Although quintessentially human-sized, the stranger felt so large Bragi was entirely engulfed by his shadow. And it was a very dark shadow that left little room for escape.

Bragi felt that to respond to the question in truth would be to look awfully silly — for the truth was that he'd come to Great Britain for the romantical culture, tales of brave English knights and great Scottish uprisings — poetry. But he certainly could not lie to him.

So instead he met himself somewhere in the middle and said — "I came to seek my fortune."

Before realising he couldn't have uttered anything sillier.