Usually, I would kill a goblin at first sight. But there was nothing usual about this goblin. He said he was an elder, the last of his clan. He was old indeed, nay, he was ancient.

No peasant would come near me, except to pay his taxes. The few servants remaining in Cairnkeep Castle always hurried away when their business was done. So this elderly goblin was a welcome deviation from my ordinary solitude.

He mocked my current state, said I was only a tiny bit more honourable than a robber knight. But the crooked smile that was playing on his lips as he uttered that insult made my anger disappear.

He wore his frailty with dignity and never complained about the pain I could see him endure with more courage than many a knight I had seen. But I knew he was dying.

One morning, he didn't sit at the table when I came to break the fast. He lay outstretched on his chosen fur near the fireplace, very still. He was still breathing, and his last words will never leave my mind:

"Honour is not in what you are, but in what you do."

I pondered those words as I bid him farewell. I still do.

released June 7, 2021

All music by R.D.

Cover picture by Owensart, Pixabay.