to her, motioning for her to be quiet.
The troll looked supremely
annoyed, and we were, after all, interrupting his supper, and
he is what Papa
likes to call a right bastard.
So, with that in mind, I turned to her
and tried to tell her as gently as I could to shut her trap.
“Otvla, you aren’t helping me any, sweet, could you
just-”
“ Oh! I know!” she exclaimed
excitedly, as if I’d never spoken.
Eyes widening, I made swift ‘shut it’
motions with my hands, hoping the troll didn’t catch on. Otvla’s
ideas never boded well. They were always hasty and involved me
doing all the-”
“ Daphie can take my place!”
she shouted triumphantly, grinning at the very idea. “She likes to
work, don’t you, Daphie?!” With a huge, fake smile, she bobbed her
head encouragingly, trying to get me to join in.
My hands fisted at my sides and my jaw
dropped. “Otvla!”
“ What?” she cajoled
innocently, as if this sounded perfectly reasonable, pursing her
pouty lips annoyingly, sticking out her lower lips like the brat
that she was. “Well, you do. And it’s not like Trystan’s going to
magically get up the nerve and ask father to marry you anytime
soon, so you have time.”
“ Otvla!!” I gritted out,
“Shut. Up!”
The troll, I noticed as I glanced at
him, was watching our exchange interestedly, eyes bouncing back and
forth between us. He, like many others, was sucked right into the
drama.
“ The troll said you smell
of sex,” she added slyly, “your beau probably already got what he’d
wanted anyways... Whereas I...”
“ You spoiled little twit!!”
I burst out, marching towards her. “You shit! How dare you put this
all one me!! And how dare you impugn Trystan’s character! You
sniveling little toad!”
I marched over to her cage and eyed it
thoughtfully. It looked simple enough of a contraption. Surely I
could manage it.
“ Did you agree with the
troll?” she whispered, unaffected by my rant, or the fact that I’d
just exposed my relationship with my now soon to be husband, giving
name to my secret lover. Huddling down, my younger sibling’s eyes
darted between us quizzically. “Is he going to let you take my
place?”
“ No,” I grumbled, muttering
under my breath, “I’m trying to figure out if it’s more trouble to
climb this contraption to strangle you myself, or just cut the rope
and watch you fall.”
“ Daphie!” Otvla’s outraged
gasp gave me a small measure of satisfaction, but it didn’t last
long.
The troll behind me roared out with
laughter, and I jumped, not realizing he’d followed right behind
me.
“ An’ how’s that fer a fair
trade,” he guffawed, the irony not lost on me.
My cheeks burned, like hot twin flames
across my cheeks, singeing me with humiliation.
Even the troll makes fun of
me. The troll!
“ She’s not that bad,” Otvla
protested, clearing her throat in that sickly supreme way she does
that lets you know she doesn’t mean a word.
I hated it. No, I loathed
it.
The troll sobered and snorted, his
burnt orange eyes large and probing. “I wasna sayin’ she was the
rotten potato stinkin’ up the room, layabout,” he snapped,
lumbering back to his warm fire and crispy dinner. “Now think on
that, ya lazy git.”
“ I don’t smell like a
potato,” Otvla whined, sniffling noisily, then checked her
underarms for any noticeable stench. She must have smelled like
something, yelping and wrinkling her nose, lowering her arms
quickly in hopes I hadn’t noticed.
She smelled ripe, all right, but it
was her attitude that I likened to the rotted tubers.
“ What if I bring you two
silver lockets?” I bargained, making my way slowly back over to
him.
“ What? Hers? No. Besides, I
already give it to yer bearer.” He smirked. “A token from the
troll, so ta speak, seein’ as I’m so gracious an’ all.”
A warning, it was more
like.
“ Oh, yes,” I mumbled under
my breath, “I’m beginning to see just how.”
“ What was
The troll looked supremely
annoyed, and we were, after all, interrupting his supper, and
he is what Papa
likes to call a right bastard.
So, with that in mind, I turned to her
and tried to tell her as gently as I could to shut her trap.
“Otvla, you aren’t helping me any, sweet, could you
just-”
“ Oh! I know!” she exclaimed
excitedly, as if I’d never spoken.
Eyes widening, I made swift ‘shut it’
motions with my hands, hoping the troll didn’t catch on. Otvla’s
ideas never boded well. They were always hasty and involved me
doing all the-”
“ Daphie can take my place!”
she shouted triumphantly, grinning at the very idea. “She likes to
work, don’t you, Daphie?!” With a huge, fake smile, she bobbed her
head encouragingly, trying to get me to join in.
My hands fisted at my sides and my jaw
dropped. “Otvla!”
“ What?” she cajoled
innocently, as if this sounded perfectly reasonable, pursing her
pouty lips annoyingly, sticking out her lower lips like the brat
that she was. “Well, you do. And it’s not like Trystan’s going to
magically get up the nerve and ask father to marry you anytime
soon, so you have time.”
“ Otvla!!” I gritted out,
“Shut. Up!”
The troll, I noticed as I glanced at
him, was watching our exchange interestedly, eyes bouncing back and
forth between us. He, like many others, was sucked right into the
drama.
“ The troll said you smell
of sex,” she added slyly, “your beau probably already got what he’d
wanted anyways... Whereas I...”
“ You spoiled little twit!!”
I burst out, marching towards her. “You shit! How dare you put this
all one me!! And how dare you impugn Trystan’s character! You
sniveling little toad!”
I marched over to her cage and eyed it
thoughtfully. It looked simple enough of a contraption. Surely I
could manage it.
“ Did you agree with the
troll?” she whispered, unaffected by my rant, or the fact that I’d
just exposed my relationship with my now soon to be husband, giving
name to my secret lover. Huddling down, my younger sibling’s eyes
darted between us quizzically. “Is he going to let you take my
place?”
“ No,” I grumbled, muttering
under my breath, “I’m trying to figure out if it’s more trouble to
climb this contraption to strangle you myself, or just cut the rope
and watch you fall.”
“ Daphie!” Otvla’s outraged
gasp gave me a small measure of satisfaction, but it didn’t last
long.
The troll behind me roared out with
laughter, and I jumped, not realizing he’d followed right behind
me.
“ An’ how’s that fer a fair
trade,” he guffawed, the irony not lost on me.
My cheeks burned, like hot twin flames
across my cheeks, singeing me with humiliation.
Even the troll makes fun of
me. The troll!
“ She’s not that bad,” Otvla
protested, clearing her throat in that sickly supreme way she does
that lets you know she doesn’t mean a word.
I hated it. No, I loathed
it.
The troll sobered and snorted, his
burnt orange eyes large and probing. “I wasna sayin’ she was the
rotten potato stinkin’ up the room, layabout,” he snapped,
lumbering back to his warm fire and crispy dinner. “Now think on
that, ya lazy git.”
“ I don’t smell like a
potato,” Otvla whined, sniffling noisily, then checked her
underarms for any noticeable stench. She must have smelled like
something, yelping and wrinkling her nose, lowering her arms
quickly in hopes I hadn’t noticed.
She smelled ripe, all right, but it
was her attitude that I likened to the rotted tubers.
“ What if I bring you two
silver lockets?” I bargained, making my way slowly back over to
him.
“ What? Hers? No. Besides, I
already give it to yer bearer.” He smirked. “A token from the
troll, so ta speak, seein’ as I’m so gracious an’ all.”
A warning, it was more
like.
“ Oh, yes,” I mumbled under
my breath, “I’m beginning to see just how.”
“ What was
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