Our Strange Differences

1- Little Troll, Wear The Mask

Lance waddled across the flowerbed of purple juniberrys. His stubby little toddler legs did their absolute best to keep him up and steady. They weren't the best trained however, and occasionally gave in to letting Lance fall. His father, King Alfor and sister, Princess Allura sat next to one another atop a regal purple blanket, laughing and chatting away. But Lance, not understanding most of what the older Alteans were saying, decided to have a little adventure of his own.

As Lance walked, looking to and fro for some sort of entertainment, he hummed the melody of his favorite nursery rhyme. "Little Troll", as his teacher taught it. He didn't know much of what the lyrics meant, but always loved to hop and dance to the beat. "Little Troll, Little Troll, Don't mind your family. They love you, so long as you hide." He sung, urging his stubby legs to move faster beneath him.

Lance ran to the mossy garden wall. He laughed, and continued to sing as his hand ran across the sturdy, brick surface. He always wondered why it was here, and why he couldn't get past it. From his bedroom window, he saw so much beyond the wall. But sadly, that's all he could do. Stare longingly to the world beyond, which seemed so close, yet so far from reach. The young adventurer Lance tried many times to find a way past. Alas, the wall was always there to halt his pursuit.

"Little Troll, Little Troll..." Lance continued his song, looking suspiciously at an up and coming bush. It wasn't like the others. Untrimmed and messy, stuck in the far corner of their ever so expansive royal garden. "Can't possibly love ugly children..." He continued in a mutter, inching closer and closer to the overgrown bush. "Hide that hideous face, shield their glaring eyes."

The bush rustled. Lance jumped back, nearly falling. The troll, he thought. It must be him! The song must have attracted it somehow.

The stealthy Lance, staying his absolute quietest with a bubble in his mouth, tiptoed toward the hedge. "Wear the mask, wear the mask..." He held his arms in front of him in a defensive gesture. "You are unlike them, so you wear the mask of beauty. But you pay a hefty fee."

Lance reached out, and grabbed one of the branches. His pudgy fingers could barely wrap around it. He pulled it back, and ducked his head into the bush. There was just barely enough room to maneuver between the mess of twisted wood and leaves. Lance adventured far into the hedge, as he whispered the final verse of the nursery rhyme. "Wear the mask, wear the mask... Over that face of shame, so love comes unconditionally."

Lance saw a flash of purple behind one of the messes of leaves. He gasped, and quickly pushed the plant out of the way. Behind, he found a hole. It was only the size of about Lance's head, and had vines twisting around the edges. On the other side, he met the gaze of something incredible. A child! And one of which Lance had never seen before. He had furry purple skin, and glowing yellow eyes. His pupils were dark blueish, and he had a single pointy, snagged tooth hanging from the right side of his lip. He had slightly darker purple hair, and was wearing tattered brown rags. A great contrast to Lance's fancy blue armor, and glistening gold cape. "A troll!" Lance exclaimed enthusiastically.

The purple boy gave Lance a puzzled look. "Troll?" He asked. "I'm not a troll."

Lance smile stretched from ear to ear. "Of course you are. You're Little Troll, like the song." Lance was so excited. He had never seen an actual troll before! They weren't at all like he had imagined. A lot prettier, that was for sure. Prettier, and more purple looking.

The purple boy frowned once more. "I'm not a troll... I'm Altean."

Lance's eyes widened. Altean! But he was Altean too! So was Allura, his father, and all of the other residents in the Castle of Lions. None of them looked quite like this boy did however. "I didn't know Alteans could be purple!"