“I can’t believe it is the dragonslayer!”
“Ev-on Peersan is here!”
“I am going to faint! I can’t believe it!”
“The gods have blessed us! They have sent the dragonslayer to help with our woes!”
All of these voices kept shouting in excitement around Evan. He felt so awkward and all he could do was give everyone a confused grin. The pretty elf who had been the first to see him was beaming at him and looking at him with such hope. There were some people who were even crying with joy.
An old woman rushed up to Evan and grabbed his hands. There were tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him. “The gods have favored us when we have much needed it! You have come to slay the beast!”
Evan tensed up. The old woman’s hands held him in a surprisingly strong grip. She was so moved by his presence that her frail body had garnered strength from what she believed. “What?” Evan whispered.
The old woman looked at him with teary eyes. “There is a beast that has been terrorizing our village for the past few weeks, great dragonslayer. It has taken our cows, sheep, and horses in the middle of the night. We have spotted it several times but have not been able to rid it from here due to its speed. It is a crafty beast and always runs away when we rush after it.”
“Eh?” Evan said. He noticed that the excited voices had all died down to listen to the old woman. There were now solemn expressions on faces as well.
“We cannot afford to lose any more of our animals or it will lead to a very hard winter,” The old woman said. “We have sent word to the Knight’s Council but they have yet to respond. It has been weeks!”
“They don’t care about us!” A young woman shouted with an angry frown on her face. “They are quick to collect taxes from us but when we need help they do nothing!”
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“They are so greedy!” Another voice piped up. It was a short old man who was bent over with a cane in his left hand. He looked at Evan and gave him a toothless smile. ‘But, you are here! You have come to help us, great dragonslayer!”
Everyone was now looking at him and awaiting his words. Evan had no idea what to say. He started to sweat and fumble with his words. Who did they think he was?! Who was this great dragonslayer that they kept referring to? It was not him! He was a store clerk at Mikey’s Store of Everything! He had not slain anything in his entire life! Surely, these people were mistaken! But, how did they know his name even if they were pronouncing it wrong?
“Well…you see….I…” Evan stumbled over his words. His eyes moved from one happy and excited face to the other. Everyone was smiling and some were even still crying with joy at his presence among them. There had to be about 20 people in total that surrounded him. The ages ranged from what appeared to Evan to be the mid-80s to 3 years old. Half of the people had long ears and the other half did not.
“Let’s calm down, everyone! Surely, we can see that the dragonslayer has been traveling for a while and needs to eat and rest before he can slay the beast,” The elf that had first seen Evan spoke up. She turned and looked at a young woman who was standing to the back of the group. “Sonia, please get a room ready for the dragonslayer.” The woman nodded and rushed off as if not wanting to waste a second to let Evan quickly get to slaying the beast. Her dress flowed out behind her as she ran to a wooden building.
“Ryor and Fyten, please cook a meal befitting the great dragonslayer. I am sure that he is very hungry.”
Evan’s stomach growled in response to her words. It was a loud sound that he was sure that many of the villagers had heard but no one said anything.
Two elves perked up who were close to Evan. One was a fat man with short black hair and the other was a thin woman with short black hair as well. The two elves looked alike and Evan had a moment to wonder if they were siblings. “Yes, Avlara!” The woman said and turned to the other elf. “Let’s go, Ryor! I am sure that we still have the Edo steak available. I know the dragonslayer would love it!” The two elves dashed toward the same building where Sonia had entered.
“Please, come with me, dragonslayer,” Avlara said. “Everyone, please give the dragonslayer some room!”
People started to step back from Evan as they listened to Avlara. They were still smiling and crying. A small child actually ran up to Evan and touched his shirt before giggling and running back to a group of other children.
“Whoa, you touched the dragonslayer!” One child exclaimed. There was admiration from the children as they looked at the one who had done it.
“I can’t believe you here, dragonslayer!” A man who appeared to be in his mid-40s said as he took a step back. He had a rake in his hand. “We have tried to get this beast but it has constantly alluded us. I know that you will be able to slay it as soon as you see it!”
Evan gave the man an awkward smile. Avlara came up to Evan and stood before him. Her green eyes were filled with so much warmth. “We welcome you to Selwyn Village, dragonslayer.” She said and took a small bow. Everyone else bowed behind her even the small children.
Evan gaped at the people and then swallowed hard. This was getting out of hand! He needed to tell these people that he was not this great dragonslayer that they thought he was!