At first they thought with dread that it was a grendel, but it had fur sticking out from beneath and between the scales, and grendels did NOT have fur.

The voice rang out again. “Friend or foe?” it said.

 

Chapter 5

“I-I could ask you the same thing,” Ellen stuttered, “But I think we can safely say that you are not our friends.”

The creature span her around to look at her. Ellen gasped and then frowned. “What are you?” she said

“Never you mind Missy” replied the creature and tried to drag her off. She was not going to go without a fight, so, lighting quick, she shot out with short but sharp fingernails and tore a few scales and a tuft of fur out of it’s skin. It roared with pain and let her go. Ellen ran to her friends and attempted to free them, to the annoyance of the guards who also had a few skilled archers amongst them. It wasn’t clear whose bow the arrow had left from but it  quickly found it’s mark in Ellen who fell and passed out from the pain.

It was to much for Einar who shouted out “You may kill us but we will be avenged you disgusting Grendels!”

The group of creatures stopped in their tracks. The leader made a face “Grendels?” he said “Ugh! Horrible things! What made you think that we were Grendels?”

“Well aren’t you?” asked Einar

“No!” the leader said, a little annoyed, “We are Grenorns, part Grendel, part norn. We are nowhere near as vicious as Grendels,” He looked around at the other Grenorns, “We should know”

“Why?” asked Giselle, interested.

“Not here, back to the caves. The girl’s leg must be seen to,” he said glancing at Ellen who’s blood was beginning to  turn the area around her leg bright red.

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

Sat around the fire in the spacious Grenorn Caves, The leader, Gyles, told the Grenorn tale.

“We were all kicked out of our respective tribes,” he began, “the tribe members all said we were too different. Grendels kicked us out because we were too compassionate and Norns kicked us out because we were too aggressive. So here we are, In our own tribe” he said proudly.

Ellen sipped a mug of hot coffee. “Why did you attack us like that?” she said

“We didn’t know what you were doing and it is our policy to attack if unsure.” replied Gyles

“What were you doing?” asked Allun, Gyles’ son

“We are journeying to Grendel Lairs to get rid of them and save the whole of Albia.” said Einar.

“And guess who dies,” murmured Ellen.

“You?” Allun said, “but how do you now?”

“The prophesy says so”

“Did it mention you by name?” he asked

“Uh... No, but it said the leader dies and as far as I know I am the leader,” she answered him

Allun put his arm around Ellen. “Maybe I should come along and protect you eh?” he said

Ellen smiled and melted into his arms, sighing.

Einar raised an eyebrow, “No it’s OK,”he said taking Allun’s arm from around Ellen’s shoulders, “We can manage just fine.”

Ellen pushed Einar’s hand away with a look that said ‘Leave me alone and stop interfering,”

Gyles regarded the group steadily. “And you’re sure you want to face the Grendels?”

Ellen shrugged. “I wasn’t at first and I’m still having my doubts, but...” she sighed, “I have to meet my fate sometime..”

“No!” Allun shouted “ I can’t allow someone as fantastic as you to die like that!”

Ellen blushed. She wasn’t used to being flattered.

Einar was getting increasingly annoyed at this charming young stranger. It wasn’t any easier when he saw Giselle  swooning over him too.

‘This is madness,’ he told himself, ‘the boy’s GREEN for hand’s sake!”

Then he remembered that he was green

‘He is an irritating little snotball’

Then he noticed that he was describing himself perfectly

‘OK. What’s he got that I haven’t?’

‘CHARM!!!’ his inner voice yelled at him

‘I can be charming,’ he told himself, ‘watch this’

He went up to the nearest female he could see. “Hiya babe,’ he said ‘I have three little words that are gonna change your life: You, Me & Tonight.

The female jumped back and said, very loudly, “I’ve got something that’ll change your life too!”

Einar was expecting nothing more than a kiss and an eager agreement. “Oh baby.” he crooned, “I’m gonna show you the stars...”

The female stuck out her fist and showed him a few stars of her own.

Allun thought he’d never laughed so much in his life, but when he looked at Ellen and Giselle, they had both gone bright red with embarrassment, Ellen for daring to bring him along and Giselle for bothering to save him from that bottomless pit.

Einar touched his sore eye gingerly, Man it hurt! He started to wish he’d never tried to prove how macho he was in front of Ellen, It just made everything worse. The real tragedy was that she seemed to like him to start with, somewhere along the line she had changed her mind. He recalled it was shortly after she’d met him. He tried to smile at Ellen, but it came out looking like more of a lopsided grin. When she looked away and pretended she hadn’t seen him, it cut him to the quick. Here he was, totally humiliating himself in front of the entire tribe, the norn he loved and the norn who had saved him, and what had he got? A black eye that was gonna look real bad in the morning. He slunk away to the sleeping area he had been given, his face burning with shame.