The Skullfall Throne Part 3: The Rise of Rebellion

 

Years passed by and the trolls’ freedom was all but forgotten, it was only faintly remembered of time when they weren’t subjected to the whims of the humans.

    The trolls themselves only had a vague memory of being a part of the earth’s magic. They had forgotten that their blessing was once used to create instead of the warping they now did at the behest of their human masters. Their once great creation magic became nothing more than a parlor trick.

    Not until a young troll, brutally beaten by his cruel master, escaped. He ran under the cover of night through the thickest forests to avoid the notice of any humans. He didn’t sleep for the fear of being found and dragged back to his masters. Luckily the trolls do not have to eat food like the humans do, to this young troll the tree bark and pebbles that he nibbled on was a delectable treat. Much better than the nuts and rotted fruit his master gave him.

    The troll was always on the run pursued by his vengeful master without a chance to rest. He was plagued with the questions: would his master ever give up the chase, would he ever find somewhere to rest, would he ever be free?

    It was a full cycle of the moon when his questions were answered. He raced across a sea of jagged black rocks, his master behind him. He could see the angry bloodshot eyes behind as he ran. 

    

    His master roared. And then was silent.

    The troll turned around and saw that his master was no longer there but in his place was a pile of embers. He fell back against a tall black cliff and closed his eyes, rivers of amber slid down his rocky face. His master was gone. He was free.

    “My child, why do you weep?”

    The troll’s eyes flew open and he looked for the source of the soothing voice, a voice that made the unknown feeling of peace blossom into his stone core, but the field of rocks remained empty.

    “Who are you?” The troll ordered, picking up the sharpest of the stones at his feet.

    “Peace, my child, put down your weapon and look up.”

    The troll hesitated. He had been the victim of many cruel tricks at the hand of his master. How could he be sure that this wasn’t just another ploy from the humans to enslave him again? He had tasted freedom now, and would not go back without a fight.

    “Look up, my child.”

    Keeping the sharp stone firmly in his grip, he tilted his head back and looked up the stone wall he had rested on. His jaw fell open.

    The wall he had been leaning against was at the foot of a colossal volcano!

    “I am the Mother Peak. I am the one that brought you into this world. I am the one that blessed you with your gift.”

    Anger boiled in the troll.

    “You are the reason that we trolls are oppressed. You are the reason that I was abused for years by my master!”

    “No, my child, you are,” The voice answered and a deep feeling of sadness seeped into the troll. “The trolls were the ones to create the humans giving them the same love for beauty that they had. The trolls were the ones to offer my blessing to the humans as a sign of peace.”

    The voice sighed and the troll felt a deep shame.

    “The humans are much greedier than the trolls. They covet lifeless beauty. They seek after shining beauty and disregard the grace in all matters of life. There was a time when the trolls held the very power of life and death in their hands, but now I’m afraid their magic has been reduced to only the surface.”

    The troll's eyes gleamed and finally let the stone slip from his fingers. He saw a vision of how to change the world. To create peace for the trolls.

    “I want to learn to wield that power once more,” the troll said. “Will you teach me?”

    The Great Volcano sent a pillar of smoke out of her wide mouth and showered him with orange and red embers. Wherever the ashes landed on his body would glow red until his entire body was illuminated. He felt a powerful surge rush through his iron veins. His core vibrated and shook violently, but before he could fear that his rocky limbs would break off, his core stilled and the light died away.

    His once pale gray surface was now red and jutted out in an armor of glittering rubies. They glinted and gleamed like there was a tiny flame trapped in each gem.

    For the first time in his life, the troll felt powerful.

To be continued...