Short Story: A Warm Word by Evgeny Khvalkov

In this short story, Evgeny Khvalkov shares a beautiful tale on the value of a warm word that can change the heart of the harshest trolls.

There lived an old knight on the Norvid Сoast near the very blue sea. He lived in his ancient ancestral castle with his wife for at least twenty or thirty years. When there was no war, the knight spent his days hunting, and his wife spun yarn, weaved, and embroidered tapestries. They had three sons: Gelot, Nalfar and Mirisleif. When they matured, the knight called his sons and said:

“It’s time for you, my sons, to go to the royal court, to serve His Majesty the King, to look at people and show yourself. You, Gelot, are the oldest, you go first.”

And Gelot, the eldest son of the knight, went to serve in the royal court. When he got there, the king said to him:

 “Before joining my service and becoming a knight, you must pass the test. The kobolds who live in the neighboring hills haven’t paid taxes to me for three years. Go to them and collect it!”