Zaiyoz

Chapter 7

Before the oldest rock troll could pick us up, his big thumb was cut by someone, making him groan in pain and shaking his hand.

My eyes went round when I recognized the blue-green robe that seemed to shimmer despite in the darkness.

“Shamaro!”

“Your Highness, run!” he said curtly. His attention was focused on the rock trolls, gripping his gleaming diamond sword that can cut through anything. I knew who gave him that weapon. My mother. Since he was assigned to me when I was thirteen and he was fifteen, he already had that sword with him.

“I’m not a prince anymore, Shamaro. Just leave and save yourself! You don’t have to protect me anymore! Go back to the palace!” I argued in a hard tone.

But being Shamaro, he didn’t listen. He had this sense of duty that no one could ever break or crumble. He leaped into the air as high as he could and slashed the arm of the oldest troll that just lost his thumb. The enemy groaned and one rock hand attempted to catch him but my head guard was quick as lightning to get away. He rolled away and was behind the oldest troll. Now he attacked the enemy in the heel. It wasn’t cut with one strike but the third did. Hence, the enemy leaped with one foot, shaking the earth once again.

The old man and I continued to run while the two trolls tried to catch us. We were in the forest while Shamaro finished up the oldest troll, climbing on its back and cut the enemy’s head. The huge head fell to the earth, making another massive shaking of the ground. As a result, we tumbled down the hill.

“Ah, you did it, skillful mortal!” the second brother roared. It was like thunder.

“I think your guard is the best, Your Highness!” the old man chuckled.

“Don’t call me that!” I told him, helping him to get up. But we had to drop ourselves down when the youngest rooted out a tree and swung it to us. Thankfully, I noticed it and saved our head from perhaps detaching from our body. Or else, our bodies may have had ended in a lifeless lump on the ground.

“You’ll pay for what you did, mortals!” the youngest swore.

“Why are you being resentful? You can’t die!” I pointed out, pulling the old man to break into a run toward the thicker part of the forest. At least there, the trolls would have trouble following us. They had to clear the forest to find us as necessary. And I guess that would take a lot of effort with their not-so-fast movements.

“We’re immortals, yes. But do you think fixing ourselves don’t hurt us? And it will take us at least a decade to piece ourselves together!” the second troll growled. Slamming his fist on the ground, breaking it and creating an instant ridge, where we happened to be. The old man slipped and he almost brought me with him to roll down the sharp slope. But I was able to grab an elongated rock and pulled my companion back on his feet.

We ran and jumped off the ridge, thankful that the trees were already thicker there.

The two trolls shouted in anger, smashing the trees. Two almost crushed me down, thankful that the old man was fast enough to pull me off the danger this time.

“I guess your daughter will starve at this rate, old man.” I mumbled with regret. “For that, I’m sorry!”

“Ah, don’t worry about that, kid! She’d be excited to hear that the prince saved my old butt from the trolls!” He laughed merrily.

I thought there was nothing funny about our predicament at the moment though. Just a while ago, he didn’t want to wake those trolls but now, he was even enjoying this? I didn’t get him.

We dodged when more trees fell in our way, which managed to scrape a part of my arm. It stung but I just endured it. The next attack hit the old man in the leg that made him fall to the ground.

“Come here, I’ll carry you on my back!” I said, slightly crouching for him to climb easier. However, he pushed me away.

“Go, Your Highness! I can’t let you die with me!” His tone was hard, not playful anymore.

I pushed the old man away when another tree was falling and it almost caught my shoulder. I gritted my teeth and grabbed a branch that was as large as my leg, breaking it from the fallen tree. I leaped and landed on the oncoming tree, quickly jumping on to another until I was high up in the air. I aimed for the eye of the youngest troll that already went under my skin. I stabbed him with the branch, gouging his eye.

The youngest troll growled in pain, trying to smack me off him. But I quickly jumped onto the top of his head. Using the branch of the tree that I didn’t let go, I swung behind his nape, making his head tilt and broke it. I speedily transferred, jumping on to his chest as his body fell backward. It bounced on the ground, shaking it massively.

Meanwhile, the second brother shouted “No!” when he saw his brother’s fall. His eyes were fiery. He didn’t notice Shamaro slicing his legs until he fell to the ground. My loyal guard passed on his sword to me, which I caught easily. I ran toward the troll lying on the ground and finished him off, cutting his neck by two strikes.

I was heaving when I finished him off, giving back the sword to Shamaro who was dusting off his robe. He almost missed the sword. A second or two later, it was back in its scabbard.

“How did you find me?” I asked him.

He showed me a small glowing stone; it was like a marble with a two-inch diameter. “Her Grace gave me this so I can trace you wherever you are, Your Highness.”

“Ah, stop calling me that! We’re not in the palace, Shamaro,” I remarked grumpily. I jumped off the unmoving giant to help the old man. But he was nowhere to be seen. There was no trace of him even though I looked for him all over the place.

“I think he just saved you some effort to help him,” Shamaro suggested quietly.

“But he was hurt! I swear he was right there!” I insisted, pointing at the place where I clearly left the old man to face the rock troll.

Shamaro shrugged, telling me clearly that the old man was not there anymore.

I sighed and didn’t even know where to go from here.

“I know a place where we can spend the night safely, Your Highness,” he told me.

I looked at him helplessly. Shamaro was hopeless. I hence followed him to a cave some miles away from the trolls’ domain. The dawn was already breaking when we got there. But we did need some rest.

***

It was afternoon when I woke up. Shamaro was nowhere to be found. I guess it was good. He was out of my hair.

I went out of the cave and found some fruits by the exit. I couldn’t find him outside either. Well, I thought it was better this way. Going back to the palace was a good decision. I thanked him in my mind for the food nonetheless. My stomach grumbled, so I sat down and ate. I looked at the peaceful forest, except for some occasional chirping birds. The wind didn’t whisper anything to me at the moment. So that was a great plus. I’d never felt this tranquility since my sister died in my hands.

I sighed with a heavy heart. This is my life now.

I drank the nectar that was in a small bottle. I drank some before I put it in my sling bag.

I thought of the old man, hoped he was okay, was able to arrive at his daughter’s place safely and that they don’t starve. I should’ve asked his name or his daughter’s at least to check but it slipped my mind as we were busy evading the trolls. At least I knew the old man survived and that he would be safe if he was going to go that way again for a decade until the immortal trolls recuperated.

I walked and passed by a lake before the sun set in the west. The horizon was a beautiful picture of pink, orange, red and blue. It was magnificent.

There were red swans in the lake. They looked serene as they seemed to enjoy the water, catching some food in the process. I thought it was good for them to be swans. They had no other problems to think of but to look for food and protect their offspring, which I believed was not so tough. Or was it? At least there were no trolls trying to eat them.

Anyway, I had to get out of the forest and find a town to explore. Maybe find some work to feed myself for the time being. I guess this was it. Living outside the palace was not easy, I realized. I even almost died last night. I wondered what was in store for me in the coming days, months and even years. But perhaps the better thing to do was to take each day at a time. Just live in the present, without forgetting what I did as my penance.

It was already dark but I hadn’t missed a cabin, where there was light inside. I hesitated in approaching it. But my curiosity got the better of me. Who could be living in the middle of the forest that wasn’t too far away from the trolls’ domain?