Bumble was as ordinary a dwarf as one could call such creatures. He had a round, chubby face with a plump nose and dark, mischievous eyes. Like most of his kind, Bumble wore a beard and was short and bulky; in fact, his shoulders were so wide that when he approached a doorway he had to turn sideways in order to pass through. There was one strange thing about Bumble though. A difference that separated him from the other dwarves. Bumble loathed the underground caves that were home to his people. He lived in constant fear of the mountains above caving in on him.
Eventually Bumble's phobia led to ridicule and harassment from his fellow dwarves They cast him evil looks wherever he went and called him names in their native tongue – names that cannot be spoken in the language of men – and there came a time when Bumble was drove out of the caves altogether. Now as fate would have it, this is exactly what The Makers had planned for Bumble. You see, he and several others had their futures written in the Pages of Destiny, a scroll containing various prophecies which dictated the battle between good and evil.
The night prior to Bumble's dismissal from the caves beneath Mount Grove, he had and an extraordinarily vivid dream. In the dream Bumble was a traveling merchant selling drawvish wares; he was filthy rich; and most importantly, he slept each night beneath the stars. During his escapades he had traveled the world and learned a great many things from elves, sorcerers, and men. He had even established a shop next to Mount Grove as an insult directed at the caves he had once called home. Bumble continued to sleep until a young boy appeared in the dream. The boy introduced himself as... Bumble woke with a start as a loud knocking came thundering into his dream. Reality came flooding back, and Bumble sighed loudly before pushing himself out of the low cot and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The smell of fresh grass still lingered in his nose making him long to be back at his home in the dream. “Home...” Bumble mused to himself while he absently stroked his long, dark beard.
“Dammit! Answer at once, Bubble!” shouted an angry voice from outside the room. Bumble staggered towards the door after quickly dressing himself in a blue tunic and his plaid kilt. Before he was able to open the door, however, a surly looking dwarf with a braided beard burst into the room.
“Took yer sweet assed time, Bubble!” spat the intruder as he brushed passed Bumble and helped himself to a piece of bread lying on the table. The dwarf turned to face Bumble, a sly grin etched into his face, “Although I, the brave and loyal Horase, Weapons Keeper of Dwellham, am mighty pleased to be the one given you yer banishment.”
“My what?” questioned Bumble with a startled look, his eyes growing wide with anxiety.
“Yer banishment. It seems you've outgrown yer welcome in these caves, and it's the councils decision that you should be exiled before some of the clan members take it upon themselves to oust you. And they can be very nasty bunch, Bubble. Consider yerself lucky.”
“B-but...” stammered Bumble. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help himself from picturing the dream in his head. Was it some kind of sign, was he meant to leave the caves and become a traveling merchant? It all seemed so confusing, so impossible. How would he afford the items to sell in the first place? And who was that young boy? That particular question had been nagging at Bumble the second he awoke from the odd dream. It seemed as if he should know who the boy was.
Horase's voice snapped, “There be no buts this time, Bubble, yer out. You've got until after the midday meal. If yer not gone by then, the clan members will be out fer blood.
Anger rose within Bumble as he finally registered that Horase had been mispronouncing his name, something the others did often as a joke. “My name is Bumble,” he retorted confidently.
“Whatever,” replied Horase as he walked back towards the entrance, “Just remember, after the midday meal, yer fair game.” With that, Horase walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.
Bumble stood silently for a few minutes trying to collect his thoughts. The anger inspired by Horase's arrogance had left him feeling exhilarated. He had never stood up to anyone before, and the confidence the confrontation had bestowed upon him felt great. Horase had always been a bully. It was about time somebody put the 'brave and loyal' in his place Bumble thought to himself. A smirk slowly spread wide across his face as a plan slowly started to come to fruition.
“Thanks, Horase.” Bumble whispered to himself, “Your rudeness has given me an idea.”
Bumble now knew where he was going to find the first items he would sell as a merchant. He was going to steal them. Steal them from Horase.
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