Chapter Text
It was an unfortunate fact that, when one read day in and day out, devouring book after book, one might eventually read their way through the entirety of the local community’s book supply. Such was Myne’s current predicament.
She closed Baker Leise’s last worn-out cookbook and wiped away a tear. Some ten odd years it had taken her to hunt down everyone in the sprawling local villages with even a scrap of readable material and negotiate for access. And now there were no more books to be had.
“Oh come now, lassie! My ma’s recipes aren't that bad, surely? Nothing worth crying over!” Leise scowled at her, waving a spoon. “And don't forget you promised to show me that “pound cake” recipe, now.”
Myne pulled herself together. “Coming right up! Thank you for the loan, Baker Leise.”
This world hadn't been a particularly kind one for an insatiable bookworm to be reborn into, but things could always be worse, Myne supposed. The valley was relatively prosperous, and merchants passed through frequently, carrying a few old books with them once in a while. Most families had a few tomes, displayed with pride or tucked away for special occasions.
Myne dug a scrap of plant paper out of her pocket and crossed off the last entry on the list with a heavy heart. This was it. No more unread books anywhere in Ehrenfest Valley.
“Tuuuuuli, what do I dooooo?” Later that evening, Myne slumped on the dinner table with a wail of distress.
“Well, you can start by helping set the table. Think about the example you're setting for your younger brother.”
Myne jumped up with a guilty expression. Kamil and Dad would be home any minute. She helped Tuuli ladle out the stew, arrange the cutlery, and cut the bread. Her mother Effa arrived first, hurrying off to wash up from her job at the dye workshop. Eventually, Gunther burst in, carrying a load of firewood and humming cheerfully.
“How are my beautiful daughters today?” He dropped off the wood and swooped in to give them both a crushing hug.
“Myne's been moping non-stop since she got home from the baker’s,” Tuuli said mercilessly, chivvying Kamil over to the wash bucket to clean his hands.
“But… I finished reading all of them. All the books in Ehrenfest Valley.”
“Well, I suppose you'll just have to start over from the top again, dear. Although don't neglect your work on that paper business with Lutz. You two started it together, you can't always rely on him to pick up the slack when you go gallivanting off to the far end of the valley in search of books.” Effa joined them at the table and accepted a bowl of stew from Tuuli.
“I know… But I don't want to just be making paper forever, even if it does sell really well to the merchants who come through. Someday, I want to make my own books! So, if you think about it, my quests for new reading material are really… work trips! All for the sake of our future business ohoho!” Someday, Myne was determined to usher in the great printing revolution! Cheaper paper was merely the first step in the grand plan for literary dominance! But it's going to be an awful long time before I can earn enough to start commissioning all the parts I need for the printing press… Myne slumped again. And in the meantime, there were no new books to devour.
There was a moment of silence around the table before Gunther finally cleared his throat. “Well, you'll be happy to hear this news, then. Word from the garrison is that the next group of merchants should be coming through in a few days. It's that Benno fellow again, he bought all your paper last time, right?”
Myne recovered instantly. “He did!! And he had three new books available then too! Maybe he'll have more this time!”
Her mood restored, Myne dug into dinner with gusto, and ran out immediately after the last dish was washed. “Lutz and I need to make sure there's a bunch of paper available! I don't want to get caught short if he has any books for sale!”
The rest of her family watched the door swing shut behind her and released identical fond sighs.
A few days later, Myne was the first to spot the tiny dust cloud trundling up the road from the distant village of Haldenzel. “They're coming, they're coming!” She tore down the watch tower stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Lutz steadied her with a practiced gesture. “Don't run down the stairs, dummy. You can't buy any new books if you're laid up in bed with a concussion.”
“Oh but Lutz, just think of all those lovely books, waiting to be read… Will we have enough to trade for them, do you think?” She glanced at the large box holding the last few months' efforts of plant-paper making. It was stuffed to the brim.
“Probably… but don't get your hopes up about the books. Sometimes he doesn't have any at all, you know. They're all just leftovers he can't sell elsewhere, apparently.”
Myne was not listening at all, peering down the road with a dreamy expression. Lutz sighed. Privately, he hoped Benno would only have a few books, if any. Most of the eye-popping amount of money Benno paid for the paper was funneled back into Myne’s book collection every year. Even so, the rest of the profits were still plenty to support them and a few hired village laborers. But with his wedding to Tuuli coming up, it wouldn't hurt to set aside a little extra this time.
Myne had to be reminded to wait for Benno and his helpers to settle in to the inn before she requested a meeting. Thankfully, he agreed right away, and Lutz lugged over their crate of paper.
“Good to see my favorite book gremlin alive and well!” Benno clapped Lutz on the back and gave Myne a pat on the head.
She scowled at him. “I'm not seven anymore, Benno! And I'm not a gremlin, I simply hold a deep appreciation for the written word.” She puffed out her cheeks in outrage, making Lutz and Benno exchange a knowing look.
“Anyway, I know what you're going to ask, but unfortunately I don't have any books this time.”
Myne staggered as if struck. “No… books? You don't have any? But why!?”
“Well, you do know the only reason merchants come through this valley with any at all is because the dragon collects them, right?”
“What?” Myne blinked at him, scrubbing away a stray tear. “The dragon is the one who bought all my books?” Everyone knew vaguely that there was a huge, fearsome dragon living in the mountains beyond the valley, but he never caused much trouble for the villages, so he was kind of easy to ignore. At least, he had been easy to ignore.
Benno sighed. “He's been buying up anything he can get his hands– err, claws on for the last few years. Normally, most of us wouldn't be traveling through a backwater like Ehrenfest Valley at all, but he pays real well for anything not already in his collection.”
“The dragon has my books…” Myne did not appear to be listening anymore, brow furrowed in a deep frown.
“Myne? Err, Myne? Please don't tell me you're–”
“He must have the biggest library in the whole Kingdom!” Myne sprang to life, grabbing Benno’s shirt. “Where does he live? He can't possibly be storing them in a cave, right? Where do you meet with him? Does he need a librarian? Surely he needs a librarian. Benno, tell me how to–”
Lutz hauled her back, cutting off the frenzied rant. “Absolutely not! Myne, you can't just waltz up to a dragon's lair and demand to be his librarian! I know becoming a librarian is your ultimate dream but please be reasonable!”
“But Lutz… Just think of all the books he's collected! I could do so much research for our printing business! And if he hires me as a librarian, I could earn even more to commission a good smith! Lutz, I have full confidence that you can run the paper business in my absence–”
“Oh? What's this about a “printing” business?” Benno leaned forward, a merchant's gleam kindling in his eye.
“Err, nothing you need to know about right now. But in a few years, maybe our little village will become Mr. Dragon's biggest supplier, ehehe… Now then, Benno, how exactly do you meet with your mysterious patron?”
Benno rubbed his face with his hand. “You're completely serious, aren't you… Fine. I'll sell you the information for one large gold.”
“Two small golds.” Myne countered immediately.
“Five.”
“Deal!” Myne passed over the equivalent in plant paper with a smile.
Lutz heaved a sigh. “Mr. Benno, this dragon doesn't… eat people, right? Even if they offend him by demanding access to his hoard?”
“How rude! I'm not demanding access to anything. I'm volunteering as his librarian, of course.”
“You mean, getting a job as a librarian, right? Getting to read is not a fair wage, Myne,” Lutz said mercilessly.
“Err, right. I'm asking for a job.”
“And when he turns you down, you'll come right back, promise?” Lutz glanced at Benno, who shrugged.
“I haven't heard about anyone going missing, at least not recently. Over a decade ago, there was an evil witch who ruled these parts. There was a big battle and the King’s right hand man, Lord Ferdinand, mysteriously vanished after conquering the witch. Since then, the kingdom’s been largely at peace. Not many want to bother us with the threat of rousing a dragon, and the beast in question seems to have an insatiable appetite for books and not much else. Not unlike a certain someone I could name.”
“Hey!”
“Alright, alright.” Benno rubbed his chin and grimaced. “If you're serious about this, then travel over the western ridge to Mount Lohenberg. There's a small village at the base. Once every two weeks, a figure comes down from the mountain to trade on behalf of the dragon. No one knows his name or anything, but he wears a big blue cloak with a hood and only shows up at night. You'll need to negotiate with him, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. So far as I know, no one's ever visited the dragon’s lair except him.”
Myne gulped. “What if he's already the dragon’s private librarian? Oh no, I need to work on my [job application interview] skills…”
After they had finished selling the rest of the plant paper to Benno, Myne headed home with a worried Lutz on her heels. It seemed prudent to be there when she attempted to break the news to her family about her crazy plan, but Lutz was really not looking forward to it.
Myne, you dummy! You're the only person who wants to go meet with a dragon– and over books, no less. What kind of dragon can read, anyway?