merendinoemiliano-Ah, thank you so much! There's no fighting in this chapter, but I think you'll like it anyway! And hey, happy belated birthday! I'm glad my update coincided with it lol.
No one-Oh my gosh, my heart is literally going to burst from your review and understanding! Seriously, your patience is really appreciated. I always want to make sure the chapter is the best it can be before posting, so thank you for waiting. Haha, I try to make my stuff better than the movie at all times! (Which isn't that hard lol.) And wow, I really love that it's your favorite chapter too! Thanks!
T3ddyBearL0ve-To think we were so excited for rott too…oh well. That's what fanfiction is for lol. And hey, don't worry about it! Like you said, we've both been super busy, and it's hard to read others' work, much less write our own! Haha, I knew you'd be excited to see the big boy back! I loved writing that argument because I knew Jim was going to explode and bring the beast out, which is just…ANGST. We love it lol. Hehe, you know I love my cliffhangers. I'm addicted to making you suffer while you wait for me to update!
Guest-Thank you so so much! I know it took a while, but I hope you enjoy this new chapter too!
Douxie screamed as the forest titan fell to the ground. He screamed as Bellroc clambered out of the lake, the titan steaming as it staggered away. He screamed as he launched himself off the bluff and rocketed towards the fallen titan.
He urged his staff to go faster. It obliged, the wind stinging his eyes, but he didn't care. He had to see her, before she…
He didn't want to finish that thought.
Douxie alighted next to the head of the titan, which had crumbled to small boulders. The rest of the titan wasn't in much better shape, with the limbs bent at crooked angles. Tiny fires smoldered in the bushes around him. And, sprawled on the burnt grass, was Nari.
"Nari!" Douxie sprinted over to her and slid to his knees. His heart squeezed painfully at the sight of her. She was in horrible shape. Where there wasn't nasty burns, her green skin was charred black. A gaping wound on her stomach oozed bright green blood.
She coughed. "Douxie?" He wanted to sob at how weak her voice sounded.
"It's okay, Nari," he whispered, propping her head on his lap. "I can fix this. I can heal you. You're going to be okay."
She shook her head. "No, Douxie. This is something you cannot fix."
"But I'm a master wizard! I have the power to heal you, I know I do. Please, at least let me try!" he begged.
"My life is connected to the titan," Nari said. "If it is struck down, its master will perish. There is nothing you can do."
"Don't say that," Douxie said, his voice cracking. "Please. I—I can't lose you, Nari."
Nari reached for his face and wiped away the tears that were running down his cheeks. She smiled, even though tears of her own shone in her golden eyes. "I'm sorry I have to leave you. Promise me…promise me you won't blame yourself."
He thought he wouldn't be able to speak through the lump in his throat, but he forced out, "I—I promise." He squeezed her hand. "I promise."
"Good." She closed her eyes. "I want you to know that I'm so…so happy you didn't just protect me. You let me see the world, let me truly experience it."
Her eyes opened. There was no sadness or anger in them, only love. "Merlin would be proud of you, Douxie. I am proud of you. Thank you, friend."
Then Nari's body dissolved into glowing blue and purple petals.
"No," Douxie whispered as the petals swirled higher into the air. He got to his feet and grabbed for the small flowers, desperate to keep one last reminder of her. "No!"
He watched in dismay as the petals disappeared in little wisps. His last reminder of her…gone. He put his head in his hands and started to cry.
Someone pressed his body to theirs in a hug. Douxie could tell from the aura that it was Zoe. He leaned into her, dampening her shoulder with his tears. She stroked his hair with shaking fingers. He knew he should be comforting her; she had lost Nari too. But he couldn't bring himself to—he just didn't have the strength. So, he let her cradle him, wishing more than anything he could hold her hand again. Hear her laugh, see her smile. He wished he could turn back the clock when none of this nightmare was even a possibility.
But not even magic could do that.
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Jim stumbled out of the shadow portal and nearly dropped Claire. He whispered a "sorry" and readjusted his grip on her frail form. Claire wasn't heavy or anything—more like the opposite—but still, compared to his troll form, his human body was…weak. Maybe if he—
He shook his head. Not happening. He wasn't going to give the beast any chance of reemerging.
Zoe staggered into Camelot's main hall. The portal closed behind her silently. Argh offered his arm as support, and she gladly took it.
She wiped the sweat off her face. "God, I hate making portals."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help," Claire said guiltily.
Zoe waved off her apology. "Don't be. That was massive portal back there. You need your rest."
"You've returned!" Krel skidded into the main hall, Aja, Steve, and Eli not far behind. A huge beam lit up his neon blue face. "And in one piece, too! Did you succeed, then? Is the crazy fire lady finally gone?"
"No, she isn't."
Krel stilled as his gaze fell upon Douxie. All eagerness drained from the Akiridion's face as he took in the state of the wizard. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was streaked with tears. He stared at the others, utterly emotionless.
"What happened?" Aja asked carefully.
"Nari fought Bellroc, but lost," Douxie answered hollowly. "She's dead."
They gasped. Zoe flinched and looked down. Douxie's dull expression didn't change.
"I'm so sorry, Douxie and Zoe," Krel said. "I know she meant a lot to you."
"Thank you, but Bellroc is still out there. Can you check her progress, Krel, and see how much time we have until she gets to Arcadia?"
Everyone stared at Douxie in shock, stunned by how fast he had changed the topic. He didn't even react to their dumbfounded stares. Jim swallowed uneasily. Douxie was taking Nari's death a lot worse than he thought. This wasn't good.
"Um, o—okay! Just give me a second…" Krel hurriedly typed away at the small gadget on his wrist, murmuring calculations under his breath. He pressed a button, and a holographic image of the Earth appeared.
"That's us in Arcadia right now," he explained, pointing to a pulsing blue triangle. His finger moved to a blinking red dot less than inch away. "And that's Bellroc. We have three, four hours max before she arrives."
"Then that gives us enough time to recover and prepare for the battle ahead," Douxie stated. "Good. I'll be in my quarters."
He shuffled off, his movements slow and weary. They watched him with worried eyes until he disappeared behind a column.
Zoe sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'll go talk to him."
"Hold on now, young wizard," Blinky said. "Nari was your companion too. While you're taking her passing much better than Hisirdoux, I strongly suggest you take some time for yourself. Do not forget your own grief," he finished kindly.
She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, six-eyes. I think I'll do that." She exited the main hall.
"Wizard boy is right," Aja said. "We all need some rest. We meet back here in three hours to formulate a plan. I'll see you then."
The group dispersed. Steve and Eli followed the Akiridions, while Jim started towards the back of the hall.
"Where are you going, master Jim?" Blinky asked.
He jerked his head to the right. "I'm taking Claire to one of the spare bedrooms. She looks like she's going to pass out."
"Am not," she said sleepily.
"Uh-huh."
Toby grinned. "Oh, she's gonna go shut-eye as soon as she hits a mattress. Find us when you're done, Jimbo!"
Argh and Toby left. Blinky gave his shoulder a comforting pat before joining them. Jim hefted Claire higher, ignoring his screaming muscles, and started striding through the castle hallways.
"So," Claire said, "are you going to listen to Nari?"
He refused to make contact with her questioning brown eyes. "No. I've survived this long without the beast. I don't need it know."
"But this is different. Our enemy is different. What if…what if what we have isn't good enough?"
An icy feeling spread throughout Jim's body, because deep down, he knew she was right. He had failed to beat Bellroc in his half-troll form. In fact, the only time he had won any kind of victory was when he unleashed the beast to save that family in Hong Kong…
He gritted his teeth. One good deed didn't make up for all the horrible ones in the past. She just couldn't see that.
He finally located a bedroom and set her down gently on the bed. "You know, I would prefer if you just slept through this last one," he admitted as he pulled the blankets around her.
She laughed softly. "Not a chance. If you're out there, I'm there too."
Jim smiled. "That's what I thought. Now get some rest."
She yawned and closed her eyes. "You don't have to tell me twice."
Claire shifted onto her side and nestled deeper into the blankets. He tucked her hair behind her ears, marveling at its blinding whiteness. He was going to miss that chocolate-brown, but if he was being honest, he hoped she didn't dye it back.
Jim stepped out of the room, softly shutting the door behind him. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. God, he was so exhausted he could sleep for a week. But with the way his thoughts were whirling in his head from the whole beast thing, he knew he wouldn't be able to get any real rest before the fight. Maybe he could get in some training with Argh instead.
He had almost made it back to the main hall when someone called, "Jim! There you are!"
He didn't even have time to react before his mom had her arms wrapped around him. He squeezed her back as best he could with her hugging from behind.
"Hey, Mom," he greeted weakly.
She grabbed his shoulders and turned him around so she could look him directly in the eyes. "Are you hurt? Any pulled muscles, broken bones, lacerations, anything? I guess with that armor you're pretty indestructible, but that was when you were a…" she trailed off, realizing the awkward hole she had dug herself into.
He gave her a tired smile. "Physically, I'm okay. But Mom, I…Nomura, she—"
"We know."
Jim's gaze switched to Strickler, who stood next to his mom. He looked as bad as Douxie. His hair was a ruffled mess, his yellow eyes bloodshot. He tried to smile at Jim, but failed. "The extraterrestrials informed us of what happened. Nari, too."
"Oh." Suddenly, all of Jim's emotions that he had been suppressing for the past several hours bubbled back up to the surface. Tears leaked from his eyes and he raised his hand to cover them, leaning against a column for support. He couldn't be strong anymore. He just couldn't.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye, Strickler," he gasped. "I didn't think I would even need to say goodbye. But now I'll never get the chance."
"And I couldn't save my oldest friend," Strickler said, his voice hoarse. "I saw it happen, but I—I couldn't stop it. I should've done something, should've tried harder—"
"Enough." His mom's voice was gentle, but firm. "Walter, you've been beating yourself up over Nomura's death since it happened. Knowing you, Jim, you have been too. You miss her, I get it. She…she was going to be my maid of honor."
Jim stared at his mom in surprise. Nomura was going to be her maid of honor? He knew they had grown closer over the past year, but he wasn't aware it was to that degree.
His mom sniffed and hurriedly swiped at her eyes. "And because of that, we got to know a lot about each other. So I know for a fact she would hate seeing you guys like this. Sitting around, blaming yourselves. She'd slap some sense into you—literally, too."
She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and gave them a comforting smile, even though tears of her own shone in her eyes. "We all miss her. But please believe me when I say it's not your fault. We have to keep fighting. For the world, and for her."
For the first time in what felt like years, Jim genuinely smiled. Nomura's loss still stung—and it would for a long time—but his mom was right. If she saw Jim like this right now, she'd kick his ass. She'd demand for him to get over it and to battle on. He looked up at Strickler, and the changeling nodded. There was still sadness in the changeling's eyes, but acceptance too. Determination. He understood.
But there was still one thing Jim was afraid of.
"I'm scared, Mom," he confessed. "I'm scared of losing more people. First Nomura, now Nari…what chance do we stand against Bellroc if a titan couldn't defeat her?"
"Well, Young Atlas, the deaths of our friends were not the only things we were informed of," Strickler said. "The other wizard, Ashildr, she said Nari told you there was, in fact, a way to finally end Bellroc."
"What do you—" Jim stopped. Oh, of course his mom just had to find out about the beast now. He hadn't lied to her about last summer, he just…skimmed over the details. He told her that the shard had corrupted him and ultimately turned him against his friends, but he didn't say how much that corruption had changed him. He thought she would never find out.
And now she had.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said shortly. He turned his back on them and quickly headed for the balcony.
"Jim, you come back here!" his mom ordered as she and Strickler followed. "You can't just walk away from this!"
"Yes, I can!" he retorted. "I didn't need that form before, and I don't need it now."
"You know this is different, Young Atlas," Strickler said.
With gritted teeth, Jim finally made it to the balcony. He had hoped the night wind would cool him off, but he was wrong. It was getting harder and harder to suppress his growing irritation.
"You never saw what I did as that thing," he snapped, whirling towards them. "My humanity was stripped from me. I hurt my friends."
"Honey, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you—"
Jim growled in frustration. "You don't get it, because you've never seen! Fine. You wanna know why I can't listen to Nari? I'll show you."
His churning emotions made slipping into the beast's form all too easy. His mom and Strickler diminished as his own height grew. The armor shifted with his broadening muscles, adjusting to his new bulk. He clenched his hands into fists, his recently acquired claws scraping against the metal.
"Do you get it now?" he snarled. "Do you get why I can't bring this thing out? I'm a monster."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. They stared up at him, but Jim was too angry to read their reactions. He just didn't care anymore. They were going to prove his assumptions right and—
"This is what you were so afraid of?" his mom wondered. "But sweetie…you just look like a normal troll to me."
Jim stared at her, stunned. "W—what?"
"Quite right, Barbara," Strickler said. "You look like one of the might Trollhunters of old—fierce as Deya the Deliverer, strong as Kanjigar the Courageous. A warrior I would see in the history books."
"But—but I don't even look human anymore! I have claws, more horns, my fangs are longer…"
His mom's brow furrowed. "Didn't Draal have all those? That's who you look like to me, anyway."
"I—" Again with the Draal comparison! He had been heroic and noble, though. Not like Jim. "But Draal never hurt anyone, I did! That's why I hate this thing. It was used to attack my friends!"
"Ah but have you forgotten, Jim?" Strickler asked kindly. "Much like you, Draal's free will was stripped away from him as well. Gunmar controlled him, used him to hunt you down. Yet he didn't blame himself for actions he could not control."
Jim didn't know what to say. He had forgotten about Draal's possession.
Strickler seized on Jim's silence to keep going. "And what about Argh? He was Gunmar's second-in-command. Willingly, might I add. Even thought he is ashamed of his past, it does not stop him from fighting for today. Why should you?"
Finally, it clicked. Jim understood now. Draal and Argh had gone through the same thing as he had, but they didn't let that hold them back. They battled on. Yeah, the beast may have done horrible things, but that hadn't been his fault. It was just hard for him to separate this form and the corruption that had come with it. But without the shard, the 'beast' was just another troll.
Nari was right. If they wanted to win this fight, Jim had to become, one final time.
He looked into Strickler and his mom's eyes, so full of love and acceptance. To think he had been so scared…he should've known better.
Jim smiled. "I'm not going to stop fighting. You're right. This," he gestured to himself, "is nothing to be afraid of."
His mom beamed. "It really isn't. I'm happy you understand, Jim."
They hugged him then, though Jim could hardly feel it through the armor and his stony skin. But he didn't mind. He returned the hug, though it was a little awkward with his increased stature.
Strickler noticed this and pulled back with a chuckle. "My, my, you're quite big now, Young Atlas. This will take some getting used to."
Jim rubbed his head sheepishly. "Yeah, this guy is pretty big. Speaking of getting used to…"
He concentrated and summoned Daylight. He looked down at the notched blade, which was now much too small for his large hands. Then it ignited in blue flames and lengthened until it was the perfect size and weight for him. He grinned. He had forgotten it could do that.
"Wow…" his mom breathed as Jim practiced swinging his sword, only to drop it when he tried to twirl it. "Oh."
He sighed and stooped to pick it up. "Yeah. That's what I thought would happen—this form isn't nearly as agile and quick as my old one." He turned to Strickler. "We've got a few hours until Bellroc arrives. Until then, could you, um…"
"Train you?" Strickler finished. "Of course. Nomura helped you embrace your trollish side before. Now it's my turn."
For the first time since her death, the mention of Nomura didn't cause a pang in Jim's heart. Instead, a warm feeling blossomed in his chest as he remembered their training sessions on the way to New Jersey. She had taught him so much about himself…but it seemed like he wasn't done learning yet.
"Ready, Young Atlas?" Strickler said as he pulled out his knives.
Jim brandished Daylight with a smirk. "Bring it on, old man."
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.
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Steve stared down at the sword lying across his lap. The white-and-gold blade gleamed back at him softly. He knew how much power Excalibur held, had witnessed Arthur wield it himself. And that dude had been a stubborn moron! So why couldn't he use it?
The answer's obvious, isn't it? a voice sneered in his head. You're not good enough.
At this point, Steve was too worn out to argue. If he had been good enough for Excalibur, Nomura wouldn't have died.
He picked up the sword and set it off to the side with a sigh. "I don't deserve you."
"Um, what was that?"
Steve shot up from the bed. "I swear I wasn't talking to myself!" He relaxed when he realized it was just Eli. Man, it was going to take him a while to get used to that non-squeaky voice. "Oh hey, Pepperjack."
He didn't smile back. "Do you really think you shouldn't be wielding Excalibur?"
"Pft, I don't know what you're talking about! I'm the Palchuk! I…" he faltered as he looked into Eli's eyes. He wasn't buying any of this. The little guy—or formerly little, anyway—knew him too well for that. And besides, Steve was tired of pretending.
He sat down in defeat. "Fine, you got me. Just admit it, I don't deserve Excalibur. I mean, what I have done for the team besides almost expose Jim's secret back then, be Aja's boyfriend, and cause trouble in Camelot? Pretty much nothing."
"Well…" Eli chirped, "I can think of a few things."
"Right, how could I forget stuffing you into lockers?"
"Hey, that was literally years ago! And I got more flexible 'cause of it too!" Eli's grin slid off his face as he realized Steve was in no mood to joke around. "Oh."
Eli leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. "You think you've contributed nothing, huh?"
Steve gave a half-shrug. "Haven't I? I'm the stupid comedic relief."
"That's what you think?" he said, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, we almost revealed Jim was the Trollhunter, but it was because of our investigations that we were able to save all those trolls in the tunnels when they had to flee their home. And from what I've heard, you didn't 'cause trouble in Camelot,' you fought in the battle that determined the fate of humanity. As for Aja? You helped make Earth her second home. You made her feel like she belonged. That's pretty important, if you ask me."
Eli approached Steve and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You're an essential part of the team, Steve. Just give Excalibur time. You're already worthy of it—it just needs to realize that."
Steve grinned. "You're right, Pepperjack."
He finally got it. He had 'put on the wrong pair of glasses,' or whatever that old phrase was. He had been so focused on all his screw-ups that he hadn't noticed how much good he had done. He wasn't the Trollhunter or queen of another planet, but he was a Creepslayer. Luckily, he had Eli to remind him of that.
He ruffled Eli's hair, beaming, feeling better than he had in days. "Thanks, buddy. I needed that."
Eli laughed and shoved him off. "I'm getting too tall for that, dude! But yeah, don't sweat it." He smiled. "I'll always have your back."
Steve cupped his hand into a C and held it out. "Creep…"
"Slayerz!" Eli exclaimed, returning the gesture.
They laughed and dropped their hands to their sides. Excalibur caught Steve's eye and for the first time, he didn't feel apprehension as he picked up the sword. In fact, he was determined to finally put it to good use.
"Let's suit up," he said as he started walking out of the spare room. "There's not much time left before we have a wizard's butt to kick."
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Zoe growled in frustration as she came upon an empty room. Again. She pinched her forehead as she spun on her heels and started striding in the other direction. Where could that stupid wizard be?!
"Strange," Archie said as he flapped after her, "I thought for certain he'd be in his quarters."
"So did I," she groaned. "We've looked everywhere else. The armory, training room…I don't know where else to check!"
"You don't think…" the familiar hesitated. "You don't think he's in Merlin's study, do you?"
Zoe slowed to a stop. The study…even when they got Camelot all fixed up and back in the air, Douxie had refused to step foot in his old master's room. His death was still too fresh, still too painful. But now, after Nari's passing, maybe something familiar was what he wanted.
She nodded, turned around, and set off at a brisk pace in the direction of the study. "I think you're onto something, Archie. Come on."
They walked in silence, traversing hallway after hallway. It's strange, Zoe thought as they turned another corner. Almost a millennium later, and this place still looks the same. When there wasn't any Akiridion technology around, she could almost imagine she was back in the Middle Ages, when she was just a frightened apprentice struggling to control her powers. She had come a long way since then.
"Zoe," Archie said timidly, snapping her out of her memories, "I appreciate you helping me track down Douxie, but…I worry for you too. How—"
"I'm fine," Zoe interrupted. "She was Douxie's charge, not mine."
"But she was still your friend, and I fear you haven't given yourself enough time to process everything. You summoned the shadow portal when Claire could not, then you helped the extraterrestrials with their technology, and now this. Zoe please," he pleaded when she gave no sign of slowing down, "I just want to make sure you're alright."
"And I'm not!" she cried, whirling around. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she angrily wiped them away. "I don't have the luxury of grief. I have to be strong for him! And if that means keeping myself busy so I don't have to think about her, then that's what I'm going to do."
"Oh, Zoe," Archie sighed.
There was a flash of light. By the time the spots disappeared from Zoe's eyes, Archie had already transformed into his human form. He smiled and held out his arms. "Come here."
She didn't hesitate as she dove into his arms. This time, she didn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes and soaked his midnight-black robes. She clutched onto him tightly, scared that if she didn't, she might lose him too.
"Remember," Archie said softly, "you don't have to reign in your emotions anymore. You never had to."
She pulled away and sniffed. "I know. But even after all this time, it's hard to shake off that mindset."
"I understand. Feeling any better?"
"Yes, actually. Thank you, Archie." She grinned and tugged at his dark beard. "Though it has been a minute since I've seen your human form."
He hmphed indignantly and adjusted his glasses. "Consider yourself lucky." Another flash, and he was back to normal. "You know I hate that body."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's 'beneath you.'" She scratched his head affectionately before breaking into a jog. "Now let's find Douxie."
As it turns out, Archie's hunch was correct. Zoe cautiously stepped into the room, Archie perched on her shoulder for maximum quietness. The study looked exactly as it was nine-hundred years ago, from the towering bookshelves, to the fireplace, and to the stained-glass windows that let in the moonlight. That shouldn't be a surprise—she had made sure to restore it herself.
The only difference was the defeated boy slumped in a chair.
Zoe tapped up the stairs and leaned against the round table across from Douxie. "Hey."
He didn't look up, didn't respond. He didn't even react when Archie approached and butted his legs.
She bit her lip. God, she was so bad at this kind of thing. But she was going to try for his sake.
"Douxie," she said gently, "I hope you're listening to Nari and not blaming yourself. You know it's not your fault, right? She chose to fight Bellroc; she wanted to. Before she met you, she wouldn't even have had the courage to do so. You made her stronger."
"Not strong enough," he whispered, so quiet Zoe could scarcely hear it.
"Douxie—"
"She was my charge, Zoe!" Douxie cried, finally looking up at her. Despair swam in his eyes, and his voice was thick as he shouted, "And I couldn't do anything to save her! Merlin couldn't protect her because he died from my plans. So he trusted me to do his job, and I failed. She was my responsibility!"
"And she was our friend!" Zoe exploded. "She wasn't just some dusty old artifact; she was a person who cared for us. She was free to make her own decisions. If that meant sacrificing herself for us—" her breath hitched in her throat, but she pushed on, "then that was her choice."
She slipped off the table, got to her knees, and took Douxie's hands into her own. "I know it hurts," she whispered. "I miss her too. But we have to fight on. Merlin and Nari would want us to."
"I don't know if I can," he said hoarsely. "I've lost so…so many. What if it happens again?"
Archie placed a comforting paw on Douxie's knee. "I wish I could lie and say that won't be the case, but there is no guarantee. This war we've waged for hundreds of years, it's dangerous. But someone has to fight it, and there is no one on this earth more capable than you. You truly are the protector of this realm, even though it's a painful burden to bear."
Zoe pressed her forehead against his. "And we'll bear it with you. Always."
Douxie closed his eyes and allowed himself to just sit in the presence of his loved ones. Nari's death still sat on his chest, suffocating him and making his heart ache with each beat. But the longer Zoe and Archie held him, the lighter the weight became. Because they reminded him he wasn't alone. They had stood by his side in the toughest of storms, and they would do it again. He just had to be reminded of that.
Soon, the pain dulled to a manageable level. He sat up and wiped his eyes.
"Feeling any better?" Archie asked.
He smiled down at the two of them. "Loads better." He stood up and scooped the two of them up into a hug. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Now, you two may be enjoying this embrace but I, for one, am not. Please let me free," Archie grumped as he tried to wiggle out of their arms.
"If you insist," Zoe relented. "But not before I do…this!"
A tiny bolt of electricity sparked from her finger and zapped Archie. He yowled in alarm and burst free from them. Douxie and Zoe took one look at him and burst into laughter.
Archie, his fur now puffed up into a fuzzy ball, glared down at them. "Ha-ha, very funny," he said drily. "Let's all laugh at the familiar, how original."
"Oh, come on Arch, lighten up," Douxie chuckled, wiping a tear of joy from his face.
"Yeah," Zoe snorted, "after all, you look so distinguished."
Archie finally cracked a small smile. "Alright, you think this is amusing? Just wait until I—"
"Attention, everyone," Aja's voice echoed on the speakers located throughout the castle. "Bellroc is less than an hour from Arcadia. I repeat, Bellroc is less than an hour from Arcadia. Report to the main hall as soon as possible. Aja, out."
The trio looked at one another. Here we go. Douxie squared his shoulders. "That's our cue, chaps. Let's go."
As they walked through the torch-lit hallways, Douxie felt a new emotion rising: rage. His grief had drowned out all other emotions, but now that Zoe and Archie had snapped him out of it, anger had quickly taken hold of the steering wheel. It boiled in his veins, and it took every ounce of self-control to not fly out to Bellroc right now.
He took a deep, shaky breath. Just wait a little longer, he told himself. You'll get yours in due time. Right now, you have to keep it together for the team.
Merlin knows they needed it.
Almost everyone else had already gathered in the main hall. Aja and Varvatos were off to one side—no doubt discussing battle plans—while Krel, Eli, and Steve were playing…rock, paper, scissors? Douxie wasn't going to question that. Toby and the trolls were huddled together, talking in hushes tones. Worried about Jim, most likely. He was too. That time stone was really doing a number on the poor bloke. Douxie just hoped he could figure out how to use it in time.
Someone yawned next to him. He glanced over to see Claire stretching, craning her neck this way and that. "Ooh…that's it. I really needed that nap. How you holding up, Teach?"
"Huh?" he said, fascinated with her white hair. He shook his head. Mordrax's miracles, it was going to take him a while to get used to that. "As good as I can be, I suppose. I just want to fight more than anything."
She snorted. "I know what you mean. There's nothing more I'd like to do right now." She scanned the room and frowned. "Hey, where's Jim?"
As if one cue, the Trollhunter stepped into the hall.
Douxie was floored. It was the beast…but somehow, not the beast. It was strange, seeing Jim like this again, without the corruption. He stood tall and proud, as a knight would before a king. Suddenly, he realized he had nothing to worry about regarding Jim. Like Douxie, he had finally listened to Nari.
The room grew silent as everyone looked at Jim. However, unlike before, he didn't shrink under their stares. Rather, he confidently strode forward until he was a few feet from Aja.
"You don't have to worry about me anymore, Aja," he said. "I have the time stone under control, and I can harness it to use every form well in a fight. I'm not going to be a liability, I promise you that."
"You never were a liability."
Jim's collected demeanor disappeared, and he stared in confusion at the Akiridion. "But I thought…you didn't want me to partake in the last battle. Since, you know, I didn't have a handle on the stone at the time—"
"I was wrong. Jim, I…" she shook her head. "I'm really bad at apologies, but I'm going to try anyway. I should have never implied that you weren't needed, that you weren't necessary to this team. Because you are, even if I haven't been acting like that's the case. And—and I should have listened to you on that mech. It was a bad move. As a queen, I should know better than to place civilian lives at risk. But I did, and look where that got us. Nowhere. I'm sorry."
"Hey, I'm sorry too," Jim said. "As the Trollhunter, I know that some risks are necessary. That mech was a powerful piece of technology, and it could've worked. I shouldn't have yelled at you about it not working when it wasn't your fault. It wasn't fair of me. So…" He extended his hand. "Can we let bygones be bygones?"
Aja frowned. "I do not know what that means."
"Um, basically let's just forget about it and move on."
She smiled then. "Sounds good to me." She placed his hand in hers, and they shook.
Everyone audibly sighed in relief as the tension drained from the air. Thank Merlin they got that mess sorted out, Douxie thought. They needed to be as cohesive as possible if they wanted a chance at stopping Bellroc. Speaking of which…
"What's our plan of attack for taking down Bellroc?" Douxie asked, placing his hands on the table.
Aja hummed in thought. "Despite its massive size, our past experiences have taught us a titan is nigh impossible to sneak up on. Once we get on the same level as the one controlling the titan itself, they sense our presence. Therefore, I believe a frontal assault is our best shot."
Jim nodded in agreement. "Yeah, simple is going to work best in this case. Our aerials can fire from above while the rest handle Bellroc on the ground. With so many of us, her focus will be drawn thin, and hopefully one of us will get that killing shot."
"Oh!" Toby piped up. "What about the anti-magic cannon thing? We still have that, right? We can use that to weaken her!"
"I don't think that's going to work," Krel said. "There's no way you guys can haul it up to her level, so the only other option is to target her from below. It was hard enough keeping up with a moving train, much less a titan."
"So we do it the old-fashioned way," Zoe grinned. "I like it."
"Then this is it," Douxie announced. He held out his hand, and in a flash of blue flames, his hot red guitar appeared.
"Our final act."
A/N: Was Archie's human form totally random? Yes. Did I put it in anyway because I wanted to? Yes.
Also sweet Jesus this chapter was a lot, lot longer than I intended it to be. I just kept thinking, "oh this scene would be neat" and "this scene is pretty necessary for that character's arc" sooo that's how this got to almost 6k words lol. Even though this chapter was pretty much all dialogue, it was very, very crucial for each of the characters focused on here. Jim needed to accept himself and move on from Nomura, Steve needed that extra boost of encouragement, and both Douxie AND Zoe needed comfort from Nari's death. Basically, this is the moment of reflection characters need when someone close to them dies, but rott didn't supply. Hooray!
As Douxie said, "This is it." We have one more big chapter, which is obviously the last battle between the whole gang and Bellroc, and then a little epilogue. Trust me though, that battle is not going to be easy for them, and no, Jim is NOT going to be the last one standing. The movie may have centered around him for some reason, but not this fic. But don't worry, there's going to be some epic scenes with him yet! Which you'll get to see before the month ends ;)