Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
MAIA
Maia quickly realized her new husband had not been joking about the travel she would have to endure. Ragnar, she was coming to find, didn’t embellish much. When he said it was going to be a hard travel day, he meant exactly that.
At first, he’d tried to throw her over his shoulder just like he had the first time they’d traveled together. Unfortunately, that had worked for only a few minutes before she struggling against him, swearing that she was going to vomit again.
That was a lie. She hadn’t felt sick at all, but the bruising on her stomach had hurt significantly worse than she’d thought it would. Not to mention her injured wrist made it impossible to brace herself on his back like she had before. A little lie didn’t hurt anyway, and besides, she knew that speed was important to him.
Instead, she’d offered to hold on to his back. If they needed to run at this breakneck speed, she couldn’t keep up. But she wasn’t weak, and she could cling to him with her arms and legs.
He let her, and that meant they traveled even faster. She’d had to press her face against his neck and pray to all the gods that would listen to her because the speed at which the trolls ran was terrifying. She’d only ridden a horse once in her life, but this was the same sensation. All she could do was trust that he wouldn’t run them both into a tree, because she certainly couldn’t tell if they were going to or not.
By nightfall that first night, she stumbled into bed and fell asleep so fast she didn’t even remove her clothing. It felt like her eyes had only just closed before he was waking her again. They ran. For days on end. And at the end of the second day, he started dunking her in whatever pool of water he could find. Sometimes it was a stream, sometimes it was a vernal pool, but every single day she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder and woke to him tossing her into frigid waters.
He claimed it was her stench. She thought it was more likely that he just enjoyed hearing her squawk of disapproval.
Her patience was wearing so thin. Soon enough, she feared she would explode. She’d start yelling at him, screaming that he wasn’t treating her right and that he was a beast of a man who had no idea how to treat a woman.
Except, she knew she wasn’t what he had wanted in a partner, either. The other trolls laughed at the way she had to wear their clothing, and they thought it was hilarious that her own mate had to convince her to wash.
Maia was just waiting to get sick. Soon enough, she would feel the dripping of her nose and the sniffles that wouldn’t leave. A cough would set into her chest, and she would lose her voice.
He was making her wash every single day, which meant she was at risk of getting sick, but strangely, it hadn’t happened yet…
No, she wouldn’t admit that he was right. She didn’t care that she felt better after she washed. She didn’t care that her mind even felt lighter after washing the day’s grime off her body. It didn’t matter. She would not fall into his trap and believe that her own people were wrong.
A troll didn’t know more about her own body than she did.
Sitting up in bed, she stared at the flap of the tent and waited for Ragnar to come through. But the light filtering through it this morning looked a little different. Brighter, somehow. As though he’d let her sleep in.
But that couldn’t be possible. He’d woken her as the sun crested the horizon for three days straight now. Maia was just getting used to this grueling torment and was ready to get onto his back and hold on until her arms were quaking and her thighs ached.
She should have told him days ago. But the longer she let it go before telling him that she wasn’t even the princess, the more it seemed likely he’d kill her once she did tell him. Why did she let it go this long? It just hadn’t felt like the timing was right, or worse, that she had knowingly withheld the information rather than being such a pushover that the words just refused to leave her tongue.
The longer she stared at the glimmering light, the more she was certain it was later in the day. He hadn’t come for her.
A small glimmer of hope blossomed in her chest. Maybe, if she was lucky, he’d decided she wasn’t worth the trouble and would just leave her in the woods. At this point, she thought that was preferable. She knew nothing about surviving in the forest by herself, but maybe she could figure it out.
Still, she should make sure she was alone. No use getting her hopes up if he was about to stomp in here and yell at her again.
Maia rolled out of bed, sighing as her feet touched the ground and her thighs started to ache again. Just using them flared all that pain bright and hot once more. Limping over in nothing but the shirt he gave her to sleep in, she eased the flap aside and squinted her eyes in the bright sunlight.
There were four trolls around the fire in front of the tent. One she recognized, but she’d recognize him anywhere. She’d been mapping the goose bumps on his back while pressed against him for days now. But the other three she didn’t know at all.
Stepping closer, she realized they were women. Female trolls, which she hadn’t realized she would see this early in her journey.
They were all thinner than their male counterparts, and smaller. But they still looked strong, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles that set them apart from any human woman she’d met before. It was interesting to see them and how different they were. All the women had tattoos, and some of them had piercings in their ears that jangled when they moved.
They were all speaking in the black tongue. The melodic, rhythmic speech was something that Maia was still getting used to. But it wasn’t quite so strange to hear it now, even if she didn’t know what they were saying.
Ragnar looked over his shoulder at her and then stood. “Good, you’re here. We are soon for Trollkin Mountain. They’ll help you prepare.”
“P-prepare?” she stuttered. Maia had no idea what was going on.
Was he leaving? He was. He just walked away without another glance. But that left her here by herself, with three women staring at her like she was supposed to know what was happening.
And she was in nothing more than a threadbare shirt.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she tried to clear her throat, but it came out as more of a garbled, throaty sound. “Hello. I’m sorry he didn’t introduce me, but my name is Maia. It’s lovely to meet all of you.”
The troll women all looked at each other, then back at her. It gave Maia a few moments to drink in their differences. Their clothing was what Maia supposed she was meant to be wearing. Leathers that were dyed a particular color and beaded around the edges. Gemstones and jewelry dripped from their forms. Rings, multiple necklaces, and bracelets that danced up their arms and created a light metallic song as they moved.
One of them was significantly younger, and slate gray. Perhaps part of why Maia could tell her age was that she had fewer tattoos. There were only a few dark marks on her body. The swirls even looked newer than the others’. Less faded. She also only had two piercings on each elongated ear.
The next troll woman was a little older, a darker blue, although still young looking. Her ears were full of piercings, and her entire body appeared to be tattooed from head to toe. Large black patches covered a significant amount of her skin, as though someone had intended to create bars of black rather than intricate designs like Maia had seen so far.
The last woman, however, was elderly and wrinkles bisected her green coloring. Her hair was nearly white as snow and pooled down her shoulders like foam. Her eyes were worn, with wings around the edges that crinkled when she caught Maia’s attention. Though she was also heavily tattooed, she had more piercings than either of the two trolls who sat beside her. Her markings were worn, just as her skin was a little faded as well.
“Maia,” the old woman said, standing with a hand pressed against her back. “It is good to meet you. We were chosen to guide you into your role as troll wife. Although, from what I’ve heard, you have very little guidance needed.”
Maia frowned. “I need all the help I can get. I don’t know what’s going on, to be honest.”
The three women looked at each other. And that was when she realized she’d said something wrong.
Apparently, the princess was supposed to be studying what it meant to be a troll wife. Perhaps they had sent instructions to the king that the princess should have read. There were preparations that the princess had been meant to do, and here Maia was completely ignorant of those.
Maybe now was when she told them? It seemed as good a point as any. These women weren’t as scary as the troll who had just left.
“All of this is a great misunderstanding,” she tried again. “You see, I’m not supposed to be here.”
The trolls looked at each other, and then a soft smile spread across the old woman’s face. “Indeed. But no troll wife feels certain when it is her time. You were promised to Ragnar by the Bone Reader. Therefore, you are right where you’re supposed to be, princess.”
“But I’m not a princess,” she said, desperately trying to find the right words to punch through the wall of her anxiety.
The older woman reached out a hand for her to take and drew her with the other two. “We’ll refresh your memory, dear one. You’ll learn with us the best we can teach you. For now, let us introduce ourselves. I am Hulda, a troll crone.”
A what? Maia opened her mouth to ask more questions, but then the one who appeared around her age spoke. “I am Inkeri, a troll wife. Just like yourself.”
The youngest then waved her hand. “I am Rota, a troll maiden. The three of us represent the three stages of a troll’s life. We are the maiden, wife, and crone.”
She’d heard of something similar, but only whispered in secrets. Witches, her people called them. They twisted the magic of the elves that was in their bloodline and used it for dark magic. At least, that was what the rumors were. She knew plenty of people who were very quick to go to said witches for magic, however.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” she said again, only to pause as they all stared at her. Clearly, she was meant to say something else. Maia licked her lips and finally said, “I am Maia, a troll wife?”
Hulda clapped her wrinkled hands. “Yes! She learns quickly, this one.”
They drew her through the camps then, and the other trolls murmured blessings and hellos as they passed by them. If Hulda didn’t know them, then Inkeri or Rota did. It appeared almost all the trolls here knew each other. Which went against everything she’d heard about them. Trolls were solitary until they banded together for war, and that was only because they enjoyed raiding human settlements.
But this seemed as though they all knew each other deeply. And soon enough, she found herself enjoying the jabs they gave each other as they walked by. Inkeri certainly thought she was prettier with those new earrings. Hulda looked remarkably straight backed for such a hunched old lady. Rota still looked so young with those soft cheeks! The teasing endeared them all to her, as though she knew them, too.
The deep sense of community lulled her into a sense of peace until she realized the women had drawn her into the forest with them. Soon enough, they came upon a stream and that was where they stopped her.
Hulda drew her to a large stone and sat her down on it. “I was once a troll wife, and it is my honor to be the one to bring you into the fold. Troll wives stick together. We are a family even more than the husbands are.”
“I don’t know what any of this means,” she replied with a slight laugh. “I’m sorry. I feel like you expect me to know what’s happening.”
A flash of dark tattoos caught her attention as the youngest sat down beside her. Rota grabbed her hand, and Maia stared down at the massive slate gray hand that held hers. Rota curled those claws around her, holding tightly. “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt that much.”
Maia’s skin went cold with a flare of panic. What did she mean it wouldn’t hurt?
“Why would anything hurt?” she asked, before her gaze flicked over to Inkeri. She’d drawn out a long needle from her pocket. It was nearly the length of Maia’s finger, and thicker than any she’d seen before. The sunlight of the glade caught along the edge and made it seem sharp as a sword the more she stared at it.
“What are you doing with that?” Maia asked, and then she realized she couldn’t get away. Rota had placed a hand on her back as well, holding her in place on the rock.
“It is the duty of the troll wives to give you your first,” Hulda replied. “I am pleased to see no one has broken skin on you before.”
Were they going to shove that into her eyes? What was the point of this? Perhaps now she would find out why the trolls were considered so cruel.
“Please,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. “Don’t do this.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. She could feel the rhythm of it knocking off what it normally would be, and suddenly, there was no rhythm at all. She was going to die of her heart exploding in her chest long before she felt the pain of whatever they intended to do. They were going to make her suffer, she could feel it. She would never live through this, she wouldn’t?—
Inkeri grabbed her right ear. “Take a deep breath, fire hair. It’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”
And then the needle slid through the lobe of her ear. She felt the sharp tip first, pressing hard against her skin. Then the pop as it slid through and the heat of a sting that seared through the flesh.
She released a long breath, hissing out the sound as though that might help with the sting. But then she opened her eyes and looked up at Inkeri, who was staring down at her work. “I think that’s centered. Don’t you?”
Hulda leaned closer to look it over before nodding. “And barely any blood. Good job.”
“Now the next,” Inkeri said. But she didn’t go to the other ear. Instead, she placed the needle against the harder part at the top of Maia’s ear.
“Wait,” she said, trying to reach for Inkeri’s hand, but found herself held in place by Rota. “I don’t need one there. My lobe is enough.”
“A troll wife always gets her first four piercings after the mating. Stay still.”
They made quick work of the other three. Her ears burned afterward, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. Maia had never gotten anything pierced in her life. Some women had their ears done, but her father hadn’t been able to afford earrings. Why would she have holes in her ears that would just heal over?
Hulda produced pretty gold rings and gently put them into each of the punctures that Inkeri had made. There was a reverence in her touch, one that made Maia sit very still so that she didn’t mess this moment up.
“A troll wife’s first jewelry is usually provided by her husband,” Hulda said. “But yours did not bring the piercings. I believe he thought we would be meeting in our home. But that is all right. I knew to bring some of my own.”
“These are yours?” Maia asked, then lifted her hand to touch them.
“They were the rings my husband gave me when we first met. He told me only the prettiest troll in the land would be worthy of them.” Hulda looked at each ear before cupping Maia’s face. “You may not be a troll, but they still look lovely on you.”
For some strange reason, tears pricked Maia’s eyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of these women, but she couldn’t remember the last time someone had told her that she was lovely. Her father hadn’t cared to. None of the men who came to the house ever cared about her. They cared about the business and the money they might be able to make. Perhaps her mother had once told her she was pretty, but Maia didn’t remember her at all.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Now, I’m sure you feel silly for being so afraid.”
Her cheeks burned just as hot as her ears did. “A bit.”
Inkeri chuckled, and Rota let out a bell like giggle that filled the clearing. The youngest of them all said, “Can you imagine how afraid Ragnar was when he got his husband piercings? What you just did is nothing compared to what he endured.”
“Husband piercings?” she asked.
The three troll wives went quiet. They all looked at each other, then at her.
Hulda was the first to ask, “Yes? I assume you felt them if you did not see them.”
“I haven’t...” Maia wasn’t sure how to say that she hadn’t even seen her husband for a few days other than hanging onto him. “Was it his ears? Those didn’t seem worse than this.”
A loud snort erupted from Inkeri’s mouth. “Fuck, no. That’s hilarious. Silly little thing, we meant the ones on his cock.”
Again, silence. All Maia could hear were the birds that twittered in the trees around them and the faint hush of the wind moving through the leaves. All three of the troll women looked at her expectantly, as though she were supposed to laugh or reveal that this had all been a giant joke on her end. But she didn’t know what they were talking about.
“Did you say piercings on his cock?” she asked, although the last word she could barely get out.
Inkeri’s face paled. “Oh, you haven’t?—”
“Oh dear,” Hulda said before pressing her hand to her mouth.
Rota was the only one with the absolutely ridiculous nature to burst out laughing and shout, “She hasn’t seen his cock yet!”
The forest burst into movement as the loud noise scattered birds into the trees around them. And all the while, Maia couldn’t help but wonder what a pierced cock would even look like.
A small laugh bubbled out of her as well, then a longer one, and soon they were all braced against each other, laughing until tears ran down their cheeks.
“I really am sorry,” Inkeri stammered out. “I just assumed after four days of being mated that you would have at least seen the damn thing.”
“I haven’t!” Maia said with another laugh. “But what kind of piercings does one even put on a cock?”
Hulda gathered them all up, forcing the younger women to stand and then nudging them all forward. “Back to the camp with the lot of you. We aren’t answering that question, fire hair. That’s a question for your husband.”
And what a shame that was, because Maia was married to a man who had very little use for her at all. Questions? He wouldn’t answer a single one of them. And she certainly wouldn’t be asking him about his cock.