01/12/2025
Long ago, before people put buildings and roads everywhere, the world was a much wilder place, some places were wilder than others of course. One of the wildest was right here. The land was a patchwork of glorious meadows, squishy mud, shimmering pools and so many different plants and animals it would take you a whole year to count them! But it wasn’t any of those things that made it special, no, the real wonder was Embers the dragon who lived here.
Embers was a helpful dragon, maybe the most helpful ever known. She lit people’s cooking fires with her breath, carried travellers on her back, hauled heavy loads that no cart could manage, and flapped her wings to dry anyone who slipped into a pond.
Most of the time, though, Embers spent her days at the forge with Brand the metalsmith. Brand made knives, jewellery, hinges, tools, anything metal that people needed. Dragonfire was far better than any ordinary flame, so with Embers’ help Brand crafted the finest metalwork in the land. Embers loved watching the sparks fly and seeing the beautiful things Brand made.
One really busy day Embers helped the baker light his ovens, dried the innkeeper’s washing after a sudden rainstorm, delivered an urgent message to the knights at the castle, and still found time to help Brand. By the evening, when she finally curled up to sleep, she was utterly exhausted.
That night the villagers gathered for a meeting. Everyone agreed that Embers was so kind and helpful that they should do something special to thank her. Brand sketched a beautiful design for a dragon-sized torc, a grand metal collar decorated with twisting dragons and sparkling stones. They all agreed it would suit her perfectly.
But there was a problem. Melting that much metal would be extremely hard work, even for Embers. Brand estimated it would take hours of constant dragonfire, and it didn’t feel fair to ask her to work so hard for her own gift.
If you didn’t have a dragon, the only way to keep a forge hot was with bellows. Brand’s bellows were huge. One by one the villagers tried to pump them, but each quickly ran out of strength long before the metal even softened. What could they do?
Old Mother Grimma had an idea. Deep in the woods stood an ancient yew tree, so old that it was said to know everything. She went and asked its advice. The tree told her they must work together. No one could pump the bellows for hours, but everyone could manage a single minute. Many minutes added together would become the hours they needed.
Grimma hurried back, and soon the whole village was taking turns, one minute each. The fire roared, Brand worked swiftly, and at last the torc was complete.
Embers loved her gift. She wore it proudly from that day on, telling everyone that it was precious not for its shine but because her friends had pumped it full of love one minute at a time
