— It's late, but there's one last place I'd like to take you. — Sindar said.
— Where? — Eastar asked.
They were at the back of the royal castle, in an area where blacksmiths worked, small stone shacks with smoke-laden chimneys were scattered, and apprentices were running around carrying bellows and hammers.
— My little private hill. That's where I go a few nights to play in the starlight. But first, I need to get my lute from the castle.
The princess saw the young stellar's eyes shine even brighter than usual and smiled as he nodded, unable to hide his excitement.
— Hey, boy! Can you come here a second?
Eastar looked back. A man in a brown apron, very dirty and worn, waved as he walked toward them. Came from a shed larger than the other, where there were two spears and a stardust sword hanging on steel rods on the wall outside.
And, right next door, two figures that called his attention.
Two huge men, over two meters tall, with bulging, hairy bellies, full, rumpled beards, with short, sweaty hair. One was identical to the other, which made Eastar very confused.
One of them was sitting while another wiped a damp cloth on his forehead, blood ran down the giant's seated face and he hiss every time the other touched the cut to clean it.
No doubt it was the Wild Twins the swordsmen had spoken on the day before.
Eastar's eyes sparkled at those two huge fighting machines. They both looked at him after the scream of the blacksmith who had called for the star. The one sat snorted and turned his face while the standing widened his eyes, took a hand to his face and made a reverence to the princess. To the blue-eyed star, he grinned and waved.
— Garret! Good to see you! — Sindar waved at the man in the apron, smiling.
This brought the young star back to the main subject. He recognized the blacksmith's name and followed the princess curiously.
Garret had thick trunk arms, was short, and a black beard filled his face, his hair was large in a kind of sphere over his head, and it stuck to his forehead from sweat.
— Highness? I'd not recognized you. How are you? — Beneath the beard it was difficult to know if he smiled, but the wrinkles formed next to his eyes betrayed it .
— Very well. What are you doing?
— Some arrowheads, some horseshoes. — He pointed back with his thumb. — Fixing Relles's hammer, too, I still don't understand how he can ruin such a monstrosity…. In short, the usual, BUT! — He held up a finger and pointed at the stellar, and now his smile became noticeable as his yellowed teeth appeared. — This young star has given me an incredible challenge! I started to study your bow rod, boy. That is, not only it, we'll need ropes of dust too, to withstand the pressure.
— Seriously? I can see?
Sindar could have sworn her day companion would start jumping excitedly like a child, but he seemed to resist the urge.
— Ha! Calm down, boy! — The smith laughed at the enthusiasm on the young star's face. — Not ready yet, just collected the materials. I didn't do anything big, wanted to see your size first. — He scratched his beard. — I needed a few tests to see how strong the bow would have to withstand and how tall it would be, so I can figure out how much dust I'll spend.
— Oh yes, I see. — Eastar calmed down, lowering his head .
— You're very anxious, aren't you? — Garret put a hand on his shoulder. — Very well, now I know your size. As for strength, let's see. — He crossed his arms, then opened his eyes wide and punched his own hand. — Of course! Come with me.
Garrett turned and headed in the direction of your shed. The couple exchanged glances.
— Hurry up, I don't have all day! — He stopped at the door, then turned and get out of sight. — And those two won't devour you! — Scream from inside the building.
The Wild Twins laughed and called them both.
The youths followed, passing by the men. The princess received new reverences and Eastar...
Won a hug.
— So it's you!
The standing man grabbed and pulled him off the floor.
— Relles, he's beautiful! And it's very strong too, look at these muscles! I wanted to see a fight between you two. — He smiled and set the star, completely confused, on the floor.
— Remus, leave the boy alone. — The one sitting turned to Eastar. — Nice to meet you, boy. — He smiled and spat on the floor. — Will be interesting to fight with you or your father.
— I think so too. — The star scratched his neck with a grim smile.
— Now get in there before Garret breaks your legs. — The sitting giant gave a wild smile.
The couple hurry up into the stone shed.
There was a large oven in a corner, beyond some molds of stone scattered by the enclosure. And rods on the walls hung weapons, as well as a large blacksmith's hammer, beside two enormous golden hammers. A large basket was full of arrows and a large bellows was propped against the wall beside it.
— I want you to get it out of here. — Garret pointed to a block on the floor.
It was made of heavy metal, the length of a lying man, and almost one meter high, handles protruding from its sides.
— This is a base that I use when working with dust, it is more resistant to hammering and so I avoid wrinkles on its surface that can leave the blades bent. — The smith continued, as the stellar was positioned next to the block.
— And all I have to do is lift it?
— Don't think it's that simple. — Garret raised a hand and made a negative sign with a finger. — It's incredibly heavy and...
Eastar gripped one of the handles with his right hand and pulled the block upward. Taking it off the ground and lifting it over its head, grunting with the effort.
— Hell, it's really heavy. — He replaced the block, panting and massaging his arm. — It's the most I can do.
He looked at the smith and saw that he was standing with his finger still raised and his mouth open. Sindar covered her mouth with one hand and her eyes were wide. From the doorway, the faces of Relles and Remus were struck.
— What's it? You asked me to lift it.
— Well, yes. — Garret cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. — But I thought you'd hold the strap with both hands and just lift it from one side, or at most lift it a few inches off the ground, that's the kind of strength I usually work in this city.... Fuck! Relles is the only one who could get something like that!
The giant nodded from the entrance to the shed, still open-mouthed, as his brother. Garret was startled, remembering that he had said a curse word, and covered his mouth.
— Forgive me, Your Highness, but this is heavier than a horse!
The girl barely noticed what the blacksmith had said, the strength of the star still impressing her. Eastar grinned and put his hands behind his head.
— Anyway — dontinued the blacksmith, scratching his head. —, at least I understand your strength now. I will need to use a lot more dust than I imagined. The strings will have to be made completely of this.
The blacksmith began pacing the room and went to a corner where there were a few barrels, took off the lid of one and the dust it contained illuminated the room of gold and blue.
— Maybe in the bow I can use some copper to make it more malleable. However, it will be very little, the dust should occupy the full length of the arch and be thick in the center. — He hardly seemed to remember that the couple were still there, and kept saying:
— Well, the king provided me with a barrel, so the amount will be no problem. I not even received a request to use the material after the last swords and spears I did, but lost some in the battle of South Void.
— And when do you think it will be ready? — Sindar asked.
Garret was frightened, recalled the visits and leaves his reverie.
— Hard to say, Your Highness. This amount of dust will take a long time to get the shape or color I want to use. Maybe two months, maybe a little less, but I'll do my best. — He walked over to them and started pushing them out. — Now go, my dears. I have work to do and I don't want to dirty you with smoke and rust.
— But I can help! I know how to handle dust ...
— How did you did with your jumpsuit? Better not, you have more things to do. — The princess laughed.
— Okay, I'm not that good at it, but I can help, so we could cut down on work time.
— Eastar... — The princess looked at him, raised one eyebrows, and he remembered their commitment.
— Aaaahh... You know, I trust you! — He patted the smith's shoulder as smiled broadly. — But I'll make some visits to help.
— Smoothly. — The blacksmith agreed.
The couple said good-bye to Garret and the twins and began their journey towards the castle as the blacksmith began his work, humming a song that seemed a little familiar to the young star.