Author Note: The first draft was all over the place. Two things happen at the same time around two characters, Jim and Veronica. Jim tries to stop the Arcane Order, fails, and watches them take his girlfriend from him while Veronica leaves Claire to stay in her bedroom where she was born, helpless to do anything for her great-granddaughter. Also, if anyone is asking, a courtroom in a medieval castle is exceptionally different from one in the modern term. A courtroom in a medieval castle is where a huge group of nobles and royals hang out together during special events, while courtrooms today are where people stand trial for civil to criminal issues with a judge and jury watching.
Shout out to Shakespeare RZA: I like your idea and researched about Draugr and Hel-Walkers, but I'm not using them. I'm focusing on English, Welsh, and Celtic mythology because I'm part Welsh and Celtic, but also because the TV series focuses on Welsh and Celtic mythologies.
The Guardians of Arcadia stare out in horror and fear after witnessing the Arcane Order taking Claire away. When Jim collapses, he believes the Arcane Order has won, making him de-transform out of his armor. They've kidnapped Claire and are halfway to their goal. Without Claire, Nari is more exposed to them when they return, but all Jim can care about is the fear of what the Arcane Order will do to his girlfriend. Will they torture her to force her to work with them? Will they suck out all her magic and use it for their own? Will they possess her to do their bidding? Jim looks down to the bottom of the cavern, feeling like a failure. He made a promise to Claire and her parents to protect her. He should've been with her. Claire is strong, but Jim sees her pass out in the Half-Troll's arms. If he had been with her, he would've fought the Half-Troll away from her and carried her somewhere safer, like their bedroom, but he didn't. Jim looks at the amulet in his hand and suddenly urges to throw it into the caverns, but it will come back, making his arms too weak to move. All the efforts to protect Claire were all for nothing, and now the world's fate is more dire than ever.
"Jim."
He turns his head to see Toby approaching him, looking worried, but he can't tell if it's for him, Claire, or both. He looks behind Toby and spots Douxie, staring at them in sadness, but all Jim can feel is rage. He grips his amulet tightly and gets up, walking toward the rest of his friends, staring at Douxie angrily, clutching his fists.
Douxie notices his friend approaching but doesn't know what will happen next. "Jim, I'm so-"
*PUNCH*
"Douxie!" Zoe screams, running beside him.
"I bet you are sorry!" Jim shouts as Douxie groans in pain, holding his jaw to where Jim hit him. Before he can make another swing, Blinky grabs Jim and pulls him back. "Blinky, let me go!"
"Calm down, Master Jim!" Blinky says, struggling to hang on to his apprentice.
Zoe helps steady Douxie and touches his face, using her magic to soothe the punch's force. "Why the hell did you do that?" She shouts at Jim.
"He didn't help save Claire and let the Arcane Order take her away!" He hisses at her, offending Zoe.
"I thought it was your job to protect her!" She snaps back but immediately regrets it when Jim glares at her with rage.
"I did! I was the one who cared about her safety, while Douxie was only worried about the safety of a plant!"
"That's not true! I fought to get her back, too! We all did, you idiot!" Zoe hisses at him. "Do you think you're the only one horrified by what happened?" She hisses.
Before Jim can reply, he hears crying. He turns to his side and sees Mary and Darci softly sobbing, Mary being comforted by Krel, Darci being comforted by Toby, and AARRRGGHH!. Jim jerked out of Blinky's grasp and ran past everyone to the castle. Zoe wants to go after him for his behavior, but Douxie grabs her shoulder.
"Let him go." He sighs, still rubbing his jaw.
"But he attacked you!" Zoe protested.
"I know, but let him calm down." He replies, regretting not protecting Claire as hard as he could.
Morgana watched helplessly from a window in the castle as the Arcane Order took Claire. She wanted to help but could do nothing to stop them, having no real powers for being a ghost. All the effort to protect Claire from the Arcane Order had been for nothing. Even worse, Claire broke Morgana's promise of using The Charm of Making spell, making her fear whether Claire was alive or not. Morgana regrets telling Claire about the spell, wishing she hadn't told her what it was and does. Suddenly, Morgana's ear catches the soft sound of a voice. Her voice. It echoes off the walls, talking to something. Morgana gasps as she hears her daughter's name and the lyrics of the lullaby she had sung before giving her up. The sound fades, and a little spark of orange light flies toward Morgana, becoming slightly bigger as it comes closer. It stopped in front of her, and Morgana gasped in shock, seeing a real fairy for the first time in her life.
"Hello." She says kindly, holding her hand, making the fairy float over it.
Morgana hears her echoed voice again, and the fairy grabs her sleeve and tries to pull her, surprising Morgana.
"Do you want me to follow you?" She asks, making the fairy nod their head, letting her sleeve go.
Morgana follows the fairy as it leads them through the castle. While walking, Morgana looks around, and all the memories of these walls return to her. She fled here shortly after discovering she was pregnant, scared of what Merlin and her brother would do to her and her unborn baby. At that time, Morgana fell sick due to the pregnancy, and Eliane convinced King Arthur to let her recover in the country away from the stress of Camelot. King Arthur sent some of his bravest Knights to protect his sister, including Percival, Morgana's lover and her child's father. As much as he could, Percival snuck into Morgana's bed chamber so they could spend time together, excited yet scared of becoming parents. Morgana was worried for Percival's safety and Knighthood. Still, he was ecstatic to become a father and promised to find a way to get King Arthur's permission to marry the princess of Camelot. Before that could happen, Percival was killed in protecting Morgana, leaving her alone with their unborn child.
The fairy stops and points to a door to Morgana. Morgana held her breath as she recognized it and heard her voice behind the door. She takes a deep breath and turns the knob, slowly opening the door. The lullaby stops, and she sees a ghost apparition with their back towards her. Morgana looks around and finds herself in the room where her daughter was born.
"Hello?" Morgana manages to say, making the ghost, a young woman, turn around. Morgana gasps, her eyes widening as she can't believe what she sees when their eyes meet. "Veronica?" She asks, holding her breath.
Veronica stares at the woman in front of her. She looks somewhat familiar but has never met before. She is stunned the woman knows her name. Who could she be? Before she could ask, Morgana slowly walked towards her. Veronica looks curiously at her, trying to figure out what's happening. "Mom?"
Tears come to Morgana's eyes as she smiles with joy. "Veronica!" She cries and, without hesitation, pulls her daughter into a tight hug. Veronica does the same and nestles her face on her mother's shoulder. Morgana can't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. After so long, after 900 years, she can see and touch her baby girl. "Veronica, I missed you. I missed you so much." She whispers, stroking her daughter's hair.
Veronica begins to sob, too, finally being able to see and touch her birth mother for the first time. "I missed you too, Mom." She cries.
Morgana's grip on her becomes tighter, afraid to let her go again. "Veronica, please forgive me for giving you up and being alone for so long. I did it all to protect you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Mom. I forgive you. I never blamed you for what you did," Veronica reassures her, rubbing her hand on Morgana's back. Aunt Elaine told me so many good stories about you growing up."
They stay locked in each other's arms before pulling apart. Morgana cups and caresses her daughter's face, staring hungrily into her beautiful brown eyes. "My god, you look so much like your father. He would've loved to see you now, all grown up." She says, smiling joyfully.
"We can find him and our family. The curse is broken, and we can all see each other." Veronica replied enthusiastically, but reality returned, and she remembered what had happened, making her turn pale. "Oh no..." Then she coughs violently, touching her chest and the side of her neck with her hands, making Veronica collapse to the ground in pain.
"Veronica!" Morgana shouts with worry, kneeling to her daughter's side. "What's wrong?"
Veronica tries to regain herself, breathing heavily, but she groans in pain, telling Morgana something is severely wrong. "It's Claire. I can feel her..." She moans. "She's in pain."
"We have to find her friends," Morgana says, helping her daughter stay on her feet.
The orange fairy appears before them, and Veronica looks at her. "Amber... Lead us to Claire's friends." She demands. Amber nods and flies as the two women follow her.
The Guardians gloomily walk into the castle and sit in the courtroom. The room is filled with dread and sorrow. Krel comforts Mary as she softly cries in his arms. Darci is the same, scared to death for her best friend's safety.
Nymeria lays down, and Nari uses her powers to heal her wounds from Bellroc's blast, making Nymeria groan in pain.
"Poor doggy." Nari mumbles.
As Archie sits on his lap, Zoe makes sure Douxie is healed from Jim's punch. Her powers are similar to Claire's, but not by much, only easing the stinging pain from Douxie's jaw, showing a small red bruise on his skin.
The door opens, letting Morgana and Veronica enter. Veronica sighs with relief, seeing Claire's friends unharmed, but is worried from their sadness. "Douxie!" She calls his attention, making him turn to her.
"Veronica!" He replies in surprise, getting up and walking towards her.
"What happened to your face?" She asks, noticing the bruise near his cheek.
"Jim." Zoe hissed, stepping beside Douxie. "He punched Douxie in the face because he accused him of caring more about Nari than his own apprentice."
"Where is he?" Veronica asks with worry.
"We don't know." Douxie sighs. "He ran into the castle but isn't here."
Amber flies and whispers in Veronica's ear. "He's in his bedroom."
"You can understand these creatures?" Morgana asks, causing Veronica, Douxie, Zoe, and Archie to turn their attention to her.
"Yes! I've spent centuries with them here. They were my guides around this castle and my only companions until Claire and her friends arrived." She tells her mother, making Morgana feel more guilty about what happened to her daughter.
"Wait? You two can see each other?" Douxie asks in surprise.
"Yes! Claire broke the curse on our family, and I can finally see and touch my mom." Veronica says proudly, making Morgana blush in embarrassment.
"Can anyone check on Master Jim?" Blinky asks, approaching the wizard and witches.
"I will!" Douxie volunteers.
"What? No way!" Zoe protests, grabbing his arm. "He punched you in the jaw! He'll just beat you up even more!"
"Master Jim doesn't attack people when he is at his worst." Blinky corrects her.
"It will be fine, Zoe. Jim is not a violent person. I can handle him," Douxie reassures her, causing Zoe to let go.
Amber flies to Douxie, and he turns to her. "Lead me to where Jim is." He demands, and Amber nods her head.
They leave the room, and Douxie follows Amber through the sobber-filled halls. Amber directs Douxie to a door, and he opens it to see Jim sitting on a king-sized bed, staring hopelessly at his Amulet. He feels horrible about what happened. Douxie is worried about approaching Jim, but despite what happened earlier, he takes a deep breath and knocks against the wood, making Jim look up.
"What do you want?" He growls, getting up and putting the Amulet in his pocket.
"I wanted to check up on you," Douxie says with concern.
"Usually, Toby does that."
"Toby is comforting Darci. She and Mary are still emotional about what happened."
"Of course they are! They saw their best friend unconscious in the arms of a monster and was taken by the Arcane Order!" He hisses, marching towards Douxie, staring at him furiously.
Douxie sighed, not wanting to pick another fight with his friend. "Jim, I don't want to fight you," He says calmly, raising his hands. I just wanted to know if you're okay."
"I'm fine!"
"Then why are you yelling at me?"
"What do you think? Claire was just taken by the most powerful force in this universe, and they will do whatever they want with her while you only protected that stupid demigod they're after!" He shouts and walks towards the bed, sitting on it with his hand on his forehead. "And I couldn't do anything to protect her." He mumbles.
Douxie sees Jim's panic and hopelessness. He also wanted to protect his sister but couldn't despite his attempts. He cautiously walks toward Jim and sits next to him.
"I should've been with her. She was too weak to fight off that monster. I let her down."
"You didn't let her down, Jim."
"I did! I could've protected her, but I didn't."
"The Arcane Order is a dangerous force. If they hurt or killed you or any of our friends, she would feel like a failure."
"Douxie, if the Arcane Order took Zoe or Archie, wouldn't you feel like a failure? Wouldn't you feel like you let them down if that happened?" Jim asks, looking at him.
"Yes, I would, and I would do anything to get them back."
"I do, too, but can't! I'm a human against two demigods and a Half-troll!" Jim hiss, turning away from Douxie.
Douxie sighs as he doesn't know what to say to reassure Jim, someone he sees as Claire's protector. He looks down to Jim's pocket and sees it glowing where the Amulet of Daylight is. "Jim, there is something you should know."
"What!" He hissed, not facing him.
"Your Amulet, it wasn't re-created by Nari and me." He sighed. "Claire and I re-created it."
There is a silence in the room for a moment before Jim looks at Douxie, shock, and surprise sweeping over his face. "What? Why didn't she tell me?"
"She was scared. She resurrected you from the dead, her hair grew overnight, and the Arcane Order was after her to help open the Genesis seals. She didn't know how you, Blinky, and everyone else would react, and because of all this stress, she wanted to keep this secret until she felt comfortable to admit the truth."
Jim sighs and looks down, pulling out the Amulet from his pocket. "I wouldn't be scared of her."
"Claire believed in you becoming the Trollhunter and wanted to give you another chance. I thought it was impossible, as only a master wizard could create an object like this, but Claire was persistent and didn't want to give up on protecting the ones she cared about. She believes in you and needs you to go and save her. She would want you to wear that armor and be the hero she needs you to be."
Those words hit Jim hard, reminding him of what he was. No matter how challenging the obstacles were or what was in his way, he would do anything to protect the ones he cared about. Claire is in danger, and she needs someone to help save her. Jim needs to be the trollhunter she knows him to be. He takes a deep breath and grips the Amulet tightly, standing up and turning to Douxie. "Let's go get Claire back." He says determinedly, making Douxie nod his head and stand up. "Sorry I punched you."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Douxie reassures him. "We agree on the same thing, so we're even."
Jim sighs and smiles. Amber floats beside them, and the boys return to the courtroom to meet with their friends. Zoe stares at Jim with anger, but Douxie gets in between them.
"Calm down, Zoe. Jim and I are even." He says, making Zoe huff and cross her arms.
"Alright then." She hisses, seeing no more strikes on Douxie's face.
"I'm sorry," Jim says, ashamed.
"I will forgive you...eventually," Zoe replies and walks away, drawing Blinky and Toby's attention to them.
"Master Jim!" Blinky says, walking towards him.
"I stepped out of line, Blinky. Douxie and I are even now." Jim sighs. He looks down to his pocket and pulls out his amulet. "I have something to tell you about the Amulet of Daylight."
"What is it?" Blinky asks before Jim explains how Claire re-created the Amulet, shocking Blinky and grabbing everyone's attention. "How is that possible? Claire is too young." He says in denial.
"Claire may be young, but she's powerful. Powerful enough to bring back Jim from the dead, and now, the Arcane Order wants her in their plans to destroy the universe," Douxie replies.
"Wait!" AAARRRGGHH! interrupts. "Did anyone notice Claire's second dress?" He asks, changing the subject.
"You mean the one she wore at her house before the Arcane Order attacked us?" Darci asks, and AARRGGHH! nods, smiling at her.
"Yeah, it looked like..." Toby adds and pauses, looking at Jim in shock.
"My Daylight Armor." He finishes, widening his eyes.
"But Claire had nothing to do with making that dress," Zoe says. "Her grandmother made it for her."
"How could Claire's grandmother know what Master Jim's armor looks like? She's never met him then." Blinky wonders in confusion.
"Or she seen me in it?" Jim mumbles, tapping his chin. "She was the one who gave Claire the gem to re-create my Amulet, so she knows what it looked like."
"How is that possible?" Toby asks.
"Claire's grandmother is a Clairvoyant. She kept an eye on Claire even though she was far away, and that's how she knows about the trolls and Jim's Amulet as she's seen it." Douxie hypostasizes. "Remember what she told Claire before she died?" He asks, making everyone nod.
"Are you saying Claire's grandmother can see through minds or something?" Krel asks, raising an eyebrow.
"No! Clairvoyants can predict prophecies, see in the past and present from far away, and sometimes even the future." Zoe corrects him. "During Claire's grandmother's last moment, she mentioned she had seen what Claire had been through for five years after they last saw each other. So she must know everything about the trolls."
"So Claire's grandmother was lying to us?" Aja asks with concern.
"No, I think it was more to protect Claire from the rest of the family." Jim corrects. "It's like what happened when we first met the half-troll. She lied to Olivia, Lucas, and the other family members there to protect us, but mostly Claire."
"Wait, guys, I have pictures and a video of Claire's dress that night." Mary interrupts and shows Blinky, Jim, and Toby her phone screen. She flips to a picture showing Claire in the blue version of her gown, a video of it changing when she spins, and another picture with Claire in a red dress.
Jim takes the phone and looks through everything repeatedly, going back and forth from picture to video until he finds something, pausing in a section of the video. "Blinky, look at this." He says, showing his mentor the phone screen. "Down to the skirt is red, representing what my Eclipse Armor looks like. The bodice represents my Daylight Armor, but at the waistline is a slight hint of purple, representing Claire's colors in her hair and armor." He explained and enhanced the frame to show Blinky more clearly. "And when Claire transformed from her dress to her armor when the shadow staff touched her hand, her armor turned into a purple version of mine."
"I see. Looks like Claire's grandmother thought of everything," Blinky replies, his eyes wide in shock.
"Are you done explaining, and can you give me my phone back?" Mary asks, her arms crossed, looking unpleased.
"Oh, sorry." Jim apologizes and hands Mary back her phone.
"So if Claire's grandmother is a Clairvoyant and could see everything Claire did, doesn't that mean she saw all this coming?" Krel asks.
"Although clairvoyants can gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception, this ability is limited. Clairvoyants can't know everything because if they did, they would drive into insanity." Douxie explains. "Maria is a good person from what I know and saw; she protected her family from anything dangerous, including the Arcane Order. She did not want to throw them in danger but prepared them for it. That's what she meant when she told Claire that."
"Ummm, guys, I don't mean to interrupt, but you might want to take a look at this," Steve says, pointing and staring out the window in horror.
Everyone turned and looked out, seeing a giant creature flying towards the castle, making Darci and Mary scream and turning everyone else pale as ghosts.
Author Note: I'm not pulling at Twilight Saga; Alice Cullen's power limit shtick where the future is subjective. If Clairvoyant people could see the entire future, it would drive them mad. Maria didn't know what would happen. She can only see specific details that never show the whole picture. Everything was Claire's decision, even though she's partly driven by emotion, including vengeance. As I said, with prophecies in Chapter 36, it can be set in stone. If you know you're going to die in 10 years, you can't change that, but you can change how you spend your life before that happens. This is not the same as "Cheating Death." Cheating death means escaping or avoiding death in situations where death seems likely or inevitable. For example, you're attempting to cross a deadly river that, if someone crosses, they die, but if you find a way to survive crossing, you cheat death.