Arinnefja began to skillfully rekindle the fireplace before receiving the moose from the wolf’s muzzle. Then she quickly dismembered the dead animal with a simple-looking but nonetheless sharp-edged stone knife. The meat got pinned on skewers made from wood or bone before being placed all around the fire. The innards got collected in a leather bag that was filled with water and hung above the fireplace to cook them. The bones were set aside – at least for now.

While the troll was busy with preparing food, Hrimnir, the giant wolf she called her baby, curiously sniffed Violant who was now awake again after all.

The redhead, remembering wat the helpful troll had told her, smiled at the wolf although feeling terribly intimidated by his mouth full of big sharp teeth, and said:

“Thank you, Hrimnir. Arinnefja has told me that it was you who has found me. Thank you very much.”

Although she wasn’t sure if the white wolf really was able to understand her, at least it was obvious that Arinnefja was pleased.

“Arinnefja’s baby is a good boy. That he is.” the troll said “Violant did good to thank Hrimnir.”

Violant couldn’t help but smile wryly. It was possible that trolls were more humanlike than she ever thought, or at least this genius among trolls was. At least she felt a certain similarity she wouldn’t have thought possible during the troll uprising. Even Avallachs weren’t immune against prejudices after all.

About half an hour later breakfast was ready. Arinnefja brought some skewers and a bowl of innards soup to Violant. When her patient wanted to join her at the fireplace instead, the troll replied that it wasn’t good for an injured person to move around too much. She rather would join her human guest at the bedside if she wanted company.

During their meal Violant and Arinnefja chatted quite a bit after they had discarded their initial reserve bit by bit. When asked why she called the giant wolf Hrimnir her baby, Arinnefja answered that she had him since he was a puppy who had just lost his mother in a pack fight and had raised him herself. This was no easy feat considering the circumstances of the outcast Arrinnefja who was but a child at that time too. It wasn’t until much later that they found this remote cave far from the troll settlement where they could live sheltered and in peace without fearing harassment from the other trolls and their wolf mounts alike.

“But Arinnefja also has friends who have helped.” the troll explained “Without them Arinnefja’s life would have been much harder. Arinnefja is really grateful to them. That she is. It was Dougald and Donnell who have taught Arinnefja human language too. It is good to know, they said. Dougald and Donnell almost only speak human language though. Arinnefja wanted to be able to speak with her friends. So she had learnt it.”

“What about us, Arinnefja?” a raucous voice asked, followed by an eerie double laughter.

All heads turned to the cave entrance in surprise.

“We thought we should visit you again and here we find you, talking about us.” said another voice, slightly deeper but equally raucous.

The two voices belonged to two humanoid beings that were as alike as two peas in a pod. Both were rather small, childlike in height, but thickset nonetheless. Their hideous faces had big fire-red eyes and a mouth full of monstrous sharp teeth, surrounded by grey unkempt hair reaching down to their shoulders. They were dressed in simple leather armor but wore shoes from iron. In one of their hands which prominently featured talon-like fingernails both held an iron pike each. The most appalling though were the caps the two newcomers were wearing on their heads. They were of a blood-red color and if closely examined that color could be found to be indeed coagulated blood.

Seeing those two, Violant felt a chill running up and down her spine. There could be no doubt about it that the troll’s precious friends were redcaps, a kind of otherworldly being known for habitually slaughtering humans and dyeing their eponymous headdresses in the blood of their victims. Redcaps were normally known to be of a solitary nature. That didn’t seem to be the case for the twin brothers who had come here though.

Closing in, the two redcaps began to whisper to another.

“Do you see what I see, Donnell?”

“I sure do, Dougald.”

“It’s a human, isn’t it, Donnell?”

“Sure is, Dougald.”

“How long has it been since we last had a human?”

“I don’t know anymore. Too long, no doubt about it.”

“Arinnefja is a good girl, isn’t she?”

“She sure is, keeping a human for us.”

Suddenly Arinnefja leaped up.

“No!” the black troll bellowed, visibly intimidating the two redcaps who had misjudged the situation. “Dougald and Donnell can’t touch Violant! Violant is Arinnefja’s guest. It isn’t right to kill her after saving her life. That it is not. Hrimnir wouldn’t like so too. So don’t do it.”

“All right, Arinnefja. All right.” one of the twins tried to appease the perturbed troll. One human wasn’t worth falling out with Arinnefja. Not after the two redcap brothers have sought long and far for a possible backer invoking respect in their enemies. A full-grown troll was plenty formidable as one of the apex predators in the other march. None of their enemies would dare laying a hand on Dougald and Donnell as long as they were friendly with the rumored genius troll.

Everybody near and far knew better that to provoke Arinnefja and those close to her. Not after the sad end a meddlesome urisk met after daring to injure Hrimnir ever so slightly. Arinnefja’s rage did not only put an end to him but also to his whole family. A vicious revenge it was, definitely over the top and ultimately destroying the waters the urisks once had inhabited. Today there was only scorched earth where once a lushly vegetated waterbody used to be.

“It definitely won’t do you any good if you try to kill me, hoary redcaps.” Violant declared with a confidence she didn’t really have in her heart. “The only feat you will achieve by doing so is incurring the enmity of the house of Avallach upon yourselves. Please forgive the belated introduction. I am Violant of Avallach, daughter of the current margrave.”

Considering these facts, Dougald and Donnell lost even the last bit of their previous desire to lay hands on the human girl. Among redcaps there was only one rule regarding humans: All is fair game but keep your hands off the Avallachs. It weren’t specifically redcaps who had to learn this lesson very painfully but an ogre who had been a local tyrant. This didn’t hinder their kind of taking this lesson to heart though. The retribution from the full force of Avallach wasn’t something you wanted to deal with if your deeds came out after all.

“Well, considering that you are redcaps I can somewhat understand that you are thirsting for blood. The last war in Yteland happened almost a century ago after all.” The young lady expressed her comprehension for the redcaps’ situation. Well, she couldn’t really comprehend the workings of such a homicidal mind but she knew about the urges their kind experienced. Of course it hadn’t been the last war with Yteish participation. Otherwise Prince Rowland wouldn’t have fallen on the battlefield four years ago.

At the mention of the last war the eyes of the twins shone with nostalgia.

“It is in your best interest to keep me alive.” Violant reaffirmed “But be assured. In a few years’ time there will likely be a big war in Yteland, one putting the last to shame in comparison. When that time comes, I believe you battle-hardened veterans will be an invaluable addition to the Avallach troops. Only if you are interested, of course. Additionally, if you wish to do so I could introduce you to the wild hunt. A more belligerent host you will never meet anywhere. Banadietrich von Hackelberg will surely gladly welcome you, for he, the nachtjäger himself, is my vassal.”

Violant’s strategy was to appease the redcaps to ensure her imminent survival. Having the bloodthirsty sprites as fighters on her side also couldn’t do her harm. It would be rather advantageous if the civil war really came to pass. Although the victims cruelly slaughtered by the redcaps would pain her heart, it was war after all she was thinking about.

The redcaps looked like two children who were promised a lifetime supply of sweet honey. There was no way they hadn’t heard about the infamous wild hunt. Although the demonic host might be a little too crowded for their taste there was no chance in hell they would give up on such a unique and unheard of chance.

“Dougald and Donnell hereby swear their unending loyalty to Violant of Avallach.” the twins declared with a spirited salute. This, in turn, took both the troll and the human completely by surprise. The redhead never would’ve thought that her words could be so effective on such cold-blooded killers.

Especially Arinnefja was completely flabbergasted. For a while she stared into space in bewilderment before faintly asking: “D-does that mean that Dougald and Donnel will leave Arinnefja behind and won’t visit her again?”

“I guess so.” one of the redcaps replied, awkwardly scratching his head.

“No! Arinnefja doesn’t want this!” the troll cried out sobbingly, tears flowing over her face “Arinnefja doesn’t want to be left all alone again with nobody to talk!”

Violant felt quite bad seeing the troll who had helped her so selflessly in such deep distress. On the other hand this was exactly the chance she had looked for. This was the moment she could use to bring Arinnefja over to her side, allowing her to prevent the repetition of the great troll uprising she had experienced in her last lifetime.

“Actually, Arinnefja.” she said, her facial expression full of compassion. “There is something I want to propose to you…”