Dreams are Forged from Dwarven Steel
The smell of soot filled her nose, of her father's sweet honeymead breath, of the burbling cookpot. Familiar sensations just out of reach. The dwarf's green eyes brightened with mischievous mirth as she skidded across the dirt roads. Faster. Faster! Each thud made her heart race as she struggled to keep up with her brothers.
"Bryndle, you can't catch me!" Her beloved, golden-haired little brother taunted. Brynhild's legs burned as she desperately tried to keep pace. Excitement coiled in her stomach and sent spurts of fleeting energy to her stout legs. Her long, strawberry ginger hair whipped behind her, intricate braids flapping like a bird's eager wings at the first signs of spring. Past the carpenter, past the smithy, past Snorri's home, past Sveinn's-- until they crashed into a heap while wrestling and grappling each other.
A plume of dust and dirt raised towards the pleasant blue sky. The sun smiling down with amusement at the trio as they tussled for victory, however, none rising as champion. In exhaustion, Hreiðarr, Brynhild, and Eyvindur collapsed against the ground- heaving wildly for breath. Three pairs of eyes staring upwards with each glimmer of hope and potential. Potential for greatness in those blue, green, and green gazes. With a wordless gesture- as no words needed to be spoken, the action was enough- Bryn grasped Hreiðarr's hand and moved to wrap her arm around Eyvindur's shoulder. The three laid there, heaving in frantic breaths, their lungs aching. A bellow of laughter escaped Hreiðarr, the budding young lad was on the cusp of adulthood- his apprenticeship had already begun, with this, Brynhild knew that these moments would become sparse. A warm smile crept up onto her face as she too burst into laughter, seemingly at nothing. Eyvindur's light giggles floated through the warm air. The trio laid flat on the ground, the earth tickling their fingertips.
"Bryn?" Eyvindur piped in, disrupting the chorus of soft hums from the bugs.
"Aye, Eyv?" She replied with an even, relaxed tone, gently running her fingers through and re-braiding her hair.
"You aren't leaving me, are you?"
"Nay, I ain't going anywhere."
Hreiðarr merely offered a guilty grunt and a grumble, knowing that his younger brother was alluding to his apprenticeship, and subsequent time away from the other two. Before he could speak, Brynhild added. "Hrei is just going to be working really hard, he isn't leaving us. You'll have an apprenticeship someday soon."
Eyvindur thumped back, the young boy scratching at his meager beginnings of a beard. His blond hair glinting like strands of golden thread in the sunlight as he laid against Brynhild's chest. "And I'll make Mam an' Da real proud like Hrei has?"
"Aye, real proud." Brynhild reassured with a soft hum of hopefulness. The dwarf girl's thoughts whirred with possibilities for her own future, and theirs. However, there was no shred of doubt in her mind that they were destined for greatness. Her heart soared as she offered a triumphant, playful grin. "What if I become the next Elder?" she mused aloud to the pair, which resulted in the mildly shocked and horrified reactions of her brothers.
"We're doomed!" Eyv exclaimed in an overly dramatic fashion as Hreiðarr feigned death- making mock choking noises and wildly flailing his hands before grasping at his chest. His tongue lolled out.
"Pahah! Aw, Eyv, Hrei! I wouldn't be that bad!" pouted with disapproval before sighing as she gazed up towards the sky. "Well, I don't know."
At the sudden, uncharacteristic lack of confidence, her elder brother reached his hand out to grasp ahold of Bryn and snuggle up to his younger siblings. "Hey Bryndle, don't worry. You'll find your place."
Put at ease by her brother's warmth and encouragement, Brynhild beamed and closed her eyes, feeling the peace of their beloved home. The safety of the Hold's massive walls, the Hold's power and might, always made her feel comforted. With a deep inhale, Bryn promised her two brothers with the certainty and confidence of someone who knew what they were speaking of, "One day, Aldruin will know our names."
In a low, warm tone, Hreiðarr replied, "Duindin knows our names, is that not good enough sister?"
With his own contribution, Eyv added, "Aye, well, I'm going to be the best carpenter you two will ever see."
Her fingers gently ran through his hair with a loving motion. "I'm sure you will be, Eyv." Unwilling to move, not wanting the stillness of the movement to end, the three laid there and spoke soft vows about their futures until the teasing wink of sunset painted vibrant pinks and oranges across the sky.
Her eyes closed.
Slivers of dawn peeked through the window as Bronwyn laid in the comforting warmth of pelts and quilts, a chorus of mewling at her feet. A soft smile flickered on her face as she burrowed beneath the covers. The memories faded to bittersweet yearnings of a time long since past, but rose joy in her heart. The dwarf's gaze absently rose to the ceiling as if searching the obscured stars for an answer. "Are you proud of me yet?" She whispered as a wolfish smirk teased and tugged at her lips, only receiving a symphony of crickets and dawn's cascade of light as a response.
