Chapter Eight: The Town Of Trolls

Though the travel has been rather rough, Kara and Gabriel have finally managed to make it our of the woodlands. They still have several days of travel left and Gabriel has informed Kara of a town that is nearby where the majority of inhabitants are in complete support of Queen Aurora and would be more than happy to help aid them. They need to restock on food and preferably some new clothes and could use a warm bath.

" So what kind of creatures are in this town?" Kara asked, now curious to meet new people so that she can learn even more about this world. Gabriel thinks for a moment " I believe this town is mainly consisted of Trolls. They are pretty friendly for the most part, I just wouldn't insult their looks because they can be quite sensitive" he informs her.

Kara thinks back on the stories of trolls and goblins from her childhood storybooks and remembers that the trolls were not exactly her favorite. They always seemed so rude and where usually the antagonist of the stories. So Trolls being sensitive seems a little hard to believe for Kara but she trust Gabriel and agrees to be as polite as possible when communicating with them.

As they approach the town, they can hear loud music being played from what they can only assume are drums of some kind coupled with rather loud and clunky sounding horns. " Oh...yeah.. they are having there Trollifeild festival. I forgot that it would be around this time" Gabriel crosses his arms as he stares at the town in the distance. " My parents talked about this festival but I never got to attend it. I've heard there is alot of drinking and food" he adds. Kara likes the sound of the music despite it being something she would not typically listen to. " What are the celebrating? " Kara asks as she begins tapping her fingers on her legs to the sound of the drums. " I believe it's something to do with their harvest or something. I can't entirely remember but we should get moving. It's starting to get dark" He nudges Kara's arm as they begin walking towards the town.

The scent of the meat and fresh veggies filled both Kara and Gabriel's noses providing a sense of welcome and hunger to which they could not ignore. This is the best thing they have smelled in days and had goals to partake in the food one way way or the other.

As they make their way through the town, Kara notices that the streets are filled with large tents that seem to be little food markets. Colorful lanterns are strung from the roofs and are dancing in the wind above the streets. The street seems to be cobblestone of some sort and makes an amazing clacking noise that Kara finds rather soothing. The homes seem to built from some type of mud - like stone that looks pleasant on the eyes and is somehow complimented by the colorful lights.

And that is when Kara takes notice of the giant brownish colored creatures that are the trolls. They have warts in places that Kara didn't even know warts could be found but seem to still provide a sense of welcome with their giant toothy smiles and their inviting gestures to come partake of the party.

As they pass by some type of meat stand that smells delightful, a troll calls out to them. " Hey you two, you look hungry and we can't be having that! Come on over and get you some grublub". His rather commanding voice is broken by the giant smile on his face and the oversized apron covered in grease stains. Gabriel takes Kara by the hand from sheer excitement and leads over to the stand and they are handed to giant legs of meat.

" This almost looks like an oversized chicken leg" Kara chuckles at the sheer sight of him enormous meal. " Close! It's not chicken. It's a glubken. Which is a bit larger than a chicken but taste about the same. I'm assuming you are not from around here " The meat vendors laughs to which Kara shakes her head. " Well as you can tell, we trolls are rather hearty, and chickens are far to small for our diet unless we wanted be constantly cooking" he explains as Gabriel takes a huge bite of the meat and his eyes widen with excitement. " This is the best thing I've ever had" he stares at the leg in astonishment and then proceeds proceeds rip into it again. Kara laughs and takes a bite from her's and is immediatly surprised. " Wow..this really is good! ". She wasn't sure if this was because she hadn't eaten a proper meal in what feels like forever if it was genuinely because this tasted so amazing but one thing was for sure. She loved Glubken!

Once finishing their meals, Which he explained were on the house, they thank the vendor and make their way through the rest of the party and eventually come to the center of the town where they find a large stage with a large troll in what seems like a torn oversized tuxedo of sorts who is standing in front of a horn which Kara assumes acts as a microphone.

" FELLOW TROLLS, TONIGHT IS A NIGHT OF CELEBRATION" He overlooks the crowd and notices Gabriel and Kara standing with smiles on their faces and grease stains on their cheeks.

" Now wait a minute " He says as he squints to have a closer look. " Oh my..it really is. Prince Gabriel and Queen Kara have returned home! The rumors are true!! Come on up here you two " The troll motions for them to join him on stage to which the trolls in the crowd nudge Kara and Gabriel foward and they reluctantly go on the stage.

" It has been so many years since we last seen you two. You've both grown so much!" He smiles and pulls them both into a tight hug which almost cuts off both of their air supplies before finally letting go. " COME ON TROLLS, LET US WELCOME THEM TO OUR HUMBLE HOME " he shouts happily to which the crowd cheers excitedly. " Now I'm assuming you two are here for rest and food but that can wait for now. Because we are about to have out festival dance competition. And we would love for you both to watch over and help us judge the winners! It would be our honor for you to judge our moves " The trolls does a little jig which looks completely awkward given his size but was still quite impressive. " I...dont know " Kara giggles nervously. On the hand, Gabriel shakes his head though it would seem the trolls will not take a no for an answer. " Just make your way over to the chairs on the side of the stage" he points to a small Table with three chairs where one troll sits by his lonesome, picking his nose and then immediately hiding his finger the moment he realizes people are watching him.

The troll nudges them forward to the table and they eventually decide it would be easier to oblige than to resist and take their seats.

It was at this point that the ground began to shake beneath their feet as trolls on the street begin to organize and proceed to show off their best dance moves. This goes on for an hour or so and the judging was extremely difficult considering neither Kara nor Gabriel had ever judged a competition before. But after some careful deliberation, they finally decided on a winner despite the troll sitting between them clapping loudly and laughing so much that he coughed every few minutes which Kara and Gabriel did their best to just ignore.

The winner of the competition turned out to be a rather small troll named " Phlam " who won a year supply of Ponax tails" something that Kara and Gabriel felt would be left better off as a mystery.

Once the competition was over, the Troll who had roped them into judging offered them a place to stay in his home to which they agreed. " My name is Gorgo" he introduced himself properly.

" Its so good to see you both and that you are both safe. And don't worry, we will give you both everything you need to help complete your journey but I have have ask.." Gorgo turns to Kara and looks at her with fascinated eyes. " What is earth like? Did you enjoy it? Is it as beautiful as I've heard in the stories? " Kara learned that most of the creatures from the Underworld had never actually been to earth much less left the Underworld. Kara explained Earth as best as she could despite not knowing quite what to say and hoping she managed to do it justice.

" That is amazing. Its just like the stories I've heard. Perhaps it would do better with more trolls though" He laughs. " Well feel free to make yourselves at home here. Tomorrow we will get you the supplies that you will need but I'm going to assume you both are tired. There are a few couches down here so feel free to take your picks as to which ones are the most comfortable for you" he smiles and then turns away and begins making his way our of the room, the floor creaking beneath his feet. " Thank you for everything Gorgo. Your help is very much appreciated. This town is so beautiful and your people are even more amazing. Thank you again " Kara smiles. " Thank you Princess. That means so much coming from the daughter of Queen Aurora" and with that he takes his leave to another part of the home.

The house is rather large and most of the furniture and objects are oversized a bit but not so big that they can't be used by Gabriel and Kara. A fire place is lit at the back of the room and 3 couches align different walls. Gabriel makes his way over to one and sits down and Kara follows to sit down beside him. " Listen..I know you are going to tell me this is your job and that you had to do it one way or the other but thank you. I wanted to thank you for protected me and keeping me safe. Always. I know I've been kind of unappreciatve about it and I wanted you to know that it means alot to me. You...probably already know this " Kara looks looks at her knees, rubbing her legs from her nerves. " I don't have..didn't have..alot of friends back on earth. And while, we don't always get along. I really am glad you are in my life and im glad you are my friend " Kara stutters a little trying to squeak out her feelings of appreciation but struggles to which Gabriel notices. " Kara. You don't have to thank me. I know I didn't exactly choose this life. But..I'm glad we are friends too" He smiles a little, looking away and not noticing the even bigger smile on Kara's face. " You are my best friend. And if I'm being honest, you are the best one I could ever hope to have. Nobody really wanted to talk to me in school unless they had an absolute reason to do so. Maybe that's why I never talked to anyone either. I didn't want to be friends with people who felt like they had to be friends with me..I wanted someone to choose that for themselves. And..." Kara pauses for a moment to collect herself. " Now I know that even though you didn't choose this..it doesn't mean any less to me. You are super important to me. And when I thought you were dying..I was scared. I was scared I was going to lose you Gabe. I was going to lose the one friend I had" She pauses again. " And I don't care about the titles or the stupid deal or anything. I don't really think of you as my protector..I think of you as Gabe..my best friend. And..well..I just thought you should know that " She explains shyly and then stands up and heads over to another couch and lays down. There was so much more she wanted to say but she did her best to hold back. She felt like this would be too much for him right now and so she restrained.

Gabriel stares blankly at the wall, not really being sure what to say. He felt like there was so much that he should say to her but couldn't exactly find the words. He knew he cared about her but, he shouldn't prolong it. Because at the end of the day. They would have to separate. His kingdom and his parents would need him when he returns and he wouldn't be able to see her as much. He knows this would break her heart but in some ways..it would break his too. It isn't fair..but then again, all he has ever known was unfairness. Gabriel, lays down and tries to push the thoughts as far as he can from his mind despite the fact that now, after hearing her say those words..for the first time..he felt hopeless and yet happy.

The following day, both Gabriel and Kara awaken to the smell of breakfast and Gorgo calling out to them. " Come on kids, it's time to eat up! You guys have got a big day ahead of you " both stumble to their feet and make their way to a giant table covered completely with food. " My god..that is amazing and it smells so good. " They both could not believe their eyes at how much went into this. Alot of the food seemed to resemble food from back home while a few dishes stuck out to Kara. She tried her best to stay away from those.

" So I've managed to arrange some backpacks with supplies for you both as well as a carriage if you'd like" Gabriel begins eating the food whilst Kara thanks him for the hospitality. " We were traveling with Gabes wolf form but I'm not sure he can even use it again. We got attacked not too long ago and I think he is still recovering from it " She explains as she too partakes of the breakfast.

" Attacked? By who? " Gorgo asks as he pulls up a chair and proceeds to start eating as well. " Three people" Kara answers. " 2 girls and one guy". The look of dread that streaks across the face of Gorgo catches both of their attention. " Oh..them. I'm half surprised they found you both but even more surprised they left you alive. Thank the gods that they did " he shovels a helping of food into his mouth. " Who were they?" Kara asked. Perhaps this would finally give her some of the answers she was looking for. " Well" Gorgo swallow down his food. " They use to be night slashers. But they lost their titles so the rumor goes. And now they seek out causing as much pain and suffering as they can to inflict on others. Noone is really sure why they do it. But some people think they work for the Vampires. Thoufh I'm going to doubt that is true considering I've heard that vampires have been attacked by them as well. "

Kara thinks for a moment " Wait..what are nightslashers? " She asks as she takes a sip of drink of water from the mug on the table. " Well. Nightslashers are creatures from the Outworld. They are essentially the Guardians of creatures who have been imprisoned but are too strong to be held within a normal prison. The reason they are called night slashers however is quite interesting " Gorgo explains. " Whilst they are seldom seen, it is said that they posses the power to slash through the fabric of time itself. They reap the souls of the wicked and bring them to Outworld and keep them imprisoned and seem to do this under the cover of night when most people are asleep. Which is supposedly another reason why they are seldom seen"

Kara has never heard of anything close to that on earth though she finds the concept very interesting. " Well, I don't know what they did to lose the title of night slasher but it must've been pretty awful" She remarks as she takes another bite of food. Gorgo nods as Gabriel fills up on his third plate of good at this point.

They finish breakfast with small talk only really happening between Gorgo and Kara and then they make their way outside and proceed to climb up in the wooden carriage provided by the trolls and pulled by what looks like some weird hybrid of a Llama and a horse. " Paktaks are really good animals and they have endless stamina. They will get you to the Kingdom in no time. Just please make sure you both are safe. Watch each others backs. " Gorgo warns as he steps away from the carriage. " Again, thank you for everything you've done to help Gorgo. Your kindness will never be forgotten" Kara promises. Gorgo brands his huge smile again and wave as Gabriel and Kara nod, and Gabriel whips the reigns and the the carriage takes off down the road leading out of town.

As they make their way out of town Kara leans back on the front of the carriage and stretches. " How much longer till we get there? " She asks. " A few more days " Gabriel responds. " Good