Dennor ❦ A not-so common fairytale

Porridge and apples

Notice
I edited the last part of the last chapter, to which Mathias did not come with Lukas and the troll.
You can go read that if you want, before reading this, but it won't make much of a difference.
———

"Is this where you live? My kitchen is bigger than this," Lukas said, looking around the cave of a home that apparently belonged to the troll.

The troll huffed, as he turned back to the porridge he'd been making.

"If you're so big and strong, why don't you grab those buckets over there," The troll said, as he pointed at a couple of buckets at the size of horses. "And fill them up with water? The well's on the other side of the room."

"These small buckets? They're no bigger than a thimble! I'd rather go grab the whole well," Lukas said. He'd been putting up this energetic, 'brave' act for far too long than what he'd prefer, and he was starting to get tired. Holding onto his scrip tightly, he was glad the troll was mostly blind.

"What?!" The troll yelled out in shock. "You can't just move the well, how will I then get water? Just stay here, I'll fix it myself."

The troll then proceeded to grab the buckets, filling them up with water before going back to finish the porridge.

As the troll kept doing what he was doing, Lukas decided to take a look around in case he needed to hide. He'd take his chances on that chest by the wall, but judging on how well the troll seemed to know this cave, it would only be a question of time before the troll would've found him.

He suddenly became quite aware of how fast his heart was beating, and how his hands were covered in cold sweat and shivering.
'Just stay calm, and you'll be okay,' He told himself as him and the troll sat down by the huge table.

"Are you ready to eat?" The troll asked, as Lukas adjusted his scrip to be resting against his stomach.

He hummed, before properly speaking up again. "Why don't we have a competition?" The norseman suggested.

To this, the troll didn't want to refuse as to not seem weak. He thought about it, before nodding. "Alright. What kind of competition?" He asked.

"An eating competition. Last to put down his spoon and announce to be full, wins."

Confident he'd win, the troll yet again agreed.

They started eating, spoon for spoon, before Lukas put down his spoon.

"Are you full already?" The troll laughed, to which Lukas only shook his head.

"Me? Oh no, I'm barely half full! I just thought I should make a cut to my stomach, to have space for some more."

"You.. what?" The troll huffed, yet again shocked at Lukas' strange behaviour.

What the troll didn't know, however, was that while they'd been eating, Lukas had been filling up his scrip with the porridge while barely eating anything himself.

The norseman picked up a small blade he'd found while he and Mathias had been walking earlier, and cut a large rift through the scrip.

The troll stared in shock, as Lukas once again picked up his spoon and kept on eating.
"That's better!" He chuckled.

After a few minutes, the troll put down his spoon, and laid back. "I don't think I can eat more," It said, huffing.

At this, Lukas let out a short laugh. "You're full already? I'm still barely half full!" He said.

An odd silence came over the two, before the troll spoke up again.

"Doesn't it hurt?" It asked.

"What hurts?" Lukas replied.

"The cut. Didn't it hurt to do that?"

Lukas laughed, and shook his head. "Not at all! If you do like me, you'll be able to eat as much as you want to!"

"If you say so.." The troll muttered.
It fetched a knife from nearby, holding it over his stomach. "And you meant what you said, when you said it doesn't hurt?"

"You won't even feel a thing!" Lukas reassured the troll.

.

Mathias wasn't exactly sure where to go or what to do.

He'd seen his companion and possibly partner be taken away by the most horrifyingly gross creature he'd ever spotted, and not done anything about it.

At first, he considered following after them. But before he'd come to a decision, they were already too far away for him to follow anymore.

He'd spent the last few hours walking around, pretty much lost. He was about to give up and sit down by a tree, when he spotted a basket of golden apples laying on the ground.

He realised how long it was since the last time he'd eaten, and hastily grabbed one of the apples.

"No one will notice as long as only one goes missing," He told himself, taking a large bite out of the beautiful fruit.

A strange tingle filled Mathias' whole body as soon as he'd swallowed the bite. It made him want to laugh, to dance and sing.

It made him forget about his lack of hope, it made him forget about Lukas.

As soon as he finished the apple, he was already starting to eat a second one. Then a third. And then a fourth.

And before the joyful dane had realised it, he'd already eaten all the apples in the basket.

Worried, he stood up to leave in case whoever owned the apples showed up, only to meet the eyes of the most beautiful creature he thought he'd ever seen.

A woman.

Her hair was long, and wavy. She was wearing a white beautiful gown, and she had the most gorgeous features Mathias thought he had ever laid his eyes on.

"Woah.." was all he could say.

The woman giggled, before playfully picking up the empty basket. "I see you liked the apples," she said.

Mathias' eyes widened. She was the one who'd picked the apples..

"I-I'm sorry! I truly didn't mean to eat them all!" Mathias nervously chuckled, rubbing his neck from embarrassment.

"Oh, I don't mind! There's more, after all," The woman giggled.

"There is?" Mathias gasped, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course! Follow me, I'll let you meet my sisters, as well!" The happy woman grabbed Mathias' hand, and started walking away with the joyful dane.

What Mathias hadn't noticed, was the cow's tail that was barely visible around the woman's feet.

———

A/N
Two chapters in two days, to make it up for the time I was gone.
Istg Mathias has this thing with getting enchanted and/or bewitched-
That stuff-

This is unedited and I have not double-checked any spelling mistakes, so I'm sorry if it seems messy!