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The droaited until Bruenor was engrossed with his meal, then quickly snatched up the warhammer By the time Bruenor could react, Drizzt had already lifted the weapon

"Too big for a dwarf," Drizzt remarked casually "And too heavy for my slender arms" He looked at Bruenor, who stood with his forear impatiently "For who then?"

"Ye’ve a talent for puttin’ yer nose where it don’t belong, elf," the dwarf answered gruffly

Drizzt laughed in response "The boy, Wulfgar?" he asked infeelings for the young barbarian, though he also realized that Bruenor would never openly ad a barbarian Did you craft it yourself?"

Despite his chiding, Drizzt was truly awe-stricken by Bruenor’s workh the hammer was far too heavy for him to wield, he could clearly feel its incredible balance

"Just an old hammer; that’s all," Bruenor mumbled "The boy lost ’is club; I couldn’t well turn ’im loose in this wild place without a weapon!"

"And its na, the na from him before he even had time to consider it He didn’t remember the incident, but the dwarf had determined the naical intonations of the cere the hah for the boy Mithril, adamantite, and diamond will simply have to do"

"Aw, shut yer mouth," snapped Bruenor, his face flushed red with ey

"Why did you requestthe subject

Bruenor cleared his throat "The boy," he grumbled softly Drizzt saw the uncomfortable lump well in Bruenor’s throat and buried his next taunt before he spoke it

"He comes free afore winter," continued Bruenor, "an’ he’s not rightly trained Stronger than anydeer, but he’s green to the ways o’ battle"

"You want me to train him?" Drizzt asked incredulously

"Well, I can’t do it!" Bruenor snapped suddenly "He’s seven foot and wouldn’t be takin’ well to the low cuts of a dwarf!"

The drow eyed his frustrated companion curiously Like everyone else as close to Bruenor, he knew that a bond had grown between the dwarf and the young barbarian, but he hadn’t guessed just how deep it ran

"I didn’t take ’iet cut down by a stinkin’ tundra yeti!" Bruenor blurted, impatient with the drow’s hesitance, and nervous that his friend had guessed ain, but there was no teasing in it this time He remembered his own battle with tundra yetis nearly five years before Bruenor had saved his life that day, and it hadn’t been the first and wouldn’t be the last tiods know that I owe you more than that, runted and grabbed the next coney

The ring of Wulfgar’s pounding echoed through the dwarven halls Angered by the revelations he had been forced to see in his discussion with Catti-brie, he had returned to his ith fervor

"Stop yer haar spun on his heel He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn’t heard Bruenor enter An involuntary sht the shoeakness quickly and repainted a stern ht and girth and the scraggly beginnings of a blond beard upon the golden skin of his face "I can’t rightly be callin’ ye ’boy’ anyht to call ar "I am your slave"

"Ye’ve a spirit as wild as the tundra," Bruenor said, s "Ye’ve ne’er been, nor will ye ever be, a slave to any dwarf or uard by the dwarf’s uncharacteristic compliment He tried to reply but could find no words

"Never have I seen ye as a slave, boy," Bruenor continued "Ye served ht ye much in return Now put yer haar’s fine workood feel for the stone, but ye don’t belong in a dwarf’s cave It’s tiar whispered

"Get the notion outa yer head!" Bruenor snapped He pointed a stubby finger at the barbarian and growled threateningly "Yer et that!"

Wulfgar had to bite his lip to steh As always, the dwarf’s aard coe had confused hier cah Four years at Bruenor’s side had taught hiruffness

"Finish up whatever ye got here to do," Bruenor instructed "I take ye out to , and, by yer vow, ye’ll heed to hiht of servitude to yet another, but he had accepted his indenture to Bruenor unconditionally for a period of five years and a day, and he would not dishonor hi back on his oath He nodded his consent

"I won’t be seein’ much more o’ ye," Bruenor continued, "so I’ll have yer oath now that ye’ll never again raise a weapon against the people o’ Ten-Towns"

Wulfgar set himself firmly "That you may not have," he replied boldly "When I have fulfilled the terms you set before h," Bruenor conceded Wulfgar’s stubborn pride actually enhancing the dwarf’s respect for hi warrior and found hirowth

"Ye broke that stinkin’ pole o’ yers on an tentatively He cleared his throat This final order of business h dwarf uncoh it without appearing sentimental and foolish "Winter’ll be fast upon ye after yer terhtly send ye out into the ithout a weapon" He reached back into the hallway quickly and grabbed the warhaar "I’ll place no bonds on yer will, but I’ll have yer oath, for ood conscience, that ye’ll never raise this weapon against the people o’ Ten-Towns!"

As soon as his hands closed around the adaical warhae and sent aabout the rooar’s tribe had always prided the the worth of a ar had never seen anything toIt balanced so well in his huge hands and its height and weight fit him so perfectly that he felt as if he had been born to wield this weapon He told hiods of fate for delivering this prize unto him Certainly they deserved his thanks

As did Bruenor

"You have ift that he could hardly speak He steadied himself so that he could say aze froone

The dwarf sto corridors toward his private cha that none of his kin came upon him With a cautious look around, he wiped the ray eyes