Changling Families

The Trollhunter's Secret

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.