The library was closed to the public in light of the Trollhunter's angry tirade on the librarian. Trolls avoided Blinky's side of the market for a good two hours.
"You told the child WHAT?"
"Will explain to mother," said AAARRRGGHH patiently.
Kanjigar turned away from him and marched in a circle.
"You cannot do so," he said firmly. "You have already done more than anyone in my tenure to expose Trollmarket to humankind, and now you want to drag another human into this?"
Blinky walked from behind AAARRRGGHH, where he had been pacing back and forth agitatedly.
"The secret could not be kept from his mother indefinitely," he said, "and it is better that we explain ourselves than to leave the poor woman's imagination to dream up whatever horrors it could concoct."
"The best thing for you to do is forget the boy! Do not seek him out, and do not think about him! Let him and his mother worry all they like – within time, he will believe that all of this was just the result of childish creativity, and they will both write it off. Blinkous, please."
Kanjigar reached past AAARRRGGHH and grabbed Blinky's arms.
"Do not make me defend our home from an invasion of curious, fearful humans. The boy will forget you in time."
"His injury will go unexplained – "
"Then let it be unexplained. You do not have to concern yourself further with this. It is one human boy; a child, against the safety of Trollmarket. How is it that you cannot see?"
He released Blinky's arms with a jerk, breathing heavily.
"Promise me that you will forget about the whelp."
Blinky looked up at Kanjigar, and AAARRRGGHH knew instantly that he was going to lie to the Trollhunter's face.
"You are right, Master Kanjigar," Blinky said calmly. He bowed his head. "I promise."
Kanjigar exhaled, his shoulder tight with fury.
"Do not lie to me, Blinkous. I will place you under house arrest for the next century if I need to."
"Then I will spend a century defying you," said Blinky simply. "I will not abandon this child to a life of making do with doubt and loneliness."
"You knew the child for all of one day, Blinkous!"
"And in one day, I saw that he had more strength of heart and compassion of character than half of Trollmarket," Blinky said angrily. "Through one simple act I am indebted to him, and I will repay that kindness as long as I am able. Jim Lake deserves more than for me to forget about him."
"But is his peace of mind – or yours, for that matter – worth the safety of your people?"
Blinky stayed silent at that, and AAARRRGGHH knew that Kanjigar had made his best and final point. Blinky, who dedicated his life to destroying conspiracies and as many attempts to trouble Trollmarket as he could, could not pretend that he disagreed with the Trollhunter, even if he wanted to.
His friend crossed his arms and turned away, eyes searching hungrily over his books as though they would tell him what to do. Kanjigar, apparently satisfied, made to leave but AAARRRGGHH gently blocked his path.
"Do not tell me that you are in on this as well, AAARRRGGHH," he said sternly. AAARRRGGHH had the grace to look chagrined, but he smiled anyway.
"Go with us?"
.
.
.
Jim was released from the hospital the following morning, with twenty stitches in his thigh and a vase of flowers from the policeman who'd interviewed him buckled into the seat beside him. His mom was given the rest of the week off, and they picked up milkshakes on the way home from the hospital.
Jim sipped on his Chocolate Swirl as he watched the trees go by.
His mom had found him missing at midnight, when she had been called in by the hospital and came to wake him up to tell him. She checked the house and the backyard, and then called the police. The police came and talked to her and the neighbors, and they brought special scent dogs just after Jim came back home.
He told the police that he'd heard something in the woods and went to see. His wound was from him tripping on a shovel. Nobody believed him, but they didn't find any other reason for him to have disappeared, and he was left alone.
He should have told them that he snuck into the woods to play pretend, and that the shovel was his sword; but he didn't think of that until they were already in the car.
Although guilt ate at his insides, he couldn't help but feel excited. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH were going to tell his mom what happened, and then he'd be able to visit Trollmarket again. He wouldn't mess up this time, though; he would stick to Blinky the whole time. Maybe he could get a mask at the Halloween store first, so that he could look around instead of having to hide his head.
Blinky was cool; Jim was confident that his mom would like him. And even thought AAARRRGGHH was really big he was really nice, too. Maybe his mother could come with them the next time they went to Trollmarket.
They made it home, and Barbara picked Jim up to carry him to the house, even though he could walk fine, but he knew that his mom had been really worried. She'd held him the whole night while he was in the hospital. Lying to her about what had happened hurt, but he wouldn't have to lie for much longer.
As soon as his feet touched the bedroom floor, he rocketed downstairs.
"Jim!"
"I'll be right back!"
Limping down the staircase as fast as he could go, he went downstairs and ran to the backdoor, throwing it open to let in his new friends.
They weren't there.
"Jim, what are you doing, you can't be on that leg!"
Barbara swept him up even as he protested.
"No, Mom – I want you to see – "
"It's almost sunset," Barbara said, "I don't want you out after dark. You're lucky if I ever let you leave the house again!"
"It's…ohh…"
Sunset. That's why the trolls weren't there! It was still light out, so they had to stay in Trollmarket!
Jim stopped struggling, and allowed Barbara to tuck him back into bed.
"Now you stay there, mister," she said firmly. "I'll make you some soup. And don't give me that look, I'm just microwaving it."
"I feel fine, Mom."
"Well, that's just too bad," Barbara said, sitting on the edge of the bed. She smoothed Jim's hair down and cupped his cheek with her hand.
"At some point in time you're going to have to let me take care of you. I don't know what happened and I wish you'd tell me…"
Jim looked away guiltily. They stayed in silence for a long while, and then his mom kissed the top of his head and left the room.
"I'll tell you in a bit," Jim whispered. The sky was already darkening. "Just a little bit."
Every book and toy he picked up held his interest for two minutes, no more. Jim read through half of one of his westerns, looking at the window at each page, before he put it down, the entire story escaping his mind.
He rolled up his pajama leg and looked at his cut. It started right above his right knee, and ended about five inches up his thigh. Little black pieces of plastic-y threat dotted the angry red line. The doctors had given him little shots in his leg to make it numb, but it hurt now. He was supposed to keep a bandage over it, so he wrapped it back up and pulled down his pajama leg.
He'd been trying to lift a sword down from one of the racks on the armory wall, hopefully to try it out and put it back before Kanjigar got Blinky and came back. The sword, as tall as his entire body but the smallest one he could find, had been really really heavy, and as soon as Jim managed to wiggle it off the rack it fell, coming down on Jim's leg. His mom said he was lucky he hadn't cut the sappy vein.
Saphy. Saphenous. He'd learned a lot about veins and muscles at the hospital. He'd even gotten a crutch, which actually wasn't nearly as fun as he'd thought it would be.
It was black outside, so he threw his legs over the bed and stood up, grabbing his crutch to keep his mom happy.
He stomped down the stairs, crutch first and one at a time. Now that he'd already run on it his leg was hurting a lot more. The crutch made a funny thud-bump, thud-bump, thud-bump on the staircase.
"Jim? Honey, don't come downstairs, I'll bring your soup up…"
"Mom! I wanna show you something…"
He pulled up the crutch and hopped on one foot toward the back door. There was the faintest smell of smoke in the kitchen, but he passed by without looking.
"Jim, what – "
"Just look at this, Mom."
Jim propped his crutch against the wall and yanked open the back door, quickly hopping down the stairs before his mom could catch him.
The backyard was empty.
Barbara grabbed him around the waist and lifted him straight off the ground.
"Jim, what is it about the backyard? Please, please don't go outside after dark – "
"But they were supposed to be here!"
"'They'? 'They' who?"
A cheerful voice sounded just beside them.
"Master Jim!"
Barbara screamed and backtracked into the house, slamming the door and setting Jim down behind the kitchen counter. There was a confused commotion behind the door, and the handle jiggled.
"Master Jim…?"
Jim's mom picked up the crutch, threw open the door, and swung it like a cricket bat. Blinky stumbled backward off the stairs, clutching his face.
"Blinkous!"
Jim's mom screamed again and swung madly into the darkness. The crutch connected with something that flared with blue light, and it splintered in half. With a third and final scream, Barbara launched the broken crutch in the direction of the light and ran back into the house, closing the door and locking it.
Jim, watching in horror over the top of the kitchen counter, grabbed her hand as she picked up her cell phone.
"Mom, that's Blinky! He's nice!"
"What? Jim, you know that – "
A muffled conversation issued through the door.
"Blinky okay?"
"What a violent woman! How could such a vicious termagant beget such a gentle child? Surely she is of a lineage of Furies!"
"Blinky okay."
"Mom, it's okay!"
Jim slid under her arm and opened the door against her protests.
AAARRRGGHH was patting Blinky on the back, looking rather concerned as something dark ran down his friend's face.
"Blinky, are you okay?"
"Ah, young Jim! Merely disoriented, I assure you. We've come to talk to your mother, although I do believe she is a bit reluctant to converse."
Something shiny glimmered in the corner of Jim's eye, and he could just barely see Kanjigar in the darkness.
"Jim Lake, may we enter the house?"
Barbara grabbed Jim again and pulled him back through the doorway, just as he nodded yes. AAARRRGGHH put a finger against the door when she tried to slam it closed again.
"Jim, what – who, what are you? Stay away from my boy!"
"Madam, if I may explain – "
"They're friends of mine, Mom! Blinky and me read books all day and then I went down to Trollmarket –"
"You what? What did you do to my child?!"
Blinky shrank back against AAARRRGGHH, who was still trying to get through the door. Kanjigar, in full armor, stood between Blinky and Jim's mom.
"If we could talk without exchanging blows, please. I understand that this is frightening for you, but you must believe that we are not here to threaten the boy."
"I can't even believe this is happening! What are you?"
"They're trolls, Mom!"
Barbara shrank back against the kitchen counter, holding a shaking hand to her head. Jim, still hopping on one leg, gave her a tight hug.
"They're really, really nice, okay?"
Barbara sighed.
"Jim…"
"Perhaps we could take this to the sitting room?" said Blinky. He took a hesitant step forward, but Barbara didn't freak out again. "Young Jim is injured, after all. Should he not rest his leg?"
Jim was swiftly picked up, and his mom held him tight against her chest.
"He should," she said. "And when I find out who hurt my boy, they are really going to get it."
They walked to the living room, the three trolls following behind them and sharing concerned glances.
"Get what? That sounds exceedingly unpleasant!"
"This is not going as smoothly as I had hoped, Blinkous…"
Jim was set down on the couch, but his mom didn't sit beside him. She watched as the three trolls settled into the living room, and glared at each of them.
"You are going to explain how you know my son, and how he got hurt, now."
AAARRRGGHH gently pushed Blinky half a step forward. He cleared his throat, four hands awkwardly clasped behind his back.
"Young Jim and I began our acquaintance early yesterday morning, when he saved me from certain death."
"What?"
Bolstered by a lack of further violence, Blinky took a step forward.
"We trolls are nocturnal by necessity, you see. When sunlight touches us, we are turned to stone, either injured or killed depending on how extensive the damage it. I had been visiting the public library and regrettably stayed out too late; sunrise was upon me, and the only reason that I am not dead today is because your son granted me mercy, and threw a bedsheet over me."
Barbara turned to Jim with wide eyes, and he nodded eagerly.
"I saw him running through the backyard," he said. "And then I got him inside and he ate our recycling and we read all day."
"Indeed," said Blinky. "Not only is your son kind of heart, but is stout of mind and character. We trolls have taken great measure to ensure humankind's ignorance of our existence, but I felt discomfited with the idea of ending our brief friendship so abruptly. When the night was late, I and my companion AAARRRGGHH returned to invite Jim to see Trollmarket, where the trolls of Arcadia reside."
AAARRRGGHH perked up at the mention of his name and waved.
"So, so, let me get this straight," Jim's mom said, finally sinking down onto the couch. "You are all from a society of trolls living in secret somewhere in this town, and you snuck my child out of the house in the middle of the night to take him to this place?"
"I assure you, madam, there was nothing untoward – "
"And during the middle of this, Jim was hurt badly enough to need stitches? What the hell went on when he was with you?"
Blinky backed up again as Jim's mother stood, even though he was a head and a half taller than she was and was backed up by two huge trolls.
"Jim's injury was not deliberate! His presence in Trollmarket had to remain a secret, for his own safety, but I…er…um, Master Kanjigar, would you perhaps like to say a few words?"
Kanjigar, who had been watching with a tense patience, glared at Blinky.
"There is nothing much to say," he replied. "Young Jim was lost temporarily. I found him by himself and tasked him with waiting in a secluded room until I could locate Blinkous. While I was away the boy took it upon himself to play with a sword."
"A sword?!"
"Which would never have happened if you hadn't left him in an armory!" Blinky shouted, angrily gesturing at Kanjigar.
"I didn't think the sword was gonna be that heavy," Jim muttered. Barbara looked between him and the two arguing trolls.
"Alright, alright, just stop," she shouted. "Both of you are at fault here. You – "
She poked a finger at Blinky, who quickly raised all four hands in surrender.
" – Should never have taken my son to a place that you knew was going to be dangerous for him. And you – "
Kanjigar didn't step back, but he eyed Barbara warily. Jim thought it was awfully funny to see the trolls look at his mother with fear.
" – Should have known better than to leave a child alone in a damn armory. He nearly nicked an important vein in his leg, and he could have bled to death. I don't want to hear any excuses," she added, when Kanjigar opened his mouth. "There is no excusing this. My boy got hurt, and both of your actions led to it!"
The two trolls looked thoroughly told-off. Barbara took a deep breath and put her hand on her hips, surveying the trolls. Her eyes landed on AAARRRGGHH.
"And what was your part in all of this?"
AAARRRGGHH, although he looked rather startled to be put on the spot, smiled.
"Blinky's friend," he rumbled. "Made distractions while Blinky gave Jim tour. Good kid."
As if put at ease by AAARRRRGGHH's relaxed demeanor, Barbara's face softened.
"He is," she said quietly. Jim sat forward on his seat when she walked back to him.
"Is all this true," she asked. Jim nodded.
"I got lost," he said, "I was really scared 'cause I couldn't ask anyone where Blinky was, but Kanjigar found me and he was really nice and I didn't mean to hurt myself but I really, really wanted to see one of the swords even though Blinky said I couldn't. Um. Maybe you can come with us? Trollmarket's really cool."
"Another human…"
"A capital idea!" Blinky said, shouting a bit to speak over the disgruntled Kanjigar.
"Although we shall have to think very carefully on how we approach this. The trolls below will not be receptive to us bringing humans into our midst, so the question is: do we introduce you two to the entirety of Trollmarket, or do we fight to keep this a secret from them as long as we can?"
"Vendel must know, at the least," said Kanjigar.
"Vendel is the de-facto leader of Trollmarket," Blinky said to Jim and his mom. "He's one of five elders around the world. If anyone should know, it's him."
"Is that the big troll that was in the library?" Jim asked. Blinky nodded.
"Indeed. He is rough in demeanor, but it hides a good heart."
Barbara crossed her arms and Blinky awkwardly looked away.
"Deep down," he muttered.
"You seem to assume that I'm letting you see my son again. You snuck him out of the house, into a dangerous world full of trolls, and he got hurt! There is nothing I have heard so far that convinces me that I shouldn't kick you out of my house right now!"
"Mom, no!" Jim shouted, jumping off of the couch. He wobbled, and his injured leg collapsed from under him. Three trolls and a skinny woman rushed forward to catch him, but Blinky was the one who got there first. Jim landed in a four-armed embrace and was gently settled back onto the couch, as his mom watched like a hawk.
"Are you alright," Blinky murmured. Jim, trying not to cry from the pain in his leg, nodded. Blinky sat down on the coffee table, his back stooped and head bent.
"I am sorry, young Jim," he said quietly. "It seems that our entire acquaintance has been made up of a streak of rash mistakes on my part."
He looked up at Barbara, who knelt by the couch and helped Jim get more comfortable.
"I take full responsibility for what has happened," he murmured. "Kanjigar's actions are irrelevant to the fact that I took Jim to Trollmarket without thinking properly about his safety, or preparing for what might happen if he were lost or injured. I am responsible for putting him danger, and I cannot make any excuse for that…only an apology."
Barbara sat up and leaned back on the arm of the chair behind her. She peered owlishly at Blinky, and then at Jim and the others. AAARRRGGHH shifted uncomfortably when she looked at him; Kanjigar didn't back down, but he briefly bowed his head in apology, and Blinky stayed utterly immobile, looking at Jim's mom square in the eyes, like he would take whatever punishment she had to dish out without moaning about it. Jim's heart raced; he had no idea what his mom would do or say.
He had so hoped that she'd like his new friends, but this was going horribly.
Barbara looked at AAARRRGGHH for a moment longer, and turned back to Blinky and Kanjigar.
"You are never to take my son out of this house without my knowing," she said darkly. Both trolls bowed their heads in agreement, but Blinky perked up hopefully.
"Should I assume that our acquaintance is not destined to end, then?"
Jim's mom sighed, and shook her head.
"I'd rather you be friends with me knowing, than to have my son sneaking out behind my back. He's too young to go out without adult supervision and I am not convinced that any of you qualify. My son is not going anywhere or seeing any of you without me being there too."
"A just request," said Blinky. "To keep our friendship a secret from the boy's mother was, I admit, weighing heavily on my mind. It would not be fair to have the whelp keep secrets from you, especially when he as already been injured once."
"Hmm. That being said, I'm laying down some ground rules here and now."
Jim sat up happily, and when he grinned at his mother she gave him a tiny smile back.
"So…does that mean I get to go to Trollmarket again?"
Barbara briefly glanced at Kanjigar, and then nodded, her eyes tight with determination.
"We are going to Trollmarket," she said.
.
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.
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A/N: Simple reminder that when human!Blinky was first in her house, Barbara elected to beat the crap out of him before yelling or calling the police. When Angor Rot attacked, she hit him with a shovel. Barbara is not afraid to kick ass first, ask questions later.
That being said, Blinky's not nearly as much of a wuss as he makes himself out to be. Barbara hits him in the gut and the eyes and he goes down, yelling overdramatically. Not-Enrique shoots peas in his eyes and he goes down, yelling overdramatically. But when Dictatious punches him numerous times, pokes him in the eyes, spins him around to disorient him, and hits him again and again, he taunts Dicky as if the goth-wannabe is tickling him. My personal favorite? "If I wanted to be tucked in, I would have CALLED MOTHER!"
Barbara's character has been so unexplored that it's really hard to get her voice down. Mostly we've heard her being an overprotective mom and nothing else. I'd like to know more about her interests and personality besides being a doctor and being a mom.
That being said, she is the only responsible adult in this group, I swear.
All hero-worship is thrown to the side when Kanjigar accidentally gets a kid hurt. I know that everybody in Trollmarket idolizes the guy, with Blinky being the head of the fanclub, but I think that this instance really kind of knocked Kanjigar down a peg in Blinky's opinion. Now he's not so much the best Trollhunter since Deya herself, but a busy idiot who left a kid alone with a bunch of swords.