"Good morning, Kvalinn. Ready to go back to school?" Bekhi seemed to be back to her normal self, and was washing dishes in her usual outfit. "How are your burns doing? Think you can make the trip back down to Nurnwuhr?"
"I'm feeling a little better, but I'm not looking forward to three days of walking." I was still feeling very stiff, and my hands were wrapped up with burn ointments, so the trip back home would probably be very long and very, very, miserable.
"No need to worry about that." Dak walked into the kitchen with a traveling bag on his back and weapons strapped to his side. "As thanks for making the weapon, I'll be paying Kholgaik to let you ride on one of the wagons."
"Why do you look prepared for a trip, Dad? Are you going down to trade food for mead with the humans down the mountain?"
"Not this time, Bekhi. I'm going down to Nurnwuhr with you and Kvalinn. I've got to explain to Kvalinn's father why his son is coming back burned and unable to work. Plus, I've got to report to King Thralgrorlum why Vesturhildrun has a new high powered runed weapon in its arsenal. But I'll make that report on the way back."
"Thank you for paying the extra fee, Dak, and also for explaining things to my father. He will likely be very annoyed that I won't be able to help him at home for a while." Not to mention I was feeling annoyed that I wouldn't be able to work, although I was mostly annoyed with myself for messing up the rune crafting, and I was not looking forward to the lecture from Elder Thrikrondromm.
"Not a problem, Kvalinn. If you're all packed then we should get going. C'mon everybody, we're gonna see Bekhi off to school." Bekhi's mother and most of her brothers and sisters gathered around the door, and together, we all made our way to the surface door.
As we walked through the town I was greeted by several of the townsfolk as if I were one of their own, and several of them asked when I'd be back to make weapons for them. Bekhi's brothers were no different, the younger ones swinging their practice weapons about while pretending they had the rune of fire, and I had to make numerous promises to everyone that I'd be back soon for a much longer visit.
Eventually we made it to the surface door, and after Kholgaik was paid for a couple spots on the wagon, we started making our way down the dark road. Although calling them spots was generous, they basically just squished sacks of grain together to make a space where we could wedge ourselves into.
"Finally, no kids, no farm work, no responsibilities, I'll be taking a well deserved nap. Wake me if goblins attack, but only if you can't take care of them yourselves. This is the first chance I've had for a nap in years." With that, Dak proceeded to fall fast asleep against a sack of grain and started to snore surprisingly loudly.
"That won't attract goblins, will it?" I looked questioningly at Bekhi, since she had made the trip a couple times more than me. She just shrugged.
"I doubt it. Dad probably does this every time he has to attend the Samkoma, the gathering of the Thanes held every five years. So if he's not concerned about it, then I doubt we should be. I was kinda hoping we'd get attacked though, dad let me borrow one of the weapons you brought last time. The one with the rune of starlight, and I was hoping that I'd get to use it on some goblins before school started."
"I'd prefer not to get attacked right now." I held up my still bandaged hands. "If the monsters get attracted to me again I'd have no way to defend myself unless I strapped two shields to my arms."
"Good point, I guess the goblins get to live another day." Bekhi grumbled about not getting to fight with her new weapon for a bit before moving onto another topic. "So, Kvalinn. What are you thinkin' about doing after graduating from school?"
"Travel the world." Came the instant reply. "Elder Thrikrondromm can't take me as an apprentice for a century at least, and my father says that I'm reaching the limits of what he can teach in lessons, and I have to learn the rest through centuries of practice. So I want to see what else is out there in the world." I left unspoken that I wanted to learn what tech advancements were out there and bring it all back here to work on and get the industrial revolution started.
From what I had learned in geography classes. The entire world was in a state of affairs similar to the dark ages on Earth. A once great empire that spanned the surface of the continent had broken up into several smaller pieces, and while they weren't currently warring, they were always squabbling and fighting for petty reasons. Technology was almost a forbidden word, with the emphasis being almost entirely focused on magic, the result of a long lost Elven empire that had ruled the surface before the humans and dwarves threw them back onto their island. So it would be a long search for me to find anyone dedicated to advancing the non magical arts.
"Where will you go?" Bekhi asked in a quiet voice.
"I'll go west, to Handel. They are a trading country, so there is bound to be a lot of trade convoys needing a guard. I'll join one of them and get to see the world while getting paid."
"But won't it be dangerous? There are all sorts of monsters and evil humans and (swear word untranslatable) elves, and you still can't beat me in combat training yet! How will you protect yourself from them?"
"There are dangers everywhere." I countered while looking at my bandaged hands. "We got attacked twice while in our own mountain, and then snow wraiths attacked your home. I can't just sit around at home to prevent getting into danger. Besides, I'll add magical runes to my equipment so I should be moderately safe out there."
"What about your dad? Will he be alright without you? And what about Zikruk?"
"My father should be fine without me. He'll just keep working like he has for centuries. As for Zikruk, I assume he'll keep working with his father to grow as a merchant." I'd definitely miss my father, but I had died as a fully grown adult and now that I had been stuck in the body of a kid for the last fourteen years, I was more than ready to spread my wings again.
"Enough about me." I said with a grin. "What are you planning on doing after graduation? You are overdue for a long visit with your family, and they probably won't let you go until you have spent at least a year or two with them."
"I-I'm not sure." Bekhi's voice was surprisingly soft, enough so that I barely heard it over the rattling of the wagons. Evidently it wasn't a topic she wanted to talk about, so I quickly changed the subject to homework, and we spent the next couple days going over our notes and studying together.
From what I had heard from students who had already turned fifteen and finished with school, failure was an option. But, if you were deemed a failure by the Elders, then they would not allow you to present your work to the Thane, and then the rest of your clan would see you as a failure for decades, if not centuries. So instead of exiting the school with a bright career ahead, you would be stuck with the worst jobs and territories while trying to regain the respect of your clan.
On the final day of the New Year's celebration, we finally arrived home at Nurnwuhr. It felt good to be back home, surrounded by cold stone, and with the smell of charcoal hearths and strong dwarven beer filling the chilled, but not cold, air. Dak only woke up from his nap once the carriages reached their destination. Somehow he had remained asleep for three whole days!
"Botvid's bilge, I always forget how dark it is down here." Dak yawned dramatically while cracking his back and neck. Acting like a dad who had just gotten off a long flight. "Alright, Kvalinn. Lead the way to your house, after talking with your father I'll need to stop in to see Thane Throdhengrun. We Thane's don't like it if visiting Thane's don't pay a visit when they're in town."
"Is that why you always go hunting when Thane Vamnoth comes to vis-" Bekhi's comment was hastily interrupted by Dak.
"Right! What are you waiting for, Kvalinn? Let's go!" He then started walking in the exact opposite direction in an attempt to change the subject.
After getting our bags from the wagons, we caught up with Dak and eventually we made our way to my home. Inside, we found Aundarord and Zikruk earnestly chatting over a mug of beer while my father was working.
"I'm telling you, Ekgor. We need that shipment of swords as soon as possible. Can't you get it done any sooner? The Zaihanians attacks are growing fiercer every day."
"I don't care if the empire itself is attacking. I will not lower the quality of my work to make more weapons! That's final!"
"What if you use that?" Zikruk pointed at my trip hammer that was sitting idly at its station. "Kvalinn said it's made work a lot easier here." Father just grunted dismissively.
"The way of our ancestors has worked for thousands of years. I see no way to change two hundred years of practice just for a little more speed in crafting. Besides," father let his voice grow annoyed and quiet. "Only Kvalinn knows how to work it."
I cleared my throat to get their attention. "I'm home, Father."
"Welcome back, Kvalinn. Quickly, grab your hammer and- Who's this?"
Dak stepped forward, and with the most dignity I'd ever seen from him, practically radiating authority, he held up his hammer with head held downward, signifying that he came in peace, and that he was above my father in rank. "Greetings, Ekgor Blazingbrand. I am Thane Thredak Fieryrage of Vesturhildrun, may this meeting bring honor to the Kingdom of Einangrad."
Father hastily put his work away and held out his own hammer. "Greetings, Thane Thredak. It is my honor to host this meeting. If my offspring has damaged goods or lands, I ask that you not hold my kin responsible for my parental failures, and I will pay for any damages sought by the injured."
It was a traditional apology that my father had been forced to give numerous times due to my experimental runes, so he expected that I had just gotten into much bigger trouble this time to warrant a Thane coming to visit him. I could see the corner of Dak's lips twitch as he struggled to hold back his usual relaxed smile.
"On the contrary. I am actually the one here to apologize. Kvalinn was injured when he assisted in repelling a monster attack. He has been treated by the best physicians available in my town, but he will still have difficulty working for a few more days. So I have come to compensate you for the loss of his work."
Father shot me a glance, taking note of my bandaged hands, and nodded to himself. "Please, come inside. Such matters should not be discussed without strong beer. The merchant who sells my weapons should join us, since this will affect his sales. Kvalinn, bring out three mugs and a cask of the good beer, and then clean what you can."
After giving me the instructions, he escorted Aundarord and Dak to the dining room with a level of politeness I had never seen him give anyone before. Once I had retrieved the beer from the cellar, Zikruk pressed me for details.
"Alright, what happened up there? Did you actually fight off a bunch of monsters? Or was it just some rune you accidentally made?"
I was a little peeved that Zikruk thought I was the one who caused the disaster, but since I still owed him for keeping me out of trouble several times at school, I gave a brief summation. "A bunch of monsters called snow wraiths definitely attacked Vesturhildrun while we were there. And since they were nearly immune to regular weapons, I had to craft a rune of fire to defeat them. I made the rune too powerful though, and that's how this happened." I raised my bandaged hands up. "The rune heated the handle of the weapon like a hot poker, and since it was my mistake, I had to wield the runed weapon and kill the monsters."
"Huh, so what's Bekhi doing here then?" Zikruk asked with a raised eyebrow. "Shouldn't this just be a matter between Thane Thredak and your father?"
"Thane Thredak is my dad." Bekhi revealed to the surprised Zikruk. "After he finishes talking with Ekgor, I'll be taking my dad to Thane Throdhengrun's residence to stay the night."
"Wait a minute! Did you just say that you are the daughter of a Thane!? Shouldn't you be assisting your father in the management of the town!? As is expected of the Thane's children!"
Bekhi snorted, both in dismissal and amusement. "I've got eighteen brothers and sisters already doing that job, nineteen if you count the one due in the summer." Zikruk reacted similarly to how my father had.
"Ancestors preserve us!" Zikruk had to take a seat to stop himself from falling over. "How is your father able to support that many children when he doesn't appear to be more than a hundred winters old!?"
"My dad just works hard for the town, and the town works hard to support him. We also get a lot of food from the farm. My mom is really good at taking care of the animals, and all of us kids help out too."
"That's besides the point anyway." I had found from experience that conversation with Bekhi about her brothers and sister could last for days, so I tried to redirect the conversation to something productive. "I came in just as your father was pressing for more weapons. Did another big order come in while I was gone?"
"Big order is an understatement." Zikruk shook his head to dismiss the thoughts of Dak's prodigious amounts of progeny, and got into merchant mode. "King Thralgrorlum put out a request for as many weapons as possible, and his armorer will pay per weapon delivered to Midfjall. So my father is going to all the smiths who work with him to get a large order ready. If your hands weren't hurt, I'd ask you to work with your father to get as many swords as possible ready for combat."
"I can work the trip hammer at least. My father will just need to do the fine details work." I used the crook of my elbow to start pumping the bellows, and then clumsily started filling up the steam engine with water. Since I hadn't been able to make all the weapons that had been ordered by Bekhi's family, I was out a bunch of tasty foods, and I wanted to earn some extra spending money from my father to order them next year.
"Kvalinn, stop." Bekhi stopped my hands with hers. "You need at least two more days of rest before getting back to work. Be sure to tell that to Eldger Voghigg and Elder Thrikrondromm tomorrow."
Before I could object, our collective father's came out of their conference. Dak had a self satisfied look on his face, as if he had pulled off a perfect trick. Aundarord somehow looked both nervous and excited. While my father had a distant and shell shocked look in his eyes, and he absentmindedly gave a respectful farewell.
"Thank you for coming down to tell of my son's honorable actions in person. As for your offer, I will need to consult with my clan, but I'm sure it will be favorably received. May the ancestors guide you on your way home."
Dak then left with Bekhi to go stay in our local Thane's residence, and Aundarord left with Zikruk after a hurried and whispered conversation with my father. After they left, my father just stared in silence at the open door. Since I couldn't do my usual work, I waited for my father to say anything while sipping a beer from the cask he kept in the forge room.
It wasn't until ten minutes later, when I was deep into my second beer, that father spoke up. His voice indicated that he was exceedingly sorrowful.
"When I said to befriend the surface dwarf, Bekhi. The last thing I thought was for her to be the daughter of the Thane of Vesturhildrun. And when you went up to the surface to avoid the ire of the town, I did not expect the Thane himself to come down to my forge to praise your deeds, and bring an offer of marriage between you and his daughter."
I choked on my beer from that last statement. Spending the next few minutes coughing and trying to recover my breath as Father looked at me sympathetically.
"I had the same reaction when Thane Thredak gave me the offer. I had hoped to spare you from an arranged marriage for the good of the clan, but it seems that you've attracted too much attention on your trip. I am truly sorry, Kvalinn."
When I recovered from my coughing fit, and was about to speak up, Father started talking over me. "These are just marriage talks, if they fall through at the next clan gathering during the next New Year's celebration, then you can still remain single like me. Or at least you can until the clan forces you to get married in a few centuries."
"W-what happens if the marriage talks succeed?" I asked with hesitation. I didn't have anything against marriage, or even marrying Bekhi, but I had no idea whatsoever on the marriage procedures in this world.
Father grimaced, and threw back an entire mug of beer, as if to erase a painful memory before replying. "If the talks go well, and they likely will with both my father and Thane Thredak applying pressure, then you two will be betrothed, and bound to be married when you are considered an adult by the Weapon Clan."
"So will I need to do anything?" I thought back to my previous life where it was expected to get an engagement ring, a wedding ring, throw bachelor parties, book a church, and a whole bunch of other expensive stuff.
"Depends on what you want to do." Father's voice now had a probing tone to it, his eyes seemed unsure, something he almost never was about anything. "If you are going to keep your freedom, then you will need to break off your friendship from Bekhi immediately, and hope she doesn't press the matter with her father. But… If you intend to go along with this," Father gagged as he spoke a word he hated. "Marriage. Then all you have to do is go along with this and have a house and shop prepared by the time you come of age. With your talents and abilities, that should be the easy part."
I sensed a catch in his words. "So what's the hard part?"
"Living with your wife." Father knocked back another beer, and chased it down with a second one. "Your mother was a good woman, all things considered, but she expected me to keep things clean and not work past the evening meal! She even once tried to have me take a day off to spend time with her! And locked up the beer cellar until I did so!" A third beer seemed to calm my father a little from the memories. "If you think you can deal with that, then the ancestors have given you more strength than they did me."
Father refilled both of our beer mugs, tipping the cask forward to get the last dregs from the barrel. I sipped my beer thoughtfully. In my previous life, I had been in a couple short term relationships, but nothing even approaching marriage. As for this life, I had kept myself busy with work and school, not even giving the subject of marriage or dating a passing thought. But that was mostly because there were no dating apps here to remind me to swipe right.
The more I thought about it though, the more the thought of marrying Bekhi sounded… Nice. Bekhi had always been nearby me, helping me out when I was in trouble, teaching me extensive combat skills and supporting me when I felt down about my rune crafting and steam engine failures. It may have been a bit cliche to marry the childhood friend, but I was a sucker for that sort of thing.
Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I got the ball rolling. "Would I need to get involved in the discussions of bride price and dowry? Or is that all done by the clan?"
"Ancestors beard, you are actually thinking of going forward with this? Think carefully, Kvalinn. A dwarf usually only gets married once in their life. Although I'm still avoiding my father to keep from getting married again, but then again, you getting married might take his focus off me for a couple decades at least."
"You keep mentioning my grandfather, what does he have to do with me getting married?" To the best of my knowledge, my father had never mentioned his father before today, and I had never thought to bring it up.
"My father is the head of the Weapon Clan in Einangrad." After shaking the beer barrel to see if there was anything left, Father put down his mug with a sigh. "I was raised as the son of the clan head, but all the tradition, ceremonies, and endless meetings got in the way of my work. So as soon as I was declared an adult by the clan, I vanished from their sight and came down here to work in peace. But around thirty years ago, your grandfather had me dragged up to the capital and married me to your mother to strengthen their ties to the Armor Clan. Occasionally I'll still get messages from my father asking me to remarry, but I've been stalling by saying that I'm training you."
"Why does grandfather want you to get remarried?" Father waved dismissively in annoyance at my question, once again shaking the empty barrel for beer.
"Usually it's something about you needing a mother, or giving him more heirs, or growing the Weapon Clan. But in reality it's to keep his position in the clan secure, and keep me from my work." Father's face brightened a little from his dour expression. "If you get married, then he will get off my back for a while, and since you will be getting married to a Thane's daughter, it will make him happier than if he received a barrel of XXXXXX brew. But again, think carefully about this decision. It's one that will affect your life for decades, possibly centuries depending on the ancestors' wills."
"It's a good match, Father. Bekhi is the most enthusiastic user of my weapons, and she is the best at using them. With her achieving renown wielding my weapons then I'm sure to sell for good prices. A-and, I think she likes me, a-and I-I like her too." I could feel my cheeks going red from saying that, as I noticed that the alcohol in the forge room was stronger than it usually was. Father shook his head dolefully and shrugged.
"If you say so, just don't say I didn't warn you after a few decades has made you regret your decision."
The rest of the night was spent discussing dwarven marriage customs, proper greetings, respectable methods of communicating affection between couples, all the stuff that my father had hoped that he would never have to teach me. Fortunately I knew about the birds and the bees from my previous life, because Father never even so much as mentioned hand holding, let alone hugs, kisses, or anything more. I made a mental note to get more information via letter from Dak in regards to dwarven relationships.