“Do you think they will help us?” Arthur was playing, throwing a small bouncy ball at the wall and catching it, over and over. He had found it behind his bed.

“Yeah, like I would know.” Nigel had just gotten up from bed, after Arthur woke him up ‘accidentally’ by throwing his ball against the wall. “Why don’t you ask the General? He likes you anyway.”

He would never admit it, but Nigel was feeling bitter that the General favored Arthur instead of him.

They had been given three rooms in the palace. One for Nigel and Arthur, one for the General and his wife, and one for Sahtar. Apparently, the dwarves were determined to show the best of their traditional hospitality. The rooms, or at least the one Arthur and Nigel were staying in, were spacious and well-lit. Of course, spacious is a relative concept in a palace dug within the rock, but after the depressing hallways they had gone through it looked spacious enough to them.

Their room had two beds, one closet, something that was probably destined to be a bathroom and a table with three chairs around it. Of course, all of those were small in size, just like the dwarves. Arthur especially, given his big body, had problems settling in. His legs stretched out of the bed when he slept and the only way he could sit on the chair next to the table was to extend his feet until they reached the other side, where Nigel was sitting.

Nigel himself, having a smaller body, didn’t face too many such problems. His only concern was that he was beginning to miss his books, back in Waterslide. It was his habit to read a little every morning, and the lack of books was getting on his nerves. I will ask the first dwarf I see to tell me whether there is a library or not, he thought, and he felt pleased with himself.

“How much longer do we have to wait?” Arthur grumbled, still playing with the ball.

“Until they summon us. And stop playing with your ball.” The lack of books, the constantly depressing atmosphere underground, the bitterness of the General liking Arthur more, many factors combined to put Nigel in a really foul mood and he needed some way to let it out.

“Or what?” Arthur meant this in a playful way, but he hadn’t realized just how bad Nigel’s mood was. The smaller man looked at Arthur with wrath and Arthur, surprised, failed to catch the ball that was returning from the wall. The ball bounced on the wall behind Arthur at high speed and flew towards Nigel’s right leg. In turn, Nigel was so focused on Arthur that he didn’t dodge the ball. Naturally, it didn’t hurt him, but it instantaneously sparked the already tense situation.

It was exactly then that a dwarf opened the door to summon them to the throne room. The ball bounced off Nigel’s leg and hit the dwarf in the face before it rolled to a corner. The dwarf was planning to say “You have been summoned to the throne room by his Majesty, King Thumer”, but he had to settle for an awkward “You have been summon- Ugh” instead. Now, there was one more person with a foul mood in the room.

“We get it”, said Nigel, deciding to let it go for now. “We are right behind you, dwarf.” After a momentary loss of words, the dwarf headed to the throne room, followed by Nigel. Before following them, Arthur bent over and picked up the ball, putting it in his pocket.

He didn’t understand what had made Nigel so upset, but if he was looking for a fight he was going to get it.

The proficiency of dwarves at hard labour was extraordinary. Overnight, they had removed the long stone table from the room and replaced it with a red carpet that had shining jewels sewn on its sides. Nigel and Arthur shook their heads in amazement. It shouldn’t even fit through the door, thought Arthur, referring to the table. He was double in size compared to the dwarves, but he now knew he shouldn’t underestimate them. It would probably take twenty or more strong men to carry the table and the chairs. The King smiled for a second, guessing their thoughts.

They were the last ones to arrive again. The General, Miss Nan and Sahtar were standing in front of the throne, placed on a couple of small steps. The two of them hadn’t said a word last night, and they weren’t supposed to say anything today either, so the negotiations had begun without them. They quietly took a stand behind the General.

Nigel and Arthur were still upset at each other, yet they did their best to follow the conversation. The King and the General were discussing something about the strategic advantages and disadvantages of some places that neither Arthur nor Nigel had heard about before, but apparently held some minor importance.

“Oh, right”, said the King when the General made a somewhat difficult question. “I forgot to tell you about the sports festival we will be holding two days from now. Will you participate?”

“Really?” replied the General, choosing to ignore the fact that his question was left unanswered. “What kind of sports?”

“Oh, just traditional dwarven sports for the most part. Oh, and it’s for the young only. Only those two can participate.” He pointed at Arthur and Nigel.

Sahtar smiled. “Well, it’s up to them I guess. Do you want to participate, Nigel and Arthur?” The King smiled because he couldn’t remember their names, and Sahtar smiled because he knew it.

“I want to”, said Nigel before Arthur had time to say anything. “But I doubt Arthur has the guts for it.” Not a single drop of humour could be found in his words.

In the dead silence that followed his words, nobody was more surprised than Arthur himself. Surprise was followed by shame, followed by anger. Arthur stood up and was ready to punch Nigel, but Nigel himself had already taken up a defensive stance. The rest were even more surprised and their reactions were late by a second.

The dwarven guards hiding around the room jumped in front of the King, their weapons in their hands and ready to use. Miss Nan was shocked at Nigel’s behavior, and Sahtar was trying to comprehend their reasons. The King stood up nervously, not knowing what to do, and the General yelled with fiery rage, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

“He-“ Nigel tried to say, but he was immediately interrupted.

“SILENCE”, screamed the General. “GET OUT OF HERE, NOW.” He looked as if he was about to assault them, so they didn’t argue. They quietly but swiftly exited the room.

“What were you thinking, man?” Arthur asked angrily.

“Get off me”, replied Nigel.

“There’s no way I’m letting this slide. What’s your problem with me? What did I do to hurt you?”

“I said let it go, Arthur. It’s none of your business.”

“Not my business? You insulted me in front of everyone, we got yelled at because of you and now our whole mission is in danger. And you dare say it’s none of my business?” He stopped and stared at Nigel’s back. “What’s wrong with you, Nigel?”

Nigel kept walking. “It’s not your fault, Arthur.”

Arthur clenched his teeth and reached for the ball in his pocket. He threw it at Nigel with all of his strength, and it hit the wall next to his head. Nigel didn’t wonder whether Arthur missed on purpose. Nor did he turn around. He just continued walking towards his room. Arthur picked up the ball that had rolled up to his feet and went in the opposite direction. He needed some fresh air.

Back in the throne room, things were beginning to quiet down.

“I am deeply sorry for that behavior”, apologized the General, in an attempt to get things back on track. “I take full responsibility for their actions”.

“Of course you do, General”, responded the King. “I won’t lie, I am furious. You had personally ensured me that those two would behave, that they wouldn’t get in the way. And what do I get for trusting you? I have two imbeciles yelling in MY throne room, the whole palace is upset and the negotiations are interrupted. This is unacceptable.” The King had stood up and was furiously gazing over the humans.

“King Thumer, I will not decline my responsibility. We will take whatever punishment you see fit, but please don’t let this get in the way of the negotiations. Is it worth it to alter the course of history over some teenage hormones?”

“I have lost faith in the leader of your delegation. Get out, humans. We are done talking.”

Heartbroken, feeling the weight of their responsibility, the humans stood up and left the room. What could they do now? Perhaps the last chance of the revolution had slipped from their hands. How would they face the others back home and tell them what had happened? The General especially was devastated. It was his decision to bring the boys along, and the burden of their failure lay completely on his own shoulders.

“General?” said the King when they were about to leave the room. “Since this is such an important matter, I will give you one last chance. But it will be a short one. For now, leave.”

The General turned around to face the King and the light of hope was reignited in his eyes. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“He is just messing with us”, said the General after they had left the room. “He was probably looking for an excuse to send us off anyway.”

Miss Nan lightly touched his shoulder, trying to console him. “Make sure I don’t see them now, Sahtar”, he continued. “Or I will hit them.” Sahtar moved ahead to check Arthur and Nigel’s room.

“But I shouldn’t blame them”, said the General when he was alone with his wife. “How can you blame someone for being who he is? I am the one at fault, bringing them along even though I know what youth feels like.”

“Don’t worry, Escers”, said Miss Nan. “The world works in mysterious ways. It might have been worse if they weren’t here. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, you can think about what we should do from now on.”

The General held his wife’s hand and gently kissed it. “You’re too good for me, Nan.”

🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

Sahtar gently knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

“No”, Nigel’s squeaky voice was heard from inside. Sahtar opened the door to find Nigel alone, lying in his bed. “Go away”, he said. Sahtar closed the door and sat beside him on the bed. They remained in silence for a minute.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Nigel asked after a while.

“Do you need me to say anything?”

“Then why did you come?”

Sahtar smiled. “You know,” he said, “often in life we can’t have everything. Sometimes, others may have more than us. We have to accept that, or we can’t move on with them.”

“I’m not that spoiled, Sahtar. I know that.”

“Are you sure?” he kindly asked.

Nigel frowned. “I don’t know”, he finally replied. “I was in a bad mood, and then I and Arthur had a stupid argument, and it all exploded in front of the King and I said things I didn’t mean. I don’t know, Sahtar. What is wrong with me?”

“Don’t worry, my little friend”, Sahtar smiled. “We all make mistakes. But don’t think you can hide behind your finger. Confront yourself. Face your fears, and carve your own path out of the darkness.” He stood up. “Grow up”, he said as he left the room, leaving the mildly startled Nigel alone.

Nigel sat up on the bed. Grow up? Really, why couldn’t he think clearly? Why did he speak like that? And Nigel thought. And Nigel remembered...

It was his sixth birthday. He was standing in the dining hall, surrounded by his parents’ friends. He was dressed formally, wearing a suit and long white pants. His parents were beside him, his father large and imposing, his mother proud and with a smug smile permanently drawn on her face. Around them were other nobles and military commanders, all wearing their best clothes. He could also vaguely remember some other children, slightly older than him, looking at him in jealousy.

“Come on, darling, blow the candles”, said his mother, lightly pushing his back.