“I don’t want to see a single stain” hissed Daegond. He was sitting on a bench like a hunchback, both of his boots were on a stool and he was nibbling some nuts. Both of his arms were open wide to grip the bench rest. It was a sign of confidence. Overconfidence even. Too much confidence for the nature of Hall of Fire.
“Yes yes” said the boy. Standing next to the most unpleasant elf ever decided to live in Rivendell was in his watch now. He sighed to his misfortune while working on the hound’s new shoulder pads. Golden was their colour and though hardly strikingly beautiful, the owner of these rank pads decided to show them as important and prominent as possible. Now he had also captured a lazy household elf to have them brushed. The boy was brushing them with a horsehair brush and occasionally blowing on them.
“Sergeant! … Can you believe… the importance of my post to this valley?” Asked Daegond, one third of his tongue was sticking out as he nibbled some walnuts in a trance manner.
“Yes of course” replied the household boy. “What would we do without you?”
Daegond stared at the boy sideways as if he was a young tree and himself an unemployed lumberjack.
“Are you being sarcastic to me? Failing to deliver sweet rolls made a dick out of you I see” Daegond said. The boy was just happened to be there while the hound was hungry.
“No sergeant, I am just being late to my quarters. Since I am brushing your new ranks for half an hour, rolls are late to some other room” the boy cried.
“Brush them good my boy” Daegond said in a comfortable manner. “We can’t afford a stain on the order’s fortunes now can we?”
The boy did not answer. There was no answer to that either. Every answer was extending his unpleasant stay here so what was the point in retort. He did shut up and kept brushing. Then a miracle happened!
“Sergeant Daegond, a letter to Sergeant D.. oh here you are” said a voice, coming from the hall. Daegond did not turn his head. Extended his right arm and waited till a letter reached to his hand. Mimicking Veryacano to his own pleasure. Wasn’t he the example of everything good in this valley?
He then looked at the envelope as the delivery boy took off and in the company of brush strokes. The letter was marked with a Swan seal. “Official business” he thought.
He opened the envelope with his teeth and spit the edge away. Then looking at the letter’s bottom to see the signature and read Lord Ambassador there. Lord Parnard sent him a letter! Then his eyes slowly traveled upwards to see how it started to adress.
“Sir..”
All pigeons flapped their wings in terror and fled in the outer yard. As Daegond’s laughter was bright and loud. “Sir’ he calls me. Ha ha ha… now now… “ Then he kept reading the content with and occasional nod here and then.
Finishing the letter he looked at the ceiling and delivered another walnut to his already busy mouth. “That would do boy” he said. It seems I need to go.
“Oh already?” the boy said sarcastically.
“Yes” replied Daegond, ignorantly. “Do you pray know, what is the best pleasure to do in the peacetime?”
“Poetry?” said the boy naively.
“Nay! It is having a good meal and having a good wipe” said Daegond. He was waving Parnard’s letter in front of the boy with a sly snarl.
The boy gulped.
Daegond stood up and grabbed his Hammer. Then left Hall of Fire meet with his chamber pot in his quarters as Parnard perfectly put. Then going back to the main hall with a whistle, traveled through many corridors and kicked the healer’s room with his left foot and the hallway filled with a nasty shout.
“On your feet!” The newly appointed sergeant barked. Estarfin was there among other patients. Some did wake up in terror and were trying to regain their balance. Healers were in full protest to this disgrace. Daegond ignored them with a shake of his hand, stood in front of Estarfin with a nasty look in his eyes. His loose gown and withered face was hardly the elf this old hound knew. Then he plunged his hand to his pocket, revealing two six sided dices.
“Time to repay your sins Hammerite” snarled Daegond as he walked close to Estarfin. In the meanwhile the merituous healers were already looking someone with authority to get him out. But there was some time enough to repay some sins indeed.
