Barbara couldn't help but steal glances at her husband as he walked through the house holding The Book of Ga-Huel, filled with images and words she couldn't understand, or ever hope to read. He muttered in trollish and hissed when an incantation didn't work as it was intended, stopping to collect more items to aid him in his task.
Walter explained his frustration to her as well as he could. As a human, he didn't have any magic to draw on anymore, so he had to take it from other sources to complete the protective spells.
Curious, Barbara asked about Merlin and Morgana – both humans, possessing magic. Walter sounded very tired as he explained that humans birthed with magical talent were rare and growing sparser with the passing years.
In addition to the spells, Walter strategically placed items around the house such as ultraviolet flashlights. Barbara understood those. She couldn't help but be fascinated by the ingenuity of the little lights with their purple beams. They wouldn't kill a troll instantly, but they were painful enough to repel them.
Barbara didn't think anything of Walter's measures for the most part. Then she found the knife, much more threatening than the ones in her kitchen knife-block. It was tucked behind the cereal in the cupboard, unseen, but easily retrievable.
"Really, Walt?" Barbara asked, dangling the blade in front of Walter with two fingers.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes. I've always believed in the idea of 'better safe than sorry.'"
"We're not living in a war zone anymore," Barbara asserted. "And there's a baby in the house."
"Precisely why I put the knife in a place he couldn't possibly get to by himself," Walter replied, unphased. He took the blade. "I just want you and Emil to be safe."
Barbara sighed. "You're acting like we're under constant threat. We've been home for a week. Nothing's happened."
"Barbara…" Walter stepped closer to her. "You're the mother of the Trollhunter who slew Gunmar, whose servant I once was. Arcadia was at war only a year ago, even if most of the humans living here don't know that. And, as you said, we have a baby in the house." He gently touched her cheek.
"Fine," Barbara muttered. "But are there any more knives I should know about?"
"Erhh…" Walter looked away.
"Okay." Barbara put her hands on her hips. "How many, and where did you hide them?"
"Right, ahem." Walter cleared his throat and proceeded to take his wife on a tour of the house.
Every room contained at least one hidden blade. Some didn't even look like traditional knives, just tiny blades disguised as pens, or similar small instruments. Knives like this required specific knowledge to reveal the blade, a good thing since half of them were poisonous.
"Is it just me, or were you not nearly this paranoid during the trip?" Barbara asked as she plopped down on the couch, exhausted.
"Back then I had the strength to protect you," Walter replied, still standing in front of the couch, his shadow falling over her. "And I think you're forgetting, I always carried weapons."
"Right." Barbara sighed. "Do you really think all this is necessary?"
"Hopefully not," Walter replied. "But I would rather be overprepared than face an attack with nothing to protect you."
Barbara leaned back into the couch. "Fine… Just tell me what you're doing, okay?" She held up a hand. "And from now on, you're going to tell me whenever you hide a new weapon in this house. Understood?"
"Alright." Walter sat down beside her. "I'm sorry," he said with a faint blush. "I'm not used to living with other people. I've… always worked alone."
"Well, you put a ring on this." She held up her hand, flashing her wedding band at him. "So, we're in this together."
Walter smiled, his eyes lit with a hint of amusement.
"I'm not mad at you for any of this. I just want you to tell me what you're doing," she said. "I've had my fill of the people in my life keeping secrets! If something's going on, just tell me."
"Nothing is going on, at least, not right now," he assured. "I just… For all my life, I've been a target. Back… then… it was only my life at risk. Now, it's yours and Emil's too, and that is the most frightening thing I can imagine," he admitted. "I'm… terrified something will happen to you, and now I can't protect you the way I once could." He bowed his head. "You can't imagine the things I've seen – the monstrous creatures that exist in this world. I've fought many of them, and they're far too quick to hold a grudge." He sighed. "I'm the one who dragged you into this."
Barbara looked at him, deep sympathy in her eyes. "Well, technically, it was Jim who dragged me into this," she reminded, then leaned against her husband with a tired sigh. "It's okay, Walt. I said 'yes' to marrying you," she assured, laying a hand on his leg. "I just don't like being kept in the dark."
"Okay…" Walter nodded and looked down at her.
"Hey." With a smile, Barbara kissed him. "Everything will be alright," she whispered when their lips parted. At this, Walter pulled her back into the kiss with such urgency that it took her breath away. In that moment, he needed her confirmation, her reassuring presence, and he found it.
"Wuargh!" Alberto hammered against the sealed entrance to the Janus Order. It was no use. He couldn't break through. Every other entrance was similarly impassible. Even the secret entrances were barricaded.
Why was it sealed off?
Alberto seethed. A shiny object, laying on the ground nearby caught his attention. He picked it up. A small blade, once slender and smooth, but now bent and rusty. A Changeling knife!
Alberto recognized it immediately – it was exactly like the knives flung at him during his battle with Stricklander in Prague.
He took a long sniff, imprinting the other Changeling's scent in his mind, and then he turned his nose up into the air, searching for the general direction Stricklander went from here.
Hours passed. Early evening blended into twilight, easing Alberto's passage through Arcadia. As he searched for Stricklander, he noted with confusion that traces of the other Changeling appeared now and again, but they vanished quickly, fading into another scent, one similar, but foreign – the odor of a human.
At times, the two scents intermingled, sidetracking Alberto, but he managed to follow the scent to a suburban area with long lines of tidy houses and nice cars parked outside each one. No trash cluttered the pristinely-paved roads.
Stricklander's scent was here, but it was weak, eclipsed by the smell of the human.
Alberto crossed the street, heading for one of the houses. He started into the yard but jerked back with a hiss as an invisible rune painted on the fence forbade his passing.
"Cheap tricks," he muttered. "As if I haven't any more intelligence than a log!" Goblins and Stalklings might be that stupid. Alberto narrowed his eyes at the house. If there was a protective rune here, there must also be something worth protecting.
Alberto scaled a nearby tree to peer down into the yard as his orange eyes glowed in the gathering darkness.
Just as he made it up the tree, down below, a door leading into a small garden opened and a middle-aged man stepped out.
Alberto watched with wide eyes. Stricklander?! Alberto sniffed the air. He was… human – even smelled of it. What in the world was going on?
Alberto watched as Stricklander's stance turned defensive. He hadn't seen Alberto, but Stricklander wasn't the leader of the Janus Order for no reason. As the troll watched, Stricklander surveyed the empty yard.
A red-haired woman stepped out, holding a baby.
At the sight of the woman and child, Stricklander relaxed, his eyes lighting up as he smiled at them. The woman said a few words and Stricklander nodded, then leaned over and kissed her. He took the baby and held him as the child laughed.
Alberto was speechless.
The obvious love and adoration in Stricklander's eyes shook him. To see such a pure expression from one such as Stricklander… Alberto caught a glimpse of his hand – a wedding ring! The woman wore one to match it.
Could this be? Stricklander – the mighty leader of Changelings… had a wife? And he was in love?
Alberto stared, then hissed with narrowed eyes.
So, Stricklander was living like this – as a human, with the woman he loved. Fury burned into Alberto's heart as he clenched his teeth.
Stricklander didn't deserve this! Who did he think he was? With every order he'd ever given, he'd kept Alberto from his beloved Rosa, sending them to country after country with instructions on what to do, who to be, where to go, and to stay away from each other unless otherwise instructed.
Alberto held back an enraged roar. How could Stricklander think he could have this life? He would pay; Alberto would make him.
This chapter has been editted by: dtill359