Llort looked up and struggled to focus his eyes on his surroundings. When he could finally see clearly, he tried to remember if he was in the right place. Standing up and getting his bearings, he walked towards the bridge, which was becoming more and more familiar.

This had to be the place. He faintly remembered seeing it, though the entire park looked much different now. The grass was greener, and many, many types of flowers bloomed all over, making the air smell sweet with faint, floral aromas. It was quite nice.

As Llort approached the bridge, he grew nervous. What if Stanley wasn't even there? Or worse, what if he was there and refused to talk to him? Maybe it was better if he turned around and went home.

Then, he thought of Deanna. He couldn't just leave her anywhere since he didn't know where she came from, and she seemed so scared underneath that angry exterior. He had to get her to trust him enough to talk to him, and the only way to find out how was to talk to someone who had dealt with humans before.

This was the best way.

Llort got in the water and approached the opening to where Stanley lived. He swallowed and called out, tentatively, "H-Hello? Stanley?"

No answer.

"It's King Llort. I know I've done some pretty bad things, but I need your help. You see, there's a human girl who somehow got into the kingdom, and all I know is her name. She won't tell me where she came from. I don't know how to get her to talk to me, and I figured you would. Please, Stanley. She's so scared. I don't know what else to do."

Llort waited for ages and almost gave up, but then, he saw Stanley's head pop out. Stanley took a long, hard look at Llort, then, seeing how serious the king was, asked, "This isn't a trick?"

"No. There really is a human in the Kingdom of the Trolls. I know I don't deserve your help, but I didn't know who else to go to."

Stanley thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll help, but only if you promise not to have me turned into stone."

"I promise. Cross my heart. And...Stanley? I have a confession to make. I think now is a good time to tell you."

As Stanley came out into the open, he asked, "What's that?"

"I...I never really wanted to go along with anything Gnorga did. I had to, or else she'd turn me to stone." He hung his head. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I caused."

Stanley saw Llort's sad expression and told him, "I forgive you. It's all water under the bridge, now."

Llort looked relieved. "You really mean it, Stanley? Oh, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!"

Stanley smiled and wiggled his ears. "You're welcome. Come on. Let's go see this girl you were talking about."

Back at the Troll Kingdom, Llort told Stanley once they entered the castle, "I'll keep my distance until she's willing to talk to me. Our first meeting...didn't go so well."

Stanley gaped a little, concerned, then said, "I'll do my best." With that, he went to the bedchamber and knocked on the door.

Deanna said, "Come in."

Stanley entered the room. Deanna was sitting up in bed and looked on-edge. "Who are you?" she asked, cautiously.

"I'm Stanley. I'm a friend. What's your name?"

"Deanna."

"Deanna. That's such a pretty name." Seeing her bruises, especially the noticeable one under her eye, he frowned, sadly. "Are you okay? You look hurt."

"I'll be fine. I had a rough trip."

"How did you get here? The Kingdom of the Trolls isn't easy to find."

"So I've heard." Deanna then told Stanley how she had arrived.

Stanley remembered that Llort had said Deanna reacted badly when asked where she lived, so he avoided that topic. "Well, I'm sure everyone is happy you're here and that you're okay."

"Why do you say that? I thought trolls hated humans."

"Not all of them, especially King Llort. He's awfully worried about you."

"He doesn't have a reason to be. I mean, I almost stabbed him with a pair of scissors. I'm not exactly a good person."

"Aw, everyone makes mistakes," Stanley told her. "It doesn't mean you're not a good person. You just have trouble giving new people a chance."

"I guess so." She looked down at her lap. "I've never seen a real troll before, and I don't know why I'm here or what I should do. No one wants me around." A tear fell down her cheek.

"Sure, they do! Lots of people want you around! You just haven't found those people yet. Everything will be okay."

Deanna nodded. "Thank you. I feel a little better."

"No problem. Anytime you need to talk, I'm here to listen."

Stanley let her rest. When he left the room, Llort was anxiously waiting outside. "Is she okay? What did she say?"

"She's in a new place, and she feels like nobody wants her around. You should make her feel at home and assure her that you don't want to just throw her out."

Llort nodded. "You're right. I'll do everything I can to make her feel welcome. I should get her some human food. What do humans like?"

"Well..." Stanley listed off different foods he had heard of and tried. Then, he added, "Kindness and reassurance."

"Kindness and reassurance? I didn't think you could eat those."

Stanley shook his head. "No, no. You need to give her those things. She's really vulnerable right now and needs all the help and friends she can get."

"I'll do my best. This is all so new to me."

"You've already made a good start," Stanley assured him. "Let's get her some human food. That should make her feel better."