were to be subjected to their rule, and the dragons and giants were to rule supreme. Verzkor could not believe the evil that had seeded in his son, so he banished him from their lands. Verkoth, in his wrath, swore vengeance. He invaded his own land with his dark followers and threw down his own father, taking upon himself the title of Dragon Lord.
“Thus the dragons and the Fire Giants came into an alliance. The Frost Giants were unable to hold them back, and were driven back to their own arctic lands. The Fire Giants could not risk the revolt the Frost Giants would lead, so they decided that the Frost Giants must be destroyed.
“But there stood Grothingar the Mighty.
“Though the Fire Giants breached their lands, they faced the capitol city of the Frost Giants. Never before had it been breached, and never before had it fallen. Avalkand was determined to be the first.
“The gate was breached and the Fire Giants, with the dragons, began to fight. They did not expect Grothingar to prove his name as well as he did.
“Atop the wall, Grothingar fought in an epic duel with Avalkand. Grothingar the Mighty had no match, and soon was driving Avalkand towards the edge. The Lord of the Fire Giants knew his demise was nigh, and so he called upon Verkoth the Dragon Lord.
“Now it must be said that Verkoth had a son, whose name was Vervold. Vervold saw the ways of his father and knew they were evil, instead believing in the course of the Frost Giants. He refused to fight, but was forced by his evil father.
“Though Verkoth joined the fight against Grothingar, it availed nothing. As the Frost Giants watched their leader take on such mighty foes, they rose up and fought with ever increasing vigor against their enemies.
“With a great heave Grothingar threw Verkoth from the wall. Vervold jumped into the fray and fought his own father, killing him in combat. This would not have been had it not been for Grothingar the Mighty.
“With the dragons leaderless and in disarray, the Frost Giants took courage and fought ever harder. They fought not for dominion or power, but for their homes and families, to protect.
“Grothingar overpowered Avalkand and forced him to the side, where Avalkand made his escape by jumping down from the great wall. Not before Grothingar could land a crippling blow, rendering Avalkand’s right eye blind. Avalkand and his Fire Giants may have escaped that day, but the Frost Giants were victorious. The dragons retreated from the war into their own lands. Their story continues, but it is not a part of this tale.
“Grothingar pursued Avalkand all the way back to the land of the Fire Giants, but there the Frost Giants chose to stop. They made a pact with the Fire Giants, and both sides went away in peace.
“Thus the giants came to peace, the race of men was saved, and the world lived in harmony.
“And such was because of Grothingar the Mighty.”
Chess games and the forge
Nicholas begs Mother to read another, specifically the one involving the dragons. She refuses, mostly because of the length of the one she has already read.
I smile slightly. It feels good to hear something like that again. It takes me away from the war and from the turmoil inside me. For a moment I get to feel like a small child, lost in the legends and stories of the gods.
Then I shake myself from my thoughts and, having forgotten what it was I had gone down the hall for, walk back toward the den.
I change into something slightly more comfortable and sit in a chair padded with blankets and pillows. I do not plan on sleeping. If something happens, it will happen at night. And I need to be ready for it.
Nathaniel is already drifting off in his chair, similarly padded. There I sit all night, alone with my thoughts, with only a few hours of sleep. Aela fills my mind and I am unable to get her out.
The next morning I cannot think straight. I am overcome with an intense tension of the mind; it is as if all of the stress of the past few months has saved itself to press upon me at this time specifically. So much death. The loss of my father. The people I’ve killed. Those I have watched die. So much death.
Nathaniel tries to talk to me, but I have trouble even paying attention to keep the conversation. Eventually I