Disclaimer: Trollhunters is owned by Guillermo del Toro.

So it turns out that when I have time I write. A lot. And that leads to me writing over five thousand words in a day.

A gift for you, my loyal and faithful followers.

Nightfall flashed forwards in a blur of black steel and red light, cutting a sizable chip out of the axe blade it came into contact with.

Jim immediately flipped backwards into the air, landing a good distance away from his opponent. Draal snarled at him, tossing away his axe and slamming his palms into the ground in preparation for what was likely a rolling charge. Jim prepared for such, minutely changing his stance so that he would be able to smack Draal aside with the flat of his blade when he came close.

As predicted, the larger blue troll curled into a ball and rolled towards Jim. The half-troll immediately prepared to strike against him, drawing his sword to the side for a wind up.

What he did not predict was Draal uncurling a few yards away and launching himself at Jim with his arms outstretched.

Jim ducked as quickly as he could, lashing out with an elbow when Draal sailed over him. Air exploded out of the troll's lungs, and he crashed behind Jim instead of landing as he intended. Before he could push himself up to continue the fight, Jim had his sword at the troll's throat.

Draal simply sighed. "I concede." Jim grinned at him, sheathing his sword at his side. It still felt weird, but he needed it to seem natural. Most swords didn't attach to your back without the need of a sheath. He held out a hand to help Draal up.

Taking it, the troll asked, "I thought I had you with that jump, Tarmek. How did you get around that?"

"You didn't take my size into account. It was pretty easy to slip under you."

"I do take your size into account. Which is why I'm constantly surprised at how strong you are. No troll your size should be able to throw an elbow that hard." Draal rubbed at his upper chest, presumably where his strike had connected.

Grinning sheepishly at him, Jim took a second to survey the area. Apparently only the Trollhunter was allowed to train in the Hero's Forge. Draal was allowed to maintain it, but not use it. It seemed stupid to Jim, but then again, a lot of things about troll culture seemed that way to him.

In lieu of the Hero's forge, they trained in one of the public grounds available to the guard and civilians who needed to settle a dispute. As such, they had drawn a sizable crowd. Many of them were openly gawking at Jim, and for once not in a 'why is there a fleshbag in my city' way like it used to be. Now it was more of an admirable, 'our best warrior just got the shit beaten out of him by this guy' gawking. Not entirely unwelcome, but still unnerving. Jim was never one to seek attention; usually, he would run in the opposite direction of it. It wasn't his fault the universe didn't let him actually escape it like he wanted to.

From the crowd, one of the guards approached. "Vendel requests your presence, Tarmek."

Jim nodded, looking over to Draal. "Same time tomorrow?"

The blue troll held a thumbs up. Jim nodded, turning to make his way to the Heartstone, but stopped when Draal cleared his throat. He rubbed the back of his neck before saying, "Listen, uh, if you want to come later, I'll be in the Pub. They serve the best grog in Trollmarket, so if you want to swing by, it'd be amusing to hear some stories of outside."

Jim grinned. "I'd love some grog. Never actually tried it before."

Every troll around them in earshot gaped at him before bursting into furious whispers. Draal stared at him in what looked to be horror. "You've never had grog?" he whispered.

"Uh, no. Didn't grow up in a place that had it available."

"Right." The troll drew himself up and walked close enough to clap him on the shoulder. "Later tonight, you are coming to the Pub, and you will learn of the wonders of grog, the greatest invention of trollkind."

Laughing, Jim said, "I look forward to it. I'll be there once I get away from Vendel!"

The half-troll was very glad that the Heartstone was so large. It meant that it was easy to get to, which was useful, because he had no idea where most of the things in Trollmarket were. However, it was also foreboding when one was summoned to it; ironic given the feelings it inspired in those with a heartstone.

Nevertheless, Jim had been anticipating this for the past two days. Vendel apparently took very long amounts of time to mull things over, and the wait was nearly worse than the butterflies he felt now. At least it would be over soon.

As he approached the Heartstone, he put Nightfall where the guards had motioned last time and nodded to them as they let him through. Walking in, he saw Vendel behind the table, waiting for him.

"Ah, Tarmek. You are punctual. That is good." He made a 'come hither motion with his hand. "We have much to discuss."

Jim nervously settled in front of the table, where he could clearly see Vendel. The butterflies in his stomach had lessened somewhat since he had not been immediately taken into custody by the guards outside, but this could still be a trap. The elder could have just as easily summoned all the guards only once he had gotten here, leaving him surrounded.

The first thing Vendel did was pick up a crystal and put it on the table. It took a moment, but Jim was able to recognize it as the crystal that had revealed Usurna's betrayal when she stabbed Vendel. The elder was cautious too, then. Jim didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing.

"I have decided to accept you only if the Council of Elder Trollhunters approves of you. We will travel to the Soothscryer and see if you are able to retrieve your arm from it."

Nodding Jim said, "That is wise. I have already been in the void once since my travel. It should not be too difficult to replicate."

They both exited the Heartstone, Vendel motioning for the guards to not follow them. Jim noticed that he still held the crystal in one hand, and in lieu of his staff, he was resting a hand on Jim's shoulder. Smart, restricting his movement in case he tried to fight back.

"And what was your opinion?"

"They're a bunch of stuck-up assholes. Except Deya. She apparently thinks I'm amusing.'

"Intriguing." Jim looked back at Vendel, a question in his gaze. "That was almost exactly how Deya described them when she first entered the Soothscryer."

The half-troll snorted with laughter.

"It is good that you have returned. We have much to discuss," The ghost of Kanjigar said.

"Uh-uh. I have a limit of one person a day saying that."

Kanjigar rolled his eyes. "Must you be so complicated?"

"Abomination."

"He mocks us."

"We should take off his arm."

The Eclipse armor spread across Jim's body, the blade itself appearing in his hand. He leisurely held it to the side. "Try it and see what happens.

"My compatriots, there is no need to fight." A ball of light phased out of Deya's statue, floating down to the ground in front of Jim. It slowly manifested into the ghost of Deya the Deliverer. "He simply needs different advice than the other Trollhunters."

The other ghosts weren't exactly pleased that Deya would be taking over, if the few words he actually picked up from the chorus of voices meant anything. Kanjigar also stubbornly stayed where he was, but he didn't seem angry. Rather, he was just curious.

"So, what is it that you guys want?" Jim planted Eclipse into the ground, casually leaning on it.

"Last time, we were unable to speak to you about the Pale Lady." Kanjigar eyed him warily, while Deya came a bit closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. When she noticed him tensing, she sighed, but removed her hand and floated away.

"We do not deny that you probably know more of her personally than we do, but this is the sorceress who in your own words brought about the Eternal Night in the future, enslaved Angor Rot, and possessed your own mate. Can you really put any trust in her?"

Jim stood up straight, narrowing his eyes at the two Trollhunters in front of him. "What do you know of the human psyche?" He phrased it as a genuine question, even though it was entirely rhetorical in nature.

Deya seemed to know that, putting a hand to her face. "Nothing." She sounded defeated, so he knew she likely knew where this was going.

"Exactly. I, on the other hand, know quite a bit about. I cared for my mother for years, and that included her mental state. I have studied the human psyche as extensively as I possibly could. I know how to deal with a human, which Morgana is, despite what anyone else might say. Beyond the creation of changelings, what atrocities did she commit in the original war with the Gumm-Gumms? How many trolls can you say with absolute certainty that she killed?"

The two Trollhunters manifested in front of him, but the Trollhunters above were extremely displeased.

"She's a witch!"

"She doesn't deserve courtesy."

"She stole our children!"

"Children that you then condemned for something that wasn't their fault! All of your racism and hatred for the changelings comes from something that they had absolutely no control over! You have no right at all to get angry at her for creating the changelings when it was you that turned them against you!"

"You dare-"

"Abominations, all of them!"

"Filthy tark!"

Kanjigar roared with such strength that the room shook around them. Jim quirked an eye, curious. He had never seen infighting among them. "You would dare to use that word around me?! I do not care how bold you are, Boraz, I will kick you so hard in the gronk-nuks that it will take decades before you can show your face here again!"

Jim snorted. "I think that's my cue to leave," he whispered to Deya.

She nodded. "Have fun out there, Jim. You provide an endless source of amusement for us. Well, me at least."

The first thing he saw when he reappeared was Vendel looking down at him. He quickly put both of his arms in view, assuring the elder that he had not lost either. The goat-like troll nodded, then regarded him curiously. "Black and red," he mused. "Interesting. No troll has worn red armor since Tellad-Urr the Terrible."

"I don't know that name." Jim got up and dusted himself off.

"It is in A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore. He was the only Trollhunter to use the amulet for evil, though he did not begin that way. That was back when my grandfather was the leader of his own troll city, with a purple Heartstone resting in its ceiling."

The half-troll remained silent. The longer he contemplated the amulet's choices, the more he wondered about what Merlin once told him. That the amulet didn't make mistakes. It was beginning to seem more and more like it did.

"Of course, in those days Orlagk still ruled the Gumm-Gumms and fleshbags were still considered to be a delicacy. He died one year and five centuries after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. You call that the beginning of the common era, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Yes. Respond concisely, without jargon."

"Yes."

Vendel sighed and switched to English. "Well, I suppose I cannot dispute the judgement of the former Trollhunters. Though I believe it would be better if you were not to reveal yourself as a second Trollhunter to Trollmarket. That could invalidate our current one, and I get the feeling that you do not wish that."

"That would not be good, no. Especially since I'm leaving once her fight with Draal is over."

"Really? And why is that?"

"I'm going to get support from the Old World." Vendel stilled in front of him, so Jim stopped with him. "What?"

"From how you've handled yourself so far, I was assured that you would be the next Deya. That, however, makes me seriously question your competence. There is nothing there worth getting support from. The troll tribes there are scattered, at least the ones that would be useful."

"How do you know that? Blinky told me it's been centuries since you've had contact with them. The situation could have changed completely."

"I am the elder of Trollmarket. It is my job to know all possible threats and keep tabs on them. The fact that there is a Janus Order that we have missed for centuries is highly disturbing to me, but I have not been lax in my duties watching for threats from the Old World. I know everything that I need to know about what is happening there, and I have no desire to involve Trollmarket at all."

"Then I won't involve Trollmarket. But the troll world needs to become more unified."

"You want to find Angor Rot." Vendel stared at him for a brief second longer. "And you want to find where your troll half comes from."

Jim stayed silent.

Vendel sighed, motioning for Jim to lead him back to the Heartstone. After letting the Eclipse armor recede into the amulet, Jim waited for Vendel to put his hand on his shoulder so he could guide them back. Neither spoke on the way there, not wanting the other trolls to overhear their conversation. Once they had safely passed inside, though, Vendel's hand left Jim's shoulder.

"I won't deny that there is a certain benefit to becoming allies with the trolls of the Old World. There are many resources that originate there that cannot be found here. But going there…" Vendel put the crystal down on the table, resting his hands on it. "It's tantamount to suicide."

"Why?" Nothing that Vendel could say would stop him from going, but it was always good to know about potential threats.

"The Huldufólk, mostly. The vermin have taken over three different troll cities under what you call Germany since we left. They are not friendly." He sighed, looking to Jim. "Not to mention that the guardian told me he activated the stones. That tells me that times will be tumultuous even above ground."

Vendel had connections to the human world? "What guardian? What stones?"

"You would have no knowledge of either, it would be useless for me to tell you. However, if you are set on going, you will need the name of the guardian. He deals with magical stone that hold power regularly; if anyone knows the location of the Inferna Copula, it would be him."

"What is his name?"

Vendel glared at him, leaving the table to tower over him. "I have not decided whether to let you go or not yet. Help you here, yes, but if the wrong attention is brought here, it could mean the end of Trollmarket."

"A worse end then the death of the Heartstone and the enslavement of more than half its citizens?" Jim glared right back at him, crossing his arms. His troll instincts told him to back down, and he was nearly shaking in his boots with the way that the elder was leaning over him, but he refused to back down.

A moment of tense silence passed before Vendel moved away, sighing and stroking his goatee. "I suppose not."

"You said yourself that there were benefits to reopening contact."

"I did, didn't I?" Vendel scrutinized him again. "This was the reason you offered to learn etiquette from me, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Jim held his gaze.

"Then you are shrewd indeed." Vendel thought to himself for a moment before he made up his mind. "You have proven to me that you are at least competent enough to represent Trollmarket, and I am well aware that you are strong enough. I will teach you what you need to know to gain us allies, and what you need to avoid. I trust Blinky is also doing the same?"

"He is teaching me the history of the Old World."

"Excellent. I will only stick to the now, then. This will take more than one day to learn, however, so you will need to extend the time you stay for at least a week. You will return to me at four a.m. tomorrow for your first lesson and repeat it until you leave. Do you understand?"

Jim inclined his head in a respectful bow. "Yes, elder."

"Good. And also, a gesture of respect in most of the world would be tilting your head up to expose your neck. Most cultures would take a bow as intent to charge."

The half-troll nodded. He turned to leave.

"Wait." He stopped in his tracks, turning back questioningly. Vendel turned around, grabbing a box off a shelf. When Jim recognized what it was, his eyes widened. "Before you leave, I would offer you a gift. You have been human your whole life, you are used to the sun."

Jim's heart nearly stopped. His heart filled with wonder when Vendel opened the box, the many stones inside giving off a slight glow. He gestured to one of them, a stone glowing pure white. "This stone will you to walk in the daylight once more, for limited periods of time. Consider it a show of good intention."

There was nothing he could say to express his joy when he carefully picked up the stone from where it rested in the box. Looking up at Vendel, he whispered "Thank you." The half-troll took off his shirt with shaking arms. He willed the amulet to open, watching it carefully as he lifted the stone to it. Like a magnet, it was pulled into one of the two empty slots left, briefly lighting up the amulet with a pure white light when it closed. He breathed deeply, feeling the rush of power in a way that he hadn't when he was a human.

"Because of the nature of the amulet, and by that, I mean its infusion to you, it should even work without the armor summoned. As for how you got it, tell your family that I left you unattended for some time and you found it or something similar. They know that I do not check the stones often, so they should not be alarmed."

Jim looked him directly in the eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Vendel. I can't express the gratitude I feel right now."

"You are much more eloquent than your counterpart. Am I correct in assuming that the two of you are mates?"

The half-troll nearly choked on his tongue. He wasn't expecting that from Vendel. The elder was most definitely serious, though, given that he was still waiting for an answer. "Yes," he sighed. "How could you tell?"

"You have your scent all over you. I'm mildly surprised the other trolls haven't figured it out yet, but then again, you do teach her. Perhaps they assume it simply comes from being in such close proximity." The elder leaned on his table again, seeming amused fi the twinkle in his eye was anything to go by. "You may leave now."

Jim tilted his chin up. "Thank you, elder." Vendel nodded approvingly.

"Toby!" Jim whisper-yelled from a tree.

"Jim?! Where are you?" Toby looked around wildly. He was on his way home from school, walking for once. His bike had been dismantled in a tangle with goblins last night. According to Toby, the four humans had tried to get inside the museum so they could get a picture of Killahead bridge but there were two changelings.

Who would've guessed that Gladys and Nomura would be having a girl's night out?

"Up here!" Toby looked up into the trees above him, only to have a mini-heart attack when he saw Jim in the full sunlight.

"DUDEWHATTHEHELLYOUREGONNADIEGETDOWNHERE – You're not dying. Why are you not dying?"

"I got the stone from Vendel's place! The one that lets you walk in the light!" Jim's grin was probably terrifying, given from how it was hurting his face. His best friend, however, was not phased in the slightest and grinned as wide as him.

"Dude, that's awesome! But you should probably get down from there so the other humans don't try to kill you thinking the devil has come down to Earth."

Jim shook his head. "Race you back home!" He took off through the trees in the direction of his house.

Toby sighed. There was no way that he could catch him. He sent a quick text to their group chat, telling the other three that Jim was at his mom's house. Then he started pedaling as fast as he could, at least determined to give Jim a run for his money.

Jim closed the backdoor behind him carefully, breathing in the smell of his house. It had been a bit since he had been here, and even though he called his mom and texted her all the time, he had still worried about her constantly.

He was literally under her feet and he still missed her. How sappy was that?

Pulling out his phone, he checked his messages. There was one from Toby telling the others that he was at his mom's house, and that inspired some feeling that he couldn't quite put a name to. It was a subtle pain in his chest, something about the way that it wasn't his house anymore. Just his mom's. He sat down on the couch, still staring at the text and trying to figure out what the feeling was.

There was a burst of happiness from Claire, making him chuckle in spite of his own pain. He fed some of his affection across the bond, getting a feeling of sheepishness from her in response. Getting up from the couch, Jim decided that if he was going to be entertaining visitors, then they would need something to eat.

A minute later, Toby burst in through the front door, wheezing, "Damn, Jimbo, you know I can't keep up – are those the ingredients to Chef Jim's famous seafood-filled salmon filet I hear rattling about?"

"How in the hell did you figure that out by the sound of me grabbing stuff from the fridge?"

"I knew you were probably going to show up back here soon, so I grabbed some ingredients to one of the meals I've been craving lately."

"Am I nothing more than your cook?" Jim said with an air of drama, pressing his hand against his forehead. "A mere slave meant to cater food to your whims?"

"Absolutely. Now get cooking!" They both cackled at each other.

Toby sat at the kitchen counter, sighing. "I kind of wish I didn't tell the others you were back. Now I have to share you."

"Don't you mean my seafood?"

"Nah man, I mean you. It's been too long since we've spent some time together, just the two of us."

Silence permeated the room as Jim dialed up the oven. Eventually, he sighed, dragging a hand across his face. "Yeah, I know. I wish we had more chances, but time is one of the few enemies I can't fight."

Toby snorted. "Ah, well. At least I'm now part of the group of three of the most popular girls in the school. You're the best wingman ever, by the way."

And that hurt almost as much as his text saying that it was his mother's house. Toby didn't know why he had gone silent, and Claire was pushing a concerned feeling through the bond. That name used to be reserved for AAARRRGGHH!, and now, thanks to Jim's interference, there was a chance that they would never be as good of friends as they were in his time. The house fell silent until the door rang.

Toby went to open it. "Hey guys, I hope you brought your appetites, because Chef Jim has returned to the house and he is cookin' up a storm."

Claire pushed past him, immediately going to Jim. The half-troll did not miss the look that Toby gave her and mentally sighed. He did not want to have to deal with drama between his two best friends.

She threw her arms around him. "Jim, I didn't know you were coming back up! How did you get through the sunlight?"

"Oh yeah, I wanted to show you guys that! Everyone to the backyard!"

They all obediently filed through the door. Jim followed them, excitement filling him up. His ears flicked when he heard laughter, and he looked down at Claire. "What?"

"You're like a five-year-old about to show his mom a really cool rock he found."

Jim snorted. "Well, I'm not five, and you guys aren't my mom, but I did find a really cool rock that lets me do this." He stepped into the light.

Claire and Darci immediately yelled for him to get out of the light and panic flooded his soul from the bond. Mary just covered her mouth. After a few seconds, they calmed down enough to gape at him while he and Toby were guffawing. Toby, between wheezes, said, "You guys should've seen your faces!"

Claire walked up to him. He could feel slight indignation, but mostly joy coming from her. "How did you – oh right, that one stone that lets you walk in the light. But how did you get it from Vendel?"

"He finally scrounged up enough time for a lesson but had to leave for a while in the middle of it. It gave me long enough to grab it."

"That's awesome!" Darci held up a fist for him to bump. "You can hang out with us during the day now!"

"Well, not in public, and I'm not sure how long it lasts, but yeah!" he gently bumped her fist back.

They all got back inside, Toby resuming his position at the kitchen table, and the three girls sitting in the table behind the kitchen. Jim mostly ignored their conversation while he was cooking. It was his zone.

Not that he could ever truly be in it again. A good cook can evolve their recipes when they experiment. It was hard to evolve with no sense of taste.

"Hey Jim, what have you learned about the Old World?" Ah. Claire must have noticed his inner turmoil, given how she was trying to redirect his attention.

"I've learned that the Huldufólk are the main organized power now. They're kind of like changelings, except that they use illusory magic and still eat humans. Blinky called them nasty, deceptive savages clinging to the old ways. Other than them, there are the Gargoyles mostly based in France, which is what Strickler is. You know, when you eventually see his form. Keep in mind that his cape is actually a pair of wings." Pausing for a moment, he put the meal in the oven. "The Gargoyles aren't really organized, though. They're just a bunch of small tribes. Oh, also the Beast of Gévaudan is actually a troll beast. Like the stalklings. Hope and pray that Bular doesn't sic one on you like he did me, those aren't fun."

"Ooh, what trolls are in Greece?" Mary asked.

"Cyclopes. They're actually really smart and have the only example of democracy in the troll world. Well, democracy the way that we understand."

"Ooh! Is Polyphemus real? That'd be so cool!" Mary's chin was resting on her hands as she sated forward dreamily.

Jim quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you liked the Odyssey."

"Do not get her started. It's not just the Odyssey, she's obsessed with Percy Jackson too," Darci groaned.

"Hey, Percy Jackson is awesome! Child of Apollo over here!" Toby yelled.

"Yeah! Aphrodite for the win!" Mary yelled back, air-fiving him.

Jim looked to the other two. "What about you guys?"

Claire put up her hand. "Athena. Which Strickler nicknamed me, by the way."

"Yeah, he does have some weird thing for that. I'm Atlas, apparently. You, Darci?"

She groaned, letting her forehead hit the table. "Zeus."

"Is it because you light up my life?" asked Toby, sporting a smug grin. Jim snorted with laughter, while the three girls groaned. Toby high-fived Jim's outstretched hand.

When the three girls had pulled out their homework, Jim leaned onto the kitchen counter, so he could talk to Toby. "Are you and Darci dating? I mean, probably not, you definitely would've texted me if you were."

"Nah, I'm just nailing her with every pick-up line I can find that's not weird or creepy until I eventually win her over."

"Nice." Then he took a deep breath. "Are you and Claire alright? You've been glaring at her since she got here."

"No, yeah, we're good. Don't worry about it, dude."

"Alright, if you say so."

Toby grinned at him. "I say so."

Jim couldn't help himself. He grinned back. "That's what I'm talking about."

Not too long after, dinner was finally ready. They all sat down at the dinner table, homework forgotten in favor of delicious food. Jim had his own slab of raw steak, so he was happy. "So, it turns out I'm actually going to stay for another week."

"What! Are you serious?" Claire's excitement and happiness surged across their bond. It made him even more guilty about leaving, but he knew he had to.

"Yeah. Which means I'll probably be around for when Enrique gets switched for NotEnrique."

All of Claire's happiness disappeared. "I still hate that plan." She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"I know, but there's nowhere Enrique could be that's safer. Plus, if we play our cards right, we could convert some of the changelings early. Which reminds me, I have a plan to get Strickler on our side, but I'm going to need all of you guys' help."

They all gave him their attention, and while Toby was still eating, Jim knew he was also listening. "I need you guys to all get a meeting with him sometime after school, preferably when there aren't any practices, so I can get in easier. We'll corner him in his room, and then I will tell him the truth. The thing with Strickler is that he's not really evil, he's just been mistreated for his whole life. Which has been very long. All the changelings hate Bular anyways, and they only serve Gunmar because they have no other options. We give them more favorable options then serving a tyrannical warlord with anger issues and no regard for the lives of his subordinates, they'll take them."

"You're just going to tell him the truth?" asked Darci. Her voice was incredulous.

"Yeah. I know this guy better than you do, I know how he works. He actually does like his students and humanity as a whole. It's just that he has no choice but to serve Gunmar."

"Okay. So, what do we do with him on our side?" Claire was contemplating it herself, even if she didn't really understand yet.

"He won't directly help you unless you prove that you're the winning side. Kill Bular and promise him peace with the trolls, and he'll probably join your side. Or he'll try to seize power for himself again. Which will be a lot harder, since I'll have Angor Rot with me. Either way, it's a win."

They all nodded. Jim knew that most of what he just said went right over their heads, but that was fine. For now, he didn't need them to understand, he just needed them to trust him.

I'll be using a couple things from the novels, but given the amount of contradictions within them, I'll be taking a few creative liberties.