Beginning Anew

Another

The soft strain of violins and flutes rose through the caverns of New Trollmarket, soothing the ears and hearts of all who listened.

Jim approached the hypnotizing sound and easily found the source, "Morning" from Peer Gynt. It was a piece often played in this part of the caverns ever since Nomura acquired her MP3 player, which quickly turned into one of her most prized possessions. Jim had to admire the power of the piece, and all the music she'd played from up here.

Sound carried well underground, but tucked away from the rest of Trollmarket, Nomura's music could only be heard faintly from the troll village. Even so, it was noticeable enough to make some trolls stop and listen.

Jim stepped through the last archway into Nomura's lair and wasn't at all surprised to see the pink troll sitting with her back against the wall, eyes closed as she sat engrossed in the music. She cracked open her green eyes and saw Jim standing there.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just wanted to check on you," Jim said. The music caught him again and he closed his eyes, listening. "I never realized before how beautiful this melody is."

When Nomura didn't comment, Jim opened his eyes to see her staring at him.

"Heh," he chuckled sheepishly. "I've never really watched a lot of theatre – aside from school plays, you know. Peer Gynt... What is it about?" he asked.

Nomura smirked, amused at his ignorance. "Your memory has grown short, Little Gynt. Don't you remember what I told you in the Darklands? It is about a young boy named Peer," she replied. "One day, he accidentally stumbles into the Hall of the Mountain King. The troll king tells Peer that to find true happiness, you must stay true to yourself."

"Oh yeah... I remember that now," Jim said. "That's pretty cool though. How does it end?" he asked. "Does Peer wind up happy?"

"No," Nomura replied.

Jim blinked confused.

"Peer..." she hesitated. "He went on to live a long and amazing life; he travelled the world and saw many wonders, had many adventures, and then he grew old. Peer realized for the first time, when he was dying, that he wasted his life. He never found true happiness and never did anything truly good. He had plenty of chances at happiness, but never took them. His life was a joke because he didn't stay true to himself. On his deathbed, he finally understands the truth, but by then it's too late."

"Wow..." Jim breathed. "That's – I'm not even sure."

"It's just a play, Jim. Don't overthink it," Nomura advised.

"Oh, right. Sure." Jim glanced away as the troll king's words rang in his head, "Stay true to yourself."

Walter hadn't let go of the vial Merlin gave him. It was always in his pocket, weighing heavily on his chest as a constant reminder of the choice he had to make. The vial stayed right there in his cape, the desire to look at it, burning through the fabric and into his skin with every touch.

Far too often when Walter was alone he would give in to that desire and take it out, gazing into the silver liquid with all the intensity of his divided heart. If only the answers would magically come to him – tell him what he should do.

Human... As Merlin reminded him, he had never been truly human before. Always, no matter how he covered it up, he was a troll inside. He was good at pretending, at blending in and charming people. He was practiced at appearing to be a likable person, and to his relief, no one ever saw through his act. They never discovered his true nature – until Jim and his friends, of course.