Author's Note- This is a fantasy AU where the trolls and humans live in the same world, but in two separate kingdoms. The Condescension rules the troll kingdom and is planning to take over the human kingdom as well.
Cursing as he stumbled in the dark over roots and tore his clothes on sharp branches, a figure ran through the forest. Karkat Vantas was running for his life, his father and older brother's screams echoing in his ears and pounding deep in his heart. He stopped to take a breath, looking behind him at the orange glow in the trees, where their camp had been set up only moments before. Hearing the shouts of triumphant victory from the attackers, reminding him that he should keep running.
The troll sped through the forest, praying that the attackers wouldn't follow as he zig zagged through the trees. It seemed like he had ran forever, until he began to see lights up ahead.
"Oh, thank gog." Karkat muttered to himself as he quickened the pace. The ground under him suddenly gave away, and he began to fall, tumbling head over heels down a steep hillside before hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
Karkat groaned and struggled to sit up, nearly shouting as a sharp pain went across his shoulder. Collapsing, he laid in the sand, waves lapping at his feet and chilling him to the bone. The troll tried desperately to stay conscious, focusing on the pain as he slowly began to crawl away from the water.
His eyes beginning to cloud over into black, Karkat rested his head against the sand, breathing heavily. Distantly, he heard shouts and then soft, soothing voices. One older and stern, the other younger and worried, both male. He felt strong arms pick him up and caught a glance of a pair of bright, wildly blue eyes.
"...fell of the cliff...he alright?"
"...nasty cut on shoulder...take him home quickly."
The voices floated in and out of Karkat's head. He felt himself being laid onto a warm bed, on the brink of unconsciousness. He felt a hand ghost over his shoulder, then sharp needle like pains digging into his skin. The troll flinched, not having enough strength to do anything else.
"...down...over now." He felt the hand pat his shoulder.
"...he okay?...doing here?"
Karkat struggled to keep focus on the conversation, but exhaustion took over him and he finally fainted.
When Karkat awoke, the sun was high in the sky. He groaned as he slowly sat up, coming face to face with a pair of large square glasses.
"Well it's about time you woke up!"
Karkat screeched in surprise, falling back. One leg shot up and made contact with the others chin, sending him sprawling to the ground. The troll winced and clutched his shoulder under his shirt sleeve, running a finger over the stitches that bound his wound together.
"Geez, chill!" A human boy, black hair ruffled and glasses dangling dangerously off the edge of his nose jumped up from the floor, unharmed other than a darkening bruise on his jaw line. "You've been sleeping for three days!"
Karkat stared at him in surprise, crimson eyes growing wide with confusion. "...y-you little shit!" He snapped, not having anything else to say.
The human's face fell for a second, but was soon replaced with a cocky grin. "Well aren't we the charmer." He said, beginning to sit at the foot of the bed, but quickly standing back up when Karkat glared at him. "I'd treat someone who pretty much saved my life with a bit more respect."
"Oh shut up." This wasn't improving the troll's mood in the slightest. Who did this guy think he was? The king of the world?
"You fell off of a cliff." The human went on. "You fell off a cliff. I'm surprised you only got a cut!"
"Only a cut?!" Karkat echoed in disbelief, voice rising. He sat up straight. "I have fucking stitches! That's what you call only a cut?!" To his satisfaction the human winced.
"Sorry...just trying to cheer you up." He stared at Karkat for a second and held out his hand. "I'm John Ebert!"
Karkat ignored his hand. "Karkat Leave-me-the-hell-alone Vantas."
John awkwardly let his hand drop to his side as an older human walked in. Looking quite a bit like John, minus the glasses, an unlit pipe dangling from the side of his mouth. "Now, how are you feeling, son?"
It took Karkat a moment to realize this man was talking to him. "I'm not your son, asshole." He scowled.
The man promptly cuffed the back of Karkat's head, sending him sprawling forward, face planting on the bed. "That's to you. And watch your tongue." He said sternly.
Karkat rubbed the back of his head, standing up. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"Attitude." Mr. Egbert raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else on the subject. "Listen here. Tomorrow you'll get your stitches removed. You can either leave first thing after, or stay and work for me until you figure out what to do. I have a garden that needs tending to. John will show you around today." And so he left.
As if on cue, John was pulling a very surprised Karkat to his feet. The troll scowled and slapped him away. 'I can do it myself!"
He could feel John's curious stare as he stumbled to his feet. "Oh...okay!" John just smiled at him happily. Did nothing faze him?
"So how old are you?" He asked as he lead Karkat through the house and into a large kitchen.
"Seven and a half sweeps." Karkat answered automatically, looking around at the room and noting the monstrous oven and the dough all over the counter. "Your father's a baker?"
"Yup. He is." John nodded, also casting a glance around the room. "Seven and a half sweeps? That's..." He calculated in his head. "Sixteenish. Me too!"
Karkat held back a groan. Hopefully John wouldn't find anymore similarities between them and take them as a chance to bond. "Sure, I guess."
Well come this way!" John opened the door and walked out into the warm sunshine. 'I"ll show you all of the neat places in the village. It's a bit small, so you have to look harder to find them."
Ignoring John, Karkat allowed himself to be lead all around the village, only speaking when necessary. His mind went back a few days and played a certain memory over and over; of what happened that foggy night.
"And here is the sea!" John's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. His arm shot out, preventing Karkat to fall off of the same cliff he had tumbled down previously. 'Isn't it amazing?"
Karkat took a breath of the clear, salty air. He stared out onto the water, then looked down at the steep cliff, leading to the beach below. It was around seven feet, but grew taller as you walked along the cliff edge. "Yeah, I guess."
John turned to look at him. "Hey, are you okay?"
"It's none of your business." Karkat snapped. "Who do you think you are, my fucking psychiatrist?"
"Sorry...you just look down...is something wrong?" The concerned tone in John's voice was annoying him to death.
"If you really must now, I'm fucking fine." The troll said dryly. "Yup! I just saw my whole fucking family murdered in front of my fucking eyes! And I'm completely fine!" His anger rose suddenly, fists clenched at his side.
John's face fell. "Oh my god...I'm so sorry." He reached out to put a hand on Karkat's shoulder, but it was slapped away.
"It's none of your concern, shitsponge." Karkat said quickly, turning on his heel and walking back towards the village.
After a pause, John ran after him. "Wait! Let me introduce you to my friends!"
Karkat stopped, not looking at him. "Are they anything like you?"
"No...not really."
Karkat sighed. "Then there's some hope left in this pathetic dung pile of a race. Lead the way, o'buck toothed one."
Author's Note
It's been a few months since I finished Heart of Courage, and I'm still giggling and excited over how many good reviews it has. Why not kick off the (late) new year with a new fic?! I've been wanting to do one for awhile, but I didn't have any plot ideas to go on. And (after asking pretty much everyone in my house for ideas (My favorite was my mom's idea of John using his windy powers to make souffles and over taking betty crocker. sadly that shall not be used in this story)) I have finally whipped something together.
So enjoy! Thanks for reading the first chapter. Please favorite, review and share!
~Raven