#The Piper of Hamm fic

[rebrandedbard]

How does the great Sandpiper successfully smuggle 130 children out of the Nilfgaard-occupied territory of Hamm? With the power of a forgotten story, a traditional song, and a masterful lie.

A piece for my upcoming fic, The Piper of Hamm, based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, next in my fairy tale series.

[rebrandedbard]

I was tagged in a 'find the word' game by @restless-witch with the prompt words "could", "back", and "eyes"

tagging @flowercrown-bard my beloved, @joeys-piano, and @jackironsides. Your words are 'glanced,' 'mumbled,' and 'blinked.'

From my current wip 'The Piper of Hamm'

'Could' is used 16 times, so I've picked the most interesting one, as I will do for the others:

“One bird recognizes another, Julian. There are many in my company whom you have met before, and they carry stories of you. I have known you well, and I could see through the cracks in the myth where the man shines through. You have nothing to fear, my friend. I am only sorry that the war would make you fear me, even this much.”

'Back' is used 8 times.

Jaskier slumped back in his chair, eyes wide. “Where did they all come from? Your barony is too small—not to say that yours is a lesser estate, but … Freixenet you simply don’t have enough people to produce one hundred and twenty eight children.”

'Eyes' is used 15 times. You're very good at picking frequently used words, well done!

Jaskier looked at the faces of the three strangers. There was a distinct lack of anxiety. Each of them looked to him in curiosity, without a hint of apprehension. Though they’d mentioned the guards, it was with as much fear as a child who’d snuck out of bed to steal a snack from the kitchen. These were not the haunted eyes of children forcibly separated from their families. They didn’t know, Jaskier realized.

Thanks for the tag! It was fun!