The Troll War

Chapter 20 - Charred's Camp

It was approaching high sun, and Charred was fuming as he talked to the guards watching over their prisoner, "Where is that lazy bat, it's been five suns and if he isn't back by the time the sun hits the horizon, I'll send two bats to get him and drag him back!" Then in a soft voice so that no one else would hear, "I'd cut off his head if it weren't for his kin, they might abandon me, or worse, kill me."

Just then the messenger bat returned, and faced Charred's anger. "Where the (deleted) have you been!", Charred screamed at the top of his lungs.

Totally exhausted and hungry, the bat said nothing, handed Charred the parchment he was waiting for, then stumbled over to some soft-looking grass to sleep. Charred didn't object, he was too excited to read the response from his Father. As he read, his eyes got big, and his mouth dropped open.

"What does it say Sire?", asked one of the guards.

"Wait til you hear this," he glanced at his sister, "Potts wrote, and I quote:

'I don't care what you do with that ungrateful, ugly, wart of a daughter. Ever since I disowned you, she has gotten it into her feeble mind that she should start giving orders to everyone – even me!'" Charred paused to laugh along with his guards as his prisoner looked on intently. He continued, "'When I learned she had run off to talk to you, well, frankly, I felt like celebrating. I assumed you wouldn't listen to her, after all she is just a female child. Young and full of blind optimism, she never believed you would actually forcefully take over the Kingdom. Such idiotic idea, I knew you were serious, but not your sister, she has candy and sweet pudding for brains. No, if you want to kill her, that is your choice. We will defeat you, and when it is about time for me to close my eyes for the last time I will find a successor. It may be one of my advisors, or perhaps I'll let our citizens decide who should follow me, and truth be told, that young elf that saved my life seems to have a good head, everyone likes him.' "WHAT!", Charred screamed. "You can't put an elf as King of the Trolls . . . I won't stand for it." Charred stood staring at the document, shaking with anger as trolls surrounded him, for they heard that last comment, and they couldn't believe it either. Once Charred regained his composure, "There's more", 'So know dear former son, that I am making appropriate plans in the event of my demise; but if I should prevail, I will take great satisfaction in seeing you in the dungeon.'"

With the crown around him he couldn't see the smile on his sister's face as she turned into a ladybug and flew off behind a tree and turn into a bird and fly away towards the Dragon Mountains to report on this bit of news.

"Untie her and bring her here, so I can personally chop off her ugly head, and place it on a poll for dear Potty Pants to see."

The guards turned and saw where the prisoner had been, "She's gone!"

"What!?" Charred drew his sword as he shoved his way through the crowd, and saw the empty space. The rope was still stretched, the arm and ankle bindings were still very secure, but she was gone. "You two were supposed to be watching her, so what happened?"

They looked at each other, then one spoke, "She was there Sire when you started reading the message, you saw her. I guess we were so intent on Potts' response that someone or something released her."

The rage and hate in Charred's eyes were surpassed only by the contorted expression on his face. Without a word he swung his sword and neatly cut off the first guards head, he stepped forward and continued the swing cutting the second guards head off too. As he looked down on their heads in the blood-stained grass, "You two were supposed to be watching her!" All of the trolls who had been standing and watching this display of anger, quickly backed away and found somewhere else to be; fearing they could be the recipient of any lingering anger.

This display of anger caused some worry among his troops, trolls and bats alike. They found it difficult to understand how he could so easily kill two of his loyal Royal Guard. Was he going mad? Many thought it, but not a single troll or bat dared speak it.

Charred seemed to calm down as he turned, "It's almost high sun, let's eat and then move forward." It was as if nothing had happened. This sudden change from raging mad to complete unconcerned calm worried many too. This was not typical behavior for a Troll . . . or a bat . . . or an elf . . . or anyone as far as they knew.

After eating his fill, Charred stood and stretched, "Let's continue forward, we're wasting precious light." So, everyone gathered there things together and started the long march to Pott's castle. No one spoke. They just followed their leader like obedient troops. No one spoke that was near the front of the march that is. The bats who were in the woods defending the flanks of the trolls, and much farther back in the column the trolls were whispering, and wondering, and fearing that Charred's anger could lead to poor decisions and get them killed. 'Maybe', some thought, 'following him wasn't such a good idea.'