#bergen_county

Adam finds himself appearing in his bed room with Gerd

"SHIT!" Startled at the mode of travel.

"Hey, cheaper than your heart of knight trip"

Gerd looks about "So..oh, on the mantle"

"Jeeze....." Adam gets the Fiona-shaded blade from the headboard. He glances around the room, at the lamp shade, behind the curtain, on the bedposts..... "Ok."

"Nab doesn't appear to be here. " Gerd says says guessing his work "Ready for the return trip?"

"Yeah. Go ahead." He holds onto his sword tightly.

"Darn.. I missed Dagmar's song... best use another... I'm no singer either though so..." She clears her throat and bows before Adam then sings

"There was a knight who longed to wield a more impressive lance To carry into battle, and to aid him with romance. A wizard overheard the knight and granted his request. The knight at first was overjoyed to see how he was blessed."

"Hey there, ho there, A lesson's coming through: Be careful what you ask for-- For your wishes may come true."
"The knight went to a revel with his weapon thus enhanced. The lance made dining difficult and tripped him while he danced. The next day at the tournaments he won the jousting meets, For all who faced his fearsome lance fell laughing from their seats."

"Hey there, ho there, A lesson's coming through: Be careful what you ask for-- For your wishes may come true."
"The knight romanced a lady who admired his staff of oak. They'd scarse begun their gentle joust before the staff had broke. The knight sought out the wizard, who replied when brought to task, "Your wish bespoke how long it WAS, and not how long 'twould LAST!""

And a motion of a joust blow to the heart..and both vanish

*****************

Outside the lodge, the Chieftain turns to face Adam and Dagmar. She looks at them both a long moment, silent.

Dagmar has gone tense and sullen.

"If I knew what to do to fix it, Chief, I would."

Quietly.

Dagmar watches, hands shoved in her pockets.

"I think..." she says, "...it might help if we were all clear on what 'it' is. I ask for absolute honesty from both of you in this conversation. Adam, what do you believe the problem is between you?"

"We dated. And then we broke up. I guess it was the break up."

"What about it?"

"I'm not exactly sure...." he looks at Dagmar, back to Brekke ".... but I'm guessing she didn't like it. She was hurt?"

Jaw-jut. Silence.

A nod. "Dame Dagmar...what do you believe is the problem between you?"

"What is the problem? I said I would work with him, I said I'd do my duty. Have I done something wrong?"

Brekke is silent a moment. "Do you trust Adam?"

"To... what?"

"To fight by your side."

A grunt.

Eyebrow. "Not good enough. Explain."

"I am sure he will show up and fight. He's improved a lot."

"Got some fancy treasure sword, now."

Adam shifts said sword in his arms.

"Dagmar," Brekke says quietly. "I am giving you this chance to speak plainly about what is wrong between you. If you do not take this opportunity now, to speak and perhaps resolve it, then I will have little sympathy if it becomes a problem later."

She scowls.

"Am I not doing enough? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to speak your anger at him, and find a way to resolve it...or let it go, and forget it. Resentment will not help you if you must fight side-by-side."

"What good would that do?!"

"All it will do is put him back to scurrying away from me like I'm some monster that will bite him."

"That's not how I think of you." Firmly.

"Now, I don't trust him to follow a plan, or to listen to me in a fight, so I'll have to work with that. Same with Dirk. But I'll do my duty, if the three of us are some kind of team."

"Hm." Brekke considers this. "Adam, how do you think of Dagmar?"

Adam risks looking at the younger troll. "She was there when all this started, for me. Right at the beginning. We're both adopted. She's strong, not just, like, troll-strong but strong-inside. She's had to fight fights I never did, and she won them 'cause she's here, now. I think every scar she has is beautiful. -And- she's cute. And when she lets you hear her laugh, or see her smile, you know you've been given a treasure."

"Mm. Complimentary. You think nothing negative about her at all?"

Her jaw juts again and she looks away.

"Well, she can be stubborn." He grins. "If that's a negative thing."

Brekke takes a deep breath before speaking. "Adam, I do not think you understand that you are making this more difficult. She is angry with you but will not speak of her anger. If you have no anger with her..." A pause. "Dame Dagmar, I think I understand you somewhat. Do you believe that bearing anger against somebody who bears no anger against you makes you...'the bad guy'?"

The last said with a sense of familiarity.

"Of course I'm the bad guy." Bitter and hurt. And true.

Adam looks truly baffled but says nothing.

"Explain."