Age of Lions
Chapter 10
Not so Great Gronka Morka
Blinky's homecoming childhood Trollmarket would've been a lot more special without the handcuffs.
Tellad-Urr's doppelgangers had dragged him, Arrrgh, Toby, a mysterious young woman with a magical nullifying bracelet upon her wrist, and their wheelbarrows full of metal for what felt like miles across the English moors. Just before the sun rose, they reached the tall hill known as Glastonbury Tor, where the dark Trollhunter drew upon a Horngazel passage. Blinky had squinted his many eyes as he squinted his many eyes as he and his two friends were pressed through the blinding tunnel of light and rock. Once they reached the other side, Blinky's vision returned, and he beheld the Trollmarket in which he had grown up. It now seemed much smaller to the adult Blinky, although he easily recognized the purple Heartstone grown upside down from the cavern ceiling. Below that, he saw the many caves he had frequented as a young Troll, yet they now seemed to be without occupants. In fact, most of Glaston bury Tor Trollmarket appeared devoid of much life or warmth at all to him.
Blinky heard the struggling woman being carried along with them by the clutches of one of Tellad-Urr's clones. Despite his intelligence and six-eyes, Blinky could not help but as if he had met her before in fact she had a peculiar resemblance to- - -
"You petty coward!" The lady yelled at the clone holding her captive. Her defiance was rather confounding and brave. He could tell right away that this was no ordinary woman.
"Uh. . ." the lady heard the six-eyed Troll drawing her attention. "Salutations, milady." Blinky politely greeted her.
"This way, six-eyed scum," The Tellad-Urr holding Blinky's chains ordered.
Blinky stumbled alongside Arrrgh and Toby as two of the Dark Trollhunter duplicates led them lower, while the rest wheeled away the barrows.
"Greeting?" The hooded woman responded with reluctance and small distrust. "Where are we?"
"Why, it appears we're being taken to Glastonbury Tor Trollmarket to be held prisoner against our will."
Toby tugged the abrasive shackle around his neck. "Not too big on hospitality in the Dark Ages, are they?" he said.
"Indeed," Blinky seconded. "I remember every troll here being rather pleasant - - except my older brother, Dictatious. He always was an insufferable, egotistical, opportunistic- -"
"Jerk," Arrrgh, ducking his mossy green head as they were prodded into the cramped confines of the Trollmarkets dungeon.
"I very much enjoy you using those words to describe Terrible." Zelda glanced at the Tellad-Urr holding her.
The prisoner's hearts sank as they finally too in the dank warren of caves, each barred by a web of orange crystal spikes. The only sounds they heard were the trickles of foul-smelling water along the mold-slicked walls and the defeated moans of more captured Trolls.
Toby squinted his eyes at the woman tied in chains very carefully. He recognized the bracelet on her wrist, similar to what Marshall wore in the Darklands, which suppressed his magic. As he looked harder. . . . Toby suddenly got a flash of his childhood friend's face. His jaw dropped wide open aghast realizing that this woman, this person, is nonetheless a Silver Lion.
A Tellad-Urr snapped his head towards Toby suspecting a sudden sense of strong emotion. But instead, he finds the tiny human boy in a normal natural position. The clone then turned away and shrugged it off. But what he didn't know is that Toby was observing him, and now that he knows that this woman is a lion. This could mean that she might be able to help him and his friends get out of this mess, but her powers are being blocked by that bracelet. Unless he creates the element of surprise. He figured now this would be a good time to use his escape artist self-training to use.
Toby glanced at the Tellad-Urr duplicate's waist, seeing a small key that could be for the Fouding Ring; he once saw Talia use a key just like tat to free herself from her bracelet back in the museum. Slowly, carefully he reached for the key and snatched it, quickly concealing it in his tiny hands. Blinky and Arrrgh observed him confused of Toby's actions and curious to know what of his intentions. Toby pulled out his index finger over his lips signaling them to keep quiet and act natural. One of the Tellad-Urr's inserted an oversized key into the dungeon wall, causing the spikes to retract. Using the loud sounds, Toby quickly reached for Zelda's Fouding Ring and unlocked the anti-magical bracelet off.
Zelda watched with wide eyes as he caught the bracelet before hitting the ground. Neither of the Tellad-Urr's didn't suspect a thing, even as the second shoved Toby, Blinky, and Arrrgh into the now open cell.
"Say, uh, mister unicorn troll, sir?" Toby said politely, keeping the Fouding Ring out of sight. "Would you mind giving me back my Warhammer? It has sentimental value."
"One of my others has buried it all the bottom of my vault," Tellad-Urr answered. "Just as you will soon fill the bottom of my belly!" The identical Dark Trollhunters barked in laughter and removed the key. With a hiss, the crystal spikes slid back into place, sealing Toby, Blinky, and Arrrgh into the dungeon. The main Tellad-Urr then turned to Zelda. "And as for you. . .Gunmar and his little champion will be pleased once I present you to them. After so many years of hiding from the Gumm-Gumms, not only will the era of the Trollhunters end, but your kind as well."
Zelda merely stared at him in silence. . .and then glanced right at the young boy who'd freed her from the Ring's magic. Still cackling, the Tellad-Urrs left, taking the Silver Lion and the only key with them.
Toby sighed as he tossed the bracelet aside. "Hopefully she'll return the favor." He mumbled.
"What exactly did you do, Tobias?" Blinky wondered.
"Uh, Blinky? Didn't take a good look at her?" Toby said. "You have six eyes! She's a Silver Lion!"
Then something brushed up against him in the dark making him yelp and hid behind his massive wingman. Being a Krubera, Arrrgh was accustomed to the low-light conditions of Earth's deepest caves and, therefore, adjusted, too, and saw scores of withered trolls shambling toward them. Their stone skin swallow and their eyes protruded with hunger, they closed in around Toby, Blinky, and Arrrgh.
"Oh, great!" Toby cried. "I suppose all you old-school trolls want to eat me, too!"
The imprisoned trolls halted in place, looking insulted. "Eat you?" One of them said. "Why would we want to do that? You look disgusting."
"Whew! Thanks!" Toby exhaled in relief until the rest sunk in. "I think?"
"A Silver Lion's here?" A weakened troll asked. "Why would Tellad-Urr bring her here?"
"Maybe she can help us." Another said.
"No," A disgruntled one said. "They're the reason Gunmar's here. The reason our home is taken and our Trollhunter turned against us."
"We've agreed to never interfere with each other's lives, but now everything's nothing but a total disaster!"
Blinky inspected the arguing, wilting trolls. "They're being deprived of the Heartstone's nourishing glow in this dungeon." He said.
"You mean. . . this will happen to both of you the longer we stay down here?" Toby asked, casting a concerned look over his two friends. "We've gotta get out of here pronto!"
"Agreed, but not just yet." Blinky said before he addressed the sickly trolls. "I say. . ." The trolls ceased arguing over the Silver Lion and turned to the multi-eyed troll. "What has brought all of you to this dismal place? You certainly don't seem like criminals."
"We're not." A prisoner wheezed. "Unless you count refusing to attack fleshlings' as a crime. Tellad-Urr certainly does. . ."
"And he only knows of the Silver Lion's existence. If he were to show of them to Gunmar-"
"You mean. . .the Dark Trollhunter demands you to eat humans and reveal the Silver Lion Clan?" Blinky inquired, aghast.
"No, Kilfred had more of a taste for that. . .though Gorgus know where he and his lackeys have disappeared to." Another captive answered. "Tellad-Urr the Terrible doesn't care whether we eat humans or not. He just wants us to raid their villages for his 'tributes'."
"Those wheelbarrows full of metal, but what would Merlin's misguided champion need with all that worthless pig iron?" Blinky wondered.
"Maybe he's practicing troll dentistry?" Toby guessed.
. . .
Zelda was completely confused: a human boy has freed her from the Ring, restoring her power. It seemed he was putting his trust and faith in her to free him and the innocent trolls. Giving her the element of surprise.
Zelda shifted into her lion form and pierced her claws into one of the Tellad-Urr's clones' back, causing him to scream in agony. She leaped off, tossed another clone overhead, and gave the third a roundhouse kick. The Silver Lion went face-to-face with the real Tellad-Urr the Terrible.
"You. . ."Zelda said in disdain as they circled each other. "We've agreed to respect our boundaries and never get involved with each other. Because innocent trolls had you to protect them. And now you side with the enemy?!"
"There are no innocents." Tellad-Urr insisted without remorse. "I don't want others to suffer the same fate as I have."
"You fool! You are completely delusional!"
"Hmph," Tellad-Urr unimpressed expecting this from her. "You really don't understand, do you? Axton has made you blind and has taken your sense of integrity. All of those past glories from the First Creation, a fearful fate you cannot fight; the fate of your people!"
"What are you talking about?" Zelda interrogated him.
"Stupid girl. . .Your partner, Leocadius, is a direct descendant of the first Silver Lion. Your chieftain is using him to glorify his tribe."
"But we've agreed to never cross the line between lions and trolls. And if Axton - -"
"I begged Axton to help talk with Kilfred!" Tellad-Urr snaps made Zelda recoil. "But he left me to be wasted with the simplest tasks. This mantle had cursed me enough as the scars upon my face. I beg of you. . .remove this spell."
"I cannot," Zelda said. "Only a lion whom inflicted upon their enemy can remove the Scars of Fate. Even if I sympathize with your reasons, your actions afterward have deemed you unfit.
Tellad-Urr grits his teeth and shook in frustration before he came charging in full of rage at Zelda.