Why Castle Shields Gleam — Before dawn at Hilltop Castle, Orven polished the gate with a soft cloth. Swish, swish went his metal hand. Read the full story →
Before dawn at Hilltop Castle, Orven polished the gate with a soft cloth. Swish, swish went his metal hand. He wanted the road lanterns to glow before the first sleepy traveler arrived, but every lantern stayed dull and gray.
He waited by the gate, holding his shield while mist curled around his boots. A tiny tap-tap came from the shield’s rim. “Who’s there?” Orven whispered. Inside the handle, where nobody had ever looked, rested a little sun-pebble, warm as toast. When Orven lifted the shield, the pebble woke and spilled gold light over the gate. Ever since, castle shields gleam at morning, and if you peek at Orven’s shield, you may spot where the patient light began.
