Divided Lands

Chapter 12

“What’s it like being worshiped?”

Fafnir glanced up from the shirtsleeve he was tugging on and cocked his head. “Huh?”

“I asked you what it was like to be worshiped.” Sho rolled his eyes. He rested his chin on the edge of his bed and glanced up into Fafnir’s face. “You said some old civilizations saw you as a god. Well, I’ve always been the one doing the worshiping. What’s it like being on the other side of that?”

Fafnir jumped to his feet with an exasperated sigh, wobbling on the legs he was not yet used to standing on. “You know how children think you have all the answers, so they ask you questions like, ‘Where do we go after we die?’ or ‘What was here before we were?’ or ‘When is the world going to end?’ and you don’t know so you tell them to piss off?”

“Um…I suppose so.” Sho shook his head.

“Well, it’s like that, only before you tell them to piss off you notice they have lots of treasure they’re willing to give you for telling them what they want to hear, so instead you give them whatever bullshit answer seems best.” Fafnir shrugged. “Okay, I answered your stupid question. Can you answer mine?”

“Uh, sure.” Sho stood up, wincing as he stretched his sore back. He had insisted that Fafnir, as his guest and as per the priestly custom, sleep on the bed while he took the floor. Fafnir had refused because he was a “goddamn dragon”, in his own words. Neither caved in, so they both slept on the floor. 

“What’s the point in this crap? These clothes and all that nonsense?” Fafnir gestured down to the long sleeved shirt and cotton pants he had squeezed himself into, with a hole cut out for his tail in the back. “Is there any reason why you wear them when they’re so damn uncomfortable?”

“Oh, that’s because they cover our nakedness, you see.” Sho nodded. “So we won’t be embarrassed with what we see.”

Fafnir stared off into space for a moment and then finally nodded with a chuckle. “Ah, it makes sense now. Keep doing that, then.”

“Um…listen, you have to promise me you won’t leave this room until I get back. I have to go brief Warlord Amoseh on what the spirits are telling him. I’ll only be gone an hour.” Sho glanced at the closet. “Hide in there if you need to, but I don’t think you will. No one usually comes into my chamber.”

“In case you’re having sex?” Fafnir asked.

“No…I’m supposed to be celibate. I’m a priest.” Sho rubbed his elbow. His face grew hot.

“I know, I know.” Fafnir shook his head and chortled. “They had priests in my day, too.”

“Then why did you—” Sho began.

“So you would be embarrassed with your clothes on.” Fafnir answered. He sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed his legs—something he had done on and off all morning once he had discovered how to do it. “I’ve been in a tiny little egg for nearly five thousand years, you know.”

“Heh.” Sho touched his bright red cheek to see if it was hot. It was.

“Man, I love doing that.” Fafnir snickered.

Sho grabbed his wooden staff from the corner and gripped it as if it was keeping him from falling to his death.

“What’s that for?” Fafnir raised an eyebrow. 

Sho stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He had never really thought about the use of his staff before.

“For bullshitting people, I guess.” He grinned.