Princess Arlia felt tears falling down her cheeks. She looked over at her sister, twin sister to be exact, though the world knew nothing about her. For years, Princess Arlia and Fiona were kept from each other, all because of the breeding violation their parents had committed. Each family in the kindom were allowed one male and one female child. The King and Queen had to set an example and uphold this law.

The twins only knew about each other because one of the kitchen maids had told them the truth on her death bed. Princess Arlia's sister had always lived and worked within the castle. They looked exactly alike, except for their hair. Princess Arlia had red hair, and Fiona had blonde hair.

It had always been a fantasy of theirs to switch places, though neither had been brave enough. Now just barely seventeen, Princess Arlia found herself in trouble. She was pregnant, though through no fault of her own. She had been mistreated by a male servant.

No matter the reason, they were forbidden to carry a child before they were wed.

“If we don't switch now, you'll be punished,” Fiona said, fear making her normally soft voice, loud and agitated. “This is your chance to go beyond the walls.”

“I know, but it will be just as risky for me out there as it would be in here.”

A pregnant girl, alone in the world would be picked off quickly; Arlia had sense enough to know that. The world out there scared and excited her at the same time.

“I know, but there are steps to take. Mr. Wilber can forge the exact papers you need for a wedding certificate. If asked, all you've got to do is say your husband went missing after going on a hunting trip.” Fiona 's idea would keep her from being thrown into prison for breaking the forbidden taboo, but it would not save her from people and things that prey on the helpless.

With the help of the kitchen staff, and other people who worked in the castle, Fiona and Princess Arlia traded places. It challenged both of them; they had to learn each others way of living in less than a week. Princess Arlia also had to make a big show of coloring her hair to match Fiona 's so nobody would question the pretend princess's hair color whenever Arlia left the castle.

“We look exactly alike.”

The first sixteen years of their lives, they had not known about each other, though now they loved and cherished each other. This would be more than Princess Arlia escaping to avoid punishment. This would be the splitting of two best friends.

---

Her satchel backed with important belongings, including her fake marriage licensee, Arlia hid beneath a pile of palace trash as she left the castle walls for the first time in seventeen years. She didn't even care that the cart smuggling her smelled so horrible.

It felt like a bittersweet escape.

"You smell like a proper villager," the carriage driver joked, as he helped her out from the garbage. Arlia wrinkled her nose, not liking his tone at all, but hoping he could be trusted like she had been told. She nodded, brushing off what looked like old apple peelings off her "new" tattered brown and green dress. "Thank you." She shuddered in disgust, as she shook more rotting food from her hair.

She had no idea where to go from here. It scared her that she knew nothing about the outside world.

'Nothing true anyway. I do not believe all the stories can possibly be true.'

She wondered how many people were like the man who had put her in this situation in the first place. Princess Arlia touched her stomach, and though she did not show yet, she knew a baby grew inside. She had a slender look and would be noticeably pregnant within a month or two, but for now she looked like just another nameless wandering person who had no real home. She did have coins in her satchel though.

For a time, she would be okay, until she had to find another way to survive. What kind of job could a spoiled princess preform? She had no skills that she knew of, though her tutors favored her among the other high class children they taught. She knew the only reason had to be because of her being the next queen in line for the thrown.

For a while, she just wandered around the village, getting familiar with the various shops. She smiled when she found an inn. All her strength fled her body, whether from the thing inside her or from the excitement of the day, she did not know. Before going to the inn, Princess Arlia walked into the cover of woods. Magnificent trees surrounded the whole village. Trees so tall, it hurt her neck to look up at them.

She found the stream of water she had been looking for. It amazed her how the vary same stream had hidden with her behind the castle walls and now here it was, as free as she found herself. She set down next to the water. She had a lot of time to sit and think. Her name had to go. Fiona called her Lia, her shortened name, so from now on that would be who she was. Her fake marriage license even said so. "Lia Windthorn married to Nathaniel Finnegan." The dates and everything else were smudged. The fake license looked as if it had become wet quite a few times, though it had the seal that proved it was real, even if the seal itself was forged.

"I'm now Lia Windthorn Finnegan." Lia lay on her stomach and ducked her head in the water, washing out the dye she had used to fool her parents into thinking she and Fiona were the same person. Now Fiona with her natural blonde hair ruled as the princess and Lia with her natural red hair was just another homeless wanderer.

At least with the trade there would not be a big commotion about there being a missing princess and who would really care about a missing kitchen maid? Lia stood and shook her hair until it stopped dripping. To anyone looking, she probably looked crazy. She did not care. Walking over to a tree, she leaned against it and breathed deeply. It was just a stump of a tree, only a few feet taller then she was.

The tree let out a grumbled yell that sounded like "Getoruffme," making Lia jump away. Her heart pounding, and cheeks flushed, she looked up at what now looked nothing like a real tree. It was a man. A tree man. Lia could see as the tree shape dissolved into the shape of an ugly man-thing.

"I beg your pardon," Lia said, not knowing how else to handle this. A thing that used to be a tree talked to her.

"I'm no tree. I can look like a tree," the thing said. Thing? Man? What was he? Was it even a he? Lia had no idea. Not to mention, did it read her mind?

"Did you read my mind?" The tall creature laughed. It sounded neither nice, nor mean.

"No. Your eyes say all. I am troll."

She blinked a couple of times. "You are?"

"Yes." Now she knew why he looked like a man, but not really a man. He was human shaped, though far bigger and deformed. Ugly, even scary looking. Maybe even evil.

"Scared of troll?" he asked, thumbing his huge chest.

"Uh..." Should she say yes, or pretend otherwise. Apparently she needn't do either. The troll folded into himself and soon looked like a large gray rock.

"You no scared of rock?" She could not help smiling.

"I'm not usually scared of rocks," she said, quietly.

So he had a sense of humor? Lia paced in front of the rock troll. She wondered if the creature would just let her go in peace or if he would try to eat her. For as long as she could remember, villagers, even people of royal blood were kidnapped from their homes and killed, possibly ate by trolls and dragons, both races were a danger to her people. The broken bodies that were later found was proof of this.

The troll dissolved again, until he looked like himself, at least Lia assumed this had to be the body he was born with. He walked toward her and held his hands out as if he were getting ready to grab her. Lia flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.

'This is it,' she thought, 'just let it be over with quickly.' Instead of hurting her, the troll's sharp fingernail barely touched her stomach, a prick of red blood blossoming there, though by accident and she did not even notice the blood.

“There is life deep inside.” He wiped his hands in the stream, not at all affected by the scent of blood. Lia noticed both things at the same time.

'His fingernail cut me, though not enough to really hurt, not even enough blood to cry about. Yet, the smell did not send him into some kind of feeding frenzy.'

“Yes.” Lia did not know what else to say.

“No fear.”

The troll set down and when he did, the whole world felt like it shook. He kind of looked like a cross between a tree and a rock again, at least his coloring did. She realized he took in his surroundings. He could blend whenever he wanted. Could he change into anything, despite what he was around?

“Very well, though I do not know what else I am suppose to be feeling.”

“I Gog, the Troll.”

Confused, she answered, “I am A... Lia Finnegan.”

He nodded. “Then we friends. No more fear?”

“I guess not.” Honestly, she felt no ill will toward him.

“Very good.” He held out a big meaty hand. Lia placed her small, fragile hand inside of his, suppressing the need to cringe in fear. When he shook her hand, her whole body felt like it would break. He could quite possibly be stronger than ten men put together.

Trolls were decent people, at least Gog was. Of course it had to take her getting pregnant, then being forced to leave her home, for her to figure out how the world really worked. Nothing she had been taught was true.

“What do you want to do Princess?” She cringed when he called her that. So he did know who she was? The troll placed a large hand on her shoulder, completely dwarfing her in size. “I could take you home. You could explain that in fear, you ran away.”

With a shake of her head, the redhead stood. She took a deep breath, and looked at the Troll. She had to look way up in order for their eyes to meet.

“No, thank you.”

“No princess?”

“I can not return to the castle and you can not tell anyone who I am. My life is in danger.” She gazed down at her stomach. “It is forbidden to have a baby out of wedlock and despite my situation, I would still be punished, even though I am of royal blood. The royals love to set examples with their younger peers.” She showed him her fake marriage license.

“Out here I can at least stand a chance with this paper. With this, I'm married to a man who went missing. Back at the castle, they would know it was fake, as I'm meant to one day marry the prince from the next kingdom over.”

“How did you come to have life in you? Did you break the rule on purpose?” Believe it or not, trolls were strict when it came to their rules.

“Of course not. Someone forced their attention on me and this was the end result.” She did not want to explain any further. Not to a troll. Not to someone she had just met.

He seemed to understand. “I will ask no more of it. I'm sorry you've been put in this hardship.”

“Do I smell a bunch of jewels in your bag?” Trolls had sensitive noses and they liked to eat things like jewels and rocks. Rare jewels were hard to come by for them.

Lia frowned. “Oh yeah, I better trade them in as soon as possible.”

“Might I have just one?” Gog asked. Not sure she understood, she nodded, seeing no reason why she should not let him have one. He had been kind to her so far and trolls were things people feared, yet she did not. She handed him the brightest jewel. An emerald. It was as big as the palm of her hand, but looked like a small piece of candy when he held it. Surprised, she watched him pop it in his mouth, a look of pure delight on his face.

“That was so good. Now you should go ahead and trade the rest.”

It was not hard for her to trade them. The town people had a “Don't ask, don't tell,” kind of attitude. Everyone minded their own business and nobody would never expect the dirty girl to be the real princess.

To start, she traded the jewels in for coins. When she was done, she had quite a lot of coins. So much, that they filled the rest of her satchel. Trying to look casual, she threw the bag over shoulder and walked around to the various shops, buying what she needed.

When she was finished, Lia went out to the forest where Gog hid from the villagers. She shared her food with him, surprised and happy the troll enjoyed the same foods she did. She did not want to embarrass herself by asking if he ate raw meat and the types of meat he ate. She already knew he enjoyed rocks, as odd as that was.

He seemed to understand her curiosity anyway. He told her that they did not eat maidens like rumors said, at least they hadn't for many centuries. For one thing, in the current state of poverty, most humans barely had enough meat on their bones to feed one child troll. He had to be joking. There were plenty of heavy men and women in the kingdom.

“We rely on the land. On nature. Just like many species. We eat meat just like you. The women trolls do the hunting. The men and children stay at home. The men guard their family.”

“Where does that leave you?”

“I'm a wanderer like yourself. My family was killed in a raids. Somehow I was spared.”

Lia lowered her eyes. She felt guilty for the actions of her species.

Despite the fact that she now had more suitable clothes bought from the tailor, Lia continued to wear her filthy green and brown dress she had worn out of the castle, though she did take a dip in the stream and got rid of most of the filth and smell.

People looked at her quite a lot, though that had to be due with her being a new face in town. They did not get many visitors. Gog and Lia agreed they would meet up in a few days time, giving her enough time to wander around town, hearing the royal gossip, getting the lay of the land so to speak. For reasons she did not quite understand, she wanted to stay with the troll. They seemed to have a lot more in common than one would think.

She used coin to buy a room at the inn for three days. The innkeeper looked like an aging man, who seemed kind, like a grandfather. Lia did not know what it was like to have grandparents, though she suspected it was kind of like this. Being the youngest at the inn, the keeper hovered around her a lot, forcing her to eat two and three helpings at meal times and he talked to her in a kind voice. Called her things like “dear” and “child.”

Despite not being of age to be out on her own, orphans commonly lived on the streets, surviving the only way they knew how. Luckily there were men like the innkeeper, who went by the name of Geod. He left out the leftover food he had once a day for whoever needed it. When Lia saw him do this for the first time, she felt an overwhelming endearment for him. She wished the royal family followed this kind of giving back. Instead of living rich, content and fat up in their castles, without real care to what went on with their people.

When asked where she came from, Lia would shake her head. She'd tried to open her mouth once and found she could not say anything as she did not know what to say. So instead she said nothing. People assumed she was mute.

The innkeeper knew better. She talked to him.

“Why do you keep your voice inside of you?” Geod asked her the second day of her visit.

“My dear Geod, I ask you, keep my secret. I'm new in town and I just find whenever I go to open my mouth, I do not know what to say, so I say nothing at all.” She frowned, rubbing a hand in her dirty red hair.

Geod lead her to the tub in her room. She only ever allowed him into her room.

“Bend over, I will help you wash your hair,” he offered. Sensing no perversion in his offer, Lia complied. It felt wonderful to have someone lovingly wash her hair, knowing he did it because he wanted to and not because he was ordered to. Lia realized in just the short time, Geod had come to love her like a daughter, and she cared deeply for him as well. She wanted to confide in him, anyone, but she was scared.

The wrong person would use her to get back at her parents. For power, for money. Geod did not act the type, not that she wasn't still scared.

“What will you do when your time here is over?” Geod asked her, fetching a towel and helping her dry her hair. There was no need for the help, but she allowed it. She knew the old man was lonely, despite having many guests come and go at the inn. He had no family that she knew about.

“I don't know. Travel with my friend. See the world, before deciding where to settle.”

“A male friend?” There was a slight look of old fashioned disapproval on the old man's face.

“I guess you could say that,” she answered. “If I told you who my friend was you would think I was crazy.”

So Lia explained what she could, leaving out the fact that she came from the castle.

He was surprised, though he could not stop the look of curiosity. “A troll for a friend. My, I never heard of anything like that and I've lived for many years.”

“I believe him when he tells me that his people are misjudged. You and Gog are the only ones I know. I have no one else and I want to travel.”

“It's risky traveling with a troll, even if he is as good as you say. If anyone saw you with him, they would believe he took you by force and they would try to save you.”

“I know.”

“I'm too old or I'd offer to be your traveling companion, though I see you've made your choice?”

She nodded.

“Lia, if I may--- when I washed your hair, I saw the birthmark--- You are of royal blood or am I wrong?”

Sucking in her breath, Lia felt a cornered chicken in the chicken coop. “I have not been truthful out of fear.” She had forgot about the royal birthmark concealed on her scalp. You could only see it when parting her hair. It had the shape of a shooting star. Everyone of royal blood had it on their body somewhere, even the bastard children born to the servants or commoners when someone of royal blood stepped outside their circle for a bit of fun.

“Then what is your true story?”

Still afraid, she told her tale starting with how she always dreamed of living outside the castle walls and how she did not want to be a princess, to the point of her attack and how she had traded place with her twin sister who lived as one of the kitchen maids because of the population control. She told him why she had to leave, because she was pregnant and not married and that her servants had helped forge her a fake marriage license.

“I had a daughter once. I understand your desire for freedom. Getting out of the village was all she ever talked about, seeing the rest of the kingdom and beyond. She wanted to be more then just an innkeeper's daughter. She did not get to see her dreams come true.”

“What happened?” Lia asked in a whisper.

Geod looked down. His warm brown eyes shimmered with long ago memories. Good and bad. “She got sick. It was before your time, Princess. Many in the village got sick. Mostly children and many died over the course of a few years. Children more then adults, because their bodies were weaker.”

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Lia said. She knew this happened years before she was born, but the pain was still fresh in the old man's eyes. “But why are you telling me this?”

“Because I would have understood if she had done the same thing if she was in your shoes. How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” Lia answered. She was of legal age to be married and have children. So that was some small comfort. At least she did not have to lie about her age too.
It was profound how she could trust this person she had just met. How she could tell him her whole story and not be afraid? Lia felt comforted knowing she had someone she could confide in. Even if she would be leaving him to explore the world. She knew she could always come home and maybe she would have a home with him? He did seem to think of her as a daughter.

“You are young, though you are a woman. I'll support you and even help you.”

“How could you?”

“The troll is big, so traveling long distances on foot won't tire him as much as you, being with child and all. If you want, you can take the horse in the barn. I'm getting much too old to care for her and she never gets the exercise she needs. I dare say she could use an adventure, too.”

---

It was a mystery to Lia how she could walk freely around the village and nobody tried to stop her or force her back to the castle. She herself was a mystery. She wore dark clothing, her cloak wrapped around her slender body, hiding her gender. Her eyes were always down cast. People wondered who this person was, but nobody asked. The villagers minded their business.

It was her last day at the inn.

After telling Geod bye and promising she would come back and visit after she had an adventure, and that she would come back near the time for her baby's birth, Lia gathered her belongings and put them in her satchel. She didn't have much. Gog, the Troll guarded the rest of her coins as she could not fit them all in her bag. Gog, the Troll on the other hand had huge pockets. Lia walked to the old man's barn and saddled up the horse.

“Come on girl. We're going to see the world.”

The horse nickered at her, and the princess was sure in some way, the animal understood her. She figured if there were many a strange creatures in the world, then why couldn't animals understand human speech?

"I have to tell you Penny, my companion might scare you at first, but I promise I won't let him eat you," she teased, though sure the brown horse gave her a panicked look. "I'm only kidding."

She now had a plain brown cloak that she wrapped around her, the hood covering her hair. With the cloak, she could be mistaken for a boy far off. At least until they got close enough to see the dress beneath. She road Penny to the closest leather shop, tying the horse up to a post. She went inside and explained to the leather maker that she required a saddle better then the one Penny already wore. One more suited for her small frame and one that had more pockets for carrying goods. She was fixed up right away, surprising the man when she was able to pay in full. The "don't ask, don't tell" attitude of the villagers always came in handy. She tied her satchel to the saddle, and then set off for where Gog waited.

"Surely you did not buy the horse." Gog stared amazed at the brown horse Lia rode toward him.

She shook her head. "It was a gift from the old innkeeper. He knows our secret and he's to be trusted. He is like a grandfather if I were ever to have a grandfather. Do trolls have grandfathers?"

Gog scratched his head with his huge hands. "Yes. We have to come from somewhere, don't we? We don't just pop up out of the ground like dwarfs."

Lia laughed, feeling a little silly for asking such a question. "Of course trolls have grandfathers, and grandmothers too, and brothers and sisters, and mothers and fathers and all the rest. But Gog dwarfs don't just pop out of the ground. They live underground, but I'm sure they are born like any other human-like species."

"Have you ever met a dwarf? Did you ask him if he were born or if he popped out of the ground?" The troll asked. He sounded serious. Lia shook her head, trying to suppress a laugh.

"That would be a rude thing to ask."

Gog held his beefy hands up and grinned his razor sharp toothy grin. "Trolls are not exactly known for our manners."

---

“Three days in the village went by quickly, and I did not learn much.” Lia told him about her stay at the inn and the friendship she had sparked with the innkeeper, and she admitted that she could not speak to anyone else out of fear. What if someone found out who she was? Geod did, but it turned out not to be a bad thing to let some people in.

“If people see you with me and they know I am a troll and not a deformed man, they will believe I kidnapped you,” Gog said. If she really wanted to travel with him, then they would have to keep to the shadows whenever they were together.

“But you did not kidnap me. I went with you by choice.”

“Obviously, I know that and you know that, but how many of your people know everything said about my people are not true?” Gog said as they stirred a huge pot of rabbit strew. Lia insisted on helping, even though the pot and spoon were far too large for her. She could not watch when he had killed the rabbits, though he told her she would soon have to get used to hunting in order to survive, if she wanted to continue on her current path.

“I'm sure none of my people know,” she admitted. “I would not have known either had I not met you when I did. Had not your eyes touched my soul.”

---

Gog helped her up onto her horse. The troll grunted in a way that must have been his way of asking if she was comfortable. Lia felt as okay as could be expected. There were a combination of feelings running through her; she had no idea which one ruled. For now, she would just let the troll lead. She was used to following all her life. Though hopefully soon, she would be the one leading her own life.

“Where are we going?” Lia asked as they wandered for what seemed like hours. She was not doing the walking, though she felt tired and sore from being on the horse for so long. Luckily, she always spent at least an hour on her horse back at home. Part of the perks of being royal, she supposed. She loved animals, even the ones the kitchen staff called vermin. The cute little mice and rats.

“Going to see Elder Troll.”

Confused, she half twisted around in her saddle to look at him. He had been walking slow on purpose so that he would always be behind her, and somehow the horse just knew where to go. She wondered if it was some kind of enchantment. The horse also did not show any fear toward the troll.

The rain came out of nowhere. They had to quickly get to shelter, though she knew it had to be more for her, than for the troll. He did not seem to mind getting wet; he even seemed to enjoy it, as if it refreshed him. On the other hand, Lia found the rain a little annoying, though she supposed she would not have minded it under different circumstances. She wondered how long they would have to wait out this downpour.

“Why are we going to see this Elder Troll of yours?” Lia said, having to yell to be heard over the heavy rain. She had a feeling Gog could hear her just fine though, but it seemed if she didn't scream, he would not be able to hear anything she said.

“Elder Troll help girl.”

“You mean me?”

“No, the life inside of you,” he answered.

She felt a heat come to her cheeks. Not the embarrassed kind, or the excited kind you get in intimate moments, but a different kind. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, though it did not hurt. She knew that she was running a fever, which was often normal during pregnancies. Despite the fever, she was not hurt, nor did she feel very sick.

“You mean you can tell it is going to be a baby girl?” she asked, her voice in a hushed whisper. She could not even hear herself, though she had no doubt that the troll knew what she said.

“There are a lot of things Trolls are not given credit for.” Gog sounded smug, but not in the way royal guys when they visited the castle to court her. She shivered at the thought. She had not liked even one of them. Despite the so called courting, she knew she was arranged to marry Prince Skylar from the neighboring kingdom, so she had no idea why she had to go through the courting phase with various men. Tradition she supposed.

“I'm sorry I've just went by what we are told and what we see.”

“What do you see?”

“Often our people have gone missing and end up found later slain, some seem to be eaten and others are just dead, seemed drained of all life, and we've even heard the same things have happened to elf and dwarf tribes that live nearby our village.”

“And it must be the Trolls fault?”

“I'm sorry,” she repeated. “The Trolls and Dragons. Nobody knew who else it could possibly be. We know of no other creature who could cause so much damage.”

Gog rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. “It is true Trolls and even Dragons are capable of that much damage, and I'm sure Dragons possess something to “suck” life as you made it seem, but I've never been attacked by a Dragon. Have you ever been attacked by one, or a Troll? Have you seen any besides me?”

“No I have not,” she admitted, feeling more heat flush to her face, this time for shame. She looked down, cringing at her soaked cloth covered feet. She wished she had better suited shoes for her journey. That was one thing she forgot to get when she bought things from the village.

Gog seemed to read her mind, patting her so hard on the shoulder that she almost fell over. Luckily the Troll had been holding back his strength or else she would have really took a stumble.

“We got good leather makers. Trolls do. Get you proper coverings for your wet feet.”

“Mm, thank you.”

He nodded. “You see we Trolls are not mindless killers. I can't speak for Dragons, myself, but from what I know, they usually just keep to themselves, hidden away somewhere.”

“I'll meet your Elder Troll, then. But why do you say the Elder will help my baby? What is wrong with it-- her?”

He avoided her eyes. “I can not say, Princess.”

“Please do not address me as a princess. I do not want anyone to know. My baby? Please, what is it?”

With a sigh, he gently pressed his finger tip against her still flat stomach. “You are much too small to carry this baby.” It was true, Lia did have a very small, almost unnatural frame. From behind, she still looked like a child. It was only when looking her dead on that you could tell she was much older. Her growth had been stunted ever since she turned eleven, though nobody could really tell her parents why. The same went for Fiona, of course nobody seemed to care much about that, except those who had raised her in the kitchen.

It had to be some kind of gene defect, though neither the queen or king wanted to admit it might be their genes that were the blame.

“I already knew I had to be too small for it, but I figured I would just have a more painful time during the birth, nothing more then that. What else is wrong? Why are you avoiding my eyes? What can the Elder Trolls do?”

“I see your death. It is unknown but trolls are very good at sensing things like death and life. That is why I knew you had life inside you and that is why you can not hide this from any Troll even if you tried. But I also see death around that life. Yours. Having this child will kill you unless something is done to prevent that.”

A fear like never she had known before traveled through her whole body. She shivered, tears in her eyes. She was not shivering because the cold or the rain.

“What can be done?” she asked in a child like whisper.

“There are choices. Your humans could offer you none other than to terminate the child before it becomes too grown inside you.”

Her eyes widened. “Kill it?”

“In a manner of speaking. They have herbs and the like to do that, and in extreme manners they could operate on you.”

“That would surely kill me too.”

“In most cases, yes.”

“How do you know of our customs of... this kind of thing?”

“Trolls keep away, though we can disguise ourselves with those things around us, including human beings. We like to watch and learn all we can. But mostly we stay out of the way. Our Elders on the other hand are like any other tribe's Elders, I'd assume. Trolls do not use magic like elves and dragons, though we do have some charms and things like that.”

“If you don't use magic, then what is another way to save me from dying besides killing the...” She put her hands on her stomach.

She did not have to finish. He knew. “We have an amulet. It has been with our people for many ages, though we do not remember where it came from. It protects the wearer from all things that would cause death. It does not protect from becoming hurt or getting sick, though it prevents death.”

“Why would your Elders give this amulet to me, a mere human?” It was a justified question, though Lia hoped she did not offend Gog. He was being very thoughtful toward her so far. It was strange, but it kind of seemed like he was taking on a protective role. Maybe that was just the true way of a male troll?

“I do not know if they will. I shall plead our case to them and see. It would only be a loan of course, until after you give birth. The amulet is a troll treasure, usually kept under lock and key, but once in a while when an unnatural death is sensed, the amulet will be loaned out to the troll in need.”

“Why would you want to plead my case...? Why did you say “our” case?” she asked. It was still raining and the rain was so heavy, that she could not see Gog's face, knowing full well that he could see hers.

“You did not run when you saw me. You took the time to listen to me. That means a lot to me. Trolls are loyal creatures, mostly to their own, but also to any creature who is kind to them. Like you. You remind me of tiny Troll kit.”

'I've just been adopted by a troll,' was all Lia could think. Out loud she said, “You mean child?”

“Child, kit, same thing to me and you.”

“I am seventeen years old and I'm going to have a baby.”

“Ah, but seventeen is very young in Troll years.”

“How old can Trolls be?”

“You are considered a kit, a child for the first fifty years, on your fiftieth birthday you come into trollhood, which is like when a human boy enters manhood or a human female starts her monthly gift.”

She blushed, but said, “some of us can start that as early as nine years.”

“That is why trolls believe humans grow up too fast, and to answer your question, the oldest known Troll to live was barely over two hundred in age. He died a couple years ago of old age. A very natural and peaceful death. The current oldest is one hundred and one years old.”

The rain let down, so they ventured out of their shelter. Lia made sure her horse was prepared for another tiring journey. She hoped they were almost to the troll's den. In the back of her mind, she knew she should be afraid that she was being lead into a trap or something, though she really doubted that Gog was trying to trick her.

On her horse, Penny, she turned back and looked at the troll. “Then how old are you if you talked about me being like a kit?”

“I'm not yet an adult, though I am close. I am forty nine years old.”

So kind of, in a way, they were around the same age. She only seventeen, almost entering adulthood and he only forty nine, about to enter adulthood as well.

"Please don't walk too fast, Sir Nekoboro!"

In the midst of sudden downpour, a cat, walking atop his hind legs, trodded lightly as if enjoying the wet sensation on his body. The tattered robe and hood covering his body didn't seem to be effective, but he didn't mind.

Following behind him was a girl in similar attire, although she wore a weird, foreign robe underneath. It was a clothing of the far east nation, a Kimono. The hood of her robe covered her head such that only her face was shown. Unlike the cat, she looked really disturbed by the rain.

"I am walking really slow actually. I'm still using my hind legs, meow."

"I am not a cat, Sir."

"Cat, human, what's the difference? All you really need is fighting spirit, meow~"

"My fighting spirit is doused by this falling rain..."

The cat sighed with disappointed face. "This Kyouka is no fun. I want a funnier Kyouka, meow..."

"Please don't speak as if you're going to throw me away."

Just when she was about to give up walking, the rain stopped so abruptly. The Sun took over once more, shining its light. Kyouka felt warmth enveloping her body once again.

"Ah...it stopped."

"Let's keep going for a bit then, meow."

Having no more reason to object, Kyouka continued to follow the cat. The road they were taking was cleared neatly to be used by carriages. With fewer commoners being able to afford horses, the road were used less and less. It became a comfortable route to take for those traveling with foot, like the two. At night, however, the wide road made it more susceptible to bandit raids.

Not too long after the rain stopped, they could see an intersection far ahead. It was a good thing, actually. They could reaffirm their location by looking at signpost. At this rate, finding a shelter for the night should be a priority.

Just when they got closer to it, though, Nekoboro remarked out of nowhere.

"Ah, a Giant, meow~"

"What? A giant?"

"A giant. Do you not know what a giant is, Kyouka?"

"I know, but why would we find a giant in this ro...ro...ro..."

She couldn't believe her own eyes.

On the other road intersecting with them was a big guy. Kyouka didn't know if that could be considered a giant, but clearly a human shouldn't be that big.

More importantly, there was a horse walking beside him. Atop the steed was a girl with red-colored hair. Could she be...?

"Kidnapped by the giant, meow!"

"Did you just read my mind?!?"

"What, you had the same idea, meow? Don't go stealing people's idea, meow!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"We can make jokes later, first we have to rescue the girl, meow."

"Ah, right, eh, but..."

Looking at how they walked together so peacefully, Kyouka began to have doubts that the "giant" is a bad person. Not for Nekoboro, since he already rushed forth toward the group.

"Let's go, Kyouka! Meow~"

"Eh, eeeh? Waiiiit!!"

Scratch that thought. If Nekoboro had decided to do it, Kyouka knew that she couldn't stop him.

"Giant! Release the girl at once! Meow~" Suddenly jumping to the front of the "giant" and the red-haired girl, the cat pulled out his weapon from within the robe. On his left hand (front leg?) was a...giant...tuna fish.

A big fish? A big tuna fish? Fish or no fish, this creature meant harm to Lia's new and most trusted friend. She did not know where her strength came from but the next thing she knew, she was no longer on her horse, but standing between the odd, little creature and the troll. She held her hands out wide and yelled for him or her to stop. She squeezed her eyes shut, not sure what to expect when it came to big giant tuna fishes! Gog and she had run into a few bandits along the way. They had swords and knifes, not fish. Some even had bow and arrows.

"Please, please stop," Lia cried. She would try to protect Gog, though she should have realized that her troll friend could handle himself against a fish. Gog just stood there in a shocked stupor. He too was taken aback when he saw the feline creature and his tuna fish. He snapped back to reality and started to laugh. A tuna? Really? A tuna? That was the funniest thing he had ever seen before.

"Little creature, what call you? What is species?" Gog had never seen this type of creature before. He stepped in front of Lia, pushing her behind him and the horse. "Not harm Lia or horse with your wet fishy weapon. That absurd."

"I no giant. I is troll."

Nekoboro was fast. Too fast. He didn’t know if it was his inherent trait of a cat, but if he really wanted to, he did could leave Kyouka behind.

Even if she had the power of a cat in her body, ultimately it was still human’s. Catching up with the cat took her entire breath.

“Sir…please, I beg you…no runni…AAH!?!”

Kyouka froze. The scenery in front of her eyes begs for explanation.

On her left was Nekoboro holding a big tuna fish on its left hand (front leg??).

On her right was the “giant”, with the red-haired girl tucked behind him in a protective manner.

Nekoboro’s stance was that of a battle, ready to attack on the slightest notice. His adversary, however, was more surprised than alert.

Actually, Kyouka never understood about the fish either. As if there would ever be someone who would take that seriously…

“Myuuuu? A trole? What is that, meow?” the cat tilted his head. There are dwarves, elves, little goblins, but it was the first time for him to hear that name. “I am a cat, meow. I don’t care if you’re a bread roll or a scroll, I’m going to have you release that girl you’ve kidnapped, meow!”

The scene grew too absurd for Kyouka. What’s this have to do with bread roll?

With a short leap, Nekoboro had closed the distance between him and the trole…prole…whatever. Before he could react, the cat was already hovering on the ground right below him, the fish swung in a wide arc toward his cheek.

Unable to watch the cat attacking the “giant” with only a fish, she closed her eyes.

The attack connected with a loud snap. It did…nothing, really. Rather than the “giant” feeling pain from it, the fish looked more in pain itself. It went limp on Nekoboro’s hand.

…

“MEOOOOW?!? Kyoukaaaaaa…”

Running away so fast dust trails covered the air, Nekoboro hid himself behind Kyouka, peeking out with teary eyes and cute expression.

I knew it, Kyouka thought. Humans could be hurt with that, but a “giant”? What’s the deal with the fish anyway?

Aah…no good, the “giant” should be focused on her now.

“Um…Mister giant, will you please release the girl…?”

“Why are you pleading, Kyouka? Kick his ass, meow! Oh and he’s a trole, not a giant, or so he said meow.”

I can’t. Also, what the hell is a trole?

Actually now that she saw it up close, the “trole” looked bigger than before. Too big for her standard. Her body screamed to run away, but she was frozen with fear.

"Rude cat?" Gog turned to look at Lia for agreement. Lia just shrugged. She was as flabbergasted as the troll was. The cat, and on closer inspection, a girl who had cat ears, had come out of nowhere, trying to start some sort of battle with them, no with the troll. For kidnapping her? Gog rubbed his knee, the look of pain on his face hard to read because of how odd he looked to begin with. It did not hurt that much, just a small sting. Like the bite of a fairy. Wait, no, fairy bites were a little more painful. Now confused, Gog just stood and tried to think which woodland creature had a bite equivalent to that of being hit by a tuna fish.

"No, no, you don't understand," Lia said from behind Gog, peeking out at the walking cat and the girl. "This is my friend. Don't you know trolls have no magic, except for shape shifting. So I'm here by choice." She patted Gog on his club-like arm fondly.

"Ah... troll look scary, but troll good," Gog said, as he came out of his thoughts. "Show them rock, Lia?"

Lia didn't know if that would help, but at this rate they weren't getting anywhere with this. "Maybe."

At that, Gog's purple toned skin started to turn gray and it seemed he was slowly shrinking. This continued to happen until the only thing left was a huge rock. "Wise cat no scared of rock?" Maybe compliments would make the feline fellow happy.

That was the most singular experience Kyouka had had in her travel. The big guy suddenly changed into a rock in front of her eyes. No longer was the gargantuan figure towering the sky, only a huge, bland-colored rock sitting in the road in exchange of it.

"Whoa..." was the only thing which left her mouth.

The cat peeked out from behind her shoulder, ears twitching with curiosity.

"Where did the trole go, Kyouka?"

"It's not trole, Sir Nekoboro, it is Troll. I've read them in my books. They're called monsters by people, but definitely not a giant or that trole thing you're talking ab..."

Nekoboro had left her shoulder and rushed toward the now-rock Troll. He perched himself atop the rock, kneading on its surface. Once satisfied, he sat down in all-four like a normal cats with a look of content in his face.

"A...ahaha..." as usual, she didn't understand how Nekoboro's brain works.

Kyouka had read about Troll before. They're described as vicious, man-eating monster who would kill everyone on sight. Their brutality was so severe that many disappearances had happened in the countryside. This particular Troll, however, didn't seem too bad. He was docile, even. To be fair, that book also described Troll as grunting, stupid beasts. This one was civilized, even intelligent. Perhaps she shouldn't believe all the books said without confirming it herself. At least the Troll didn't view them as potential meal. That should be enough.

"Umm...I'm called Kyouka," she turned toward the red-haired girl. "And that one is Nekoboro. He is my friend, companion, and master. Are you two...err, three, traveling together, perchance?"

Lia smiled. She was so glad that things might be going better now between her and Gog and these two strangers, though part of her wondered if the cat man even knew the rock he was sitting on was Gog. She held back a giggle at the idea. It was rather funny in a way. He would really be surprised when Gog changed back into his troll form. Though from experience, Lia knew the troll could stay in his other shapes for a while if he really wanted to. There had been a time during their travels that he stayed a small woodland creature for a day, riding in Lia's pocket. That was during a time when they were closer to civilization.

"I'm Lia and the rock is Gog." She pointed at the rock. "He does not usually like people sitting on him; I know from experience." She laughed when she remembered the first day she and Gog had met. "Though I suppose Nekoboro weighs a lot less than I do."

"Please do not attack him again Mr. Nekoboro when he changes back. Trolls have a horrible time because other beings treat them like monsters just because they look a little scary." Gog did not look scary to Lia at all, but she knew him really well. "He's a big softy, really!"

"Gog like furry," a voice from the rock said. "Pet furry all the time."

Lia giggled. "I don't know if Nekoboro would want to be petted. Or do you like it, Mr. Nekoboro?" She looked from the preening feline to the cat-eared human.

"We have been traveling together for a while. He protects me from bandits and helps me when I need him to." She smiled. "He looks different, but he's like my big brother."

The bipedal feline raised his ears when Gog's voice came out from the stone. He seemed to understand that the rock was Gog, but remained curious. He rubbed his cheek on the stone's surface.

"It is the trole. Nekoboro likes stone trole, meow. Stone trole is nice, meow~"

"It is a Troll, Sir Nekoboro...aaah, nevermind, just call him whatever you want," Kyouka sighed in defeat, only stroking Nekoboro's head gently. The cat purred in content. "You can pet him if you want, Mister...Gog, isn't it?".

"No fair, Kyouka, not with thaaa...meoooow..."

He let out a voice as if in ecstasy.

"So Mister Gog and Lia travels together, right? It is peculiar for a Troll to be friendly to humans. In my books they're pictured so savagely. Ah...sorry for jumping to conclusion, Mister Gog. Also, please don't hate Nekoboro. He's just...actually I don't understand what he's thinking," Kyouka said while still petting the cat. Her hand was now stroking Nekoboro's belly, with the latter laying sprawled on his back atop the rock.

"That's right, Gog-trole can change to stone. Gog-trole can use magic, meow?"

So Nekoboro could understand that the Troll's name was Gog. That trole thing seemed to linger around though...

"We're in a quest to find someone who could destroy magical bindings, meow,"

Now sitting straight up, Nekoboro produced a thin leather-bound book. What made it stood out was the lines of rope tying it up, having runes etched on them. No matter how strong he pulled the rope, they stayed firm.

"The magical binding prohibits opening through strength. I want to open this, meow. This is important to me...maybe Gog-trole or Lia could, meow?"

Gog slowly shifted back into his troll shape, eventually having the cat sitting in his arms when he was finished changing. He gently set the feline on his feet and stared down at him. He really was furry. The girl said it was okay, so Gog, with his large hands, placed it on the feline's arm and gently, as gently as he could, petted him. For a troll, he was surprisingly able to use his hands and fingers for delicate things when needed.

"Kitty is soft." He grinned from ear to ear, his huge teeth gleaming in the sunlight. He looked around at everyone, pleasure swirling around in his big eyes. "Sorry." He took his hand away after petting for too long. His purple shaded skin seemed to take on a glow.

Lia wondered if that was when he blushed. It was kind of cute to see a troll get embarrassed. It was the last thing you'd expect of one.

Gog listed to the girl talking about her books. His face grew sad, and he shook his head. "Books lie. Lie a lot." He shook his head some more, feeling sorrow in his heart. "Nice troll. Most troll nice." Trolls were like most species. There could be a bad one, but that did not mean they were all bad.

"Magical binding?" Forgetting his sorrow, he looked at the kitty. "Ah.. quest? Trolls like quests. We on quest, too."

Lia nodded. "That's right. We are off to see the Troll Elder, to borrow an amulet." She glanced down at her stomach. A lot had happened since she met Gog and she had learned a lot as well. "Trolls do not do magic, but maybe Elder Troll will know someone who could help you?" She looked at Gog. The troll shrugged, which looked like a comical action on him.

"Troll Elder might know where we find magic. Is book good or bad?"

"I think he means what will happen if the book opens? Something good or something bad?"

Kyouka blushed a bit when Gog told her that books lie. She didn't really know much outside the books. They were her only companions in the past. Journeying with Nekoboro had opened her eyes on lots of things, but most of what written were true. well, she must admit that human knowledge is limited...

"This, meow?" Addressing his book, Nekoboro purred. "I don't think it would be something bad by human standard. This is a diary of my father, meow. Someone put this magical binding on it, and now I can't read it anymore, meow. I want to read it, meow..."

The cat hugged the book longingly.

Elder Troll...they had not much luck asking people in the land. Perhaps asking the Trolls would yield some good result. "Ah, if that's so, could you bring us to your elder, Mister Gog?"

"Yes, bring us to elder trole. I can adventure together with Gog-trole and Lia, meow~"

Nekoboro rubbed his face on Gog's leg, then climbed to Lia's shoulder. He purred happily.

"Aah...so soft, meow. Better than Kyouka, meow. Lia, will you be Kyouka, meow?"

"S...sir Nekoboro...are you throwing me away...?"

Kyouka slumped with despair...

Lia laughed, but quickly shook her head. "Oh dear Nekoboro, I can not be Kyouka! The real Kyouka is much prettier than I am. I could never compare." She looked over at the cat girl, who was looking really gloomy at the idea of being left behind. "She's nice, eh? We can both be your friend. All four of us, friends together?" Wouldn't it be the most odd sight to see a human girl, a large troll, a humanoid feline and a cat girl all traveling together? The idea made Lia want to giggle, but she held her tongue because she was trying to be serious for Kyouka's sake.

"Kyouka, you will come with us, too, right?" She asked, holding her hand out for the girl. "We can be good friends." She smiled at the other girl brightly. "It would be nice to have another girl around."

She bit down on her lower lip. "Do you like babies?" she asked in a whisper. She was only three months pregnant, and Nekoboro and Kyouka would probably be gone by the time the baby was born, but still, it would be nice to think they would have a long lasting friendship.

Then there was the possibility of Lia dying in child-birth. That was the whole reason she needed the amulet. It protected it's wearer from harm and death, but it was for troll use only. They only used it during great need, and had never loaned it out to a non troll before. Gog could sense the life inside Lia. He said the baby would be much to big for Lia to birth safely. He said they could ask Troll Elder if they could borrow the amulet.

"Trolls like babies. Troll have many young troll in tribe. Three babies born today."

"How do you know?" Lia turned from Kyouka to Gog, her eyes widened.

"Troll sense life. Troll life-force strong."

Turning back to Kyouka, she smiled again. "Let's travel together and be friends." She petted Nekoboro under his chin. "Right Nekoboro?"

"Hmmhm..." Lia was nice. Nekoboro and Gog were nice, too, but Lia felt different. Kyouka didn't know a proper word to express it. Perhaps it was...motherly. Was that the proper word? "Let's be friend, miss Lia. Also, mister Gog."

Nekoboro jumped from Lia's shoulder to the top of Gog's head. Being so light, the troll most likely wouldn't even notice him there except for the dangling tail swinging around the neck. "Meow likes babies. Cat babies are so fluffy and plushy and squishy. Human babies too. I want to hug babies, meow~"

Instead the cat was hugging Gog's head...Kyouka hoped that the troll didn't mind.

"So it's settled then, we're traveling together? We were going to search a village around here initially, but maybe it's better to just head toward mister Gog's tribesland."

Kyouka pulled down her hood, now fully revealing the cat ears twitching atop her head. A long, furred tail jutted out from her robe. "I suppose I can let you see these things. It caught people's attention so much so I don't want to show it usually."

Not that it would take more attention that a troll and a talking, bipedal cat anyway.

"We're in an adventure! I'm excited, meow~" Nekoboro chimed, which made Kyouka smiled. Adventure...the two had had a lot. Having two others with them would be more fun.

"An adventure to find the Troll Elder!" Lia said, making a whooping sound. She laughed, feeling more at ease than she had in a long time. She looked around at her new friends and grinned from ear to ear. With them, she felt a lot more safe. They were an odd bunch of creatures, but she really didn't care. She hoped they did not run into any traveling warriors who would mistake Gog for being a kidnapper like Nekoboro had at first. Because it was very likely that a warrior would be using a sword and not a tuna fish for a weapon.

"We have to go through dangerous swamp, then through the zombie forest, and then the meadow of faeries, to get to the troll clearing. It is hidden, only troll can find it." Gog held up his meaty hands and clinched them a few times. "We need to get good armor and weapons for travel. Swamp has nasty creatures and zombie forest has... zombies and faeries are not evil, but like to play tricks."

"Swamp? Zombies? Faeries?" Lia's eyes widened. "When you say zombies, what exactly do you mean?"

"Forest cursed, people who travel and die in forest, come back to life as ghouls. Nasty, bitey creatures. Smelly rotty, too. Stupid creatures. Slow."

"Uh... okay..." Lia shuddered at the idea.

"Lia know how to shoot bow and arrow?" Gog asked.

"I do," she answered quietly. As a princess, she was not allowed to learn to fight, but she would often sneak down to the Castle Training Grounds and was secretly taught how to use a bow and arrow, and even how to use a dagger." She smiled at the memory. The training grounds were for the prince to learn how to defend themselves, but her parents never had a boy, so it was never used. The trainers were nevertheless kept on the grounds for looks sake and were eager to teach the princess when she showed and interest, even at the risk that they could be punished. There was a separate training ground for the kingdoms knights. Why there had to be two, Lia never understood.

"How Kyouka and Nekoboro fight?" Gog asked.

"I think he means what kind of skills do you have, other than tuna fish skills, of course, Mr. Nekoboro," Lia translated for the troll.

"B...bitey...?" Kyouka cringed when she heard Gog's description. She had never seen or heard about a zombie before, but she can imagine what it looks like now. Not a pretty sight. "Is...it really necessary to pass that place? Why not find safer route..."

"Adventurers don't nitpick, Kyouka," the cat said scoldingly. Well easy to say when he was perched up there safely atop Gog's head...

Upon the mention of fighting, Nekoboro turned his eyes to Lia, glimmering with excitement.

"Kyouka is a magician, meow. I am teaching her cat magic," the cat pointed at Kyouka with his paws. "Those zom-zoms or whatever is no match for cat magic, meow! Why don't you show them, Kyouka?"

"Eeeeh? Now? Oh, fine..."

Urged by the cat's stare, Kyouka reshaped her mana flow. From the world to herself, and from herself to the world. Once aligned, a magic pentagram appeared and widened out with her at the center. On the circle were runes of ancient languages, only understood by magicians of time long past. Another pentagram appeared in the sky, yet glowed downward.

The runes on both circles glowed when the mana flow was ready. And then the magic took shape in this physical world. Resulting in...

Cats. Raining down from the circle in the sky.

Meow-meow-meow-meow- the cats made noises as they plunged down from the sky, running around randomly when they reached the ground.

"Muhahahaha! Nicely done, Kyouka! Meow~" Nekoboro made a thumbs up with his paw.

"Thank you...ahahaha..." Kyouka answered dejectedly. These kind of magic was the only thing that he had ever taught...how would this be useful in combat?!?

"So that is that, Lia. What you think?" Nekoboro asked. A few cats were already grooming around Lia, cuddling to her.

"Must go through forest," Gog boomed. "It is right of passage to be able to go to Troll Place." He barked one of his scary laughs, though to Lia it sounded endearing. She had really grown to care for the troll like a brother. She looked up at him and patted his hand gently.

"Is it really a right of passage?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She wondered if Gog had been teasing, though it would be hard for them to know or not. She turned back and looked at the cat girl and smiled, eyes wide was she watched her preform some of her cat magic. She giggled in delight when a bunch of furry felines rained down on them. "It's raining cats!" She picked one of them up and pressed it to her nose. It was so fluffy.

"More fuzzies?" Gog's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he tried to look at Nekoboro, though that only managed to give him a headache. "Are they real fuzzies or will they go poof?"

Lia set down on the dirty ground and allowed all the cats to crawl into her lap. She looked over at Nekoboro and shook her head. "They are so adorable, but do you think they can take down a zombie? Can you make larger felines?" She asked Kyouka. "Like huge!"

"This is amazing though," she quickly added.

The shower of cats kept on pouring for a full three minutes before the magic circle closed up. As a result, the ground around the four was littered with little furries. Perhaps thinking that Nekoboro was their leader, many had climbed atop Gog's bulky body and snuggled with the talking cat.

"They are real Gog, but not too real. I don't know, maybe they're not real. Watch, meow," Nekoboro pulled out his sardine and smacked the closest cat around him. It let out a cute screech and disappeared with a poof. The others didn't seem to mind it so much. "No bigger stuff, Lia. Cats are cats after all, meow."

"Sorry...I don't think I can hold on much longer..."

The moment Kyouka uttered those words, all of the cats disappeared. Poof, meow, poof, meow, poof, meow...the only cat left was Nekoboro.

"You okay, Kyouka? You still have some magic left, meow?"

"Ah, I'm good," she replied.

"Okay then, you need to rest though," Nekoboro tapped Gog's head, "how much further until the forest, meow?"