Chapter Two

Trolls?!

"I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my systems blow

Welcome to the new age"

When we walked into the village, we did get a lot of odd looks. Narrowed eyes, whispers, even some glares. We kept our heads down, and I drug Jake close.

Seeing a merchant standing next to a wagon full of shelves full of things, I walked to him, hoping to get something.

"Excuse me.. Sir?" I asked timidly. Any other time, I would have been far too scared to even leave the woods, but we needed help.

"What? See somethin' you like?" He smirked, showing off his wares.

"No.. I can't afford any of this.. But I was wonderin'-"

"Get out of here... Git! Get out'a here, beggar! No room for your kind!" He sneered, shoving at my shoulder, pushing me away from him and his wagon.

At first, I thought he was the only one with that reaction, but I saw that everyone had the same reaction. They didn't want to help us out. It stung, but what did I expect?

A ten year old and a fifteen year old, dirty and stumbling around for work? If anything that sounded and looked like a scam.

It was easily five at night, and nearly four hours of rejection was too much.

"We should go, Jakey.." I wrapped an arm around his shoulders as we began towards the road.

"I thought at least someone would help us.." He whispered somberly.

"Yeah.. But don't worry.. Every cloud has a silver lining." I ruffled his greasy hair.

"I hear you're lookin' for work."

I stopped, hearing the deep voice and looked to the male who leaned up against wall, next to an Inn's door. He had long, dark, wavy hair and a short, neat dark beard.

"We are.." I said slowly. I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

"He stays here.. we have something special in mind for you."

Horrified, I began dragging Jake away, my face burning. How dare he proposition me?! I was desperate for things and a place to stay, but not that desperate!

"No, no, no!" He snagged my wrist, chuckling, "Let me clarify.." He smiled, flashing white, straight teeth, "I did not mean that."

I narrowed my eyes, sucking on my front teeth, "...what did you mean, then?"

"Inside, come on," he let my wrist go and walked into the inn.

With a glance to Jake, who shrugged and said, "If anything goes wrong you are the weapon," he mocked in a voice that I assumed was supposed to be mine.

I smacked his forehead and we followed the stranger.

In the inn, the candles were dim (yet another thing to buy!) and the tables were empty. Except for the one, in the center, was filled with hooded figures.

The dark stranger stood at one end, smoking a pipe. I glanced to Jake and stepped forward.

"The boy stays here, works around the bar.." a rotund man I assumed was the bartender and innkeeper gestured to the room. He had bright red hair, fluffy mutton chops and bushy brows over sky blue eyes.

"And you go.. on your mission." Another stranger spoke up, sipping at some drink.

I hoped they clarify this soon. And I was really hoping they weren't talking about prostitution.

"What is this mission?" I glanced to them all, swallowing. There were about, 7 of them in all.

"Trolls," one said, puffing at a short pipe.

I blinked, glancing to Jake, then to the bartender. "Trolls?" I deadpanned.

"Yes.. four of them. And a queen trollop with them," the bearded stranger nodded.

"So.. five," Jake blinked.

I knew he had the same question as I did. Were they serious?

"We are willing to pay you.. what ever you want.. if you kill them.. They're eating our sheep.. destroying our farmland..." The bartender begged.

I gnawed on my bottom lip and glanced to my little brother, "He will be safe? Here?" I looked to the bartender.

How scary were trolls? ...according to Harry Potter they're big and dumb, but strong.

"He will be just fine," the stranger smiled.

"All right.. but I have no weapons, and I don't know where they are.. or how to get there," I looked from the stranger to the bartender and back again.

"That all will be told," the bartender smiled in relief, glad to have this burden off of him.

"What will you request if you succeed?" the stranger asked.

"She will succeed." Jake spoke up, stubbornness radiating in his tone. Ah, a Redmayne family trait. Stubborn as mules and sarcasm was our first language.

"Sh," I quickly hissed to him. "We need... just about everything. Clothes, blankets, cookware, swords, a bow and arrows," I sighed. Glad to have a chance to get all of this, there was no way I was going to blow it.

The bartender chuckled, "We'll get it all.." He paused for a moment, "Do you.. have nothing?" He glanced to my brother.

"We have nothing.. but what you see here," I nodded, gesturing to Jake and I.

"And a sofa," Jake spoke up.

"And a sofa."

That night we were given hot baths, fresh clothes, and got to sleep in actual beds. But that paled in comparison went we got to eat hot beef stew. Even Jacob didn't complain about the potatoes in there.

It was early the next day when the stranger- Boran – woke me up. He would take me to where the trolls frequented, but that was it.

The night before, the bartender and Boran stressed that this was my mission and mine alone. They had no one to fight for them or their village.

Until I came along.

I was disposable and that probably should have been an insult. But I really didn't care.

If I succeeded we'd have a place to call home and things to call ours.

And if I failed? Well, the bartender and innkeeper, Phil, would take Jake in. Something we discussed privately. He'd raise and take care of Jake as his own. Phil was a happily married man with two very small children of his own and wouldn't mind, at all, to care for another. He was quite the family man, I found out.

Either way, it was a win-win situation.

I wore a white tunic, a dark plum halter corset, a burgundy waistcoat over that, black trousers that were tucked into black greaves. I kept my own tennis shoes, though they were bright pink, vivid green, and pale blue, they were still wonderful and in good shape. I had a thick brown belt around my waist, holding my sword and daggers.

I was given a horse as well, she was dainty and white. She pranced and danced and seemed eager to slay some trolls. I hadn't ridden horses regularly to know how to ride as well as anyone here, but luckily I did all right. By 'all right' I mean I didn't fall off.. right away.

Along with clothes, shoes, a cloak, a horse (They called her a pony!), they also gave me two daggers, a sword, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows.

So many weapons and yet I had very little experience with any of them. I did have training in Iaido using a katana. But would i be able to apply those lesson using a broadsword? Pffft. Hell if I know.

With all this, and all they promised to give me, they also said that I could take what I wanted from the troll den. What would be so precious and useful in a troll den? Why would they keep such things?

We rode to an old road that seemed to be often in use. Though, now, trees covered the road and made it unpassable to carriages.

"And here is where I leave you, Lady Jenna," Boran smiled. He was quite a handsome man, but he was so secretive. It took me forever to even learn his name.

"Thank you.." I smiled.

He bowed in his saddle and rode is horse back towards the village. The horse neighed and danced beneath me.

"Hey, now.. Can you chill out? You're scaring me..." I muttered, looking into the dark forest, the path strewn and hidden. "I guess we go in, huh?"

I urged her on as she wound around the trees, the sky seemed to dim and no animals made a sound. No birds, no bugs.. Not even the wind blew.

I swallowed again, "Trolls don't come out in the daytime.. they'll turn to stone.. They'd be in a cave.. hidden from the sun.." I thought talking to myself would help, but it made things scarier.. Eerie and echoic. "They'd be either asleep.. or on their guard.. or both." I whispered, afraid of hearing my own voice break the awful, tense silence.

Seeing a path through the trees, we followed it. The horse danced and pranced even more, her ears laid flat against her head.

"Ssshhh," I hushed quickly. I slid off of her, "Please don't go far." I whispered to her as she jerked the reins out of my hand and she bolted away.

I froze, watching her. Dropping my hands to my side and sighed deeply.

Great.

I followed the path quietly, not even the leaves crunched beneath my feet.

The wind suddenly whipped up, my wavy, light brown blinding me for a moment. Then, just as quickly as it came up, the wind died. If I thought it was quiet before.. what was it now?

Dead silence... The kind of quiet only a corpse could make..

I shuddered as I stared at the mouth of the black cave. Skeletons propped up with sticks guarded the entrance. Their bones were thick but small.. Children? Or dwarves?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and pulled my sword out. I inched inside, bones covered the ground and decorated the walls.

I nodded to myself, building up the courage I needed, though it was fleeting. Stepping farther inside, I watched for anything. Snoring quickly filled my ears as I grew closer. The small passageway led to a wide room. Four... things slept on the ground, snoring and grumbling, rumblings from their stomachs and back ends.

I wrinkled my nose as an awful stench filled the air.

Four here? Where was the lady troll?

"You."

...Uh-oh.

The cave was bigger than I thought or could have expected. The tunnels wound and spun and twisted and turned. I imagined that this was what it looked like on the inside of a bee's hive. Sometimes I ran back into her and other times into the others.

She was the brains of the bunch. If I killed her first, the other would be easy. But she was witty and quick, though not so much on her feet.

In some attempt at femininity, she wore a smear of blood on her cheeks and lips and some pink fabric as a dress. She didn't look female in the slightest and wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't.

"Get back here, little dwarf!"

"Dwarf?!" I snapped. I knew I was short, oh trust me. I knew I was short. But a dwarf? Come on... I had to be taller than Peter Dinklage.

"Ya 'eard 'er, ya dwarf squib!"

I ducked the largest of the trolls and rolled away, and into another tunnel, they thudded and stomped after me.

What the hell was a squib? I mean, besides a non-magical person born into a magical family.. But other than that..

I slid to a stop as the trollop stood in the way of my escape.

"You cannot escape them and me for long..." She hissed.

"Them and I." I corrected, hoping to start an argument. As she chased me, she bragged that I could never outsmart her. I'm sure I could at least throw her off.. But if we had a game of riddles, I would fail instantly..

"What?" She snapped, one eye nearly closed while the other was so wide. Blood shot and colored blue.

"It's 'You cannot escape them and I for long'." I nodded, though it didn't roll off the tongue very well.

She suddenly glared, hissing. "You think you are smarter than I? I am the smartest of them all!"

Damn.. No errors there. "But smartest isn't the highest one can go." If I can't outsmart her.. I'll have her eating the lies like candies.

"What."

"Yes.. if you want to be the most smart.. individual here.. you must be an intellectual genius."

"Is that so?" She ground her yellowed teeth together, "And what if I am?"

"What if I am?"

"I asked first.."

"We'll... play a game of wits! But they can't be here.. they'll help you cheat." I nodded to the other dopes.

"Fine." She suddenly narrowed her eyes, "Brothers, go back to bed!" She roared, her voice nearly deafening me.

The trolls grumbled and left, nearly bumping into each other. So they were her brothers, not her husbands. Troll family dynamics.. were odd.

"But I chose the game!" She crooned, rubbing her awful hands together. "And when I win, we'll make you into stew."

My eye twitched, "Deal."

"And if you win?" She urged.

"That's my business... not yours." I smiled. "What game shall we play?"

"...a game of riddles."

Oh hell.

Author's Note:

Uh oh, how will our heroine fair in a dastardly game of wits? To be continued..

Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive"