Childhood

A small piece about the childhood of drucilla "the noble rogue"

Childhood

The city of penrith was a beacon of progress on an otherwise dark age island. Within the bustling confines of its walls one could find anything from temples, guilds, theatres and merchants to some of the cities less reputable establishments.

It is outside one such establishment that our story unfolds.

The building looked as though a ship had crashed into the dock and decided to start its life anew as a tavern, a faded sign swinging in the morning breeze declared it to be the captains wreck. a place where sea dogs and possibly even sea pups can get to know the locals,or at least those among them with low standards and even lower prices.

A large sailor with the appearance and hygiene of a distended pug with a beard sat angrily muttering to himself, it was bitterness stemmed from an overwhelming soberness due to a pending voyage. To lift his spirits he decided he would once again count his pay. He procured a large leather satchel from his belt and propped it on the barrel top he was using as a table, it made a satisfying chink. No sooner had he begun to count the fruits of his labour when
“Hello mister”

The pug faced sailor looked up from his bounty to see a small eight year old girl in a purple dress, she had raven hair held neatly with a silver clasp. Her whole outfit the sailor noticed was fine and denoted wealth.
“ere “ the sailor said with a voice like a post fight boxer. “Shouldn’t you be at home doing chores” he sneered.
“Father says chores are for servants” the girl exclaimed is a voice sweet as honey.

The sailor made a note of this, he was right this girl must be very wealthy. He had just finished mentally waying up the pro’s and con’s of kidnap when he suddenly became painfully aware of two things that were missing.

The first was the girl and the second was his gold. He shot up in sudden realisation, drawing his weapon with just enough time to choke on the sight of a purple dress disappearing round the corner. With a battlecry like a startled wildebeest he sprang forward and went howling into the city.

Drucilla sat down heavily on a tree stump her presence shrouded by a small but dense cluster of trees. She placed the bag of gold coins on the earth in front of her and stared at it. It wasn’t that she needed money, it was just fun and he deserved it. As a child Drucilla had to pay for nothing and as the daughter of one of the supposed noble elite, she wanted for nothing.

Her father it might be worth mentioning was a legend in his own right, his music and wit it was said could turn best friend to mortal enemies and insight war faster than you can say “slept with your sister”. They called him the war drummer.

The question it seemed to Drucilla was what to do with the money. She could scarcely return home with this ill gotten bounty as her father would know it to be stolen and although a wicked man in his own right he did not approve of stealing. Drucilla could picture him “theft is for the dim witted” he would say “ a true Valdul would rob a man blind with nothing more than words and wit” and then how her father would ramble about the good old days when Kruuge was at large. No, returning home with the pouch simply wouldn’t do.

Drucilla sat for sometime and eventually it came to her the only logical thing to be done. She shot out of the park and sped towards the toy shop. The old man behind the counter almost collapsed when Drucilla had finally convinced him that she was being serious.
“Are you absolutely sure you are allowed to spend all this on toy’s?” he spluttered staring at the small fortune on the counter. Drucilla nodded at him and smiled as sweetly as she knew how “my father insisted on a toy to be given to every child in the district. He is generous like that”

and so it was that the old man trapsed all over town following the small girl with a cart as they gave out gifts. It took all day and well into the evening but eventually they had a wealthy toy maker, an empty cart and every single child had a gift.

Now the fun part thought Drucilla time to steal them all back and she skipped off merrily into the night.