*This entry takes place at the same time as 'Legends of K'Darl #6'*
Beatrice had been the head librarian in the capital for nearly 40 years. She had overcome so much to attain such a high title. Beatrice was a dwarf, you see, and therefore couldn't reach any higher than 3, maybe 4, shelves. It didn't matter much here in the grand library, where ladders on tracks were fitted, meaning anyone could reach any book, even those hidden far above in the darkness. It had, however, hindered her in her younger years while training. The ridicule she had endured. The mockery and comments and laughter she had had to listen to every day. It had all made her so angry, though with years of practise, she had learnt to control her anger.
Right now, that control was slipping. For the past week, a group of miscreants had been stinking up the library, hardly ever leaving. Most of them had been sleeping here even. As Beatrice organised a pile of books, she thought back on the past week. The first had been annoying, dropping books around left right and centre, no respect for them at all. He had smelt awful that one, like he had spent a day and a night on a privy and forgotten to wipe.
Then, the rest of them had turned up, apparently companions of the first. There was the she elf, who insisted on prancing about and informing all she could of how tragic her life had been. There was not one, but two dragonborn. Both were stereotypically moody, stomping about the place, scaring other readers. At least she knew what all these were though. They also had in their company a walking suit of armour who, she had been alarmed to find out, could talk. He was extremely rude and made an awful noise when he walked around, creaking and clunking. The last was...well, she wasn't sure what it was. It appeared to be a man, though such a hulking brute she had never seen in her life. Where its stomach would normally be flat, there was an evil squiggly face grinning out at her. She hadn't dared look at it for more than a few seconds, but she knew she didn't like it.
She would have kicked them all out, barring the door behind them, but she had been informed that they were here on royal business. So, she put up with the noise, the mud, the unsavoury noises, the constant presence, the smell and, most irritating of all, the complete lack of respect for the organisational system.
Yes, she put up with it all, as she had put up with everything all her life. She slowly rose from her desk, picking up the stack of neatly organised books as she went, ready to place them back in their proper places. As she turned, she collided with something and was sent reeling backwards, the books scattered, their pages getting ripped and bent. As she looked around, she saw that the group of miscreants had been walking out of the library, and the hulking mass with the squiggly face had knocked her with his arm. They all walked onwards, completely oblivious. She watched as they left, leaving a lingering smell and a muddy trail behind them.
Beatrice sighed and started to gather her books.
No comments:
Post a Comment