Of Dragons (a dwarven fairy tale, part 2)

“Kill me, kill me now,” the snake said. “Kill me if you want to live!”

But the snake had provided the apprentice with his greatest wish – how could he kill him!

The apprentice ran instead from the wyrm, out of its cave, out through the frozen plains, across the Mounts of Fate, and was almost to the Parsan river when he heard the gruesome roar behind him. Billowing clouds of fire, smoke and ash tore up the grass where the dragon breathed.

“Take a scale and hold it up,” the snake said.

The apprentice did so, and the scale turned into a hard, round shield which protected him from the flames. The dragon roared with frustration, turned and flew back.

“Now kill me,” said the snake, but the apprentice still refused.

He ran on south, across the river and down the plains. He could see the welcoming peaks of Mount Zanubegil in the distance, when he heard the dragon’s roar again. It was ripping and shredding with its claws, tearing at the ground, pulling up trees, gashing the earth.

“Take a scale and hold it to your chest,” the snake said.

The apprentice did so, and the scale turned into a strong and hard chest mail that covered his torso, and protected him from the terrible claws. The dragon roared again and turned back.

“Now kill me,” said the snake, again, but the apprentice still refused.

He ran and crawled and crawled and ran, till he was under the shadow of the mountain itself, and then he heard the dragon again. Its tail was beating and crashing into the rocks, causing enormous stones to fall.

“Take the last scale and place it on your head,” the snake said.

The apprentice did so, and the scale turned into a strong and wellmade helmet that protected him from the rocks and the lashing tail. The dragon now finally gave up and flew home.

The apprentice happily entered the great doorways of the mountain kingdom, and strode as fast as he could to the caverns of his master, but his happiness was short lived, for the sound he heard as he approached, was the one of celebration. Indeed, just then was the master performing the ceremony of the keys, and his master-siblings were jubilating their inheritance.

He was ready to fall down and weep again, but the snake insisted, “if you want your prize, now is your last chance. Kill me now, or forever have lost.”

Blinded by tears, the apprentice took his knife and pierced the skull of the snake.

Wonder of wonders! The creature shrivelled up, and from the old skin a new creature emerged; a snake brilliantly coloured, and with the wings of a fairy! It flew across the ceremony hall, and tore the throat of the siblings’ tinich, and from the destroyed dragon a mere snake emerged.

And thus – only the apprentice was in possession of both a fairy dragon, real dragon hide, and now the keys to his master’s forge and work shop.

“And the helmet you see before you, o tradesman, was that very same transformed dragon scale, which has passed from craftsman to apprentice through the centuries, before it now is mine,” finished the dwarf. “So what will you buy it for?”

“Nothing,” said Kavar. “For there is dwarfblood in my veins, from those who were willing to share with each other, but who paid dearly for their fault in robbing someone who should have been their sibling-in-craft. The helm is more costly than I could pay, and yet worth much less than their friendship might have been worth. Will you work with me now?”