Only the Power of Inner-Fire|| Kristoff & The Trolls
None of the family stood in Kristoff’s way as he raced around them to the door. There was not a troll among them who had not done the very same upon hearing the news. Even now, rock trolls continued to roll in from far afield in the Valley of the Living Rock, determined to see and hear what had befallen their chief and shaman. But no matter what any of them heard, no one knew what to do.
As the curtain of moss pulled open with a clatter, Bulda turned tiredly from her post at the bedside, holding up a stony hand for quiet – but upon spotting Kristoff in the doorway, she relaxed again with a deep relief easing her shoulders. Shale stood beside her at the bed of rocks, moss, pond reeds, and flowered, basking the room in a powerful red and orange glow emanating from the fire crystal she held clasped in her hands. She made a glance over her shoulder as well, her own expression perking up despite the clear exhaustion in the way she stood on her rock stool – but before Shale could wail a joyful greeting at Kristoff, as was the happy impulse of the entire family, Bulda pressed a hand over Shale’s mouth to quiet her. Shale gave a sleepy nod, understanding, and smiled tiredly at Kristoff from behind Bulda’s hand.
In the nest-like bed in front of the both was Grand Pabby, curled up into a tight ball of stone with a hefty moss covering, looking very much like any troll merely resting. Perhaps it could have all still been a joke. He looked ordinary, and peaceful, as if he had rolled away from one of his usual naps, except for one thing. The boulder was tainted with deep black splotches, as if the stone itself was poisoned or rotting. Small veins of black cracked out from the deepest splotches, yearning to spread.
“Kristoff honey… You better come here,” Bulda said softly, stepping away from the nest-bed. Reaching her adopted son’s side, the rock shaman’s oldest daughter took him gently by the hand, guiding him to the bedside and pulling him down to kneel.
“S’pose you must’ve heard what happened,” Bulda said, looking very calm as she turned her gaze back to check on Shale’s glowing fire crystal. Shale held the crystal’s glow against Grand Pabby’s infected rock, without letting up.
“I nearly sent Craggs down to Arendelle to bring you back early, but we all knew you’d be home soon. It’s important for you to be here with the family right now, Kristoff.” She dropped her eyes from Shale’s work with the fire crystal, and turned to brush Kristoff’s blonde hair away from his eyes, and held his cheek with her rocky palm. “He’s stable for now… the infection is slow-spreading, thanks to Shale’s fire crystal, and also just ‘cause you know how stubborn our Grand Pabby is.”
Seeing Bulda made Kristoff feel immediately better, even if she wasn’t her usual chipper self. Knowing that she was there was more than enough to calm his nerves a bit. He couldn’t help but feel relieved, even with how obviously anxious he was. Kristoff nodded and smiled at Shale, realizing she shouldn’t be loud in this room...under these circumstances. The blond gladly took his mother’s hand and knelt down beside her as he looked at the sick and weak troll laying in the bed. As if he didn’t see enough of the sad sight, the light from the glowing fire crystal made his deep, sunken valleys and black lines more prominent. Kristoff closed his eyes and turned to the side to avoid the sight. Instead, he refocused himself on Bulda as she continued to talk. “Yeah, yeah of course. I’ll go tell the guys at work first thing tomorrow that I’m gonna need some time off. I-I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Kristoff took in more information about the details of Grand Pabby’s infection. He could help but let out a light chuckle at Bulda’s true and honest description of the patriarch of their family and entire village. “So...what? His stubbornness and the fire crystal are the only thing keeping him alive? Is there no spell or potion or anything that can help fix him?” Kristoff finished before realizing that if anyone knew of such a remedy, it was probably Grand Pabby- and that wasn’t much help for this situation. He looked over to the bed and at Grand Pabby, wishing there was something he could do.
