Prologue: In which Douxie dismisses bad dreams
Twilight had long since descended over Arcadia Oaks, and even with the excitement of having a giant alien stomping around the town just hours earlier, only the most devoted nightowl citizens were still awake now. A particular bookstore that stood on one side of the main square had fortunately been spared, dim lights lazily illuminating sets of books in the window. Had any thief been able to pick the magical lock and slip inside, the hidden half of the shop would have been revealed.
Rather than shelves of best-sellers mixed with second-hand paperbacks, the thief would have been stunned to see something more akin to a small library filled with an assortment of thick tomes and mysterious objects, all overshadowed by a more lived-in atmosphere than your average shop. A fireplace dominated the back wall, only a few smoldering coals left to warm the black cat curled up in front of it, and not far away hung a cot with its own occupant.
Hisirdoux Casperan groaned, face contorting as he rolled this way and that on the bed. His familiar, Archie, sat up, unable to sleep anymore with all the noise. He leaped up and placed his forepaws on the wizard's vulnerable back, extending claws to dig in and then leap dexterously to the floor. Douxie's reaction was quite rewarding, though miraculously he didn't manage to upend the entire cot.
After the initial shout and thrashing, he reached down and seized Archie without warning, tucking him into a sudden embrace. "Thank Mordrax it was just a dream!"
The cat (who could turn himself into a fire-spitting dragon at a moment's notice) pulled out of Douxie's arms and shook himself off irritably. "Glad I could help. Was it a nightmare or a Foretelling?"
"Couldn't possibly be a Foretelling, but…. I don't know. There was something strange about it. Everything was clear the way Foretellings are, but at the same time it couldn't possibly have happened that way." Skull necklace swinging idly as he put his head in his hands, Douxie took several deep breaths. "I dreamed… I went back in time to Camelot nine hundred years ago with Jim and Claire and… someone else who was very annoying."
"Hm. Comic relief no doubt."
"The strange thing is that Morgana was there. She was Merlin's apprentice alongside me."
"Her?" Archie adjusted his glasses, managing to look amused. "Aren't you lucky the witch never paid you any mind in favor of Merlin? I doubt she even knew of your existence, which is a blessing in my book. Just imagine what she might have done to either of us given half a chance."
"I also helped Merlin make the Trollhunter Amulet. And I was there at Killahead, sealing away Morgana."
"Cute. Really cute. You know as well as I do the Amulet has been around well over five thousand years. And if you had tried to seal away Morgana, I'm sure she would have been out again in minutes." Archie stretched, pink tongue and sharp teeth showing in a wide, feline yawn. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest."
"Arch, that isn't all," Douxie said, pulling his familiar back onto his lap before he could escape. "Merlin died. I was right there and I… it was horrible."
Something in his friend's expression made Archie settle closer, eager to comfort the one he'd watched over for centuries. Serious, unfiltered fear had passed over Douxie, as strange and uncharacteristic as he'd ever seen him.
"Was there anything less morbid in all this?"
Already beginning to lose the clarity of the dream, Douxie gave a sigh before grinning slightly. "Well… I remember meeting my past self. He accused me of being a doppelgänger, so I didn't feel that guilty putting him to sleep for a few hours."
Archie raised one paw to cover his mouth, but wasn't able to keep the snorting laugh entirely hidden. "Yes, that does sound like something you would have said back then. I'm absolutely positive dark sorcerers would go to great lengths to give up their magic in order to bring your double from a parallel universe here."
The pair laughed aloud at that, Douxie falling back against his pillow, hands behind his head and a much more relaxed expression on his face. Still harboring a flicker of apprehension for him, Archie curled up on the cot. The wizard gazed up at the swirls of starlight that had been magically impressed on his ceiling, thoughts turning from the now-hazy dream to something more hopeful.
"Tomorrow, Arch. I waited so long for this. It's finally my…" he paused to yawn, eyelids already drooping, "...my chance…"
The wizard drifted off, but Archie continued to lie awake just long enough to worry a bit more. "For your sake, Douxie, I truly hope she was worth all you sacrificed."
A/N: My complaint with "Wizards" lies in its deviation from the detailed lore set up in Trollhunters and its accompanying novels and comics. It was made extremely clear that Morgana and Merlin had been battling for time immemorial, and the Amulet was many thousands of years old. With that said, to suddenly throw every established history out the window so that the characters could have a time travel arc to see a few origins and resurrect some villains seemed to me one of those annoying tropes that breaks a story with writers trying too hard to create connections that don't really need to be there. Sometimes it just doesn't make a seamless fit.
For instance, if Morgana really had known Douxie, there is a high probability she would have recognized him while possessing Claire instead of calling him a servant and flippantly dismissing him. Yeah, she was busy at the time, but at minimum there should have been some kind of a look she'd have shot his way. Personally I think it would have been a lot more interesting if Douxie had revealed himself that night because he figured out who she was and what was going on. Could have really made the situation both complicated and entertaining. Chances are good the original plan was for Douxie to have been involved behind the scenes, then "Wizards" would have revealed exactly how much he'd done for the Trollhunters group without their knowledge.
That being said, I took some liberties with the story, incorporating certain familiar scenes here or there but outright rejecting most since time travel is off-limits. Where it does overlap, I try my best to change bits of the script so that y'all don't have to reread things you've already seen in the show. No one likes unoriginality, so I may include similar scenes but with my own flair.
Anyway, that prologue was too short to stand on its own, so let's skip to the first chapter.
Chapter 1: In which an old mentor comes to call
Three figures walked down the street, one issuing a string of endless complaints and the others tolerating it with remarkably good humor. Aaarrrgghh lifted his face to sniff appreciatively just before a black cat landed in front of them. The imposing troll rumbled a noise that implied he was up for an appetizer.
"There you are," Archie greeted the trio.
"A cat with glasses?!" Steve nearly yelped, flinging out one hand to point at the animal.
Aaarrrgghh sniffed again and leaned closer, brow furrowing as he said in his deep bass, "Not cat. Familiar."
"Glad you're acquainted with us, Troll. Later when we are in less of a hurry you must tell me where you met others since there certainly aren't many of us left." Archie leaped to the ground and rose up on two legs to the fascination of both Steve and Toby. "A new danger has reared its ugly head. One I strongly suspect could shake the very foundations of the earth. Now, if the Guardians of Arcadia would come with me."
They all started to follow but Archie rounded on Steve.
"I requested the Guardians of Arcadia, not random nobodies."
"Hey, I'm a guardian!" Steve insisted, pounding his chest as though providing proof.
"Not today, you're not. Unless you're willing to brave the dangers of wicked Troll-kind in the deepest regions of the earth, it's best if you remain here instead of tripping into a pool of lava and having the flesh burnt from your bones while you die in excruciating torment." Archie's voice was devoid of all emotion as he cast a dubious glance up and down the teenager.
Steve grew pale and gave a thumbs up to the group. "Know what? You guys totally got this. I'm a bit bushed anyway from fighting off the last apocalypse. Send me a postcard!"
He hightailed it up the street while Toby asked under his voice, "We're going to the center of the earth?"
"No idea," the cat replied, beckoning for them to continue on their way, "but it was the easiest way to get the buffoon out of our hair."
Douxie was waiting outside his bookstore, phone in hand, when Archie led the pair there. He slipped it back in his pocket reluctantly. The angry texts he was answering would have to wait.
"The cat says the world's ending. Again," Toby repeated to Aaarrrgghh in exasperation. "Isn't two attempts in the last few months enough for the year?"
"Apparently not," the wizard said with a half-smile. "Nice to meet the two of you formally. I've been watching events all this time, but I wasn't allowed to introduce myself as who I really am until now."
"Your name is Douxie, right?" Toby asked, head tilting to one side. "Don't you work at the cafe?"
"That's just my day job. As for the end of the world, with your help hopefully it won't be. Right now the only one who knows all the details is waiting inside."
His bracer lit up and a ball of blue magic drifted above Douxie's hand. He chuckled at their amazement as he pressed it against the locked door and a rippling display of sorcery changed it from an ordinary bookstore to something much more. The scene inside didn't appear any different at first, but once they entered Toby immediately began to hyperventilate.
"This place has flying books! You've got to teach me how to do that!"
Douxie recognized the green aura of his master's magic surrounding assorted books and oddments, all being collected by a packing spell. Despite the situation, he couldn't help marveling at how easy Merlin made it look as he perched on the second floor, waving distractedly at the objects and having them go precisely where he wished.
"Is this all you could find, Hisirdoux?" the old man looked skeptically down at the pair.
"I tried! The changelings and aliens are nowhere to be found and you said we were short on time so I couldn't—"
"It will have to do. I don't know that even the brute is much help against this particular threat, though."
"Don't underestimate me, Merlin! I brought my Warhammer!" Toby called helpfully, then he soured. "Think you could put a midgeting spell on my armor for me? It's hard to carry around in my pocket and I attract too much attention when—"
"Delightful idea," Merlin said in a tone that was anything but delighted as he descended the spiral stairs, "but it will have to wait. Your friend James Lake is in peril and God-willing something in these books will have what we need to help him."
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down! What happened to Jim?"
"Answers forthcoming." The man hardly spared them a glance as he continued to collect items for his chest. "Hisirdoux, I need you to keep this reliquary safe—"
"What?! You're leaving me behind?" Douxie started to grow angry. "No! I've waited too long for this and I'm not getting left! I promise you I won't botch this up, Master."
"Wait, dude," Toby said, trying to keep up with the conversation. "If you know Merlin and he's been asleep for centuries, then how—?"
"Be wary of making promises you are unlikely to keep," Merlin warned, walking past them both and impatiently collecting more books. "Or any promises at all, for that matter. I've found I am unable to keep the vast majority, therefore I make it a habit to never swear to anything anymore."
"But I've been training!" Douxie held up his charm bracer, which had gained a good four inches since their last meeting and indicated a great number of spells contained within. Of course, keeping track of them was the true difficulty. "All I need is the opportunity to prove—"
"Quiet, everyone!" the white-haired wizard commanded, spinning around. They froze. "Does anyone hear that?"
Douxie caught the barest hint of a hiss in the distance. Seconds later the lights dimmed, indicating the perimeter alert spells had been tripped—which only happened in the presence of dark magic. A cuckoo clock garbled its own warning overhead and Merlin made his way to the storefront, Douxie by his side. They strained to see out into the darkness.
A flash of light blazed as a creature threw itself at the window. Douxie shrank back in surprise, grateful for the barrier he'd placed around the shop. But now an entire pack of three-eyed reptiles could be seen converging on them. Two more attacked and were repulsed.
"What are shadow mephits doing here of all places?" Merlin demanded. "Hisirdoux, did you lead them here?"
His eyes darted back and forth between his master and the monsters. "It doesn't make sense! I always use a lost spoor spell after a capture. They couldn't have followed me!"
"Except that Merlin interrupted us and you got distracted," Archie corrected.
Douxie gave an apologetic chuckle under Merlin's withering glare. "Then I have no choice but to bring you along after all, Hisirdoux. It won't take them long to realize they can phase straight through that barrier. Get to the roof!"
Aaarrrgghh picked up Toby and proceeded upward, but Douxie hung back as the creatures began to slip through the walls and windows, toothy jaws snapping. The empty suit of armor beside the door suddenly came to life and attacked the invaders, but before it could kill more than one in a cloud of sickly greenish smoke, three of them wound their sinuous bodies around it. Douxie grimaced as their coils and mandibles bent the metal out of shape until it could no longer move.
But the armor's distraction gave Douxie and Merlin the chance to climb up the staircase, even as the old wizard complained about his apprentice's resistance to orders.
"I can help slow them down, Master!"
"Still trying to earn that staff, are you?" he wondered, sending blasts of green magic down into the growing number of mephits on the first floor.
"That wasn't foremost in my mind at the moment," Douxie commented as he threw his own magic downward, narrowly missing Archie as the cat sprang to safety. "But it's always a nice thought."
Merlin gave a grunt and hurried to retrieve his own staff just as Douxie caught sight of a candle and got an idea. Bracer whirling to lock onto the correct spell, he waved his hands to collect the flames along with those in the fireplace, then sent them all cascading down onto the magical reptiles.
Merlin came back, staff in hand and a look of incredulity on his face even as Douxie let out a victorious laugh. The shadow mephits writhed, rolling about on the floor as they tried to extinguish themselves, with the result that mystical blue flames were now hungrily climbing the walls and bookcases.
"Why in the world would you do that? Do you want to burn down this entire place?!"
"But mephits are vulnerable to fire!" he tried to explain only to receive a shove toward the upper exit.
More of the mephits had gathered there and were busy harassing Aaarrrgghh and Toby. They were just barely holding their own when Merlin smashed a crystal ball he'd retrieved from the bookstore. Released from its prison, the tiny airship figurine suddenly expanded until it filled most of the available space on the rooftop. A brilliant green stone set in the ship's open cavity of its hull lit up the area, revealing even more mephits scrabbling up the side of the building.
Aaarrrgghh grabbed both Douxie and his wingman to throw them onboard while he held off their enemies. Riding his own storage trunk, Merlin soared up and slammed his staff into the steering mechanism. The great troll quickly grabbed hold of the railing, throwing off three-eyed creatures as the airship spun in place, pulled down by his sudden weight.
While Toby struggled to help him up, Douxie sent blast after blast at the would-be stowaways who were climbing up the sides of their aircraft. Merlin was still trying to gain control of the ship when his apprentice looked down, catching sight of a dark figure just outside the bookstore which had blue flames pouring out though the windows now.
A swarm of shadow mephits circled him in what almost looked like a ritual dance, suddenly leaping forward to be absorbed into his armor. Douxie's eyes narrowed to slits as he sensed a wrongness about this stranger. The warrior turned his head upward to look at them and, despite the distance and that featureless mask, their eyes met.
"Boy…" came a voice stretching across to touch his mind.
Douxie was struck by a wave of dizziness. One hand groped for the railing, but Merlin seized him and yanked backward just as a flurry of wickedly sharp onyx fragments flew at them. He seized the staff, giving direction to the airship and flying toward the clouds high overhead.
Behind them, the knight vanished.
The airship crested waves of clouds, illuminated by a full moon. They were just beginning to catch their breath and enjoy the ride when they rounded a large stormcloud and came in sight of a castle peacefully floating in the sky, a spherical green crystal that looked much like the one in their own airship glowing and spinning in its lower region.
"What is that?!" Toby gawked.
"That would be Camelot," Merlin answered matter-of-factly, "and the stone keeping it aloft is the Heart of Avalon."
Douxie observed the twisting gyroscope of metal and gears as they soared past. "Huh. Reminds me of steampunk now that I think about it."
"The flying part's cool and all, but how do you keep people from noticing a giant floating castle?" Toby asked. "I mean, don't you get buzzed by helicopters every now and then?"
"It's got a pretty strong aversion spell. I'm guessing ninth-level since Merlin put it there himself," Douxie said with a touch of pride. "Anyone who isn't in the direct influence of the Heart like the one in this ship can see nothing at all. Their eyes slide past it."
"Which is why it's the safest place for us," Merlin spoke up from behind. "Even the Arcane Order can't locate it. Yet."
Douxie snapped around. "The Arcane Order? I've read about them in some of your books. Aren't they—?"
"Deadly and nigh-unstoppable. Thankfully we should be safe in Camelot as long as we can fight off the niffins. They can find us with or without an aversion spell."
Behind them, Aaarrrgghh suddenly growled in distaste, large teeth bared. "Hate niffins."
"Why? What's wrong with muffins?"
"Niffins are beings of pure energy, Toby," Douxie explained as they sailed closer. They caught sight of an old, bulky soldier on a the highest tower who waved to them with a few quick words for Merlin. "They're usually pretty harmless, but they do not get along with trolls. There's a natural enmity between them that makes niffins go crazy."
"What? You mean like the way mongooses hate snakes or something?"
"Trolls fight many times," Aaarrrgghh snorted, one hand rubbing his forearm where some deep scratches had long ago cut into his stone skin. "Protect Heartstone."
Before anything more could be said, the airship suddenly accelerated and plunged for the castle gate. Everyone held on for dear life as they sailed toward a wide beam of green light that blocked their path. Tingles of charged magic flooded their bodies—and then they were through, ship skidding to a stop in the main hall.
Whatever they had been discussing slipped from Toby's mind as he devoted himself to gawking. Pillars climbing with figures of long, serpentine dragons rose up on either side of them, suits of armor stood at attention everywhere, murals spanned different sections of the walls, and if not for the Heart of Avalon's emerald glow, the lanterns would have been far too sparse to see by. Even so, shadows hung heavily in the hall so that when Archie took a quick flight he didn't notice a tiny green-clad figure hiding in the upper mezzanine.
"So, uh, Merlin," the boy said, hurrying to keep up with the old wizard's strides, "you basically need us to fight a bunch of niffins? Why exactly?"
"Toby! Aaarrrgghh!"
Claire and Blinky came hurrying through the wide door at the end of the hall, and Aaarrrgghh vigorously collected all his friends into a bear hug. Once they'd been set down, however, Claire's eyes were drawn to the one behind them.
"Oh! Merlin said he had an apprentice in Arcadia, but I had no idea it was you, Douxie."
"Well, if you want to be technical," Douxie shrugged, "Merlin was only my teacher for four years before the Battle of Killahead sealed him away."
"I kept an eye on you during my slumber," Merlin specified. "Why do you think I gave you that transcription tome?"
"Yeah, it would have been a lot more helpful if you'd been able to answer my messages a little more often than once every ten years," he answered sourly, folding his arms.
Merlin's face grew even less favorable hearing this complaint. "You try using magic in your sleep and see how well you do. Besides, I had expected natural improvement, Hisirdoux, which is something we will discuss later when I have time. Come, all of you."
He led them through the wide door and up a stairwell to a large, circular room where a block of near-transparent stone sat. Douxie glanced up at the throne with its rough carving of three dragons on the jagged rocks behind it, crested by a thorny arch. Even as a teenager he'd been intimidated by the sight. It reminded him less of a finely-carved decoration for a king and more of an old relic left over from ancient times.
He turned his attention back to the green-glazed stone as Toby cried "Jimbo!" and reached out to touch it. The Trollhunter could be seen trapped inside, seemingly asleep, with a chunk of black stone protruding from the space just above his heart. Where it met his armor, it had turned molten as though incredible heat was generated at the touch.
"We were ambushed," Blinky explained. "Even Merlin's magic was no use against the knight who appeared from the darkness and vanished just as quickly once he'd infected Master Jim with this—this curse!"
"I had no choice but to put the boy in stasis for now," Merlin added. "And the fact that this Green Knight followed us straight here from the far side of the country does not bode well. We must keep moving and be sure we are not being followed. That is your purpose here, all of you: keep the Trollhunter safe while I devote all my time to curing him."
Everyone exchanged looks then gazed down at their helpless friend.
"He'll be safe, I promise. We've gotten through the worst of the worst together. We'll get through this too," Toby swore with unshakeable faith.
But Douxie could see the hardness in his master's face. Even the most sincere promises could not always be kept, after all.
A/N: A note on Steve's eviction from the story. Let me just be very honest and say it's not because I hate him. It may be true, but it's beside the point. I cannot write his character since much of Steve's comic relief and personality depend on the visuals and the voice actor. Trying to replicate that with only text as the medium is nearly impossible except for the best of writers, which I freely admit I am not. So if Toby doesn't seem nearly as sweet and funny as he's supposed to be, just know I'm terrible at humor in general. I will do my best, but I can't promise much.