Page 34 of A Cake of Cherries and Charm

“You make my purpose sound so petty, prince,” a familiar voice said with a snarl.

Rosie wanted to groan as the air flickered and flashed, but Marianne opened her mouth in a silent scream and stumbled back several steps as the troll appeared before the cluster of oak trees.

“It is petty,” Jonathan said, immediately drawing his sword and moving closer to Rosie. “Seeing as Lady Rose had nothing to do with your brother’s death.” Unfortunately, rather than staying put, Marianne followed, clinging to his arm as she whimpered and stared at the troll.

“I told you,” hissed the troll. “I intend to make trouble for the happy couple that was involved in my brother’s death!” She seemed to have sprouted several more mushrooms on her head since Rosie had seen her last, and her green skin was similar to that of the mossy forest floor. She looked far more at home here than she had in the palace. “Besides,” she snorted. “That one,” she pointed at Rosie, “hit me on the head!”

“I didn’t want to hit you on the head,” Rosie said, warily grasping her basket. “You were being terribly obnoxious. And threatening! What else was I supposed to do? Stand there like a goose and let you do whatever you wished with me?”

“Marianne,” the prince hissed. “Go get the guards! They won’t hear us shouting from here!”

But Marianne didn’t go get the guards. Instead, she continued hiding behind Jonathan, whimpering as though she were the one the troll was threatening.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Rosie said. “It’s a lot of work to avenge someone who turned a boy into a bear and then threatened his friends.”

“Wait,” Marianne called, finally stepping out from behind Jonathan to peer at the troll. “You said… you said you want revenge, yes?”

The troll eyed her suspiciously. “Yes?” she answered.

“Then take her instead!” Marianne darted around Jonathan and gave Rosie a shove from behind, knocking her onto her knees.

“Absolutely not!” Jonathan bellowed. He leaped forward and grabbed Rosie by the arm, yanking her back to stand with him. “We will not be sacrificing anyone today!” He glared down at Marianne.

The troll was staring at Marianne as well, but Rosie was just about done with it all.

“Look,” she said, yanking a handful of the little yellow flowers out of the ground and shaking them at the troll. “I had no desire to hit you the other day. But I did, and if you don’t go and leave us alone, I’ll… I’ll shove these up your nose!”

The troll took a step back, her jaw dropping as though greatly offended. “You wouldn’t!” she spat.

“Oh yes I would!” Rosie shook them at her again, taking a threatening step forward this time. “And I mean it when I say that you won’t be disrupting my sister’s wedding! You won’t touch her or her husband or any of their future children! And if I ever catch you trying to sabotage it again, I’ll make you wish you’d never had a brother to begin with!” She was shouting now.

The troll took another step back and sniffed. “You’re a rude, nosy girl!” she snapped. “And I’ve half a mind to turn you into a squirrel!”

“You could do that,” Rosie admitted. “But if you did, I would find out where you live and stash it full of yellowbelles! Which I know you would greatly dislike because a fairy godmother told me so!”

“Stupid fairy godmothers!” the troll muttered. “Always meddling! It’s why I can’t hurt you.” She glowered at Jonathan. “But I can do this!” Flinging her hands toward him, she threw a burst of magic in his direction.

Jonathan, who had been creeping closer and closer to the troll–probably, Rosie suspected, to use his sword–might have deflected the magic with his blade. At least, that’s what he tried to do. But Marianne was still clutching his arm, and his movement was impeded by her grasp.

The second the magic hit him, a large cocoon of white silk, crawling with little spiders suddenly encased him. Marianne screamed and jumped back.

“You let him go right now!” Rosie shouted at the troll. But the troll was laughing. Apparently, she thought her trick to get around the fairy godmother’s protection spell was quite clever.

“And that’s another thing!” Rosie added, giving the flowers another shake. “I may be meddlesome, but at least I’m meddling in my sister’s affairs and not someone else’s! Now let him go!”

“And I’m out to avenge my brother!” the troll cried. “So I won’t!”

Rosie let out a half-crazed laugh. “You want to avenge him for what? Being an idiot?”

The troll gasped. “How dare you speak ill of the dead!”

“Who turns someone into a bear and is then surprised when that bear tries to eat him?” Rosie pointed out. Of course, Frederick had never tried to eat the awful troll. But the logic of the question was sound.

“Oh!” The troll took several steps forward but stopped when Rosie shook the flowers at her once more, freezing in place. “I don’t care what you say, you little brat!” she hissed. “I will carry out my revenge at this wedding. And you’ll have to watch!”

“Well, then!” Rosie snapped. “I’ll just have to remember to bring my rolling pin as well! Now let him go, or I’ll–”

Before the troll could respond, Jonathan, who must have been cutting away at the cocoon from the inside, burst forth from it. His expression was livid, and with a sticky hand to which numerous white strands of silk still clung, he hurled a large dagger at the troll.