Cart Capers

Folco and Lindo go for a joyride down a hill on a cart they find by a shed and get more than they bargained for.

    "So to ensure I understand correctly, Your Majesty, Cancalia is to send delegate three dozen men who've completed their training in combat in exchange for Drémeadow's three hobbit-sized cartloads of medicine?"

    Drémeadow's king, Hrothgar Foxtrot, gave a small nod to the young man seated in the cushioned chair he'd had his servants bring the visitor. "You are correct, Lord Mani."

    Kiran Mani beamed. "Fantastic, Your Majesty!"

    "I am glad you find the arrangement agreeable. I can have some of my hobbits see to it the medicine is sent within three days at latest. I must ask, are you absolutely certain your lord will agree to this?" He took a sip from the cup of tea before him. Kiran had one also, but had not touched it. In his own land, it was considered impolite to touch a beverage offered by one's superior before the superior invited them to drink.

    "Yes, Your Majesty." Kiran did not doubt Duke Ivan would consider it a fair exchange.  The Duke of Northchester, Cancalia's second-largest city after Southchester, had been angered by the initial refusal, but Kiran knew his wrath was primarily because of concern about how many in his city were falling ill from the malaise spreading like wildfire. His closest friend Nont'im's clinic was well over its recommended capacity.

    "Splendid. When can we expect those men to arrive?"

    "My guess is in a fortnight, perhaps three weeks," said Kiran. "I shall send a message to my city tonight to ensure the Duke is notified of the proposal as soon as possible." A fleeting grimace crossed King Hrothgar's face, but the hobbit quickly resumed a neutral expression.  "I apologize that it will not be any sooner, Your Majesty, I know you need them as soon as possible to deal with those brigands harassing your more open areas."

    Kiran was no stranger to enforcing law and order. He'd logged over fourteen years of service to City Watches himself, first in Bolingbarke and then in Northchester. Kiran had been both fortunate and hard-working enough to advance to the rank of Constable, overseeing the entire Watch. Given that Duke Ivan was the younger brother of Cancalia's king and Northchester was the second-largest city, it was a tremendous honor.  The reason Drémeadow had trouble deterring bandits from their plains was obvious. Those bandits were humans. While Drémeadow had archers that collectively outmatched any human or dwarven land, hobbits were disadvantaged in hand-to-hand combat against humans because of their size. "However, if it comforts Your Majesty, the Benoits are the sort who sends their acceptance of a trade with the export, whether it's items or men."

    The king gave a small smile. "Yes, they are, I cannot argue with that." He gestured to the cup of tea in front of Kiran. "Come now, I did not have my servants bring tea for it to go cold. Drink up!"

    "Thank you, Majesty." Kiran took a sip from the cup. He'd expected it to be the usual size of hobbit glassware, but it seemed Drémeadow's king had human-sized glasses as well. It made sense. They were known for exemplary hospitality. "It is quite good."

    "Good. Do you still intend to accept my invitation to stay through New Years' Day?" asked the king.  "Our Pre-New Years' Banquet is tomorrow, as I'm sure you've heard, and I'd like you there as my guest of honor since you're the most important guest at present, given the rank the man second to the throne after your land's Crown Prince gave you."

    "Yes, Your Majesty. You honor me overmuch with the invitation."

     "Not at all," said Hrothgar, "it's a big celebration and my guests at the end of December should certainly be there. It happens every year. We even have the tradition of my sons and daughters checking invitations themselves, along with the guest of honor- which would be you." Kiran blinked. It was a peculiar tradition. Didn't King Hrothgar and Queen Arabella worry their children would come to harm? Almost as through reading his mind, the king added "there are guards concealed around the area, anyhow, to make sure nothing goes wrong while they're doing it." He glanced at the window and frowned. "It's fully dark out. Why isn't my son back yet? Or did they just forget to tell me? I'll be right back." Hrothgar stepped around the desk in his study to the cedar door.

    Five minutes later, the king reentered, visibly annoyed. "I KNEW I should have sent a guard or two to tail him. He insisted they'd be back before dark." Kiran tilted his head, confused. They'd? "Prince Folco and his friend. Lindo Rivers. Lindo was that lad with him before you introduced yourself yesterday. Short. Gray tunic."

    "Yes, Your Majesty, I remember his friend. Gray tunic and moss-colored trousers? Gray eyes?"

    "Correct. You have a good memory for faces." Kiran inclined his head in thanks for the praise. "Anyhow, Folco told me they were just taking a short walk down to the lake. Teenagers..." He sniffed. "I tell you, he keeps doing this and I'm going to send guards to be with him around the clock when he starts university next year."

    "If you wish, Your Majesty, I can go look for Prince Folco and Lindo," offered Kiran. "I intend to honor my promise to send a message to my lord tonight, so I might as well since I need to go to your messenger post anyway." It would be helpful to his host, who so far exceeded almost anyone he'd visited that Kiran wished to reciprocate King Hrothgar's graciousness in some way. He'd been keeping an eye out for opportunities to do so, and here was his chance. It would not be his first time tracking down someone in line for the throne of a kingdom. The Duke's youngest two sons, not much older than Folco Foxtrot, had a similar bad habit. They usually had guards with them everywhere. Then again, Cancalia's level of crime was much higher and much worse than the peaceful hobbits. However, Howard and Herman had their ways of giving their guards the slip.
    
    "Would you? That would be greatly appreciated."

    "Then I shall. May I be excused, Your Majesty?"

    "You have my leave to go."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty." Kiran stood and walked to the hook where he'd hung his cloak upon entry. "I shall do my best to ensure their safe return."


~*~*~

    A mile away, two lads in their late teens paused outside a three-foot picket fence. For a human like the one everyone in Hardscrabble heard had been invited to stay through New Years, it was almost low enough to step over. For the pair of hobbits, however, it would take some effort. After surveying every direction, the adolescents turned to face the fence. Inside the fence, after a bit of the rise in the ground, was a shed and wooden cart on top of the hill. The very lake they'd said they'd be visiting lay at the bottom on the other side.

     "Say, Folco, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked one of the youths. "It's already past when we said we'd get back."

    "Sure it is!" replied Folco. He took a step onto the first horizontal beam, seized the pointed tops of the wood, moved his other foot to the second beam and hoisted himself up so he was sitting atop the fence. "Well, these are a bit unpleasant to sit on." He swung his legs  around so they were inside the fence. "But it's only for a few seconds!" Folco braced his feet and pushed off with his hands. He landed on his feet, knees bent. "See? Easy!"
    
     The first speaker gave a skeptical sniff. He stepped onto the first beam to follow his friend. "Couldn't we get in trouble for this? Your father might be the king, but he never exactly lets you lot get away with things!"

    "Well, okay," admitted Folco, "we're technically trespassing on private property, and he'll be livid if he finds out."

    Lindo finished climbing over the fence. He stumbled slightly on landing but managed to keep his feet.  "Right, and then he'll send someone to tell my parents and then I'm in for it," he pointed out. He looked back at the fence, then frowned. It was easy to get to this side with those horizontal beams because the buffoon who hdesigned it put them on the outside rather than interior, but how were they to get back out?

     Folco shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, he'll never know. Nobody was around when we climbed over, remember? We'll be fine, Lindo, don't worry! He was busy negotiating with Kiran- you know, that envoy Cancalia sent to ask for medicine in person after my father said no to their letter.We'll just put this wagon back after we go down the hill a few times. Nobody will ever know we were here!"

    Lindo sighed resignedly. "Fair enough. I just hope the emissary keeps your father busy a while, so he doesn't notice we're already late..."

    "Race you to the cart!" Folco said, breaking into a sprint towards the wagon, which was on the side nearest them.

    Lindo began to follow. It was no use though, with the idea, head start and longer legs Folco was there long before him. "No fair!" he protested, "we didn't start at the same time!"

    "Who said life was fair?" laughed Folco. "Honestly though, I'm the faster runner."

    Lindo smirked. "With a head start, Your Highness."

    "Quiet, you. Say, they didn't even lock the cart!" Folco said. "This is too perfect, I was worried they'd have it fastened to the shed to make sure it didn't roll down the hill or something!" He seized both sides of the wagon. "Hmmm... how can we make sure this doesn't roll before we get in?"

    Lindo stroked his chin thoughtfully. Where the cart was now would be a bad idea. They'd hit the fence. Walking around the small edifice, he noticed the door facing the lake at the bottom of the hill. "We could roll it in front of the shed door," he suggested. "One of us can hold the cart while the other gets in, then the one in the cart can hold onto the handle so the other can get in. Then we can push off the side of the shed! We just have to remember to put it back here, like you said."

    Folco grinned. "Good idea. Let's go. Let's both take a side."

    The duo began to roll it around the shed. Once the cart was in front of the door, Lindo took hold so Folco could get in and grab the shed. The prince swung one lanky leg into the cart and hoisted himself up. Folco then grabbed the handle with one hand and reached to assist Lindo with the other.  Once  Lindo was in and they'd comfortably arranged themselves, Folco relinquished his grip and pushed off with all the force his lanky arm could muster.

    They rolled forward. Initially, it wasn't at all fast. Before long, however, the cart careened at such a speed that their curls bounced and wobbled in the wind and their cloaks rippled behind them. Fresh energy rushed through Lindo. He waved his hands above his head. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea!" he shouted in delight. His stomach jerked. Their cart jolted and bounced with every bump in the frozen ground. The lake rushed closer and closer. Lindo's line of vision was almost entirely water.

    Now, far too late, he realized the flaw in their plan. Lindo's eyes widened in fright. "The lake! We need to st-"

    Frigid knives of burning ice pierced every inch of his skin, cutting his warning short.

~~~~~~

    Logic told Kiran the first place to seek two errant teenagers was where they were supposed to be. Then, if they weren't there, he'd have to look around for signs of a struggle, just in case something bad had happened. If nothing seemed amiss, he'd need to  consider things he noticed along the way that might attract their attention. After exiting the Foxtrot palace and confirming with the gatekeepers that Folco and Lindo had indeed left, he began to follow the road towards the lake.

    The mile between the main gates of the Foxtrot palace and the lake were uneventful. He first passed the marketplace that specialized in the trade of goods imported from other realms and kingdoms around the continent. After the marketplace, he passed several residences constructed from woods Kiran could tell were more expensive from the color, texture and polishing. They first got smaller as he got further from the palace, then larger again as he got closer to the lake.  Finally, the road opened up into a clearing. The only building was a shed surrounded by a small fence. Kiran frowned at the shed. It was not his place to do anything about it being there, but it would be worth mention if necessary.

    Just then, two familiar yells cut through the air. Kiran froze, head jerking in the direction from whence they came. It was from the direction of the shed. Another sounded, followed by a whoop. It did not sound as though they were in danger, but he knew from experience that excited sort of shriek usually accompanied mischief. It didn't help that it sounded like they'd trespassed upon someone's private property.  What are those boys doing?  The human began to run around the outside of the fence. He needed them in his line of vision.

     One glance told Kiran all he needed to know. Lindo was in front, waving his arms. Folco sat in back, elbows dangling over the edges.  The wooden cart barreled down the hill- towards the lake. Incredibly, the young hobbits seemed oblivious to the danger. They were too caught up in the thrill of a wild ride to realize they were about to end up in a lake that was cold enough for the beginnings of ice to form. He had to do something.

    Kiran vaulted the short fence and sprinted towards the lake, but it was already too late. Cart and hobbits alike flew over the embankment and plunged into the lake, throwing a tidal wave onto the hill.  For a moment, he feared one or both of them might have gotten hurt by the impact. He watched the surface, frightened for them. He might  need to go in after, and he would if they did not reappear by the time he'd silently counted to fifteen. But then both sets of arms and heads broke through the water.  The youths coughed and spluttered as they paddled towards shore. Kiran stooped at the edge of the embankment, extending a hand to help Folco and Lindo scramble out of the frigid water.

    "Are you two all right? he asked urgently, gripping each of their shoulders in turn. The teenaged hobbits were both doubled over, visibly shaking. They looked rather pale and their lips had a faint blue tinge to them. Brief relief washed over him as Kiran realized neither was showing signs of injury, but then he remembered the hazards of cold. They needed to get back  to the palace. They needed a fireplace, a bathtub and a warm change of clothes.

    "I'm.... okay... wa... water... so cold..." Lindo managed to say through chattering teeth. Meanwhile, Folco's body was shaking too hard for him to articulate anything. Kiran reached up for his brooch and unfastened his cloak, draping it sideways across their shoulders.  The adolescents
 
    "Here," he said, taking off his hood. It ought to cover both their heads with the proper maneuvering. It would be awkward for Folco, who was a few inches taller than Lindo but it'd help them both stay warm. "You two had better wear this too. Don't want either of you catching your death from cold." Folco slouched downward and draped his arm across Lino so Kiran could fit the hood onto both. "Come on. We must get back to the palace and get you both out of those wet clothes." The cold soon penetrated his clothing. Kiran could feel goosebumps spreading across his skin. However, he was fully dry. It had to be much worse for the two lads.

    "You're... you're not... going to tell my... my father, are you?" asked Folco as they walked towards the palace, sounding both hopeful and apprehensive.

    Kiran raised both eyebrows. He never let his lord's children get away with misbehavior, particularly of the sort that put their safety in danger. As the king of Drémeadow's guest, he could not in good conscience conceal from his host that one of his sons was so lightly gambling with his own life, not to mention that of his friend.   "Your Highness. With all due respect, do you honestly believe your father's guards won't notice that you and your friend are returning soaked to the bone in the middle of the winter? Your Highness' hair is already icing over." Folco reached up to touch his golden-brown curls.  Dark eyes widened as their owner's hand brushed one of the forming icicles. "They will want to know why. And I do not intend to help you lie. Either you will tell your father what you two have done, or I shall. Why did you two do it anyway? Whose idea... no. I don't need to know. But whoever had the idea should know they could have gotten themselves or their friend killed for it."

    Kiran glanced between the two. By the stricken look on the prince's face, it was obvious who had instigated the mischief, even without overhearing Lindo's murmured "I tried to tell you, you didn't listen."  

    Folco gulped. "We just wanted to have some fun... we didn't mean... please... Lindo's not going to be in trouble, is he? Will his parents know?"

    "That, Your Highness, will be for your father to decide."

    Lindo emitted a small yelp. "We're doomed!" he cried dramatically.

~~~~

    When he returned to the palace with the two soaked adolescents, Kiran found himself on the receiving end of many curious stares from guards and servants. Fortunately, none of them delayed him with questions. Folco and Lindo did not need to be out in the cold any longer. Their lips had a pronounced blue hue.  His own skin felt ready to fall off with shivering.  He led the pair along the cobblestone walkway and up the stone steps with elaborately carved wooden bannisters. The hobbits manning the door stepped aside to let them pass through. Kiran ducked under the doorway. The moment he spotted an indoor guard, he asked "is His Majesty busy? I wish to inform him Prince Folco has returned. He may be expecting me, but I don't wish to interrupt him."

    The guard looked pensive. "He's been in his study since he finished his lunch. I shall pass on the message for you." He bowed his head at Folco and acknowledgement- then noticed the icicles in his hair. "Your Highness, may I ask what-"

    "I need a change of clothes," Folco cut across him, punctuating his sentence with a sniffle. "So does Lindo." He wrapped his arms tightly about his half of Kiran's cloak.  

    The guard replied "of course, Your Highness. I'll pass on the word. Where will you two be?"

    The adolescents exchanged a glance. "My bedchamber," replied Folco. He began to pull off Kiran's cloak. Kiran shook his head and held out a hand, indicating they ought to keep it. There might be fireplaces all over the palace, but it would still help in warming them up.

    Once both young hobbits had disappeared around the corner, the guard straightened and gave the Cancalian human a piercing stare. "What happened?" he asked sharply.

    Kiran stroked his chin thoughtfully. How much ought he to say? "With respect, sir, I'd prefer going into detail with the king first. Please let him know that Lindo and Fol- His Highness, my apologies- are changing out of their wet clothes. I found them in the midst of some mischief. I'll wait wherever you wish me to."

    "Here's fine," the guard said, indicating a bench slightly further along the corridor. "I will send word if His Majesty requests your presence. Otherwise, someone will be sent to see to your comfort tonight." Kiran took a seat, folding his hands in his lap. It was likely he'd receive a summons from King Hrothgar  after the monarch heard his son had been causing mischief.

    Sure enough, the guard reappeared less than a quarter-hour later. "His Majesty wishes to see you in  his study," the hobbit said. He brushed imaginary dust off his uniform of red, brown and gold. "He also sent for Prince Folco and Lindo Rivers. They'll meet you in the study."

    Kiran cringed inwardly. This would be an awkward scene.  Yet it was necesary.  He followed the king's guard back to the very study in which he and the king had discussed trade earlier. Not long after he'd been shown in and ushered to a chair at the side of the room, another guard came flanked by the two adolescents. The icicles had melted, but their hair was soaking wet. However, the young hobbits had replaced their drenched clothes with a dry tunic, a fresh set of trousers and a cloak.  They stopped before the desk. The guard bowed to the king, who waved him to the hallway. Hrothgar Foxtrot did not ask his son or Lindo to set. Instead, he fixed Folco with a piercing stare until the youngest prince lowered his eyes to the ground.

    "Have you any idea what time it is?" hissed Hrothgar. "Do you know how worried everyone was when you did not come back on time? Have you any regard for your safety? Why did I have to send our guest to look for you? And why in all the gods' names are you and Lindo all wet?"  The king's voice rose an octave with each question. His face was red as a cherry.

    Neither adolescent spoke. King Hrothgar's face deepened to puce. "Answer me. If Kiran has to do the talking for you, you will only be in deeper trouble. Tell me everything you and your friend have been doing this evening." Folco fidgeted uncomfortably.  The king shifted his eyes to Kiran. "You are not my subject to command, but I wish you to tell me any details my son might forget  to tell me."

    "I understand, Your Majesty," said Kiran.

    All eyes went to Folco, who wriggled uncomfortably on the spot. His eyes dropped to the floor. The king drummed his fingers impatiently. "Well, Prince Folco?"
 
    Folco wrung his sinewy hands, shut his eyes briefly, took a long breath and began to explain about heading towards the lake. When he reached the part about the shed, he fell silent. The king raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning on explaining how you ended up in the water, or is Kiran going to have to do it for you?

    Folco mumbled indistinctly under his breath. "Speak up! So we can all hear you!"

    "There was a cart. We wanted to ride it down the hill. Just once. But it went in the water."

    The king stiffened, clenching his fists. Gold flecks manifested themselves in his light brown eyes. "So let me get this straight- you two jumped a fence onto a property that doesn't directly belong to us or the Rivers, to go for a joy ride on a cart that doesn't belong to you?" Folco winced, scuffing the toe of his boot into the polished wooden floor. "And you crashed the wagon into the water? There's no getting that out. It won't look the same even if I sent people to get it out. You realize this, right?

    "But..." spluttered Folco, "can't you just give him the money to get a new one? It's not like we can't afford-"

    "That's not the point!" raged the king. Folco shrank back a step. "What would our subjects say if they found out some of their tax money was going toward repairing property damaged by MY OWN SON?"  The prince's mouth opened, then closed. "Besides, it's not just that. What if the cart tipped before it went in the water? You and Lindo could have had broken bones! And what if one or both of you hit your head going into the water? You might have drowned! That was very immature and foolish of you two! And now I have to send someone to speak with the owner of that property and make arrangements to replace that cart because my tomfool of a son apparently doesn't know how to respect others' property! As though there wasn't enough to do! You'll be nineteen in a week, you should know better! "

    "Father, I'm sorry..."

    "You will be! You're to come home right after archery practice. I'll be sending someone to get you just to make sure. And that's not all! I'll be talking to your mother after the banquet. Mark my words, there will be more!

    Folco cringed. The king's attention moved to Lindo. "I'll have one of my servants see you home and tell your parents what I've just been told. It'll be up to them, naturally, to decide your punishment." For the first time, his voice softened. "You're still welcome at tomorrow's feast- assuming, of course, your parents don't decide otherwise as your punishment. As of now, I'll see you tomorrow. Kiran, would you mind finding someone to see Lindo home?"

    "Yes, Your Majesty." Understanding themselves to be dismissed, the trio exited the room, Kiran walking slightly ahead of the teenagers.

    "I'm going to be in ghastly trouble when my parents find out," moaned Lindo. "I hope they let me come tomorrow!"

    "Yeah, and mine haven't finished with me," cringed Folco. "I'm doomed. And I haven't even had time to do homework, if I don't finish that I'll be in trouble over that too. Things can't get any worse!"

Kiran shook his head. Teenagers. They could. He had enough life experience to know that. Folco was young though, and had doubtless, given who he was, lived a very sheltered life.


    

Author's Note

This is an abandoned chapter of my book "Fallen Ones." It was originally going to be the first chapter, but then I decided to start events in medias res with the disaster mentioned at the end of this "chapter." For those who have read that, ought I to put this back in? This shows more about the king, for example, and the relationships prior to the feast, which is why I'm considering reading it.

Side note: My other laptop's screen broke, so now I'm stuck using one that's about 8 years old and does *not* have Microsoft office... and the alternative .doc software to word I'm using lacks a decent spellcheck, so I may have missed typos. I'll proofread again (I'm terrible at proofreading right after writing something) because I'm sure I missed typoes and ADHD moments where I didn't finish the sentence or forgot to remove the original placement of ones I moved around!

Reviews

[Jennie Baron]

An absorbing tale and well told overall. Amusing if we didn't know that indeed later everything would go badly wrong (maybe that last paragraph telegraphs a bit much?). As for whether it should be a first chapter, the consensus seems to be that it works better as a flashback. I'll defer to that although I can see how it would work either way.

Another proofreading should correct a lot of typos. I more noticed some usage/wording, for example:

"before you introduced himself [yourself?] yesterday"
"Unlike Drémeadow's youngest prince, their father had guards with them everywhere"--consider maybe "They had guards with them everywhere, unlike Dremeadow's youngest prince"?
"whoever the buffoon was that designed it"--suggest simply "the buffoon who designed it" (Note, standard usage calls for "who" rather than "that" when referring to people.)
"The prince swung one lanky leg into the cart and hoisted himself holder [over?]"

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Yikes, thanks for calling the typoes! This must've been written in WordPad when I was using my ancient laptop, which lacked spellcheck.. will start looking ovwe!

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Last paragraph edited, once I'm done being distracted by Sims I plan on scouring for typoes

[Jennie Baron]

Splendid change and it creates interest without giving away much! One thing, instead of "they could" maybe something like "things could indeed get worse." "They" is closer to "teenagers" and so seems to refer to it.

[Ashley Armstrong]

It's quite unfortunate you had to abandon this chapter. I found it amusing and interesting.
Thank you for putting it up, even if it's not in your story

[NoelHC]

I think this would work as a flashback, in some manner or another, it was an interesting sideline I felt.

Don't want either of you catching their death from cold." (...your death...

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Typo fixed! And thanks for dropping by and reviewing

[Mila]

Liked it! Personally I don't know if this would work as a first chapter... maybe a flashback or something? I like the idea of it being separate!
Nice work! :D

-Mila

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thank you so much! Yeah, was a fun little write. Was originally gonna have stuff before this too but decided too slow a start and had things in medias res

[Craig2591]

A nice bit of comedy before the tragic events that are pending.

I'm not sure how this would work as a first chapter. Perhaps you could put it in later as a 'flashback', but that would be challenging.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Well, definitely works as a short story, anyhow Maybe I'll have a "lost chapters" collection, haha. And yeah, definitely sad knowing what they're in for just 24 hours from now, no? Little do they kno ow much can change in just one day...

[jjwilbourne]

Hey.
this was fun. I liked the small adventure.
I think it can still work as a first chapter, but it may be better to keep Fallen Ones as is. If you can find a way to make this passage just a little more important to the story, I think it'll work really well.
otherwise, it makes a good short story.
notes here: https://diigo.com/039u4r

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks for the notes! I did have fun with it. Ahhhh, these poor unsuspecting kids, thinking their biggest problem is their teenage tomfoolery getting back to their parents!

[jjwilbourne]

Relooking at this, I'm thinking it might be cool if somehow, nearing the climax of Fallen Ones, you have Falco and Lindo have to use a cart in a similar manner. I'm also a little unsure (as I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet) what the king's true motives are after his wife's death. If you can subtly seed that here before you reveal it, it might be really cool
Just some ideas for reinserting it back into book.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks so much! [= Yeah, I'll have to think on it. The random side story, the one involving Folco's older siblings Jillian and Odo getting blasted in the aftermath of the poisoning, has been converted to a novella of sorts- and its second chapter is actually Hrothgar's POV :0