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Fafnir's Loyalty
Once in a time where the world was still a mysterious place, there was an arrogant, unlikable traveler whose goal was to find the legendary Golden Palace. One afternoon he found himself running low on food, so he decided to fish in a nearby river. He set up a net near a waterfall and caught lots of fish to gut and to cook over the fire. However, he managed to catch a pike in his net.
"Bleh, I don't particularly care for pike, but fish is fish." He thought. "Hey, let me go! I'm no good for eating!" said the pike. "If you release me, I will grant you any wish!" "Any wish, hmm? And what makes you think I'll listen to a fish? No, I'll cook you and eat you here and now." said the traveler.
"Seriously, you'll regret trying to harm me." "Me regret harming a fish? I don't think so… why would you, a pike, be so sure about me regretting trying to eat you?" retorted the traveler. "Because I am not a pike. I am a dwarf!" At once, the pike transformed back into his true self, sunstone in hand. The weight of the dwarf forced the traveler to let go of his leg.
"I am Andvari, and I see no reason to fight you. But I can tell you are a troublesome, unpleasant fellow… I must get rid of you this instant!" Andvari used a magical wand to warp the traveler away from the waterfall.
The traveler was now lost, but he didn't care. All he could think about was killing Andvari for making him lose track of his camp (and for the possibility of him having to waste time trying to catch more fish). He walked around looking for familiar surroundings, and after several hours he finally got back to his camp.
He looked around and found his camp completely devoid of the fish he caught. "When I find that dwarf I'll gut him, pike or otherwise! Nobody steals MY food…" But then he went into his tent and saw a slightly bloated otter. "Aha! So you're the cretin who ate all my fish!"
The otter apologized, saying that he didn't know that someone was camping here. "I thought that Andvari cooked some fish for my visit… the name's Otr. I promise I'll make it up to you." The traveler wasn't having it though. Before Otr could react, the traveler grabbed him and was about to tie his limbs. Otr transformed back to his true form as a dwarf, and then told the traveler that his aggressive nature would get him into trouble one day.
"I don't care who you are, if you mess with my food I'm gonna hurt you good! Besides, your little friend has already made me angry…" said the traveler. "Well I was going to take you to my home and give you provisions for your journey. But you're far too disagreeable! I'm out of here." Before the traveler could hurt Otr, he transformed into a maggot and scurried underground and out of sight.
The traveler was understandably angry and stomped off. He didn't care which way he went, but he wanted to do something to vent his frustrations. He found a man in the middle of the road and decided now was as good a time as any to ask about the Golden Palace.
"Hey you! Do you know about the Golden Palace?" asked the traveler. "You're a rude being… Why do you want to know about it so urgently?" The man was trying to be reasonable, but the traveler was too angry for games. "I'm tired of all these tricks. Do you know about the Golden Palace or not?"
"And what if I do? My father Hreidmar lives there, but I definitely wouldn't invite you to such a place…" said Regin. "I'm the wisest of his sons, but even if I wasn't I can tell you are a greedy, arrogant, insolent being."
Enraged, the traveler tied up Regin and forced him to tell him the location of the Golden Palace. "If you don't tell me this instant I will kill you where you stand." Regin decided to be smart about the whole thing and lead him to his brother Fafnir. "I must tell you that the castle is guarded by a powerful dwarf… but if you can defeat him in the cave to the north the entire castle will be yours. My father isn't home right now, and the castle will be unguarded save for that one dwarf. I too am a dwarf, and he likes me dearly. That is how I know this …"
The traveler was overcome with greed, thinking about the riches he would soon acquire… but he kept Regin tied up. "If you are lying to me, you are dead. Do you understand?" He then went to the cave in the North. Fafnir was a powerful dwarf, with an incredible proficiency for fighting and a great throwing arm. He was one of the most powerful dwarves, only rivaled by the likes of Durinn and Motsognir. But Fafnir was unfortunately cursed as the traveler would soon find out…
The traveler went into the cave with his axe, ready to take on the dwarf and claim his ultimate reward. Fafnir, having heard from Andvari and Otr about the incredibly rude traveler, was waiting for him at the back of the cave. "You must be the dwarf who guards the Golden Palace…" said the traveler. Fafnir said nothing. "Once I kill you, I will take all the treasures inside the Golden Palace! I will be richer than anyone could imagine! Now get ready to meet your demise."
Without a word, both of them fought in a lengthy battle. The traveler with his axe, and Fafnir with various weapons of his own. The two fought valiantly, but the traveler was able to overpower Fafnir and tie him up in iron chains! "Hand over the key to the Golden Palace, and I will consider not killing you. You fought well…" said the traveler, spitting in Fafnir's face.
Fafnir however, was not intimidated. He looked the traveler in the eye and said "I see my brother sent you here. But the entrance to the Golden Palace is not in this cave. And even if you kill me I will not tell you where it is. It's out of the question. Go home." The traveler was furious. He pulled Fafnir in by the beard and demanded to know where the Golden Palace was. But Fafnir said nothing.
"I will kill you… I WILL kill you and your whole family. I will kill Andvari… I will kill all dwarves until I find my reward of riches! Nobody will stand in my way of my goals!" The traveler then walked out of the cave to the entrance and found Regin watching him. "YOU… You lied to me… and now you will die…"
Fafnir was still trying to work his way out of his cuffs and chains when the traveler dragged his brother in with him. "You will tell me where the Golden Palace is or I will kill your brother and make you watch!" Fafnir saw Regin and immediately glared at the traveler. "Don't think I'm above hurting either of you…" The traveler slashed Fafnir's arm with a short dagger, putting him in pain. "Any pain you feel, I'll inflict it ten times worse on your brother… One of you had better talk or else!"
"Get… away from here… Regin…" said Fafnir. He didn't want his brother to see what he was about to do next. Otr, who was hiding behind a large boulder, untied Regin and took him to safety. Fafnir breathed heavily… slipping further into a furious state. "You can threaten my life… you can put me in serious pain, you can tie me up and beat me up… but I fight for my friends. I fight for my family…"
"You don't scare me. I can easily kill you where you stand!" The traveler was overconfident in his abilities… "Nobody will EVER hurt my friends! NOBODY WILL HURT MY FAMILY AND LIVE!"
Fafnir's curse of anger transformed him into a mighty dragon, with sharp claws and talons and strong jaws. The strong armed dragon leered into the now trembling traveler… "Allow me to repay past unkindnesses…" The poisonous dragon spat in the traveler's face, much as the traveler had done earlier. The poison stuck to him and covered the ground at his feet, and the traveler fell to his feet. The traveler felt sick and he could barely move, but his instincts told him to at least try to fight.
The traveler was too weak and too slow to fight or escape however… Fafnir used his tail to swat him aside into a nearby wall. Then he crawled up to the traveler and put his claws onto his feeble body. "Please… I surrender. I don't. I don't need the treasure anymore…"
"TOO LATE…" said Fafnir. He used his claws to tear into his enemy and put him into extreme pain. "I… won't… hurt… anyone….. again. I- I'm sorry. Please…" Fafnir was no longer listening to the traveler. Fafnir no longer saw him as worthy of forgiveness. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm a changed man. Please don't let me die…" But Fafnir wasn't about to change his mind… With his strong jaw, he bit into the traveler's spine, killing him instantly. He then swallowed the traveler whole. The traveler was no more… the only evidence that the traveler existed at all was the slight bulge in the dragon's belly.
Fafnir went out and scratched at numerous trees in his rage before going back into his cave to calm down. His brothers and Andvari comforted him, and massaged the large lump in his now swollen belly when he turned back to normal. "Never forget… this is where my loyalties lie…" said Fafnir. "I hated him with every fiber of my being… the fact he was willing to hurt you Regin…" Andvari nodded solemnly… "We're safe. It'll be painful, but after that traveler digests he'll never hurt anyone again… Fafnir, I know your curse can be bothersome at times, but the fact that you are willing to use it to protect us is admirable!"
Regin and Otr both comforted him, and they said that they would accept him for who he truly was… Fafnir was now exhausted, but he thanked his brothers and his loyal friend. He then slept to recover his energy and returned home to Hreidmar. Hreidmar noticed the extra weight that Fafnir was carrying and asked what had happened. Fafnir simply replied that he had proved his loyalty. "...Thank you. But please don't ever put yourselves in danger for me ever again… Promise me you won't do this, my sons." responded Hreidmar, as he realized that Fafnir had eaten someone. Fafnir simply said "I will fight for you. I will protect you no matter what, even if I have to kill or have to devour an entire army…" Hreidmar simply sighed and thanked his sons for being as good to him and each other as they were. But he made a note to ask Motsognir if something could be done about Fafnir's curse…
So here is where our story ends… with Hreidmar worried about Fafnir and his curse, and Fafnir now carrying extra weight and a belly that would take weeks to lose. But they, and all the other dwarves were safe. And that was the best thing any of them could have asked for!