The Troll King

The Troll King stared down at the frightened pair, and glared at them through his black eyes.

"You seem to be here on some sort of errand", he said, with a snarl. He was tall, muscular, with a head gear that seemed to speak of a man of action and torture. His build was slender, but muscular. The face would have been handsome, were it not for the sharp teeth that filled his mouth when he spoke or smiled. He smiled rarely, and when he did, it was not a smile of mirth. The Troll King was black, and with his black eyes, he looked almost unreal. What appeared to be locks of hair fell down to his shoulders in a tumble. The hair was black.

The Troll King was the only black troll on the Troll Island. The others were in different shades, of yellow, red, grey and brown. As they would discover later, the other troll who was a "pure shade", was the Troll Queen, who was white. It appeared that she was made of white marble, and she was white, with the exception of her eyes, which were black. Together they made a most formidable pair, enough to strike fear into any one who crossed their path.

Unlike trolls of most legends, the trolls of Troll Island were not affected by the sun. They could become stonelike at will. It was difficult to kill them. They had the power of regenerating their limbs, and could transform themselves into rock like formations at will. 

The Troll King and his group of trolls were cruel beyond measure, yet if they gave their word, they were bound by it. They had, in times gone by, a pact with Threye, a pact that Threye did not honour. They had not forgiven him for this act, and wanted redemption from Threye. 

In war, they were indeed formidable. Yet, they had a weakness, a fatal weakness that was kept a close secret. Only the winds, it was whispered, knew of this secret, but the winds do not talk. And so, the Troll King and the Troll Queen slept in peace. 

Dragor and Bessie were bound, gagged and cast into a prison. From time to time they would be given scraps of food to eat, but no liberty was granted to them. They were treated fairly, but treated with great strictness. 

After a few days, they were paraded around through the village where the trolls lived. They were packed into cages, and paraded around like wild, exotic animals. The trolls stopped to look at them to jeer, to speculate on how the two of them would taste as food.

They were then taken back to their prisons, and finally after what seemed to be an eternity, they were taken to the Throne Room of the Troll King and his Queen. 

"My name is too hard for you to pronounce", the Troll King said. "Call me BlackHeart. That is, anyway, what Threye used to call me."

"And, call me WhiteDeath", said the Troll Queen. "Someday, if you ever gain our full trust, we may tell you our real names"

"But enough", said BlackHeart. "Tell me, why did Threye send you here?"

"Threye is gathering an army", said Dragor. "He wishes to destroy a group of people, and then from there, extend his dominion across the world."

"And, did Threye tell you what would happen if I refuse?", asked BlackHeart.

"Yes,", said Bessie. "He said you would kill us, and eat us. However, if we convinced you, then I would lead the Troll Army into battle"

The Troll King and his Queen laughed, and their laughter sent shivers through Bessie and Dragor.

"None may lead The Troll Army but us", said WhiteDeath. "However, you may fight along side us, if we allow you. Tell me, however, the story that you have to tell us, and then we will decide if we want to help you, or not."

Bessie began the story. She had to go back several times, as the King and Queen wanted to hear the story from the beginning. 

It was a long story, made longer by the many frequent interruptions. Finally, however, it was done. 

"I have a question", asked BlackHeart. "You betrayed your husband, and left him for this here Dragor. You desecrated the church where you were married. Why should we help you?"

"I have been true to Dragor since I fell in love with him", said Bessie. " I will never leave him, or betray him. Neither did I leave Percival willingly. It took me a long time, but then when I did fall in love with Dragor, I discovered that this was, indeed, the love of my life. As for the church, yes, that was madness. I have been chastised by Threye, who also disapproved of it.."

"Did he now?", asked WhiteDeath. "Pray.......... why?"

"He feels  that wanton destruction, desecration is unnesecarry. That it wastes energy, that it shows lack of discipline. I have been chastised, and I have had to undergo severe mental training to rectify this."

"Interesting", said BlackHeart. "I sense that there is some fidelity in you, and maybe you both shall live to see another day."

There was silence, as the royal pair looked at the two. Dragor and Bessie, despite the fact that they had been imprisoned, looked calm, collected. They did indeed, almost look dignified. 

"In battle, they shall be a formidable pair", thought BlackHeart. "Whether they live, or die, in battle is yet to be seen. They shall acquit themselves well."

Looking deep into their eyes, he asked. "Do you want to know the story that connects Threye to us?", he asked

"Yes, indeed we would", answered Dragor. 

"Very well then', said Black Heart. "We shall meet again tomorrow, and we shall tell you the story".

"At the end of the story", said WhiteDeath, "we shall ask you a question. If you answer well, we may help you, and allow you to fight alongside us. If not, you shall die by the setting sun. Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes", answered Dragor "We do"

"Sleep well then", said WhiteDeath. "We shall meet again tomorrow"