Romina was surprised at the nimbleness and speed of the troll. It took her and her child down the rocky face out the palace wall and jumped across the old defensive works with hardly a care. At twice the size of a full-grown man the troll could easily carry her and the baby and still manage to run faster than a galloping horse. Normally being kidnapped by a monster would be cause for alarm by a princess, but Romina was strangely relieved, as if she were fulfilling some part of her destiny.
The problem with traveling by troll-back was it was exceedingly boring. The troll wasn't exactly the greatest conversationalist in the world, the baby did little more than cry except when being fed or sleeping. The stops along their path were infrequent and barely gave her time enough to eat and pee before the troll grabbed her up again and was running again. She was certain even if the palace guards and her betrothed were to follow them there was no way they could catch up to the running troll, especially when they reached the broken mountain range and began climbing. His long arms and legs let him reach places that would simply be beyond the abilities of any human to climb.
Upon reaching the near-summit of the mountain the troll slipped in to a cave and they began climbing back down inside the mountain. The cave wasn't unpleasant. It was well lit with lanterns that gave off a pleasant smoky scent. The rock walls, floor and ceiling were well maintained, though carved from the mountain itself, it was obviously carved with great care and skill. Inside the cave she was much warmer for the trek to the top of the mountain brought them to near-freezing temperatures and even a light snowfall.
"So is this your home?" Romina asked politely. He still hadn't put her down and was carrying both of them through an impossible-to-follow network of intertwined passages.
The troll merely grunted.
"Do I get to meet your family now?" she asked half-sarcastically.
This meant nothing to the troll so it kept silent.
"You're a wonderful conversationalist," she complimented him.
More silence.
"You know, my betrothed killed the troll that impregnated me. Are you his brother? Father? Cousin? Old army mate?"
"I know," the troll grunted at her. It was the most words she had ever heard him speak.
"Well, good." She couldn't think of anything else to say and fell silent, waiting to see what would happen next. It wasn't long before the trek inside the mountain ended at a heavy iron door. The troll yanked the massive barrier aside and shoved her in along with the baby. The iron door slammed behind her and she could hear a heavy bolt being slid into place. She was certain she had just been locked in a prison cell. She was wrong.
"So nice to have new blood around here," a woman's voice said.
Romina turned around and was confronted by three of the most unusual women she had ever seen.
All were obviously human, or at least had once been human. It was obvious they hadn't seen the light of day in a long time and had taken to their captivity well, if in an usual manner. All three were completely unclothed, though apparently they wore thin slippers to protect their feet from the stone floor; there was no need for clothing, the cave was more than warm enough.
The first woman was the shortest of the bunch, but sported wide, womanly hips. Her long black, bushy hair was tied back from her face with tangles of braids that were shot through with strips of leather. Almost her entire body had been tattooed with swirls and patterns of green-black ink; it was almost impossible to tell where her actual skin began and the ink covered. The second girl had scars all over her body, vicious red marks on top of her otherwise perfectly pale skin. Her fiery red hair was pulled back to a single tight ponytail that hung down to her waist. The scars, Romina noticed upon closer inspection, were actually brands like what would have been placed on a horse or cow. The marks formed an intricate, interwoven pattern all over her body. The last woman was just strange to Romina's eyes. Her entire body was stained a deep green color, not quite black, but dark green like the sea. It was impossible to tell what her skin and hair color had been before, her hair was a slightly darker shade of green, what little there was of it. The hair on her head had been cut short, like a soldier would have beneath his helmet, and the hair that should be between her legs was completely absent. She was also obviously pregnant; her swollen belly bulged forward proudly. Romina felt the smallest twinge of jealousy, but then remembered she had her own child in her arms.
