Joan practiced her assigned scales, and Trollmarket's stony tunnel walls echoed with each note. "Do re mi fa so la ti doooo!" She savored the lingering high. Just for fun, she reversed the order. "Do ti la so fa mi re do." Each time she practiced, her confidence grew.

Now armed with the courage to leave Nomura's keep alone – without the troll's disapproving glance or unhappy growl – she felt much more empowered.

A few days ago, she and Nomura found a suitable mattress and hauled it back to the keep. A poster from the Valkyrie performance livened up her little corner, and as she drifted off to sleep most nights, it gazed down at her while Nomura's soft music played. Bundled in her warm cocoon, Joan could relax. Unlike home, here no one hit her. There was no yelling, fighting or drugs in the other room. The strange, pink troll protected her, and Joan knew she was safe in the keep.

She ended her song and let silence take the room.

"Don't stop. Please continue."

Joan snapped toward the low rasp. "Who's there?"

A sliver of dark green shuffled in the corner, and Joan blushed. I thought that was a really ugly chair.

Six glowing eyes, milky gray, and much like Blinky's opened. As the troll stepped into a patch of light, his unruly, spiked hair and green hide gave Joan pause. A gold earring hung from his right ear, and his expression unsettled her.

"Come on. Sing. It's the only escape I get these days."

"Who are you?" Joan scooted back two feet.

"Typical," the green troll huffed. "I'm Dictatious Galadrigal. I'm sure you've already met my brother."

"Blinky's your brother?" said Joan. "Oh, that makes sense. I'm sorry I didn't see you standing there."

"Don't apologize, child. Just sing. Listening gives me something to do." Dictatious retreated into the corner.

"I'm sorry?"

Dictatious sighed and pointed to his eyes. "I'm blind you see. Brother dear robbed me of my sight."

"He did what? Why?" Joan said.

"Brothers quarrel. It's nothing that need concern you." Dictatious sighed. "However, without my sight, there's so little to do. I used to read, even write, but without sight…" He sighed again. "I can't even help raise buildings or participate in the lookout rotation – obviously." He rolled his eyes. "So, here I am, stuck in this corner day after day. It's quite boring."

"That's awful," Joan said as she ventured toward Dictatious. Blinky took his sight? But Blinky seems so nice. "Can they do anything about your eyes?"

"Not really. I do what I can – find the darkest place to rest my poor eyes. That's why I'm here. Even the lights of Trollmarket strain them." With another sigh, Dictatious sat. "So, tell me, what is a human doing down here?"

"You can tell I'm human?"

Dictatious smirked and sniffed. "I can't see, but I'm not nose-blind. Such a skinny one. Barely a meal."

Joan shivered and backed away.

"Young." Dictatious licked his lips but then his face fell. "But brother dear decided we're not allowed to eat humans. So, that's that I suppose."

The genuine dismay in the troll's eyes rattled her.

"No need to be frightened, child." Dictatious grinned. "Yes, I smell your fear. It's a most delicious scent. I'm not a hunter, but with such lovely, tempting fear in the air…"

Joan swallowed hard. "C-can all trolls smell fear?"

"Of course, they can." Dictatious nodded. "But you needn't worry. Blinkous was quite clear. Eating humans is forbidden. If I step out of line, I fear he will have my head. I'd swear he doesn't care about me at all. He takes things much too personally. I only tried to kill him once! And I only tortured him a little." He held up two thick fingers, spread a quarter of an inch. "What's a little torture between brothers, eh?"

No wonder he took your sight. "I… should get going," Joan said.

"Do stay!" Dictatious replied. "This is the most fun I've had in ages. No one wants to talk to me. It's so boring."

"I'm sorry…" Joan inched away, her eyes fastened on Dictatious.

"I can't harm you. I can't even see you," he said. "Keep me company. I'll tell you about Blinkous when he was a runt – such a do-gooder, even then."

"That's all right. Maybe some other time." She shuffled back the way she came.

Dictatious frowned and crossed his arms. In a pout, he said, "Here I am, ready to let you in on such interesting secrets, and still you back away. How ungrateful. At least allow me a better look at you."

"But… You can't see," said Joan.

"Come closer. Let me sense you." When Joan made no move to obey, he added a plaintive "please?"

Joan hesitated but did as he asked. Instant regret hit as a stony hand grabbed her arm, and she screamed.

Dictatious shushed her as his fingers bit into her skin. "You're far too comfortable in Trollmarket, my dear. You think this is a place of fairytales? It's a place of monsters!"

"Please, let me go!" Joan begged.

"I'm just worried about you." Dictatious grinned. "You should take better care of yourself. It's dangerous down here." He let her go, and Joan stumbled away. "You think the ones upstairs are monsters? Hah! Don't make me laugh. They are children – amateurs, but the one you live with – oh boy."

Joan rubbed her sore arm.

"She eats fools like them for breakfast," Dictatious hissed.

Joan ran.

Dictatious's chuckle stalked her. "Well, that was fun." Then he muttered, "And now I'm bored again."

Editted by dtill359