Perhaps he was a bumpkin; at least he was an honest bumpkin. - Tad Williams

Sharp it away, lad, sharp it away," the burly guardsman said, making the blade skitter across the whetstone, "lest otherways ye'll be a girl afore ye're a man.

Are these things you all say magical charms to chase me away? If so, they do not seem to be working.

Tiamak closed his eyes to make a short prayer of thanks, hoping that the gods, like children, could be confirmed in good behavior by praise.