dovna."

"What you mean she will do!" Calen's voice spoke with anger.

"She has the muscle to train and work on her weapon here," he replied, "and you, elven miss! The staffs are half off with ten gold coins."

"I thought it was twenty?" Dovna spoke confused about what was going on.

"He is in love," I whispered in her ear.

"Talk to her like a man, Thorn!" she spoke with an evil smile.

"Rather not," he spoke, "she seems to have higher standers in men."

"I'm her friend," I spoke, "she is looking for someone to have a family and acts like themselves."

"Really!" he said with a bright smile.

"Yeah," I replied, "but you got to teach me how to forge weapons."

"Oh, I will," he replied, "Dovna told me it's your first dwarven weapon."

The chatter ended up for a few minutes, till Ada found a staff of her liking and got the basics of making weapons and armor. Calen left to get away from our chatter as Ada bought and talk to Thorn. She seems to see him the same as he does but doesn't want to cause any trouble. Thorn told me to read his book on basic forging and to remember all that there is inside of it in a day. That to me seemed impossible, till I read the book learning about the tools, and temperature for different metals, handles, and molds. It was interesting as smithing techniques grew in the maker themselves. Some make it with technology and others with hammers and steel.

I wanted to learn hammer and steel as you figure out your design and develop your ideas over time. I wanted to make an axe with the design of an Elden Tree and hammer as they were both important to me over time. Thorn occasionally asked me questions from his book and I would answer. If I was wrong, he would answer and if I was right, he would keep quiet and talk to Ada and Dovna. As time went on, I learn that it would take days to learn and smith a weapon. There were many things to learn as the days go by. Soon I had to leave with Dovna and Ada to go home and rest.

"Are you sure you want to learn to make weapons?" Ada asked.

"I am sure," I replied, "every dwarf learns this."

"They do?" she questioned as Dovna and Thorn laughed in the background.

"It is true," Thorn said, "All of us must make our first weapon or armor in a forge. It helps when you can not fight anymore and to go into the field of craftsmanship."

"So, you care about it?" she questioned.

"I do," he replied, "I can fight, but my skills are more for the forge. Without it our people don't have weapons."

This went on for a while as Dovna gave me advice on how to make a weapon and the time it takes. As time when on as night slowly started to settle in the sky. We soon had to leave and time of rest was to begin as I light the forge tomorrow.