AN: Just a little warning. The beginning is aa bit of an angst fest...You may want your tissues...
Walt knew something was wrong the second his son, niece, and nephew walked into class late. None of them offered an excuse. They just walked in, sat at their desks, and avoided his eye. Jim was shaking; Toby looked like he was going to throw up; and Mary simply stared at her desk. Yes. Something was very wrong.
"Jim, Mary, Toby," he said when the bell rang at the end of class, "I would like to talk to you three for a moment."
Turning to face the trio, he was surprised to see that none of them had moved from their seats.
"Alright you three, what happened?"
The second Toby lifted his hands and started signing, Walt grabbed the phone on his desk andd called his brother's classroom. If Toby wasn't talking then whatever happened had to have been serious.
"Otto. Yes, I know you have a class right now, thats why I called the classroom phone. Toby's gone nonverbal...I don't know. None of them have said anything yet. Jim looks like he's about to cry and I think Mary may be in shock."
Walt turned to the teens and saw what Toby was trying to say.
"Otto. G-get to my office. Fast!"
He slammed the phone back onto the receiver and approached his family.
"Easy, Young Atlas. I've got you. Toby, can you help your sister? We're going to meet your Papa in my office. Alright?"
Toby swallowed hard and nodded. Leaning on eachother, the siblings followed their uncle to his office. In said office, Walt sat Jim on the sopha and guided Mary to the chair behind his desk. Toby made himself comfortable next to Jim.
"Vvalt! Was. Da. HÖLLE!* A little explanation vvould be nice! You just hung up vvith no- Bärchen? Prinzessin? Was ist passiert?*"
Walt sat on the arm of the sopha and put his hand on Jim's shoulder, "Toby, can you tell your Papa what happened? Or would someone eles like explain?
Toby lifted his hands, which had begun to shake, and signed, "Uncle Kanjigar."
Otto knelt in front of his son, "Vvvhat happened, Bärchen?"
"He-*Hic*-he's dead," Jim said softly.
Walt starred at his son for a moment, "Howw do you know that, Young Atlas?"
"W-we were running la-late," Jim choked out, "I-I-I took to long making l-lunches. S-s-so we *hic* so we took the...the canal so we could make it on time. As we *Hic* went threw, Mary saw something under the bridge. We went to investigate and-and-and..."
Walt gathered his son into his arms while Otto, already holding Mary, gathered Toby into his embrace as well. Neither of them needed to ask what the teens had found on their way to school that morning.
"Da," Jim whimpered, not looking up, "I kn-*hic* I know who the next Trollhunter is."
Walt stroked his son's hair. He knew how close Jim and Draal had become over the years.
"It's going to be-"
Walt's heart stopped when Jim held out the blue and silver amulet.
"Dear God, no!" Walt thought, "Not him! Not my son! Anyone but Jim, please! Anyo-"
"Waltholomew Stricklander."
Jim began sobbing anew and Walt's blood turned to ice. He looked to Otto, sitting on the floor with an arm around each of his own children.
"Fleidermous?"* The younger brother squeeked out, a look of abject terror painted on his face.
Walt took a deap breath and nuzzled Jim gently,"It's going to be alright, Young Atlas. Shh. Shh. I promise, everything is going to be alright."
Otto stood and settled Toby and Mary on either side of Walt..
"I'm going to tell Lenora zat vve are taking ze kids home."
Walt nodded and extended his arms around his niece and nephew.
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Otto quietly nocked on his wife's classroom door. Lenora glanced at him and turned back to her class.
"Do problems 1-15 in your textbooks. I'll be right back."
She stepped out into the hallway and faced her husband, "What happened, Otto? Toby, Mary, and Jim haven't arrived. Are they alright?"
"Sie...Sie waren spät im Unterricht*," Otto began.
Wether he was speaking German because he didn't want the students to understand him or because he was to shaken to speak English, Lenora couldn't tell.
"Are they alright?"
Otto took a deap, shaking breath and covered his mouth. He shook his head as tears threatened to roll down his cheeks.
"Sie fanden Kanjigar im K-Kanal zer-zertrümmert. L-Lenora...Der Trollhunter. Est V-VValt!"
Lenora gasped and hugged her husband. Otto returned the hug, letting his tears finnaly fall.
"V-Vvalt und ich nehmen die Kinder mit nach Hause," Otto explained after a moment.
Lenora nodded and kissed him, gently wiping his tears away. Otto kissed her back before heading back to his brother's office.
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Barbara was in the kitchen when Walt and Jim walked in.
"Walt? Jim?" She steppped into the hall, "What happened?"
Walt sat Jim on the sopha,"Deap breaths, Young Atlas. I'm going to get your inhaler."(2)
Jim nodded and focused on getting his breathing back under controle. Walt went into the kitchen and got into the medicine cabinet.
"Walter," Barbara grabbed his shoulder,"What happened? Why is Jim having an anxiety attach?"
Walt stopped, inhaler clutched tight in his fist. After a deap breath he spoke, not facing his wife.
"Kanjigar is dead. The kids found him shattered in the canal this morning."
Barbara was silent. The hand on Walt's shoulder slid down his arm. Walt hugged her for only a moment, knowing he had to get Jim his inhaler BEFORE he told Barbara the rest. He watched Jim use the medical tool before returning to the kitchen. Barbara was still standing where he had left her. Briefly, he considered NOT telling her he was the Trollhunter just yet. Giving her more time to mourn the loss of Kanjigar. But that would only make her angry.
"B-Barbara...there's something eles you should know... The new Trollhunter..."
Barbara turned to face him, tears shining in her eyes.
"...I'm the new Trollhunter."
Barbara's entire mood changed in a snap.
"No."
It was firm. Like a fact.
"You can't. Being the Trollhunter's spy is dangerous enough! You can't be the Trollhunter!"
Walt sighed,"Well it's not like I have a choice in this matter!"
"There is always a choice, Walter!" Barbara shouted, "Trollhunters are ALWAYS killed by Bular. A troll that you have a meeting with tonight! We just lost Kanjigar! Can you imagine what loosing you will do to Jim?! To Otto?! Lenora?! Toby and Mary?! What it will do to ME!?!"
Walter snapped. He transformed into his troll form and wrapped his arms around Barbara. He pulled her against his chest in a firm, protective hug.
Barbara beat her fist halfheartedly against his chest, "Let go of me! L-Let go..."
Walt tightened his grip and pressed his nose into her hair. Barbara leaned her forhead against his sternum and finnaly let herslf cry. Walt just stood there, arms around his wife, nose in her hair.
"M-Mum? Da?"Jim was peaking into the kitchen, a blanket held around his shoulders and tears staining his face.
"It's alright, Jim," Walt held out one arm, offering the hug to his son.
Barbara leaned back and the two adults sandwiched their son between them. Walt wrapped his wings around his family as well as his arms.
"Everything is going to be ok," Walt repeated.
Barbara buried her face in Jim's thick, black hair, "You don't know that, Walt."
"No," he admited, "But I'll do everything in my power to make sure of it. I promised fifteen years ago that I would never leave you. I intend to keep that promise. Being the Trollhunter doesn't chang that. Not for one second."
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Walt looked at the clock beside the bed. It was just about time for him to go to the museum and meet with Bular. He looked over at his wife and son, who had asked to sleep with his parents after the trauma of the day. Walt had no doubt that Toby and Mary were sleeping with their parents that night as well.
Walt carefully rolled out of bed and looked at the amulet.
"How the hell am I going to hide you from Bular?"
Sighing, he put the amulet in his back pocket, kissed Barbara, and headed out to the car.
"Would leaving it in the car work? Or would it magically appear in my pocket"
In the end, he left it in his pocket and marched, confidently, into the museum.
If anyone asked him (they didn't), Walter would have said that Bular was acting kinda strange that evening. Like he just wanted to be out of the meeting. Like he had somewhere eles he would rather be. But the short meeting worked in Walter's favor and he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.(3)
As soon as Bular ran out the back, Walt jumped back into his car and made his way to Trollmarket. For a place that recently lost a beloved citizen and their sole protector, Trollmarket was just as cheerful as ever. He passed Bagdwella on the stairs.
"Going up again, Bagdwella?" He asked, trying to get his mind off what he was about to tell the Trollhunters team, "I thought you went out just last night."
"Um! I-I did! But I-um-forgot something! Um...one of my bags! I left it at the old scrap yard and have to go back for it tonight...Haha."
Walt stopped and starred at the Troll-es, "Is that a new dress?"
"What? No! This is the same dress I always wear! Nothing new or fancy here!"
Walt began backing down the Chrystal staircase, "O...K...Guess Bular's not the only one acting strange tonight..."
At Blinky and Arrrgh's library, the mood was much more what one would expect. Blinky and Arrrgh had their heads bowed, Draal was brooding in the corner.
"Walter!" Blinky gasped, "You've finnaly arived! I saw Young Jim take the amulet this morning! Do you have it?"
"I do...but I don't you're going to like who the new Trollhunter is..."
"Jim?!"
"...No...For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to camand."
Having seen Kanjigar transform many times, Walt knew what to expect. However, it was still a strange feeling being taken in the amulet's power. Glorifying the wizard that had killed his (sort of) mother. It was all very strange.
When he landed back on the ground, the changling tested his transforming abilities. Seeing if he could still transform between his human and troll forms. He could.
"Excuse me for a moment," Draal got to his feet and exited the library.
The others could all hear the terrifying roar that the troll released before returning to the library.
"I'm fine," Draal sat back in his corner.
"You're...taking this oddly well," Walt noted.
"Stricklander, I've lived with you for fifteen years. I've had time to adjust."
"On another topic, Master Walter," Blinky interrupted, "But what are we going to do about your spying on Bular?"
"The best way to avoid suspicion would be for me to continue," Walter pointed out, "And Blinky, please, you've called me 'Walter' for nearly sixteen years. Don't change that now."
"But that's not safe!" The six eyed troll insisted.
Walt sighed. It was going to be a long night.
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Walter had only been the Trollhunter for a week when it happened.
Blinky walked into the Hero's Forge to find his Trollhunter flying around, in his armor, screaming his head off.
"Great Gorgus! What on earth is going on!"
Otto adjusted his glasses, "Gunra. Bular's oldest sister. Like him she vvas not sucked into ze Dark Lands. She has been dormant for several hundred years und now she is back. VVALT! COME DOWN HERE UND TELL BLIKY VVHAT GUNRA SAID!"
No one had ever seen Walter look so terrified when he landed. Even his wings were shaking! Despite that, his words were steady.
"Gunra said that she came back because she felt Bular was 'neglecting his duty' to return Gunmar to our world."
"Vvhat do you make of it?"
"I am uncertain. What do we know of this 'Gunra'?"
"She bigger. Stronger. Scarier."
Blinky turned to his husband. Arrrgh sat on the sidelines of the Forge, eyes glued to the ground.
"Zat is true. Und..."
"She takes even more after her father than Bular."
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AN: I made myself cry twice while writing this...I hope you all liked it.
German Translations:
Was. Da. HÖLLE!: What. The. HELL.
Bärchen? Prinzessin? Was ist passiert?:Little Bear? Princess? What's wrong?
Fleidermous: Bat
Sie...Sie waren spät im Unterricht: They...they were late for class.
Sie fanden Kanjigar im K-Kanal zer-zertrümmert. L-Lenora...Der Trollhunter. Es ist V-VValt!: They found Kanjigar sh-shattered in the c-canal. L-Lenora...The Trollhunter. It is W-Walt!
Walt und ich nehmen die Kinder mit nach Hause: Walt and I are taking the children home.
1)Being Trollhunter is a great honor...but it also has a 100% mortality rate with EVERY SINGLE Trollhunter being brutally murdered...by a guy Walt has to see regularly... I Imagine that would cause a slight amount of panic in the family...
2) Because it's not just Jim and his single,overworked,would-have-to-work-appointments-around-an-unfixed-schedule(Which is damn near impossible) mum, Jim's anxiety can be properly addressed.
3) After all that angst, I tried to go back to the usual comedy of this fic. I hope there wasn't to much mood whiplash.