Rounding up the peasant group, and Othob as well, who was now more or less recovered from his ngumrash fever, Reudh took them to a newly tilled plot, that Kenozi was working on.
Looking up, Kenozi stood tall. The peasants cowered away from the stony-eyed elf, who smiled calmly at them.
"Reudh, I have tilled the field. We can now begin planting."
The peasants all took a few seeds, and began planting them spaced out in the patch. Kenozi stood back a little, breathing a little heavily from his exertions. Some part of him, perhaps his long forgotten elven heritage, approved of these dwarves giving life to the plants. Perhaps their peoples were not so different after all.
Reudh kept half the patch seperate for his coffee cherries. He put some of the leaves in a stone bowl he'd made with a lid; it stood almost as tall as the dwarf. He supplied the mulch bowl with some soil and a worm or two; leaving it to rot for a few weeks would provide nutritious compost for the soil. This was going to be a fine farm plot.
The peasants seemed still a bit wary of the elf watching them, especially Othob. The poor sod was terrified and tried to stay far away from Kenozi while still doing his job.
Having finished planting, Reudh told the peasants to go find a bucket; fill it with any water and come back to the farm plot.
All but Othob, of course.
"Othob, what makes you so afraid of Kenozi? He's a nice person," Reudh asked the quivering lump of dwarf that was Othob.
"He... his eyes... they look like a demon's eyes... They look like they will eat me up..."
Kenozi suddenly looked weary. "Dwarf, I will not harm you. I made a vow that I would never harm or think ill of a dwarf for the rest of my life, for they gave me life once again. Without the dwarves you live with, I would likely be dead, or worse, still impaled on Thari's gibbet as flesh for her minions. Hence, when I joined this fortress, I have now forsaken my elven heritage. I am a dwarf in all but body, now. I owe my sight to Reudh, and my life to Wierd, for it was he that killed Thari."
Othob stopped cowering, then with a pale look on his face, he spoke.
"Mr Elf, I think you are a good person... but them eyes frighten me so. I think I can be nice to you and not scared, but I can't look at them eyes."
With that, the scrawny young dwarf scuttled away to his room, still at least a bit frightened.
Reudh looked apologetically at Kenozi.
"I'm sorry about Othob. He's only young, and not very bright. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone."
"It is of no matter, Reudh. These eyes give me sight and I do not care the fright they cause people, for if I had no sight I would have no point in life."
The vehemence in Kenozi's voice was quite strong, and so Reudh was a little taken aback.
"You say that as if Othob wants to take your eyes away."
"No, Reudh. I do not like his fearing of me, as I am utterly harmless to him. I would not harm a hair on his head, or anyone else in the fortress. You all are my family now."
"Very well, Kenozi. I'll leave you alone for a little while if you want. I've got a few things to do," and so Reudh left the farm.
"Ah, Kenozi... you must be nicer to the young dwarves," Kenozi admonished himself, then left to his room again.
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Topic: If Bay Forum were a Mountain Hall, continued... FULL DISCLOSURE (Read 266259 times)