Garth the Troll
aka Troll of Garth
And as all good fairytales begin…
'Once upon a time in days of old there lived Garth the Troll, also known as Troll of Garth. You see, although Garth appeared very miniscule at first glance, in the village of Troll he was very big. So big that the legion of trolls residing in the west wing of the forest named their lair after him.
Garth was of the lineage of Rudolph whom you may have heard of? That's the famous reindeer lineage. Like Rudolph, Garth possessed those same cursed characteristics, except rather than having a beamer of a nose, his troll-like face nestled a set of crooked eyes.
He had strong teeth too, which would generally lead one to believe this was an attribute. However, Garth's teeth were rather obtuse and spacey. So as Garth looked so different than the other hideous trolls of the forest, he was considered an outcast. Sad, isn't it?
Tch tch, not to fear, because like all fairytales there comes a happy ending. Well, as I suddenly recall the Grimm's Brothers, let me amend that opinion to say, like most fairytales there comes a happy ending. And it happened like this.
One stormy night as Garth was marching through the forest he came across a very beautiful princess. (What would a fairytale be without a princess, right?) Her hair was as gold as gold; her lips were as red as blood; her skin…well, her skin held a green hue to Garth's sharp crooked eyes, however it was past midnight and the moon wasn't generous tonight. A thick blanket of stars lay spun overhead but the moon had hidden himself for the evening.
Garth had been foraging for food and his ax was weighing heavily on his lopsided shoulder. As he set the ax against a rotted elm trunk he detected a slight murmur from the young beautiful greenish princess.
"Why do you cry, young maiden?" he curiously inquired, his voice deep and raspy like a genuine troll - which he was.
The princess looked up, her fragile face framed by the luminous starlight above as she tried to focus on the face of the intruder.
"I have very right to cry," she assured him, tears continuing to streak her beautiful face.
Garth uncrossed his eyes momentarily and challenged, "How so, young attractive maiden? Your hair shines like gold; your lips are as red as blood; if not for that skin discoloration you'd be perfect." He paused to consider his next words then told her, "Look at me, fair maiden. I am nothing more than a furry fireplug; my eyes are crossed, my teeth look like a chaffed corncob - yet you complain?"
"Oh ugly troll, I am not what I appear to be," she insisted, drying her eyes to view him entirely now. "And that is why I weep." She paused, sniffing the remains of the cry then continued, "It happened a fortnight ago as I was hopping through the wood. An evil witch cursed me and turned me into…into…..into….this!"
Garth narrowed his eyes. "An all too-familiar story," he eased out thoughtfully. "I've heard rumor of this witch. Pray tell, fair maiden, what were you before?"
The princess eyed him intently and said, "A frog, ugly troll."
Garth smooth a gloved hand over his lavender-colored chin and eased out, "Hum, that would explain the greenish tint. And are you to remain in this frogless state for eternity?"
"Oh yes, I fear I might," the frog-princess told him. "Unless…unless I am kissed by an ugly troll - only that will break the spell." She paused to consider her words and looked at Garth with new eyes. "My, how convenient - you are a troll, and fortunately an ugly one at that," she admired.
As you can guess, our hero troll saved the day, reverting the beautiful princess into the toad that she was. The moral of this story is, "You can't judge a princess by looking at her color."
As for the village being named after Garth, well that's another story.
The End
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