He stood at the mouth of the great cavern, smoke and steam oozing out from the top and into the clean air.
Scars streaked the body and face of the aged troll yet he still held himself with honor and dignity seldom found in his lesser kin.
Is intelligent keen eyes peered into the cavern spotting several traps and alarms, warning the dragon within of his presence or to kill him outright.
A local maiden had been recently taken by the dragon for whatever foul purposes the beast could think up. As prince, it was his duty to rescue her.
He entered the cave, simply avoiding some traps and disarming others.
Soon he was in the dragon’s lair.
Chained against the far wall was the maiden, stained with soot, cooking over a fire. In the center of the room lay the dragon, asleep on a pile of gold and treasure.
The troll prince quietly took out his bow and notched a special arrow intended to battle the dragon.
He coughed
The dragon quickly awoke from his sleep and stared the troll prince in the eyes. Another warrior to roast. This would be too easy.
The dragon opened his great toothy mouth, fire burning deep inside
The troll prince fired his arrow into the dragon’s gaping maw.
The dragon breathed out his fire
But not with the results he intended
As the fire hit the arrow, it exploded with great force knocking the dragon to the floor
The troll prince went down and quickly severed the dragon’s head, killing his unconscious foe.
The maid was shaken by her odd savior.
Here was a troll, a fierce and ugly monster killing the dragon. What could he want with her.
The troll cleaned his sword and bowed. “I am sorry for you to be troubled like this miss. Let’s get you home to safety.”
He then went over and unlocked the shackles that held the still shocked maiden.
Her bright blue eyes shined beneath her soot stained hair and face.
“When you get home you will need some new clothes and such.” The Troll prince said, and he grabbed a bag and filled it full of gold and gems.
He smiled as he looked at the treasure and picked out a finely wrought tiara encrusted with diamonds and sapphires and placed it on her head.
“A beautiful girl like you should have the crown of a princess.” He laughed.
He took the princess by the hand and safely led her out of the dragon’s cave.
Outside, he set her on his massive Clydesdale and quietly walked her through the forest to a quiet stream that fed into a stone pond.
“You should clean yourself my, my lady.” He said, lifting her down. “If you need anything, I will be over here.” He said pointing to a place not too far away that ensured her privacy.
While she bathed, the troll wrote and recited poetry, mostly for himself, but loud enough that the maid could hear. She was taken by this odd creature, this ugly troll that was somehow refined and intelligent.
She heard him leave for a while and then come back.
After washing herself and her clothes she went back to the troll who had started cooking a dinner of roast deer, veggies and some apples he had found. The food was amazing, seasoned perfectly.
They sat and talked long into the night, the fire warming them, and then fell fast asleep.
The next day they walked and rode through the forest towards the girl’s home. They talked and joked along the way, and the troll created poems and stories for her off the top of his head. Soon a deep friendship and love developed between them.
They finally arrived at the girl’s home late in the evening. Her parents were so happy to see here that they barely even noticed that their daughter’s savior was in fact a troll.
Over dinner and after the girl, her family and the troll talked late into the night telling them of the maid’s long weeks serving the dragon of her savior the troll, the family and the town in general.
The family offered the troll a room in the house, but he declined for he didn’t want to take the bed of anyone who lived there, so he went to the stable and set himself up for the night.
In the middle of the night, the maid snuck out of the house, curled up next to the troll and fell fast asleep in his sleeping arms, knowing that here she would be safe forever.
Morning came and the girl snuck back into her bed and no one was the wiser.
Breakfast was served and the troll took the girl into town to buy her new clothes with the gold they had gained.
Again they talked and joked and grew closer than before.
In town, people were amazed to find the beautiful maiden walking with the troll.
At the dress shop the troll helped her pick out several new outfits as they talked more.
The maiden looked amazing with her long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes.
The troll smiled and put the newly cleaned tiara on her head and she looked just like a princess in a story book.
She smiled back at him, and kissed him on the cheek.
They took some time to pick up additional supplies for the family, talking the entire time and then as it started to get late they left for her home.
They walked back to her home, the horse carrying the new bundles of clothes, food and wine.
Their talk had changed from that of close friends to that of two people deeply in love.
When they got back to her home, the troll prince had made a decision.
Over dinner the troll prince asked her father if he could have his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Unsure what to say, the father took his daughter aside and asked her what she wanted.
In days past she had had several suitors, none of whom she had really wanted. Now this ugly old troll asked. He was unsure what to say.
But the girl answered her father telling him that she was deeply in love with the troll prince and would be happy to live her life with him.
He looked into her eyes and saw the love and knew that they were meant for one another. Beauty and the beast as the saying went.
The father smiled and told the prince that it would be OK with him if his daughter so desired.
The troll bent down on his knee and offered her a ring, asking her hand in marriage.
She ran up and hugged him with a yes and kissed his face as she said yes.
That night and the ones after were magical ones.
Soon they were married and the prince took her away to live in his palace.
The parents moved to the town where the troll prince ruled and they all lived happily ever after.
Labels: short story
