"Born with the powers or cursed?" the troll urgently asked the King of Arendelle. Silence, for a heartbeat. But it was there nonetheless as the man's gaze flickered between his wife and child.
"Born with," he said finally. The King hugged his wife and unconscious child closer to him, trying to reassure them with his warmth. "Will my daughter wake?"
Pabbie nodded slowly, his wide, stone hands working over the girl's head. "I am removing all traces of her powers from her mind, as well as the emotions with it. She will be fine."
The King and Queen let out similar sighs of relief as the bundle in their arms squirmed in her sleep, oblivious to everything around her.
The troll beckoned the King and the Queen closer with a wave of his stubby arm. "Know this, your majesties," he said gravelly. "The Princess has grown older and stronger since her birth. I will not be able to suppress her memories again, out of fear for ruining her mind. You must guide her as she grows. Watch her."
"My daughter will be safe. My people will be safe. I shall not have my family… No. I shall not have anyone harmed again because of this." The King's steely response was as hard as iron; his eyes were resolute and determined. The Queen murmured an agreement from her place beside him.
Pabbie closed his eyes and stilled, as if listening to nature's movements around him. Finally, he said. "Know this: Your daughter will do what you dread most and act upon your greatest fear. But the princess will heal the kingdom in its greatest moment of need."
The Queen gasped as the King stumbled back and then glared down at the troll. "You know nothing about my fears or my kingdom." The man's right hand clenched the hilt of his sword so firmly that it seemed he was mere seconds away from taking a swing at the rock figure in front of him.
Breathing deeply, the King moved his hand away from his weapon at the Queen's touch. He stood to his full height and said quietly, yet firmly, "Until my daughter comes of age, you and your kind are not allowed within the castle walls or within any of Arendelle's villages. Stay in this valley. If any of the guards report so much as a moving stone…" The man hissed the last part under his breath and backed away.
Without waiting for a response, the humans fled.
The troll king did nothing to stop the retreat of the King and Queen as they left on their horses, riding quickly back to the safety of their own castle. Within seconds, the galloping hooves could no longer be heard on the stone floor, leaving the troll alone in the valley. His valley now, he thought.
Trolls weren't anything if they weren't smart.
And so Pabbie knew that the royal family would seek him out again. That his banishment was temporary, really. He didn't need to read the stars and the moon to foresee it.
If anything, the uneasiness of the King had been another fairly obvious indicator. The man's outburst had all but confirmed a second visit.
And so Pabbie stayed in the valley.
Which wasn't that difficult, the troll mused, as he curled up into a giant mossy rock to take a much-needed nap.