A Cold Dish

Angus guffawed heartily and refilled his companion’s mug, adding only a little to his own. His new friend, a dwarf like himself, was too drunk and trusting to notice that Angus' laughter and jovial nature were not reflected in his eyes, which were as hard as black marble. The young man had introduced himself as Gandis of Wyvern Peak, but all that mattered to Angus was that Gandis was the last of the Rockbreaker clan. Angus listened, without really hearing, to the youth’s happy chatter about his life and his fiancée, and about how he was on his way to meet her family. Angus’ only thought was how good it was that he found this boy before he wed. He could finally end the feud, without another family feeling obligated to get involved. Now it would be over before there were children to carry on, dragging it on further generations.
 
Finally the young man’s intake of ale overwhelmed his bladder, and he lurched up and stumbled out to the alley beside the crowded tavern. Angus waited a moment and then followed him out, slipping quietly up behind him. Sliding the axe from his belt, Angus thought about his brothers, his father, grandfather, cousins and all those that had gone before, who were represented by the ancient axe he gripped tightly. He thought about his daughter, and how she’d be able to live her life without fear, without the spectre of the feud overshadowing her life. He let the anger and hatred that had been passed down through his family, like the axe, build. He raised the ancestral weapon high, and brought it down with a sickening thunk in the middle of the oblivious dwarf’s head, bringing an end to his family line, and the feud with it. After cleaning his axe on his victim’s clothes, Angus felt contentment as he headed home.
 
Slipping through his front door quietly, Angus was surprised to see that his daughter was still up. She had spent the last several years away, traveling and trading her way through the northern settlements, so he was glad for this time to catch up with her. He kissed her and asked her what she was doing up so late, glad to see a look of excitement, rather than worry on her face. He felt the fatherly smile freeze on his face as she explained that she was merely excited to see her beloved Gandis again, who was traveling all the way from Wyvern Peak to meet her family....