The Bridge of the Stone Trolls

Rochelle faces off against her first obstacle: the Stone Trolls. To defeat them, she must play a game of wits and riddles, with a deadly consequence for failure.

The forest abruptly ended about ten feet from the edge of a large ravine, slicing through the center of the forest. It resumed again on the other side, but the only way over appeared to be a large bridge, spanning the gap. It was made from large pieces of rock that looked as though they would take ten men to lift. There was no one in sight, and Rochelle took a few hesitant steps forward, hoping that perhaps the trolls would not notice her, and let her pass.

No sooner had the thought formed in her mind than three large, mishappen creatures appeared in front of her, as if having melted from the rock itself. They all had the look of small mountains with appendages, and they towered above Rochelle impassively. Three pairs of small black eyes blinked down at her, and were the only things that distinguished the creatures from the stone around them.

"What business have you at the Bridge of the Stone Trolls?" the middle troll rumbled with a voice like an avalanche.

"I need to cross your bridge," Rochelle answered, keeping her voice level.

There was a grinding sound, and the troll to the left spoke to her. "Very well. But, to pass, you must first defeat us in a battle of wit."

"You must devise a riddle that we cannot answer," the third troll grumbled. "You will have three chances to do so. If we cannot solve your riddle, then you may pass."

During this exchange, more trolls had silently fallen in around them, and what had before been an empty field now looked as though it were heaped with piles of rubble. Rochelle realized that when the trolls said "we" they meant all of the creatures around them. She found that unfair, but did not want to question the trolls' rules, so she nodded.

"Good. Let us commence," the trolls said as one.

Rochelle gave them her first riddle, drawing on tales her mother had told her as a child.

"A box without hunges, key or lid,

Yet a golden treasure inside is hid."

 

The trolls grumbled and groaned amongst themselves for a while, until one in the back spoke up, giving the answer. "Eggs."

"Next riddle," the middle troll said, sounding pleased. Rochelle bit her lip and thought harder, coming up with a trickier riddle than the first.

 

"This thing all things devours,

Birds, trees, beasts, flowers,

Gnaws iron, bites steel,

Turns hard stones to meal,

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats tall mountains down."

 

It was a bit morbid, but at first, it seemed to do the trick. The trolls had to deliberate for longer before an answer was put forth.

"The answer is time," the left troll said at length. "You have only one chance left."

Rochelle took a deep breath. She was not going to give up on the first challenge, she told herself firmly. Alyx needed her to do this, or he would die. What kind of riddles did she know that would confuse the trolls?

At last, an answer came to her. It was a riddle in a book she had once read. It had taken her a long time to figure out the answer, but when she did, she had memorized it to tell to others. Now, it floated back into her mind, a last-ditch effort.

"Hung with my mates in summer's heat,

With no drop of rain or well,

'Til the strong man came and pulled me down,

And threw me in a cell.

He kicked me, bled me, beat me,

Out of pleasure, not of rage,

Then threw me in a darkened tomb,

To wait and seethe and age.

But now I am the one laughing,

For I bring the strong man down.

I make the w***e look like a queen,

And make the king a clown.

I cheer the soul, turn cowards brave,

Cause long-dead hope to wake.

And Hell's own fire cannot inspire,

The chaos I can make.

What am I?"

 

Rochelle held her breath, waiting. The trolls' rumbling grew louder and more angry, but still, no answer was achieved. Rochelle dared to let a tiny spark of hope light in her heart, that perhaps she had finally outwitted the trolls.

The rumbling stopped abruptly, leaving a strange stillness in its absence. The three trolls stared down at Rochelle, who felt her heartbeat speed up.

"We are unable to find the answer to this riddle," the trolls said. "You may pass."

Letting out her breath in a sigh of relief, Rochelle stepped forward as the trolls moved aside to let her pass. As she crossed the bridge, all the trolls melted back into the ravine from which they had come, leaving the clearing behind her empty of any life.

On the other side, Rochelle found a small canteen. Picking it up, she found that it contained wine. Smiling to herself, she placed the canteen in her bag and continued on her journey.

A large path made of stone lay in front of her, stretching out into the forest. Brody the mouse had told her that the obstacles would all reveal themselves to her in time, so Rochelle took the path through the woods, hoping that it would lead her to a signpost or perhaps a small settlement, where she could ask directions to the Mermaid's Sea.

Eventually, the stones ended, and a small, dirt-beaten track was left in its place. Rochelle continued to follow the path as it meandered through the woods, slowly becomming narrower until it was little more than a deer track. At one point, Rochelle realized that she was having trouble seeing the path in the dark, and decided that it was time to stop for the night.

She unrolled her blanket and stretched out on it, staring up at the stars and letting her mind wander. If it weren't a matter of life or death, she might actually be enjoying this trip, Rochelle mused, her last thought before drifting off to sleep.

Author's Note

A minor disclaimer: None of the above riddles are mine. The first two are from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and the last is from a book called "The Sword of Attila." I just have a fondness for those riddles, and so borrowed them for this story. No harm and/or profit was intended.