They made it back to the lift, which was as far as Julia could carry the little troll. She set him down and took his hand. He was actually quite calm now that he was fed.

She glanced over at Falcon. She didn’t know what to say to make it better, and half of her didn’t want to anyway. He can be mad all he wants, she thought―telling her to grow up just because she had a heart. And yet she hated him being upset with her.

He hadn’t answered her question about Tikki and Badger, but she knew he couldn’t argue with it. He had just grabbed their packs and walked away, leaving her and the little guy to follow.

The silence continued as they reached the first level and stepped out of the lift into another square room. There were two tunnels leading out of this one―one to the south and one to the north. In the north one was another one of the wooden mining carts, sitting on steel rails. Falcon yanked the cart off the tracks, and it rolled into the room. Then, after stuffing his pack with some of the dark pink rocks, he grabbed a torch off the wall and headed into the tunnel.

Julia felt stung by that―usually he would have asked her to cast her light spell. Then she remembered that she was out of mana. As she followed him through the tunnel, she wondered why they hadn't just done this at the beginning of their mine trip, instead of taking the stupid cart and falling off the broken rails, but she said nothing out loud. Stubbornly, she didn’t want to be the one to break the silence.

They came out into the entrance tunnel and turned east. Luckily, they came out closer to the entrance then where they had fallen through earlier, and Julia sighed with relief when they finally made it out of the mine.

It was early morning, and the cloudless, starry sky was just starting to lighten. She walked to her horse to untie it, but little guy instantly started throwing a fit. She pulled him back while trying to dodge his flailing arms.

Finally, ten feet away, he calmed, and she knelt down in front of him. “You don’t like the horses?” she asked.

The troll child just stared at her.

“It’s okay.” She glanced down at his furry boots. “We can walk.” She glanced at Falcon, ready to ask, but he already had the reins to her horse. She gave a tight smile of thanks.

He nodded curtly.

They traveled in silence until they reached the edge of Snowy Pine, by which time the sky was gold and pink with the sunrise. “I want to talk to Eska, Takkum’s wife," Julia said, having no choice but to speak first.

“Why?” Falcon asked, his tone neutral.

“Because I think a mother would have the best chance of understanding,” she explained. “I’ll get little guy to the cabin we stayed in. Can you please ask Eska to meet me there?”

He nodded, dropped her pack on the ground, and rode off, leading her horse behind his.

She took off her jacket, wrapped it around the troll, and pulled the hood up as she shivered in the icy wind. “We have to hide you for just a bit,” she told him. She picked up her pack and took little guy’s hand, and they walked through the quiet village together.

__________

It was half an hour before someone knocked on the cabin door. Little guy was sleeping, tired after his long night; Julia pulled the blanket over his head and answered the door. She saw the sweet, round face of Eska, but Falcon hadn’t come with her, and she wondered at that. “Come in,” she said quietly and held the door open. She closed it behind the older woman and crossed the room to sit at the table, glancing nervously on her way at the sleeping troll and hoping he would stay asleep long enough for her to explain.

Eska took a seat across from her. “What is it?” Her voice was as soft and kind as her face.

Julia decided to get straight to the point. “We came across five trolls in the mine and killed four of them. But the last one we found was just a child. He’s calm and nice,” she said, then added more quietly, “when he’s not hungry.”

Eska’s brow furrowed a little, but she continued to listen.

“I couldn’t bear to kill him. He’s just a child… not a monster like his parents were.” Julia paused, giving Eska time to speak, but the woman remained silent. Taking a deep breath, she went on, “He’s so young that he could be raised to be good. I have a friend, a gnome in the jungle, who found a baby orc and took him in. He has grown to be kind and very gentle with her guidance and love. I think the same can happen for this little troll.”

Eska’s gaze moved from Julia’s face to the lump on the bed and back. “Is that him?”

Julia swallowed. “Yes, he’s sleeping.”

“Your lip is swollen and was bleeding,” Eska noted calmly.

Julia gave a small sigh and nodded. “He doesn’t know any better. He was hungry and probably really scared.”

Eska was quiet and thoughtful for a long time. Her gaze mostly remained on little guy. Finally she spoke, still calm. “What is it you want from me?”

Here was the hard part. “Well… I want to find him a good home, people who are willing to look past his race―a race he didn’t choose―and raise him to be good.”

“You think our village is such a place.” Eska said, her eyes narrowing. “And if he becomes the monster he was born to be? What then?”

“I don’t know.” Julia hung her head, but then looked back at Eska and added passionately, “But I truly believe that won’t happen. I’ve seen with my own eyes how it can work. The orc in the jungle is amazingly sweet.”

“It is a huge risk,” Eska pointed out.

“I understand that. But if it works out, and I'm sure it will, he'll be a great protector for your people. He’ll be very strong; that could be helpful, especially with the mine.”

It was silent for a long, tense moment.

“I will see him,” Eska decided.

Julia went to where little guy slept and uncovered his head. She saw the repulsion on Eska’s face, and fear knotted her stomach. “He’s only ugly on the outside,” Julia said very quietly. “That’s not his fault. Look at him. He’s just a child. He’s innocent and helpless. And he needs someone to love him.” She stroked his face tenderly. Tears threatened, but she blinked them away. “Will you please help him?”

Eska stared at him for a long time before she decided, “I will speak with the elders.”

“Thank you.”

Eska nodded and left.

The relief Julia might have felt was overshadowed by the fear that the elders might react badly. What if they ganged up and insisted the troll child had to die? She couldn’t fight them off, she couldn’t protect him, and Falcon wasn’t going to help her in this.

When little guy woke up, he was grouchy and yelled at her until she brought him some food. He only ate the meat that was offered, and not the cheese or bread. Falcon wasn’t going to be happy when he found out that they didn’t have any left now.

Julia gave little guy her waterskin and he looked like a baby with a bottle. She smiled at him and caressed the top of his head, smoothing back his wild black hair.

Her mana had regenerated enough that she could entertain him with a light spell; she cast it on an apple so he could touch it. He laughed happily when she handed it to him, and he started rolling it on the floor.

It was some time later that she finally heard a knock. She left the glowing fruit with little guy as she stood and went to the door. She opened it only a few inches at first. Takkum and Falcon stood outside. She swallowed hard, then took a deep breath and let them in. Falcon sat at the table while Takkum stood by the closed door and stared at the troll.

After a minute, Takkum surprised her by sitting cross-legged in front of the troll child. “Hello, little one,” he said with a deep, gentle voice. “Do you have a name?”

Little guy held up his apple to show him.

“That is pretty,” Takkum said.

Julia’s tears couldn’t be held back any longer. Relief flooded her, and she beamed at the understanding elder. “I don’t know his name,” she told him, then dared to add, “You could name him.”

Takkum nodded. “I think we shall call you Ohka, it means bear, for you will be big and strong like a bear,” he told the troll. “Would you like to live with us, little Ohka?” He stood, holding out his hand, and Bear took it without hesitation.

“Thank you!” Julia told Takkum fervently. “Thank you so much!”

He nodded. “Your friend is very persuasive,” he said, looking at Falcon.

Julia gasped in surprise, then went to Falcon and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He caught her as she lost her balance and fell onto his lap, then held her for a moment, but didn’t say anything.

When they let go of each other, Julia went to kneel in front of Ohka. “Bye. Be a good boy for your new family, okay?” She gave him a gentle hug, which seemed to confuse him, but he accepted it all the same. She kissed the top of his head and stood. The glowing apple started to dim and flickered, so she touched it and cast one more light spell on it.

Ohka laughed happily and held it up for Takkum to see.

Takkum smiled down at him, then looked back at Julia and Falcon. “Rest here. There is no hurry.”

“Thank you,” Julia told him again.

He nodded and left with Ohka.

When she turned back, Falcon was sitting on the bed. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was until that moment. She gave him a big smile as she went to lie next to him. “Thank you,” she said again.

He just smiled, then lay down and pulled her into his arms.

She closed her eyes and sighed, happy and relieved.

__________

They didn’t accept any reward from the village―partly because, since they hadn't searched the entire mine, they weren’t sure that they had killed all the trolls. But mostly because the Nakoha people had opened their hearts, seen past Ohka’s, and taken him in. Still, they insisted on giving them a tent, two yak fur jackets, and some food for the road. Falcon and Julia tried to give them what little money they had left, but the Nakohans refused to take anything.

The journey down the snowy mountains wasn’t nearly as bad as the way up had been. The fur jacket kept Julia so warm that she wore only one layer of clothing underneath it. The wintry air didn’t bother her as much on her face, either; that part she guessed she had just gotten used to over the past week.

Now that she was able to focus on something other than shivering, she could stop and take in the scenery, which was breathtakingly beautiful. On the second morning, in the brilliance of the sunrise, Julia joined Falcon at the edge of a cliff, and looked out over the landscape.

They could see for miles. The golden light spread across the white, powdery snow and pine trees, but further then that, a river wove gracefully like a silvery ribbon through the slightly smaller, lush green mountains in the distance.

The friends quickly went back to normal, all previous disagreements forgotten. That afternoon the mood turned playful―just after they tied their horses in the area they would be camping for the night, a snowball hit her.

She turned to glare at a smiling Falcon, then bent over and scooped up snow, making a snowball of her own and throwing it at him. He moved, but she was a good shot thanks to all the practice with her fireball spell, and it hit him in the face. She laughed loudly.

“Oh, now it’s funny,” he said with a huge grin. A snowball flew inches past her head in the next second, and she giggled as she formed another.

In the end, he was no match for her. He might have been a great bowman and swordsman and just about every other damn thing, but she was better at throwing.

Their jackets held up well during the icy battle, but Julia's gloves didn’t do such a good job. She peeled off the wet material to reveal cold, red hands beneath and hurried to get the fire started as Falcon set up the tent, in their usual evening routine. She pulled a log over and sat by the fire, reaching her hands out to the flames so they could thaw.

Then, suddenly, a huge snowball―snow boulder was more accurate―fell on top of her head. She shook it off, then stood and turned on a highly amused Falcon. “You!” she growled.

He laughed when she lunged for him, then ran, and she pursued. But minutes later, she was panting and had to give up. He was faster; he was also cheating by hiding. “Okay, I give,” she called to the woods in general.

Halfway back to the fire, Falcon jumped out, grabbed her by the waist, and swung her around.

She squealed in surprise and smacked his arm when he put her down. “Brat!” she laughed. Smiling, he pulled her into a bear hug. The yak fur from his jacket tickled her nose, making her laugh more.

__________

As they descended further down the mountains in the next few days, the landscape changed from white to shades of green, and it began to rain. They made camp early as it poured down and ate a cold dinner from inside their tent.

Julia wondered how waterproof their canvas tent was, and Falcon told her that wax had been rubbed into the fabric, so it would hold up pretty well. It was just another one of those random things he knew about, as if he had lived in this place his whole life. He fit here. It was as if this was his world. The fantasy role-playing geek who people liked to make fun of had somehow gone away, replaced by this confident, skilled man. He was just the ugly duckling back home. He had been in the wrong place before.

She burst out in laughter. When he raised a questioning brow, she answered, “You’re a swan.” The look on his face was even funnier, and it took her a minute before she could stop laughing enough to explain the thought that led to her conclusion.

“I never did fit in well back there,” he agreed.

Suddenly it wasn’t funny anymore, not when it made her remember that he wasn’t going back with her. Her eyes started to sting.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed and pulled at the end of her braid. “It’s just that… I’m really going to miss you… when I go home.”

“Then stay here,” he said quietly. “I wish you would.”

She could hear the sadness in his voice, and it made her heart flutter. She met his gaze for a moment and smiled a little, happy that he cared enough to want her to stay. But she was quickly frowning again. “I can’t,” she told him. “I don’t belong here.”

He nodded solemnly. “And I don’t belong there.”

She tried to blink back the tears that wanted to come. “I know, but I hate it. You’re… well… the best friend I’ve ever had,” she mumbled lamely, focusing intently on her hair and not looking at him.

He reached over, took one of her hands, and held it in his larger one. He waited until she finally looked up at him. His eyes were tender and warm, as usual, but at that moment, they were also sad. “Same for me,” he told her feelingly.

“Gabe,” she said quietly, wiping away a tear that escaped.

“Yeah, but… it’s different.”

She just nodded.

“Come here,” he said, tugging her hand gently until she crawled over to him. He pulled her into his arms. “We have two more pieces of the orb to find,” he reminded her, stroking her back and resting his cheek against the top of her head. “And then we still have to deal with the high priestess. So you can’t go anywhere yet.” The last sentence was light and teasing, but it was forced.

She nodded against his chest. And that’s when she realized it―she was in love with him. How had that happened? When? Why did she have to feel for him at all? Her chest ached, and she hugged him closer as tears started slipping down her cheeks.

Whatever his thoughts, he said nothing, just holding her in silence until her crying subsided.

When she finally moved away and returned to her bedroll, she dried her eyes and huffed out a long breath. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t be,” he said quietly.

They sat in silence for a long time, until Julia smiled a little impishly and sighed. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for mug of hot chocolate and good movie,” she said. “Or a hot shower.” She moaned with pleasure at the thought. She glanced at him, then added, “Of course, a car would be nice; we’d be to Brunya City in no time at all.”

“Or a laptop and internet?” he offered.

She nodded eagerly; wanting him to think about all the wonderful things back on Earth, the things this world didn’t have. “Cell phone, MP3 player… and a washing machine would be seriously great.”

He gave a short laugh, knowing what she was trying to do. “You know, it’s not so bad here. If you have a real home, it’s much more comfortable. No rush hour traffic, no smog, a slower pace of life… there’s a lot that’s great about Kelstone.”

She just frowned at him.

He sighed as he lay down and closed his eyes.

She wrapped her blankets around herself and just sat there as he fell asleep. She watched him in the glow of her light spell and listened to his even breathing. Very carefully, she leaned forward and brushed a piece of his hair out of his face so she had a clearer view.

He had a beautiful face, she mused as she sat back. It was very symmetrical, except for his lips―there was something slightly off about them, but it made them even more attractive. If she could have gotten away with it, she would have checked to see if they were really as soft as they looked.

For one crazy second she actually contemplated leaning over and gently kissing those lips. She smiled and felt her cheeks grow warm as she imagined him waking up to find her like that. What would he think? How would he feel if she kissed him?

Suddenly she wasn’t smiling anymore, as reality swept over her like a cold wind. What was she thinking? Why was she letting herself think it? She was going home. She couldn’t think that way about him. She had to stop.

As if he had felt her staring at him, he opened his eyes. “Can’t sleep?” he asked.

She shook her head in response.

“I could get the frying pan and knock you out,” he teased.

She smiled and blinked back the new tears that wanted to fall. “As tempting as that is, I think I’ll pass.”

He smiled back. “Are you cold?”

She nodded, quick to take any excuse to be close to him.

He lifted his blanket for her. “Come here,” he said, as she had hoped he would.

She crawled in beside him, sighing a little when he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his warm body.

“Better?” he asked.

She laid her head on his chest and took a deep breath, inhaling his familiar, comforting smell. “Yes.”