© J.B. Norman — Published by Emona Literary Services™
“Get back here, you!” Dunstana cries, stumbling after the bad guys as she drags her new sword behind her. “I want to sword you!”
As the bad guys beat a hasty retreat and flee out of reach, Dunstana stands watching them go, furiously shaking her fist at them.
“When they come back,” she declares. “I am going to sword them so hard! And — woah!”
She sways precariously, the weight and momentum of her sword bringing her in almost a complete circle.
“So, uh,” Kat offers, “you sure you don’t think it’s better that somebody bigger uses that thing? It’s bigger than you are!”
Dunstana puffs herself up imperiously.
“Hey! I’m the one the lake-lady tossed this sword to,” she insists. “So that means I’m the one who gets to sword people with it! This one’s mine! If you want a sword, find your own magic lake-lady.”
“You can barely lift the thing,” Kat notes.
“Pfft,” Dunstana scoffs, tottering precariously as she struggles to heft the sword over her shoulder. “You’re just jealous of my cool Magic Lake Sword!”
She looks thoughtfully up at her sister.
“And I don’t get why you’re even jealous,” she continues. “You’re the one who got chosen to be a goddess’, um, chosen hero. You even got your own nymph sidekick!”
Dunstana points over to where the nymph Voitheia is standing a short distance away, brandishing her poking-stick in one hand and making that ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with the other, pointing at her eyes and then at Kat.
“Don’t remind me,” Kat groans.
“I heard that!” Voitheia calls. “Don’t make me come over there and start poking you again. I’ll have you know Lady Pherais has even me absolute discretion in how to get you to fulfil your mandate as her chosen hero.”
“Ugh,” Kat groans.
“So, leave some crazy magical stuff for the rest of us, huh?” Dunstana concludes. “Besides, you don’t even fight with a sword! You shoot them, or you’ve got daggers, or you just punch people in the face. You probably don’t even need it!”
She jealously hugs the sword to herself.
“Okay, but if you fall over, it’s your own fault,” Kat says.
“Yeah, whatever,” Dunstana says.
She promptly trips and falls over.
“Ow,” Dunstana groans from the ground. “Kat, help!”
“Ugh.”
“Okay,” Dunstana says after a long, thoughtful moment. “This clearly isn’t working.”
Kat stares down at her.
“You think?”
“Luckily, I have an idea,” Dunstana says. “I’ll go up on your shoulders and, like, drive you around and reach down and whack the bad guys with my sword.”
“That’s a terrible—” Kat begins, but Dunstana has already clambered up onto her shoulders.
“Awesome,” Dunstana says, grinning broadly. “I have a magic sword and I’m tall! Those jerks don’t stand a chance.”
“Ugh.”
“Kat, look! Look, look, look!” Dunstana says eagerly. “Kat, look! They’re coming back.”
“Ugh.”
“Go, Kat, go!” Dunstana urges, putting her heels to Kat like she were a horse. “Get me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!”
More Realmgard Short Scenes here.
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