Oliver D. Bernuetz's Stories

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Skerri and the Sun Lover

Listen and hear a tale of our ancestress, Skerri Brightspear.   Sit quiet and listen and I will tell you how she came about her name Brightspear.  

Once a spirit of wanderlust had brave Skerri and she wandered far from her home into the Mother's Land.  There she had many adventures but few lovers,   finally coming to the great city Nochet.  Skerri was a proud redheaded follower of Orlanth and disliked greatly the inequity between men and women in that land.   Of no interest to her were the wiles of men who acted like the women of the Dara Happans.  She wished not to be treated as only the gods should. 

She was sorely disgruntled then by the time she reached the great city of Nochet.   She had faced many challenges to her martial might from both   women and men but no man had challenged her lust (no follower of Heler, her).  As she waited to enter the gates what should she see but a man of the Dara Happans waiting to enter with his retinue.   And what a man!  Tall, golden and handsome he shone like Elmal himself.   He was armoured from head to toe in gold and he bore in his left hand the most beautiful spear Skerri had ever seen.  His retinue were similarly equipped but none could match his beauty nor could any of their spears match that of his.  Skerri thought to herself, "NOW there is a challenge.  That is what I will be sleeping with tonight or my father does not have fifty sons and only one daughter."  Knowing his reaction already a very much traveled stained and worn Skerri sauntered over and hailed him. 

"Hello beautiful, what's a spearman of your stature doing in a place like this?" The golden one turned slightly to her raising one quizzical eyebrow and said, "What a wonderment, here in Esrolia even the trash talks!"   Skerr's grin remained but her eyes grew cold.  "Now, now," she said, "Better mind your manners or I might have to take that pig sticker off of you."   Golden Boy smirked and replied, "Ha, the likes of you taking my family's ancestral spear? Begone trash or I WILL be forced to dirty it."  Skerri smiled and nodded her chin towards the gate guards, all grim Axe Maidens of Babeester Gor.   "Whose side do you think they'd be on then, I wonder."  Golden Boy and his lackeys grimaced at the thought of the Axe Maidens and looked for a way out of his predicament.  "Never mind, I'll see you later." said Skerri walking off and swinging her hips saucily as she went to the sound of much amused male laughter.

Seething inside Skerri got back into her place in line (which a kindly old trader had held for her) and plotted revenge.  She finally got in and spotting a street urchin she motioned her over.  Giving her a piece of silver, which the girl bit to test, she said, "Girl, there's another piece of silver in it for you if you follow the golden one soon to come into the gate and let me know where he's staying.  I'll be staying at...", Skerri turned and asked one of the guards where she could stay and from her lofty height the shaved and scarred head looked down and suggested a nearby inn.  "Did you hear that kid?"  The urchin nodded and ran off to wait for the Dara Happan.  Skerri took herself to the inn.  There she took a private room and taking off her coat of iron scales and filthy traveling clothes she arranged for a hot bath.  After she had scraped many layers of dirt off and washed her long red hair she felt much better.  Slipping into a dress with a clean kirtle over it she felt much cleaner and quite a bit less conspicuous.

She went down to the common room and walked up to the bar.   Ordering the finest beer in the house she downed it in one quick gulp.   "Not bad", she told the barkeep. "I admire those who brew such fine beer.  Can I buy some from you?"  After some haggling she reached agreement with the barkeep on the price of a keg.  A burly serving man brought the keg up and offered to place it in Skerri's room for her.  Spotting the urchin she had hired earlier she motioned for the servant to leave the keg where it was.  She strolled over and tapped the urchin on the shoulder before the innkeep could evict her.  The urchin cowered away from the stranger until she looked into Skerri's eyes and realized that she was the same woman who had given her the silver at the gate.  Skerri bent over and the urchin held her hand out.  Placing another silver in her palm the urchin whispered the inn where the Dara Happan had gone to.  Skerri straightened and patted the girl on the back before giving her another piece of silver.

Skerri turned to the innkeep and asked him where she could find a herbal healer.  The innkeep provided directions and asking that the keg be placed in her room she went out and headed in that direction.  Being mostly unfamiliar with cities she had to stop and ask for directions several times on her route. Finally she reached the healers and entered.  There she told a sad story of a household plagued by evil spirits in their bowels.  The herbalist behind the counter suggested a strong purgative and Skerri purchased enough for her entire household.  Once she had finished her transaction she returned to her room, put on a long cloak and taking the keg up on her shoulders she left the inn.  

After some confusion as to route she finally arrived at the inn that the Dara Happans were staying at.  She knocked on the servants door at the back and told them a sad story of a woman wronged.  She asked their aid in vengeance and swore that none would die at her hand.  One of the servants lent her a dress such as the staff wore and donning it she went out into the busy eating hall and began serving tables.   It wasn't long before her striking good looks caught the attention of the table of Dara Happans, especially that of their leader.  She wandered back and forth past the table all evening long swinging her hips and casting saucy looks at the table, not limiting her looks to the head of the table.  This behavior got her shocked and disapproving glances from the local women in the room which Skerri ignored.  The table saw that she was serving nothing but beer and grimacing at the thought they all called for beer instead of the wine they had been consuming.

Skerri went into the back and brought out a round of beer for the table which was consumed with more or less enthusiasm depending on how far over the table she leaned.  She leaned the farthest over at the head of the table and Golden Boy quickly quaffed down his entire mug of beer despite the odd bitter aftertaste and his dislike for beer.  When she asked if anyone wanted another round they all agreed, Golden Boy the quickest and she slowly sauntered off towards the back swinging her hips in a provocative manner all the way.

When she brought the second round out and had served it around the table.  Golden Boy grabbed her by the waist and sat her on his lap.  Nothing loath she sat down and allowed him to paw her somewhat.  He whispered something in her ear and she told him that her shift was already over.  The pair departed to his room where they engaged in mutual pleasure with Skerri of course taking a more dominant role than Golden Boy was used to.  He attributed this to the mistaken belief that she was a local.  As they lay together afterwards he suddenly felt an extremely strong call of nature.  Rushing to the jakes he swore and cursed at the local food and water.  "Oh, no," said Skerri laughing mockingly, "Blame not the food and water but rather the beer which contained a strong purgative which of course I put there."  Golden Boy attempted to leave the jakes to attack her but another, even stronger attack prevented this and he bellowed for his followers.  Groans and strangled noises where all that answered him and Skerri laughed some more.  "You seem to have forgotten our prior meeting this morning when I tried to be nice to you and was called trash for my trouble.  I swore then that I would bed you AND take your spear which I have done and am doing so I bid you adieu."  With that Skerri took up the spear where it leaned against a corner of the room, made certain promises to the spirit within that pacified it and slipped out the window into the street below.   Morning found her on the road again heading homewards, laughing all the way.

And that's how Skerri won her Brightspear.

October 03, 2000  

Last updated October 07, 2016

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Email me at bernuetz@mymts.net