Bragi was a bit sad to see all the arms go. He had been trying to figure out all of the different instrument combinations the god could be taught to play at the same time. It made Bragi almost wish he had eight arms. A band was often so much better than a solo.
His eyes widened at the introduction. He wasn't aware there was a King of All Stories. It was quite the title. But that was exactly the sort of king Bragi could support. So long as he wasn't too possessive of the stories. Bragi wasn't a king, but he was a god of stories, and rather liked keeping that bailiwick.
Bragi listened along just as enthralled as the little girl while the god told his tale. It was so much more interesting with two storytellers involved in the game. Bragi wanted to win, but he had to admit, Anansi told a very good story. It was one that Bragi had never heard before, and he enjoyed the clever twist at the end. Clearly, Bragi's wanderings needed to take him to Africa.
He smiled when Anansi finished his tale. The little girl smiled too, until Bragi looked at her. Then her face went straight immediately and she shook her head. “That was a great story,” Bragi said. He looked at the girl. Her eyes drooped a little before they became wide again. “I think you came very close that time.”
“I don't have a story with a rooster, a hen, and a black snake in it. But I do have a story with an old woman, her prized hen, and her daughters. To the north there are a bunch of old magic folk in the hills known as hillfolk. Very ugly men. But they are always looking for a pretty girl to be their wife.” He looked at the young girl. “You're the youngest aren't you? So you know that sometimes the youngest daughter can be the wisest because she can learn from the experiences of her eldest sisters. This story is about that.” Then Bragi started recounting The Old Dame and Her Hen. For the Man in the Hill, he made his voice very deep, and for each of the daughters he raised it to make the girl laugh. He spoke as if it were a serious event that had just happened, and gesticulated constantly throughout. Every once in awhile his gaze would fall on the god beside him. He smiled at them both when he was finished and waited for the outcome.