A Tale of One Deviant (Book 2) (Technically Hiatus, but kind of not)

Chapter 200: A Hop-Skip Across the World

"Firea Historia."

     "There's still some time to change the name, don't worry. Look, here's the submission," I said, holding the paper with a pen out to one of them, either of them, if they'd just take it. "Before it goes into the official records, you can still pick a normal name for the sword."

     "It's quite normal to name swords after females," Major Bhemus explained while rubbing his beard, looking at me holding the thing out to him as he sipped his fine cup of not-Lorettatir. No doubt that would be delivered later, along with the rest of the delegation from the king, giving the clan its gifts for the next three years. "In fact, Mademoiselle, have you named yours? Where is it? Why have we not seen your craftsmanship yet?"

     "Please, there's still time-"

     "You'll have to give up, Maddie," Dasia said while walking by, a platter on her arm. "Once those old guys set their mind on something, they don't change it."

     "But my name...why my name...why not like...your wives or something..."

     "Mildred has enough weapons named after her. I think she quite got sick of it after the third one."

     "Gloria has never cared no matter how many things I name after her or our children."

     "Don't be too embarrassed, lass." A well-meaning Dwarf clapped a hand down on my head, but Dasia smacked it up so my hair didn't get ruined. "No one will even know. What're the chances any of your folks back home come over here to see a sword that'll be hanging in the king's fifteenth parlor soon?"

     "And then, when we get it back in three years, it will be buried with me."

     "Or, me."

     "And then you will never be embarrassed by the most valuable comeback sword the Bhemuses have ever presented before the clans of a nation."

     "Okay, look...it's a great sword. But why me...?! Why couldn't it have been, I don't know, Dasia?!"

     "I have named four daggers after that child."

     "And I have named two daggers and two assassin's needles after her."

     "Then her unborn sibling-"

     "Swords cannot go without a name for longer than a day after creation-"

     "-and the name of a child cannot be revealed before its birth. Those are the rules."

     "Why...what specific..."

     "So Mademoiselle, tell us. Where are your weapons? What have you named them?"

     "..."

     Crossing my arms while sitting at the bench in front of them, muttering off to the side, I snapped my fingers and let the bundle of cloth appear in front. Somewhat nervous, thinking I'd be judged harshly even though it was only my first time.

     "Look...I know it's not the best, but I needed the sturdiest material I could find, not the prettiest. And, you know, there was this Demon that got summoned in the forest next to my home once, and it was pretty sturdy and hard to take down, so I thought-"

     "..."

     One Dwarf held the arm in his hand, the other the sword. Both of them looked at the pitch black things, silent for a moment.

     "We trust you purified these before creation."

     "Purified...?" I hesitated a moment too long as they went to quickly put down the things. "Yeah, how else was I...I mean, the person who took down the Demon...able to take it down and turn it into bits and pieces? That thing was the size of a mountain, I'll have you know."