Blinky made it to the underpass before the first stars began to appear, his lungs burning and his legs quivering underneath him, still in pain from the healing sun-stains. He'd been keeping one eye on the curtained windows of the boy's house the entire day, and as soon as it began to get dark and young Jim turned his back, he ran. He ran until he was through the town, through the woods, and down the sides of the canal. He had to wade through a few inches of water from a previous rain, but he made it to the secret entrance to Trollmarket and opened the door without damaging his books or getting caught.
Honestly he wanted nothing more than to huddle in his library and curl up in AAARRRGGHH's arms, but he slid down the portal wall as soon as it closed and just sat, catching his breath and waiting for his working hands to stop shaking.
He had been seen.
And oh, great Deya's eyes, he'd interacted with a human. And granted, it wasn't the worst thing in the world, or even the first time, but it was the first time he'd spent an entire day chatting and reading with one of the denizens of the world above, and although the human had been a weak and open-minded child, he was still unnerved by the encounter.
What if the boy told his mother about Blinky? His friends? The local law enforcement? His dental hygienist?!
But there was no use in picking over the terrible consequences, not when there was nothing he could do about it now, so he picked himself up and dusted off his books, the objects of blame for the whole blasted situation.
Who knew that a few volumes of poetry and historical fiction could get a troll into such trouble…
The journey through the market was uneventful, as he had expected; Blinky was known for holing himself up for days at a time, and so he doubted that anyone but AAARRRGGHH would have noticed his absence.
The situation turned out to be not quite as unceremonious as he'd believed, however, when he made it to his quarters and discovered Bagdwella, Vendel, and a few of Blinky's acquaintances rallying around AAARRRGGHH, who seemed to be gathering them for a search party. Blinky realized that they believed him dead possibly, or in hiding at the least, having been trapped above ground for an entire day.
He squeezed through the crowd and AAARRRGGHH immediately rushed to his side, picking him up and rubbing his face into Blinky's chest. Blinky's books scattered to the ground and he pat his friend's head, never having been gladder to see him.
"Blinky! Alive!"
"Yes, indeed I am, my dear friend," Blinky murmured through the cheers of the tiny crowd. Through the strands of AAARRRGGHH's wiry mane he saw the Trollhunter's son Draal roll his eyes and stomp away with a curse, while Vendel was smiling at them.
"Blinkous Galadrigal, perhaps you would care to enlighten as to what trouble you've been up to now. You have stirred up quite a lot of worry," he said, his relieved smile belying his harsh tone. He nudged Blinky's ill-gotten books with the end of his staff, and shook his head with a disgruntled snort.
"I should have known you'd almost get yourself killed for a few pages of reading material," he murmured.
Bagdwella picked up the books and gave them back to Blinky when he finally managed to wriggle out of AAARRRGGHH's hold. He hid his still stiff and grey hands behind his back as AAARRRGGHH shuffled close behind him, taking the books with his left while trying not to let Bagdwella see the right side of his face.
"Nearly caused a crack in the Heartstone you did, you stubborn fool," she said fondly, clapping him on the shoulder. Her sharp nails dug into his arms. "If you ever pull a trick like that again, I will kill you myself."
Blinky carefully extracted himself from her grip with a nervous smile.
"I do promise, Bagdwella," he said, "Although I believe we both know that my absence truly would not cause much of a stir."
"Untrue, Blinky."
Blinky jumped.
In the midst of the crowding trolls, he had not noticed Kanjigar's presence.
Idiotic.
A troll, any troll, missing above ground would certainly be a call for the Trollhunter to perform his duty, whether it was to save the wayward imbecile or bring back their body.
Kanjigar extracted himself from the shadows beside the wall. He'd been allowing AAARRRGGHH to lead the group, Blinky realized, offering guidance and support but relinquishing command to the former general and best friend of the missing troll in question. Blinky had always admired Kanjigar, not only for his immense skills as Trollhunter but for his passion for knowledge and kindness toward those he served, and his esteem for the troll grew even more.
Kanjigar smiled down at his history teacher.
"You are a valuable member of this community, Blinky," he said, "As well as a most beloved friend. Your death would not have gone unnoticed, nor uncared for."
AAARRRGGHH's chest rumbled against his back, and Blinky felt a warmth at the Trollhunter's words.
"Thank you, Master Kanjigar," he said quietly, and looked around the tiny group. "My thanks to you all. To know that I have such gracious friends is as warming as it is humbling."
"Hmmph. Your thanks is unnecessary, Blinkous," said Vendel. "I simply am wondering, as I know we all are, what exactly happened."
Blinky opened his mouth to explain, and then shut it with a click of teeth.
He couldn't tell them about Jim.
How could he look Kanjigar in the eyes, the protector of the troll and human worlds, and tell him that he had so badly compromised their safety and secrecy?
But then again, as Kanjigar peered at him calmly and Bagdwella speared him with her gaze, how could he lie? Vendel at the very least would know that he was hiding something.
"I…well, I…"
"Spit it out, Blinky," said Bagdwella.
"Well, I…er, managed to abscond into a small shed in a suburban backyard," Blinky said, chuckling nervously.
"Absented…?" said AAARRRGGHH. Vendel's half-blind eyes were still on Blinky's and he felt like withering away. He hated how Vendel always made him feel like a naughty child.
"Absconded," he murmured under his breath. "Means to hide or secret away."
"You should be more careful, Blinky," said Kanjigar softly, his strong gaze telling Blinky nothing about whether he believed the story or not. His eyes wandered over the right side of Blinky's face, which he was trying to keep turned away, and then to the hands he was hiding behind his back.
"I know you often make these trips, but this one cut it too close. You could have been seen by a human or even by Bular, not to mention being felled by sunlight. You are smarter than this, I know."
"It won't happen again, Master Kanjigar."
AAARRRGGHH's breath ruffled his hair as Kanjigar gave him one last piercing look and took his leave, Bagdwella clinging to his side and asking him to do her a small favor.
Vendel looked like he was about to say something, and then thought better of it, shaking his head with a wearied sigh.
"Sometimes you get into more trouble than even the Trollhunter," he muttered. "I hope those little books were worth it. Get some rest, Blinkous. I'm sure you had a trying day, to say the least."
When he left AAARRRGGHH followed Blinky back to his quarters, even though they had always been a little small for the larger troll.
The crystal lights brightened with Blinky's touch, and he set his books down on a pile of yet-to-be-read. AAARRRGGHH carefully picked his way through the crowded rooms with practiced ease, and settled down on the pile of mats Blinky kept for him.
His lower right thumb softly tapped against the title of his new weapons book, before he spun around and shuffled over to AAARRRGGHH.
"My friend, I have to tell you something."
AAARRRGGHH nodded with a knowing look. He reached around Blinky and gently poked Blinky's right ear, which was still stiff and grey with stone.
"Something happened," he said. Blinky ran his upper left hand down his face and hugged his middle with the other.
"I was very nearly killed," Blinky said, rubbing at his aching arms.
"Got caught by sunlight. Need medicine?"
Shaking his head, Blinky slowly settled down on the edge of the mats and felt large fingers prodding and kneading at the painful spots.
"A human whelp saved my life," he whispered.
AAARRRGGHH's hands paused, and he bent down to look Blinky in the face.
"Seen?!"
"A nine-year-old child," Blinky wailed, hanging his head and gesturing wildly. "He threw a bedsheet over me to save me from the sunlight. We spent the day reading and drinking tea."
AAARRRGGHH was silent for several minutes after Blinky's outburst. He continued to rub at the stone patches on Blinky's arms and side, until some of the stiffness was released.
Blinky knew it was difficult information to take in; he himself wasn't sure how to proceed. He certainly could never have kept the truth from his deepest companion, but what would happen now? Would they have to check in on the child to make sure he had kept his vow of secrecy? Should they expect a hoard of humans to be tromping through the underground, on the lookout for a four-armed monster and his kin?
"So," rumbled AAARRRGGHH, his fingers gently scanning over the bits of stone on Blinky's face.
"No medicine then?"
This startled a laugh out of him. No, no medicine for poor Blinky, because if he went to Vendel for cures to stone-stains he'd be in trouble for sure.
They settled down on the mats to sleep, Blinky curled in a ball against AAARRRGGHH's immense chest, even though it was the very start of the evening. But Blinky was tired and in pain, and a full day of worrying had exhausted his friend as well.
But Blinky, held in the strongest embrace in Trollmarket, finally safe and home, could not sleep. He couldn't help but think about the quiet hours he and the boy had spent reading, content with each other's company, asking questions about the others' world. How very lonely that house had been.
Blinky shifted until he was facing AAARRRGGHH, who cracked an eye open at his movements. Biting his lip, Blinky took a breath and looked up at his face.
"My friend," he said quietly, "I would like you to meet the whelp."
.
.
.
.
Jim stared at the empty room until he was sure he wouldn't cry, and then he quietly cleaned up the teacups and books, fluffing the pillows on the couch and chair and replacing his and his mother's reading material on their respective shelves.
He should have known.
He should have expected it.
Barbara arrived home about twenty minutes after he finished, her nose already sniffing out the leftover casserole he'd quickly plugged into the oven.
"Jim…"
"I can use the oven, Mom," he said, giving her a smile when she put down her keys. She rolled her eyes but looked happy enough.
"Most nine-year-olds don't even know how to use an oven," she said. Jim handed her a set of plates and forks and she set them on the table in front of the couch. On the weekends Jim and Barbara would watch tv or a movie while they ate, if Jim wasn't spending the night with Toby or vice versa.
He dished out the casserole and they sat down on the couch, sticking in a DVD of Monsters Inc after a brief disagreement between it and Shrek.
Jim couldn't help but see the similarities between his and Sully's situations: finding something dangerous, rescuing it from trouble, making friends…the main difference was, the monster stayed. It didn't just leave, with no warning and no goodbye.
Jim didn't hate Blinky, but he sure wanted to. He spent the whole day making friends with a monster and now it was gone, like nothing had ever happened.
Jim had to blink tears out of his eyes as he washed his plate, standing on the little stool his mom had gotten him.
He didn't understand. They'd been having so much fun, talking about their books and reading in the quiet room. Had he done something wrong? Maybe Blinky hadn't liked the books Jim had brought him, maybe he'd only been pretending, like when you got something really boring for Christmas and had to pretend to like it anyway.
Jim dried his plate and put it away, then bid his mother goodnight as she settled down to watch the evening news. On his way out the living room he paused, his eyes on the door to the garage. Behind a pile of Christmas boxes, there was a half-assembled bike collecting dust and dwindling hopes.
Had he done something wrong, something to make Blinky leave? Was it all his fault?
From his room he stared at the light that was Toby's bedroom window, a little patch of yellow against the black-blue night. Seeing a little hint of his friend, his best friend who stayed with him and made him laugh every year when his birthday came around, made him feel warmer…and lonelier.
Jim turned off the light in his room and slipped under his comforter, waving a silent 'goodnight' to Toby's window like usual.
He hadn't made it up.
He hadn't imagined it.
…He almost wished he did.
A quiet tap-tap echoed against the glass of his window, but Jim didn't think anything of it. He mused over the events of the day and what he had learned about the troll he found. Blinky said that he lived underground. What would happen if Jim went to find him? Would he be mad? Would there be other trolls? Would they be mad?
The little tapping came again, and this time Jim bolted upright, scrambling for his flashlight and shining it out the window.
Blinky's huge head reared back from the glass, two of his hands covering his face as the others braced against the roof for balance.
"My eyes!" he said, trying and failing to keep his screech of pain down. "My six vulnerable eyes!"
"Blinky!"
"Glowing beam of misery!"
"Blinky!"
The troll angrily rubbed his eyes, still moaning overdramatically. Jim huffed and pushed up his window, climbing onto his desk to grab Blinky by the arm and try to pull the heavy troll through the window.
"Ow. No, no…"
Blinky pulled back and clung to the windowsill as Jim peered out.
"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't, you know, coming back. Ever."
Blinky squinted at him guiltily.
"I admit that had been my initial intention," he whispered. "But you showed me immense kindness and generosity, and it ate at my mind to leave things so abruptly. So I…"
He gestured over his shoulder with a glance. Jim adjusted his grip on the window and looked around Blinky. Over the edge of the roof waved a huge grey hand.
"I wondered…would you, perhaps, like to know more about Trollmarket?"
Jim's heart pounded with renewed hope.
"Is that where the trolls are? Really? Like, I can see it?"
"Indeed. We will need to operate in the utmost of secrecy, but…"
Blinky glanced at the edge of the roof, where Jim could see the barest edge of a head of messy hair.
"I do not wish for our acquaintance to end merely because we of different worlds. You granted me – an unknown and frightening creature – mercy, and proved yourself to be possessed of a stout heart. To not return that kindness is unacceptable."
Just as Blinky finished speaking, the other troll's large hand tapped on the roof.
"Car," he said in a rumbling voice. Jim shrank back as Blinky pressed himself against the outside wall, the brief light of a passing vehicle illuminating his eyes.
Jim slid off his desk and yanked on his shoes and bathrobe, jamming his flashlight, a pen, and his house keys into the pocket. He shooed Blinky away from the window and crawled over his desk. The troll grabbed his arms before he could slip on the roof tiles, and he was handed down to the troll Blinky had brought with him.
The other troll was HUGE, and way scarier-looking than Blinky was, but he didn't frighten Jim. He was covered in dark hair and had an enormous face that sported an even huger grin, and Jim thought he looked a bit like a plush toy.
The other troll lifted Blinky off of the roof. Blinky pat his shoulder.
"This, young human, is my dear companion AAARRRGGHH."
Jim wondered if he'd heard that right.
"Um. Argh?"
"AAARRRGGHH," rumbled the huge troll, holding up three fingers of a hand larger than Jim's entire body.
"Three 'r's."
"I gotcha," Jim giggled. He clawed his hands through the air. "AAARRRGGHH!"
"Good accent," said AAARRRGGHH, gently tapping his palm over Jim's head. Blinky looked at them like he couldn't believe his luck.
"I suppose that further introduction is unnecessary," he said. "Shall we begin our adventure?"
"Yeah! I can't believe I'm actually going to Trollmarket!"
Jim quite liked the sound of an adventure. He felt a little guilty for sneaking out at night, but he was sure his mom would understand, if he could tell her. And he knew he couldn't tell her, even know he knew she'd like Blinky. Just because he was nine didn't mean he didn't know what secrets were. He had plenty of secrets. He hadn't told anyone about Toby's Nana's secret stash of Mint Nougat Patties; he hadn't told anyone that Steve had pushed him out of his seat in Homeroom; he hadn't told his mom that he had stolen his dad's sweatshirt before she'd donated the rest of his things.
Just like he needed to keep the sweatshirt safe, he needed to keep Blinky safe. And that meant not telling anybody about his friend.
The trio ducked and wove through backyards and patches of parks until they stopped along the side of the canal, where Barbara had always told Jim never to play in case it flooded. AAARRRGGHH helped him down the side while Blinky pat at a part of the wall under the bridge.
Out from his pocket he drew a glowing yellow rock. Jim watched with amazement as he drew an arch in the wall and punched the center with two of his hands. The wall broke apart in swirling fragments, revealing a darkness within.
The dark was what made Jim nervous for the first time. He realized that he was out in the canal, at night, with two monsters he'd only just made friends with, and his mom didn't even know that he wasn't in bed.
AAARRRGGHH rumbled forward into the darkness, but Blinky knelt to Jim's level.
"If you wish to turn back, we shall," he said. "It will be no disappointment if you wish to go home, young Jim."
He wasn't lying; Jim knew grown-ups' lying-voice. He looked around Blinky's grey shoulder; inside the archway, a shimmer of blue glowed in the dark. He looked back at Blinky and shook his head.
"I wanna see Trollmarket," he said. All six of Blinky's eyes smiled.
"And so you shall!" he exclaimed. The archway closed behind them and Jim ran forward toward the blue, gasping in amazement at the beautiful staircase of glowing crystals.
"This is so cool!"
"Ah, but this is just the entrance. The true wonder will be the Heartstone, but young master, listen to me first."
Jim, about to jump on the first crystal, stopped and turned around. Blinky looked very serious.
"The trolls of Trollmarket have never met a human in their own home," he said, "And I am certain that their welcome would be less than ideal. I will show you as much of Trollmarket as I can, but we have to be very careful about it. Only AAARRRGGHH and myself know of your presence here, and it must remain this way."
Jim nodded solemnly. Just like he needed to keep Blinky a secret from his mom, Blinky needed to keep him a secret from other trolls. He thought it was kind of weird, since he was just a kid – how much damage could he do? - but he agreed to keep secret.
Blinky drew from one of his pockets a length of fabric and draped it over Jim – a cloak, like the one he wore for Halloween. Something was stuck on top of his head and he reached up to feel something like goat horns.
"Good. Stay close to me – AAARRRGGHH will provide us with distractions."
The larger troll had already gone down the staircase, and as Jim and Blinky descended he heard an excited calamity down below. When they made it to the bottom, all of the trolls there were crowding around to the left side; Jim and Blinky headed right.
Jim stuck fast to Blinky's side, the hood of his cloak drawn so much over his face that he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, but he didn't think that anybody was looking at them. From under the hood he saw clawed feet and the edges of glowing tables and market stalls, shining crystals jutting out of the ground and signs written with blocky, squiggly writing.
Sometimes Blinky would push Jim a little, and they would stop close in front of a table, Blinky blocking Jim from view as footsteps lumbered or darted behind them.
It wasn't quite as fun as Jim had expected, until the ground slowly began to get lighter and lighter, the tops of Jim's sneakers illuminated.
Blinky put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, and he gently pulled down Jim's hood. Jim blinked in the light, and almost gasped.
"This is the Heartstone, master Jim," Blinky said softly. "It is the lifeblood of Trollkind. All trolls come from a Heartstone."
Jim stared and stared until his eyes burned with the light. It was a crystal higher than a building, taller even than the buildings in the big city his mom had taken him to once to visit the zoo. It was in the middle of a huge, dark cavern, the walls of which were dotted with tiny lights like stars.
The Heartstone pulsed with warmth, and Jim smiled and closed his eyes, letting the heat wash across his face. There was a deep hum, like a singing drum, that he couldn't hear so much as he could feel, somewhere in his chest. It was like having a second heartbeat.
"I confess, I wasn't sure if a human would be able to feel it," whispered Blinky.
"It's singing," Jim whispered back. Blinky's hand pat his shoulder.
"I am glad you are able to feel it," he said. "It is one of the most powerful Heartstones in the world, and trolls come from far and wide to find solace and comfort in its warmth."
They stayed and looked at the giant gem a few minutes longer, until Blinky pulled Jim's hood back up and led him back through the market.
"There are many places I would wish to show you, if you were perhaps a bit older," Blinky murmured as they walked. "The Hero's Forge being the first. It is a place for warriors, a training ground. Young trolls are often admitted to begin their craft, if they wish to bear arms and teeth, but for a young human – as small and fragile as your young are – I do not think it would be safe."
"Are there swords like in your book?" Jim whispered, standing on his tiptoes to try and make himself heard. In the distance behind them, there was a big BANGand several shrieks of indignation. A loud "SORRY!" echoed across the market.
"Some, yes. Most of the weapons collected for the Forge were collected across the ages, though we have a weapons-maker of our own. But the prizes of the collection were weapons wielded by our most famous warriors and champions."
"Can't we go see them? Can I get a sword? I'm really responsible with my mom's kitchen knives."
Blinky chuckled, but went silent very quickly. Jim only got a brief glance of tiny clawed feet before he was gently shoved between two green crystals.
"'Evening," he heard Blinky mutter.
"Whatever," said whoever was behind them, before their footsteps went away. Jim extracted himself from the crystals and peeked out to see a huge red troll stroll down the street.
They started walking again, and Blinky led Jim down a narrow hallway.
"In answer to your question: no. I will not be responsible for your loss of life or limb if you are given a sword longer than you are tall."
Jim thought having a sword sounded really fun, but he didn't argue. Grown-ups said no to a lot of things, and sometimes you just needed to wait until they forgot about it before trying it behind their backs. Fact of life. Jim was getting a sword even if he had to sneak one out under his cloak.
When Blinky took his hood down, it wasn't light this time; it was dark, and it glittered like a hundred million diamonds.
"The market value of these gemstones fell around a decade ago, when a purer vein was found," said Blinky softly, "and this mine was abandoned. It is effectively worthless now, except as a beautiful site."
"It looks like stars," Jim whispered. The shaft continued up farther than Jim could see; once they were inside the large room, they were surrounded by sparkling blackness.
"Yes, and when you do this…"
Jim heard Blinky shuffle with something, and suddenly there was light. The entire cavern suddenly was illuminated, almost blinding with the reflective light. Blinky twirled a glowing blue crystal over his head, the light from it bouncing off of millions of gems embedded in the walls of the mine.
"…Wow…"
They went to the other side of Trollmarket after leaving the mine, where Jim was introduced to Blinky's library. He'd seen more books at the Arcadia Public Library, but never so many that looked so cool – ancient books that had leather covers and metal fasteners, books that had hand-painted pictures, actual scrolls, books written in the weird, blocky writing that was all over the stalls in the markets, books stacked higher than Jim's head – it was a magic library, and Jim's arms were quickly loaded with half a dozen books that Blinky wanted him to read.
"It is only acceptable that I return your favor," Blinky said as he gave Jim more books, "Ah! This one is a personal favorite! A volume of epic poems dedicated to our best Trollhunters, and oh! If you wish to know more about trollkind, I would highly recommend this one…"
Jim set his pile down on the floor.
"I might have to come back," he said. "I don't think I can carry all these back."
"Ah, but not to worry, young master, AAARRRGGHH will help us – "
A tremendous CRASH suddenly startled them, and several trolls yelled outside the library. Jim automatically hid behind a pile of books while Blinky looked outside.
He didn't get very far, because a tall, pale troll with wide horns made him back up quickly.
"Blinkous Galadrigal, AAARRRGGHH has been making a mess over every area of Trollmarket. What in Deya's name has him so scattered today?"
"Vendel! Ah! Um! Er, I'm sure that it's nothing worrisome. If you'll excuse me, I need to, ah, organize my library – "
"Naturally," said the pale troll, gesturing to the hoard of books in the room. "You haven't organized this library in two hundred years, of course now is the ideal time to start. What are you two up to now?"
Jim was forced to crawl behind a desk when the pale troll walked past Blinky and started looking through the stacks of books.
"Erm, nothing at all! I just – if you could – please – "
The pale troll shooed Blinky aside with his staff and Jim had to make a quick shuffle around the desk, ducking down near the entrance to the library to avoid being seen.
"Blinkous, why do I smell human in your library?"
Blinky's hands fidgeted nervously behind his back. When the other troll turned around to look at him, he hunched in on himself and lowered his head.
"It's surely my books," he muttered quickly. "From the human's public library, if you recall, from earlier today – "
"I remember, Blinkous," said Vendel hautily. He stepped toward Blinky, making the smaller troll back up, toward where Jim was hiding. "Another catastrophe I'm surprised you survived. Whatever you and AAARRRGGHH are up to…"
Jim didn't hear the rest, because he was forced to crawl out of the library as Vendel and Blinky got closer and closer to the entrance. He pulled his hood and attached antlers back over his head and tried to stay close to the wall, but outside the library it was very loud and confusing. Apparently a cart full of tv's had been overturned, and a lot of trolls were yelling at AAARRRGGHH, who was shaking his head and apologizing.
Someone bumped into Jim and pushed him over a rock – he stumbled and was jostled again. Trolls kept coming up to either help gather the tv's or to fuss at AAARRRGGHH, and nobody noticed when they almost ran Jim over. He finally made it to the edge of the crowd when he realized that he was completely turned around; he had no idea which way the library was, and without Blinky or AAARRRGGHH he had no-one to help him.
Jim's eyes started watering and he wiped them furiously, darting around a corner in search of the entrance of the library. Blinky had led them down the paths and roads; since Jim had his hood down, he'd relied on Blinky knowing where they were going, and hadn't been able to watch which roads they had taken.
The glow of the Heartstone was a distant warmth but Jim feverishly headed toward it. It was the only thing that he recognized in the strange underground realm, and as he began to really get scared he was relying on it to find his way again.
Dodging blindly through the markets, Jim clutched his hood down as far as he could as he ran. A few trolls yelled at him to slow down and he only went faster, terrified of what would happen if they caught him away from Blinky.
Chest and throat stinging from the effort, Jim ran until he turned the corner of a bridge and found himself on the edge of a cliff-face, the Heartstone shining from the other side of the chasm. He looked around until he found a stack of boxes to hide behind, and he slid down onto the ground, wrapping his cloak over his knees, with his hood pulled over his face completely.
There he sobbed, scared and tired and lost.
How was he supposed to get back to Blinky now? Maybe he could try to retrace their original steps, but he knew he'd just get lost again, and he was scared of leaving his spot now that he'd found a familiar landsite.
What would happen if the other trolls found him? Blinky hadn't said anything specific, but Jim got the idea that they wouldn't be very nice. Would they eat him? Hide him away in a dark corner so that he never got home?
What if he never got home?
He didn't know how long he sat there, hidden from everything in Trollmarket but the Heartstone's comforting light, but it was long enough for his tears to leave dry little salt trails on his sleeves. Various commotions came from different parts of the market, but Jim kept still and silent.
Until footsteps, soft but heavy, slowly tread around his box. Jim stayed where he was, barely daring to breathe.
Please be Blinky, please be Blinky, please be Blinky…
A hand touched the crown of his head, and he felt the hood being pulled back.
"I'm not going to hurt you," said a calm voice.
Jim looked up. A large bluish troll was crouched down next to him. He looked too big for the space behind the boxes, but he didn't get closer to Jim. To Jim's amazement, he was wrapped in a glowing suit of silver armor.
"My name is Kanjigar," said the troll softly. "Now, I must ask: what on Earth is a young human doing in Trollmarket?"
.
.
.
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A/N: Blinky and AAARRRGGHH give me cavities and I hope they give you some too. I don't care if you take them as a ship or not, but there's going to be a lot of cuddles with this two; whether it's platonic or romantic is up to your impression.
Blinky and Jim are the best father and son team ever. Fight me.
I like to think that a good bit of Jim's insecurity comes from James Sr. making like a douchebag and leaving. On Jim's birthday! And suddenly there's this adult who he connects with and then BOOM. Gone. Just like Dad. He hasn't quite gotten over it, but he will, and It's Gonna Be Big.
Blinky you are a horrible babysitter. You're supposed to sit on the kid so you don't lose it, that's why it's called babysitting, you dork.
I remember next to nothing about my own childhood, but I'm trying to draw on what little I do remember. I totally would have wanted a sword and would have definitely gone behind an adult's back to play with one. My grandfather actually had two swords and I used to take them out when nobody was watching. Okay, now I kind of want to play with them again.
Up next: Blinky Is A Dad, Kanjigar doesn't deserve this shit, Jim goes home, and Barbara really doesn't deserve this shit, not necessarily in that order. Thank you for being patient with me.