“What?”
Robert asks, “Why would he do that?”
“Don't
know,” the woman tells him, “Nobody does. His highness hasn't
seen fit to tell anyone, and so the whole kingdom is falling into
chaos and civil war.”
“Why?”
Robert asks again.
“There's
some high born girls among them,” the woman nods towards a grand
doorway at the end of the ball room which is just beginning to open.
“Some of them are already betrothed, and even those that aren't are
assets to their families.”
The doors
continue to swing open, revealing a giant stone man holding a chain.
As the doors open further, Robert can see the chain tethers a line of
girls, too many to count, stretched down the corridor beyond.
“Good
grief,” Robert mutters, “What on earth is that?”
“You
mean to tell me,” the woman replies, “You've never seen a troll
before?”
