So, Hodur smiled and clumsily took the shot glass full of Cognac and drank it down with a grin. He was determined to beat the human. But when he tried to stare down the King, he noticed that he was starting to look up at the blue sky. Which was odd, because he swore he was staring straight at him moments ago. That is when the dwarf felt the entire back of his body smashing into the ground. He looked up at the sky and saw the blurry faces of his fellow dwarves.
'H-How did Daedric g-get so tall?' Hodur thought before he passed out.
"H-He's out cold..." Daedric muttered to himself. He'd never seen anyone drink this much in one sitting, and it made him gain a new respect for his friend.
Burell, still sitting at the table, looked up at the crowd of Dwarves.
"Is he alright?" Burell asked one of the other dwarves.
Daedric was surprised that the King was worried about Hodur. He thought it was strange for a human to show concern for a dwarf. It made him start to have faith that this man could be trusted. King Burell had to do only one more shot to win the contest, and they would become citizens of Fiafyr.
"Don't worry about him! Just hurry up and finish your last one!" Daedric said.
Burell finished the shot and slammed it on the table. "Well, Hodur. I welcome you and your people as part of the Fiafyr Kingdom!" He finished the glass and poured himself another.
All the other dwarves were standing there in silence before they erupted into a deafening cheer. While Yngvar and the other humans looked like they were trying to pop their ears.
Hodur lay there on the floor looking up at the sky, feeling dizzy from the alcohol. He was trying to get his bearings after the cheers woke him from his sleep. 'What the hell happened? And where am I? Why are the clouds moving so fast?' Hodur thought before closing his eyes again and passing out.
"Well, Hodur... if you're done resting, I think we've got a job to do-Whoa!" Burell tried to stand up from the chair only to fall back into it. "Yngvar... I think I'm too drunk to... stand. Can you lend me your aid?"
"Sure, I'll help you up." Yngvar grabbed Burell's hand and helped him.
"Thank you," Burell said. "But what about our friend? How's he doing?"
Yngvar turned around and saw that Hodur was passed out on the ground.
"I think he's had enough. Hey, you, what's your name?" Yngvar was staring at Daedric, who was trying to wake up Hodur.
"Me? I-I'm Daedric," the dwarf answered. He was not sure what the proper etiquette was when addressing a Human King.
"Daedric, we will need a place for half our troops to stay. We'll have the other half set up camp outside the city walls. And I would like a place for the King to stay also." Yngvar said while helping the King to his feet.
"Yes. I will find you a place to rest your men here in the city. But first, there is a room in the palace where you can let your king rest."
Yngvar nods and starts walking with the dwarves through the entrance of the city.
"You know he's now your King, Daedric. Don't forget that... And please lead the way," Yngvar said as he and another knight helped carry their king inside the walls of Ironside.
"O-Of course... But I'm just a simple blacksmith, sir. I know nothing in the ways of nobility and politics."
Yngvar looked at the nervous dwarf and shook his head, "You're more than just a simple blacksmith. You were the one who stood beside your friend while he challenged the King, and now you're helping him and the rest of our people. You're a natural leader to help your lord."
Daedric felt embarrassed by the compliment.
"I-I'm nothing special."
"I beg to differ, but that's something that only you can decide. So lead the way," Yngvar said as he and a few knights began to help the king walk.
Two of the other Knights went back to the Colonel to tell him the news about the Dwarves becoming citizens of the Kingdom.
***
The next day, Burell and Hodur were in the dining hall of the dwarven palace, recovering from their hangovers.
"So, Hodur. I need to admit I lied about something yesterday." Burell spoke to Hodur as he had his head on the table.
"Uh. What did you lie about King Burell?"
"Well, I told you that Dwarven Ale tasted like water? That was a lie. That ale is the strongest stuff I have ever drank in my life," Burell admitted.
This got Hodur to act triumphantly as he moved his head up off the table to say, "HA! I told you that our ale is... OW! By the forge!"
The Dwarf got a little too excited as the quick movement caused his head to start pounding in pain.
"Please, Hodur. No loud or sudden movements. I don't think my head can take it. It doesn't feel good at all right now," Burell muttered while holding his head.
"Sorry, sorry... So what did you want to tell me then?"
"I'm planning on making you the Baron of Ironside."
Hodur sat up straight in shock. "What?! You can't do that."
"Why not? I'm the King? And you know this land better than we do." Burell said with a smile.
While they sat there, the door to the dining room opened up as Yngvar, Daedric, and a few other people came up to the King.
"Your Majesty. Our alchemist has something to report." Yngvar said.
Burell looked over at Yngvar. "Well, tell us what you found out."
"Alchemist Tormin has discovered a pile of slag lying around the city by the forges."
"Slag? What kind of slag?" Burell asked.
"Purple slag. Your Majesty." Yngvar answered.
Hodur didn't know why these humans were so excited about trash that they couldn't get rid of it, even if they tried and paid someone.
"Why in the Forge do you humans care about that useless trash?" Hodur asked with a confused look on his face.
Burell smiled at Hodur and said, "Well, it seems that the Dwarves don't know how useful purple slag is. Tormin, can you explain to our friend here what makes the slag so special?"
The Alchemist nodded and said, "Well, we found that we can make the slag into a fertilizer that can quadruple the yield of plants that are grown in it. That means more food for the people of the kingdom. And it helps crops grow in less-than-ideal weather as well. This slag is very valuable. Maybe more valuable than gold?"
Hodur looks shocked and says, "But how does that make it worth gold? It's just dirt."
"It's because the Purple Slag is rare. Usually, we can only get Purple Iron in a Labyrinth, so not too many people know about it. But since Purple Iron is scarce and the slag that comes from the smelting is so precious that we barely have enough for a half-acre. That small pile outside the forges is more than I've ever seen before!" The Alchemist explained.
"Huh? That small pile of slag is the most you've ever seen?" Hodur asked with one eyebrow lifted.
"W-Wait! Are you saying that you have more, Lord Hodur?" Tormin asked with a confused look on his face.
Hodur got up from his chair and started walking over to the window of the dining hall. Everyone followed him to the window that was pointing north.
"You see the hills past the city walls?" Hodur pointed out the window.
Tormin followed where the dwarf was pointing and saw a field of green grass that went down to a small river running through the ground, and past them were some huge hills with a slight purplish hue to them.
"That's where we dumped all the slag after all the smelting. We couldn't get rid of the stuff fast enough. All we could do was throw it out of the city, making hills of the stuff."
The Alchemist dropped his book as he froze with shock. He thought it was impossible to get five pounds of the slag, but seeing hills of the stuff short-circuited his mind.
"Hmm? What's wrong with him?" Hodur asked the group.
"Oh, Tormin? He's just overwhelmed with joy at the moment. Just give him some time, and he'll be alright. Anyway, it looks like we have some fertilizer we need to go and collect. Let's get going." King Burell said with a big grin.
***
Ironside became one of the most important cities in the whole kingdom. It was the first city to have Humans and Dwarves living in harmony as the population exploded across the Kingdom, thanks to the purple slag. Ironside also helped improve the weapons and armor of the Kingdom, thanks to the mixing of dwarven and human engineering. This period of time was what helped the Kingdom of Fiafyr become the strongest kingdom in the entire continent of Agon.
***
Quinus was telling Rya the history of Ironside as they could see the city in the distance.
"So, your Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather got the Dwarves to accept him as their King without any bloodshed? I guess being accepting runs in the family. Ha ha!" Rya chuckled.
"Yeah, during that time King Burell used his skilled tongue to win over many other cities to join the Fiafyr Kingdom... A-And I think he also used his tongue to win the hearts of many ladies? He was a formidable man," Quinus said jokingly.
When Rya heard this joke, she had a flashback to when Quin used his tongue on her womanhood, after they survived the Cave Troll in the labyrinth. She couldn't help but blush and looked away with embarrassment.
'C-Control yourself, Ryan! I mean, it felt nice. But you can't do that, you're a man!' Rya told herself as she felt a tingling sensation in her loins.
The group was enjoying themselves as the carriage kept moving towards the city of Ironside, which was miles in the distance.