The Noblest of Goblins

Part 3 of Doy of the Marshes

Doy's swift canoe trip went smoothly. The pond's water was still, and the orcs had left out of sight and out of wits. Our half-goblin boy had reached the southern end of the pond and then made good way until reaching open ground at the coming of the night. Getting open fields before his eyes made him to pause. He'd much rather sleep hidden among bushes and trees than out on the grass where he'd be more visible. So he stayed at the margin of the marsh, a little ball of goblinhood covered by his cape.

Trouble didn't reach him and, two hours before dawn, the twelve years old rushed himself onto the grass. The ground was still soft, the grass wet, for these were usually wet lands, even on a summer like that one. Still, compared to the marsh, the landscape was easier to manage and he made good progress. At midday, feeling safe enough to take a breakfast of oatmeal, worry came back to his heart. Wolf riders! Instinctively, he went after the first bush that could hide him and spread his cape, so no bit of his skin would be exposed.

But these were… yes! Those were the Green Fangs, led by the best goblin in the whole Western Marches: Prince Teddus himself. Relieved, the half-goblin boy stood up and waved. The Green Fangs made their noble wolves wheel and approached the boy in formation. Then, it came to him, he, a puny slave, had just disrupted the business of a prince. But there was nothing that could be done except apologize and prepare to receive punishment.

“By the misty moon, what are you doing here, Doy?”

Doy kneeled, a custom the goblins of these parts had appropriated from humans, and trembled. “The overseer sent me to deliver a letter, my prince.” He answered.

“Where?”

“Caddair, my prince.”

“Caddair? By the misty moon, a kid your age should be doing errands for the witches, not… wait, let's deal with that later, come here, jump into my Grumpy.” He meant his wolf, and these were riding wolves that were larger than wolves, almost the size of a horse and quite terrifying. Doy had little trouble mounting the animal, who lay down to make the entire thing much easier.

“Cheer with us, my small friend, for we're coming back in victory.”

“Victory, my prince?”

“Yes, can't you see the loot?”

It was only then that Doy noticed. Along with the wolves came four mules loaded with heavy boxes, and on one of the wolves, along with a goblin, rode two human kids, boy and girl.

“My prince, have the loot eaten? I have food.”

“They have eaten, little hwblin. I had to take them along, orcs got their parents dead.”

“They're scared, my prince.”

“Well, we're goblins.”

“Can I say something to them, so they won't be that scared, my prince?” Doy would've never tried that with any other prince, but Teddus was famous for being the bravest and most generous among all them.

“Let's go then, the sooner they ease up, the better for us all.”

And so they went, and arriving at them, Doy said. “I'm a…”

“Doy, can you speak human?”

“Some words, my prince.”

“Don't worry, just say your words, I'll translate.”

“Doy 'v numj erbo. Yeben drw erbo, kum twej, tak dapj erbo. Prienj kerboj.*" Those were the boy's precise words, spoken slowly and simply, as if the human boys had any chance to understand him.

Then, Prince Teddus addressed the sacred human kids in their language: “The kid would like to mention that His name is Doy. That he's a slave too, like you, but that he's happy and that he'll be your friend.”

And with that Doy jumped off Grumpy and moved to the human kids and gave them the berries he had collected along the way. Then the human girl and boy hugged Doy and Teddus felt quite pleased with the whole affair.

“Come, my hwblin,” he then told the boy, “I'll take you for a ride.”

“Yes, my prince.”

“Oh, don't you know? Now that Illeta is Queen, I'm no longer a prince. Only her children got to be princesses and princes now. I'm Count Teddus from now on.”

“Yes, my count.”

“You'd make a nice prince, now let's ride.”

Teddus took Doy on his stead and rode west, towards Blue Scar, the river that marked, in the opinion of many, the eastern borders of the Great Human Republic. Doy imagined how nice it would be to be the child of a princess and not some poor hwblin slave that couldn't even name his parents. Then, just one hour later, that's how fast Grumpy could be in those years, they reached the bank of the Scar.

“This is where I must leave you, my boy, but first, I need to see that letter.”

“Yes, my count.” It wasn't naivety that led Doy to comply so easily. Teddus was a count, and a hwblin slave kid doesn't talk back to a goblin count, much less one as famous as Teddus. To Doy that made as much sense as telling a stone to fly.

Teddus read it carefully, then said. “Good thing it's a good letter, don't you miss it.”

“I won't, my count.”

“But, please, I'm writing you another letter. It won't give you any further trouble. Give it to the same priest, right after the first one.”

Teddus script was much worse than the overseer, he even had to remember how to write some letters, but Doy couldn't understand anything, regardless. But it was a short one, and once it was done, Teddus led Doy to a ford where the Scar widened enough that the waters didn't reach the hwblin's knees.

And such he was at a marsh, a small one, for he had gone onto human lands where everything was duller. But then it dawned on him that it was through that very land that Teddus led his first loot with a hundred sheep, two human captives and ferocious dogs back home. From a slave of humans, he'd become a goblin prince. Would that be his fate too? Nah, not probably, it couldn't be, but he was sure Count Teddus was tempting the goddesses in his favor. Still, there were many dangers away from that.

End of Part 3