After Herja first escaped, no intervention was deemed necessary as she was past her childbearing years and thus no longer of true interest to the Order. But after her son Grundl attacked the Black Keep of Herot to free his younger sister, the Order could turn a blind eye no longer and responded by despatching a young Dragonkeeper who, because of certain peculiarities specific to his bloodline, specialized in the retrieval and pacification of even the most wayward trueborn daughters.
Our records show that Gunrr, the ‘Bear-wolf’, easily bested Grundl. Unlike the fictional hero Beowulf, however, he did not kill the shadow walker, for Grundl was still a young man with extremely potent blood in his veins. Instead, in the manner prescribed by our laws of the time, he cut off Grundl’s right arm and dispatched him to the Red Keep in Geatland (where, our records show, Grundl lived out his breeding years as a bloodslave before being executed at the age of forty).
Similarly, Gunrr also subdued Herja, Grundl’s mother, in a manner very different from that of the hero Beowulf as described in the poem. For Gunrr did not slay Herja by wielding an ‘ancient sword’ (except if the word is to be interpreted as a kind of schoolboy metaphor), but utilized the strange and peculiar gift of the Waemunding men to pacify the female: an overwhelming sexual allure so powerful that it has been used, time and time again, to weaken and subdue even the most uncontrollable trueborn females.
According to our records, Herja was soon so deeply under Gunrr’s sway that she entrusted all her secrets to him, including the location of the secret hideaway to which her daughter had fled. After divulging this information, she was of no further use and he dispatched with her forthwith—–an overhasty decision, it turned out, for once he reached the hideaway, Herja’s daughter could not be found. Indeed, it does not take great powers of deduction to surmise that the dragon who eventually brought his life to an end was none other than that very girl, who fully transformed a few decades later in order to take revenge on her mother’s killer…
From Dragons in Folklore (1961), by Gordon Green
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About the Author
Ripley Harper writes stories about young women who kick serious ass. She’s fascinated by myths and legends, old religions, ancient history and conspiracy theories. She’s also quite partial to a slow-burn romance, especially when it involves an (absolutely smoking hot) arch enemy.
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Treasurekeeper
Copyright © 2020 Ripley Harper
All rights reserved.
No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Cover art by Tertius Heyns
Treasurekeeper Page 31
