Changling Families

A Fary in Trollmarket

Barbara laughed, "No where in the rules does it say that the Trollhunter can't have a hobby."

"That's  what I  keep trying to tell him!" Draal called over, watching a dizzy Jim and Toby stumble around  like drunken sailors.

"Stay out of this!" Kanjigar begged his son, "Stricklander, why must you and your family insist on encouraging him like this?"

"It's fun to watch you squirm," Walt placed his hands on Jim's shoulders to keep the boy from falling over, "And you seriously need to lighten up. Have a little fun once in a while."

"I have to agree with Strickler," Blinky pipped up, shifting his grip on the geode in his lap.

Jim shook his head to clear the last of his dizziness. Then, he quietly stepped forward and peered at the blue and green stone in his uncle's lap.

"When will the jod hatch, Uncle Blinky?"

"Ge-ode, Jim," Blinky corrected with a slight chuckle,  "And it will only be about another ten years."

Jim looked a little disappointed. He leaned forward and whispered to the living stone, "I can't wait to meet you, little cousin."(1) 

Barbara chuckled and looked at Walt. They had considered trying for another baby but, with Walt as a spy, neither of them wanted to introduce a baby to their crazy life just yet.

"What are me and Toby, then!" Mary called from her perch on Arrrgh's shoulders, "Chopped Liver?"

"You two don't count as little cousins!" Jim insisted, "You're only two months younger than me! And Tobes is only three months younger than me! Uncle Blinky and Uncle Arrrgh's baby is gonna be a baby when we're almost growned ups."

"Stop fighting you two," Otto ordered, "Or no lake. Blinky, I hope you do not mind but..."

He ushered Lenora, who had finally calmed down, forward.

"I had a few questions I wanted to ask you, Mr. Galadrigal."

"Please, just call me 'Blinky'," the blue troll stood, holding the geode in his lower arms and  offering  one of his uppper hands  for a handshake, "Ask away, Mrs. Scaarbach."

"Lenora is fine. And, um...are...are there any...fairies in or around Trollmarket? I know there are gnomes but..."

"Fairies? Nonsense!" Blinky lauughed, "The fairies lost the war to the pixies."

The library was overtaken by silence. Lenora starred at Blinky in horror.

"W-war? W-when?"

"Over three  hundred years ago," Blinky handed the geode to Arrrgh and went over to the bookshelves, "The fairies were completely wiped out."

Lenora sat  heavily in the empty chair. Otto hugged her from behind resting his chin between her poofy pig-tails. Lenora clasped  her hands around his.

"That-that's not possible," she insisted, "I saw one six years ago. Almost to the day! In Italy!"

"Are you sure?" Kanjigar gasped as Blinky began flipping threw a book on the fairy-pixie war.

"It could have been a trick of the light."

Lenora leaned forward to look at the drawing  in the book. Otto released her from the hug  but kept a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Lenora burst out laughing, "Tha-That's not a fairy! That's a FAIRYLIGHT PIXIE! 

Blinky and Kanjigar exchanged a look.

"A fairylight pixie?"

"I've never heard  of such a thing. How would you know something like that?"

Lenora lept to her feet,"Because I'm a Fairy."

In a flash,  Lenora had  transformed.  Her black curls hung down her back, held in place by golden rings. The loose, blue chiton was attached to her wrists with gold bracelets and  tied around her waist with a thin, gold rope. Transparent, golden wings were folded down her back, almost as if they were part of her outfit.  Everyone's  jaws  dropped. Everyone, that is, except Otto.

"How...How..."Kanjigar couldn't form words.

"Shakespeare," Walt gasped, "Let me guess. You helped Will with a few of his plays, didn't you."

Lenora smiled, "Maranda and I  both helped Billy. I take it you helped him, too?"

Walt started laughing, "When was the last time you were in Greece?"

"At the hight of the Colosseum's popularity.  I couldn't tell you the year. Maranda and I left Greece for Rome about that time."

"Ah! Were you an action figure collector or a, ahem, 'perfume' collector." 

"Action figures AND sandels. You?"

"Action figures!  Even back then the 'perfume'  thing was disgusting. How much of it all do you remember?"

"However much  wasn't  replaced with the wine my  sister so much  adored."(2)

"Mein Gott*."

"There are two of them!"

Walt and Lenora turned to face thier spouses. Otto was leaning playfully on the chair his wife had vacated and Barbara was doing a teasing impression of The Scream.

"What? I don't get to talk about being there  often!"Walt defended.

Jim tugged  on his mother's  shirt, "Mummy, Draal said  he'd take us to the lake. Can we go? Please?"

Barbara smiled andd rolled her eyes, "How about we all go to the lake? Blinky, Arrrgh, Kanji'? You three want to join us?"

Blinky hurried to put away his books and Arrrgh put their geode back in it's nest. Toby happily  climbed up on Arrrgh's shoulders and Mary took her mother's hand. Otto grabbed Lenora's other hand. Walt and Barbara swung Jim between them as they walked.

"Are you coming, Trollhunter?" Walt called over his  shoulder.

Kanjigar thought for a moment, "Well...Sunset isn't  for another hour...that's when I have to go on patrol...ONLY BECAUSE IT MEANS  I GET TO THROW DRAAL IN THE LAKE!"

"What!?" Draal began sprinting away from his father, "Father! Why have you betrayed me!?"

The rest of the family laughed as  they made their way to the underground lake. On the way, Walt noticed Bagdwella getting ready to go scavenging. 

"Bagdwella," he called, "Are you going out tonight?"

"I had planed  on it.  Why?" The ruby haired troll asked, her gnome, Nolla scurrying up to her shoulder.

"Be extra careful tonight," Walt warned, "Bular's been in a bad mood lately and he'll be prowling tonight."

Bagdwella smiled a sharp toothed smile, "Thank you, Stricklander. But, I can take care of myself."

Walt rolled his eyes good naturedly, "That's Bagdwella for you."

AN: Sorry  it was so short. There was a bit of foreshadowing for the next two chapters in here as  well as some foreshadowing for the ending. Also, at this point, Walt has been coming to  Trollmarket for five years and is  kinda like Gandalf  to them. There  are some people who don't like it when the Falilies come to visit but, for the most part,  either nobody cares or they love the Stricklers and the Scaarbachs.

German translations:

Zaubermaus: Magic Mouse

Bussibär: Kissy Bear

Mein Gott: My God

1) I think I died of cuteness overdose writing this. And Barbara did, too.

2) Honestly, this conversation was planed back in...like...Young Atlas. Yeah, I think that was when I planed this conversation.