There once was a blacksmith named Tormund. He lived in a modest cottage with a blue roof with his partner, Brienne. Once upon a time, he had been an adventurer, but one day took an arrow to the knee and never quite recovered. He found himself with much free time on his hands, and when one day Brienne complained of not finding any adequate armor designed and made for a female warrior – something about “nothing but metal bikinis” was mentioned – in any of the village shops, Tormund wondered ‘Why not BE that shop?’
And thus, The Iron Lady was born.
Tormund and Brienne had been in business for many years by the time a mysterious carriage arrived, with an even more mysterious guest.
It turned out to be none other than their old friend, Wiggly, the purple-haired dragon tamer they had met long ago.
It felt truly spectacular for the trio to be united once more. The last they had seen of one another was in the Crystal Mountains when Wiggly had tamed the raging the Diamond Wing Dragon that had plagued a nearby village for months. The last Tormund and Brienne had seen of Wiggly, she was riding away on the dragon’s back, guiding her to a safe refuge.
It was easy enough for the trio to fall back into old habits. Tormund prepared a feast fit for kings while Brienne and Wiggly caught up on important life events. It turned out that Wiggly was still with the Diamond Wing Dragon, as it had hatched three eggs; while Tormund and Brienne had gotten a dog, they named Rufus, and he simply loved to bury his bone in the pumpkin patch behind the house.
After their dinner, Wiggly looked in on some of Tormund’s upcoming projects in his shop. He proudly showed off the sword he was creating for the Minister of Lights.
He also showed her how he had kept his adventuring gear, even after all these years. Tormund joked that he could still go adventuring, and that he just might one of these days, but he feared that Brienne would no longer be able to keep up with him.
Tormund then confessed that he far preferred spending his days creating swords versus wielding them, and his nights recording the tales of his adventures, and a few misadventures.
This has to have been one of my most favorite Lego sets of all time. Not just because of that beautiful roof, or the amazing build experience, but also because it was my first Lego set I bought just because. It wasn’t a birthday or Christmas gift, like 99% of my sets. It wasn’t a Christmas Bonus buy, like my Modular Buildings have been. It was the first set that I bought because I wanted it, and I finally had extra money to do something fun for myself. I received a substantial raise at my real-life job this past January, and finally ceased the never-ending cycle of where’d-my-money-go?
It felt nice, it felt amazing. And for the first time in my adult life, I actually felt like a real adult. Buying Lego. š
I have loved this set since the first moment it was announced. The roof is incredibly striking, the colors gorgeous. I have always loved architecture, especially Tudor-style half-timber exteriors. So to have a Lego set of one of my favorite building types, a dream come true. When I saw the little writing nook nestled beneath the tiny window on the top floor, my heart absolutely melted. It was a detail I had no previous knowledge of until I built it.
My closing thought on this set: that apple tree was the most difficult Lego build I have ever done.
Whitney Writes... 