*
Gertrude held on as tight as he could to Andre’s waist. He was frightened by the height and speed of the four-legged beast, never having been on a horse before. Gertrude's eyes were watering from the wind and dust. Whoever they passed, human or troll, could not believe what they were seeing - the commander of the king’s guards with a troll, on a horse, galloping across the countryside.
The animal came to a quick stop at the main stairs of the castle. Andre reached around to grab hold of Gertrude’s hand and lowered him down onto the stone pavement. Then Andre dismounted his horse. He grabbed the reins and tied them to a small tree. With that done, the odd duo proceeded up the stairs to a large door. Andre pushed it open and ushered Gertrude over to a chair in the foyer. “Please wait here, Sir Gertrude, and I will announce you to the king and queen.”
Gertrude sat, nervously looking everywhere. He thought it was strange not to see a fireplace for warmth or a stove for cooking in this large room. His eyes wandered all over and he wondered where the king and queen slept. He did not see any beds...strange… Maybe humans didn’t need to sleep.
“Gertrude!” He looked up to see Norman descending the stairs. “I didn't expect you to come so fast. We need to talk.” Upon getting closer, she noticed the fat lip and the many bruises he was sporting. One of Gertrude’s eyes was almost swollen shut.
And Gertrude noticed the scratches all over Norman’s face. “Did you have an accident, my friend? Why are you all scratched up?”
Norman lifted her hand to her face. “That is why I asked you to come and meet me at the castle. How did you get all banged up, Gertrude?” Norman asked, pointing to his badly swollen eye.
Andre entered the room. “Sir Troll…. Oh, Princess Norman, I am sorry to interrupt. Your parents would like to speak to Sir Gertrude now.”
The three entered the Great Hall, Andre leading the way, to find the king and queen sitting by the fireplace in two large, overstuffed chairs. Two more chairs were awaiting occupants. In the middle was a table laden with tarts, cookies and hand cakes of which Gertrude had never seen the likes of before. Gertrude stared in awe, trying to take in as much of the surroundings as possible. The trio stopped to the left of the king and queen. Andre bowed and took his leave.
“Gertrude, I would like you to meet my father, King Octavius. Queen Emmaline - of course you have already met her. Father, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Gertrude.” Norman bent over and whispered, “Do you have a last name?”
“Tinker..” Gertrude whispered back.
“My friend, Gertrude Tinker…” Norman offered.
Gertrude bowed and kissed the queen’s hand. King Octavius stood and shook hands with the troll.
“Please have a seat, Sir Gertrude. Would you care for a cup of tea?” Queen Emmaline watched as Gertrude tried to climb into the large chair. “Oh, I am so sorry, Sir Gertrude. Octavius, my dear, would you be so kind as to let Sir Gertrude use your foot stool to aid him in attaining his chair?” Without hesitation, the king jumped up and brought the little stool over to the front of Gertrude's awaiting chair.
“Thank you, your Highness.” Gertrude climbed up onto the chair. It seemed to swallow his small figure. He looked over to his right where Norman sat. The frog-troll was very nervous, his senses seemingly heightened. He somehow mustered up the courage to start speaking, twisting slightly to look over at Norman. “Why did you summon me? Is there something wrong?”
“Sir Gertrude, before we start, I am sorry but I did not hear your answer if you wished for a cup of tea.” Queen Emmaline was pouring a cup of tea.
“What is tea, your Highness?” Gertrude replied rather shyly.
“A beverage, Gertrude. It is hot water flavored with an herb.” Norman had accepted the cup from her mother. “One lump or two?” Norman queried.
Gertrude immediately shielded his face and, looking at Norman between his fingers, whispered in an awed breath, eyes bugging out. “You would hit a friend and give him lumps?!”
The king, queen and princess all burst out laughing. Norman barely escaped pouring the hot tea into her lap. Gertrude lowered his hands and blankly stared as the three royals struggled to regain their composure. “No one is going to hit you, Gertrude. The lumps I was going to give you were lumps of sugar.” Norman picked up the sugar to show Gertrude. “I’ll give you two lumps and some cream.” She fixed the tea and handed the cup to Gertrude, urging him to take a sip.
The reluctant frog-troll lifted the cup to his mouth and slurped a little of the tea. His eyes opened wide and he took another sip. “This tea is pretty good. Is it possible for me to trade you something for some of this tea? My mother would like it, I think. Gertrude smiled. He was starting to feel a little more at ease. “Why did you call me to the castle, Princess Norman?”
Norman sat her teacup on the table beside her. She looked at her friend and realized that he truly did not know why he was summoned. He was smiling at Norman, waiting for her reply. “Today I was attacked in the garden by someone. They pushed me headfirst into the roses. That is the reason why I am all scratched up.”
Gertrude could not believe what he was hearing. “Who would want to hurt my friend? Are you sure you did not catch your foot on a rock and trip? I know that sometimes I get going so fast that my feet get tangled and I take a good tumble.”
“I am sure I was pushed. Furthermore, I am almost certain I saw the figure of a short troll running behind one of the bushes.” Norman looked quizzically at Gertrude.
Gertrude sat his cup of tea down on the small table beside him with both hands. He turned to the Princess. “You do not believe it was ME that pushed you? I would never intentionally hurt a friend….never!”
“No, I do not think it was you, Gertrude. The thought of you pushing me never came to mind. However we thought that you might have an idea who the culprit or culprits might be.”
Gertrude looked toward the queen and king, deep in thought. He shook his head and scratched underneath his chin while studying the look on their faces. Gertrude also noticed that they were studying him. He turned in his chair to face Norman. “Princess, did anything else happen to you in the garden?”
“Nothing else happened to me. I had hollered out for my tormentors to stop. That is when Welch, our gardener, showed up to help me. While we were walking back to the castle, he informed me that he had chased two small trolls out of the garden a couple of days before.”
Gertrude’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “After our meeting yesterday in the garden, I had the misfortune of running into my two troublemaking cousins. They had been spying on our meeting. I wonder if Welch could tell me what the two trolls looked like that he chased away.”
King Octavius picked up a small bell and rang it. “Sir Gertrude, I shall summon Welch and have him give you a description of the two trolls he saw.” A page entered the room, walked over to the King and bowed. “Page, please find Welch the gardener and bring him here immediately.” The page bowed once again and left. The King looked over at his wife who had picked up her needlepoint. She had listened to the conversation but had not interjected one question, which he thought unusual. Before the king could ask her why, a great commotion erupted in the front foyer.
Everyone jumped out of their chair and hurried to the entrance. The ruckus? ...A very old troll being held under his arms by two of the castle’s guards. Andre was with them, making a futile attempt to quiet the struggling troll.
“What is going on here?” Octavius sputtered. He walked over to the old troll and made the mistake of putting a finger too close to the old troll’s mouth. “Ouch!” The king quickly withdrew his finger in pain.
“That will teach you …you young whipper-snapper, to point at me! Didn’t your parents teach you that it was impolite to point? Put me down now!” The troll may have been old, but it was taking both guards all the strength they could summon to hold on to him.
“Let him cool off in one of the cells down in
the basement, Andre. Perhaps he will show some respect to his King.” Octavius was holding his injured finger in his other hand. “I thought trolls don’t have teeth.”
Gertrude stepped forward. “Hello there, Grandfather.”
“Well…of course, you know as well as I do that we live in Glennmorley. I was looking for my grandson. Have you seen him?”
“I am your grandson.” Gertrude shot back, a bit of exasperation creeping into his voice.
“Can’t be my grandson! He wouldn’t be living up in no castle with humans.” The old troll stopped his struggling and looked down at Gertrude. A gleam of recognition lit upon his face. “Gertrude, where have you been, you small hopper? Have these humans put me down so I can talk to you.”
“I will have them let you down as long as you promise to remember your manners. This is not, I repeat, this is not our house.” Gertrude shook his finger at the old troll.
“I promise on the Holy Tablets of Kern that I will.” The old troll lost his train of thought.
Gertrude turned to the king. “Your Highness, please have the guards release my grandfather. I will make sure he behaves.”
The king looked at Gertrude and then examined the old, gnarled troll. “Very well. Guards, release the prisoner.”
“Is this how you treat all the visitors to your house, your Highness, King?” The old troll glared at Octavius.
“Your Highness, this is my grandfather, Grump. Grandfather, this is King Octavius, Queen Emmaline and Princess Norman.” Gertrude was keeping a close eye on his grandfather. “Grandfather, what are you doing up here?”
Grump looked at his grandson and scratched beneath his long white beard. “I don’t really recall. Some one named Dursy...no that’s not it….Derry, that’s it, Derry sent me to tell you that your mother is sick and that she needs you.”
Gertrude shook his head in disbelief. He was so frustrated with his grandfather at this point that he was ready to hand him back over to the guards. “I am sorry, your Highnesses, Norman, but I must go. My mother has never been sick a day in her life. Come, Grandfather, we must go.”
“Go where, Hopper?” The old troll had once again slipped out of reality.
Gertrude grabbed his hand and promised him some wiggle-worm cookies laced with honey berries if he came with him. “I will be back later tonight to talk, if I am able.” With that, Gertrude grabbed his grandfather’s arm and pulled him out into the dark of the night, the two short figures walking quickly toward the troll village. Time seemed to pass slowly. Gertrude was in a hurry to get home to see what was wrong with his mother. He wished he had a horse so he could get there faster. To his astonishment, he heard the sound of horse’s hooves coming up behind them quickly. Gertrude pulled his grandfather instinctively over to the side of the road so they wouldn’t get trampled. A horse’s whinny sounded as a horse and its rider pulled to a halt beside them. Gertrude could not see the rider through the dark and swirling dust. A familiar voice sounded; not a man’s voice, but the voice of a young woman. “Norman, is that you?” Gertrude asked, somewhat startled.
“Yes. Have your grandfather take my hand and then you after him.” Norman’s voice sounded very assuring. Her hand appeared in front of them. She gave a strong pull when she felt Grump’s hand and lifted him up behind her. Once again she reached down and raised Norman up behind her. “Tell me the way, Gertrude, as I am not familiar with the troll village.” The three took off at a fast gallop, Norman guiding the horse effortlessly, right up to Gertrude’s hovel.
The frog-troll dismounted quickly, turned and helped his grandfather down. Norman dismounted and followed the two trolls into the hovel, ducking her head to avoid hitting it on the top of the doorjamb. The hovel was all lit up inside. They made their way to a small back room where they found Derry bending over Winifred.
Derry turned. She was pale and looked very worried. “Thank goodness you are here, Gertrude. Your mother is not doing well. I am afraid she may ….” Derry stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed Norman in the doorway behind him. Derry continued. “Your mother may die. She is running a high fever and she has been retching up all of her foods and liquids. I have called for the apothecary, but he has not arrived yet.”
Gertrude went to his mother’s side and lifted one of her hands in his. Her hand felt cold and clammy. He felt her forehead and could feel the heat of the fever. Gertrude turned. “She was fine when I left to go up to the castle. How did this happen?”
Derry became pale, herself, and Gertrude guided her over to a chair. “We had come into the hovel to have a cup of blog. We talked for a little while. Your mother remembered an order she had forgotten and when she went for some cattail flour, she found out that she didn’t have enough. “Derry paused. She was getting paler and paler and she was having trouble speaking. “I told her I had plenty of flour and left to fetch it. When I returned, your mother was sitting at the table, eating. She said that Gillion had sent over some cooked fish for us for dinner, as he had cooked too much. Your cousins were nice enough to bring it to us. Your mother had eaten a good portion of the fish when she said she wasn’t feeling good. I only had a small amount because I had a late snack.” Without warning, Derry turned as white as parchment and began retching. Then the poor troll passed out.
Gertrude caught her, picked her up and carried her into his small room, placing her on his bed. Rushing out to the kitchen, he found his grandfather picking up a piece of the fish, about to place it in his mouth. He knocked it out of Grump’s hand.
“Why did you do that?” Grump fussed, startled by his grandson’s actions. “I’m hungry, and it looked good!”
“The fish has been laced with poison!” Gertrude took the remainder of the fish on the plate and put it in some clear water. He stood there and watched the water turn a ruby red as the poison leached out of the fish. “Blood root!” he cried.
He had to find the apothecary to get the antidote for the poison, or else his mother and Derry would both die. “Grandfather, go find another neighbor and bring them here.” He was about to go back into his mother’s room when Norman came out into the kitchen. “They have been poisoned with blood root.”
Norman let out a gasp. “Oh my! Who would want to poison your mother?” She looked quizzically at Gertrude. “Do you have a bottle of antidote here?”
“I have an idea who might want to cause my mother harm, but I do not know for sure. The apothecary is the only one who has the antidote. Where is he?”
Norman moved to the door. “Gertrude, stay here with your mother and her friend. I will fetch our apothecary and bring him here.” Before Gertrude could answer, Norman left the hovel, mounted her horse and sped off.
Grump showed up a moment later with Toddy, the neighbor who lived just on the other side of Derry. Toddy had grown up with Gertrude. She had liked him from the very first time they had met. “What is wrong, Gertrude? Your grandfather told me you were having a party over here and that I was invited.”
Gertrude told her that there was no party. ”I need you to go find the apothecary and bring him here! My mother and Derry have been poisoned and they need his help.”
Toddy nodded her head and took off out the doorway. She ran quickly toward the south side of the village to the apothecary’s hovel.
Gertrude went to check on both women. His mother‘s breathing was shallow and labored. He felt her forehead and the fever was going higher. Gertrude took a large piece of cloth and ran it under some cold water in the basin and wrapped it around his mother’s head. He walked into his room where Derry lay. She was moaning and had retched up what appeared to be small chunks of fish. Gertrude felt her forehead and her fever was spiking, too. He grabbed an old shirt of his and wet it at the sink for Derry. He had just finished when there was the sound of horses and voices out front. He ran out of the room to find Norman entering with a small gaunt man wearing a heavy robe and a funny pointed hat, and carrying a small bag made of pigskin which had peculiar bulges in it. His a
ttitude was surly, though, and Gertrude felt a chill in the air when he entered.
Norman also brought along Andre and a couple of his men. In the confusion, he almost missed the figure standing just outside the opened doorway. It was King Octavius, himself. Norman started ushering the apothecary into the room where Winifred lay, fighting for her life.
The apothecary looked at Winifred. “This troll is close to death. It is useless and a waste of my medicines! Trolls do not respond well to human medicine. I told you that up at the castle before you had me brought here.”
Norman glared at the apothecary and used some of her ‘charm’ to have him administer aid to Winifred. “Apothecary, do you like your position in the King’s service? I believe your answer would be ‘yes’. If you do not start administering an antidote to these women, you will find yourself cleaning out pig pens until your last breath!”
A look of abject horror crossed the apothecary’s face. “You are blackmailing me into treating this... this creature! Surely, Princess, you really do not think for one moment with my skills that…” The apothecary did not have a chance to finish.
Two strong hands turned him around and lifted him up by his robe, and he found himself nose to nose with King Octavius. “If you do not do as my daughter has asked, I shall see to it that you will also eat and sleep with the swine! Do you understand?!”
The apothecary nodded his understanding.
“One other thing, Apothecary, if either one of the women die, you will be living in a dark, cold cell down in the dungeon.” The King‘s words were direct and to the point, and he dropped the shaking apothecary unceremoniously.
With haste, the apothecary picked up his bag and pulled out a small vial of liquid. He walked into the bedroom and over to Winifred, lifting her head with one hand while giving the antidote to her with the other. Once he emptied the vial into her mouth, he was into his bag again and took out another vial. “Where is the other troll?” The apothecary followed Princess Norman into the other room and gave the antidote to Derry. “It will take an hour before the medicine can react, so all we can do is wait.”
Toddy burst through the front door, accompanied by the troll apothecary, Goodly. Goodly looked very unkempt and was sporting a huge bump on the back of his head. Toddy excitedly started to speak. “I came upon the apothecary’s house to find it dark. Then I knocked on the door. No one home, it seemed. Then I thought I heard something from inside the hovel. I knocked on the door once again, this time pounding on the door. To my amazement, the door pushed open. The moonlight shining through the doorway revealed a mess. I found a lantern and lit it. Upon looking around, I discovered Goodly lying on the floor. At first I thought he was dead. I walked over and gently poked him and he moaned.”
“Yes, that poke was what I needed to bring me to my senses.” Goodly reached up to his head and gingerly felt the bump. “OUCH! Whoever walloped me did a good job. Toddy told me that Winifred and Derry were very ill, something about being poisoned?”
Goodly looked around the cramped room, his eyes coming to a rest on Gertrude. “What is going on? Do I need to give anyone some of my elixirs?”
“The King’s apothecary gave them both an antidote and we are waiting for them to recover. Hopefully both of them will be all right.” Gertrude looked over at the king’s apothecary with a quizzical look crossing his face.
Norman entered the kitchen. “Derry is coming around, but Gertrude’s mother is still unconscious.” She looked over at Toddy and Goodly. Norman had heard the whole story from the other room. Then moaning came from Winifred’s room. Norman turned around and went to look in on Winifred.
“Oh, my! There’s a human in my house!” Winifred was awake. “Gertrude! Gertrude!!!” Winifred was half out of bed when Gertrude came into the room followed by Goodly.
“Mother, it is all right. Norman, this is my mother, Winifred. Mother, this is Princess Norman.” Gertrude went over to his mother and made her sit down. “You had us worried, Mother. Someone poisoned you and Derry and we almost lost you.”
Norman curtsied to Winifred. “It is a pleasure to meet my friend’s mother.”
Goodly barged his way over to Winifred and felt her forehead. “No fever; you are recovering quickly. I think you will be just fine. I will go check on Derry now.” He left the room and a moment later returned with Derry by his side. “You are both doing fine. If you will excuse me, I must go talk to the human apothecary and find out what kind of elixir he gave you. Mine seems to turn trolls blue…” With that said, he turned and headed to the kitchen.
Winifred looked at Derry. “We both got sick and it was from eating the fish that Gillion sent us. Why would Gillion do that to us? We harbor no ill feelings between us.” Winifred shook her head in wonderment.
“I do not believe that it was Gillion who poisoned the fish. All he did was provide the opportunity for someone else to poison you. Today at the castle, Norman was attacked by a troll - or two trolls. She isn’t sure. Then you and Derry are poisoned and it is delivered by two trolls.” Gertrude looked at the other two ladies in the room.
Derry, who had been silent and leaning against the door jamb for support, started to grumble. “Those two worthless trolls are going to get a piece of my mind when I see them next! Winifred, as soon as we are able, we are going to go find your nephews and give them a taste of our brooms! We will teach them to fool around with us!” She puffed out her chest and made a fist.
Norman had been standing by the foot of the bed. “Mrs. Tinker and Miss Derry, I would be honored if you would let me go with you. I would like to take a broom to those two trolls, myself!” Norman swung her arms up and down.
They all laughed. It had been a stressful day and it was a good feeling to release some of the tension. Gertrude and Norman excused themselves and Derry came over and sat down on the bed beside Winifred. Norman and Gertrude entered the kitchen to find the room empty except for Andre, Goodly and Grump.
“The king wanted me to stay and escort the princess back to the castle. He is concerned about her safety. He does not want her attacked again.” Andre stood up and headed towards the door. “We really should be on our way, Princess.”
Norman nodded her head in agreement and turned to Gertrude. “I am glad that your mother and her friend, Derry, are going to be well. If you should need my help in any other way, please do not hesitate to ask for it.”
Gertrude held out both arms to give Norman a hug. Norman obliged him by bending over and wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you for being you, my friend.” Gertrude whispered in her ear. “You are not just a fair-weather friend.”
“You are most welcome, Gertrude. My parents always taught me to choose my friends wisely. It was a wise decision to pick you as a friend.” She stood up and said her goodbyes to Goodly and Grump. Norman headed towards the door and followed Andre out into the night.
Gertrude looked over to see Derry and his mother entering the room. Their color was returning and they did not appear to be so weak. Gertrude looked over towards his grandfather and Toddy. “Grandfather, would you please walk Toddy home? It is on the way to your house. I will walk Derry home and make sure she is settled for the night.”
“You youngsters sure know how to throw a party, but the next time I would suggest more food and drink.” Grump got up from his chair and walked out the door with Toddy. They turned and bid the three remaining trolls goodnight.
Gertrude went over and took Derry’s arm in his and escorted her back home. When he returned, his mother had made the two of them some blog and had brought out some troll-house cookies that she made earlier in the week. He sat down with his mother, but they ate and drank in silence. Both of them were exhausted and it was difficult to think about all that had happened that day.
Morning came too early. Sleep eluded Gertrude. His body had screamed for sleep but his mind kept going over the events of the previous day. He washed and dressed. As he did, he caught the wonderful smell of bacon frying. He swo
re he could smell the aroma of fresh baked nectar nut rolls, too. He walked into the kitchen just as his mother was dishing up breakfast.
“Good morning, sleepy head. I thought I was going to have to come in to wake you. It is almost sunrise, and there is a lot to do today. I am a whole day behind on my baking.” Winifred kept on jabbering away.
Gertrude wasn’t listening. His brain was numb and his belly empty. He sat quietly at the table, savoring each bite of his breakfast. He downed one cup of blog and his mother promptly filled it again. Gertrude let his mind slip into a daydream. Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door and his daydream ended abruptly. He opened the door to find Norman standing there impatiently. “Come in, Norman. What is wrong?”
“Would you like cup of blog, my Dear, and perhaps some breakfast?” Winifred beamed one of her grand smiles.
Norman smiled back and said, “No, thank you. May I come in?”
“Silly girl, of course you can come in.” Winifred walked over to Norman and hugged her legs. She bid her to sit down at the table. “Please sit here closer to the fire, to warm yourself from the early morning chill.”
Norman sat down with some difficulty, as the chairs were half the size of a regular human’s chair. “There were raids staged on some farms last night. Produce and animals were stolen. Then the perpetrators set fires in the fields. One farmer lost all of his bedding straw for the upcoming winter.”
Gertrude gave her a bewildered look. “Why would you come here to tell me this? I am sure your father and his guards could find the people responsible for these crimes.”
“Gertrude, you don’t understand!” Norman retorted, frustration rising in her voice. “Trolls were the ones responsible for these raids!”
“How do they know that trolls did this? Did someone see them?” Gertrude could not believe what he was hearing. He closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping that this was a bad dream. “Did your father send you down here to tell me about the raids?”
“My father doesn’t know that I am here. I was awake most of the night thinking about what happened to your mother and Derry. I thought I heard voices down the hall and went to investigate. Andre was talking with my father. He said that there were witnesses claiming to have seen at least ten or more trolls looting and pillaging the farms. I thought you would like to know. I am almost sure that father will send Andre down here today to bring you up to the castle to ask you questions.”
“Why ask me questions? I know nothing about these happenings, except for what you have told me.” Gertrude felt anger brewing inside him, and he tried to calm himself down.
“My dear child, you have not taken a bite of your breakfast or drank any of your blog. You have to eat to stay healthy.” Winifred looked at Norman and raised her hand up to her mouth as if she were encouraging a child to eat.
Norman, not wishing to offend Winifred, picked up her blog and took a sip of it. Norman’s eyes widened, not in horror, but in astonishment. “This is wonderful! What is it that I am drinking?”
Gertrude barged in at that point. “It is a mixture of herbs and berries and a secret ingredient that we can not divulge at this time.”
“Nonsense!” his mother said. “The so called secret ingredient is sn……”Another knock sounded at the door. Winifred opened it and saw Derry. “Come in and join us for a mug of blog. Have you had breakfast?”
“Please, Winifred...” Derry sat down next to Norman and couldn’t stop a chuckle from escaping her lips. “Gertrude, you are going to have to build a taller chair for your friend if she keeps coming for a visit. Her knees are up to her neck.”
Gertrude and Winifred hadn’t really noticed the awkward position that the princess was sitting in until now. All four of them started laughing. They laughed until their throats were dry.
Norman asked for another cup of blog, which Winifred quickly refilled. Derry looked at Norman once again, only this time in amazement. “You like blog, Princess?” She looked at Gertrude and Winifred. “Does she know what is in blog?”
Norman glanced at her mug. “Yes ,they told me what was in it.” Norman then remembered why she had come. “Please do not tell my father that I have been here. He will be very angry that I came down here alone and he will be even angrier that I have informed you of the raids.”
Derry’s eyes widened and started choking. She had swallowed her blog wrong. Wh...wha...t raids?” She sputtered, still choking. “Humans are raiding us?” Her eyes widened in fear.
“No, just the opposite. Last night a band of trolls raided some outlying human farms. Norman came down to warn me that the commander of the guards might be coming to get me.”
Norman struggled up from her chair and thanked Winifred for her hospitality. “I must leave now before I am missed from the castle. Take great care, Gertrude. Something bad is brewing.” Norman turned and walked out into the twilight of morning.
Winifred sat down at the table just as Gertrude got up. “Where are you going, son? I made you more grasshopper jump-up cakes.”
Gertrude smiled at his mother and walked over to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “My chores still have to be done.” He walked out the door to start bringing in firewood.
“Winifred, you have a very good son there. He reminds me so much of his father.” Derry took a sip of her blog.
“Yes, he does.” Winifred got up from the table. “Speaking of chores, I have a whole day of missed baking to make up for.” Derry got up from the table and started helping her friend. They spent the whole day together talking, laughing and crying, enjoying each other.
Norman crept back into the castle. As she passed the great hall, she could hear her father still talking to Andre. Then she heard her mother’s voice. Norman’s curiosity got the best of her. She walked over to a large mirror on the wall and made herself presentable. She had to find out what the threesome was talking about. Faking a yawn and a stretch, she walked into the room. “Good morning, Mother, Father. Oh! Good morning, Andre.” Norman went over and gave both of her parents a kiss on the cheek. “I am famished. What are we having for breakfast?”
“Daughter, your cheek is cold. Do you feel well?” The king had noticed the coolness of her cheek from riding in the cold morning air.
“I washed with cold water this morning to wake myself up. We were up late and the bed was still calling to me, but I decided to get up. I thought I would go for a ride this morning.” Norman turned her gaze away from her father’s. “It was quite a night last night. I do hope that the two women are doing well this morning. Why are you here so early, Commander?”
Andre looked at the Princess sympathetically and almost seemed to be apologizing when he spoke. “Your parents and I were discussing the happenings of last night and we all feel that you shall have an escort when you leave the castle’s grounds. This is for your safety and our peace of mind. While we were distracted in the troll village last night, a band of trolls raided some farms and destroyed most of the harvest by setting the fields on fire.”
Norman tried to act as surprised as possible. “Oh my! No one was killed, were they? This is terrible!” Looking at her father, Norman saw a questioning look cross his face for a split second. The look disappeared as quickly as it came. Norman could also tell by her father’s actions that this was not a good time to argue with him about her new security. She would wait until the moment was right and work some of her charm on him. “Do I need someone to watch me if I stroll through the gardens?” She tried not to sound sarcastic, but a little crept through in her voice.
King Octavius grew red in the face. He tried to extinguish the anger he felt. He looked at his daughter, for the first time realizing that he was looking at a grown woman, no longer the child he remembered holding on his knee and telling stories to. He recalled her first smile. That moment seemed like just yesterday. His anger faded as he turned to his wife. “We have raised our daughter to be a wise young lady. To doubt her capabilities of making wise decisions casts doubt on
our skills of raising her properly.” He then turned to Andre. “Commander, you shall have one man stand ready whenever my daughter so feels that she needs extra protection. She may go wherever she feels safe, unaccompanied.”
Emmaline, Andre and Norman were left speechless. They all looked at him in amazement.
Octavius glanced at his wife and smiled, giving her a quick blink of the eye. Turning to Norman, he saw the little girl once again. “All that I ask is that you remain alert if you should journey anywhere outside the castle grounds.” The king paused for a moment and asked Norman to come to his side. “I was going to save this for my speech at your birthday ball. I think now is a more appropriate time.” He looked at his lovely Emmaline and saw tears welling up in her eyes.
“Norman……….” Octavius paused for a moment, searching for the right words to say. “Norman, you have known for a long time that you were named after your grandfather. I have never told you why I was so insistent upon it. Your grandfather was a great man. He was the one man during the Troll Wars who saw the war as it really was. There also was a troll that my father befriended that saw things as he did. He often told me that war is an absolute waste. No one side ever wins a war. Both sides lose in a war. Young men are thrown into battle over some ideology that their way is better than another. The way they worship their God is the only way. We have lived at peace with the trolls since both of their deaths. I felt compelled to tell you this because you have grown up to be so much like your grandfather. He was honest, kind and, above all, he could charm anyone with his smile.” Octavius smiled, tears forming in his eyes. “Your mother and I want you to know how proud we are of you. You have grown into a fine young lady.” He hugged Norman and kissed her cheek.
Norman was crying softly. She smiled. “Thank you, Father.”
Queen Emmaline got up from her chair, hugged and kissed Norman. “Please promise me that you will be on your guard at all times, my daughter.”
Norman nodded. “Is any one else hungry, or is it just me?” Norman walked over to the table and waited to sit down ‘til her parents had taken their seats.
Her father rang a small bell and in moments there was hot food and drink before them. The threesome ate quietly. The previous day had been long and exhausting. Today promised to be no different.