Beginning Anew

The night before

Walter found himself astounded at everyone's enthusiasm in preparing for the wedding. Though he appreciated the sentiment, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.

Blinkous was reluctant at first, but the prospect of being able to perform a human ceremony won him over. The excited troll couldn't hide his eagerness and curiosity and he spent all his time studying for his task. Though "studying" was a loose term since it meant binge-watching "Say 'Yes' to the Dress" and running "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding" ten times over, and casting doubt in Walter's mind on the idea of Blinky filling the role of officiant.

Over the course of the several days leading up to the ceremony, Walter had to remind himself more than once that Blinkous was the leader of this tribe, and it fell to him to oversee bonding rituals. Then he caught Blinky watching "Four Weddings and a Funeral," as if anything that happened to have the word "wedding" in the title was legitimate to use for educational purposes on the subject.

Claire ran around like a mad-woman, periodically disappearing to work on her surprise gift. Walter supposed it was good Claire came to New Trollmarket with Jim. She lightened his periodic mood-swings. Walter didn't envy Jim's struggle with such varied emotions. Young Atlas went from being genuinely happy about the coming wedding to being annoyed – even angry – then confused, then would finally find it in himself to be happy again.

The days flew by and before Walter realized, it was the night before the wedding. He was feeling quite nervous. To fend off some of the anxiety, he'd distanced himself, sneaking off to a quiet place above-ground.

Hours before sunrise he was surprised to see the Nomura's face appear beside him. She crouched down, looking out at the nearby city. "So, the night before the big day, huh?" she asked.

"So, it would seem," Walter replied.

"Your last night as a troll – it would be a shame to waste it, wouldn't it?" Nomura asked.

Walter gave her a questioning look.

She gave him a toothy grin. "Come on, let's see who makes it to the other end of town first."

Walter blinked, caught off guard by the offer. "Oh, yes. Of course." He stood up. "I could use the air." He itched to move – to fly through the night with the wind blasting into his face and the night air chilling his stony frame.

He took off, leaving Nomura to catch up.

Freedom. Walter breathed in the scent of it, leaping from building to building so fast it would make a human's head spin. He sprinted, at times using all four limbs to push himself to higher speeds. This was his normal, something he was used to, and yet, tonight he paid special attention to every detail of his last reveling. He savored the sense of absolute freedom, the rush of the wind against his body.

He tried to imprint on his mind the sense of strength as he jumped distances he knew he would never rival again. He felt the glorious satisfaction of grabbing on to a ledge and then... spreading his wings to soar into the sky before falling back to earth, easily hooking a wall on the way down and hanging on. He closed his eyes, wanting to remember these moments – these sensations forever.

Nomura landed atop the wall and looked down at him. "Second thoughts?" she asked.

"No." Walter replied, his eyes still closed.

"Are you claiming you're not enjoying this?" Nomura asked.

"Not at all. It thrills me to do this again, and I know there will be times I shall miss it. But to gain something great, it is only natural you must give up something as well," Walter reflected. "It's the way the world works. What you need to decide is what has lasting value to you."