Chapter 252: Forgive and forget
“After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
Oscar Wilde
“That will not be a problem.” Jarl Njord answered, waving away any worry, unaware of exactly what I suspected to be true. “Dragonlings are rare indeed in the north, and most likely, it has simply found somewhere warm to shelter from the cold. It will not take long for you to find the beast at all. Once I make an announcement, I’m sure it will be found by the end of the day.” He promised, probably happy, that the return request for the two gilded statues he had received was so simple compared to their worth.
“That will not be necessary,” Fru Ingar confessed, interrupting him. “I apologise, husband, Lord Silversea.” She turned to both of us in turn. “But . . . Nyx was it? Is only just next door.” She explained.
“Next door?” Jarl Njord asked, clearly confused by his wife’s confession. I waited eagerly to hear her reasoning.
“She was to be a gift.” She explained apologetically. Namir and I let the drama play out without interrupting. I was not keen to intrude if we could Nyx return without any complications.
“A gift?” he demanded, a little cross at unwittingly being put in this awkward situation by his wife’s actions. “How and for whom?” he quizzed, doing significantly better at getting to the bottom of this than we would have been able to do.
“Yes, the dragonling was discovered in the market earlier this morning. Remarkably, she seemed comfortable in the cold, and without a collar or any obvious owner in sight, she was brought to me. I was going to present her as a surprise gift to Njordson.” She explained her actions to her husband before hurriedly apologising to me once more. “The theft was completely unintentional, and we will be happy to return your companion.” She continued to Njordson’s disappointment. It was difficult to be told that you were gaining something and then, in the next sentence, hear that you were losing it.