The dwarves did not put on official airs. They were genuinely holding a meeting to discuss the matter.
The stone house had no furnishings besides a few chairs. Robbie stood facing the fireplace, silently watching the tea boil in the iron kettle. Sendak stood behind him with both hands in his pockets. Farther away, several white-haired dwarf elders sat in the middle of the room. One of them rose and began explaining his viewpoint, trying to win the others' support.
"This is our most important secret. I oppose revealing it to anyone outside our dwarven people."
"An important secret might not be important to others." Sendak was actually quite old himself, but in this room, he still counted as one of the younger, more radical members.
"Besides, without Lord Richard's help, the tribe might already have been overrun by the Minotaurs."
"He wasn't helping us for our sake. That man has his own goals. Perhaps he wants a share of the iron mine's profits, or perhaps something else." The first elder to speak responded.
Ordinary dwarves might be simple-minded, but these old men who controlled a tribe had long since become shrewd operators. They would never easily believe that someone who had rushed over to lend them a hand was simply a righteous ally. There had to be deeper interests driving him.
"But objectively speaking, he did help us. I don't think anyone can deny that."
The true simplicity of the dwarves was reflected in the fact that they genuinely felt grateful for other people's good deeds. In humans, that was a rare virtue.
Another elder extended a finger and tapped the armrest, saying to his colleagues on either side, "I think Sendak has a point."
"I second that."
"Opposed."
"Opposed."
The elders' opinions reached an impasse. They looked at