Page 119 of A Light So Blinding
Unfortunately, such a tiny action had led them to this point.
He knelt on the cold stones before his king with Astrid at his side. The others were behind both of them. Ragnar, Rabbit, Gunnar, and all the trolls who had fought with them. They were the ones who had survived and been saved. Though they had lost a great number, he was relieved to see it was even less than he had thought it would be.
Technically, they had been victorious. They’d released their people from that prison, and they had brought them all home. They had destroyed the labyrinth. They just hadn’t anticipated the human king getting involved.
King Egil tapped his foot on the ground, the only thing that Bjorn could see with his head lowered. The long talons on his bare feet scraped along the floor as the king thought.
“It was bound to happen someday,” King Egil finally said. “The humans have been begging for a war for ages. They have been hunting on our mountain, depleting our food supply. They have kidnapped and taken our people, making them fight for sport while their own made money from death. This future has been barreling toward us, and I have heard it in the night. The drums of war pound throughout our mountain, begging us to fight for what we should always fight for. Our freedom.”
A few of the warband leaders thudded their fists to their chests. It almost sounded like drums as they did so. And Bjorn knew, for the moment at least, he was going to stay alive.
“You, Destroyer.”
He lifted his head, nervous for what he might find waiting for him. A glare from the king was as good as a death sentence.
He was surprised to see the king appear kind. Or, at the very least, he didn’t seem angry.
“You have helped our people as only your bloodline can. I have heard from our healer that you were gravely injured.”
“Not gravely, your highness. Injured yes. But I would have been fine.” He thought, at least. Gravely made it seem like he was on his deathbed, but he hadn’t been that. He’d even have been able to get home if he'd needed to. It wouldn’t have been a pleasant journey, but he’d been injured worse in his early years in the labyrinth.
The king cocked his brow. “I have heard from the healer what his official opinion of it was, and I know that you took many swords that were not intended for you. While you might have plunged us into a war, you still brought home all those trolls we thought were lost. The lives you saved today are valuable. Not just to their families, but to all of Trollveggen.”
The weight of it all released. Bjorn had done something good, unlike his father, who had hurt so many with what his blood carried. The beast, the Bull, had helped people, and that... that felt good.
But then the king leaned forward, and Bjorn knew he would not like what his king had to say next. “I will forgive you if you agree to fight with us in this upcoming war. We have need of your abilities, Bjorn. Our people need to be protected by one such as you. No more fighting me on this.”
And there was that weight again. Lying flat across his shoulders and pushing him down until he was kneeling once more before the king. Bjorn pressed his fists into the stone hard enough that his knuckles ached.
“I agree,” he said, the words grinding out between his teeth.
Although he didn’t want to fight, he couldn’t lie and say it didn’t feel good to do so. Hehadbeen born for this. He struggledagainst himself every step of the way, but perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad now that he could control the beast.
Astrid had helped him unlock that. Just as she helped him now with her hand pressed over his, easing the anger and anxiety that churned in his chest. Instead, all he could feel was pride that he had done something right. He’d saved people, and he could focus on that now.
Turning his head, he mouthed, “Thank you,” to his troll wife.
Astrid smiled at him, and that soft expression healed so much more than he could ever say.
The king once more leaned back on his throne. “Warlords. We prepare for war. The princess has taken control over the kingdom, along with a cabinet of battle hardened men. We fight the humans, no matter what they bring next. I refuse to sit here and wait for them to attack us. Kill them if they are on the mountain. Hunt them down. Make it clear that we were the ones who killed their king and we will not stop now. We will no longer stand for the mistreatment of our people.”
Boisterous cries rang throughout the entire hall. It was then that Bjorn realized these trolls had been waiting to fight. They weren’t angry cries over him starting a war. The trolls were elated. They had been wanting to do this for countless years, but the king had never allowed them to do so.
Finally, the meeting was over. The king dismissed them, standing and striding toward the hidden chambers in the back where he would meet with the highest warlords. They would decide where and what the next step was.
For now, Bjorn wanted to gather up his bright one and head out into the sun. Even if it was a little dangerous.
“Astrid,” he said, helping her stand. “Would you?—”
“Before you run off again, might I have a word?”
They both looked over at Rabbit, who stood with them. His friend from the cells already looked better. Just being out inthe fresh air, traveling over the mountain with them and eating more than his fair share of the rations, had made him look more like a troll and less like a prisoner. His yellow skin was still perhaps a sickly color, but his hair was no longer greasy. He wore traditional troll clothing, leather straps over his chest, which was perhaps a little broader now than it had been only a few days ago.
“What is it, Rabbit?” he asked.
“It’s actually Torben,” he corrected. Rabbit’s chest puffed up a bit with pride. “Now that we’re out of the labyrinth, I think it’s better if we call each other by our true names and not the names that place gave us.”
Bjorn felt something in his chest creak. It wasn’t entirely his heart feeling soft toward this other troll, but it was... something. He grunted. “Torben. I am Bjorn.”
