I Don't Want To Be A Troll!!

Chapter 3a

Author's Note:  I really liked writing this next chapter! If you have any I'd love to hear your constructive feedback or anything you would like more of. Hope you enjoy!

Sally's mind was flurry of thought as she followed the man -troll- that called himself Cael through twisting halls and steep staircases in silence. 'Trolls were real? Did that mean elves and fairies were real too?' All she could see was the back of his worn leather boots. She stared at them as if they held the answer. 'Was that silver-haired guy an elf then?' Sally had not believed in fairy tales since she was six and Cael looked nothing like how she thought a troll should look. Her brain was starting to hurt thinking about all the implications. 

Here she was, in what must be a castle of some sort, being led by a man who calls himself a troll while wearing clothes she had only ever seen at a Renaissance fair. The better part of self-preservation was the only thing keeping her from dropping to the floor and assuming the fetal position. With no other plan of action, Sally decided that there was no point in driving herself mad. As strange and wrong as this world seemed to her she was stuck in it for the time being. She would have to learn to live with it until she could escape.

After some time the corridors became brighter, the air warmer. Sally could smell something delicious, which only served to remind her just how long it had been since her sad lunch of two pizza pops and a diet soda. Her hunger was almost enough to distract her from just how sore her shoulder was becoming. Almost.

Not for the first time she considered asking if they were there yet, but the thought of sounding like a whiny kid kept her silent. Her thoughts were interrupted by Cael coming to a sudden stop in front of her. With the leather hood obscuring her vision it wasn't surprising when she smacked into his solid form. "Owww." Sally rubbed her nose from where it had hit his back. She would not surprise her if she was black and blue by now. As she tilted her head to see, she could make out Cael standing in front of an open door. "What-" 

Cael quickly pulled the hood down over her face, cutting her off, as someone passed them. Staying as quiet as possible, she could hear Cael and the other person speaking. Though she could not understand what they were saying. Then, without a word, Cael guided her through the open door.

The smell of sweet cedar wood and rusted iron wafted over her as she pulled her hood back. Behind her she heard the click of the door closing. The room was a little smaller than her room at home. The contents of which consisted only of a floor to ceiling wardrobe, a rather large wooden bed, and a wooden desk with a chair. The only source of light came from another floating fire orb that hovered inches away from the ceiling in the middle of the room. However, unlike the first fire orbs she had seen, which cast a cold blue-purple light, this orb cast a warm orange light over the room. Sally thought that it was a very cozy room indeed.

"Sit." Cael gave her back a small nudge in the direction of the bed before crossing the room to rummage through the wardrobe. Slowly moving to sit on the edge of the bed, Sally took in the room around her. Large faded tapestries covered the walls. Each depicting a different summer wooded landscape at night and were filled with animals she had never seen before. A feeling of being watched crept over her.

She glanced at Cael, but he was still digging through the immense wardrobe. Then a flash of blue to her left caught her eye. Sally turned towards the head of the bed. There hung a tapestry depicting a lush meadow and in the centre a small white fox who was looking straight at her. At least she thought it was a fox, but its fur seemed to shimmer in a way that suggested that it wasn't a fox at all. Intelligent blue eyes looked into hers and for a moment she felt like she was in that summer clearing. Sweet, warm air filled her lungs and for the first time since waking in the castle her body did not hurt. She started to move towards the fox when a large, warm hand grabbed her shoulder. As quickly as it had come the feeling left and she was back in the small room, but now the air felt cool on her skin.

"You shouldn't stare at them like that," he nodded towards the tapestry, "might get lost." She blinked. Now just an empty meadow was depicted where the fox had been. "Here, put this on." A bundle of cloth and leather landed beside her. She looked at it and then at him but Cael had already turned his back to her and was digging through a trunk. The clothes were huge... smaller than Cael's coat but still big. She put them on over her clothes, if he thought she was going to strip anywhere anyone could see then he was going to be sorely disappointed. Cael made no comment but nodded in approval once she had made sure her jeans were hidden under the bulk of the coarse brown pants. Her yellow shirt on the other hand could not be hidden with the strange cut of the linen shirt. She prepared to fight him if he suggested removing it. Especially once she remembered she was wearing a bra with bright pink hearts all over it. "You'll need to keep the jacket. At least until I can get you your own." And then he turned away from her again. "Oh" was all she could make out.

He turned back with a little red pot in one hand and a surprisingly long and thin brush in the other. He gestured to the bed. "It'll be easier if you're laying down. Head to me." Sally sputtered. "I'm sorry? What!" The tall troll sighed irritably at her and shook the pot as if it was an answer. She crossed her arms. "I'm not doing anything until you tell me why." Cale sighed again, "I know this is not fair to you, but for the next six days you must do as I say. Without question." 

Sally opened her mouth to tell him that was unfair, 'but' she supposed, 'He did just say that it wasn't.' He had been nice up till now, and he had no reason to help her, 'unless' she suddenly realized, 'he's going to eat me!' A look of panic entered her eyes, Cael looked exasperated. "Come now child, I'm not gonna eat thee."

"I don't know that!" She had not meant to shout it, but as the words echoed around the room the two of them stared at each other in surprised silence. Cael was the first to break the silence with a nearly silent hiccup that might have been a laugh. "I swear a blood oath that I will not eat you." The tone was bored and there was a slight mocking quality to it that Sally did not care for. His face grew serious, "Now lie down, I haven't much time."

Sally hesitated. "What are you going to do?" Cael gave a secretive smile that made her heart leap a little. "Hide thee in plain sight, is what." Full of doubts, but not sure what else she could do in this strange place Sally crawled across the bed and laid down face up. Cael looked even larger this close and looming above her. She had no idea how to get home and strange creatures were hunting for her all because some pixie-looking, hot guy wanted Sarah Johnson. She screwed up her face and tried not to cry. A large hot hand brushed over her head gently, "Hush, I'll get you home. Now, save your tears for when you really need them."

'That sounds... ominous.' Sally thought to herself, but the brushing was calming and soon she felt her mind go blank. The paint or ink or whatever it was he was painting on her forehead felt like pop rocks buzzing against her skin. Not hot or cold, but more like the temperature you feel when you put your hot skin against cool sheets. It was soothing and Sally was finding herself falling asleep. Cael didn't say a word to her while he worked, instead wavered between humming and singing a song in a language she didn't recognize, but it sounded like the crackling of logs in a campfire. It might have been the soothing sound of Cael's voice or it might have been the culmination of the stress of the day, whatever it was soon Sally fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Authors Note: So what did Cale do to Sally anyways?! Find out Friday! 

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