Old Herbert eyed the alabaster steed thundering down the back country road. It was certainly rare to see such a fine horse in such a backwater farming town as this -- and he was even more surprised when the horse slowed to a canter, then a trot, and finally stopped in front of his simple sod hut.
"Mistress paladin," he said, attempting to bow but not quite remembering how you bowed to a paladin, "to what do I owe the pleasure? There are no ghouls around here, nor ghasts, no, nary a one."
The gleaming rider dismounted, removing her helmet and shaking out her hair. "I come not to hunt, good farmer, but on fairer business. I seek a meal prepared from the finest bounty of your farm."
"Of -- of course. At once!" Old Herbert said, attempting to sound thrilled. You were supposed to give a paladin on business anything she asked for, of course, but he didn't know how they were going to spare the expense -- they needed the money those crops would bring in just to pay the landlord and mend the plow before next season. Perhaps the gods were punishing him. What was he going to tell his wife, Old Herbetta, and his son, Old Herbert the Younger?
"Now, I wouldn't expect you to do it for free," the paladin said, tossing the farmer a few gold coins. "Here. Take this -- and prepare no more than it's worth!"
Eilowyn watched his eyes light up as he scurried away. Perhaps if I pace myself, she thought, I will be able to spread the word of Eola without growing fat too rapidly. It shamed her to go against the word of the goddess, even in her heart -- but she at least wanted to have a little time with her armor before she had to stay goodbye. A few gold pieces worth of vegetables at a time should keep the weight from really hitting her for a while.
----
It was sometime around her second roast chicken that it really started to hit home to Eilowyn exactly how out of touch she was with just how much three gold pieces was worth to a poor farmer.
"Is there a single stalk left in your fields?" she groaned miserably. "Or have I eaten it all?"
"I'm afraid you've eaten us bare," Old Herbert said, staring at the mountain of clean dishes in awe. "Will -- will you be wanting two of the coins back, then? Or shall I send the boy over to the Rustfield place, to buy a little extra--"
"No!" Eilowyn moaned. "No more food! I'll burst!"
"Will you be needing a bed for the evening?"
Eilowyn nodded. "I'm afraid I'll need to impose. I cannot ride in this condition. But please -- do send the boy to get something for your own breakfast, and some oats for Blizzard."
She waddled off to the bedroom, collapsing onto the spare cot and falling into a deep food coma within seconds.
"Such a hungry lass," Old Herbetta said, tapping her chin with her finger. "I didn't know as dwarves et so much."
"We ought to get something for her breakfast as well. Surely she'll be wantin' it," Old Herbert said, "and it'll be a nice surprise."
Little did Eilowyn know that her quest was about to be further complicated by --
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