Eclipse: A TrollHunters Fanfiction

Chapter One: The Beginning

Claire was beginning to panic as she pounded against the golden doors that lead into the bridge chamber.  Her body had erupted in painful tingles as she came to terms with all that had happened.  Arrrgh had died and now Jim had gone into the DarkLands by himself because "the amulet chose him".  They were supposed to go into the DarkLands together!  

"No!" Shouted Toby as he ran into the bridge chamber, passing Claire who seemed frozen in place.  As light spilled into the chamber from the opened doors, it was revealed that all that was inside was the collapsed remains of the Killahead Bridge.  Toby stopped in his tracks for a moment, before turning around and facing Claire and Blinky as they slowly entered the room.  Claire's legs were wobbling as she walked in, one of Blinky's hands in the middle of her back to help keep her steady.

"He's gone! We have to go in after him!" Toby shrieked, pointing at the broken bridge.  His hand was quivering as he pointed, and his voice was beginning to waver.  "We...we have to..." he just about whimpered. 

"Tobias, I am afraid that we cannot do such a thing." Blinky murmured as he approached Toby, who looked like he was ten seconds away from hyperventilating.  Toby looked between the bridge and Blinky, head moving so fast it was a miracle his neck didn't snap.

"What do you mean?!" He shouted as his eyes eventually settled on Blinky instead of wavering back and forth.  Blinky bowed his head, absentmindedly rubbing Claire's back to help keep himself grounded while also comforting Claire.

"There are only two ways to enter the DarkLands. One way is through the fetch--which you are too big to fit through, Tobias--or through the Killahead Bridge, which we now cannot open because Jim has the amulet on the other side," he explained, his voice low and timid.

"Why can't I just use my Shadow Staff?" Claire asked, slowly moving to pull that very item from her bag.  "We can get in there and save Jim before Gunmar even knows he's there.  We can bring him back and sort this all out."

"The DarkLands are sealed. If the shadow staff could enter them, Strickler surely would have gotten Gunmar out when Angor Rot was still under his control." Blinky let out a slow breath. "I'm sorry, Tobias."

Toby turned towards the bridge with a soft huff, kicking a small stone away with his foot before moving to sit on the Eye Stone.  He bowed his head, covering his face with his hands as he began to tear up. "What if Gunmar's already killed him?" he nearly whimpered.  "Who is gonna stop him now if he has the Amulet?" Blinky slowly pulled away from Claire, walking over to Blinky.  He moved to sit beside him and place a comforting, stone hand on his shoulder.

"Gunmar will not hesitate to escape the DarkLands if he gets the amulet. As long as the bridge stays in it's dismantled, broken state, it means Master Jim is still alive," he whispered with a squeeze to Toby's shoulder.

"Or Goblins have already killed him and Gunmar doesn't know!" Toby nearly shrieked, motioning wildly to the bridge pieces behind them.

"Master Jim is more than capable of handling himself against that Vermin," Blinky assured him. Toby sniffled slightly, rubbing his eyes.  Blinky and Claire watched as he pulled a Nougat Nummy from his pocket.  Toby stared at it in his hand before throwing it aside.  For once in Toby's life, he was too upset to eat.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Claire asked, voice coarse as she held back her own tears. She moved over to sit on the other side of Toby, moving to gently rub circles into his back as he shook.  He was very clearly trying to keep his emotions in control, it seemed like everyone was.

"I'm afraid all we can do is wait." Blinky whispered, looking back across the broken pieces of the Killahead Bridge as if they had the answers for how to fix everything.

"But what are we supposed to tell Jim's mom?" Claire whispered, moving to hug Toby against her body as he began to cry.  "She doesn't remember anything about him being the TrollHunter.  Do we just...leave her in the dark?"

"As of now...yes.  You two can't let on that you know anything about Jim's disappearance," Blinky said softly, his voice also strained. This pained him very deeply, losing his best friend and practically his son in one day. It was too much for his old, Stone heart to handle. But he had to be strong for Claire and Toby.

"He's all she had left!" Toby suddenly yelled, voice shaking and cracking as he tore out of Claire's arms and got to his feet. "Who knows what's she's going to do now that he's gone!  He took care of her!  He made her meals!" Toby, Claire, and Blinky glanced over towards the doorway as a shadow stood in it.  Said shadow soon entered, revealing it was Draal.

"I am still sworn to protect the Bar-Bu-Rah, even with the TrollHunter gone." he announced, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"But she doesn't know you exist," Claire whispered, looking between Toby and Draal for a moment.  "You can't do anything to help protect her from herself without scaring her."  Blinky thought for a moment, tapping his fingers against his chin.

"He could call Toby on...oh what do you call it?" he glanced between Toby and Claire, who both seemed very confused.  "Oh, that's it! The Talkie-Walkie!" Blinky exclaimed, a bit of a smile appearing on his face.

"Walkie-Talkie..." Toby corrected with a shake of his head, wiping his eyes.  Claire reached up to comfort him but Toby moved out of her reach.

"Draal can retrieve it before Ms. Lake gets home." Blinky said with a soft nod, looking to Draal.  Draal nodded in return.

"I can do that." he watched as Toby walked past him and towards the exit of the Bridge chamber.  He paused before turning back to Blinky, Draal, and Claire.

"I...I'm gonna go home. Nana is going to wonder where I am." He said, sniffling with tears still slipping down his face. Claire got to her feet and ran to him, grabbing his hand before he could get too far away, and giving it a squeeze. Toby sent her a sad smile and left, his hand slipping out of hers.  Claire watched him go with a soft sigh.

"I..." Blinky whispered, Claire slowly turning her head to look at him.  "I need to get to the Hero's Forge.  I...I need to move Arrrgh." Claire nodded, brushing a peice of her dark hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute, I just...I need a moment." Her voice cracked as she spoke. Blinky stepped forward and pulled Claire into a tight hug for a moment.

"Stay safe, Fair Claire." He whispered.  She took a deep breath and hugged him back tightly.  The tears she had been choking back for the sake of Toby finally prevailed, spilling down her cheeks. Blinky gently rubbed Claire's back. She pulled away before she could start crying harder, rubbing her eyes quickly.

"S-Sorry, Blinky." She whispered. He gently squeezed her shoulder with a sad smile.

"It's quite alright." He whispered. She put a hand on the back of his with a shaky breath. "Will you be alright on your own?" he questioned with a soft tilt of his head.  Claire nodded, wiping away the last of her escaped tears.

"Yeah...will you?" she asked, voice quiet because she knew it would falter if she spoke any louder.  Blinky only nodded in response.  I wish Arrrgh was still here.

"I...I should let you go." Claire whispered.  Blinky hugged her again before pulling away fully.  He left his hands on her shoulders for a moment longer before letting them fall away.

"Goodbye, Fair Claire." He whispered as he took a soft step back.  Claire waved as he left the Bridge Chamber.  Once he was out of sight, she turned back to the bridge.  She squared her shoulders slightly before walking over to the rubble.  Claire got onto her knees, placing her hand on the Eye Stone. She traced the carvings in it with her finger, her breath beginning to waver as more tears started falling down her face.

"You better come back, James Lake Junior." Claire whispered.  She slowly got to her feet and dried the last of her tears.  She slowly left the Bridge Chamber, the doors closing behind her.

(Revised: 12/19/2019)