A New Beginning

Chapter 23 Like Changeling Like Trollhunter

James's POV:
(Written by @Kodbro)

I don't know what came over me when Morgouse suddenly vanished with my son. Just like that.
"Jim!" I cried.

Because deep down inside, and as much as I was too scared to admit that those feelings made me weak, I did still care for him. And now I was going to prove it.

Alas, as I ran into the room where the main fight was taking place, it was Claire who came at me with her Staff. "You don't deserve to be the Trollhunter," she said as I summoned Daylight to fend myself from her.

As our weapons met, I never once broke eye-contact when I replied, "Claire listen. Please. I know what I've done, but if you don't summon a portal for me, I can't help Jim."

Something that I said must have got through to her somehow, because then after a few more punches and kicks with her Staff and legs, she finally held back just enough to say, "You think I will believe you, after everything you've done?"

"Please Claire. If not for me. Then do it for Jim. You may not trust me or believe me, but I can get him back," I said.

She hesitated, no adoubt pondering on my choice of words before eventually standing back with her Staff raised next to her. "I don't know what has come over you, but if you're telling the truth-"

"I am. I swear on Merlin's Glory-"

"Then I'm coming with you. That's my only condition," she said.

Well, I don't think I could have argued with her even if I wanted to.
Mostly because we were also running out of time here.

"You have your wish then," I said.

"Really?" She sighed. "For a moment I thought I was going to have to put up another fight with you. Then lets get Jim back."

She opened a portal and we jumped through.

🔵🔵🔵

On the other side, I noticed that I began to wonder why I was suddenly acting like this. Was it because of my sudden release from Morgouse, or the feeling that only overcame me now of being the Trollhunter and the obligation that came with it?

Because I suddenly wanted my son back more than anything. Even if he was a troll. I couldn't have been prouder of him. It was then that I decided that I wanted to make things right after this. That's if we survived this battle in the first place.

We landed in a long corridor with cells on either side of us. Prison cells, I thought as I stared down at them, suddenly feeling afraid and alone. Until I heard Claire jumping out behind me.

"He's somewhere in here. That much I know," she told me as we began to make our way down.

I believed her.
"Maximum security. What does the military want with him?" Claire asked which I couldn't answer.

It was at the last cell at the end where we finally saw someone sitting on the bed with his head down and his Dark blue armour glowing like mine that we found him.

"They want me to kill for them," the Hunter said, looking up from the floor to me.

"Jim," I said.

"What are you doing here?" He growled, standing up to be in eye level with me.

"Jim. Please. He's only here to help," Claire said. "Morgouse doesn't control him anymore-"

"Really?" He asked. "Then why did he try to kill us before?"

"Because I've realised that I've made a mistake," I said. Only the bars of the prison cell separated us now. "For so long I've shunned the person who you are and have pushed you away, forgetting that you are my son. I left you with no explanation and now I'm trying to make up for that. I know what I've done, but if you just give me a chance to prove myself to you again... I can make things right after all of this."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Jim wasn't considering my words. "For so long you were the reason I hated my name. Why everyone calls me Jim and not James. When you left I was ashamed of you. Ashamed of our family. And now I've left my mom the same way too," he said. I waited for him to resume. "But if you truly mean what you say..."

His words were cut short by the thumping of heavily armed combat boots that were making their way hurriedly towards us. At least, I assumed it was us since there didn't seem to be any other commotion going about anywhere else in this facility.

"Okay. Talking is over. Time for Plan A," Claire said, readying her Staff at whoever may appear at the other end of the corridor.

"Do we have a Plan B?" Jim asked.

In answer, Claire made a portal and jumped through it, landing in Jim's cell next to him. "Well that can be helpful," Jim said.

I stifled a laugh at my son's sarcasm.

"Nope," Claire said before summoning another portal to get them both out of the cell. "Just a run away and try not to get captured plan."

"Sounds resourceful," I said.

Alas, Claire never got to answer me because that's when the military came at us.

"What?" The general asked, startled for a minute when he saw all three of us standing with our weapons out and at the ready. "How...?"

"I probably forgot to mention," Jim said. "I'm half troll."

Then just before one of the guards could fire their gun at us, I deflected the tranquiliser off of Daylight before transforming into my Changeling form. Yes. I was a Changeling. It was part of the reason why the amulet had called out to Jim as in a way, he had always been part troll even when he was human.

"What the...?" Jim said, astonished and in disbelief.

Like Jim, my skin was blue and my horns were taller than his. I decided that now was not the time for an explanation. "I will explain later," I said. "Claire?"

"On it," she said.

We would have gotten out okay if it weren't for at that very moment when another guard suddenly fired at Jim. Not wanting to see my son hurt, I jumped in front of him just as Claire managed to make a portal for Jim. "Dad!" Jim cried.

But already I could feel myself fazing out just before one of the guards got Claire in their grasp. "Go Jim," I said.

The portal was open and already for Jim to go through. And only Jim for right then as Claire and I were already being ransacked to the ground in cuffs.

And even if Jim didn't want to, I knew that he could tell that he didn't have a choice. At least not this time. It was at that moment that I began to have hope that Jim might forgive me one day. And that that day might come soon.