The Friends of Avalon
Jim flipped through his book, "Popa Vendal? Can I ask you a weird question?"
"'May I', Little Trollhunter," His mentor and grandfather corrected, "And yes. You may."
"Were there any kids at the battle of Killahead? Younglings like me and the other Young Trollhunters?"
Vendal looked up from his potion. He looked down at his apprentice. Setting aside his pestle and mortar he reached for a book on the highest shelf and turned back.
"There were. They were not as young as you and your friends but they were there."
Jim scrambled up to sit at the table beside Vendal and watched as he flipped through the book.
"Their names have been lost to time. But there were a few there," Vendal turned the book to the boy, "A Werewolf Pup, a forest sprite, a Stalkling halfling, and a mermaid princess."
"Really! A stalking like Da! And a PRINCESS!"
"Yes, like Stricklander," Vendal turned the book so Jim could see the pictures.
"He even looks like Da!"
He does, doesn't he. Though he is blue rather than green."
"Maybe he's Da's Da? It would explain why he doesn't look like the other changlings either."
"A clever analysis, Atlas. However, I doubt it. This was just a youngling, not much older than you are."
"Oh yeah...What's that?"
Vendal turned the book back, "Oh. King Arther was felled during the Battle of Killahead. The princess attempted to heal him."
"Mary's magic can't do that…"
"No. But the princess bore the mark of the Lady of the Lake. See there? It is likely how she was granted entry into Camelot."
"Oh. Ok. I can't wait to tell Mary! She's going to love this!"
Vendal chuckled and closed his book, "Yes, she will. Now, back to the potion. I want you to have the first part memorised before we attempt it tomorrow."
"Yes, Popa Vendal."
LLB
"Oma? Did you ever have an apprentice BEFORE Tanta Barbara?"
Mary was sitting on the counter in the lab, watching her grandmother setting up an ancient loom.
"No. Barbara is my first apprentice. I DID have two handmadens who were magically inclined. But I never really got a chance to train them."
"Oh. Was that before or after you got Onkel Walt?"
Morgana stood up, "After. In fact, it was just days before Killahead."
"Really!?"
"Yes. They arrived with a cousin and two brothers. Their cousin was imprisoned in the dungeons. It was one of the things that kicked off the battle. And one of their brothers was the Heir of Lancelot!"
"Cool! Did they know about Onkel Walt, then?"
"Oh! Yes! One was a water mage and she absolutely adored your uncle. She hardly let him out of her sight. After I...fell...She was the one who cared for him until I reclaimed him."
"'Fell'?"
Morgana shook her head and smiled as she thred the loom with bright red thread, "Nothing for you to worry about, Mary. Why don't you go grab a snack before you go to training? You shouldn't spar on an empty stomach."
"Ok. Thanks, Oma."
Mary kissed her grandmother's cheek and scurried into her keep. Morgana sighed and flexed her stiff green hand before getting right back to work.
LLB
It was eleven o'clock at night and Jim, Mary, Toby, Eli, Steve, and Seamus were racing across town to Avelon's throne room.
"Claire? What's wrong?" Jim led the charge, "You said you had to show us something?"
"And why didn't you call Angor or Aja or anyone else? Because SOME of us got back from a mission TWO DAYS AGO and haven't gotten to sleep yet," Mary yawned, rubbing her eyes.
"Because it's about us," Claire flipped through a couple of books, "I've been cataloging the books and artifacts from Avelon and found these. There's no names but-"
"Avalonian storybooks?" Eli crossed his arms.
"About US," Claire rolled her eyes, "They do read like children's fairytales but there's no denying that it's us."
The other teens crowded around her.
"There are two books, each split into little stories about 'The Friends of Avalon'," Claire explained, "This one is 'Lancelot's Heir'. Look familiar?"
"Th-That's me!" Steve snattched the book away, "And I have toothache! And I...Lancelot's Heir?"
"Yeah. The four of us that were in Avalon have titles like that. Personally I think Mary's is the best. She's-"
"Arthur's Mermaid Princess?" Jim dashed off.
"How did you know that?"
"Because- where is it? I know I brought it here! Aha! Because it's in this book," Jim landed and flipped through another book, "It's the history book Popa Vendal used to teach me about Killahead with. He told me 'Arthur's Mermaid Princess' wasn't the princess of the mermaids, nor was she Arthur's child. It referred to the fact that she was 'marked by the Lady of the Lake'."
"She was what?" Mary stared at the depiction of her and Arthur.
"Galahad's book said the same things but...Actually? I'll let you read it yourself. Let's just say, Arthur definitely picked favorites."
Mary took the book and sat at the other end of the table. Claire took the other book back from Steve and continued to flip through it.
"Do those books mention anything about a werewolf pup and a stalking halfling?" Jim grinned.
"Do you mean the Stalkling Prince and the Child Alfa? Daya's right hand and the child of the Gumm-Gumm Tamer?"
Seamus pirked, "Really? How did no one remember any of this?"
"Well, Galahad didn't forget anyone. Any guesses who the 'Forest Child" is? The LEFT hand of Daya?"
"That's what I'm remembered as?" Eli leaned over the book.
"By Galahad at least. You have to remember, nobody knew that humanoid fairies exist at the time. I just wonder why he wrote them all as children's stories."
Steve sat on the table and crossed his legs, "I don't think he would write much better than that. He told me just before Killahead that he never learned to read."
Mary looked up, face pale, "W-Wasn't he reading off that paper at the tournie?"
"No," Claire hung her head, "It was blank. He must have learned while on the Heart of Avalon."
"Speaking of the Tournie, where are we?"
"You mean Morgana's Handmaiden and the Silent Knight?"
"Oh, cool. I'm remembered for not talking…"
"Haha! No. That's just your title. You're remembered for protecting Mary and 'The Heir of Avalon'."
"Oh. Damn…"
"So we were remembered," Seamus sat beside Mary, pulling her book a little closer.
"And we were in the history books," Steve agreed, "Just not the human ones."
"Apparently. Can we go home now? I'm tired and Mary looks like she's going to collapse…"