Fay Tale - Chapter Six

“Make way! Make way for the cargo!” the ogre bellowed at the knot of well-dressed gawkers blocking his way through the wharf.

Some turned to glare at his insolent insistence that they move their expensive shoes out of the way of his wheelbarrow. When they saw it was an ogre insisting, they naturally forgot the insolence and moved. That was nice. What wasn’t so nice was the way parents gripped their children close as he passed.

Do you expect me to start snatching and eating babies in broad daylight? Maidd wondered as he pushed his barrow quickly past the knot, uncomfortable with the fear in the watchers’ eyes.

He felt a different sort of discomfort when a group of dock watchmen gripped their swords as they followed his progress, and he made sure to bellow more and push less at the knots of the crowd. By the time the ogre arrived at his ship, he was about ready to start throwing cargo at anything that even looked like it might get in his way.

“Dock’s crowed today,” one of the sailors observed.

“Took longer than I thought to get here,” Maidd replied brusquely.

“Captain won’t blame you, leastways not today. Scylla almost wrecked the tribute ship.”

“What tribute ship?”

The sailor spat in the direction of the harbor.

“King Anand pays that twice-forsaken monster out by the shoal to keep from bothering the ships.”

“The king pays the monster?” the ogre asked.

“The navy defeated it first,” another sailor was quick to add. “Pounded it with cannon and while it was distracted the mages froze the water around the rocks. The monster didn’t much like that.”

He grinned up at the ogre, seeking a similar reaction. Maidd, who had personally experienced a cold spell, saw nothing to smile over.

“Damned shame to let it live,” the first sailor said. “Should’ve killed it when they had the chance.”

He spat at the water again then grabbed one of the barrels and started loading the ship.

“Don’t mind him,” said the second, younger sailor. “He lost some kin to Scylla over the years. Before the king, ah, inherited the throne it was pretty bad at the docks. Not much work. Nobody dared to sail into the harbor with that monster lurking outside.”

“So you’re fine giving her money just to use your own harbor?” Maidd asked.

The skepticism must have shown in his voice because the sailor moved closer, lowering his voice so the others couldn’t hear.

“Grew up on farm. Good distance from town. Magical folk were outlawed then but there was a pair of goblins in the woods on our farm. Ma and Pa didn’t mind. Put out milk and a few trinkets every once in awhile. ‘Let live and let be’ they told me.”

“But you didn’t?” the ogre guessed and the man shook his head.

“My brother didn’t. One of the goblins stole a pretty little trinket he’d bought for his girl. He said enough was enough and hunted the pair down and killed them. Everything was quiet for awhile. Then we got a Hound.”

Maidd shook his head. Devil’s Hounds were nasty pieces that cropped up around areas were blood had been spilled. It was said the soul of those whose blood had been unfairly spilt came back as a gigantic black dog to pursue those who had killed them. Maidd knew better. They were spirit Folk that gorged themselves on desecrated earth and the negative feelings of those around them. The goblins must have died hating the sailor’s brother. Or perhaps the brother’s hatred had been enough to summon one.

“The Hound killed almost half the village,” the sailor said quietly. “My parents left the farm we’d been living on for generations just to get away from it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Pa said it was our fault the Hound came. ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’ he’d say. That nothing worse lived in the woods because the goblins were already there.”

The ogre looked out at the harbor.

“Hard to imagine what’s worse than a sea monster.”

“You’re not much a sailor are you?”

Maidd let a reluctant smile slip out.

“What gave it away?”

The sailor laughed and continued to chat until the first mate came out to check on the progress of the ship loading. He’d taken an obvious dislike to Maidd even though the captain had been satisfied with the dwarf’s recommendation of his work. Since he did everything he could think of to make work harder for Maidd, the ogre tried to avoid him as much as possible.

“I’ve got another delivery to grab,” Maidd said, quickly stacking what remained in the wheelbarrow off to one side. The sailor nodded in understanding.

“Luck getting through the crowds.”

“I’ll need it,” sighed the ogre.

“You poor thing. I should come along just to make sure no one tries to shove you out of the way and into the water.”

“Jystin! The ship won’t fill itself,” the first mate bellowed.

The sailor rolled his eyes but hurried back onto the ship with the next load. Maidd turned and pushed off into the crowd again.

He took to the backstreets of the docks just to avoid the crowd, which was even bigger than before. Apparently the tribute ship had returned to tell the tale of the monster’s attack and everyone was desperate to hear it.

Muttering under his breath, Maidd turned a corner and nearly ran over two walkers with his barrow.

“Sorry, didn’t see you,” he said then started to wheel around them.

“Maidd!”

He blinked in surprise at hearing his name then looked down at the human he’d almost run into. Lily grinned up at him. The ogre’s jaw dropped.

“Daddy says flies go in your mouth if it hangs open,” she told him seriously, and Maidd clamped it shut as she giggled.

“What are you doing here?” he asked then suddenly looked about suspiciously. “Where’s Angel? Lily did you slip away again?”

“I did not! Lily’s been good!” the child protested, stamping a foot.

“Then why are you at the docks all by yourself?”

“I’m not! I brought my chapperoan!”

Lily reached down and scooped up the cat at her feet, cradling him in her arms. The blue eyes blinked slowly up at the ogre who stepped back warily. However placid looking the cat seemed, it wouldn’t be the first time a tom decided to take a swipe at him.

“Bremen said we should sneak out of the house because they tried to give us a bath. Don’t like baths. Only take baths with Daddy.”

“That’s a very pretty cat but I don’t think–”

“Bremen is the prettiest cat in the kingdom! Grumps says so!”

The cat purred loudly in agreement.

“He’s very nice,” Maidd agreed politely.

Even he could tell the feline was unusual. Everything from the large, sculpted ears to the chiseled nose spoke breeding and money. Seeing the examination the cat waved his dark legs appealingly.

“Oh no you don’t. I’m not falling for that cute act,” the ogre grumbled. “The moment I try to pet you you’re gonna bite me.”

The cat stretched luxuriously in the child’s arms, as if scratching and biting were the furthest things from his mind.

“Is Maidd scared of cats?” Lily asked.

“Animals don’t like me. It’s an ogre thing.”

“That’s just cuz they don’t know you,” Lily said wisely. “Daddy says we have to get to know people that look strange before we tell them they’re strange.”

“...your father is very interesting person,” Maidd muttered then added when the child glared at him, “and back to my first point. A cat doesn’t count as a chaperone.”

“Yes he does! Bremen counts a lot!”

The ogre sighed deeply.

“I guess this means I’d better take you back.”

“Don’t wanna go back! Wanna explore while Grumps is busy! Bremen said we could!”

The cat, apparently, had changed his mind. He wriggled out of the child’s grip and launched himself onto the ogre. Maidd yelped and tried to shake him off, but Bremen climbed with determined perseverance to the top of the ogre’s shoulder. Maidd froze when the cat got close to his face, but the big blue eyes just blinked placidly at him before turning to take in the impressive view from his shoulder.

“Me too!” Lily demanded, not wanting to be left out. “Wanna sit on Maidd’s shoulder!”

“Only if you get your cat off me.”

“But Bremen likes riding on shoulders. He was complaining because it was dirty and wet on the street.”

The cat let out a plaintive mraow in agreement.

“He’s going to scratch me,” the ogre insisted, still glaring suspiciously at the feline.

“Bremen don’t scratch Maidd,” Lily commanded. The cat meowed again. “He won’t scratch you.”

Maidd grumbled, unconvinced, but scooped up the human child and set her on the same shoulder.

“I’m dumping both of you off if he scratches me,” he threatened.

The cat only purred, and Maidd gave up his protests and began pushing his barrow once more through the back street.

“Where’s Angel now?”

“Angel’s at the castle. I’m with Grumps! We gave the sea monster treasure and she liked it and she decided not to sink us so we came back!”

“Sea monster?”

“Yep! Scylla lives in the water outside and Grumps says we’re supposed to give her treasure so she doesn’t sink ships, but I think she likes Grumps because she helped a ship when she didn’t have to.”

“Wait you were on the ship with the tribute?”

“Yep! And Grumps gave her pretty bracelets and they glowed and Scylla was so happy she almost sank the ship!”

The cat on his shoulder shuddered and without thinking the ogre patted him in consolation.

“That must have been scary. I’m glad you weren’t–wait don’t bite me!” he screeched when Bremen rubbed his cheek up against the ogre’s hand. Lily rolled her eyes.

“He wasn’t biting. He was rubbing.”

“It looked like he was going to bite,” Maidd muttered, slightly embarrassed, and the cat mraowed at the ogre reproachfully for stopping.

“Bremen likes getting pets under his chin,” Lily added.

Maidd hesitantly held out his hand again and the cat vigorously rubbed his head against the rough fingertips. The ogre smiled slightly.

“You have a very pretty cat, Lily.”

“Bremen isn’t my kitty he’s Grump’s! Daddy says I can only borrow him sometimes because Grumps gets grumpier when Bremen isn’t there.”

The cat purred in amusement.

“Well I bet Grumps is missing his pretty kitty so we’d better bring him back. What ship is Grumps on?” Maidd asked as they stepped out onto the main thoroughfare.

“That one!”

She pointed at one of the merchant ships further down the dock, and Maidd adjusted his course toward the ship. The ogre’s pace was even slower than before. People had started moving again since the tribute ship had made it back to the dock, but now it appeared that watching an ogre carrying a cat and a human child was just as interesting because they often stopped to stare at the unusual trio.

Lily seemed oblivious to the stares as she chatted away about everything she saw then pelted the ogre with questions, most of which he didn’t know the answer to.

“Why don’t rocks float?”

“Because they’re heavy,” Maidd answered.

“But ships are heavy too and they float.”

“If you made a ship out of stone it wouldn’t float.”

“But if they don’t float why do stones fall from the sky?” Lily insisted.

“What stones?”

“Needyorerights!”

The ogre looked puzzled for a moment.

“Oh meteorites?”

“That’s what I said!”

“Fine. That’s what you said.”

“Why do they fall?” she persisted.

“Uh...meteorites live in the sky and sometimes they miss the rocks on the earth so they come to say hi.”

“Why don’t they just stay down here all the time so they can live together?”

“Because the stones in the sky are stars and if they all came down here we wouldn’t be able to see at night or find different places.”

“I know lots of constellations! Daddy showed me the big bat in the sky and Bremen showed me a lion and a wolf and a butt!”

“He did did he?” the ogre asked. The cat began innocently washing his right ear.

“Yep! And Daddy laughed when I showed him and Angel scolded us.”

“Angel sounds like he has his hands full with you two.”

“Angel loves us lots and lots! Daddy says so.”

“I’m sure he does.”

Maidd pulled up a little ways away from the ship and frowned. There were two guards at the gangplank leading up to the ship and not just any dock guards either. These were wearing grey and black uniforms with gold piping along the edges and exuded a professional air that made the ogre wary to approach.

“You’re sure Grumps is on that ship Lily?”

She nodded reluctantly, and Maidd saw no way around it but to go up to the guards and ask.

He left his barrow in a spot where he was fairly sure it would remain undamaged and walked—slowly—up to the guards. He sensed them shift from casual alert to attack ready as he drew near, all without unsheathing their weapons or so much as glancing in his direction.

Very well-trained. I hope this doesn’t end badly.

Before he could even open his mouth the cat leapt from Maidd’s shoulder to one of the guard’s and from there to the ground then proceeded to saunter up the gangplank.

“Royal Advisor,” said the guard who’d been used as a launching pad.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off the ogre and by the way he was being dissected visually Maidd was fairly certain he’d fought ogres before.

And killed likely or he wouldn’t be here guarding someone important.

Lily waved at the guards.

“We’re back!”

“Princess Liliana,” said the guard not so much as bowing his head in Maidd’s presence. “It is good to see you again.”

Princess? She was a princess?! The ogre froze but Lily was already clambering down his shoulder and jumping to the ground.

“Come on Maidd! We gotta go see Grumps!” she said, skipping between the guards. She was half-way up the gangplank before she realized he wasn’t following.

“I, uh, think I’ll pass.” Lily started to protest, but he held up his hands. “I have to get back to work Lily. Can’t eat if I don’t work remember?”

“I can give you money,” she offered.

“But if I don’t finish my job no one will hire me again,” he explained gently, “and you can’t give me money forever.”

Privately he thought she might be able to but there was no way he was going to say that in front of the guards. Royal guards at that. They could probably arrest him for even the suggestion of treasonous manipulation.

He turned and started back but the princess ran back down the gangplank and wrapped around one of his legs.

“Don’t go!”

“Lily I have to go back.”

“But I’ll miss you!”

“I’ll miss you too. You talk to me more than anyone else but you have work you have to do too.” She looked up at him questioningly. “You’re the princess right? Grumps probably brought you here so you could learn about ships or something. It’s your job to be a good princess just like it’s my job to be a good ogre and push barrows around.”

She thought about it for a moment then nodded.

“Okay! I’ll do my job really good and come see you again!”

She hugged him again then ran up the gangplank and out of sight. The ogre took that as his signal to leave. He nodded at the guards then quickly retreated back to his wheelbarrow and trundled off, hoping the first mate wouldn’t notice how long he’d been gone.