A Song of Askaldenfirsts and Dragons. Book one: The outlanders (Part I-IV)
Chapter 2: Tulvarick

“Tarrick, I need you to get me to one of your ships!” said the king of the tonnebeards.

“Why, Your Majesty?” The larmarian asked.

“I want you to take me to the Larmar Islands.”

“Why?!” Tarrick was even more surprised.

“I’ll try to make an alliance with the dragons,” Tulvarick said frankly.

“Your Majesty, I don’t understand. The king of the arqilunians has already made an alliance with the dragons and they are on our side, while all the dragons on the islands are enemies. With whom will you make an alliance if there are no friendly forces left?”

“Tarrick, we have a lot in common with the larmarians, as well as with the snunorfs, although I understand that I’m short and stout and you are tall and thin, but not so thin actually… Anyway, I’m not talking about that,” the king threw up his hands in an emotional gesture, “I’m talking about the fact that our beliefs and principles are much closer to each other than to the beliefs of the elves! Can’t you see the danger of the arqilun-dragons alliance? What if they want to take over the Larmar Islands?”

“I don’t think, Your Majesty, that the dragons or elves will need our rocks,” Tarrick said.

“Think again! You have a lot of fish there, and the king of the arqilunians, this arrogant Aelarnal, thinks that he can order the dragons to kill only specific creatures, animals and ermirians, as if a fire-breathing creature would listen to a long-eared brat! You have to think about it! So in the event of a conflict, they’ll take up a strategically advantageous position on your glorious islands, where they actually settled down! Open rocks will help them easily patrol the area, and even if your fleet could reach your coast at night, will you have enough time before the dragons wake up?”

“Your Majesty, you speak wisely,” Tarrick said, “but I do not understand how an alliance with enemies will help us? They can be as unpredictable as their renegade brothers.”

“We know nothing, Tarrick. I propose to sail to your islands and check! Besides, what if one of the islanders survived and is now being held captive? I’ll make a deal with the dragons, even at the cost of betraying the elves.” the king admitted. “Don’t you want to trade the ally dragon for the surviving of your men?”

“Yes, of course,” Tarrick agreed.

“Then what do you say? Shall we move tomorrow morning to your ships, take one and try to get to the islands?”

“Very well, Your Majesty!” Tarrick decided, “I’ll warn the others.”

“Why?” Now the time has come for the king to wonder.

“We will not go through the forest alone, Your Majesty. I told you about the incident with the arqilunian young woman, we still don’t understand why she attacked. There may be others in the woods. And I don’t want to risk your life, your majesty! I will take my team of reliable larmarians!”

“All right,” the king agreed, “only your group and we’ll take no one in addition, I don’t want to cause panic among the northerners and the tonnebeards.”

“Then we leave tomorrow morning, Your Majesty.”

“Tomorrow morning!” the king supported and held out his hand to Tarrick, the larmarian bent down, and they shook each other’s forearms.

The king threw his beard over his shoulder to avoid entanglement and left Tarrick’s room, which the snunorfs had provided for the larmarian to stay in. Tarrick waited for a little, and then he went out and headed to warn his team that tomorrow they will have another adventure.