The flower ere may bloom and brag
But to the weed will bow defeat.
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The bleeding Trollhunter wasn't much heavier than Blinky was, but her weight seemed to carry more, seemed somehow more substantial, as AAARRRGGHH picked her up and took her through Trollmarket to Vendel. His eyes cut an acknowledging glance to the concerned-looking Draal, and then they left, leaving the banished troll alone on the crystal staircase.
Non-magical injuries really were treated in the examination dwell, but AAARRRGGHH knew personally how potent a balm the energy of the Heartstone could be to one who had been without for most of their life, and Alexandra had already looked more relaxed the closer they got to the massive crystal.
It might have been the blood loss, of course; apparently Bular had rent a sizable hole in the Trollhunter's side, the dripping remains of which AAARRRGGHH wiped off of his hands as he and Blinky were shooed out the door. He picked up the Gumm-Gumm's scent all over her, and wondered how on earth she managed to survive such a close fight again.
"It is as serious as it looks, but I can heal it," Vendel said, "She must not exert herself in the next week. Now, let me work."
The vaulted door shut in their faces. AAARRRGGHH turned to Blinky, who was still covered in drying bits of goblin.
"Oh, I hope it will be alright," Blinky said quietly. AAARRRGHH hmm'd, watching the concern in his friend's eyes. He wiped a smidge of green off of the shorter troll's shoulder, only to leave a smear of blood instead.
"Get cleaned up," he said, "Then talk."
"Yes," Blinky murmured. "There is much that I need to tell you, and I am uncertain how much further this information should travel."
People moved out of their way as they walked toward the baths, obviously unsettled by their outsides being painted with insides.
The baths had a couple of occupants, all of whom fled at the grisly sight of AAARRRGGHH and Blinky, but AAARRRGGHH still checked the doorway and the hall beyond before squeezing past his friend and settling into one of the larger pools, allowing the warm darkness and lightly sulfuric air to relax his shoulders and hands.
"Although I did not envision this day going well, this is certainly not how I had expected it to end," Blinky murmured, gingerly peeling off his gore-covered shorts and suspenders. He caught the fabric on a crystal in the edge of the water, letting the flow of the underground river gently clean it, and then slid into the pool, submerging completely and scrubbing his fingers through his hair.
AAARRRGGHH quickly rinsed off his arms and chest, eager to rid himself of the blood. It had been a very long time since he'd been covered in so much blood from a fellow troll, and he was not enthused by the repeat experience. His friend emerged from the pool and AAARRRGGHH gently turned him around, cupping his hands to pour water down his neck and back while wiping away little bits of goblin.
"Draal back," he said. Blinky sighed and his shoulders slouched under AAARRRGGHH's hands.
"Yes," he said. "We came across him in the tunnels. The Trollhunter was adamant that he accompany us and I must admit, without his help I doubt I would have made it here unscathed. I am uncertain, however, how his return will be accepted. He is still disgraced among us."
AAARRRGGHH sniffed and gingerly flicked a piece of eyeball off of Blinky's shoulder. They had had a long discussion about Draal and the Trollhunter, when the former had first been unofficially banished. Alexandra had never expressed any shred of fondness toward the larger troll, but her every action told that she considered him a deep friend, especially taking into account their physical closeness in the short amount of time that they had known each other. AAARRRGGHH was well aware that Draal was short of true friends, preferring to associate with fans and followers, something that he had learned from Kanjigar. That was one of the few things that AAARRRGGHH was rather annoyed about when it came to the former Trollhunter: the distance he had taught to his son.
Alexandra didn't preen and gather admirers like Draal did, but she still distanced herself from making real relationships. Her heart was wrapped in lying smiles and cutting words, and she only allowed people to see the parts of herself that she thought safe to expose. As Trollhunter, this was useful – but whatever she didn't want people to see sliced her like glass on the inside. AAARRRGGHH had done away with such damaging practices centuries ago, but he recognized it like the drawing ache of an old wound when he saw it in their new acquaintance.
She had worked so hard to appear as studious and agreeable as possible, at first; the model of a perfect trainee Trollhunter. The fact that she now was deliberately acting in a way that would damage her small reputation, simply for the sake of Draal's safety and comfort, gave AAARRRGGHH hope that some of her heart was genuinely opening.
Blinky spoke for a very long while, in the soft darkness and quiet of the baths. He spoke of Alexandra's apology and her maddening half-truths, the heart-stopping moment when she was exposed to sunlight, her attempts to retreat from battle in order to keep him and Draal safe.
Most damningly, he spoke of the Bridge.
AAARRRGGHH had hoped, so hoped, despite knowing that it would never come true – that the bridge was not really being rebuilt. More than anything, he did not want to go through this again. The uncertainty; the fear; the constant need to stay on guard and stay alert for any sign of danger or betrayal, was something he had been dreading ever since Vendel had sent them on their mission to England.
Perhaps it had been silly, to hope that everything would forever be fine. He was a realist, as Blinky would say; it had been a necessary part of the majority of his life. But even though he knew that Bular would never give up, even though he knew that Gunmar's army would try to rise again, a tiny part of his heart had wished so desperately for it to never become a reality.
Blinky's unending words petered to a whisper as AAARRRGGHH pulled his arms around his smaller friend and drew him back into his chest, burying his face against the top of Blinky's head. He leaned backward and settled on a low shelf near the edge of the pool. Blinky's weight was almost nonexistent in the water, but his warmth spread through AAARRRGGHH's arms and chest and face like the soft, comforting whispers of the Heartstone's hum, until he no longer smelled of fear or despair.
Blinky struggled for a brief moment, because the change in position meant that he was submerged up to his eyes, but once he could breathe he relaxed against his friend.
"Once more," he murmured, softly patting his companion's thigh, "we shall do this together."
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Blinky allowed the day to pass without bothering the Trollhunter or her returned charge; in deference to her injuries, or so he claimed. AAARRRGGHH knew that he wanted time to himself to sort everything out before dealing with it, and to allow Alexandra to sort out her own messes.
He imagined that getting Draal set up would be a major challenge in and of itself, given the young troll's unwelcome status. And maybe with a day of rest from her other studies Alexandra would actually take the time to sleep and eat like a normal damn troll, something that his friend was complaining about excessively. Blinky busied himself within his library, re-reading everything he had on Changelings, Gunmar, and the Killahead Bridge, while AAARRRGGHH absorbed it all, acting as his sounding board and bouncing back theories and suppositions.
"The Janus Order must be active in this town, but how active? Would they have a base?"
"Maybe could infiltrate," rumbled AAARRRGGHH, to Blinky's agreement.
"Perhaps a glamour mask, then, but we would have to go at night in any case…"
Books were shuffled, scrolled were unfurled, a tapestry was consulted.
"Everything in here confirms what we already knew, that the Bridge cannot be opened unless by the Trollhunter themselvf. Master Alexandra would, of course, never do such a thing…"
Blinky rubbed his chin uncomfortably, two eyes looking up at AAARRRGGHH; they really didn't know their Trollhunter very well.
"…Most probably. In any case, it would need to be fully rebuilt first. I cannot recall how much of it Master Alexandra said she saw completed; we shall have to ask later. But enough about the Bridge if it should open, which is an unlikelihood that can be discussed at a different time."
AAARRRGGHH obligingly shuffled backward as Blinky reached past him to grab a tome from a high shelf.
"We could concern ourselves now with ensuring that it cannot be completed. We have in our possession one of the stones, which should be enough as long as we can manage to hold onto it. But…"
The wood and iron box containing the stone was stowed in the empty space the book had left, and then was covered by a smaller tome so that it didn't stick out from the shelf.
"Mmm. Changelings," AAARRRGGHH grumbled. Blinky sighed and nodded, patting AAARRRGGHH as high on the arm as he could reach.
"Indeed. We will have to be most diligent about who comes and who goes through Trollmarket's portals. Unfortunately, we cannot vet every troll who comes to Trollmarket for its company or remedies – at least not without inciting a panic."
A soft chuckle rumbled in AAARRRGGHH's throat and Blinky rolled his eyes at him.
"I know that I have been incautious about such things before," he said grumpily. "But it is imperative that any Changelings on the surface have no knowledge of our sensibility to their presence in Arcadia! If I shove a gaggletack under the nose of every troll in the Heartstone we will surely give them warning!"
"Blinky. Vendel. Alexandra. Draal. AAARRRGGHH."
"Only those of us who know about the Bridge may be tested, and trusted," Blinky interpreted, to AAARRRGGHH's agreement.
"Then we will have to pay yet another visit to Rot and Gut," he said.
With a little bargaining they procured another gaggletack and made their way back to the Heartstone.
"Vendel?" AAARRRGGHH called.
"I dearly hope that you haven't managed to injure yourself as well," said the elder troll's waspish voice.
"Ah, Vendel, good evening," said Blinky. "Is our Trollhunter well enough to discuss – "
"She's gone," said Vendel, emerging from an adjacent room and looking exceedingly disgruntled.
Blinky, thrown off his track, fiddled with his hands.
"Ah. Should I assume that she is well enough to train, or that she's decided that she is simply 'well enough'?"
Vendel, pulling a set of bracers up his arms, chuffed a laugh.
"The latter," he said, picking up a long pair of tongs and grasping a large, uncut gem. "She refused further medical attention and left once it was assured that she wouldn't bleed to death. I would suggest looking in her rooms if you seek her; even with her stubbornness I doubt she would be up to training or studying."
"We will do so with most haste. However, there is one matter that we need you to address specifically."
He held out the gaggletack, incurring a raised eyebrow from the elder troll.
"For once, Blinkous, I will agree with your paranoid precautions."
He took the gaggletack in hand and held it before them.
"I expect a briefing from you and the Trollhunter, once you find her," he said quietly. "We will all need to discuss what is to be done next."
Blinky took the gaggletack back and nodded.
They bid Vendel goodbye and left for the residential areas, unsurprised at the Trollhunter's quiet break out. AAARRRGGHH remembered the Hunter being extremely reluctant to continue her physical training after her first few back-breaking sessions, but once she had gotten used to the exertion she seemed to relish her training, for all that she complained about it, and once she was injured she did not appreciate being fussed over.
They made it into the secluded corridor of Alexandra's rooms and he was hit with the scent of her comings and goings, as obvious as if she were standing in front of him.
The sweet smell of cat; the sourness of ink; the cloy of blood; the winding, burning tread of medicinal pastes and plants; Draal, Draal, Draal.
Blinky looked up at his friend with some trepidation before knocking on the door. They had long learned not to just barge in, for fear of a sword to the face.
"Er, Master Alexandra? If you are well enough, we should like to discuss – "
Something large lumbered across the floor, and the door opened to reveal a filth-covered Draal, who smelled heavily of sewer, medicinal herbs, and goblin innards. AAARRRGGHH was incredibly happy to see him, especially with all limbs attached and healing well.
The younger troll smiled up at them with dark, tired eyes, and shook his head.
"If you are here for the Trollhunter, she is not here. She left several hours ago for my father's rooms, to consult his library."
Blinky snapped his fingers and snorted, obviously annoyed that he had not thought of that possibility earlier.
"While we are here, so as to not have wasted the trip…"
He drew forth the gaggletack; Draal glanced at it in surprise, and then reached out and grabbed it firmly.
"There are no Changelings here, my friend," he said, his grip and his voice both curiously tight. Blinky dropped his arm and nodded, relief relaxing his shoulders and back.
"Not among us, at least," he murmured.
"Thank you, Draal," he said, somewhat hesitatingly. AAARRRGGHH reached over him and pat the younger troll on the shoulder, drawing a smile from his green-smeared face.
"It is good to see you too, old friend," Draal said quietly. The door didn't close until they had long made it down the dark hallway.
"Smelled like Alex," AAARRRGGHH muttered. Blinky mumbled something under his breath, and AAARRRGGHH gently elbowed him in the shoulder, making him stumble slightly but drawing a half-smile.
"She's going to have to do something with him," he said. "He can't be hidden away forever."
"Big heart," said AAARRRGGHH cheerfully. Blinky softly nudged his two left arms against his companion's right.
"I do suppose so," he said. AAARRRGGHH wasn't as concerned with Alexandra's constant lies and twisting words as Blinky was, because he watched her actions more than her mouth. Whatever convoluted history she spun for herself didn't matter so much in the face of what he'd seen her do, in protecting Draal; in protecting him and Blinky; in the initial terror and growing confidence in which she walked through Heartstone.
They made their way to Kanjigar's old quarters with little more conversation, and within arriving in the final corridor it was obvious to AAARRRGGHH that they had finally located their elusive Trollhunter.
There was a soft smell of blood, which really wasn't a gentle scent itself, but AAARRRGGHH figured that Alexandra would probably smell of blood and healing magics for a good while.
He paused to examine the scents in the hall as Blinky kept going and knocked on Kanjigar's door. There really was a lot of the blood smell.
"Master Alexandra! Master Alexandra, are you here?"
Blinky jiggled the handle and let himself in; a blur of orange fur shot out of the gap and skittered down the hallway, leaving tiny red pawprints behind it. AAARRRGGHH knuckled forward and stopped just short of the door. The smell of blood was intense.
"Oh dear Gorgus…"
Blinky rushed forward, AAARRRGGHH swift on his heels. He reached over his friend and gently lifted the Trollhunter off of the floor, blood-stained pages of the books around her peeling off of her arms. From her pocket the amulet pulsed dimly.
"Quick, quick, to Vendel…"
He was already squeezing through the doorway. The bleeding had stopped but blood still smeared on his arms for the second time in as many days. The few trolls walking about scrambled to the side as AAARRRGGHH uncomfortably jogged through, Blinky running ahead of him to warn Vendel.
Out of all the Trollhunters he'd known, he had never had one die in his grasp. Alexandra wasn't gone, but the thought was scary. In such an uncertain time, with the Killahead being re-built, what would they do if she couldn't survive? Out of all the times to train a brand new Trollhunter now was not it! What would happen to Draal? What would happen to Trollmarket?
Muttering stirred around them as they raced through the residential area and into the market, the crowd hastily parting before them.
" – Move aside, move aside please, please – "
They crossed the bridge and entered the Heartstone just as a piece of stone flew through the air and nicked AAARRRGGHH's ear. He adjusted Alexandra to one arm and shoved Blinky behind him, and the resulting scraping sound alerted Vendel to their presence.
"Be careful, you two, this is – oh! That blasted fool!"
Vendel put down the stone he was grinding and shoved his tools off of his workbench for the second time, directing Blinky to get his medical things from the night before, which were still packed against the wall of the Heartstone.
"I told her not to strain herself, the idiotic woman," Vendel muttered angrily, shooing AAARRRGGHH's arms away as he quickly lifted off the sheet of leather she'd wrapped her torso in. The drying blood was tacky and made the edges of the leather stick to her skin.
Alexandra's face twitched and her upper hands motioned violently.
"Stay still, Trollhunter."
She gave a half-hearted hiss, and then shook her head.
"Doeddwn i ddim yn golygu…Byddaf yn gwneud yn well."
Blinky and Vendel both looked surprised at the change in language, which AAARRRGGHH could only identify as Welsh.
"Rhaid ichi aros yn dal," said Vendel. The words fell like the whisper of leaves and of small, tumbling stones from his mouth.
"Peidiwch â gadael iddyn nhw fynd â fi i ffwrdd…"
" 'Do not let them take me away,' " Blinky translated, soft and unsettling.
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They waited for an hour outside of the Heartstone, leaning against its quiet warmth as if to lend their strength to it, and to draw comfort in return.
"We should have predicted this," Blinky murmured once, before falling silent again.
AAARRRGGHH had the thought that they weren't supposed to be babysitting the Trollhunter. If she was stupid enough to walk around when she was so injured then that was her fault and hers alone. The thought annoyed him a little bit, because he remembered several incidents during the first decades of his defection, where he had refused to tell anybody when he was injured and often pretended that he was fighting fit despite being ready to fall apart. It had been a habit, at first; weak Gumm-Gumms were dead Gumm-Gumms, after all. Those that fell behind were left behind, and so pushing himself past his limits of pain and exhaustion were necessary habits that were very, very hard to break.
But harder to break was the mindset that, once he had Vendel and Blinky and Kanjigar as his friends, he now had the option of accepting help. And asking for it had been nearly impossible.
With all of the sharp things around her heart and her propensity to push herself beyond what was necessary for her training, AAARRRGGHH had a pretty good idea of what exactly had made their Trollhunter do something so irresponsible.
When Vendel came out, he looked more irritated than mournful, which gave AAARRRGGHH hope.
"She will survive, again. You may see her if you wish, but I cannot guarantee that she will be up for a conversation."
"She's awake?"
"Somewhat awake," Vendel replied, "but not particularly aware. She's been babbling nonsense for an hour."
They followed Vendel into the light of the Heartstone and found Alexandra weakly straining against a grid of yellow light, cast by an incomplete set of trapping stones.
Blinky tentatively leaned over her, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Master Alexandra?"
"Fuck you," she murmured. She seemed perfectly lucid for a second, until her eyes focused away from Blinky and she snarled viciously.
She struggled again, her arms rising halfway off the stone table, and Vendel put another yellow stone down, adding another line of light and making it harder for her to move further. With clenched fists, straining muscles, and the hint of tears, it was clear that the Trollhunter, wherever her mind was, was exceedingly unhappy with being paralyzed. Vendel took the lessened movements as opportunity to apply a tiny chuck of Heartstone to the wound on her side, which made her relax slightly.
"Vaguonp'rrse…y'dick."
AAARRRGGHH smiled slightly. Even delusional and immobilized and injured, Alexandra still found the energy to insult someone.
"While the Trollhunter heals, perhaps now would be a good time to tell me exactly what happened," Vendel huffed. Blinky nodded and AAARRRGGHH backed away, settling down against a corner of the crystal around them.
Blinky described to Vendel everything that he had already told him, but with added details that he had neglected to relay the last time, including Draal, Alexandra's use of the Leoht Stone, and his discomfort at her continued untruths about her own history.
AAARRRGGHH, already having heard the whole story, settled his back further against the glowing crystal, soaking up the steady beat that pulsed through it. He didn't have the power or knowledge that Vendel did, to pick out which beat among the many belonged to Blinky or Draal or himself, but he could pretend that he could, and as Blinky's steady voice washed over him he took comfort in that fact that his companion's heartbeat was one of the legion that thrummed against his skin.
He dozed, but was woken abruptly by Blinky urgently nudging him with one hand. His friend's desperate movements counteracted his voice, which was almost as calm as ever. AAARRRGGHH could hear a whining note of untruth in his stumbling goodbyes to Vendel, but before he could ask he was ushered out of the Heartstone and over the bridge, Blinky's small hand pulling him through the market with a stony grip.
They bypassed the library and headed for Blinky's own quarters, most probably because they actually had a door, which Blinky locked and leaned against when they were shut inside.
"Blinky upset?"
His friend's nostrils flared angrily and he shivered, glaring at the wall before taking a breath to calm himself.
"If you recall, the only reason we abandoned the theory that our Trollhunter was a Changeling was because she proved us wrong with a gaggletack," he said lowly. AAARRRGGHH nodded slowly, unsure where Blinky was going with this.
His friend turned all four eyes upon him, and even in the darkened room AAARRRGGHH could see his conflict.
"She faked it."
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Vendel took the unabridged explanation of the previous day's events with as much stoicism as Blinky had expected, while AAARRRGGHH, who had already been told the whole of it, dozed peacefully against the Heartstone. Alexandra's angry and occasionally confused mumblings gently echoed over the crystal walls.
"I admit," Vendel said softly, turning away and resting a hand on the corner of the table, near the Trollhunter's still-twitching foot. "I am glad to hear of Draal's safe return, whatever the consequences may be."
Blinky smiled, thinking of how glad Draal had been to see them. "I don't doubt that he will prove himself worthy of Trollmarket's regard once again."
Vendel snorted. "He is suited for little else. I don't recall a time when the young fool wasn't trying to prove something."
It was a fact that Blinky knew AAARRRGGHH had some contention about, coming from his less-than-complimentary opinion of Kanjigar's parenting style.
He knew, without needing to confirm it with his mentor, that whatever happened with Draal, he would be protected by their Trollhunter. It was a nice change.
Vendel was also unsurprised at Alexandra's use of the Leoht Stone, but was slightly concerned about her continued secrecy from her trainer.
"Whatever her secrets," he said, "She is our Trollhunter, chosen by the amulet for good or for bad. I highly doubt that the amulet would champion someone destined to bring us to our doom. However, this secrecy must end. We are trusting her with our lives, and the lives of all of troll and human-kind. The Trollhunter must learn to trust us, as well."
Blinky could only nod in agreement, holding a fervent rant on the subject behind his teeth. A glance at Alexandra showed that she had finally closed her eyes and settled down, done with arguing with whatever demon had plagued her.
He moved to wake AAARRRGGHH, having nearly talked himself out. Even after a day and a half of rest, mostly, he was still physically and emotionally exhausted, and even more than his library wished for the dark, warm peace of his bed.
His hand closed on AAARRRGGHH's shoulder just as Vendel spoke again.
"And, by the way, Blinkous – what was the Trollhunter's human form?"
Blinky froze in the spot. Human form? What in Deya's name was Vendel talking about?
"Her, ah…human form?"
Vendel signed heavily, collecting his medical supplies and packing them back up.
"Yes, Blinkous, her human form. From what you've told me she used the Leoht Stone. If she was pushed into sunlight, she should have turned human temporarily; and since she is still alive and not sun-stained, I assume that is the case. Is it not?"
Blinky chuckled nervously, and one of his lower hands gestured frantically attempted to move AAARRRGGHH into wakefulness, which was rather like shoving at a mountain.
Wake up, wake up, wake up!
"Oh I, ah ha, I mean of course she did! I merely forgot in all of the confusion and worry. Yes, it was very interesting and surprising, er. She turned completely human. Temporarily!"
Vendel was looking more and more less at ease with each word that Blinky said. He shook harder on AAARRRGGHH's shoulder until the larger troll finally awoke.
"We will be back to consult as soon as the Trollhunter is up to it," he said, as calmly as he could.
"Thanks," AAARRRGGHH called to Vendel cheerily, before Blinky grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.
She hadn't turned human.
She hadn't turned human.
Possibilities and theories raced through his head, each more outlandish than the last, before they were all banished. He pulled AAARRRGGHH through Trollmarket as his fervent thoughts landed on the only possibility to the anomaly, and to the further evidence that he had been manipulated to falsely dismiss before:
Alexandra had faked the gaggletack. Their Trollhunter was, truly, a Changeling. And this time, nobody could know.
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A/N: Aww, shit. Here we go again. I got tired of them being strung along so I thought it would be fun to have them now keeping a secret from her. And I wanted it to eventually lead to a greater understanding between them and a widening friendship, but we'll get to that later.
I got three hours of sleep last night, so I thought it appropriate to start this chapter with snuggles and sleepytime. Y'all got no idea how fucking hard it is to make a scene about two bros chillin' in a hot-tub, zero feet apart, without making it sound raunchy. I actually knew two people who did take showers together, platonically. At least that's what they said. I think. Eh. And I doubt that stone skin would have the same oils and stuff that human skin has, so soap isn't really necessary for trolls.
How would y'all feel about her going on the hunt for the Deathly Hallows Triumbric Stones? She's going to have to fight Gunmar at some point in time if I want to keep this story going.
Alexandra being hurt isn't much fun for storytelling, but I wanted there to be some consequences to her fight, instead of her magically getting going in a few days. The show is actually really good about depicting that kind on continuity, where the regrettable actions of the characters actually have a lasting backlash – something that most kid's shows fail to do. Alexandra is just the right kind of stubborn to see herself bleeding, think that it's probably not that bad and will clot in a few seconds, and then bleed out all over the place like a moron. And AAARRRGGHH is not allowed to bitch at her for being a brat about her injuries when he hid his.
The reason I made the Leoht Stone turn Trollhunters human to give them immunity to the sun is because we've seen no other way. Blinky can't go in the sun even with the glamour mask, and the only trolls that can are Stalklings. But he turns human and can be in daylight. Trolls are combined or whatever with human familiars to make Changelings immune. Trolls can't go in the sun, period. But they can if they're human or human-ish, so that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.