The Trouble with Trolls

Vanya gasped for breath as she was thrown into a large rock. Her back ached and the metallic taste of blood was on her tongue. She managed to roll out of the way as the troll lifted up his large club and brought it down upon her....

Another year had passed. Aragorn and Vanya had parted company again, but this time on better terms. She knew that soon she would need to encourage him to take up the helm of 16th Chieftain of the Dunedain. However, for now she knew he needed to continue to learn. She could see that his instincts as a great leader were there, they just needed to be coaxed to the surface. She could see much of his father in him as well.

In one of the villages near the Misty Mountains the villagers had complained to her about Mountain Trolls. They had started coming down from the mountains and were causing trouble for the villagers. They were stealing their livestock and causing extensive damage to the village. These villagers were familiar with Vanya and asked her to help them with these Trolls...

The troll roared with anger as Vanya forced herself onto her feet. She staggered and knew she was in trouble. This troll was far larger than any she had ever seen before and caught on to all of her tricks. She moved to grab another arrow, but before she could she felt the troll's club hit her in the stomach, sending her flying through the air until she landed on the ground many feet away. Her eyes were closed and she did not move...

Aragorn shook his head to clear it as he drew up onto his hands and knees. His hair was a damp mass of dirt, grime and blood from a gash on his scalp. He had been tossed around like a plaything as well as the others. One troll lay dead near him but it hadn’t been his doing. Vanya had hit it with an arrow in its eye and it nearly crushed him as it fell. But there was hardly a moment to think about one less enemy to fight. Another troll, a much larger one was also in this cave and by the echoed sounds he was still very much alive.

Broken bits of barrels and crates were strewn haphazardly around the small room and those that were still in tact held a number of different things. From Animal skins to Weapons. Most of everything looked like it belonged on a trash heap but some of them also looked as if they had just been newly made.

“Ahhh!...SNAP!” He heard from the other room. That was Naelyn’s shout and it was suddenly cut off. His head still in a daze Aragorn looked around for his sword though it had done little to cut through the thick hide of these trolls he still felt naked without it. Not finding it he grabbed at one of the barrels and drew out one of the blades that still gleamed in the dim light. It was longer than his longsword but felt light in his hands. He could see runes on the blade but he wasted no time trying to read them though he thought they were in elvish. He staggered forward into the short hall that led to the other, larger room that made up the cave that these trolls called home.

Cairein grunted as she tried to drive her short sword into the Trolls foot but that wasn’t what drew Aragorn’s immediate attention. Vanya lay on her back and clutched at her middle near the far wall and Naelyn was prone as well however his neck was bent at an impossible angle. He knew right away that never again would he hear another of the man’s jokes. Nor his uplifting words of encouragement. Rangers all yet trolls were trolls and this one was larger than any that he had ever seen. That and it wore some kind of boiled leather clothing or armor. The troll tried to strike at Cairein with its club but she rolled and slashed at its right ankle. Cairein was shorter than Vanya by almost 2 hands. A diminutive, lithe woman with long, blonde hair she always kept in a long, single braid. She wore dark green leathers and a wool, hood cloak though she no longer had that garment. Ignoring her for the moment the Troll took 2 steps forward toward Vanya and raised up its massive club to strike.

With a huge, broad face...everything about trolls were broad, it had a massive, thick nose and eyes nearly as large as teacups. Its arms and legs were like tree trunks in size and in many ways it resembled a tree, with an outer hide that was very thick. Seeing what was about to happen Aragorn surged forward.

With a defiant cry Aragorn swung the long blade up as the troll came down with its club. For a moment the sword connected with the club and in the next the majority of the large piece of gnarled wood had been cleaved cleanly through. It tumbled onto the floor and the stunned troll brought his hand up to examine the bit that was left in his thick, meaty fist.

“Troll! Try ME troll!” Aragorn growled. He would not see anyone else die to the hands of this monster. Not while he still drew BREATH!

Blackness tried to take Vanya, but she blinked and struggled to stay awake. She couldn't lose consciousness, not now. Doing so would surely mean her end. Elsewhere in the cave she could hear the sounds of the fighting. One troll lay dead, but the other was still very much alive. The fighting sounded far away, although she knew it was happening only feet from where she lay.

As she struggled to get to her feet she reached over to grab something for support, but instead of grabbing a rock, she felt something warm and soft under her hand. Looking down she was shocked to see Naelyn lying dead beside her. His body was badly broken and lay at an odd angle. She had seen death many times before, but no matter how many times she saw it, it continued to shock and upset her. This man had been her friend. He had once gotten so drunk at an inn that he had kissed her, to which she had slapped him. That had gotten a roar of laughter from the rest of the people in the room. They had fought side by side and she had laughed at his jokes, but now he was dead.

His eyes were still open and so she reached over and closed them. She didn't realize how much her own body ached, nor that she was bleeding from a wound on her right side. Looking over, she saw Aragorn. Thankfully, he was still alive...though still was the troll. She could see the troll starting to become extremely angry as it realized Aragorn had cleaved its club in two. She readied an arrow and took aim. As the troll let out a ferocious roar of anger Vanya fired her arrow. The arrow soared straight over Aragorn's left shoulder and straight into the troll's mouth, burying itself in the troll's brain. The troll stumbled and with what energy Vanya had left she rushed forward and grabbed Aragorn and yanked him back to safety before the troll tumbled forward, right on the place Aragorn had just been standing. Vanya and Aragorn fell back together onto the ground as dust rose throughout the cavern.

Cairein crawled over to where Naelyan lay and buried her head into the breast of his coat. With shallow, soft whimpers she sobbed into his chest. Her leg was obviously broken but other then that she appeared to be alright if not heavily bruised. Her and Naelyan were very good friends and had shared one another’s bed at times. But it was likely she’d have cried like that for any of them. Cairein had a big heart and not a bad bone in her body. Aragorn didn’t move right away. He groaned as he tested how well his extremities fared. The sword he had found was several feet away and he looked around to spy where it ended up. Seeing where it was he relaxed visibly then turned to look at Vanya.

He stifled another groan as he shifted up onto his hip above Vanya. Her bow and quiver were just out of her reach he saw and it was the measure of how badly she was injured when she did not reach for them and kept one hand upon her stomach.

Amazaingly, out of the 3 Aragorn was the least hurt. With each breath he saw Vanya clench her teeth. Just from how she was acting he suspected broken ribs. He had a great deal of blood on his face but scalp wounds often bled like that and he paid it no mind. When he reached to lift her jerkin she shook her head defiantly.

“Ok, we can dispense with your need to never require help Vanya, let me look,” He said in a harsh tone. He was expecting her to berate him for his foolish bravery though she often just called it foolish without adding anything else in. Cairein though always added it even if it wasn’t really deserved. In this case his blood was so hot seeing her and Naelyan down he couldn’t of stopped himself even if he tried to.

With every breath Vanya took she felt as if thousands of daggers were being stabbed into her body over and over again. Her muscles ached like they never had before and without looking she could tell that there was a gash on her right side. She could also tell she had several broken ribs. Her bow lay some feet away from her, but she did not reach for it. She didn't want to move. How she had managed to get Aragorn out of the way in time she did not know, but she was relieved to know he was alright.

When Aragorn reached to lift her jerkin to examine the extent of her wounds she shook her head. She didn't like being helped...or rather it was difficult for her to accept help, even though had she and Aragorn been in opposite places she would have done the exact same that he was doing. Finally, she sighed and relented and allowed him to look. She was too tired and in too much pain to berate him just now...not that she thought she actually would. What he had done was extremely brave and he had likely saved her life.

From the corner of her eye she saw him examining the wound on her side and when he didn't speak right away she knew it was bad.

"Well, how bad is it? And don't lie to me."

Aragorn kept his face blank and was thankful that she couldn’t see the wound very well. “Cairein, I need you! Find my pack!” He said forcefully as he began to unbutton her jerkin. “Bad enough that we will need to sew it together. And your ribs will need to be set before we can bandage you. We will need to camp here for a while. I’ll set traps later to alert us if anymore trolls happen by,” He said as he examined her wound.

Cairein managed to pull herself off of Naelyan though it took alot of effort. His death was going to be difficult for her but she had to stop acting like a little girl. There was little she could do about it now anyway. She stood and began searching for his pack. Aragorn carefully peeled back her jerkin then took out his knife and began cutting her shirt. The gash was about 3 inches long and fairly deep. The wound around it was red and violet in color, the sign that the blow was significant. Dark, violet lines of bruising were also across her abdomen. A sign that her ribs were indeed damaged but he now thought that they might not be as bad as he initially thought. One might be broken but at least 2 were just bruised. His large fingers tested her flesh gingerly. He pressed lightly in certain places and when she winced or jerked he made a mental note of it. Taken together he could discern what care she actually needed.

They were all filthy and covered in blood and grime but there were few times when they weren’t always covered in mud or dust from traveling. They could all ride but horses required supplies to keep and it was much more efficient to just run where they needed to go. “It's about time you let me take your clothes off,” He said with a grin trying to lighten the mood. They could all be dead right then and in these trolls cookpot for all of their skill in combat. “I’ve been wanting to put my hands on you for some time now, and this time you can’t run away,” he said in a low, soft voice. Hardly appropriate for the time and place but he’d gladly take a scolding from her if his attempts at humor and innuendo made her smile.

Vanya tried hard not to move as any movement she made caused bolts of searing pain to shoot through her body. She wanted to tell Aragorn she was fine and didn’t need any treatment, but she knew he wasn’t going to let her go anywhere (not that she really could). She hated being a burden and causing the group to have to wait until she was healed enough to move on. This was why she preferred traveling alone, although she knew that she owed Aragorn her life.

She laid back, but watched his face as he peeled back her jerkin and began to cut her shirt away. As he touched her she noticed how gentle he was as he tried to figure out where she was injured internally. It was strange, but despite being in pain she actually found she enjoyed the feel of his hands upon her bare skin. There was no denying that Aragorn was quite a handsome young man and that she was sexually attracted to him. She also knew from the looks he often gave her that he was attracted to her as well, but nothing yet had happened between them. It was strange for Vanya because Aragorn had been her student and she had known him since he was a boy. But it was not a boy that touched her now…it was a man and she found that though she was a lone wolf by nature, that she missed the feel of a man’s arms around her.

At his comments Vanya’s cheeks flushed slightly. She knew he was partly saying it to cause her to think about something other than the pain she was in, but she also wondered at the truth behind it. Her eyes met his for a long moment and Aragorn would be able to detect the desire hidden behind them.

“I’m injured…dirty and covered in blood and that’s all you can think about?” she responded with just the slightest hint of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

Just as she said that Aragorn pressed hard onto her middle. Just like that the errant rib snapped back into place and he felt Vanya convulse beneath his hands. She did not cry out but her breath came out in a hiss and her face contorted in pain. Within a moment it was done. Cairein (Pronounced Kai-ree-en) hobbled over then winced as she knelt then began removing the items from Aragorn’s backpack that they’d need to sew and disinfect Vanya’s wounds.

Together they knelt over Vanya and Aragorn took out a small flask then doused the sewing needle in a clear liquid that smelled like alcohol of some kind. He handed it to Cairein whose cheeks were still red from her tears. She took it then began to thread it with a black, waxed thread. “The wound is not in a good place Vanya,” She said softly as she bit the trailing end of the thread off near the end of the needle. “It will be prone to tear if you exert yourself too much,” She added. “This thread does flex a little but that does not mean you can fight more trolls and expect not to tear open your wound again,” Cairein said.

Aragorn poured the liquid over the wound as well and Vanya hissed again. She was taking the pain very well he thought but she was who she was so why it should surprise him he did not understand. He could tell she did not like feeling vulnerable and that might be why he felt so much closer to her right then. “I’ll...I’ll go and boil some water for washing then set your leg Cairein,” Aragorn said awkwardly and got up to his feet. Cairein nodded as she began the first stitch.

For a human, Cairein was actually quite beautiful. With large, hazel eyes, full lips and a heart-shaped face. Her long, blonde braid was still in good order even with the fighting. Shorter than Vanya by a fair margin, Cairien had a slight build with a modest bosom. She still had curves but her body had very little body fat to accentuate them.

“He’s never been with a woman you know,” Cairein said in a whisper and flicked her gaze over to small fire Aragorn was tending.”And he fancies you and not just for being his teacher. Perhaps there is more yet you have to teach him?” She said with a coy grin though it was clear what she meant.

Vanya winced and breathed in sharply as Aragorn pressed down hard upon her middle. Although to a certain extent she had been expecting it, it still hurt. However, she would never allow herself to cry out. Crying out in pain brought attention to oneself, possibly from beings you would be in no condition to fight just then. She had been taught by her father to control her pain.

She blinked and just stared up at the cave ceiling as Cairein came over and they began to prepare her wound to be stitched up. She thought about her father then. Aragorn reminded her much of him and she knew that had her father been in the cave with them that he would have been proud of how Aragorn had handled the troll. She could almost imagine him smiling and clapping Aragorn on the back. It was a thought that almost brought a smile to her face...that is until she felt the sharp sting of the alcohol as it was poured over the wound. She hissed through her teeth and her fingers dug down into the dirt. Any other person might have passed out from the pain, but Vanya remained conscious and quiet. This wasn't the worst wound she had ever received, but (though she would never admit it outloud), it did hurt.

As Aragorn walked away to allow Cairein to stitch up the wound Vanya looked over at him and suddenly wished he were back over by her side. She felt better when he was around and a mixture of feelings bubbled up within her again. She wanted to deny her feelings and to push them away again, but it was getting harder and harder to do so the longer she was around him. At Cairein's blunt statement, Vanya looked away and felt her cheeks flush slightly. She then slowly looked back at her.

"He would be better off with someone else," she said quietly. "He and I can have a strained...relationship at times." She became quiet for a long moment before speaking softly again. "Has he said something to you?"

Cairein paused in what she was doing long enough to give another quick glance toward Aragorn then back to Vanya once more then shook her head at the quesiton. “If you’d not see the King he is supposed to be all the time and just see the man you two would get along much better,” She said in a quiet sigh. “Everytime you speak of it to him you get his back up and then neither of you are fit to live with. I’ve never seen a man take to fighting as he has. Never and his ability is equal or better than some of the elves we know with hundreds of more years on them,” She said. It appeared at first she was changing to subject but it was the way she said it that was the key.

Cairein continued her stitching, nice, neat, precise stitches though Vanya would never have a scar when it all healed. Elves never did. Cairein had several scars, one of which was a pale line just below her left jawline. Aragorn had stopped her throat from being cut just in the nick of time. In turn both Vanya and Cairein had suffered wounds and were healed by Aragorn and in turn had healed him. Cairein was several years older than Aragorn and though she was much younger than Vanya in actual years she possessed an uncanny wisdom at times. She saw the confused look on Vanya’s face and nearly chuckled.

“What I’m trying to say is...take some happiness for yourself Vanya. Take it while you still can,” she said and her hands paused mid-stitch as she thought of Naelyan. A kind, gentle man who made her laugh just because he wanted to see her smile. Her eyes welled up once more but her hands remained steady as she continued. Carrying on with fellow Rangers was most definitely frowned upon. Their lives were filled with danger but it appeared to work with Naelyan and Cairein at least. They were mature enough to continue to do their duty which oft than not took them away from one another. It wasn’t a secret yet no one chose to speak about it. It was just something that was just like the sunrise and sunset.

Over the next few weeks Vanya often thought about what Cairein had said in the cave. She placed almost everything else above her own happiness. In a way she felt that taking happiness for herself was selfish, but perhaps it was not. As she healed she would often glance Aragorn's way when she thought he wasn't looking and would catch him doing the same to her. Her wounds healed quickly and within a week she was back up on her feet and able to travel on foot. She still had to take it easy for a while, but at least they could get out of that cave. They all had been going stir crazy. It was in a Ranger's blood to want to move. Being cooped up in one place for more than several days was likely to drive them crazy.

Vanya appreciated being back out in the sunshine and she, Aragorn, and Cairein traveled together for several more weeks before Cairein parted ways with them and headed east. She and Aragorn continued to travel south and one day they came upon a small village. It was raining and they had enough money for a room in an inn. They entered the "White Stag" inn and approached the innkeeper.

"We are seeking rooms for the night. Do you have any available?"

The innkeeper, who was a younger man, perhaps in his early 40s, with ginger hair and a well trimmed beard, looked at the pair as he filled a pint glass with ale.

"We only have one room left for the night and it has a single bed. Will that do?"

Vanya glanced over at Aragorn, not wanting to make such a decision on her own.

If he were asked he’d never admitted that he enjoyed the time that Vanya was laid up, healing from her injuries. He took 2 deer and 7 rabbits in that time and foraged tubers, edible flowers, wild berries and even honey that he put in her tea. Cairein’s leg healed quickly as well. The elven herbs mended none at an increased rate and after just a couple of weeks she had departed to head east to tell Naelyan’s family of his passing. Which left him alone with Vanya.

The miles they traveled per day were nothing like they were used to but he enjoyed her company and the rare chance to just be with her without some duty to spurn them into motion. They talked for what seemed hours and hours though she did most of the talking. She had hundreds of years of knowledge and experience after all and her wonderful voice filled the void for them both.

He changed her bandages and though he ‘tried’ to be professional about seeing and touching her pale flesh he had begun to want to see more...to see her. And not just see her, to touch her. To touch her and for her to know he was touching her as a man might touch a woman he was in love with. Aragorn was no stranger to romance, he read often and more than once he and Vanya lay near one another while Cairein and Naelyan made love to one another just a few yards away. They were usually quiet about it which was good but he wondered about sex and more specifically, sex with Vanya who was a very beautiful woman.

And so it was that he took a sip of his ale as she looked over at him. They had been to this Inn before but always were there more than enough rooms to be had. To her question he shrugged, “I have no issue with sleeping on the floor,” he said without thinking. But the brief gaze into his glass, the slight spots of color in his cheeks, a sign that perhaps only she would be able to see, he was thinking of sharing that bed with her. That and more? He wiped his brow and looked down at his palm. He needed a bath badly, they both did.

“And a hot bath,” he said as he looked to the patrons near them. The place was filled to the rafters it seemed.

Vanya's eyes met Aragorn's in that glance and she began to wonder if tonight their relationship might change. She looked back at the innkeeper and nodded. "Yes, the one room will be fine. And we will need two hot baths."

The innkeeper gave a brief nod and turned to call over his shoulder. "Imara!" A moment later a girl, no older than 17, with long, blonde, curly hair and big blue eyes, came running from the back room.

"Take these two up to room 8 and prepare two hot baths for them immediately."

Imara nodded and took the key for room 8. "Follow me please." She led Aragorn and Vanya up to room 8, which was up the stairs and down the hallway to the right. It was the last room on the left at the end of the hallway and the bath was directly across from their room. "I will prepare the baths for you now."

"And please bring up a bottle of wine and two glasses," Vanya requested before the girl left. Vanya glanced around the small room. It had a double bed, dresser, and a small writing desk. The view looked out onto the street, which seemed to be quieting down now that it was getting dark out.

Aragorn set down his bundle near the nightstand nearest the door. In an obvious gesture he bent to touch the large carpet that covered a good deal of the floor. It wasn't exactly soft but it would be an upgrade to the usual accommodation of grass or under a hedge or the dusty floor of a cave. Innuendo aside he couldn’t think that they’d ever share a bed though they had slept side by side often, especially when it was cold. They worked together and cared about one another but he doubted Vanya would see him as something different than a Ranger. It still didn’t change what he knew he needed to get off of his chest. He had desires and he could have sworn that sometimes she was looking at him in ways that set his heart on fire. But for the most part he attributed it all up to it all being just another fancy he had about her but he was going to clear that up here and now.

“Civilization,” he said as he watched her. “But in many ways, much more uncivilized than the wilds themselves,” he said and for some odd reason he began to sweat. That and his insides felt cool and jittery. How could he be cool and warm at the same time? His awareness of how alone they were became even more apparent when she turned to look at him.

“I think I’m in love with you Vanya,” He said suddenly as he wiped the back of his hand across his brow. He looked directly into her eyes and paused to bit his lip “When I see you, each time that we come together again it’s like everything about the world is brighter,” he said. “And when we go apart, its like a part of me is missing too,” he added. He considered that perhaps due to familiarity, he was feeling something that really didn't exist but after her near death, he was more certain of how he felt than he ever had been before.

There, now it was out! He thought. He said what needed to be said. Now she can rebuff him and he could move past this. Yet, his heartbeat pounded away as if he had been running miles.

Vanya had stepped into the room and carefully removed her bow and quiver before placing it on the floor near the bed. As she removed her long daggers from her belt she felt Aragorn's eyes watching her closely. There was a heaviness of anticipation that hung between them. She could sense that the next few moments were going to change things between them forever. She wondered what he was going to say as she turned to look at him. Her eyes met his across the few feet that separated them and everything about her softened.

She had been anticipating him telling her that he had feelings for her, but she had not been expecting him to tell her he was in love with her. It surprised her and the surprise would be evident in her eyes. She had never imagined a man falling in love with her. She was always dirty and often splattered with blood. She had no real home, or anything to tie her down to one place. She was constantly on the move and did not want the traditional life of a house and a family. She knew she was going to die out in the wilderness, just as her mother and father had. It was not a matter of if, but rather when.

Vanya was surprised not only at Aragorn's words, but at her own reaction to them. Hearing him tell her that he was in love with her filled her heart with something she had not really experienced before...happiness. It was the happiness Cairien had spoken of back in the cave. It made her heart want to burst. But there was something else mixed in with that happiness...sadness because Vanya knew that there was no future for her with him. Aragorn was destined to be King of Gondor and her job was to start him on that path. Once he was on that path her time with him would come to an end...but she could enjoy the time she did still have with him.

She said nothing in response, but Aragorn would know that his words had deeply affected her. She suddenly moved forward and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

If he could describe what absolute bliss was like he’d have used this moment as his example. Vanya’s lips were so incredibly soft and warm. It only her lips, her flesh felt warm against his. That and she smelled so sweet and flowery. Her lips urged his own to kiss her back. He decided in that moment that he liked kissing and he seemed to learn quickly. t first he knew his kisses were sloppy things but she was a good teacher after all and he was pleased that her breaths came just as quickly as his own. But there was something he didn’t like about how close she was to him right then and he pulled away from her. He still had his sword on his hip and was quite filthy.

“I...I really need a bath!” He said abashed that he likely smelled terrible. But he couldn’t say that without smiling down at her.

Vanya hadn't been kissed in quite some time and his lips felt wonderful against her own. He hesitated at first, but she was patient and allowed him to figure things out...with a little coaxing from her. His lips were strong, yet soft at the same time and for a few long moments they just stood there in that embrace.

When he finally pulled back she found herself slightly out of breath, which seemed to please him. She gave him a questioning look as to why he had stopped the kiss, but she soon realized why. She wasn't angry or upset. They had all night and could take things slow. Being inside they didn't have to worry about certain dangers or the elements. They could relax here.

"So, go take a bath," she told him with a little grin. "I would like to take one too."