Nomura closed her eyes. Wagner's Tristan and Isolde echoed through the old theatre.
No one bothered her here in this refuge.
On show days, Nomura welcomed the opportunity to let her mind wander to far-off lands, where lovers won against staggering odds, heroes vanquished great dragons and rescued princesses, and tyrannical kings were overthrown, leaving their people to live happily ever after.
The stories weren't always so bright. Some were painfully ironic, exposing hypocrisy and pointing out flaws.
Even though the latter were entertaining, Nomura preferred the former, naïve and optimistic as they were. They let her dream – even if only for a little while.
The story she heard now was of two young lovers, doomed to tragedy. Just as any other story like it, the tale began so wonderfully it could never stay that way.
Nomura knew that feeling too well. She was in love once… Still remembered it.
She was tasked with spying on Trollmarket long ago before Arcadia Oaks existed. No humans lived in the vast forest, and she was free to roam the woods.
That day, she hunted down a grizzly, three times her size. The challenging prey pleased her.
As she faced the gigantic bear, it roared and charged, claws swiping at her. She whirled out of the way. Every move the bear made, she countered in an elegant dance, jumping and twirling.
When the moment came, Nomura's blade fell with precision, slicing off the bear's head as she grinned in triumph.
Only then did she glimpse the pair of glowing eyes.
She whirled, blades at the ready, coming face to face with a young troll, his hide light blue, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He was tall and broad, boasting an impressive rack of horns and an array of sharp spikes on his back.
The Trollhunter's son…
"You kill with great skill," breathed Draal. "That… was impressive." He glanced away, embarrassed.
Nomura blinked. Could it be… he didn't know who she was? Didn't realize she might be an enemy?
"You were like a tornado of death and destruction. To face you in combat – though I'm not sure I would win – would be truly glorious," he continued, eyes still averted.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She let slip a tiny smile as she sheathed her blades.
Draal glanced up, blushing. "Erhm… I'm Deadly – I mean – I'm Draal. Draal the Deadly." He stumbled over his words, looking away again.
Nomura's heart raced.
"What… may I call you?" he asked.
"I'm…" she hesitated. "Nomura."
"A glorious name for a glorious creature!" Draal proclaimed.
Nomura couldn't keep back her smile any longer. It was the first time in her life anyone offered her such honest praise.
Next they met, Draal dragged with him a slain monster twice the size of Nomura's grizzly. She knew Draal meant it as proof of his strength, and as a gift to her – a delicious one which Nomura happily ate as Draal watched, looking pleased with himself.
It began so wonderfully… too wonderfully to last.
Nomura let the music wash over her, offering just enough comfort to dull the old ache of loss.
When the theatre lay dark and silent, Nomura climbed up to a cramped attic, hanging far above the theatre hall. The small space overflowed with props and old costumes, but the best thing about it was the peephole. Through it, she could see the stage unobstructed.
The attic was warm and comfortable, and as Nomura curled up on the floor, she almost felt peaceful.
Her ears twitched as the soft tones of a piano drifted up through the hall. The faint hiss of static told her the music was recorded as a young, nervous voice began Ave Maria.
Nomura lay still as the singer stumbled through the Latin, managing to pronounce half of the words. Undeterred, the girl's voice echoed through the theatre, and it soothed Nomura.
As the song ended, and another began, curiosity got the better of the troll and she crept over to the peephole.
Nomura didn't recognize the girl. It wasn't, as she thought, one of the younger actors, or a stage hand – at least, she didn't seem to be.
Thirteen or fourteen at most, her skin was dark as chocolate, hair raven black as it fell in soft curls around her shoulders. She wore old jeans and a big, white sweater, hanging off one shoulder.
The music came from the girl's cellphone, hooked up to a little speaker. The setup was as low-tech as it could be. Despite that, the girl sang as though lost in the world of music, eyes closed, caring for nothing except her song.
Growing bolder, she spread her arms to the empty theatre, letting out a high note so tenacious it reached the back row.
Though lacking in technique, the girl had good lungs.
Nomura watched the funny little human with piqued interest. At least she had good taste. That was more than she could say of most humans.
With a sigh, the troll lay back down, the girl's song soothing her weary body.
Nomura woke some time later to silence, the girl long gone. As sunrise approached, she clambered out of the old building and tore through the gray streets, already glowing with the first rays of morning.
"That's what you get for letting your guard down," she chided herself as she stole back to her little cave tucked away in the far corner of New Trollmarket.
Editted by dtill359