Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Thomas Pines was just a little boy growing up in the sleepy town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, he remembered being fascinated with the paranormal and supernatural. The legends of monsters and strange events filled his imagination and dreams. Leading him to want to know so much more. It didn't help that his hometown was quite literally the most paranormal and supernatural little town in the USA. As a Pines, his parents, Patrick and Wendy Pines, encouraged him to do what he wanted to do in life. And so, from an early age, Thomas pursued a career in paranormal investigations.

Graduating from college at the top of his classes and with a scholarship in his pocket, Thomas was excited. He was ready to take his adventuring to the next level! Thomas wanted to make his mark on the world, intending to find answers to strange things and help people understand the unnatural.

But where could he go? Before his parents, aunt, and uncle, it was his Great-Great Uncle Ford and his Great Grandmother Veronica that first started exploring the town, and documenting it. And then after that, it was the town's famous Mystery Kids, aka the Pines Cousins: his father, Patrick Pines, and his twin uncle and aunt, Dipper and Mabel Pines. They picked up where Ford did and saved the world! And then Thomas was born, and he took up the family business until college. But the truth was, there was nothing left of Gravity Falls to explore. His family already well-documented the town.

Thomas had no place in his hometown to make his mark. Thankfully, before they passed away, the Stans and Veronica wrote about a place that was said to have strange activities, just like Gravity Falls. He discovered this when looking through Ford's private study and found a new journal the older man was just starting to write. It spoke of a city on the other side of the world in Scandinavia. A large walled-off city called Trolberg.

Realizing that he had the perfect destination and found his calling, Thomas packed everything he had and everything he would need. After telling his parents and younger sister Stacy where he was going, they all congratulated him and gave their support. On the day of his departure, Thomas kissed them all goodbye, bought a ticket to Trolberg, and flew across the Atlantic to start his new life.

When the boat that was carrying Thomas docked at the harbor, he excitedly jumped off with his backpack on his back, his duffle bag on his left shoulder, and his roller suitcase in his right hand.

At 23, the son of Patrick Pines and Wendy Corduroy was taller than average. He was considered by many to be very handsome, inheriting his father's looks, but with his mother's famous red hair, which he kept short and slightly messy under the lumberjack hat his mom gave him. He wore a brown leather jacket with a Mystery Shack jade greenish-gray shirt with a large dark green question mark on the front. He had a black belt slung across his chest, black cargo pants with duct tape around his right knee, and large gray boots coated in dirt.

Setting the suitcase down and extending his arms out, the young man took a deep breath and stared out at his new home.

Long ago, according to the history books, Trolberg started off as a small village that was settled right in the middle of land that initially belonged to the monstrous trolls. Now it was a giant city surrounded on three sides by the vast wall created to keep the trolls out. The only exception was the bay area to the north at a fjord called the Björgfjord, the same pathway he took to the big city. The city was made up of urban houses surrounding the tall towering buildings in the center of the town. According to the map, there was also a forest next to the city. A river called the River Björg flowed through the city to the fjord, and the bay contained several islands. And bounding both sides of Trolberg were two snow-capped mountains called Mt. Hár and Mr. Halldór respectively.

And it was here that Thomas would begin his new life as an adventurer and paranormal investigator.

Arriving at his new apartment, Thomas was let into his new home. The house mainly consisted of two bedrooms, a combined kitchen-living room, and a bathroom. The building itself has four floors, with Thomas' apartment on the third floor, with the number of the apartment being number 2. The flooring was linoleum/tile, and the walls had red wallpaper.

As Thomas walked into his new home, the landowner dropped the keys in his hands before walking out. Looking at the keys and closing the door on his way inside, Thomas grinned excitedly before unpacking everything.

Setting up a pinboard on the wall of one side of the living room. This would be his workspace. Pulling out a map of the city and the surrounding area, Thomas opened the journal. He started pinning everywhere that Ford had last visited. All of them were outside of the town and in the forest areas. That was where he would begin his adventure.

The next day came, and after purchasing a used crimson pick-up truck for his vehicle, Thomas loaded all of his equipment into the back of it and headed out. Driving out of one of the wall's gates, he made his way down the road and into the unknown.

Reaching the closest destinations on the map, Thomas parked the car next to a large waterfall that flowed into a river.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Thomas reached into the truck bed and pulled out his backpack. With his journal in hand, Thomas walked towards the river and saw a series of stones going across it.

Opening the journal, Thomas saw that it mentioned a water spirit that lived in it. This definitely piqued Thomas' curiosity as he started jumping and hopping across the rocks. When Thomas reached the middle of the river, the redhead looked around for anything that could be a spirit. However, he noticed the water under his rock started to boil, before he was shot up into the air when a column of water suddenly stood up.

It was a water spirit! Just as its name states, its body was entirely composed of water with glowing eyes and eyebrows. They have no other features. But what amazed Thomas was that he stood on top of the creature, without falling through it.

Thomas looked down at the water spirit and smiled at it, before it displayed its ability to shape-shift its body when it lowered down near the other side of the river. Thomas jumped off and turned back to it. Smiling, Thomas pulled out an instant-film camera and took a picture of the creature. He then taped it to the first blank page of his new journal and started writing about the first creature he'd encountered. However, he noticed that the water spirit looked down at his notes. While finding it amusing, Thomas noted how gentle and curious it was.

And that is how Thomas met his first supernatural creature outside of Gravity Falls. The second one would come in the form of another spirit that physically resembled a puffy cloud in appearance, but with eyes and a mouth. However, it was asleep and lazily drifting above the ground a few meters up while raining down snow. Thomas followed it while staying under it. As he walked in the snow being made by the spirit, he continued writing about it.

About 30 minutes later, as Thomas continued exploring his surroundings, he stopped when he saw an absolutely fantastic sight.

Flying in the sky in a vast pack were Woffs. Round, furry creatures resembling wolf pups. They have big, round eyes, small black noses, and long, fox-like tails. They also had a pinkish muzzle and small oval ears on their faces. They seemed to lack feet or paws, making Thomas wonder if they were hiding them in their fur.

However, as Thomas watched them fly together and make their whale-like sounds, he couldn't help but wonder how these creatures could fly, as they lacked wings. Putting his journal in his backpack with Ford's journal, he started running.

Thomas ran with the migrating Woffs as they flew over or on either side of the young man. One was curious and flew closer to his right. Looking at the creature as it passed next to him with a curious look on its face, Thomas smiled and chuckled, before gently reaching out and petting it. The Woff cooed, liking the pets, before flying off.

Stopping at a large rock in the ground and jumping on it, Thomas took a picture of the Woff heir as it continued on with a big smile on his face. This place was better than he could have hoped for and more. Places to explore and sights to see; he might even consider starting a family here.

But little did he know that his ideas of starting a family here were about to become a reality. And it would begin with a special someone.

It was now the afternoon, and Thomas continued exploring the forest as he walked around the trees and large rocks. However, he stopped when he spotted something rather peculiar.

A few meters from where he stood was a large boulder as tall as himself. However, sticking out of the side of the rock was a long, thin rock.

Walking up the rock, Thomas took out Ford's old journal and looked at its last page. It showed a drawing of a stone similar to it, with a log entry. The redhead investigator then pulled out his tape recorder and began a new entry.

"Log #7: It is my first day out in the surrounding area of Trolberg, and I've stumbled across another anomaly." He said into it as he walked around the rock. "According to the journal left behind by my Great-Great Uncle Ford, these strange-nosed boulders have the ability to move positions at night. He was never able to get a good look at how this happened before he passed away, so I'm going to see what makes these rocks move. Is it magic? Or some alien technology?"

"That's a troll rock."

"AH!" Thomas yelped, almost sounding like a little girl, as he turned around to see who it was. At first, he saw no one, until he looked down and laid eyes on the person, making his eyes widen in surprise.

Standing in front of Thomas was an adorable 11-year-old caucasian girl with long cyan hair that made her stand out from everyone else. Her outfit consisted of a black beret, a yellow scarf, a red sweater with yellow cuffs, a blue skirt that was the same shade of blue as her hair, black leggings, and red rain boots. She also had a brown, sling knapsack around her torso.

"Hello!" The blue-haired girl greeted Thomas with a smile and a wave.

Thomas looked at the girl with wide eyes, not expecting anyone to be out here in the wild. Especially a little girl. "Uh, hi." He said and started to approach her. "Are you—"

He stopped when a small animal suddenly jumped up in front of the girl. Startling him as it growled at Thomas. At first, Thomas thought it was a dog, but as he looked closer at it, he saw it was anything but a dog. It had the head, body, and tail of a fox, but little black antlers and hooved feet like a deer, along with some spots on its back. His fluffy tail was roughly as long as his body.

The fox growled at Thomas, making him step back before Hilda quickly came over. "Whoa, Twig, it's okay." She said, kneeling down and petting his head, calming Twig down and he gave her a lick. "I'm sorry about that. He isn't used to seeing other people.

"Whoa, what is that?" Thomas asked, walking up to the pair and kneeling down to get a better look at the fox. "I've never seen a fox like that before."

"You're half right. Twig's a deer-fox. I found him when he was only a baby." Hilda said, petting her best friend/companion. She then approached the young man and held out her hand to him. "My name is Hilda, by the way."

Looking at her hand, the redhead smiled and happily shook it. "Thomas. Thomas Pines, it's a pleasure to meet you. So, what do you mean that it's a troll rock?" He asked, standing up and looking at the troll rock.

"Trolls turn to stone during the day, but I've never seen one so far away from the mountains," Hilda said as she approached the rock with Twig.

"But how do you know it's a troll?" Thomas asked, looking at the long rock sticking out of the boulder.

"Well, you see that? Pretty sure that's a nose." Hilda said, smiling as she pointed to the nose of the troll. She then pointed to where Twig was sniffing at. "And those must be the arms."

However, when Twig sniffed the arm, he immediately yelped and backed away from the troll. Growling at the rock with a frightened look on his face. He quickly raced over to Hilda and tried to pull her away from it, whining and whimpering.

"What's up with him?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Understanding what's got her pet spooked, Hilda knelt down and rubbed his chin."Don't worry, boy. This troll can't even think about eating us right now."

At that bit of information, Thomas' eyes widened. "Wait, trolls eat people?"

"Yep. But so long as it's daylight, it's just a rock." Hilda assured the paranormal investigator and Twig. "Of course, once the sun goes down, we're doomed."

"…okay." Thomas said nervously, taking a few steps away from the troll. "Should we…move away from it?"

However, Hilda got an idea. "Hold on!" She quickly opened her knapsack and started digging through it. Thomas walked over to her to see what she was getting. The blue-haired girl pulled out a small bell with a string attached to it. "Put this on the troll's nose. If the troll moves, the bell jingles. Then we'll know it's time to run for our lives."

Thomas took the bell and looked at it, then at the troll. He then shrugged, as it wouldn't be the craziest thing he'd done. Walking up to the troll, the redhead man slipped the string around the nose and tied it off with a knot.

"So, what are you doing here?" Hilda asked, sitting down with her back against a rock. "Not a lot of people come all the way out here in the woods."

Thomas sat against another rock near her and pulled out his journal. "Well, I'm a paranormal investigator. I came out here to investigate many of the strange and weird creatures that live around Trolberg." He said, handing his journal to Hilda.

Curious about what Thomas had, Hilda opened the journal and looked inside. She was amazed by the level of detail he had on each page, even though they weren't a lot. There were even photos and drawings. It was only his first day, but it was impressive.

Looking over them, Hilda thought that some pages could use some editing. "Can I help?" She asked, setting her sketchbook down and pulling out a pencil.

"You…you really want to help out?" Thomas asked, very much surprised that a little girl, who he'd just met, was willing to help him. Not something a normal kid would just be willing to do for a stranger.

"Sure. I've lived here my whole life. I can tell you everything about this place." Hilda said, giving Thomas an adorably kind smile.

This made the man smile as he pulled out Ford's journal and scooted closer to her. Twig sat himself between Thomas and Hilda, as the redhead set the journal down between the two of them. "Okay. Tell me everything."

And so it was. For the next few hours, Thomas and Hilda would talk about everything that Thomas saw today, and many of the things that were in the original journal. The redhead would then transfer the information into his new journal. As they did so, none of them noticed the sun lowering with each passing minute.

As Thomas closed his journal, he stood up. Finally, he noticed the sun was about to disappear over the horizon. "Uh, hey, kid. I think you better get home. It's starting to get dark out here." He said, placing the journal in his backpack.

"Hang on," Hilda said, picking up her sketchbook and opening it to a new blank page. Twig was sleeping next to her on the ground. "I want to get a drawing of this first."

She started drawing the troll. Thomas would have gone ahead and started making his way back to his truck. However, not wanting to leave a girl all alone in the woods just didn't sit right with him. So, he leaned against one of the surrounding rocks and waited for her to be finished. At the same time, fighting off his drowsiness.

But as he started closing his eyes, Thomas felt his heart jump when he heard the sound of stone cracking. "What was that?" He asked, looking around.

"Aaaand there. All done." Hilda said, holding up her drawing to the troll to see how close to it she got.

However, both she and the man heard the bell ringing. Thomas' eyes widened with horror as he turned back to the rock. The bell was ringing….

…before the troll opened its eyes, turned its head towards them, and looked at Thomas and Hilda.

"Time to go," Hilda said nervously.

"Like now!" Thomas yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as they and Twig started running for their lives. As they ran, the troll started breaking out of its stone prison. Freeing its large body along with its large stumpy arms and legs. Standing up on its legs, the monster glared at the three running away from it as the bell rang on its nose. Then it let out a loud roar from its large mouth filled with sharp teeth.

Thomas, Hilda, and Twig hopped across the rocks of the river that Thomas first came across as they ran towards his truck, a Dodge Ram. However, a Woff was sleeping on the roof. "Get out of here!" He yelled at it, scaring the animal off. Thomas then opened the door to the passenger side. "Quick, get it!" Hilda quickly hopped inside and sat down before putting on her seat belt. Twig jumped in after her and curled up in her lap. "What direction is your house?!"

"That way! Near that mountain, in the valley!" Hilda said, pointing toward a snow-capped mountain in the distance. Thomas then closed the door and rushed over to the other side of the truck. He hopped into the driver's seat, slammed the door, put the key into the ignition, and gave it a turn. The engine roared to life, and Thomas stumped on the gas pedal. Driving the car out of there.

As they drove in the direction of Hilda's home, Hilda herself started laughing in relief. "Good thing we had that bell. We'll outrun him for sure." She said to Thomas.

Thomas panted for a moment before laughing too. "I'm glad you enjoyed that. Because I was terrified." He said with a wry smile. "I'll drop you off at your house—WHOA!"

His foot slammed on the truck's brakes, causing it to skid across the ground. Thomas quickly held his arm across to hold Hilda back in her seat as the vehicle came to a stop in front of a large hole in the ground. The man and the girl got out, with Twig hopping out and sniffing the hole's edge. He started growling as Thomas was shocked by what he was seeing.

The hole wasn't just a regular-looking hole, but a massive footprint. It sank into the ground a good meter and a half, with three stubby, rounded toes.

"Whoa! That's a huge footprint, even for a forest giant." Hilda said as Thomas got on his knee to examine it.

"Wait, you have giants here?" Thomas asked as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you have them where you live?"

Thomas thought for a moment. "Yeah," he said, before they were startled by a loud stump. Thomas, Hilda, and Twig turned around to see the troll had caught up with them.

"Run!" Hilda screamed before she, Thomas, and Twig ran as fast as they could towards the young girl's home.

Settled in the middle of a valley, miles away from human settlements was Hilda's house. A relatively small, two-story wooden cabin. The inside had rooms that included a living room with a fireplace, and separate bedrooms for Hilda and Johanna. The house had its own windmill for generating electricity. All the lights were on, as someone was in the home, preparing for the young girl's return.

In her early 30s, Johanna was considered by many who knew her to be an incredibly gorgeous woman who still had a youthful appearance, despite her age. She was a tall, voluptuous Caucasian woman with brown hair that went down past her shoulders and lovely black eyes. She often wore a maroon turtleneck sweater with brown pants and white shoes.

Now began the waiting game. Having prepared herself and Hilda dinner, Johanna placed it on the living room tea table and sat down on her couch. Having grown accustomed to her daughter staying out for long periods of time over many years, Johanna had grown used to it. However, it still didn't stop her from worrying. She was her only daughter and the only family she had left.

Johanna sighed and took a sip of her tea. Noting that Hilda was taking a long to come home. However, she stopped when she thought she heard someone yelling in the distance. Setting her tea down, Johanna opened the cabin door and looked around. That's when she saw Hilda and Twig running in front of a man she hadn't seen before, as something followed them from behind.

"Mum!" Hilda screamed, before the troll roared.

Johanna gasped in shock and fright. "Quick! Hurry!" She yelled, waving to the three of them to get inside. She stepped aside to allow Hilda and Twig to rush in.

However, Thomas stopped in front of the door and looked back at the troll. Roaring with anger and fury as it charged at them. The Pines knew that the house wouldn't protect them against the beast. Someone had to stop it before it could hurt Hilda and Twig.

"Thomas, come on!" Not noticing Johanna, who was looking at the young man from the side, Thomas looked at Hilda as she stared at him with great concern.

With a frown, Thomas reached for the handle and closed the door. Locking himself outside with the troll.

"Thomas!" Hilda cried out, rushing to the door. However, she was intercepted by Johanna. The mother knelt down and grabbed her daughter's body in her arms, blocking her from going further.

"Hilda, stop! Don't go out there!" She told her.

"But what about Thomas?!" Hilda broke free of her mother's grip, before running to the window over the kitchen sink. Climbing on the counter, the blue-haired girl looked to see Thomas standing in front of the house as the troll came closer. Stopping at it stood just outside of the porch light's beam.

Glaring at the monster, Thomas reached behind his waist and pulled out a hatchet from his belt. It was the tool given to him by his mother, Wendy. She said that all born into the Corduroy family were lumberjacks by blood and wanted her son to have one. Not just as a tool, but for defense, in case he ran into another that tried to eat him.

Thomas got in a fighting stance, waiting for the troll to come at him. The troll did take a step towards Thomas, making the bell on his nose ring. However, it stumbled and tripped over when it tried to take another step. Landing on its fists and knees as it grunted. The two girls watching from inside held their breath as they watched the troll. Waiting to see what it'll do.

However, to the shock of everyone, the troll cried. Its eyes leaked tears as it groaned in despair. Realizing that the troll was in distress, Thomas lowered his guard. He watched as the troll stood back up and tried grabbing the bell dangling from its nose. But its stubby arms couldn't reach it, causing it even more distress. It then gave up, and fell on one knee. Growling at Thomas as if asking him to take it off.

Seeing the creature needed help, Thomas put the hatchet in his belt before slowly approaching the troll. Hilda and Johanna watched from their window, watching the man with great concern. "You don't like the bell, huh?" Thomas asked, only to get a low throaty growl in response. This made Thomas stop for a second, before continuing towards the troll. "Hang on, Mr. Troll. I'll get it off you."

Thomas then reached out his hand, and placed it on the tip of the troll's nose. The woman and her daughter watched in amazement as the beast did not try to attack him. Allowing him to instead untie the bell's string from its nose, before slipping it off. Thomas then threw it to the side and smiled at the troll. Thinking that it was okay now. However, that smile slowly faded as the troll stood up. Towering over the young man as it glared at him.

"Ah shit."

The troll let out a loud roar.

"Thomas!" Hilda yelled, quickly rushed to the door, and threw it open. She was about to run out and help her new friend when Johanna quickly stopped her.

"Hilda, wait!"

Thomas took a step back away from the monster. However, to the surprise of him, Hilda, and Johanna, the troll rolled out its long tongue. And on the end of it was Hilda's sketchbook, which she'd dropped when the monster chased her and Thomas.

"Oh! That's Hilda's!" Thomas said, relieved and happy as he grabbed the book. However, pulling it away from the troll's tongue, he realized that the book was covered in spit. He chuckled. "Thanks."

With the bell gone and having returned what the humans dropped, the troll turned around and started stumping back into the forest. Sighing in relief, Thomas collapsed to his knees. "Thomas!" Hilda quickly ran over to her new friend, with Johanna walking behind her. She watched as her daughter stood next to the young man with red hair. Looking at him with wide eyes. "That was amazing!"

"Yeah, sure. Here, kid." Thomas said, handing Hilda's sketchbook back to her. Exhausted, he let out a big sigh as he lay down on his back and closed his eyes. Not caring if his hat fell off.

Johanna smiled as she found it to be a little silly. However, as she looked down at the man, she was able to get a good look at him. The brunette was surprised by his appearance. Not only by how young he was, looking to be a decade younger than she was, but how handsome Thomas was. Easily beating her rotten ex out in the looks department.

Not wanting to think of that man, Johanna sat down on her knees in front of Thomas' head and looked down at him. "Are you okay?" She asked, sounding worried.

Hearing this new, slightly Scottish-sounding voice, Thomas slowly opened his eyes. And that was when he looked up to who was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. Sure, he's dated many girls in the past, and many of them were pretty, but the woman over him was drop-dead gorgeous.

"Are you an angel?" Thomas asked without even thinking.

"Oh my!" This question surprised the brunette, making Johanna blush as she placed a hand on her mouth. Her reaction made Thomas realize what he'd said and blush with embarrassment, too.

"Oh, shit!" Thomas exclaimed, quickly sitting up and turning around to face her. "I'm so sorry." He said, moving away from the woman with a nervous smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

Johanna giggled in amusement and was slightly flattered as she grabbed his hat. "It's okay." She said, holding it out to Thomas. As the young man took it, the mother gave him a disapproving frown. "However, I'd appreciate it if you didn't cuss in front of my daughter."

"Heh, sorry about that," Thomas said, standing up after putting on his hat. He offered his hand to her, which Johanna happily took. Thomas pulled her up to her feet, noting that she and he were almost the same height. "Wait, you're…."

"Yep, this is my mum," Hilda said as Twig walked up to his owner and sat down on the ground. Looking at her mother, the blue-hair held out her hand to the redhead man. "Mum, this is Thomas Pines. I just met him in the woods today. He's a paranormal investigator."

"Really?" Johanna asked, looking at the man with curiosity. "Like ghosts and aliens?"

"Well, that's only a fraction of what I do," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't too surprised by the question, as people think of PAs as just guys that chase around ghosts.

"Oh! Mum, can Thomas have dinner with us?" Hilda asked Johanna with excitement.

"Well…" Johanna trailed off.

"It's okay if you're uncomfortable with me being in your home," Thomas said.

"It's the least we can do for you after saving our lives," Hilda insisted.

Thomas looked to Johanna, wondering what she would say. However, to his surprise, she smiled at him. "I don't see any problem with it. You did save my daughter's life, after all. I made some extra for leftovers. You can have it to eat."

"Hurray!" Hilda cheered before grabbing Thomas' hand and started pulling him to the house. The redhead chuckled and followed her inside, with Johanna not too far behind them.

Having eaten her meatloaf, Johanna set her empty plate on the table. "Wow, your town is really like that?" She asked in wonder, sitting with her daughter on the couch as Thomas sat with them. For the past few minutes, Thomas told the two home residents all about Gravity Falls and the strange things that go on there, how it was a small town in the middle of the woods, with many odd, paranormal, supernatural, and weird phenomenons calling it home.

"Yep. Few people know about it because the local law prohibits the townsfolk from talking to any outsiders about the town's secrets." Thomas said, taking a bite of his meatloaf, enjoying the house's coziness. "My family is no stranger to the supernatural, and we kind of have a long history with Gravity Falls." He was about to continue talking about the town when he and the others heard the sound of a man whistling. Curious about who it was, he, the woman, and Hilda looked over the couch as the whistling grew louder.

That was when the door was opened by a rather strange humanoid creature about Hilda's size. However, he was made entirely out of wood. He also had a little leaf on the top of his head, which was floating slightly above his body with no neck connecting them. His face never changed expressions, and his mouth never moved.

Seeing the being, Thomas's eyes widened with wonder as he walked inside with three logs and a book. Johanna, however, was annoyed, and she scoffed. "The Wood Man."

"You know him?" Thomas asked, watching as the Wood Man walked past the couch towards the fireplace. Not bothering to close the door as he whistled.

"Unfortunately," Johanna said, glaring as the Wood Man placed the wood on a stack of wood near the stone fireplace. "He always just comes in without knocking. It's rude!"

"It's okay. He probably just wants to get warm." Hilda said as the Wood Man tossed one log into the burning fire. He then laid down on the floor with his hand behind his head and opened his book. On the cover, Thomas saw it was titled 'Giants of Old.' Seeing that her mother still wasn't happy with the creature, Hilda tried lightening her mood. "And besides, he brings us wood."

"It's drafty here. You should really close the door." the Wood Man said. Hilda growled in frustration, set her food down on the table, and walked towards the door to close it.

Setting his plate down, Thomas walked over to the Wood Man and got down on his knee near his head with his notebook as he started logging this finding. "Amazing! Sentient wood!" He exclaimed, writing down his new discovery of the being. "Do you mind if I interview you?"

The Wood Man sat up and looked at Thomas. "I can't read with all these distractions." He said, before getting up and walking towards the door. He walked past Hilda, who stopped to watch him, and opened the door before stepping outside. Seeing that he had left and wasn't going to close the door, Hilda groaned and went to do it again.

"Hmm. 'The sentient wood creature, known as the Wood Man, can be described, as Johanna said it, as rude.'" Thomas wrote down in his journal, smirking at his note as it made the brunette giggle.

"That's one way to start a chapter," she said with a cute smile that made Thomas blush. As her daughter returned, the woman asked him, "So why come all the way to Scandinavia? Given that you come from a town with so many strange goings on, I imagine it would have been easier to stay."

Closing his journal, Thomas stood up and looked down at the ground, thinking of a way to explain it to her and Hilda. "Well…that's just it. My family's been exploring the mysteries of Gravity Falls for generations now. From my great-great uncles and great-grandma to my parents, uncle, and aunt. They've documented pretty much everything that happened in the town that there was nothing left for me to really leave my mark on." He explained, walking back over to the couch and sitting down. Thomas then opened his backpack on the floor and pulled out Ford's last journal as Johanna and Hilda gathered around him. "I've always wanted to explore the strange and weird, and my uncle's last journal said that Trolberg was a special place that held the same anomalous readings as Gravity Falls."

"So that's why you wanted to strike out on your own and come here?" Hilda asked, looking at the man with astonishment.

"Yep. So far, Ford's only been able to gather a handful of finds before passing away. So I'm hoping to find more out here in the forest." Thomas said, smiling at the journal in his hands. Today was his first day, but so far, he was amazed by what he's been able to discover. So many strange creatures and animals that the outside world has never seen. It just made him eager to see more.

"I can help!"

"Huh?" Thomas looked at the girl, who stared up at him with a big grin.

"I can help you with your findings!" Hilda exclaimed, jumping up on the couch with an excited grin. "I know every inch of this valley from head to toe! I know where every strange thing is, and I can show it all to you, Thomas."

"Wait a minute, Hilda. We barely even know Mr. Pines. He's practically a stranger, and you want to go with him alone in the woods?" Johanna asked.

"But he needs our help, mum. I know this place better than anyone." Hilda said, placing a hand on her chest. "And Thomas isn't a stranger. He's my friend."

"But…"

"Please, mum? It'll be okay." Hilda asked her mother, giving her a puppy-eyed look. Thomas looked at Johanna with a curious look. Wondering what she'll decide.

Johanna looked between the two of them with a concerned expression. Even though Thomas seemed like a genuinely good man, some of her motherly instincts told her that he was still a stranger who had just traveled out in the middle of the woods. However, Johanna could see just how much Hilda had taken a liking to the handsome redhead in just a short matter of time. He'd even tried to protect her from a troll, something that Johanna was eternally grateful for.

With a sigh, Johanna said, "Okay. But I'm coming with you on your first few adventures together." She pointed her finger at Thomas' face as a warning. "No funny business, mister. And you're going to be responsible for taking care of my daughter. Understand."

Thomas looked at her with wide eyes before smiling and nodding. "I promise. I'll treat her like she was my daughter and keep her safe." He vowed to the woman.

"Hurray!" Hilda cheered as she hugged Thomas' neck from behind. Making him laugh and Johanna giggle. And so it was. Thomas Pines had just begun his journey of discovery. But this time, he wouldn't be alone.

Two months later

One night, as Johanna prepared dinner for tonight, she couldn't help but feel excited as she did so. She knew that Hilda was excited, as her daughter waited up in her bedroom, looking out the window for Thomas' truck to arrive. Johanna knew how eager she was to see her friend again, and the brunette would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to having dinner with the young man.

In the span of two months, Thomas has undoubtedly had a positive influence on her family. Almost every day, he would come out to the woods, looking for more weird things to find, and Hilda would be there to greet him. Just as Johanna said, she came along on their adventures together, watching as her daughter took Thomas around the woods for everything that he could write down in his journal. Whether it be learning about woffs, spirits, or strange phenomena that occur in the forests. They even discovered a colony of gnomes.

The two adults got along remarkably and quickly became friends, with Johanna loving the young man's company as much as her daughter did. Even though he was her first human friend in a long while, the brunette enjoyed talking with Thomas about her day and his adventures with Hilda and Twig. Johanna was incredibly thankful for Thomas being with Hilda and keeping her safe.

In her mind, Thomas was a Godsend, and she was excited to see him come over for dinner after being away for about a week. A house in Trolberg needed to be exorcized, and the owner hired the PA to solve the mystery. However, it required Thomas to be away for a few days. This saddened Hilda, as she wanted to spend more time with him.

However, just as Johanna finished preparing the Swedish Meatballs, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The brunette looked to see it was Hilda coming down in a hurry.

"He's here!" She said, wearing a gray sweater and her hair down in a ponytail. Hilda ran to the door with Twig and opened it.

"Hilda, hold on," Johanna said, but her daughter had already run outside. She sighed with a smile, before walking out with her.

Thomas' truck parked alongside her car, before the ginger man stepped out and walked towards the house's entrance. Only to be caught off guard when Hilda ran into him and nearly tackled him to the ground with a hug. "Whoa, there, blueberry! I haven't seen you all week!" He said with a big smile as he knelt down and hugged her back, with Twig running around the pair.

It was a heartwarming sight to see for Johanna. It made her feel like she was watching a daughter greet her daddy after being away for so long, even though it was only a week. "She's been missing you, you know?"

Thomas looked up and blushed as he saw the beautiful young mother smiling at him. "H-Hey, Johanna." He said, standing up after he finished hugging Hilda. Even though he had seen her almost every day for the past two months and would hang out with her after bringing Hilda home, he would always be amazed by how beautiful she was.

"Come inside. I made some Swedish Meatballs." She said, walking over and giving him a quick hug before turning away. Thomas' blush redded before he snapped out of it when Hilda pulled him along. "So, how did the job go?"

"It went great. Turned out it was almost a murder mystery, too," Thomas said, closing the door behind.

However, not even a second later, there was a knock at the door. Thomas looked back at it with a raised eyebrow. "Did the Wood Man finally decide to knock?" He asked jokingly. Thomas opened the door, expecting to see the Wood Man standing there with a few wood logs and a book.

To his surprise, he wasn't there. There was no one at the door, or anywhere near the house. The only other sound to be heard was an owl hooting. Finding it strange, he then looked down at the porch, and his eyes spotted something white on the ground.

Kneeling down, he picked it up and brought it inside to see just what it was exactly. Closing the door and bringing it into the light, he was surprised to find out that it was a small, tiny white envelope.

"Uh, when did you girls start getting tiny letters?" He asked, holding it up to show it to them.

Setting hers and Thomas' plates down on the table while Hilda carried her own to the couch, Johanna looked at the letter exasperatedly. "Good grief, this is the sixth one this week," she said as Thomas brought it over to her.

"Wait, seriously?" He asked, letting Johanna take it from his hand. "You've been getting these letters all week?"

"Yeah, they're being sent by these guys called the Hidden People," Hilda said, walking over to her mom.

Johanna sat down at her work desk she uses for graphic designs. She grabbed a magnifying glass and used it to see the letter. Carefully opening the envelope with a pair of tweezers, she pulled out the letter and examined it to see the big red NOTICE on it and a stamp of approval.

"It's them, alright." She said exasperatedly before reading the letter.

"Are they still saying we have to move and they're gonna smash our house?" Hilda asked.

"Basically."

"Whoa, really?" Thomas asked, becoming concerned for the girls. "You've been getting death threats from these people? Who even are they?"

"That's just it. We don't know, nor have we met them," Johanna said with a frown as she finished reading the letter. She then looked at Thomas with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "All we know is that they're tiny, and they don't like us very much."

"Well, I don't like them," Hilda said, grabbing a piece of paper and writing on it. "Dear to whom it may concern, please leave us alone! We are nice people, so please stop being mean. All the best, Hilda."

Once she finished, Hilda opened the door and looked around. "Listen up, little guys! Whoever you are, this one's for you!" She yelled, slamming the rolled up letter on the porch before slamming the door.

"You think that'll stop them?" Thomas asked, before taking a bite of his meatball.

"I don't know." Hilda sighed as she sat down. "Let's hear about your job, Thomas."

"Heh, sure," Thomas said as he sat down with her, and Johanna sat on the other side of him. He was still concerned about the Hidden People's threats to Johanna and Hilda. These kinds of things aren't something that Thomas didn't want them to take lightly. However, what more could he do? Without knowing anything about these guys, he couldn't try and talk to them.

All he could do now was enjoy his dinner with the family, and tell scary stories.

When Thomas opened his eyes, he looked around to see where he was. It was now nearing midnight, and he was still at Johanna's home. The TV was still playing, and the mother and daughter were both asleep, with Hilda resting her head on Thomas' lamp. Twig was sleeping on the armrest near him.

Looking at the young girl sleeping on him, Thomas smiled and petted her head. It made him feel like he was an uncle, or dare he says it, a father to Hilda. In a way, in the months they've been adventuring together, she had kind of become like a niece to him. Or perhaps like a surrogate daughter to him.

The redhead then looked over at Johanna and lovingly smiled as she snored. It's been months since they first met, and Thomas enjoyed how close they've become as friends. Hanging out together after every mission with Hilda and just giving her company. Though, needless to say, and obviously, the redhead had started developing deep romantic feelings for Johanna. She may have been ten years older than him, but the Pines had come to admire Johanna in a way he hadn't with any other woman. She was always able to make him smile with her beauty and her smile. Not to mention Johanna was such a caring and supportive woman that loved and supported her daughter going on adventures, even if she did worry about her. The real question is who wouldn't be falling for her? Thomas wouldn't be lying if he said he didn't wonder if he had a chance with her. Or if she had the same feeling for him.

Reaching over to her, Thomas gently nudged her awake. "H-Huh? What?" She asked groggily, looking around with half-open eyes. "Oh, Thomas, you're still—"

"Shh." Thomas silently shushed her before pointing down to Hilda. Johanna smiled and nodded before getting off the couch.

She gently picked up Hilda, allowing Thomas to stand up too. Suddenly, a slight sound made Thomas gasp, and he looked in the direction it came from.

It was a window, and it was wide open.

"Was that open before?" He asked, walking towards the window.

"N-No," Johanna said, wondering why it was.

Thomas walked up to the window and looked outside. There was nothing there. He closed the window, only to hear footsteps behind him. Whirling around, he saw nothing. Suddenly a shadow appeared out of the corner of his eyes, and he looked towards it. There was nothing. He looked towards a bookshelf and saw a stuffed animal moving slightly until it knocked over a book.

"Get Hilda upstairs," Thomas said. Johanna nodded and quickly shook Hilda.

"Hmm…mum?" Hilda woke up, rubbing her eyes.

"Shh, we need to head upstairs, quickly." Johanna said, picking up her daughter and setting her down on the ground. Trying not to sound panicked.

"Wha? What's going on, Thomas?" She asked her friend.

"It'll be okay. Just go," Thomas said, trying to remain calm. It was then that Twig woke up and started whimpering, sensing that something was going to happen.

Thomas looked around the room and slowly grabbed his hatchet from his belt. He didn't have any of his blaster pistols, so it was his only defense against the hidden people. As Johanna herded her daughter and Twig up the stairs, the TV started acting strangely. It started glitching out, before turning to static. But as Thomas looked at the TV, he heard a person's voice coming from it.

"Attention, residents! Due to your failure to heed our warnings, we shall implement your forcible eviction from the premises!"

"Forcible eviction now! Banish the big boots!"

Suddenly, a rock was thrown through the window and hit Thomas in the head. "AUGH! What the fuck?!" He yelled. But that was just the beginning. A pot was pushed off a shelf, and the lamp near the couch was toppled over. Random items were being thrown all over the house, threatening to hurt everyone "Get Hilda out of here, now!"

"But what about you?!" Johanna cried out.

"I'll be fine! OW!" A book hit Thomas. "Just go!"

Hesitantly, Johanna was forced to go upstairs as items were thrown at her, Hilda, and Twig. She was narrowly struck in the head by a log launched into the house through the window.

"Jettison the giants!" Said one of the beings as they pushed the TV off the shelf and broke it.

The couch was then flipped over, and Thomas quickly jumped behind it. "Alright, you little fuckers! You punk want to threaten my friends?! Bad idea!" He yelled, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a homemade powder grenade. Thomas used them when being chased by aggressive monsters, but now he would use them against these little people.

He pulled the pin and tossed it over the couch.

BANG!

After the bang, Thomas heard the sounds of the little people groaning in pain. He looked over the furniture and saw the powder had gotten onto the hidden people. Making them visible to him. He then grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor, pushing the invisible people around before shoving them away. He then brushes it against the bookshelves. Knocking them onto the ground before Thomas brushed them away.

The little people opened the door and disappeared outside as the powder came off their bodies. Thomas chased them out with a broom and hatchet in hand. "Fowl hidden people! This was only a taste of my capabilities!" He yelled at the little creatures while pointing his broom at them. "Return your masters! Tell them that you've failed! From now on, this house and its family are under my protection! If you want to harm them, you'll have to go through me!"

After his speech, Thomas turned around and headed back inside. He was greeted by Hilda and Twig running up to him with a big smile on the girl's face.

"Thomas, you did it! You scared them off!" Hilda jumped at Thomas and hugged him, making him chuckle with Twig putting his paws on his legs and wagging his tail.

"Heh, it was nothing," he said modestly.

However, when he looked up, Thomas saw that Johanna wasn't coming to give him a hug like her daughter. Instead, the mother was looking around at the destruction of her house. The powder from his grenade, the wrecked pottery, the broken furniture. She looked at one of them with a look of dismay.

"Johanna…" Thomas started walking towards her when he felt something crunch under his foot. Looking down, he was surprised to see it was a photo of her and Hilda when she was younger. Picking up the frame, Thomas turned to see the brunette looking at the picture with a devastated expression. "Oh no. I'm…I'm so sorry."

Johanna was handed the photo and looked at it with a sad expression. This was taken just after she and Hilda found Twig. Determining her next decision, Johanna looked up at the young man. "Thomas, is there room at your apartment?"

"Y-Yeah, of course," Thomas said, blushing at the idea of Johann staying in the same apartment as him. However, he then became concerned. "Wait, what are you saying?"

Johanna then asked her best friend, "Can we stay with you?"

"What?!" Hilda asked, shocked to hear her mother ask that. "O-Only for a night, right?"

"Hilda, we can't stay here! Not if this is going to continue!" Johanna exclaimed, holding out her arms at the devastation around them. "We've never been attacked like this before! I…I think it's best we'll have to move to Trolberg."

"But we've been here for all time, since I was born!" Hilda argued, not wanting to leave the only home she's ever known.

"Moving to Trolberg could be a good thing," Johanna said as she picked up a drawing Hilda had made for her when she was little. Thomas joined her as he started picking up items off the ground. "You could make some proper friends. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"What am I? Chopped liver," Thomas asked jokingly.

Johanna smacked his arm with a smirk. "I meant friends her age, dummy."

But Hilda didn't like that either. "No way! I love it here in the wilderness. It's literally the best place ever!" She said, as her mum stood up. Sighing as she saw it wouldn't convince her mother, Hilda grabbed her arm. "Please, mum, I don't want to live in the dirty old city."

Johanna looked at her daughter sadly, even as she gave her a puppy-eyes look. Hilda added to the cuteness by holding Twig up to her cheek so he could do the same. "I'm sorry," Johanna said, walking past her daughter after patting her head, "but if one more thing like this happens, we're gone."

Thomas watched as the woman he had feelings for sat down on the stair, looking completely lost as to what to do next. He frowned seeing her so down. So, Thomas grabbed a piece of paper off the ground and flipped the table back over. Taking a pencil from the ground, he started writing down a letter.

"'Dear Hidden People,'

'You don't know me, like I'm sure you don't know the names of the people in this house, but my name is Thomas Pines, and you have just attacked the family of the house that you want to destroy. A family that are my personal friends. When you attacked, it was me that repelled your unwarranted assault and forced you back. Believe me when I tell you I was nice enough to let you all go home, but I will not show the same mercy again. And that's why I'm offering a peace talk. From now on, I will be the mediator between you and Johanna's family. I want to know why you feel you have the right to attack her and her daughter and come to an arrangement so that you all can live in peace.'

'All the best, Thomas Pines.'"

With the letter finished, Thomas opened the door and tossed it on the ground. He then slammed the door shut as he went back inside. "Thomas, you don't have to get involved in our problems," said Johanna as she sat with her daughter on the stairs.

"I know, but I want to," Thomas said, smiling at her. "I'll sleep down here and watch for any more attacks. We'll clean up tomorrow."

Johanna was touched by his kindness and smiled at him. Standing up, she walked over and hugged him. As the woman did so, she too blushed as she felt his strong arms wrap around her body. "Thank you," she said, pulling away. Johanna walked up to her daughter and grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Hilda."

"Okay. Goodnight, Thomas." Hilda said, waving at him as she walked up the stairs.

"Goodnight, blueberry. And have a good night's sleep, Johanna." He called up to her.

"Goodnight, Thomas." She said with a smile before walking off to tuck her daughter into bed. Leaving Thomas alone in the living room.

An hour later, Thomas was sleeping on the couch after flipping it back over. He was still wearing his clothes, with the expectation of his boots and jacket. With his arms crossed, he slept peacefully as he laid his head on a pillow and his hatchet in his hand. His body was covered by a blanket that Johanna provided him.

But unbeknownst to him, someone had entered the house. One of the hidden people opened one of the broken windows and slowly lifted it up to get inside. Then, they made their way to Thomas. Hearing the pitter-patter in the room's silence, Thomas slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Gripping his hatchet in the event he had to use it. But there was nothing. He sighed and closed his eyes again. Going back to sleep, Thomas sighed with a smile.

"Psst! Thomas Pines!"

Thomas gasped and sat up, startled by the voice. "Who's there?" He called out, looking around. But once again, he saw nothing.

"I'm one of the little people that attacked the house." the voice said.

Hearing that, Thomas jumped off the couch with his hatchet in hand. "Brave of you to come back here. But are you ready to die?!"

"Wait, no! The attack wasn't done by me personally." He said, making Thomas lower his guard a bit. "I'm more of a writer than a fighter."

Looking around for where the little person might be, Thomas got on his hands and knees before peeking under the couch. "You've read the letter?"

"Indeed."

Standing back up, Thomas asked, "And you're not a figment of my imagination? If you're real, why do you sound like a voice in my head?"

"I can assure you I'm not," said the voice as Thomas walked around the house. His eyes scan his surroundings for ideas about where the little person might be.

"So why don't you show yourself?" He asked, looking in the kitchen.

"Oh, my people take the business of who sees them and who doesn't very seriously, which means, of course, that there's a lot of paperwork involved."

"Yet, you never once tried to make yourselves known to Johanna and Hilda to talk about your living conditions," Thomas asked snidely as he returned to the living room.

"Something I'm here to fix. I am just like you. I don't want to fight or for there to be a war."

"Then how do I see you?"

"If you go over to the table, please." Thomas raised an eyebrow at that request but did as he was told. He looked down and was surprised to see three tall stacks of tiny papers neatly placed on the table. "I took the liberty of filling out the relevant papers for you and your friends. I think you'll find the forgery quite impressive."

Thomas used a pair of tweezers to pick up the first paper from the middle stack and used a magnifying glass to see what was written on it. And to his amazement, it was a contract with his name signed on the dotted line. "Huh, nice. And this is for all of us?"

"Johanna and Hilda have their own, but you'll just have to sign the last page yourselves, and we'll be all set." said the little person. Thomas looked down to see three tiny papers in front of the stacks. Grabbing a pencil, he sighed his last page.

"If this is a trick, you're dead." He said, finishing the signing. Standing back up, he looked around. "Where are you?"

The little person cleared their throat. "Do you have a mirror?"

"Hang on." Thomas pulled out his android phone and opened the camera app. Flipping it to selfie mode, he faced it and looked at himself. "I don't…."

"Your ear." Thomas moved his head to the side and looked at his ear. That's when the little person finally made himself known. "Coo-ee!"

Thomas was astonished to see that the little person was indeed tiny. He had pointy ears with a pure white complexion. His arms and legs were skinny and stick-lick, like a stick person drawing. He wore a pointy red hat on his head and a red shirt shaped like a triangle.

"Whoa! Johanna was right." Thomas said with a smile as he looked at the little person. "You are tiny."

"Mm, I'm on the tall side for an elf, actually, so…" he shrugged. "My name is Alfur."

"Well, I must say, it's nice to finally see you, Alfur." Thomas said, sitting down on the couch.

"It's nice to be seen. Now, if you'll come with me, I want to show you something." Alfur said.

Raising his eyebrow, Thomas put his hatchet in his belt and walked towards the door. He looked up the stairs to see if anyone was coming downstairs with all the noise he had made. However, no one came. Thinking that they were still sleeping, Thomas continued to the door.

Opening the door, Thomas wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe an army would ambush him or another elf, but he was never expecting to see an entire village of tiny houses scattered across the valley. Their lights were on, making it seem like Johanna's home was surrounded by fireflies.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Thomas said with a giant smile on his face. Closing the door, he walked across the village, careful not to step on someone. Walking up to one of the houses, Thomas knelt down next to it. "Have these been here all this time? How come none of us stepped on your guys?"

"Technically, you do, but if you don't sign the contract, you just phase right through us," Alfur explained.

"But now that I can see you all, I can touch you?"

"Correct?" Alfur said, before Thomas picked up one of the houses and lifted it up to see inside. "Ah, be careful with that! Somebody lives there!"

Seeing inside, Thomas saw the mess he made picking it up. "Oh. Whoops."

"Yeah, whoops, indeed," Alfur commented as Thomas placed the house back down. "Look, behavior like that will not endear you to elfkind. Especially as a mediator between our races."

Looking back inside the house, Thomas saw the upset elf trying to clean up the mess he had made. "Sorry about that, sir." He said, but the elf just huffed. Standing back up, Thomas started walking through the village again as he approached a large house on a rock with a tiny flag and banner. "So if this village was here this whole time, how many more houses would there be? And how far does this go?"

"I dare say as far as the eye can see. There are 15 counties in this valley alone, and Johanna's house is smack in the middle of mine." Alfur explained.

Thomas looked at the flag and banner, which both had a boot Xed out. "Okay, so if you've been here for this long, why didn't you say something? Why start a fight now?" Thomas asked, looking back at the cabin. "Johanna's grandfather built that house, and she's lived in it for years with her daughter."

Alfur jumped off Thomas' ear and landed on the rock with the house on it. He sighed regrettably. "It's the new prime minister. He promised to get rid of Johanna and Hilda if he was elected, and…well, now that he has been, he has to see to it that he does."

"What?! That's not far, Alfur! Johanna's allowed to live here just as much as you do." Thomas argued as he glared and pointed at the elf.

"Don't shout at me! I agree!" Alfur said, looking a little bit frightened by the redhead's anger.

"If you guys had a problem with them, then you should've made them sign the papers so that this problem wouldn't have happened," Thomas said. "If you had, then maybe Johanna's granddad wouldn't have built his home here."

"It's important that my people be selective about who sees us," Alfur said. Thomas then held out his hand to him.

"If the prime minister is the one that caused all this trouble, then take me to him." He said, much to the surprise of the little elf. "If he's the one that started this mess, then he's the one that's gonna fix it."

"You can't just see the prime minister!" Alfur exclaimed, hopping in his palm. "For one thing, it's the middle of the night, and you can't just simply request a meeting to go and say 'Hello'!" He waved his arms around.

"If I'm going to mediate your differences, then I need to talk to him," Thomas told him sternly, bringing the elf up to his level.

"The mayor!" Alfur pointed up. "I'll arrange a meeting with the mayor of the town the cabin is certainly occupying." Walking to the redhead's fingers and jumping off, Alfur caught onto the flagpole and slid down. "Perhaps he can help us with the prime minister."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, unsure how that was supposed to help Johanna and Hilda. "Well, that could—"

"Gotta dash now! I'll come for you all tomorrow. Good night, Thomas!" Alfur bid his new friend farewell and ran off to do as he said he would. Hoping that this matter will all be brought to a peaceful end.

With nothing else he could do, Thomas turned around and started walking back towards the house. Being careful not to step on any homes. He was close to the cabin when he noticed something about the area. It was getting darker. Realizing that a massive shadow was being cast over the valley, Thomas looked in the direction it was coming from.

His eyes widened to their absolute limit as he looked up at the biggest and tallest giant he's ever seen. Bigger than any giant from America. It was humanoid in form, with fur covering all over its body, and a very long neck with no clear distinction between its neck and head. As for its face, it had two glowing white eyes and no visible mouth.

The massive stared down at Thomas with its head blocking out the moon. Its size alone intimidated Thomas enough to step back. However, doing so made his foot back up into an elf's house.

"Hey, you dick! Watch where you're going!" He yelled up at Thomas, getting his attention.

"Sorry!" Thomas said to him. He looked back at the giant.

But it had vanished.

Thomas looked around the area, trying to see where it had gone, but it must have walked away in another direction. Leaving as quickly as it had appeared. However, he sighed and held up his hands, stopping himself from wondering too much. "One problem at a time, Thomas." He told himself before walking back inside the cabin.

The following day, Thomas carried Alfur behind his ear as he opened the door, showing Johanna, Hilda, and Twig to the elf village. When the girls woke up, Thomas excitedly told them about his experience last night and that the people trying to get them to leave were, in reality, invisible elves. At first, they didn't know what to think of the idea, until they signed the contract and saw Alfur. Johanna was startled, but Hilda was amazed by how small he was.

And now, the two human adults, human child, and deer-fox, were walking through the village, trying not to step on anyone. Twig didn't have to worry about it, as he didn't sign the contract. His body phased through the houses and elves as if they were holograms.

"I can't believe it," Johanna said as she walked close to Thomas, following his steps as he led the group with Alfur. "All this time, I thought we were alone. I didn't think we had neighbors."

"Tiny, adorable neighbor," said Hilda with a smile, before frowning at a group of glaring elves. "That attacked us for no reason."

"Easy, blueberry. We're trying to stop a war, not cause one." Thomas said with an amused smirk.

Alfur sat on his ear and said, "Remember, allow me to handle the introductions. I know the protocol."

The little elf led the three humans over to an official-looking building that had the appearance of a church settled on a rock. Thomas knelt down next to the rock to allow Alfur to jump off. He and the girls watched as Alfur watched up to the building. The little elf grabbed onto a rope connected to a bell and gave it a yank.

As the bell rang, a red carpet was rolled out down the stairs and onto the ground, as a fanfare started playing from someplace the humans couldn't see.

"Wow," Johanna said with her hand on her cheek.

That's when the elf mayor came outside, carrying a tiny, insect-sized cat in his arms. As the mayor came out, Alfur bowed his head to him. "Honor Mayor," he said, but the mayor just walked past him. "May I have to pleasure of—"

"Oh, I know who you are! The giants! The menace!" The mayor yelled at Thomas, Johanna, and Hilda. These insults quickly made the humans dislike him.

"Excuse me?" Thomas asked, crossing his arms with a glare.

"So, you can see us, can you? Finally noticed us, did you? Ooooh." The mayor asked mockingly, pointing to his eye.

"Are you kidding me? How could we notice you if we can't see you?" Hilda asked incredulously, stepping up to the rock.

"Young lady, the forms are very straightforward," the mayor said dismissively as he petted his nitten.

"Is that so?" Johanna asked with her arms crossed. She was waiting for an explanation for the attack on her family and Thomas last night. Now the mother was starting to grow impatient. "And instead of giving us the forms to see you, you decided to attack my family!"

The mayor shook his head and sputtered dismissively again. "The forms are readily available." He said, walking away from the humans. However, he was blocked from leaving by Thomas' hand.

"And yet, this is the first time anyone knows about them. If you had been willing to talk to Johanna and her daughter, they would have been able to sign the forms and figure out how to handle this situation!" Thomas explained to the mayor, glaring at him.

"Are you saying that we're at fault!?" The mayor asked, feeling offended.

"Yes. This could have all been avoided if both parties had the chance to talk." Thomas said, removing his hand from the rock, and started talking in a calmer voice. "And that's why we're here. We've filled out the forms, so let's discuss why you're trying to evict Johanna and Hilda."

"Oh, you want to know why, after you come into our lands with your vehicle?" The mayor asked, glaring at the paranormal investigator as he snuggled with his fat cat. "Fine! We've had enough of their ruthless occupation of our historic city, haven't we, Angelina?" He held up his cat and gushed over her.

"Occupation? How is it an occupation if we can't even see you?" Johanna asked, kneeling beside Thomas to talk to the elves.

"Mum's right." Hilda chimed in. "There's nothing ruthless about us living next to you. We didn't even know you existed until recently."

"Pure ignorance!" The mayor yelled.

"YOU'RE INVISIBLE!"

The nitten started meowing in distress, alarming the mayor. "Please, please, can you lower your voice? You're alarming my cat." He requested, rubbing his face against her belly.

"I'm sorry about that, but this is getting us nowhere," Thomas said, placing his hand on Hilda's shoulder. Motioning for her to let him handle this. "You can't just evict Johanna and her daughter from their home. It isn't fair to them if they didn't know about your existence."

"Please, is there any way we can get along?" Johanna pleaded with the mayor.

The mayor gasped as he petted his nitten. "Angelina's heavily pregnant. I don't want her unnecessarily stressed." He said, holding her up and adoring her. "She's a purebred velourian silkhair. Fetch Angelina's basket, will you?" He ordered Alfur.

"Right away, sir!" Alfur said before running off.

The mayor set his cat down and petted her lovingly. "Oh yes, you look how I feel," he said, seemingly ignoring the humans until Hilda came over and placed her head next to him.

"You're not answering our questions." She stated.

"Oh, are you still here?"

"Yes, we're still here!" Johanna snapped, startling the mayor. "You started this mess, so you're gonna tell us how to stop all this."

"Let's just all calm down," Thomas said, placing a hand on Johanna's shoulder to get her to cool her jets. As the mother sighed and calmed herself, Thomas glared at the mayor. "But she's right, so please tell us how to fix this."

The mayor sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. "You can't, good sir. Wheels are already in motion, plans are in place, letters are being sent, and forms are being filled in. Lots of forms!"

"Well, can't you do anything to stop it? You're the mayor of the town the cabin is built on." Thomas told him, with Hilda looking unimpressed with the mayor.

"Impossible! I'm only the mayor! It's out of my hands," he said, looking at his little arms before waving them around. "And I don't even have hands!"

Johanna pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, so whose hands is it in then?" She asked.

But while they were talking to the mayor, no one was paying attention to Angelina, who crawled up to Hilda's hair. Liking her blue hair, the nitten crawled into the girl's locks as her owner continued talking. "Oh, I imagine that the only person who could do anything about it is the new prime minister. It's his big idea, after all."

"Then that's who we need to talk to," Thomas said with a smile. Now they were getting somewhere. "Where do we find him?"

"I can't tell you that!" The mayor exclaimed. "It's classified information."

"Tell us, please." Hilda pleaded.

"No, I—"

The conversation was interrupted by a meowing coming from Angelina. They looked to see where the mayor had left her but then saw that she was in Hilda's hair. The nitten meowed happily as she snuggled in the girl's hair. It was an admittedly cute thing, but the mayor panicked and rushed to his pet.

"Oh, Angelina!" He cried and jumped Hilda's hair. "No!"

"Whoa, back up, pal!" Thomas warned, pulling Hilda away before he could get to her.

"Oh! You beasts! Release her this instant!" The mayor yelled at the human, shaking his arms at them as if to shake a fist.

"I'm so sorry about that." Johanna quickly apologized before turning her daughter around to see where the nitten went. "I'll get her for you—"

"Hold on, Johanna." Thomas stopped her as an idea formed in his head. It was underhanded, but it was the only way to get the mayor to talk. "It seems that we're at an impasse. You want the cat back, and Johanna wants you to stop attacking her, Hilda, and Twig. We can give you Angelina back, but you'll have to give us something in return."

This alarmed Johanna. "Thomas, what are you doing?" She asked, looking nervous.

"We tried it the nice way; now we're doing it the Pines way," Thomas said with a determined grin. He turned back to the mayor as Hilda held her hair protectively. "You want the cat, then please help us."

"But I can't! It's against protocol!" The mayor cried.

"You heard my friend. Tell us where the prime minister is, or I'll let you kitty live in my hair forever." Hilda told him, still holding her hair.

"AAAH! You fiends! You monsters! You beasts!" The mayor yelled at the humans. However, Thomas and Hilda weren't budging. Sighing in defeat, the elf finally relented and told them what they wanted to know. "Behind the waterfall, the great big one that goes into the fjord."

"I know where that is!" Hilda exclaimed, allowing her mom to pick out Angelina from her hair.

"Here you go." Johanna kindly said, gently giving back the nitten to the mayor. However, she noticed that the cat had lost a lot of weight.

It was then that Alfur rushed back with the basket. "The basket, sir!" He quickly set it down, giving the mayor a chance to set his nitten inside of it.

"Does that cat look…skinnier?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No time to think about it. We've got to see the mayor right now!" Hilda said. She ran off, surprising the two adults and Alfur, who ran after her.

"Hilda, wait!" He yelled, jumping off the rock and grabbing onto her waving blue hair. But Hilda didn't stop, with Twig running in front of her. Leading to Thomas and her mum to run after her and catch up.

"Hilda, slow down!" Thomas said, running alongside her.

"We can't slow down if we want to save the house." She said, still running.

"But I'm telling you that barging in like this could be dangerous!" Alfur told the young girl.

"We've got to fix this right now, Alfur, and we don't need a formal introduction," Hilda said as they continued their journal into the wild.

Soon, they left behind the elf town and walked across the valley's open fields. Thomas held out his tablet and displayed the map he had loaded on it. Hilda quickly pointed out where the waterfall was, and Thomas set a waypoint on the digital map. And they were off into the forest. Thomas and Johanna would walk together, with Hilda running ahead of them, before having to stop for them to catch up. At one stop, both adults looked at one another and smiled, before jogging after Johann's daughter. Keeping up with her as they passed by more tiny houses belonging to elves that lived further away from the towns.

The five of them continued the journey before coming across a gorge. Luckily there was a large tree to bridge the gap. But Johanna didn't want Hilda to cross, fearing that she would fall to her death. However, Thomas wasn't about to give up. He instead knelt down and allowed Hilda to climb onto his back. He slowly walked across the tree with a grappling hook gun in one hand. The mother of the young girl watched on and held her breath. However, to her amazement, Thomas reached the other side. He turned around, and Hilda jumped off his back. Then the redhead walked all the way back to Johanna.

The beautiful mother blushed brightly as Thomas smiled that charming smile of his and held out his hand to her. Johanna smiled back and placed her hand on the paranormal investigator, allowing him to take her across the tree, with Twig following behind.

As they neared the waterfall, the three humans and deer-fox found themselves walking across a cliff. Hilda ran ahead of the two adults again, with Twig keeping up with her. Leaving Thomas and Johanna to walk together beside one another.

"I can't thank you enough for what you're doing, Thomas," Johanna said, looking at him with that kind and caring smile he loved. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this."

"I don't mind. You and Hilda have been good to me for all these months." Thomas said modestly, smiling at her as they continued walking.

"I'm just worried about this meeting going wrong." Johanna sighed, placing her hands on her arms. "I know how much Hilda doesn't want to move, and while I don't either, I can't help but feel like if we stay here, we'll always be surrounded by people that hate us."

Thomas understood her concerns, which only raised a question he had wanted to ask for a while. "What about Hilda's father? Is he still around?"

However, he soon realized that might have been the wrong thing to ask when Thomas saw Johanna's expression turn from nervousness to bitterness. Seeing that made Thomas worry as an uneasy feeling grew in his gut.

Johanna sighed as she looked down. "I wouldn't really know." She said in a depressed voice. "We've been separated for years."

"...Oh. Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Johanna. I-I thought that…." Thomas sighed in frustration. "Now I feel like an asshole."

"No, no, it's okay!" Johanna said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's my fault. I didn't mean to soar the mood. It's just…" she paused for a moment. When was the last time she ever talked to anyone about her ex-husband?

"If you want, you don't have to talk about it." Thomas said sympathetically. Not wanting to pressure her into talking about something that was obviously painful.

Johanna knew this. He really was a sweet man who'd listen to her problems. It was one of the many things that she liked about him.

"Mum! Thomas!" The pair were pulled out of their little world by Hilda waving at them from the cliff's edge. "We're here!"

Thomas and Johanna ran over to where she was standing and looked at the impressive sight in front of them. The waterfall was massive, with rushing water flowing down a cliff before running off it and down the river that led to the fjord. The same one that Trolberg was built around.

"We made it!" Let's go—"

All of sudden, Hilda was hit in the chest and knocked to the ground by something.

"Hilda!" Johanna yelled in a panic when she saw her daughter hit the ground on her back. The brunette and Thomas rushed over to her to see if she was okay. However, they were surprised to find a rabbit sitting on her lap.

Hilda, too, was surprised but smiled at it. "Aw! A rabbit."

Thomas picked up the rabbit and offered it a stock of celery, with it happily accepted. "Looks like you took a tumble, poor little guy."

Johanna helped her daughter back to her feet, when Alfur screamed in fright from Hilda's ear. "That's not just a rabbit! It's the prime minister's cavalry!" He cried out, pointing to a hill.

"Wait, what?" Thomas asked, looking in the direction he was pointing in.

Then, more rabbits appeared at the top of the hill in a large gathering. However, on top of their heads was an elf soldier. They had what looked like dark blue uniforms and helmets with gold accidents.

"Implement giant defense maneuvers!" The captain of the cavalry ordered his men. "CHARGE!" And with that order, the rabbits and their riders came running down the hill at the humans.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Johanna said, fearing for their safety. She, Thomas, and Hilda were about to start running when the elves began using slingshots. Firing at the humans with rocks and stones. Hitting them in the head, back, arms, and chest.

"Where's Twig?!" Hilda yelled as elves drew their weapons and got closer.

Seeing them close the distance, Thomas pulled out his hatchet to defend himself and the girls. They wanted a fight; then they were going to get a fight.

But just as they were a few meters from the humans, Thomas was shocked to see Twig suddenly jump out from behind Hilda and Johanna and run under the legs of the paranormal investigator. He stopped in front of his owner's friend, getting into an aggressive stance and growling at the elves. Ready to attack just as much as Thomas.

However, it would appear that Twig was all Thomas needed to make the rabbits come to a sudden stop as they piled up on each other like a wave cresting. The critters looked at the deer-fox in total fear, just as much as the elves. It honestly amused the redhead as he spread his arms.

"Well? What's it gonna be?" Thomas asked, pointing to Twig. "Be his new chew toy, or live."

Given these options by the giant red-haired man, the captain drew his sword. Thomas thought he would order the attack to continue, but he would be wrong. "Implement hasty retreat maneuver!" He ordered his men. And in that instant, the rabbits and their elf riders took off in all directions. "Run away! Run away! Faster! Faster! Oh, they're gaining on us!"

Thomas sighed in relief. Johanna and Hilda walked over to him and Twig, who started petting and phrasing him for saving them.

"That was amazing, Twig," Johanna said, scratching his back.

"Thanks for that, boy," Hilda said, petting his head.

When they stopped, Twig looked up at Thomas. The redhead looked at the little pet, who tilted his head as if wondering if he had anything to say to him as well. Thomas chuckled slightly and petted his head. "That'll do, deer-fox. That'll do." He said, earning a happy whimper from Twig.

"It's nice to have a deer fox on your side, I must say," Alfur noted as the group headed for the waterfall.

Luckily, there was a path for them to walk on that led behind the rushing. Carefully, they walked along the path as the water sprinkled on their exposed skin. Once behind the falls, they entered into a giant cave entrance. Carefully stepping on large rocks and boulders as they made their way deeper inside, they stopped when Alfur spoke up.

"Ah! And here we are!" He said, pointing ahead while on Hilda's ear.

Thomas saw, and his eyes widened in wonder when she saw a large elf city, just like the one around Johanna's home. And in the middle of the city was a large government building. No doubt that was where the prime minister was.

"Alright, let's end this." Thomas said with determination. He walked towards the building. Johanna grabbed her daughter's hand and followed him, and Twig wasn't too far behind. Luckily, there was ample open space for them to stand in without worrying about stepping on someone.

As they neared the government building, they could hear voices coming from inside. Looking in, Thomas saw multiple elves sitting around a round table. Most of the elves were dressed like military officers, but one was dressed in a suit. Thomas would go on a wild guess and say that's the prime minister.

"Our training is complete. We're ready to launch our next attack this evening, sir! And there's nothing the redhead head giant can do to stop us." One of the generals said to the prime minister, who just sat in his chair with a nervous look on his face.

None of the elves noticed Thomas when he stopped in front of the rock the building was on. He lowered his head to look inside before he spoke up. "Uh, hello."

That got the elves' attention, and one of them screamed and pointed at him, Hilda, and Johanna. "Oh crap! The giants are here! Run!" He yelled, before the room erupted into chaos as they all screamed and panicked. Running around, hiding behind anything they could, pleading for their lives, or cursing out Thomas.

"Whoa, whoa! Cool it! We didn't come for a fight." Thomas said, holding up his hands. However, he noticed that he was still holding his hatchet. So, he put it back in his belt. "See? We've come in peace and just come to talk."

This got the elves to stop panicking. "Oh, well, in that case, everybody be seated," said the prime minister. The elves picked up their seats and returned to the table, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, to start with, my name is Thomas Pines, and I'm a friend of the residents of the cabin, Johanna, her daughter Hilda, and their deer-fox, Twig." Thomas said, introducing everyone to the little beings. Now it was time to get down to business. "I'm here today to try and mediate between all of you and come to a peace settlement so that you and them can live together."

"Please, we love our home, and we don't want to leave it." Hilda pleaded with the elves.

"Well, that's, uh, interesting," said the prime minister, rather passively. "Looking, I'll be honest with you. I only said that I'd get rid of you because I knew I'd get elected if I did. It's nothing personal."

Johanna was appalled at that comment. "Nothing personal? You want me and my daughter to leave our home and destroy it. You attacked us so you can get into office!" She retorted at the elves. "Do you really hate us that much?"

"Yes!" The other elves at the table shouted in agreement.

Seeing the situation deteriorating, the prime minister walked out of the building and approached Thomas and Johanna. "Madame, you must understand that the lights from your house are much too bright at night…."

"For the record, I don't hate you even a bit." Alfur quickly interjected to tell Hilda. "Annoyance, sometimes, yes, but never, never hatred."

"Thanks, a-hole." Thomas retorted, getting a slap on the arm from Johanna for cussing in the direction of her daughter. "Okay, so the lights are the main problem you have? Is that really a reason to attack us?"

"It's not just that. They're very loud and keep babies up! And you're always stepping on us." The prime minister said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, but how is stepping on you a problem?" Thomas asked, trying to get his head around the logic of the elves and their reason for starting a war. "We know that we can't kill you if we don't sign the forms. We saw Twig's leg go right through a house. Hell, he's sitting through a schoolhouse right now!"

Everyone looked to see that Twig was indeed sitting down, with his body going through a schoolhouse of laughing and screaming kids playing.

"Still, it's a traumatic experience having a giant foot come through your ceilings." The prime minister said, turning around and walking back into the building.

Thomas sighed and nodded his head. "Okay, I get that."

"How about this, prime minister," Johanna said, bending down next to Thomas. "We'll turn off the lights earlier and keep our voices down. And with all the forms signed, my daughter and I know where not to step. If we can all do that, then everything should be fine, right?" She asked, praying that it was the end and that this war could be stopped before it had a chance to start.

The prime minister sighed and sat down in his chair. "It's not that simple, ma'am."

"Why is it?" Thomas asked, getting frustrated with the elves. "Why start this fight now?"

The elf nervously shifted in his seat. "Well…because of you, Mr. Pines."

"Me?" Thomas asked, taking a step back in shock.

"Allow me to explain." He said, standing up and walking over to one of the murals on the wall. It showed the elf king jumping out of the way as a boot stepped on his podium. "You see, Johanna's house, herself, and her family, since anyone can remember, have been considered sworn enemies of the king."

"Yes, yes! Sworn enemies of the king!" One of the military elves yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"No one's ever bothered to try and do anything about it, until…well, you came into the valley, Thomas. You didn't live at the house, but your presence brought new concerns. Were there going to be more of you coming? Have the humans decided to come out to the valley to settle? People were scared! So, I, uh, took the opportunity to…use you as a scapegoat to win the election. And now I've got to finish what I promised." The prime minister explained sheepishly, yet nervous about facing the redhead's wrath.

Thomas stepped away from the rock and looked at Johanna, who was just as shocked as him. He then turned to Hilda, who looked at him as if he'd betrayed her. It broke Thomas inside to see the blue-haired girl look at him like that. He could never dream of hurting her, not in a million years. Yet, he did, by coming to the valley and getting involved with Hilda's life.

"But what if I didn't come back?" Thomas asked, surprising everyone.

"Thomas!" Johanna gasped.

"W-What if I promise never to set foot in the valley again? Then you wouldn't have to evict Johanna and Hilda."

Again, the prime minister sighed with guilt. "I'm sorry, but now that I'm in office, the people want results. All the forms have now been sent, and all the legal documents have been filed. The king gave the operation his stamp of approval. And with it, I'm afraid that fixing the situation at this point is, um…."

"Out of your hands?" Thomas sighed in defeat, knowing what the answer was.

"Yes." The prime minister admitted, before looking at his hands. "And I don't even have hands!"

Deeply saddened by this turn of events, Hilda turned around and started walking away. "Hilda, wait!" Johanna quickly rushed after her daughter, with Twig following behind her. Equally as worried.

As they exited the cave, Thomas turned back to the elves with a bitter glare. "Thanks for nothing." He groaned, before leaving as well. As he left, Alfur followed the paranormal investigator.

After coming out from under the waterfall, Thomas made his way to where his friends were. Stopping a few feet away from them, he watched as Johanna and Hilda sat together on the cliff's edge, with the mother holding her daughter and trying to comfort her.

Hilda sniffled as she tried holding back her tears. "What are we going to do, mum?"

"I…I'd know." Johanna said with uncertainty.

"I don't want to leave our home." Hilda hugged her mother, crying a little.

Johanna hugged her daughter as Twig licked Hilda's face. "I know, sweety, but we may not have a choice," she said, looking back at Thomas. She was lost as to what to say or do.

Thomas looked at her with a look of guilt in his eyes. Blaming himself for the situation that they were in. But all it did was make him more determined to help the woman he admired the most and her daughter. Johanna was a wonderful woman, and Hilda was almost like a niece to him. Thomas would do anything for them. But the question was how he could stop them from being evicted. The prime minister was no help, and with the elf king having approved of the operation, there was no preventing them from carrying out their attack.

However, it was at that moment he got an idea. And Alfur came running over to him just in time. Picking him up in his hand, Thomas raised him up and looked at him with a determined frown. "Alfur, do you know where the king is?"

"Thomas?" Johanna asked, letting go of her daughter and standing up. Both she and Hilda were stunned by his question.

"I'm why the elves are starting a war on you, Johanna. Meaning I have to fix this mess." Thomas told her.

"But it's not your fault. They would have still come after us if you didn't come," Johanna said, not wanting him to take the blame for the elves being angry with her and Hilda.

"Still, maybe I can talk him into peace," Thomas explained to both the mother and daughter. He then looked back to Alfur. "What do you say, Alfur? Can you take me to him? Or is it out of your nonexistent hands?"

Unfortunately, it was not to be what he'd hoped for when Alfur sighed with regret. "That would violate every protocol."

Thomas's hopeful smile disappeared, along with that last hope he had to save the cabin. That was it. That was the last hope he had for keeping Johanna's home from being destroyed, and it was gone. "I…I understand. Come on, girls. I'll take you home." He said with a sigh.

Hilda looked down with a tear trailing down her cheek. Johanna gently grasped her hand, and the four started their return trip home after failing their mission. As he watched the humans begin to walk away from the waterfall, Alfur was faced with a dilemma. The elf didn't want to force Hilda and her mum to leave, but he couldn't go against his people. Alfur knew this war was wrong, but once the king made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.

But then he thought that maybe Thomas had a chance to change his mind. He was determined to help Hilda and her Mum, and he was willing to talk it out between them and the elves. It was worth the shot.

"Yes! I'll take you." He said, getting Thomas, Johanna, and Hilda's attention.

"You will?" Thomas asked, eyes widening as he stared down at him in his hand.

"I will, but as the mediator, it can only be you, Thomas. It'll be a tough journey, so I'll need time to prepare. We can leave the day after tomorrow at sunrise." The little elf said to the red-haired human.

Thomas smiled happily at the little elf as a massive wave of relief washed over him and the girls.

"Thank you, Alfur," he said, raising his hand to his ear. Allowing Alfur to job over onto it.

"Not at all. It's actually closer to Hilda's home than you might think." Alfur said to the humans.

All of a sudden, Thomas was nearly tackled to the ground when Hilda ran into him and wrapped her around his waist. She buried her face into his brown jacket, before looking up at him with a tearful smile. "Thank you so much, Thomas."

"Don't mention it, kiddo. Let's get you and your mum home," he said, looking up at Johanna. The young mother was smiling at him with gratitude and happiness. Thomas smiled back and nodded to her. Today didn't go as he hoped it would, but there was still hope to end this war. That was more than enough for Thomas. Will he convince the king to retract his stance on the eviction? Can he save the cabin?

Only time will tell.

To Be Continued