Flash Fiction # 155: Just Adorable

 (First, thank you to S.E. Batt who often gives me the 'magic three' pieces to a story.  This one was fun!)

"We aren't allowed to sell those spells to humans," Darklet the troll said leaning over the counter and looking down -- a long ways down -- to the curly-haired moppet standing on the other side.  He didn't find human children cute but she still won the hint of a smile from him.  "Now run along, child --"

She caught hold of the counter and hefted herself up so quickly that Darklet pulled back in shock.  This one looked dangerous and even he could read the fiery rage in her pretty bright blue eyes.

"Do you have any idea who I am?  What I am?" she demanded, hands on hips.

"You're a sweet little human -- oh.  OH!"  She gave a snarling nod.  "You're the Eternal Princess, the one cursed to always be a sweet, adorable little girl --"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Heard it all before." She reached forward and caught hold of his arm chain.  "I was everything my parents wanted -- but they died two centuries ago.  I'm still a little girl.  I want a 'grow up now' spell, troll."

"I can't --" he said, his voice a bit too high and worried.  Squeaky, almost.  He cleared his throat and gave her a glare that sent armed soldiers running.  "It is illegal --"

"You owe me, troll."  She leaned forward, glaring into his eyes.  The spell was too good -- even he thought she was adorable and he hated human children.

"I owe you nothing," he said.  "It wasn't me --"

"It was your great-grandfather who sold my mother the spell.  I am demanding the right of Trollin Katchatus --"

He panicked.  "You can't!  You aren't a troll!"

"Doesn't matter."  She let go of the chain.  "I studied troll law for the last forty years or so, right after I realized no one would teach me the magic to undo the spell.  The books never said I have to be a troll to invoke the law.  I invoke Katchatus  and demand retribution from the family of the troll who sold the spell that did harm.  You're it, Bucky."

"But --"

"You won't like me when I'm mad."

"The spell will keep you sweet and adorable.  You cant threaten me!"

"Oh, I'm still adorable," she said with a bright smile.  Then she lifted her hand and fire came to her fingers.  "But I'm also still mad."

Darklet swallowed.  "I don't have anything like the spell here in the shop, of course.  We don't keep them since we can't sell them. It'll take me a few days."

She reached into her pouch and dropped five gold coins on the counter.  "We will seal this deal, troll.  You will not be packing up and moving on in the middle of the night like your grandfather did.  If you don't pick up that gold right now, I'm going to start burning things.  It's my best spell, you see.  I've worked on it for a long time just for this chance to show you."

Adorable.  Insane, but adorable.

Darklet took the gold.  She turned, leapt off the counter and headed out the door, leaving it open to the cooling night.

"Oh, you poor little adorable child!" a woman cried out.  "Are you lost, sweetie?  Come along with Aunt Sally and I'll -- oomph."

The woman sprawled in the mud.

Darklet kept the shop closed for the next three days, though he made certain he worked by the window where the princess could see him when she went by, which she did several times a day.  A 'grow up now' spell wasn't horribly hard.  Trolls used it all the time because troll babies were not cute and adorable -- they were vicious little lumps of biting stone that couldn't be reasoned with until their brain grew.  The trick here was going to be to counter the other spell, but not too well.  He didn't think the princess would appreciate getting back all her lost years, though it would solve a problem for him and any future member of his family.  He'd taken the gold, though.  He would have to do this honorably.

He opened the shop again on the fourth day.  The princess arrived at sunset after the last customer had gone.

"You have it?" she asked.  Something flickered in her fingers.

"Yes."

Surprise showed this time.  Eagerness.  She climbed up on the counter again, but this time her smile was radiant.  "You do?  Really?"

"I think so," he replied.  He pulled out a piece of parchment and a cup of ingredients he'd already mixed.  The main part of the potion was the bark of a fifteen year old tree.  The spell itself, carefully written on the parchment, was in blunt, square troll runes.  Intricate work, but he was rather proud of the result.  The princess took the paper and looked it over.  She read troll, of course.  No other way she could have studied troll law.  That must have been so cute, the curly haired little girl --

He grunted and took the parchment and dropped it into the cup.  It fizzed. She gave the drink a dubious look and then downed it.

"Not bad."

"I added a bit of apple juice and vanilla."

"Nice.  How long --"

And it happened right then.  She yelped. Then her clothing shredded and she grew up.

He grabbed his cloak and she hurriedly wrapped it around herself as she cursed.  He grinned --

"Hell," he mumbled.   "You want the bad news?"

"It worked," she said, her eyes flashing.  "I not a child!"

"True . . . but you're still adorable.  And you're only about eighteen.  I think you'll be stuck there."

She frowned, then shrugged.  "Perpetual adorable teen?  I can live with that.  Nice work."

"Thanks.  You know, I bet people can't say no to you."

"It's part of my charm."

"And the curse."

"Yes, that, too."

"Huh.  How would you like a job?  I can trust you since you can read troll.  We can split the sales."

"I'd like that.  I always wanted to learn troll magic."

He smiled. That was just adorable.

(999 words)

http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

 

Flash Fiction # 154: Connections

 

The goblins gathering on the bridge tipped Guardsmen Eliss to the fact something was happening across the river where the fae lived.  No one listened to him, of course.  It wasn't  his birthright -- he wasn’t the first illegitimate son of a nobleman to land in the guard.   Usually, though, everyone could name the sire.

And there was the problem of being half fae.

“The goblins are gathering at the  bridge.  They’re unsettled.”

Captain Berlin snarled. "I don’t want to hear about anything across the river.   Haven’t I made that clear?"

Resentment showed in Berlin face.  He didn’t like being saddled with a breed who couldn’t even claim an illustrious house like all the others in his squad, true born or bastards.  He snarled whenever the two had contact but Eliss never let the man’s bad manners get the best of him.  He also didn’t let it stop him from doing his duty.  He'd filed his written observations already.  Now he saluted and left for dinner and some sleep.

Bells woke him.  Everyone in the barracks grabbed clothing, dressing on the move as they headed out into the yard --

But the first few stopped outside the door, some cursing, but softly now.  Eliss had to work his way to the front and for once no one argued.  He stepped outside the door --

The world was bathed in rainbow light, the glow brighter to the left, which would be across the bridge in Faetown.  Not a surprise.  Eliss gave a sigh of frustration and started that way when Captain Berlin and Commander Oris arrived, both of them frantic.

"I told you something was going on," Eliss said, well past anything polite.  He hated being wakened.

Oris looked at him, eyebrow raised.  "You did?"

"He never did," Berlin replied hastily, his face drawing up into the familiar angry scowl.  "I've told you he's a problem --"

"The report is filed and the secretary noted when I went to see him.  I made sure it was written in the ledger with the reason for my visit to the officer."  Berlin went red and started to speak but Eliss, feeling real trouble heading their way, didn't give him a chance.  "It was inevitable that he'd ignore my warning and something would happen.  It's done.  We have other problems."

"How good is your magic?" Oris asked noting his green eyes and eartips.

"Not very and mostly untested, so not something we want to rely on.  The goblins were gathering at the bridge, sir.  That was the sign something was going on.  Goblins hate water almost as much as they hate humans.  They were on the bridge over the river and inching closer to the human side."

Oris looked at Berlin.  "You did have this checked."

Berlin said nothing.

"Let's go.  You, boy -- with me."

"Eliss, sir."

"Ah. That one."

Before Eliss could ask what that meant, the man began to march away and Eliss had to move quickly to keep up with him.  This was his chance and he had to find a way to prove himself because Berlin was going to be even worse now.  Oris shouted orders to everyone who crossed their paths.  Most of those people headed off to protect the town but a few fell in behind the two as they crossed the camp and headed towards the river.

There were more little goblins on the bridge all of them looking ready to run across.  Only a handful had come closer, the rest lined up and anxiously waited.  But why?

"What the hell is going on?" Oris asked and looked at Eliss.

"I don't --"  Eliss began and then stopped.  "No elves around, but I can feel a lot of magic out there and it isn't coming from the little goblins."

"Oh, so you can feel magic now, can you?" Berlin demanded coming to stand beside him.

"I could always feel magic," Eliss said, glancing his way.  "You never asked."

Which made the man all the more of a fool.  Anyone on the human side, even a half-human, who could feel out magic was important to the army camped on the edge of the fae lands.  Oris looked skeptical, but Eliss would prove his ability, if not now then later.  He hadn't been trained, but that didn't mean he didn't know things.  Of course he'd read everything he could about the fae.  He'd even gone across a couple times. They'd treated him with respect, but he didn't feel he had belonged there.  He had decided to stay on the human side where his few powers did mean something.  Or should have.

He needed answers or else just leave the service, because he needed away from Berlin.

Rainbow lights.  He'd read about this.  It meant something.  When he looked up, a light nearly as bright as the sun cut across the night sky and came their way.  Goblins cried in despair and the answer finally came to him.

Not a good answer.

"Dragons! Let's get the goblins off the bridge and into a building. They're going to come across anyway because dragons like goblin snacks.  Better to have them where we know they're not causing trouble."

"Excellent point." Oris looked at the light and away. Dragons hadn't come this way for hundreds of years.  Oris started ordering things.  Eliss dealt with the goblins who were more than happy to take cover in a warehouse by the river.  By the time he was done, three dragons sailed majestically over the area, heedless of fae or human space.

For the next ten days the dragons flew here and there, sometimes landing to meet with fae.  Humans kept out of it.  When the rainbow skies cleared the goblins dashed back over to their world, but they seemed less distasteful of the humans who had harbored and fed them.

And Eliss?  He was part of Commander Oris's team now and within a month Berlin was reporting to him on fae movements. 

He still snarled.

.