Of Dwarves: Defenders

When you are a defender, his father would say, you accept responsibility for the lives of those you defend.  It isn’t out of glory.  It isn’t out of honor.  It isn’t even because of your family.  It’s because you accepted it.  And they’ve accepted you as their defender.  As much as you depend on them to find the ore and mine the ore and smelt the ore and smith the ore into something you can wear and wield, they depend on you to defend them at every turn.

His grand-pere would look up at this, and smile, shake his head, and laugh at this.  Not because it was funny, but because What yer par is trying to say, sone, is that you watch their back so they can be doing what they be out there to do.

His par nodded to his par, but when he turn back to face his sone, his eyes gave that serious look that only means one thing, that Thoradrin better listen now, sone.  Grand-pere be right.  But you know it’s serious out there.  Twenty times you might go out, and twenty times you might come back, not a drop of blood you spilt save for when you crack your head a good one on a sharp ‘tite.  But it’s the one and twenty that will get you good, and the orc and goblin will come in to kill.  And don’t be soft when that time comes.  Always be ready.  Always be waiting.

Thoradrin would nod and accept his par’s blessing each and every time he went out, and his grand-pere would always slip him a bit of rum to keep him warm out in the dark. A nip or two in the whee cold hours ne’er hurt.  Keeps the blood boiling and the heart ready he would say.

So defending became his purpose.  Defending became his life.  And defend he did the miners and prospectors and the traders and the caravans.  Until that day.  That damned awful day.

His grand-pere once said A day will come when you all you do to defend won’t be damn near enough, and you’ll bite yer own head off to take it back.  That’s when you’ll have to make a choice.  Go back to defending, or move on.  No Mightstone ever defended clean, but damn no defender every did.  But when that day comes, and you’ll know it sure, remember this, that same be I told your par: Always be ready.  Always be waiting.