Chapter Text
James Lake was in his kitchen, gladly finishing off a tub of ice cream by his lonesome in the early hours of the morning. The Amulet of Morgaine, or- as the book he was now thumbing through called it- The Amulet of Moonlight sat across the table.
The book seemed more like a journal of sorts, but it detailed things as though it were a field guide. There was too much to really absorb at the time, but he started to get the jist of just how this all worked.
Mordred had encountered Trolls once in his life, and without Merlin’s magic to cloud his mind of memories he drew several conclusions about what his father had done. That’s why he didn’t want to become Darkhunter. Life did not work that way. Mordred stole the previous book from the Trolls, the only written account of what happened.
Apparently it had stayed with the family ever since.
The back part of the book was actually a journal. Pages and pages of hidden family history, monsters, and struggles. He flipped to the very back-
James,
I know I haven’t been the best father. Please understand. Now that this book and mantle have come under your possession, You might finally understand. But you don’t have to forgive me.
I don’t know when this will reach you, or how. But I have stumbled upon something very large. Forces are at work, James. Something is happening and I don’t think the Trolls know. I went off to follow a trail myself, it led me to a town called Arcadia Oaks. We shall see what I find.
James’s mouth was dry. He knew exactly what-
“James?”
Barbara’s voice made his head snap up as he slammed the book shut. “Yes?”
She appeared in the kitchen, night robe wrapped tightly around herself. “Are you alright?” There was still sleep in her eyes, her hair was sticking out in every direction, but in the dim-moonlit kitchen… She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” He walked over and kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep, you’ve got an early morning at your residency tomorrow…”
“Today.” She corrected. “My alarm went off, that’s why I’m awake…”
“Oh my god, is it that early?” Had he slept at all tonight? “Well, I’ll make you a good breakfast, and a nice pot of black coffee.”
She mumbled out a soft thanks before shambling back to the bedroom to get cleaned up.
He smiled fondly, then turned and picked up the Amulet and book. He dropped them back into the box. He’d get back to that mess after breakfast. Or after Jim woke up, whichever came first.
His little boy was growing more and more energetic by the day, and unfortunately, looking more and more like him by the day. James loved Jim with all his heart. His baby boy… He would make sure Jim had a better childhood than he did.
James did his best to be the best stay-at-home dad. He cooked, he cleaned, he played catch with Jim, he showed Jim how to tinker with an old vespa, he showed Jim how to help fix things up around the house when something broke, taught Jim how to bribe Barbara out of being angry with a good meal and some light conversation. The usual stuff.
He even taught Jim all the important things in life.
“You see this” He help up a magazine picture. “This is a 1996 vespa px200e.”
Jim stared blankly at the picture “Pisc 2003...?”
“P-x.”
“P-x.”
“200e.”
“P-x 200e.”
James lifted his son into the air, “Genius! My boy is a genius!”
He remembered a particularly tiring day not long after that where they had a very tiring day hunting snipes in the nearby park where they’d settled down on the couch to watch some reruns…
“Daddy?” Jim shifted in James’s arms on the small couch, coming to sit up on his chest.
“Hm?” He pulled his eyes away from the Frasier to look up at Jim.
“‘s that weird box?” Jim’s little eyes held a sparkling curiosity.
Unfortunately, that same curiosity made James’s blood run cold. “What box?”
“The one you hide from Mommy. Iss got a biiiiiiiig book ann the glowy thing!” he waved his small arms for emphasis.
James carefully shifted to get a better look at his son, “James Lake Junior, have you been staying up past your bedtime?” He tickled Jim’s sides.
It did not take long for the boy to crack.
Jim admitted to his crime, but he had a good explanation. “-There’s a monster, daddy!”
That got James’s attention. “A monster?”
Jim nodded. “Under my bed.”
“Well, that monster isn’t paying rent, let’s go get that thing out from under your bed, little guy.” He ruffled Jim’s hair and matched to his son’s room. Fake or not, James would be damned before he let his son be scared by anything.
Now laying on his stomach James peered under the bed.
“Do you see it, daddy?”
“This is an elusive monster, Jim! But don’t worry. I’ll find it.” He squinted into the darkness. A shape started to form, a black mass of… fur? Feathers? Something.
“El… us… ive?”
“Very… sneaky…” James slowly reached for the thing. He was almost there… He could almost reach it...
Jim yelped and James yanked his hand back.
“Are you okay?” He rolled over as fast as he could and scooted to Jim.
Jim nodded. “Sorry…”
James picked Jim up in his arms and carried him back to the tv. “Here. You stay here. Daddy’s going to take care of the monster.” He set Jim on the couch. “You think nice thoughts about vespas or toys. Okay?” He smiled.
“Okay…”
Whatever that thing was under Jim’s bed, it wasn’t normal… that ice cold fear built in his chest. He knew the place to look for it.
James pulled out the box and dumped its contents. He grabbed up the book and flipped through it to find whatever that was. Surprise surprise, he found it. A small creature covered in weird fur-like feathers.
A snipe
He tried not to laugh. Who knew they were actually real creatures?
He looked through the page, turned out the easiest way to deal with one before the house got infested was to either lure one out with a small shrub or to just shoo one out with Moonlight.
Moonlight, from what he’d gathered, was the name of the weapon the Amulet created. He’d done so well not using it, he’d never had a reason to. But this stupid Snipe was ruining his son’s peaceful childhood. He was going to have to…
He took the Amulet in hand and walked back to Jim’s room, shutting the door behind him. He popped open the tiny window and steeled himself.
The Amulet began to glow red in his hand. The arcane language on the outer edge- Troll Language, he presumed- began to shift as it moved like clockwork.
Chinese, Spanish…
English.
“For the glory of Morgaine, Moonlight is mine to command.”
For a moment he wasn’t sure what was going on. Until what he imagined leather armor felt like covered his body. The Amulet had vanished from his hands, as it was now embedded\ in the left shoulder of the armor like a patch of some kind. The armor glowed a very faint red, despite appearing to be normal leather armor. He didn’t have long to be curious about it then suddenly a large pole appeared before him.
He took it in his hand, it looked almost like a staff, It was a soft brown color, much like the armor, but decidedly not anything he’d ever seen. It was curved and in just the right light, he could see the string. This was a bow, This was Moonlight.
He got down on his knees, stuck Moonlight under the bed and wiggled it around until the snipe yipped and scurried out from under it. James continued to use Moonlight to herd it to the window, it hopped out without another sound. He peered outside, watching the snipe disappear, until a moment later when about a hundred more snipes started a charge for the open window.
“Jesus!” James scrambled and slammed it shut just before any of them could get inside.
“Daddy!”
He froze, he didn’t want James to see him like this. He pulled at the Amulet. “Shut off, shut off-shutoffshutoff!” As if obeying his command it came off easily. He shoved it into his pocket and exited the room.
“No need to worry, Jim.” James went back to the tv, smiling at Jim’s worried little face peering at him from over the couch. “I beat the monster up good, they won’t hurt you.”
“Mommy said fighting is bad.” Jim wiggled as James uprooted him to sit back down on the couch to continue watching tv.
“Mhm, your mommy is very smart, and she’s right.” He poked Jim’s nose. “Fighting is bad, don’t ever do it.”
Jim nodded and settled into his lap, watching the tv happily now.
James rested one of his arms on the back of the couch. The Amulet was digging into his hip, a reminder of what might be waiting for Jim in his future. Yeah, He’d made a decision now for certain. He would fight so maybe Jim wouldn’t have to.