((In a cloth-bound diary, in a guest room of the hall of the Order of the Divine Brew))
His poetry was bright with embroidery,
To woo her and never avoid her, he
But when Midarin was hale,
He blamed all this on ale,
And so Zhigi should marry a brewery!
Such were the lopsided lines I sent in response to the lavish poem concerning the color of my hair, and the supposed quality of my heart, by the tailor, Midarin - who later tried to disavow them, citing alcohol and lord Dwalin as the chief perpetrators instead.
In through that door he swooped, gleefully invading a quiet evening with other ladies of the Hall and our cakes and our comfortable chit-chat: squawking his praises unasked for, and crowing about his new royal commission for all of us to coo over. Would we like any robes made for Yule? Or cloaks? Or... dresses? Fryjpora made her leave at that point, early and wisely, while Rjupa wore blue, for a change, stalwart to the last in declining, and Mother Kveltrild freely engaged the tailor in discussions of emerald hues with the kindness of a commission of her own. He gobbled down a lot of cakes.
It was hues of flame though, which drew the tailor over to me and my stubborn beard, that scrap of amber which announces my clan and ancestry. So now my heart is fiery? This dwarrow has not let me get a word in edgewise, let alone spy at my very heart! And when did my braids become famous, when I've barely been in this town for two sunsets? And when did I or anyone enjoy being the subject of such glowing praise, so roughly appliquéd on and set to rhyme.
But Lord Dwalin had kept him in too many ales at a fitting, just previously... and so none of that was really him speaking, he assures us the next day. Sure! Rjupa had a choice poem for him, about invading ladies' houses, and about the sharp edge of her axe. Trust Rjupa to hack back! In the end Midarin was scolded by all of us for his intrusion - and rightfully so: the vulture of maidens' parties! But my poor poem did something worse. It gave him hope that he'd actually said something nice. It gave him hope to try again!
