*Fast Forward*
"Fuck Dani and Christian. 'Fragile condition' is no excuse for keeping me locked up all day" you hissed as you stormed out of the courtyard into the forest. You felt Arius kick as started walking faster.
"Sorry" you said. "But your father is being a meanie"
Suddenly the very faint sound of whimpering filled your ears. You stopped dead in your tracks and listened.
The whimpering turned into sobbing. You began to follow the sound. It was coming from a bush that was hidden against a tree.
"Hello?" You said, stepping hesitantly towards the bush. You jumped when the bush moved and the cries stopped.
You carefully pushed the bush aside only to find what looked like a big black puff ball. The ball started shaking.
"Hello?" You whispered.
"Weggehen..." (Leave)The black mass sniffled.
You smiled when you realized the puff was actually hair. "Pardon?"
"Lassen sie mich allein!" (Leave me alone)The person screamed.
"Are you hurt? Do you need help?"
The person lifted his head up out of his knees and looked up at you. He was a boy your age with very striking feminine features.
He looked like a mortal teenager, complete with cuffs, jeans and t-shirt but his ears were pointed at the top telling you he was a troll. You'd never seen a troll before but Jussi had told you stories about them and their tricks they like to play.
"Do you speak English?" You asked.
The boy nodded and wiped his tears away.
"Why are you hiding in a bush and crying?"
"Everyone's gone-" The boy put his head back down into his knees.
"What do you mean they're gone?" you asked.
"A mean faerie came to my home and started yelling at my father. I watched as he killed him and the rest of my family. My mother, my sisters, my brothers....all gone. One by one, he forced them out into the sunlight." he sniffled.
"How did you escape?" you asked as you sat down on the grass next to him.
"He didn't see me so I quickly transformed into a wooden stool. I could see everything that was going on but not once did he notice me. After he left, I waited until the sun went down and left as fast as I could. I just knew he would come back to make sure we were all dead. But now I have no shelter from the sun. If I don't find something soon, I will turn into stone like my family did."
"Don't worry. I won't let that happen to you." you said as you gently stroked his hair.
"Really? You're going to help me? But...aren't you a faerie?"
You nodded your head, "That doesn't matter though. All that matters is that you need my help and I'm willing to give it. What's your name? Mine is Laura."
"My name is Bill."
You chuckled, "Bill? That's an odd name for a troll."
"Yeah, I know. My mother met a human once that was named that. She was very fond of him because he helped her so she named me after him."
"Oh, okay. Would you like to come back to my house and stay? I can help you find somewhere else to live. Somewhere that the mean faerie won't be able to find you."
He nodded his head, "I'd like that. Thank you, Laura. I'm glad that you're helping me. No one else would have because the reputation us trolls have."
"Well, I don't believe you're like that. There's just something about you..."
Bill stood up and looked down at you. You looked down at you stomach and then back up at him. He smiled and put his hand out.
"Thank you" You said, taking it and pulling yourself up from the ground.
Bill looked at your stomach, "You're having a baby?"
"Yep"
"Is it a faerie?"
You nodded, "Yes"
"That means the father is a faerie"
"Yeah"
Bill took a step away from you.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Bill. And I won't let anyone else hurt you. I promise." You told him.
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye promise"
Bill let out a very warm giggle, making you chuckle.
"Come on. My house is just up here" You said and started leading the way back to the castle.
The trees broke and the castle came into view.
"My home" You announced.
Bill started shaking his head and mumbling "No, no, no..." He ran back into the woods.
"Bill!" You screamed, trying to chase after him. "Please let me explain!"
While chasing after him, your foot got stuck on a tree root that was sticking out of the dirt, causing you to tumble face first into the ground. Tears pooled up in your eyes as you rolled over onto your back, one hand on your face and the other clutched to your stomach. You started crying when you felt a warm liquid on your face. You knew it was blood.
"I'm so sorry, Laura. I never meant for you to get hurt. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" he said, concern showing on his face.
"Yeah, Arius is okay. I just scraped up my face. I'll be okay though. Why did you run away like that?"
"I can't go in there. Lord Filth will kill me if I do."
"Not if I say no, he won't. I'm his wife. I'm the Queen." you explained.
Bill's eyes grew big and his mouth hang agape. "I wasn't awake the king had married. I am so sorry my queen."
"Please, don't call me that. Just call me Laura and don't think any different of me now that you know I am the Queen. Please."
He nodded his head, "As you wish."
"Please come to the castle with me, Bill. I need someone my own age to hang around with" You said.
"Your scrape though. Lord Filth will think that I caused it, which I did. I'm so sorry-"
"It wasn't your fault. And I will tell Lord Filth that it wasn't your fault. Now come on!"
Bill stayed in his spot. You rolled your eyes and grabbed his hand.
"I never knew trolls could be so stubborn" You grunted, pulling him out of the forest.
"Have you ever met a troll before?" Bill asked, letting you pull him.
"Nope."
"Don't judge us than"
"Sorry"
Bill smiled widely.
You took your new friend up to the castle door and opened it. He pushed you in before going inside himself.
"Come on" You whispered and dashed to your bedroom. Bill grunted as you practically pushed him right into the bed. You shut the door gently and then let out a sigh.
"There. Well, welcome to my home. I hope you find it...Homey" You said to Bill.
Bill sat down on the bed and looked around the room, "Hardly"
You took a seat next to Bill, "I'm really very sorry about your family"
"Me too"
"I don't have a family either"
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You're making your own family now"
You looked at Bill to see that his eyes were on your stomach again.
You put your hand on you bump and smiled. "I guess I am"
After a few moments of silence, Bill spoke up. "Are you sure the king won't be mad for me being here? Especially in your bedroom. I heard he was a jealous faerie..."
"Don't worry about him. He won't do anything that will upset me. Especially now that I'm pregnant." you reassured him.
Just as he started to reply, a loud knock sounded on the door.
"Come in!" you called out.
The door swung open and in walked Jussi. He stopped dead in his tracks when he seen Bill sitting next to you.
"Laura, why is there a troll in the castle. Lord Filth has strict rules about bringing other magical creatures into the castle without notifying him first. Especially trolls."
"I know but Bill is my friend and I want him to stay here for a while. Besides, it would be nice to have someone thats around my age to hang out with. I mean, everyone else here is so much older than me."
Jussi sighed, "I don't think the king will approve of this but that's between you and him. I shall go get him. He would have my head if I didn't notify him of this immediately."
You nodded your head, "Alright."
"Maybe I should go." Bill said once Jussi had left.
"No. You're staying right here."
"But..."
"No buts. You're staying here with me and that's final."
He sighed loudly, "Alright then."
Just then, Dani walked in the room and stopped a few feet away from you.
"Laura, what is he doing here?" he asked, pointing his finger at Bill.
"Well, I found him in the forest. He was all alone and crying. I couldn't just leave him there, Dani." you explained.
"What the hell happened to your face? Did that bastard do it?!" he yelled, noticing the scrapes on your face.
"I tripped on a tree root. It isn't Bill's fault. I shouldn't have been running."
Dani walked over to you and kneeled down in front of you, taking your face in his hands.
"Laura, you shouldn't have been running. What were you thinking? You shouldn't have been in the forest anyhow. You're pregnant now. You have to think about Arius' safety."
"I know. I'm sorry, Dani. Arius is fine though."
"Good. Jussi, please escort the troll out." Dani said, turning his face towards Jussi who had followed him inside.
"His name is Bill and he isn't going anywhere. Not until I help him find a stable home where the mean faerie can no longer hurt him." you protested.
"Laura, you're not thinking clearly. Don't you understand what a troll is? They're devious creatures who will lie to get what they want."
You firmly shook your head. "Bill isn't like that. There's just something about him. He's so...innocent. I can tell that Arius thinks so too." you said, rubbing your bump.
Dani sighed, "He can stay but if he messes up just once, I will kill him. Just to be on the safe side, I will scan his thoughts for anything that could bring harm to you or anyone else in the castle."
"Thanks, Dani. This means so much to me." you said, grinning from ear to ear.
"I can tell. Now please leave me and er..."
"Bill."
"Right. Please leave me and Bill alone for a while so I can scan his thoughts without interruption."
"Promise me that you won't harm him."
"Alright. I promise that I won't hurt him."
You smiled then turned your attention to Bill whom was shaking with terror. "Don't worry, Bill. Dani won't hurt you. He promised."
He weakly nodded at you. You smiled at him then stood up and followed Jussi out of the bedroom, leaving Bill alone with Dani.
Click!
Please rate and message.
