Chapter 8: The Teachers
Hilda, Frida, David, and Twig were at Tildy's house, listening to what the kind elderly witch had to say.
"As you all know, witches value knowledge over anything else and only use magic to fight if they truly must. However, now that Gondul is planning to do something terrible, all witches will need to be ready for anything. That is why I asked your parents if you could stay here to learn more magic than usual during your week off from school, Frida."
Frida looked to her parents who were also there.
"And we decided yes." her dad said.
*Gasp!* "Thank you!" Frida hugged her parents.
"We want you to be able to defend yourself in case she tries to hurt you." her mum said. "We also brought you this case of things you might need."
Frida opened the brief case and found extra clothes, some notebooks, pencils, pens, a toothbrush, toothpaste, some reading books, and a few other things she might need.
"So why did we need to come too?" Hilda asked.
"I thought you would like to know the reason why Frida won't be spending time with you for quite a while." Tildy answered. "I'm sorry for any inconveniences."
"We almost had plans, but we don't mind." David said.
While everyone else was talking, Hilda looked at her friend getting excited for her upcoming magic lessons. And yet, part of her was somehow unhappy.
"Hilda, are you alright?" David asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine." Hilda assured.
But she wasn't really sure of that.
Later, Hilda and Twig returned home and the former let her wings out. Hilda told Johanna all about Frida's week long lessons and the threat of Gondul, which worried all of them. Then after dinner, Hilda went to her room where she started writing some stuff in a book. As it came close to her bedtime, Hilda looked out one of her windows for no real reason.
"Is everything alright, Hilda?" Alfur asked while standing on the windowsill.
"You're usually more chipper than this." Adeline added from next to Alfur.
"It's nothing important." Hilda said.
"Hilda." Twig begged. "Please. We're worried."
Hilda didn't want to talk about it, but they convinced her to anyway.
*Sigh* "Alright, but please don't tell anyone." she said. "Yesterday, I finished the book Kaisa gave me. Then today happened and I accidentally got jealous again. It's not as bad as last time, I promise. I just wish I had someone who could teach me to be a better familiar. But since I'm the only human one right now, that's impossible."
"Why don't you just ask one of the witches if something can be done?" Adeline asked.
"If something could, Tildy or Kaisa would've already mentioned it." Hilda answered. "But that's okay. Witches are more important than familiars anyway."
Alfur and Adeline were concerned, but they kept it to themselves. Twig was even more worried about Hilda, but couldn't do anything beyond nuzzling her. Hilda put away her wings, switched to her pajamas, and went to bed.
The next morning at Tildy's house, Frida got up and had breakfast with her teacher. Then her new training began.
"So, Frida, do you know of the basic spell shot yet?" Tildy asked.
"Yes. I saw Kaisa use it." Frida said.
"Good, because that is what we're starting with."
Tildy pulled out her wand and demonstrated by shooting the wall away from the couch. And yet there wasn't even a scratch which confused Frida.
"The spell shot is only as powerful as you wish it to be." Tildy explained. "However, it doesn't destroy everything it touches. It is only a basic spell for combat, but it can still save you from your attacker. I haven't taught you this before because like I said, we value knowledge the most."
"I understand, Tildy."
"Excellent. Now pull out your wand and let's begin."
Frida pulled her wand out of her pocket and Tildy brought forth a balloon, a pillow, and a block of wood.
"These will be your targets, starting with the balloon." Tildy said. "To shoot anything, you must focus your magic on the end of your wand, then release it with vigor. The more vigor you use, the stronger the shot will be. Go ahead and try."
Frida aimed at the balloon and focused on the end of her wand as instructed. The wand's tip started glowing a teal light. Frida then released her shot. She hit the balloon even though it only moved a little.
"I did it!" she said.
"Not bad for your first try." Tildy said. "Now try adding more vigor each time."
Frida tried it a couple more times, each one stronger than the last. The fourth time popped the balloon and she moved on to the pillow. After a few hits on that, she did the same to the block of wood.
"Well done, Frida. Now take a break and I'll get us some tea."
Frida sat down on the couch and relaxed by herself, looking forward to the rest of her time learning a lot of magic.
David got up out of bed, had breakfast, and left his house with plans of his own. He went to the nearest playground, climbed the ladder of the slide, and reluctantly stayed on top. To avoid panicking, he thought of his best friends. The simple idea was working as if he was never afraid of heights. He stayed up there until someone called for his attention.
"David?"
He looked down and saw Kaisa who asked "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to improve my courage." David said.
"Why do you need to do that?"
"Because I don't know how else I can keep up with my friends." David slid down. "Frida was already smart and now she's a witch. Hilda was already brave and now she's a shapeshifter. The only thing I've ever been good at is first aid."
"What about that time with all those tide mice?"
"That was an accident. I was just running for my life. I'm nothing but a cowardly doctor."
Kaisa felt bad for David, but she knew what to do.
"Come with me." she said.
David was confused, but he obeyed. They walked all the way to the library and went inside. Kaisa placed a closed sign outside and locked the doors. She then led David to a specific corner and pulled out a book.
"Why did you bring me here?" David asked.
"Because I know what it's like to think you're not the person you should be." Kaisa said. "I was a promising student of Tildy's, but I had forgotten most of what I learned. If it weren't for your friends, I wouldn't have realized how special my duty as keeper of the books really is. All three of you even inspired me to reteach myself some of the spells I used to know. So now, I'm going to help you."
*Gasp* "Thank you, Kaisa."
"You're quite welcome." Kaisa placed the book which was about lesser known healing remedies on the nearest table. "Here's your first lesson. You are a savior of lives. Don't ever be ashamed of that."
David started reading while Kaisa grabbed a few more books about similar things. When David took a break, he thought to himself "I wonder what Hilda's doing."
Earlier that morning, Hilda and Twig got ready for the day and went to have breakfast. While they were eating, Hilda noticed some camping gear all around the room.
"Mum, why is all the camping gear out?" she asked.
"Let's just say I have a surprise for you somewhere." Johanna said. "Tontu, I'm going to need you to keep an eye on the house for a while."
"Understood." Tontu said.
After breakfast, Hilda, Johanna, Twig, Alfur, Adeline, and Raven all got in the car and left for the wilderness. An hour or two later, they stopped near the mountain where the trolls lived inside and started setting up camp. Once they finished, Hilda asked "So what's the surprise?"
Johanna sat down an a log with a serious look and gestured for Hilda to do the same. Hilda obliged and listened.
"Hilda, I accidentally overheard what you said last night." she said. "I noticed that you seemed less happy than usual, so I thought I'd check on you. When you said that witches were more important, I knew I had to help you somehow. And as much as I worry about you, if that Gondul witch you told me about does return, Frida might need you more than ever. The witches may not be able to teach you anything, but maybe we can."
She gestured to Twig, Raven, and the elves at the last part.
"Your mom talked to us last night while you were sleeping." Raven said.
"And we agreed to help you." Alfur added.
"We even brought some friends along." Adeline pointed up.
At that moment a few birds landed, each with a member of the Braga clan getting off.
"The Bragas!" Hilda happily said.
"Yes, we have come." Bartel said. "When Alfur came to us and explained everything, We couldn't say no. I left a trustworthy elf in charge of our home and brought our best warriors to train you. FOR COMBAT!"
Most of the other elves hurrahed while Agnes just spat.
"Thanks, Mum." Hilda said with a hug.
"You're welcome, Hilda." Johanna hugged back. "Now let's get started."
"I'll take the first lesson." Raven said.
"Some of us need to set things up anyway." Bartel and the other Bragas went to do just that.
Hilda turned into a thunderbird and listened carefully.
"I heard you've been having trouble with your electricity, so let's start with that." Raven said. "The thing is you can't just make it happen all willy-nilly, especially if you get cocky. It's original purpose is for self defense. In order to bring it out, you need the right emotion. For example, if someone makes you mad, you can let it out. Or if you're scared of something trying to hurt you, it will definitely work."
"I could've used that information when I first got this." Hilda said.
"Oh yeah. Sorry about that. Why don't you give it a try? But do it in the sky so you don't hurt anyone by mistake."
Hilda flew up about fifty feet in the air and started with fear. She remembered the day she was traumatized by a wolf and shuddered from it. Once she felt the emotion, she spread out her wings. It was a complete success, for lightning came out of her.
"Perfect, Hilda!" Raven yelled. "Now try it with some other emotions! But don't overuse it! If you do, you won't be able to use it for at least an hour!"
Hilda heard every word and went with anger this time. She thought about the day she met Erik Ahlberg and then let it out, succeeding again. Then she wondered what would happen if she simply thought of the things she loved. Adventure, mystery, creatures, spirits, magic, friends, family. Then she remembered all the times when some of the things she loved were in danger. When she released her lightning again, it was bigger and more electrifying than before, surprising everyone including herself. She then came back down and returned to her human form.
"Let me guess. Love?" Raven said.
"How'd you know?" Hilda asked.
"That emotion can make anybody go all out. I think that's enough for now."
"I'll handle the next one." Johanna said.
"What am I going to learn next?" Hilda asked with joy.
"Have you heard of the wrestling badge?"
Night time came and Frida finished taking notes about animal connections.
"It's nice to know you're still giving me the usual kind of lessons." she said.
"Normally I'd do more things like this, but we have to be in a hurry now." Tildy said.
"That's true. So what's next?"
"We're going to improve the spells you already know. Let's start with the capture spell."
Both of them stood up and held their wands.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Tildy asked.
"Of course. You imagine the rings circling your target, then make them solid with your mind." Frida said.
"Very good. Now let's see you try to make it last longer than you have so far."
Frida concentrated again and aimed at a chair. She pictured rings trapping the back and legs and then made it happen. One second passed, then another, and another, and so on. The rings started to falter, but Frida kept them present. A few more seconds later, the rings broke and the chair fell back to the floor.
"Well done, Frida." Tildy said. "It lasted ten more seconds this time. At this rate, you'll easily master the spell."
Ten seconds wasn't much, but Frida still felt proud for her small victory.
At an earlier time before it got dark, David had just finished the fifteenth chapter of the book he was given. Kaisa had temporarily left and returned with a basket of plants, bandages, and other things.
"I think you're ready to try another remedy, David." she said.
"Are you going to be the patient this time?" David asked.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Kaisa pulled out a knife and reluctantly cut along the back of her arm just enough for a little blood to come out.
"Kaisa, what are you doing!?" David shrieked.
"As much as this hurts, you're better off practicing on the real thing." Kaisa explained. "And if you're afraid of blood, maybe doing this will help."
David knew that Kaisa was right, so he gulped and got started. He grabbed a few leaves, some berries, herbs, and a bowl with a grinder. He mixed the ingredients exactly as the new remedy said. Then he covered Kaisa's wound with the concoction and waited. To his surprise, the strange plant mixture solidified in a minute or two. Kaisa peeled it off and the wound was gone.
"Did I just do magic?" David asked.
"Not exactly." Kaisa said. "Some parts of nature have a better connection to magic than others, which allows things like this to happen. Not many know why such things are like this, but it does come in handy for those who aren't witches. Anybody can do it if they want."
Then she checked a pocket watch she had.
"Oh look at the time. I better get you home. Just think of where you live and I'll do the rest."
David trusted Kaisa and thought of home. Kaisa grabbed the book David was reading, gave it to him, and slowly cast the transportation spell. Soon they were right at the entrance of David's house.
"I'll see you again tomorrow." David said.
"Have a pleasant night." Kaisa replied. "And don't let anyone know about those books. Some of them came from the secret rooms."
"I won't."
David went inside and Kaisa walked to her own home.
It was completely night time when Hilda finished her most difficult training yet. Writing paperwork while in her elf form.
"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I wished for a teacher, but at least I'm done." she said. "Why do I even need to know this stuff?"
"Because this is an important part of being an elf." Alfur explained. "And it will definitely help with one of your weakest traits. Patience. Not to mention paperwork has saved us before."
"The Braga's training was still more fun than this, but I understand."
"Please remember how serious all of this is."
Hilda returned to human form and sat on a log near the campfire with Johanna, Twig, and Raven. All of the elves settled for smaller campfires of their own due to the size and heat. As Hilda enjoyed her dinner, she let her deerfox tail out and admired the night sky.
"So how do you like your first day, Hilda?" Johanna asked.
"A little tough, but mostly fun." Hilda answered as her tail wagged. "Raven was very helpful, Twig's tracking lessons were cool, I definitely liked
the obstacle course the Bragas made, Alfur and Adeline reminded me of school, and learning those wrestling moves from you was a great surprise. But the best part of all this is we get to spend some time out here in the wilderness again. This is going to sound silly, but now I wish I could somehow live both out here and in Trolberg."
Suddenly, they all heard footsteps. It was obvious that the footsteps were coming from a troll, so the majority of the campers got ready in case they needed to defend themselves. It turned out to be a false alarm, for Baba and her mother were coming to greet them.
"It's okay. They're friendly." Hilda said.
While the others felt relaxed, the Bragas were disappointed that there wouldn't be a fight.
"Babah bah babababah." Baba said as she ran to hug Hilda.
"Hello, Hilda." the motherly troll said. "Hello, uh..."
"Her name is Johanna." Hilda said. "Come to think of it, what's yours?"
"They call me Trylla. It is good to see you aga..." Trylla was suddenly confused. "When did you have a tail?"
"Oh that's right. I didn't tell you. Have a seat and I'll explain, Trylla."
"Is Hilda actually talking to a troll?" Raven whispered.
"I'll tell you about it later." Alfur quietly replied.
Trylla sat down and listened. Hilda then explained to her all about Frida becoming a witch, herself getting powers as a familiar, and what she's been doing all day to prepare for Gondul. When she was done, she introduced the others despite most of them being unseen to the trolls.
"I see. What have you become so far?"
"Well you just learned about my deerfox form." Hilda said while Baba played with her tail. "I can also be an elf, a thunderbird, a lindworm, a saltlion, and..." she stood and showed off her original transformation. "A troll."
*Gasp* "I never knew such things were possible." Trylla said.
"Yeah, witches are pretty cool. I even used to be jealous of Frida. But now I don't mind this being the only magic I can have."
"Maybe it's not."
"Huh?"
"Hold your hands out, Hilda."
Hilda did as she was asked.
"Now without talking, ask the land for a light."
Hilda had doubts, but played along anyway. She mentally asked for a light and waited. Then to everyone's surprise especially her own, a small pink flame-like light appeared between her hands. She lowered her arms and the light was gone.
"I didn't think I could do that." Hilda said.
"Is this because she was already a troll before?" Johanna asked.
"Your mother might be right." Trylla said. "If you want, I could teach you how to use our magic."
*Gasp!* "Mum! Trylla said she could teach me troll magic!" Hilda said back in human form. "May I? Please!"
*Sigh* "As long as you don't leave the campsite." Johanna said. "I still worry about losing you again."
Trylla lowered her head in shame.
"You won't, Mum." Hilda promised her mum with a hug. "Trylla, I'm ready to get started."
Montage 1
Frida kept learning new spells and improving old ones throughout the week. One day, she learned how to use a spell that changes people into animals on purpose. She was a little nervous after the time she did it by accident. Tildy demonstrated by turning Frida into a cat, then changing her back. After Frida was assured that everything would be fine, she then reluctantly tried the spell on Tildy, turning her into a dog. When Frida had trouble undoing the spell, Tildy surprised her by changing herself back.
On another day, Frida was working on improving her levitation spell. She started with moving a chair, but only made it rise a centimeter. Tildy gave her some advice to better use that spell and after a few more tries, Frida moved the chair around the room. She also tried it on other kinds of furniture, each with around the same success.
Sometimes Frida would have to practice her spell that allows her to mentally communicate with non-verbal beings. It would usually involve meditation instead of the way she's been doing it before. One time she could've sworn she was in the wilderness with a troll.
Overall, the week of learning new spells was turning Frida into a very capable witch.
Montage 2
David was working as hard as possible just so he could help his friends if they need it. Everyday he went to the library and got some help from Kaisa who closed the place for privacy showed him the best support. He even learned useful things other than the medical.
For starters, Kaisa showed David a chapter on plants that make something to use like a pepper spray. David then made some little wrapped balls full of the needed ingredients. Kaisa brought him a mushroom that's supposed to wrinkle if he got it right according to the chapter. He tested one of them and it worked.
He also learned about making some kind of herb treats that can temporarily enhance part of whoever eats them. He tried one and it made him strong enough to lift the table. He tried another and could run faster than any adult he knew. A third one allowed him to jump almost as high as Hilda in her half-deerfox form. There was even one that gave him extra energy like a sugar rush mixed with too much coffee. After bouncing off the walls for quite a while, he decided not to let the adventurous Hilda have one of those.
He still kept learning new first aid stuff such as advanced bandaging with Kaisa pretending to be a patient. Sometimes he wrapped her up wrong and the bandages fell apart. Other times he got carried away and made Kaisa look like a mummy. With a few tips from the helpful librarian, David kept going and got better.
By the end of the week, David felt like he was finally as good as Hilda and Frida.
Montage 3
Hilda was having the hardest and funnest time of her life yet. Trylla continued giving her lessons on making lights until she could make one the size of a campfire. The other nights each had Trylla teaching Hilda a different kind of troll magic. On one night, Hilda was taught how to magically move parts of the earth. Making part of the ground rise and lower alone was tricky, but she did it. She slowly, but surely learned many other earth moving tricks including opening the way into the mountain which required Johanna to be nearby when doing that. On another night, Trylla taught Hilda some advanced troll spells that were related to the pink light. For example, Hilda learned the same spell Trylla used to try to help her, Johanna, and Twig get out of the Stone Forest. She just had to think of a place before making the special shaped light and it would go there. There was even a night when Trylla taught her spells that required pebbles, but she left out the only one that Hilda already knew about from experience. Johanna still had her rightful issues, but she was slowly trusting Trylla again.
During the day, Hilda would usually start her lessons with her own mum. Not only did Johanna teach her some wrestling moves with a dummy she somehow put together herself, but she also showed her some new survival tips and other things she learned when she was a sparrow scout. Hilda considered this one of the best mother/daughter time experiences she ever had.
Raven may have still been injured, but he could still help Hilda improve her thunderbird abilities. He mostly had her do several flight exercises both as a bird and as a human with wings, but Hilda was enjoying the help she was getting never the less. Hilda also got much better at unleashing her electricity and discovered that she didn't need to be all thunderbird to use it. She still had to watch out for any overconfidence though.
When training with Twig, she did things like antler sparring and mastering her super senses. They would also run around together so Hilda could learn the full potential of a deerfoxes speed and agility. At least for one that young and small. The only part Hilda didn't like was when Twig showed her how to hunt and kill a little animal. Fortunately, Twig understood when she reminded that she was a vegetarian.
As for the elves, Hilda ended up doing a lot. With Alfur and Adeline, it was still mostly boring, but Hilda trusted them and kept at it. While she was learning from the Bragas however, she got rather excited. Like on day one, she went through a tough obstacle course made from sticks, leaves, and pebbles. It was difficult at first, but slowly she got better and conquered the course. She also learned archery, spear wielding, and lassoing. But the hardest part of all the Braga training was Hilda had to spar Agnes who did not hold back. Everytime she faced her, Hilda was knocked down. As usual though, she did improve a little each time. The came final day and their final spar. As with the previous matches, Agnes was too strong to fight head on, so clashing spears was out of the question. When Agnes swung her fake spear, Hilda ducked, rolled, and tripped her with her own. Once Agnes fell, Hilda pointed her sparring weapon at her throat and claimed her only victory. For a moment, Hilda though that Agnes went easy on her this time, but then she remembered that Bragas especially this one aren't the type to do that. The other Bragas cheered and praised her for her accomplishment. Hilda spent the rest of the day feeling very proud.
End montages
It was the final night and Hilda had finished her last lesson with Trylla. The Bragas had already left before sunset and Hilda and the others were all sitting around a campfire made from troll magic.
"Tomorrow we have to go home, but thank you for everything you taught me, Trylla." Hilda said.
"You're very welcome, Hilda." Trylla replied. "You'll always have a place among us whether you're a human, a troll, or something else."
"Bah babababa." Baba said.
Johanna watched Hilda not only bid the trolls farewell, but hug them each and finally made a decision.
"Trylla, I can never forget what you did." she said. "However, Hilda explained everything to me. That as well as all the help you've given her these last few nights has convinced me to do something necessary."
She walked over to Trylla, placed a hand on her big shoulder, and said "I forgive you."
All Johanna heard as a response was a gentle roar.
"She said thank you." Hilda translated.
"That's good, because I'm not done." Johanna said. "Trylla, you and Baba can visit us anytime you want. And Hilda, you have my permission to visit the trolls on any night. As long as you tell me and finish any homework you have."
"Really?" Hilda asked.
"I promise."
Hilda hugged Johanna like she had just been given the best present ever.
"Thank you, Mum. You're the best."
Johanna got down on her knees and gave Hilda a tighter hug than ever before. Then she said "I know you have wings, gills, and all those other things now, but how would you like a piggyback ride?"
*Gasp* "Yes, please!" Hilda climbed up onto Johanna's back. "Bye, Trylla. Bye, Baba."
"Farewell." Trylla and Baba left the campsite and returned to the mountain.
Johanna stood up with her arms wrapped around Hilda's legs and took off. Hilda cried out in joy with a hand on her mum's shoulder and a fist in the air. The others just sat and watched the two of them having the time of their lives.
The next morning, Frida and Tildy had one last breakfast together. When they finished, Frida noticed that Tildy looked a little serious.
"Frida, it is time for the final part of this week's training." Tildy said. "After this, lessons will go back to normal. We will be going to the Witches Tower to see if you can handle what Gondul will likely use on you. However, it's been a long time, so she could have new spells that I haven't prepared you for. Are you ready?"
Frida was clearly nervous about the whole thing. Any day, week, month, or year, Gondul could return and unleash any unforgivable spell on all of Trolberg. For all anyone knew, she might even try to steal all of their souls. But that was exactly why Frida had to be ready and fight against such fears just like all the other witches.
"I'm ready."
"Then grab your wand and we'll be off."
Frida went to get her wand and when she returned, Tildy magically transported them to the room of the committee of three.
"Ah, Frida. We've been expecting you." the middle member said.
"We hope you've learned enough for what's about to happen." Abigail said with her usual tone.
"But before we begin, you must summon your familiar." the third member ordered. "And be quick. You have a time limit."
Frida looked to her teacher who showed her confidence in her with a nod. She took a deep breath, held up her wand, and focused on sending her thoughts to her friend.
Meanwhile, Johanna had just driven back into Trolberg with Hilda shaking with excitement and the others just relaxing.
"I can't wait to tell Frida and David all about this." Hilda said. "Maybe next we can get the committee to let David learn magic too or something."
"Before any of that, maybe you should relax first." Johanna suggested.
"I don't think Hilda knows that word." Alfur joked, getting a chuckle from Adeline.
Then out of nowhere, images appeared in Hilda's head. There was Frida standing before the committee of three, then someone is about to attack her, and suddenly Hilda is by her side, followed lastly by a ticking clock. Then the flash of images just stopped.
"Mum! Stop the car!" Hilda shouted.
Johanna hit the brakes and the car loudly stopped.
"What's wrong, Hilda?" she asked.
"I saw Frida in my head somehow." Hilda said. "I think she's in trouble."
"Go ahead."
"I'll see you at the library." Hilda and Twig got out of the car and ran to the nearest alley way.
Hilda then transformed into a thunder bird and flew off as fast as possible with Twig held by her foot. In under ten minutes, they had reached the library and landed in some nearby shrubs. Hilda changed back and ran inside with Twig close behind. Once they reached the first secret room, Hilda became half-deerfox so she could get through all of the rooms as fast as possible. She was a little thankful that the access point to the committee room was open since it can't be opened without magic. Hilda and Twig went in and finally found Frida waiting.
"Where's the danger!?" Hilda shouted. "Is it Gondul!?"
"Woah, calm down." Frida said. "I think you misunderstood the message."
"Huh?"
"It's quite alright." Tildy said. "That spell is not normally used on humans, so it's only natural that the message didn't completely make it's way through the first time."
"And speaking of time, you got here a couple minutes sooner than we expected." the middle member said as she looked at her watch. "Well done."
"Now it is time to see what Frida can do with you by her side." Abigail said.
"Wait!" Kaisa came forth, surprising everyone.
"We've been wondering why you came here." the middle member said. "What is it?"
"I have brought one more person to help Frida if permitted, and that person is... David." Kaisa moved to the side and David nervously waved.
"Why should we let him take part?" the third member asked.
"Now hold on." Tildy said. "If Kaisa thinks that David can do this, then I trust her. Besides, these three do spend a lot of time together."
The committee thought about it, then came to a silent agreement.
"Very well. The boy will be given a chance." the middle member said.
David walked over to his friends who were still confused.
"I appreciate the help, David, but what are you doing?" Frida asked.
"Trust me." David said.
"Frida, I think we should give David a chance too." Hilda said.
*Sigh* "Okay." Frida turned to face the committee. "What do you want us to do?"
"In case things take a turn for the worst..." the third member floated down to the floor in front of the kids. "... you must spar with your magic against me."
"What!?" all three kids said.
"According to Kaisa, Gondul has gotten more powerful somehow. If you can not handle whatever I throw at you, then she is sure to kill you."
"Wait, then why don't we just spar Tildy then?" Hilda asked. "She's the most powerful."
"That is true, but Gondul has made her magic more of a weapon than anything and may or may not have surpassed even me." Tildy explained. "The most similar to her out of us is Olivia who originated from a military family."
"That explains one of them." Hilda whispered.
"As I mentioned before, magic is about knowledge, not power. And the knowledge you need right now is what you might be up against. I truly hope that it doesn't come to an actual fight when she returns."
"Any other questions?" Olivia asked.
"Just one." Hilda said. "Can Twig join too?"
"A witch, a familiar, and an extra are as far as we'll go with this!" Abigail said. "No more!"
"Sorry, boy. You'll have to watch with Tildy and Kaisa."
Twig joined the mentioned witches several feet away from the middle of the room.
"Now let the spar begin!" the middle member said.
Olivia immediately made the first move. She unleashed a spell shot that turned into a swarm of fireballs with no signs of holding back. Frida cast her reflection spell which was much bigger than before and sent all of the fireballs back. Olivia made the fireballs disappear and threw a little statue that turned into a hawk-shaped golem beast. The hawk golem flew at the kids who all dodged in different directions. David to the left, Frida to the right, and Hilda leapt over it. Hilda then became half thunderbird in order to fight the hawk golem. Frida fired a spell shot at Olivia who easily dodged it. The spell shot turned out to be a trick for Frida's next spell which then caught Olivia in three rings.
"Here, eat this." David tossed Frida an herb treat.
Frida trusted him and ate it. She suddenly felt like she could hold the rings for so much longer. Hilda and the hawk golem flew around, attacking and avoiding each other. Then Hilda caught it with her bird feet and let out a whole burst of lightning. The hawk golem reverted back to a now broken little statue. Olivia made Frida float with her wand tossed her to the side, setting herself free.
"Frida!" Hilda flew over and caught her friend.
David nervously took a couple of his herb treats and ran at Olivia. No matter what spell she sent at him, David was now too fast and agile, causing his friend's jaws to drop. He was still scared and ran clumsily, but he was holding his own. When he got close enough, he leapt and threw one of those pepper-spray like balls at her face. Olivia was screaming and temporarily blinded, giving the kids a chance to do anything.
"Why you!" Olivia tried to hit any of the kids with her spell shot, but she obviously couldn't aim.
Then she felt something else on her.
"AH! Which one of you put ants on me!?"
"Ants?" the kids were all confused.
Olivia then readied another spell shot that turned into electricity that didn't need sight to hit. But before she could fire, a long piece of stone broke out of the floor and knocked her wand out of her hand. David turned and saw Hilda in her troll form with pink aura around her hand. Hilda then ran to attack Olivia. The rude witch however got one of her eyes open and froze her in place. Frida then cast a spell that turned Olivia into a rat, allowing Hilda to move again. However, Olivia somehow changed herself back and levitated her wand back to her hand.
"Nice try, but only professionals are allowed into the committee."
Just as she was about to cast another spell, Hilda tackled her and pinned her to the ground with a wrestling move combined with her troll strength. Olivia tried to use her wand, but Hilda forced her to drop it. Just as she was about to cast a spell with her hand again, she was hit in the face by a basic spell shot.
"That could've knocked you out." Frida said with her wand still pointing at her opponent.
"You're right. I yield." Olivia said.
Hilda released her and changed back to a human. Olivia got up and dusted herself.
"Congratulations. Gondul will be more dangerous and less predictable, but I'm convinced that you'll at least stand a chance."
"As are we." the middle member said. "Well done."
"We did it!" Frida jumped with joy.
Then she, Hilda, and David came together and praised each other.
"That was amazing, David!"
"How did you do that, Hilda!?"
"I knew you'd do great, Frida!"
Twig ran over to celebrate them. At the same time, Tildy had a little chat with Kaisa.
"You did well too, Kaisa." Tildy said.
"I didn't take part in that." Kaisa said.
"But you did help David be able to help his friends. I'm very proud of you."
Kaisa looked away as a tear ran down her cheek. Then something was going on with the kids.
"Frida, why is your wand glowing?" Hilda asked.
Frida held up her wand and it really was glowing.
"I don't know."
Then her wand flashed and extended into a longer not broken shape. The glow was gone and in Frida's hand was a new beautiful wand. The long pointed part was yellow while the part she held was red and looked like it was wrapping around the wand. Frida opened her hand and found a bunch of circular dots each with some kind of symbol on it. The biggest dot was on the bottom of the wand and had what looked like a picture of several faces forming the shape of a heart.
"Tildy, what happened?" Frida finally asked.
"Your wand has taken it's true form." Tildy explained as she and Kaisa walked over. "Every witch's wand goes through a magical change to symbolize whoever wields it. You are now another step closer to being a fully fledged witch."
"Way to go, Frida!" Hilda said.
"Yeah!" David said. "Wait, I just remembered. Is Raven still with you, Hilda? I wanted to try something with him."
"He's with Mum who should be just outside. Come on."
As the kids and Twig left the committee room, Frida felt something on her ankle. She checked and found an ant on it.
"There really were ants on her." she said. "But how did they get in here? It's just like the wasps."
Then a possibility came to her.
"I wonder..."
Hilda and the others arrived outside of the library with Frida catching up. Johanna then came out of her car and hugged her daughter.
"So what happened?" she asked.
"It was just part of another test." Hilda said. "And we passed."
After explaining everything, Hilda then added "Oh, and David wanted to see Raven."
"Me? Why?" Raven asked.
"When I was learning new and rare remedies, I came across one that might help you heal faster." David gave Raven a little vial with an orange liquid inside. "It doesn't work on the more serious injuries, but it should what's left of yours."
Raven hesitated, but opened the vial and drank what was in it. For a moment, nothing happened. Then his broken wing felt a little pain. The others were a little worried, but then the pain stopped. David removed some of the bandages and let Raven test his wing.
"It's all better!" Raven said. "I can move it however I want!"
David removed the rest of the bandages and Raven flapped his wings with joy.
"Thanks, David." Raven flew around the car and landed next to Hilda. "I hope you guys don't mind if I leave now."
"Go ahead." Hilda said. "You have your home and we have ours."
"And we'll always welcome you whenever you visit." Johanna added.
"Thanks, everyone. Bye." Raven then took off into the sky as everyone waved goodbye to him.
Once he was out of sight, Hilda had a question for Johanna.
"Mum, since we haven't seen Frida and David in a while, can Twig and I please play with them?" she asked.
"Of course, Hilda. Go right ahead." Johanna said.
"Thanks." Hilda and Twig ran off with Frida and David to find a new adventure somewhere in Trolberg.
"Your daughter is quite the free spirit." Adeline said from Johanna's shoulder alongside Alfur.
Johanna smiled and said "I wouldn't have her any other way."
Author's Note: This is probably going to be seen as my weakest chapter for this fic and I don't blame any of you. Despite that, let me explain this chapter one kid at a time.
Frida: While making this fanfic, I realized a potential problem. This story is about Hilda dealing with getting the short end of the stick and then enjoying the perks of it, and yet I haven't shown much of Frida learning new spells in comparison. I needed to fix that. I tried to come up with a lot of new spells, but I just couldn't for some reason. At least I included the part where her wand changes.
Hilda: No new forms for her this time. Before I first started any of this, I knew there were only three ways for Hilda as a familiar to get something out of such a one-sided deal. The first you already know, her own special magic. Second, a special item equivalent to a witch's wand. And lastly what you just read about, her own special teacher. Or teachers. Making a chapter to give Hilda at least one teacher of her own just seemed like a good idea and a good reason to take a break from the usual in this fic.
David: When coming up with this chapter, I realized a second problem. David was still falling behind. So I decided to have him learn from someone too. The only question was who. Angus was a strong contender and for some reason I considered Raven Leader (What?). But then I settled for Kaisa and realized as I was writing that she's the perfect choice for David who really does have the short end of the stick. As for how I made him catch up with his friends, I based it on the only useful talent I know he has. First Aid.
I really wish I could've balanced these three a lot better in this chapter than that. Hopefully, something in this chapter can make up for it. One more thing. I hope you don't mind how I did the forgiveness part. I figured it would make more sense if Hilda and Baba were given permission to visit each other's homes some time later instead of immediately after the Mountain King incident as it seems to be.