The twins had been gone two fortnights. Ariyona had gotten used to their absence, though it was still painful and she missed them sorely. But she was functioning once again and sitting beside her husband in court. On this morn, Merrick and his wife, Bethane, rode in. The poor girl was still mute from her ordeal, but Merrick understood her in his own way, and she was otherwise healed and back to her senses. The couple came before the court and knelt before their majesties. Jareth told them to rise.
Merrick told a horrid tale. Trolls had come from inside the mountain and had attacked his keep. They had been fought off with heavy casualties and the trolls had fled back into the mountains, but the trolls controlled the new road through the mountains near Merrick’s keep. Ariyona remembered that road well, though she had not yet seen the progress of construction on the side into Carillon, which had begun shortly after her marriage to Jareth. Still and all, losing control of that road to trolls was disastrous. Trolls had not been seen even longer than dragons and none had known they still lived in the bowels of the mountains.
Ariyona worried about the trolls attacking on the other side of the mountain as well, in Carillon where her parents ruled. They had not heard from King Oberon of late and now they would have to use the southern pass to get word to him. That would add a couple of days to the travel of a messenger. Still Jareth sent one with haste. He sent a skilled soldier, in case he should meet any foes, but did not wish to send a troop. One could travel swifter than many and could conceal himself better if necessary. It was too long to wait for Ariyona.
Without consulting her husband, Ariyona rushed out into the bailey and grabbed the first horse available. She didn’t wait for her guard. She made haste to the meadow and called to Firestorm in her mind. He arrived shortly.
“Firestorm, I need to travel to my father’s castle. Merrick’s keep has been attacked by mountain trolls and I need to find out if they’ve invaded Carillon. I need to fly there.”
Firestorm nodded his long neck. Soon, a small green dragon landed in the meadow. “This is Mossfoot. He is young, but he will fly you to Carillon. I am needed at my lair, so I cannot take you. He will guard you as I would.” Firestorm left quickly after that.
Ariyona approached Mossfoot as Jareth reached the meadow and called to his wife to stop, but she climbed upon the dragon’s neck and urged him to take off. They began to fly toward the mountains. It didn’t take very long, and soon they flew over the mountains into the lush lands of Carillon. What Ariyona saw brought tears to her eyes. The trolls had indeed breached this side of the mountains. The land near their egress was scorched and burned to the bare ground. It seemed as if they’d been beaten back, though the toll to the land and the troops was great indeed.
Spotting a contingent of troops, Ariyona instructed Mossfoot to land nearby. She waited near the dragon until the captain of the guard came riding up. He bowed to Ariyona and gave her a report of the devastation, stating that he did not know how long the trolls would stay within the mountains. He assured her that her parents and friends were well; the trolls had not reached nearly that far, but their troops were hard pressed. The queen Ariyona said she’d have her lord husband send men to assist. She bade the captain to send word to her parents that she had been there, but she wanted to make haste back to Ravenwood so troops could be dispatched quickly.
Assured that her message would be sent, Ariyona got back upon Mossfoot and took to the skies as the captain watched their progress. The journey back over the mountain was not as easy as they had experienced before. As soon as they were close to the mountains, arrows began to fly toward them. Ariyona didn’t know trolls could shoot bows, but still the arrows flew.
‘Hang on tightly, royal one,’ Mossfoot said in her head. ‘I will do my best to avoid these arrows so we may cross the mountains.’
Mossfoot had to veer constantly to avoid being hit. Ariyona held tightly to his neck, afraid she’d fall from his movements. His way was hampered, and he had to parallel the mountains instead of crossing them. He kept reminding Ariyona to hang on as he flew erratically trying to get back to Ravenwood. Ariyona thought she might be sick from his movements, but she gripped his neck as tightly as she could. She wished for reins—or at least a mane she could grip—but all he had was scales.
Mossfoot’s luck didn’t hold out. Two arrows pierced his hide just where his neck met his body and he began to come to ground. Ariyona noted the arrows had directed them to the plateau where she had crossed two years before. Even as they plunged to the plateau, she decided the archers had skillfully played their part, making the dragon crash down where they were. Ariyona tried to hold on, but as Mossfoot took his last breath and hit the ground, she fell off, hitting her head upon a rock. She cried out to the dragon but he did not hear her. She saw the dragon’s eyes close in death and her heart cried out as darkness descended upon her.
*****
Ariyona became aware of darkness and cold when she opened her eyes. She lay upon a hard rock slab and was freezing. She didn’t know where she was. She tried to sit up and realized she wore chains about her neck, wrists, and ankles. Then she remembered Mossfoot crashing to the ground. Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the dim light in the cave and Ariyona realized she must be within the mountain. The trolls had her!
Ariyona managed to sit up as her chains allowed some movement. She ran her hands upon the links, hoping to find one she could work loose, but to no avail. Her movements caused the chains to clink and grate along the rocks, which alerted her captors that she had come to her senses. Ariyona heard someone approaching, but was not prepared for the sight of the troll who came before her. He was large, nigh on eight feet tall and almost as wide. He had green, lumpy skin and his face was enough to cause nightmares for years to come. He released her chain from the ring in the wall and pulled upon it, forcing Ariyona to follow behind or be dragged. She chose to walk.
The troll led her through many corridors, twisting and turning until they reached a large cavern under the mountain. She considered this akin to the great hall at the castle, the room where the king would conduct his business. There were many trolls in attendance, and in one section there was a forge where weapons were being made. Another type of creature was present, but unidentifiable to Ariyona. They weren’t human but they weren’t exactly troll either. They too had green skin, taller than men, but more proportionate. Their hands were slender with long fingers and she assumed these creatures were the archers. One of the hybrid creatures sat upon a great throne opposite Ariyona.
He motioned for the forge workers to cease as Ariyona was led before him. The troll knocked her down so she was prostrate on the floor, the weight of her chains keeping her there. The creature from the throne approached her walking a circle around her prone form. He stopped and kicked her in her side.
“Who are ye that rides astride a dragon?” he growled at her. Ariyona did not answer. He nodded at the troll who grabbed the chains and hauled Ariyona to her feet. He came to within inches of her face, his ugly features making her skin crawl. He repeated his question, but Ariyona still did not answer. The troll lifted his arm, his hand still ahold of her chains, and Ariyona was dangling above the ground. The chains pulled at her neck, making breathing difficult. Once again, the creature shouted his question.
Ariyona clawed at the chains about her neck. Finally she croaked out, “I am no one. Just a friend of the dragons.” The troll dropped her and Ariyona hit the ground, gasping for air.
The creature walked around her several times noting the cut of her gown. Luckily Ariyona had chosen a simple gown this day and left her coronet at the castle when she sped to the meadow. She could pass for a minor noble lady, though probably not a peasant. Ariyona watched him as he scrutinized her. He was definitely as ugly as a troll yet he had more the body of a human. She had no name for this creature, but decided to call him a truman for half troll, half-human.
“I do not believe ye are no one,” the truman said. “Dragons would not associate with a ‘no one’ as ye say. If ye do not wish to tell me that is fine for now. Later ye will wish ye had when ye beg for mercy. Take her to her cell and see that she is tortured.”
The troll led Ariyona back out of the hall and down a long corridor, toward where she’d awoken. They passed the slab where she had first awoken and entered a cavern with several cells. The iron bars went right into the stone of the mountain. The door of the cell was secured with a chain as thick as her wrist. The troll unlocked the door and pushed Ariyona in. She stumbled and fell as the troll locked the chain around the bars, then left.
Ariyona went to the bars and looked around. She saw several pregnant women in the other cells near her. One sat near the bars and looked up at Ariyona. “I feel sorry for you, lady, as you will soon suffer as we do.”
“What do you mean?” Ariyona asked the woman.
“The trolls…they mate with us and force us to produce offspring. The mating is horrible enough, but the babies. The babies are monsters.” The woman fell silent as though she had not the strength to continue. Finally she said, “This will be my fourth babe, and I fear it will be my last. I have not the strength to bear any more. I believe I shall die in childbirth.”
Ariyona looked around as best as she could. Is that what the trolls have been doing? Have they been taking peasant girls and mating with them, producing this hybrid race? How long have they been doing this? Ariyona knew it had to have been a while, as the truman in the hall had to be at least thirty at her estimate. It was hard to tell though, as she did not know how fast trolls aged. She wanted to ask the woman if she knew, but the woman was asleep on the floor of her cell.
Before long, another truman came to her cell and unlocked the door. He was much uglier than the truman in the great hall who had spoken to her, though Ariyona had not thought it possible. He picked up the end of Ariyona’s chain and tugged on it. Ariyona followed, although when they reached their destination she wished she hadn’t. It was a torture chamber. A troll took her chains and secured her to an iron cross so her arms and legs were spread. The truman picked up a vicious looking whip and approached her.
“My king wants to know who ye are and why the dragon allow ye to ride. Answer now or suffer.”
Ariyona did not reply and the whip bit across her thighs. The dress cushioned some of the blow, but it still hurt. The truman asked again. Ariyona still would not answer and this time the lash cut across her stomach. He lashed her a few more times before deciding she would not break this way. He growled an order to the troll who approached Ariyona. The troll ripped off her gown so she was covered only by her chemise. Ariyona could feel the coldness of the chamber as the chemise was thin and she felt exposed. He whipped her thighs a few more times. Ariyona screamed, but she would not answer the truman’s questions.
The troll released her from the cross, and she fell to the ground. Her respite did not last long. She was secured to the cross again, but this time she faced the wall. The truman whipped the backs of her thighs and her ass through the thin fabric of the chemise. Ariyona’s screams filled the chamber and the truman only laughed. Ariyona was close to begging him to stop when suddenly there were no more lashes. She was released from the cross, but she was careful not to fall to the ground as her ass and thighs burned from the lashes she had just received. She turned and faced her torturer.
“Mayhap I should have this troll mate with ye. That might loosen yer tongue. No, we shall save that for later. Put her in the pit. Let her sit in there awhile. The smell of fresh blood should bring the rats.”
The troll shoved Ariyona into a small cage she had to lay in which was lowered into a hole in the floor. The space she entered was only a little larger than the cage itself. The troll then moved a stone slab over the pit so only Ariyona’s head was visible as she stared into the room above her. She heard both the troll and the truman leave.
Soon enough, she heard the scurrying of little feet. She smelled the rats before she felt them, but there were several crawling on her body. She could feel them gnawing at her skin where the whip had cut her. It didn’t take long for her screams to echo off the walls of the room. When the pain became too much, darkness descended upon her and Ariyona felt no more pain.
*****
Jareth was pacing the great hall. Ariyona should have been back by now. He had his men scanning the skies, watching for the approach of the dragon who had whisked his wife away. His anger was boiling over, and none approached him for fear of his rage. Even Cormack and Ygraine kept their distance. When he reached the point where he could pace no more, he stormed out into the bailey and demanded his horse. It was brought to him as quickly as possible and Jareth mounted, riding at breakneck speed out of the bailey and toward the meadow. He wasn’t sure what he hoped to accomplish as he could neither summon Firestorm nor hear his words, but the meadow was the key.
Jareth was at the meadow an hour, his frustration and rage growing by the minute. His shouts of anger and anguish broke the stillness of the clearing. Suddenly Jareth saw some movement in the skies. As he watched, the form of Firestorm grew larger, and it appeared he carried something in his mouth. As the great beast drew close, Jareth could see he carried a basket, which he set gently in the meadow as he alit. Jareth’s son, Jasson, tumbled out.
Scooping up his son, Jareth hugged him tightly. Although the boy had been gone only a short time, Jareth thought he had grown. “My son! I am so happy to see you. Your mother and I have missed you so, but why for have you come?”
Jasson looked at Firestorm, studying him. Then he turned his little face to his father, relaying Firestorm's words. “Firestorm has lost…” he looked back at the dragon “…contact with the dragon who flew momma.”
Jareth looked at Firestorm. “What does that mean? What has happened?”
The dragon looked at Jasson, who studied the beast again. Then Jasson turned to his father. “Only death could do that,” the little prince said.
Jareth fell to his knees and Jasson came to hug his father. “And Ariyona? What of my queen?”
“He does not know, poppa.” Jasson looked back at Firestorm. “Too many words. This is too hard,” he said to the dragon. Jareth waited while Firestorm spoke into his son’s mind, wishing he could hear the dragon’s thoughts. A few times Jasson shook his head, and Jareth grew more anxious. Finally his son turned to him. “I must go. We will come back if we learn aught.”
Jareth didn’t want to let go of his son, but knew he must. “I love you, Jasson. Tell your sister I love her too.” Jasson nodded and got back into the basket, which Firestorm had righted and was holding with his mouth. Jasson was barely inside when Firestorm launched into the sky. Jareth feared for his son, but Jasson’s peals of laughter quickly ended his worry. He didn’t even wonder that his son’s speech had improved greatly in the short time he had been gone. He knew the twins were special, but in the short time Jasson had been gone, he had changed so much. Jareth mounted and rode back to the castle to tell Cormack and Ygraine what he had learned.
No matter what Ariyona may or may not have discovered, Jareth knew he must assemble his army as quickly as possible. He knew he needed to send troops into Carillon to see if he could find any trace of his wife and to discover what was happening on that side of the mountains. Taking the new road across the mountains might be dangerous, if the trolls were within the mountains, but it was also the quickest way at this point. Taking the gap in the south would add a few extra days travel. He would risk the dangerous route.
*****
Voices woke Ariyona. “Take her out of that cage,” the truman from the throne room said. “I do not need her eaten up by rats. I need her to talk.” Ariyona was pulled from the cage in the floor. Her chemise was tattered where the rats had been chewing upon her so she was barely covered. The truman stood in front of her looking up and down. Ariyona shuddered. “Who are ye? Will ye answer yet?”
Ariyona stood proud and silent. The troll who had dragged her out of the cage knocked her down to the ground. The truman kicked her in the side several times, still Ariyona would not speak. The troll hauled her up by her chains and held her above the ground just as he had in the throne room. She grasped at the chain about her neck trying to allow herself room to breathe. Just before she passed out, she was dropped to the ground. The truman again questioned her but she remained silent. With one last kick, he stormed out of the chamber and the troll secured her back in her cell before he too left.
Ariyona rubbed at her neck, now bruised from the chains, and her sides ached from being kicked. She thought some of her ribs might be broken, but her pride kept her going. Her stomach rumbled, and Ariyona wondered how long she’d been in the depths of the mountain. She needed to figure out a way to escape but the chains on the cell door and upon herself made that highly unlikely. She sat and pondered what she would do next.
The ugly troll came back for her and Ariyona was once again brought to the great hall where the leader sat upon his throne. Ariyona was clothed only in her tattered chemise, yet she held herself as regally as if she wore her royal garments. After surviving Komar and Vicker, she would not let this hybrid creature break her pride. The troll knocked her down to the ground, albeit Ariyona had been prepared for this and was able to cushion her fall. The leader walked down the three steps from his throne and approached her.
“Will ye tell us now who ye be?” he asked.
Ariyona remained silent not even looking up at him. She was hauled to her feet by the troll who held her chains and felt something sting her back. The leader was beating her with something yet she knew not what until he came to stand in front of her. She saw something akin to a riding crop in his hands. He struck the front of her thighs with it as well.
“Tell us who ye be!” the truman demanded. Ariyona could see how angry he was becoming, a small victory for her. She remained silent, her only sounds being the gasps and screams as he lashed her. This continued until Ariyona fell unconscious.
Sometime later, Ariyona awoke in her cell and noticed some movement outside. A young, female truman was looking in at her. The girl held a key in her hand and unlocked the cell door. She came to Ariyona removing the chains she wore then motioned for Ariyona to follow her. Ariyona didn’t hesitate though it pained her to move. They wound their way through many passages, some so narrow they had to squeeze themselves through. Finally the girl stopped and pointed down a passageway. Ariyona was unsure what to do, but the girl kept pointing. Making a decision, Ariyona ran down the passageway as fast as she could. At the end there was a slight opening, and Ariyona could see daylight. Squeezing through the opening, Ariyona was out of the mountain.
The light was fading as evening approached but Ariyona knew which way to go. She reached a road and began quickly walking north. Ariyona walked into the night and kept walking until she was in sight of Ravenwood castle. She was exhausted and still suffering from her injuries when she was sure the sentries had seen her, she collapsed upon the road. She made it—she was home.
Seeing a figure collapse upon the road, the sentries rode out to investigate. They scooped up the queen and rode as fast as they could into the bailey, shouting out an alarm as they approached. Jareth was roused from his sleep by the commotion and rushed into the bailey. When he saw his wife, he cried out and crushed her to him.
Ariyona opened her eyes. “Jareth,” she whispered as she reached out, stroking his cheek just as darkness claimed her yet again.
Jareth carried her to their chambers. He carefully removed her tattered chemise and carried her to the bath. She groaned without waking as the water surrounded her and Jareth gently washed her wounds. When he was done, he carried her back to their bed and laid her down, lying carefully beside her. Jareth was upset by the many bruises and cuts that layered his wife’s body and wondered what hell she had suffered. Ariyona could not yet tell him as she slumbered deeply in their bed. He kept his hands upon her, not wanting to stop touching her. He held her close throughout the night, hoping she would wake in the morning.