Daughter of the Witcher Ch. 05

"I only meant that the meeting, if it can be done is a little dangerous. One wrong move, one misstep or misinterpretation and there could easily be four dead witches in the room. That one has a friend to watch her back just as I have," Màiri smiled as she pulled herself up and Beathag spread her legs.

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In less than twelve days, Leif was home and his ailing father was still among the living. Like anything else about trolls, if there was no other outside circumstance, the decision of an old troll that he or she was dying could take a bit of time, but once it was clear, the actual dying seldom took long. But while he yet lived, Leif's father met and expressed his vast pleasure to meet Moppy, who stood by his bed looking very shy and bashful.

A few days later, Moppy was surprised that she had a visitor at the door to the home which had been provided to her and her husband. By that point, Moppy was pleased to see just about anyone. With all of the arguing and long-winded discussions going on, Leif almost never saw her and it bothered her more and more.

Gudrun was a curious sort of person, though Moppy was careful not to stare when they met. She was aware that among the many relations here for the death of their clan chieftain, it was she who was the odd-looking one. All the same, she did find herself catching glimpses of the girl when she thought that she could and get away with it.

Gudrun was a little tall, from Moppy's perspective. There weren't a lot of what might be seen as feminine attributes there to be seen at first glance. She was spare and thin, quite gangly in some ways and Moppy could see no signs of breasts there under the odd-looking vest, and there was little if any sort of curves to her and her long hair was the sort of mess that had Moppy itching to get her comb into, just to straighten it out.

"I am Leif's cousin," she said, as she invited Moppy to go for a bit of a walk, "and I am here to keep you amused and entertained, I suppose. The chieftain is not even dead yet and the arguing and the haranguing begin already. My cousin cares nothing about anything which is being contended but it falls to him to keep order even so."

As they began to walk, Moppy didn't comprehend and she said so.

Gudrun sighed, "There are seven children before Leif. All are from his father's first wife, so all are full trolls. Leif is only half-troll, but he is the lord's favorite. I am also half-troll.

"What happened te the laird's first wife?" Moppy asked.

"From what was said to me," Gudrun began, "she flew into a jealous rage after seeing her husband looking at another female troll and she lost her head."

Moppy was confused, "She died from being jealous?"

Gudrun shook her head, "No, she split the chieftain's head open with her axe because she was angry."

"Ah'm sorry," Moppy said, "But Ah still don't see why -- "

"He took her head off with his axe because he was angry then."

Moppy walked on, her eyes wide then, "Oh."

Gudrun continued, "Anyway, the squabbling has begun because it falls to Leif to distribute the inheritance. The others have been quick to protest that since Leif is not a full troll, he has no authority. But it is our law that the disburser does not need to be a full troll." She sighed again, "It may be some time before Leif can return to you. These things can be long in the settling."

"How well do ye know Leif?" Moppy asked, "Ah see that nobody talks like me here and the longer that we stay, the less Leif does too."

"Leif does not stem from your islands," Gudrun said, "He was born here. But living where he did for a time before he met you caused his speech to change so that he fit in better. It will probably go back to how it was as soon as you and he leave after the funeral."

"But," Moppy began, "there's been no death yet."

"No," Gudrun said, but she didn't elaborate for a moment. She drew a weary-sounding breath then and said, "There has been no death, but that does nothing to stave off the squabbling and worse, because the chieftain is still alive, he hears all of it and then he feels as though he must join in and then it gets loud and after a good argument and fight, the chieftain then wishes to change how things are to be distributed.

Leif should have just declined this honor stayed at home.

Leif's mother is sister to my mother and we grew up together from when we were trollings. The other trollings were cruel and nasty to us and we were much smaller, so it was easy for us to join together. He was my first lover."

Moppy looked up as they walked and Gudrun shrugged, "No other male wanted me. I have no beauty marks on my face like the real troll girls."

"All I ever see on the girl's faces around here are warts," Moppy said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," the other replied, "beauty marks. We loved each other, but what we had is forbidden. I went on alone, and Leif left to go to Orkneyjar. There he met his wife and I think that you know that tale's ending. I see that he is very happy with you Moppy, and I am glad for it. If he had no one by now, I would have asked that he take me when he left and I would be his again where no one knew us. "

The reason for Leif's desire that Moppy come along became clear then, though she said nothing to Gudrun.

They spent over a month in each other's company and in that time, the two became friends, though Moppy became insistent over the time that she be allowed to help Gudrun with a few things that she could and ought to be doing to improve herself.

Gudrun was surprised, "But, ... I do everything that a troll boy could want in a girl."

"That's what Ah'm sayin'," Moppy said, "Yer tryin' so hard te catch the eyes of them what don't see ye as somebody that they'd want fer themselves. What Ah'm meanin' is that ye let me help a little wi' yer looks -- just little things, mind, and then ye can leave and ye'll likely have better luck landing a good catch in a man from the outside. It was just the other way around fer me. No boy wanted me where Ah'm from. But a half-troll did and we've been happy ever since."

Gudrun walked on a few steps and Moppy watched the beginnings of her smile.

"See Gudrun?" she laughed, "That's the way that ye ought te be. Ye need te get clean away from these sour folks and have a little fun. I think ye look lovely with a smile."

The troll girl looked over, "You do?"

"Yes!" Moppy grinned, "Trust me a little and Ah'll help ye turn inte a real beauty."

"For a troll," Gudrun added.

"Nae, for a girl," Moppy said with a nod that brooked no argument.

It took about a week, but gradually, Moppy got Gudrun's hair cleaned thoroughly and she evened up the ends, which still left a lot of length, but for the first time since Gudrun was a child, her hair no longer had moss growing in it. Gudrun was a little doubtful and even skeptical as she sat still while Moppy braided it and tied a few bits of ribbon at the ends of the many braids. Gudrun had the downturned horns, but they were thin and Moppy thought that they suited her, now that she could see them.

The weather stormed a little later, icy rain and even some wet snow. Gudrun took her friend down to a cavern under the ground where they bathed and swam. There were cave fish there, and Moppy expressed a desire to catch a couple for a meal, but she had no gear for it. Gundul shrugged and waded in, catching more than they needed in minutes using her hands.

"Here," Moppy began, "How'd ye do that?"

Gudrun shrugged, "They are cave fish."

"Yeah, and so what then?" Moppy asked.

Gudrun blinked back, "Cave fish are blind."

But Moppy was staring at something then and the troll questioned it.

Moppy waded over, "Ah'm just seein' yer tits for the first time is all," Moppy smiled as she reached over to move some of the fur aside.

Gudrun looked a little embarrassed, "And so? Mine are not lush and soft like yours, Moppy."

Moppy shook her head, "Maybe not, but they're very nice, is what I mean." She ran her hand down Gudrun's front, smoothing down the fur so that the troll's modest swell was visible.

"That's next on my list then," she giggled a little, "Ah'll work on yer fur te get it te behave a little, now that Ah've managed te, er, ... subdue yer mane a peedie bit. There's a figure in there somewhere, Ah'll warrant, Gudrun. Ye just need te have a bit of faith in Moppy.

Fer now, well, ..." She thought for a moment, "Here. Can ye do somethin' like this?"

Gudrun stared as her friend began to change to the rabbit in front of her. "This is something what Leif gave me and Ah know that he can change himself inte a man when he needs te look like one."

She ran her hands over her own breasts and front, "Ah'm thinking that yer hair there hides a bit too much, and it'll likely take me a good time te get that lookin' better like yer hair does now. Can ye do something like this for now?"

Gudrun nodded, "I need to sometimes. There are mean ones in our clan and I have learned to defend myself. Wait."

Moppy's long ears dropped down a little more as her eyes opened wide. Gudrun's means of defense was to turn into a very catlike thing with long claws.

"Better?" Gudrun asked.

Moppy laughed and nodded, "Ye might be a bit ferocious as I imagine," she said, "but Ah think ye look so nice." She ran her hand over Gudrun's short fur, liking the way that the pert and firm breasts remained.

"But ye ought te change back now that Ah've had a look at ye," she smiled, "Ah'm gettin' some naughty thoughts like this."

Gudrun was very surprised by the remark, though she managed to keep her face a little impassive.

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That afternoon, the two of them sat eating fish and talking when the door crashed open and Leif burst in, furious and upset, though he did calm down a little to see his cousin there.

"While all of this foolishness had been going on and the long list of relations had te have their say -- at great bloody length, mind -- it's been noticed that there are none of the clan in their normal haunts and after a few polite questions here and there, they know that the chieftain has chosen this time tae die and the other clans are now attacking. It's the perfect time fer it.

When it was told te me, I had te interrupt Old Lady Pizzlewater and she didna want te stop long enough te listen. I said my piece te Da, and he turned almost purple and then he got outta the bed -- right off his deathbed - an he picked up his axe, mutterin' and complainin' all the while that a troll cannae even get the time te be dyin'!

"I've had enough, Moppy. I've nae more time fer this. I've got ye te think about, so we're leavin' right now. Gudrun, I reckon there's little te hold ye here, so ye're welcome to come wi' us, girl. But we canna even pack properly. There's war in the valley and we'll have a time of it just tae get ourselves outta this mess."

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It didn't take Moppy long to decide that she didn't like the idea of being in the middle of a troll war. Gudrun ran off and returned with her horse while Leif saddled up his old mare. The only sort of mount even close to being suitable to carry trolls, even two as undersized as Leif and Gudrun, are draft animals, and they are not known to be racehorses.

There were a few tight scrapes on the way out of the valley, but the three of them made it and turned for home.

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"Well," Louhi smiled as she looked up at Cuilén, "What are they doing?"

He smirked, "About what you'd expect for a young pair of lovers," he smiled, "though with them, one never knows what might be seen. The last time, they were lying there looking like seals on the floor. It took a moment to understand what they were doing.

Now, they are those other shapes and Ren has mounted Nikki. Their faces are different even like this, but they look happy."

Louhi almost jumped out of the bed with a grin, "I must see them like that. I cannot imagine it, though you told me of it before. So they lie front to front like the seals then also?"

He shook his head, "He mounts her from behind."

She grabbed his hand, "Take me then, I wish to see this."

As they stood in the dark doorway, it was obvious that over the almost two months and some, the pair were now deeply in love and very happy.

But outside, as the cold Autumn rain tried to make up its mind about allowing winter to have full reign, there were watchers looking out from the trees across the road at the inn. One of them turned back to a newcomer and spoke quietly in almost a whisper.

"I think that the one we were told to seek is there, a young woman with white hair. There are four people all told. The one you seek, another girl with sort of blonde hair and two men. One looks to be a strip of man, not large and young-looking. He seems to be with the blonde-haired woman. But there is a large man with the white-haired girl and he wears the marks of a Pict -- if you can believe it. I wouldn't want to have to fight him alone or even with another three to help me."

Màiri nodded and whispered back, "Good Gilbert and well done. Watch on then as you can. I will try to set the place for a meeting. When I am ready, I will send enough to help you to talk them into what I want."

She turned and disappeared into the darkness, walking quickly to where others held her horse. She motioned to them silently as she mounted up and they rode off through the night down a little-used forest trail.