I stepped into the village and into a nightmare. I knew not at the time and how cunning old trolls could be and this was a cunning troll indeed. Whether it had laid a trap or snuffed the horses it had been lying in wait for the men and all I can think is that they mistook it for a house as it crouched silently in the dark.
I say a house because it was huge, now I have seen many a troll since I commenced to roam but this… this was a true monster. It's skin was a hoary green leather, it's maw a great gash rimmed with teeth the size of daggers and it had two great black tusks each the size of a man's thigh.
I stood staring in awe at the sheer size of it before my reverie was broken as it swept a man from the ground and bit through his mail tearing open his chest, flinging the ragged corpse into the shield wall facing it.
My father had formed his men into ranks but it was a desperate thing. The troll had a reach as long as any spear and they had not the men to surround and harry it. It was clear that they were losing, torn bodies lay everywhere while the troll seemed not to be harmed at all.
Still they drove it back great hearts that they were! Their spears rent in its flesh but it bellowed defiance and with a swing of its great arm it smashed a wall sending boulders the size of a man's head flying into the advancing troops. Then lowering its head it charged and the shield wall exploded as if it had been struck by lightning. It trampled and gored the men and the few survivors backed stunned into side streets in groups of ones and twos.
I saw my father supporting my brother who was bleeding and staggering and I ran to his side with my sword in my hand. He blanched when he saw me, but he was a stoic man. He didn't scream or chastise me but I will never forget the look of fear in his face, not fear for himself but for his sons.
He spoke quickly to my brother who rallied, grabbed my arm and began to drag me away, I fought him, I told him that we needed to stand with my father but Aldwyn found strength in desperation and he forced me down an alley as my father turned to bar the passage.
The alley lead us away from the horses and as we left it I got one last glimpse of my father, Illuminated by a flash of lightning with the shadow looming over him.
My brother fell as we reached the village green and he sagged onto the soft green grass. I screamed at him to get up, to flee or to fight but he was bleeding badly and holding his chest.
Then I realised that the rain had slowed and that the thunder now only sounded as a distant peal but that the lanterns on the green still gave off faint light. In the glow of these lanterns as I crouched beside my brother I realised that the screams had also stopped and that the town was silent. I started to cry, I knew my father was dead and my brother lay beside me dying and I was alone and I was terrified.
Then I saw it, a great shape looming out of the murk. It's baleful eyes shone yellow as it heaved its bulk into the light and I saw it clearly for the first time. It was huge, twice the height of a man and much, much broader. I saw feral intelligence in it's eyes, It's great claws as long as swords and a huge single black tusk. Blood spattered it's face and belly but it was the blood of men, it had slaughtered fifty men and was barely scratched.
I stood before my brother and brandished my sword. I was terrified, my hands were shaking and my mouth was dry but I stood, my thought only to die on my feet as a man of Rohan. But then I felt hands on my collar dragging me backwards. Strong hands, the hands of my brother as he pulled me back towards the edge of the well, I was off balance, I couldn't fight him and as he heaved me back and over the edge of the well he shouted my name… A shout that was cut off halfway through by a sickening crunch.
The well was not deep, I was battered on the walls on the way down but the water broke my fall and I clung there in misery, I looked up and saw a single eye peering down at me. It looked a long time before slowly shuffling away.
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Recording -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q2PveK ... sp=sharing