The Jest That Burns

Helgabyr was alive with fire.

The False Pride

The warriors fought well. Ate better. Honoured their kin, their gods, their fallen.

But some began to boast too easily. To laugh too loud. To forget that not all fire arrives with warning.

The Signs of Mockery

Jón of Helgabyr knew the signs.

He watched one man take the largest cut of meat and call it generosity. Another slap a younger warrior on the back and call it teaching, though his words were hollow.

The Offering of Pride

So Jón walked again to the shrine of Helga Fire-Eye.

This time, he brought:

A cracked drinking horn used in mockery

A knife dulled from being shown more than used

And the bones of a goat roasted for jest and never eaten

The Dancing Flame

The fire sparked and curled—not high, but wide. It danced.

And in the flame came laughter. Then a snap.

"There was once a fruit that looked soft, sweet, harmless. And all who bit it smiled… until they paid the price for underestimating flame."

The Deceptive Grove

Jón followed the flame's crooked trail to a grove near the eastern cliffs, where sea-winds play tricks on the ear and birds mimic voices they should not know.

There, hidden among vines bright with stripes of gold and red, grew the fruit.

Beautiful. Tempting. Light as a kiss.

The Sweet Deception

He tasted it.

Sweet at first. Delightfully so. Then came the smile. Then the blink.

And then the burn.

Sudden. Sharp. Behind the teeth. Not pain—humiliation.

He laughed through watering eyes.

This was not a fire for strength. It was a fire that taught through trickery.

The Lesson in Laughter

He dried it, crushed it, folded it into sweet preserves and spread it over warm bread.

The warriors devoured it—grinning, singing, relaxed.

And then it struck.

One cursed. Another hiccuped flames. A third laughed so hard he fell from his stool.

But none grew angry.

Because they knew.

They'd been played—and they deserved it.

For The Jest That Burns is not a punishment. It is a lesson wrapped in laughter. A reminder that flame comes in many disguises… And some are smiling.