Draal!

We can't just leave him like this.

Draal would want us to keep going.

Draal... I'm so sorry.

For Draal.

In the void, he could faintly hear small whispers of the voices. Mostly the Trollhunter's. James Lake Junior, someone who had proven to be his greatest friend. A brother.

He remembered the pain.

He remembered falling.

Then dying.

Then the brief sensation of shattering.

So why was he just hanging here?

It felt like he was floating on air, but if he was even opening his eyes, he couldn't see. It was darkness all around him, but he knew for certain that this wasn't death. He would have thought he would have joined fallen comrades, such as Vendell. Or maybe seen his father again, at least for a brief moment. Yet, this was just... floating in nothing. Like he was waiting for something. Why wasn't he with the others who had passed yet? He could feel others in death pass him, like rushing flaps of wind, but only for a moment, and then it would be still again.

Where was he?

He tried to call out, but there was no sound. All was silence, something that seemed to make his ears ring. He turned his head, trying to see something, anything. But no sight nor sound soothed him. He gulped slightly, raising his stone hand and feeling his chest. Well, he could still feel, at least, though it was a small sensation. He was slowly growing more and more afraid, and yes, a troll was always to be afraid, but this kind of fear made his stomach turn and his stone spikes twitch in anticipation.

Wait... was there someone else here? He felt as if there was something close by.. Was someone else here in the void with him? He tried to swing his body, which was barely a body here, around to see if he could touch it, whatever it was. He reached out everywhere he could, but for some reason, the floating sensation was also like a glue, sticking him in that one place. He couldn't get very far, but the more he struggled, the more he knew that someone else was here with him.

Then, everything seemed to grow wild as he felt a rush of wind race past him. He raised his arms in instinctive self defense, closing his eyes but opening them again quickly to try and see what was happening. A small light flickered behind him in the distance, and he turned his head sharply. There was where the wind was heading, dragging something along with it. No, someone! He could see a silhouette getting farther and farther away, but he couldn't make it out. Whoever it was, the wind wasn't taking him with it. He heard a brief shout of surprise before the light seemed to vacuum it all away in a split second, and then there was piercing silence again.

He relaxed, lowering his arms again and blinking a few times, more curious then frightened now. The presence he had felt was gone now, making him a little saddened and lonely.

Loneliness.

Something that had haunted him harshly after his father's death. It had been partially his fault. He had pushed everyone away as he had mourned, making himself a lone warrior. Sure, he had friends in Troll Market. Blinkous and Aaarrgh had been his friends long before he knew the human Trollhunter. However, after he had lost that closest to him, he no longer wanted to be a part of family.

But then the loneliness had hit him like a stone wall. He had never imagined it would be so strong. So strong that he almost reached out for his friends again, but it also made it seem easier to shove them away as well. He had no one, and it was easy to keep it that way.

Then the human Trollhunter had come.

Of course, he had been furious at first. He had felt that his father's name had been dishonored. Perhaps he had wanted the legacy for himself. To make himself feel even closer to his deceased father. Then the Trollhunter had humiliated him.

But...

He had shown him exactly what he had needed in that moment. And over time, the teenager had become something that he would hardly have thought he would. A friend. Family.

And he was happy that he had given his life for him.

Wait... what was his name again?

He remembered why he died... but who was he? Who was he now? Wasn't he dead now? But then, he wasn't with the dead yet, for a purpose he still didn't know.

Where were the answers?

He turned his head to look back at where the light had been before. There. That had to be where it was. But he couldn't go there. He was trapped here. Perhaps it would take him later, just as it did the other who had been here.

So he crossed his arms and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

It was a lot of waiting.

He wanted to complain at how long it was taking, but once again, no sound could escape him. He sighed through his nose and closed his eyes, surprised that he felt a little tired. Actually, as time went on, he realized he was getting more and more exhausted.

What did this mean?

...

Oh. It meant he was finally going. He could feel a pull from behind him, the calling of those who had already passed. He sighed again and made no move, deciding that whatever would take him would take him. He hardly remembered himself, but he knew he had served his purpose. He had saved the Trollhunter, so they could defeat... who? Oh, Gunmar, yes, Gunmar. Well, he knew that the human Trollhunter would be able to defeat him. He knew it. He had to bet that he wouldn't see him with the dead, however. Gunmar would not ever be permitted there.

Just as he began to feel himself finally slip away, the wind returned. His eyes opened wide and he saw the light off in the distance again. Except... it seemed to be growing brighter. And bigger. Why was it getting bigger?

He realized with a start that he was actually getting closer. He looked back and forth in surprise, lifting his arms as he began to feel himself getting carried. No, pushed. The wind was pushing him, taking him into that light. He made a cry of surprise, and this time, he heard it. It seemed fairly loud considering all had been quiet here a moment ago, and he closed his jaws as he felt himself beginning to tip in the air. He was flying now, going faster and faster and faster, like he was being lifted and twisted as he went by. His eyes were wide as he waved his arms around, trying to slow himself down. He wasn't sure he liked how fast he was going.

Just hold on a tad longer, friend.., he heard a voice whisper. As he got closer to the light, almost directly in front of it, he heard it grow louder. You're almost there. It seemed to smiling, and it did indeed calm him down a bit.

Then the light swallowed him.

|•|

He felt himself fall forward, landing on the hard ground loudly. He grimaced and grunted in pain upon contact, feeling something like fire rush up from his stone chest. His whole body was throbbing, from the tip of his horns down to the ends of his feet. He twitched his fingers a little, realizing something with a start.

He was feeling pain.

His eyes flew open wide, met with white light reflecting off of something bright. He was in a tight cavern, fallen white gemstones all over the place, piling on top of each other. They were everywhere, but left a tiny space around him, like they had all been moved. His jaws opened and he took a large gasp of air, which he choked on in surprise, sending him into a fit of deep coughs. He was breathing! As he continued to cough and try to take in air at the same time, his arm twisted from under him. He put his weight on it and lifted himself off the ground slightly, gasping, desperately trying to fill his lungs whilst he stared at the ground. He felt his heart thumping, hearing the loud thuds in his ears, realizing as his breaths grew quicker and sharper that he was panicking, something that seemed rather unlike him.

Then, something cool and slender gently slid onto his stone shoulder. Startled, his head flung up as his wide eyes looked for the source. Kneeling in front of him was a young woman. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that she was young and rather beautiful, having fair skin, sharp but gentle green eyes, and dark hair that waved down to her waist. Her expression was soft and sad, and her hand slowly rubbed his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Welcome back," she told him quietly, her voice heavy with a rich accent. Her lips turned up into a gentle, soothing smile.

He felt his nerves relax, his eyes glazing over slightly in exhaustion from the attack. He lowered his head again to take easier breaths, trying to keep himself from falling face first into the ground again. He tried to put some pressure on his other arm, but felt nothing when he tried to move it. His head turned and he realized with dismay that it was gone, the robotic part he remembered acquiring gone as well. His lungs finally feeling full and less tight, he looked up at the woman again, who was watching him with a calm, sad expression.

"Do you remember your name?" she asked him before he got the chance to say something to her. She lifted her hand off his shoulder and backed away a few steps, sitting down and crossing her legs. She was wearing a white, long sleeveless dress, one that only made her skin look paler.

He swallowed, trying to regain moisture back into his throat, and thought for a moment. "Draal," he said finally with a nod of his head. "I am Draal the Deadly, son of Kanjigar the Courageous, and the Trollhunter's sworn protector." He saddened slightly, remembering the young human boy.

She nodded her head, smiling as she leaned forward a little. "Very good, Draal. So you remember everything?"

The large blue troll slid into a slouching position, his hand on the floor so he could still keep himself up. He felt weak, but the pain was still strong. He panted a little longer, glancing down at this stone chest to try and see why it hurt so exponentially. There was a large gash across it, glowing a bit purple and leaking blood. He swallowed, before it all came back to him. His head shot back up in surprise, his orange eyes wide once more as he stared at the woman.

"Angor! He was about to kill the Trollhunter, and I.. I saved him," he said, his voice faltering and quieting as he tried to bring it all back. He squinted at the ground for a moment and frowned, before looking back up to her again. "I fell... I shattered... I should be dead!" he cried.

The woman sighed a little, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. "Indeed, Draal the Deadly," she said softly as she walked around, looking around aimlessly. "You saved the Trollhunter from certain death, and thanks to your bravery, the world is saved." Her green eyes lit up as she walked over to a pile of the large pearly shards of gems.

Draal looked down at himself, seeing the wounds that he had acquired from both Gunmar and Angor Rot, but he was very much alive and there. The pain was only one of the things that told him so. He drew a sharp breath and he gazed over to the human woman again, who was digging through the pile, surprisingly heaving the pieces over. "What have you done to me?" he asked warily. "Who are you, human?"

She grunted as she lifted another heavy gem before her face lip up as she found what she was looking for. "My name is Elaine," she began, pulling out some gold metal contraction. She frowned at it and then looked to him again. "Where to begin..."

He frowned suspiciously at her, but then saw that she was holding his metal arm. He instinctively tensed, wishing for it to be attached to him again right away. "Elaine..?" he tried in a low voice.

She beamed at him kindly and nodded, walking over to him. "Indeed, that is me. Let's see, where shall I start.." Elaine knelt down by the stub of his arm, lifting the golden one she held in her hands and searching for how to put it on him. "Well, you know of the Trollhunter's quest, do you not?"

He frowned a little in thought, before nodding once. "He is to defeat Gunmar and stop the Eternal Night. And.. they came in this cavern to stop the enemy from retrieving the staff."

"Correct," she said with a nod, sticking her tongue out a little as she attached his arm. She winced at the sound, but stood straight again looking satisfied with her work. "However, do you know the entire story? Who Gunmar was retrieving the staff for?"

Draal again thought for a moment, before he jumped, his heart skipping a beat. "Morgana! The pale lady!" he cried, turning his head back to her. "Gunmar often spoke of that-" He stopped himself short as he looked her over again. Pale skin... green eyes, black hair... and whatever she had done was obviously magic.. could this be her? He jumped back and raised his arm protectively, fear swelling into him. He growled loudly, baring his fangs and narrowing his eyes. He was a warrior, and he would fight if he had to, despite his wounds.

Elaine raised her hands in submission, her eyes wavering slightly. "There is no need to fear me, my friend. I am not the pale lady." Her eyes went downcast and she lowered her hands slowly. "No, I am not she," she mumbled again sadly. "Although I apologize deeply on her behalf, since she would never dream of doing so now." The woman looked up with sadness and regret in her green eyes as she clasped her hands together. "I am her sister, Elaine, and believe me, if I had been able to do anything to stop her, I would have done so."

Draal blinked in surprise, relaxing. However, when his body moved, it sent another wave of pain through him. He groaned sharply and brought his metal hand to his chest, hissing in pain. Elaine looked even more upset and slowly walking over to him.

"You see," she began as she approached. "I learned magic alongside my sister, Morgana. I could tell that her heart was growing blacker and blacker the more she learned, and I.. well, I hoped that when we began to train under Merlin, she would soften her ways. Merlin taught us many things, but she only turned around and used it against us." She paused and took a shaky breath, kneeling in front of him and looking up at the troll.

"Seeing the error of our ways, Merlin took her left hand to create a way to defeat her, while I prepared to lock her away once we stopped her. However, she saw ahead of our plan, and whilst her hand was still taken and Merlin eventually trapped her.. I was trapped myself, by my own cold sister." She stopped again, wringing her hands and biting her lip.

"I was supposed to be put in an eternal slumber," she continued. "Morgana must have never imagined her own defeat. However, once she was done away with by your friends.. I woke."

The troll listened intently, and although he was still wary, she seemed much kinder than that of her witch sister. "I am... sorry that you had to go through that," he told her slowly, before jumping when he realized something again. "Hold on, you said my friends! Do you mean to tell me that they actually defeated Gunmar and Morgana?"

She looked up at him again and smiled softly. "With the help of Merlin himself, yes. The Eternal Night has been stopped, and your team, including the Trollhunter, are all safe."

Draal grinned big. "Ha ha!" he cried triumphantly, though the effort brought him pain again and he winced.

"That is how I have returned. Though, it has been a few days since her defeat." She sighed heavily and stood up shakily, staring off into the distance. "Much has changed since my time.. when I learned of my sister's actions, I felt as if I had to do something." She looked back to him sadly, biting her lip again. "You and those who died because of her did not deserve such a fate." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "I am so terribly sorry."

He watched her for a few moments, unsure of what to really say to her. "It... it is alright. I never imagined that.. that I would be brought back from the dead..," he said with a small groan, shaking his head.

Elaine chuckled. "Well, Angor was, wasn't he?" She stopped when he winced, getting a bit crestfallen quickly. "Sorry."

He just shook his head and sighed, deciding to get to his feet instead of waist his time here. He groaned at the pain again, his body shaking with the effort. Elaine grabbed his arm and did her best to help him, grunting and wincing herself, much to the troll's surprise.

"I am sorry I could not also heal your wounds," she said softly when he finally stood straight. "I am weakened from being put out for so long, and I already resurrected someone else a short while ago.."

Draal remembered seeing someone else getting taken from the void, and figured that it had been her who had done so. He shook his head and nudged her off so he could stand on his own. "I can live with the pain," he told her, looking around for a way out.

Elaine suddenly turned serious as she stood in front of him. "Draal the Deadly, I did not only bring you back because of my sister," she told him, her voice getting low, her eyes narrowing. "The war may be over, but there are many fights still to come. The Trollhunters need you."

The troll gasped slightly as she began to levitate off the ground, wisps of white wind circling around her as she lifted her palms slightly. Her eyes had begun to glow at this point, her mouth opening and spewing a chant. Draal's heart beat quickened as he lifted his arm and tried to see what was happening more clearly. He cried out in shock was the cave began to shake and rumble, sending him to his knees once more. His head lifted and he saw that she was making a clearing, the stone and gems moving to reveal a path outside.

"Go!!" she shouted, her voice echoing with what seemed like thousands more. "Protect your Trollhunter!"

"What about you?!" he shouted over the noise as the cavern shook even more.

She closed her glowing eyes and gritted her teeth, showing that she was having some trouble. "Do not worry about me! I will remain, now go!!"

Draal did not waste another second, getting to his feet again with a nod. Though his body screamed in the pain, he grit his teeth and did his best to ignore it as he ran out quickly through the escape whole she created. As he left her behind, he felt the structure beginning to crumble around him and tried to quicken his pace. He roared loudly as a rock hit his shoulder, but pressed on until he reached the outside, walking back into the forest. He turned his head, breathing heavily, and saw the waterfall, from where he had entered, behind him, and saw the entire cave beginning to collapse. He growled a little before turning again and hurrying away.

"I'm coming, Trollhunter," he said softly.

~

Draal..

IS MY BABY BOI FROM THIS SHOW AND I WAS SO MAD WHEN THEY KILLED HIM-

Come on, Jim was so upset!!! He needs his stone big brother back, DAGNABBIT-

So I made this book. Draal is back, but there is an actual plot, don't worry.

Here we go!!