Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

Sparks. Sparks are what happens when two fall in love. Their hearts burn with a passion and drive for the other. They look at each other with sparkles in their eyes, just as they get ready to kiss. It can happen anywhere, or anytime. But sometimes, we may wonder… how does a spark happen?

Throughout the wilderness, a bout of lights illuminated during the night. They were a bright white that contrasted with the starry sky. If you walked around there, you’d see the bright lights as if they were a sore thumb.

But not a person was around. No one would bother going out into the wilderness when it was dark, especially when it started snowing. Instead, the people who resided around the wilderness lived in a city close by called Trolberg.

Trolberg was walled off to prevent monstrous creatures known as the trolls from attacking. Attacks such as a recent one that almost caused a war between the humans and the trolls. Thankfully, that one was stopped by the town’s Safety Patrol leader, who through a sudden change of heart, allowed the trolls inside. After retiring, his successor enacted a new tradition, where every year the trolls were allowed in the city, just like that night.

Sadly, the damage to the city caused by the attack was massive. The roads were separated, bridges were torn up, and some houses looked as if they were cracked open like an egg. It would take time for everything to be brought back to how it was before. Even by winter, there were places that needed to be rebuilt, and people that needed to be helped out.

Regardless, sparks between those who love each other can happen at any time. Whether it was after an attack, or during the wintertime when it seems like friends are distant. It just takes time, and it takes understanding, for love to bloom.

Our story begins in an apartment situated within the eastern side of the town, where from the top window, a little golden-haired girl pressed her hands against the window. She wore a red-lined shirt with a white collar and had a scrunchy that she used to bring her long hair down into a lovely ponytail.

Looking up at the morning sky, she saw that it was snowing. Usually, the snow made her feel joyful, like any other kid would be. But this year, the snow made her feel gloomy, evident by her sigh as she sat on her bed. Suddenly, someone knocked on her door.

“Karen?” A mother’s voice called from the other side. “Can I come in?”

“Uh-huh.” Karen obliged, sitting down on her bed as the door opened. It was her redhead mother, wearing a long red dress that covered her whole body.

She sat by Karen. “I noticed you didn’t touch your supper last night. Is something wrong?”

Karen darted her eyes away. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Are you sure?” Her mom asked back, only to hear no response. “I know you miss them, but we had to move. Your grandmother’s house was-“

“-Destroyed by the troll attacks, I know.” Karen stopped her, having heard it before. “But every day it gets closer to Christmas, I wish more and more I was spending it with my friend.” She looked back out in the window. “Does he know that I live in Trolberg? What if he doesn’t? What if he…” Her lips quivered as her mother shushed her, rubbing her back.

“I’m sure he’ll find where we are eventually.” She promised. “Besides, it’s not all bad here! I had plenty of friends at your age before I moved. I bet you could make some if you just got out there and presented yourself!” The mother gestured her hands outward, like she was opening herself up.

“But… I don’t even know where to start with making new friends here. Everyone seems like they’re already in friend groups at school.” Karen rubbed on her hand.

The mother hummed for a second, before remembering what she used to do as a child.

“What if you joined the Sparrow Scouts?” She offered. “I met a lot of friends there. Plus, with the upcoming winter festival, they’re gonna need all the help they can get selling their broth!”

“Well…” -Karen thought for a second- “…I guess I could.”

Her mother hugged her. “You won’t regret it. I’ll get us over there first thing in the morning.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Karen shyly smiled as she watched her close the door. She then lied on the bed soon after, groaning. “Why did I agree to that…”

Meanwhile, farther down from Karen’s home was another apartment, where one of its windows showed the room of a little blue-haired girl. She lied down in her bed beside her pet, a white deerfox. The two were sleeping peacefully, or at least, the deerfox was. The blue-haired girl squirmed in her sleep, grunting.

“No… No! Stop! I don’t want to be a troll again! Please! STOP!”

The girl jerked up from her bed, gasping for air. The deerfox woke up upon hearing her fearful voice. He hopped over and rubbed his head against her heart, whining. She started calming down before burying her face in her hands, upset that she had a nightmare. She then heard her mother’s soft voice.

“Hilda! Twig! Breakfast is ready.”

Hilda jumped out of bed and grabbed her clothes from her drawers. In the kitchen, she walked over to the table alongside Twig.

Hilda wore a red sweater and a yellow scarf that wrapped around her neck, as well as a blue skirt, the same tone as her hair. She wore dark pants under the skirt that sunk into her red boots. Finally, she had a small black beret resting over her head, one she had kept with for many years.

Hilda looked over as she sat down and saw her mother, who had a slim appearance made in part with a maroon sweater and brown pants, a shade darker than her own hair in comparison.

Beside them was their tiny friend, Alfur, who was a red elf, and their furry friend, Tontu, who was a nisse that wore a sweater.

Just as they were about to eat, Hilda’s mother started a conversation.

“I heard you talking in your sleep again, sweetheart. Did you have another nightmare?”

“What? No way.” Hilda scoffed. “I was just… having a conversation with Twig.”

“That’s not what I heard.” Tontu interjected. “You were clearly dreaming about the changeling spell again.” She looked at him with the stink eye. “What? I can hear you guys through nowhere space, you know!” He crossed his arms as she groaned, continuing to eat.

“Okay, so I had a nightmare again, no big deal.”

“Hilda, that’s the third nightmare you’ve had this week.”

“And the-“ Alfur checked his notebook, “-twelfth one you had in the past three months. I’m no scholar with sleep, but that does not sound very healthy. Wouldn’t you agree, Johanna?” He asked her mother.

Hilda clenched onto her fork in response, feeling like she wanted to argue further. But deep down, she knew she couldn’t.

Everyone had known since the troll attack that Hilda wanted a break from adventures, but no one had expected the break to be this long. Even Johanna, despite having her differences with her daughter, wasn’t expecting to see Hilda stay inside almost all the time, like she was afraid of going outside.

“Hilda, I know it hasn’t been easy these past few months, but there comes a point where you have to let it go and accept it.”

“I know, but when I try to let it go, it always comes back.” Hilda explained to Johanna while picking at her food. “And I don’t understand why it does. The trolls are safe! We’re safe! The town is safe-“

“The town is destroyed.”

“Was destroyed, Tontu.” Hilda corrected him. “And even Erik retired! There’s seemingly no problems, so… why am I feeling like this? Why can’t I accept what happened?” She questioned herself.

Before she could go any further, however, the door to the family’s flat was given a knock.

Checking out to see who it was, Hilda saw her best friends, Frida and David. Frida wore a blue coat and earmuffs, while David wore a brown coat and a blue and red beanie over his head.

“Guess what time it is?” The latter’s voice cracked at that very moment, causing it to go from a high tone to one that was much lower, surprising the two girls. “That was weird.” He cleared his throat. “Guess what time it is!”

“Uh…” Hilda scratched her head.

“It’s time for us to sell broth at the market again!” Frida answered for her, much to her surprise.

“Wait, are you saying it’s already time for the Sonstansil Tree to bloom?” Hilda questioned, already bothered by the time creeping up on her.

“Not yet.” Frida quickly mentioned.

“But the Safety Patrol’s decided to extend the Winter Festival to last all month.” David explained.

“They say it’s to make everyone feel better after you know what happened.” Frida rolled her eyes. “Though I believe it’s an excuse for the markets to sell all their stuff before January.”

“We were wondering if you were ready to help us out again.” David offered, causing Hilda to look down at the floor.

“…I don’t know, guys. I’m still really bothered by everything.” She rubbed on her arm.

Feeling a little down by her response, her friends hugged her.

“If it makes you feel any better, we shouldn’t have any problem selling the broth this time.”

“Yeah, we’ll be in a spot closer to the tree, away from Trevor.” Frida and David mentioned respectively.

Johanna walked over and patted Hilda’s back. “I think helping out with the broth sale will help clear your mind, sweetheart.”

“You… really think it would?”

“We know it would.” Frida encouraged while David made a sweet little smile.

Hilda took a deep breath, before making a slight smile as well. “Let me get my coat.”

“Aw yeah!” David pumped his fist upward in joy, making Frida chuckle.

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Chapter Text

Chapter Two

Hilda sighed as she looked up at the Sonstansil Tree, deep in thought. Since she was outside, she was wearing her red coat, with her scarf out of the hood, and a brown and red beanie with a pom on top.

Meanwhile, her friends were setting the broth up on a table they brought in, as well as an electric burner to keep it warm. Twig decided to join them, like he had the year prior.

“You got the spoons, right?” Frida asked David.

“Yep. You got the bowls?”

“Uh-huh. Hilda, do you have the tip jar up?” She asked Hilda, who didn’t respond. “Hilda?"

Twig walked over as Frida said Hilda’s name again, with no response back. He rubbed his hoof on her leg, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“The tip jar. We gotta have it up if we want to get tips, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Hilda quickly placed the jar beside them. “Guess I was deep in thought again.”

“About the troll stuff?” Frida watched as Hilda paused.

“About a lot of things. Mainly just how many times I’ve almost… never mind.” She stopped herself as she went to the back of the stall and sighed again. “Let’s just open already.” Hilda wished, seeing her friends give her saddened stares.

“Hey, at least no one will be able to sabotage our delicious broth this time.” David mentioned, trying but failing to make his friend feel better. “…It was worth a try.”

At that moment, the three heard a knock coming from their stall, much to their befuddlement.

“Huh?”

Frida opened up to see Karen and her mother standing there, making nervous smiles. The two were bundled up with coats that went down to their knees. Upon hearing her confusion, the others followed out to see the two as well.

While David was perplexed, Hilda looked at Karen with intrigue. She never saw someone who had such golden hair, with strokes of dark yellow flowing downward. Nor did she see someone who had such a bright red coat, with buttons as white as her scarf, earmuffs, and scrunchy.

As she continued her gaze, Frida cleared her throat. “We’ll be open in an hour, ma’am.”

“Oh, I’m here to drop off my little girl. The Raven Leader told us to come to this stall.” The mother mentioned as Karen silently nodded.

Frida raised an eyebrow. “She never said anything to us.”

“It was a last-minute change. See?” Karen’s mother explained as she gave Frida a note in the leader’s handwriting.

“Due to scheduling changes, I have decided to let one of our new Sparrow Scouts join you all for the broth sale. Hope you don’t mind! You may get a new badge out of it! – The Raven Leader.” Frida read aloud, before looking at her friends.

“That does sound like something she would say.” David shrugged as Hilda looked at Karen.

“Alright, new girl, come on in. We’ll show you around.” She gestured them to follow her inside. Before Karen did, she looked back at her mother.

“I’ll be sure to pick you back up in time for supper, honey!” She waved, as Karen waved back, feeling like she was making a huge mistake.

“Okay, everyone. We have a new person working with us tonight.” Frida announced to the others as Karen shyly stood by. “Would you like to introduce yourself?”

“…Hi, my name is Karen.” She quickly replied, sweating a storm. “I-It’s nice to meet you all…” She took a deep breath.

Hilda and David looked at each other, surprised at the girl’s tone.

“Uh… alright. My name’s David.” He introduced himself.

“I’m Frida.” She introduced herself.

“Hilda.” Hilda placed her hand on her heart. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

The three watched as Karen started calming down. “…Sorry. I get a little excitable when I have to meet new people.”

“Don’t worry about it. We don’t bite. Right, guys?”

“Right.” Frida and David agreed with Hilda’s statement.

Twig did a soft bark as well, showing that he was also willing to be friendly. Upon hearing his bark, Karen noticed him and saw that he was a deerfox, which she gasped at.

“That’s a deerfox!”

“Yep.” Hilda allowed Twig into her arms and showed it to Karen. “And he likes it when someone pets his head.” Karen stood there for a moment, entranced. “Something wrong?”

“Not at all! I’m just so amazed that… that they’re real!” She placed her mitten on Twig’s head, caressing it as he purred.

“Oh, they’re real. Trust me.” Hilda winked as Karen’s smile slowly grew.

“How much do you know about selling broth, Karen?” Frida asked.

“Not much. I assume that pot’s the broth and we give some of it to people who visit. Is that right?”

“Yes, but we have to make sure we get paid.” David explained. “Both so the Scouts can make the money for selling the soup, and so we can get tips.” He showed the jar to Karen. “We usually split the money between all of us, so we get gifts.”

“Oh! I see… What would you like me to do, then?” She asked the trio.

“Well… we usually end up taking turns to serve the broth and sell it.” Frida rubbed her chin. “Maybe we can have two up front and two getting the broth together. Who wants to do what first?”

“I’ll take care of the broth first.” David announced. “I must make sure the secret recipe is followed accordingly!”

“Secret recipe?”

“It’s just a combination of a few vegetables, Karen.” Hilda whispered. “But it is really good.”

“I’ll help you out then.” Frida told David. “I’ll make sure the pot stays nice and hot.”

“Then that means Karen and I will sell the broth.” Hilda agreed as Karen began sweating.

It was already a lot for her to meet new people, now she was gonna have to sell soup to others in the market! As they ambled to the front of the stall, Karen’s dread started getting the better of her, which meant there was only one thing she could do in order to keep it down. She must distract herself. And the only way she could do that, was by talking to Hilda. Thankfully, Hilda was great at talking.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here.” She pointed out.

“Well… Trolberg’s a big town, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that big when you’re constantly exploring around for a new adventure, Karen.” Hilda sighed. “Though it doesn’t beat the wilderness beyond here, that’s for sure…”

“The wilderness?”

“Outside the city walls. I used to live out there with Twig and my mum all the time.”

“How come you don’t anymore?” Karen wondered, before noticing a sad frown form on Hilda’s face.

“…Let’s just say we can’t, even if we wanted to.” She answered, causing Karen to frown as well.

“Sorry I asked.”

“Hey, you didn’t know.” Hilda shrugged it off, as Karen went quiet for a moment, before speaking up.

“My mom made us move here a month or so ago from America. We had heard about the… um… attack that happened, and my grandmother’s house was destroyed during it.”

Hilda gasped. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that!”

“It’s okay. It’s not been all bad… I’ve gotten mostly used to living here.” Karen moaned. “…At the very least, this town’s really into celebrating Christmas, judging by the tree.”

Hilda blinked, astonished by that word. “Christ…mas?” She phrased it out, confused.

 “Yeah, Christmas. That’s a Christmas tree, isn’t it?” Karen pointed at the humongous tree in front of them. “It’s lacking the lights and ornaments, but December’s only just started.”

“That’s not a Christmas tree.” Frida called her out. “That’s the Sonstansil Tree.”

“Son…Stansil?” Karen phrased it out, now just as confused as Hilda was. “Is that a type of tree?”

“No, that’s the holiday we’re celebrating by selling the broth.” David answered. “Surely you’ve heard of it, right?”

“N-No!” Karen denied, shaking her head. “That can’t be true! You guys celebrate Christmas here! Right?!”

“What is Christmas?” Hilda questioned, offending Karen.

“What is Christ- There’s no way! Surely you guys decorate your homes with bright Christmas trees! Surely you know about the tale of Santa Claus and his reindeer! Surely you help your parents bake gingerbread men and gingerbread houses!”

“Nope.”

“Not at all.”

“Nah, but that does sound really good.” Hilda, Frida, and David all replied respectively.

Karen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She thought all this time that the town she moved in celebrated Christmas, and yet, it turned out they didn’t. They celebrated a holiday called Sonstansil, and it brought her mood down ever so further.

“I-I can’t believe this…” She moped, placing her head down to hide her upset face. “I was forced into moving into this stupid town that doesn’t even celebrate my favorite holiday…”

“Hey, our town isn’t stupid.” Hilda countered, placing her hand on Karen’s back. “Just because we don’t celebrate the same holiday doesn’t mean you should write off Trolberg. Believe me, this town has a lot more than you realize.”

“Easy for you to say.” Karen tilted her head upward. “You’ve lived here for years. You’re probably used to this town being boring…”

Feeling an odd familiarity to Karen’s claims, Hilda crossed her arms. “Is that so? What if I showed you the cool things this town actually has to offer? Would you still think it’s boring, then?” She challenged Karen.

“…I’d bet on it. If you prove to me that Trolberg’s not boring, I’ll take back what I said.”

“And If I can’t?”

“You have to admit it.” Karen argued. “Admit it to your friends that you agree with me, if you lose.”

“Deal.”

Hilda and Karen shook their hands again, smirking.

“Meet me at the library tomorrow, got it?”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Um… excuse me?” A man wearing a blue coat and dark pants interrupted them. “I’d like to buy some broth please.” He requested, causing Hilda and Karen to let go of their handshake and act like nothing had happened.

“One broth coming up!” Hilda gave a thumbs up as Karen nervously chuckled.

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Chapter Text

Chapter Three

The next morning, Karen was dropped off with her backpack at the library, where she was told to meet Hilda.

Upon looking at the exterior of the building itself, she noticed how much it towered over her. It was much bigger than her old school was back in America! But a big library was still a library.

She headed inside, still firm in her belief about the city. Just like the exterior, the interior of the library was huge, with two floors of bookshelves filled to the brim with genres of fiction and non-fiction. Several people older than her walked around, reading and searching for the perfect book. With how much was in here, Karen felt overwhelmed, unsure of where to even look. Hilda could be just about anywhere!

Fortunately, there was a librarian close by that was replacing books that were recently returned. The librarian was a slender woman, with black hair and purple tips. She wore a mostly grey dress, with a dark robe that covered her backside.

Karen noticed how in tune the librarian was with her work, like she wanted nothing to distract her, so she almost didn’t want to say anything. At the same time, however, she knew it was the librarian’s job to respond to questions.

“E-Excuse me.” Karen stammered as she saw her look back. “You, um, wouldn’t have happened to see a girl with blue hair around, have you?”

The librarian sighed. “Hilda’s on the second floor to your right.”

Karen’s eyes widened in shock. How could the librarian know who Hilda was? That question stayed in her mind as she headed upstairs and to her right. Up there, past a bookshelf, was Hilda sitting at a wooden table, with long seats for someone to sit next with.

“Karen, over here.” She gestured her over with her hand.

Karen sat next to Hilda, humming. “I don’t know, Hilda, this place’s bigger than I imagined, but I don’t know if having a lot of books makes Trolberg cool.”

Hilda scoffed. “You think I invited you over here just to check out the books?”

“I mean… It is a library.” Karen shrugged as Hilda gazed around the area, as if she was a little blue lighthouse. She then got up, and silently gestured Karen to follow her over to a particular bookshelf.

Unlike the others, this one appeared to have been sunken into the wall. Upon standing in front of it, Hilda looked both ways, perplexing Karen.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure no one’s around.”

“Why?”

“Just watch.” Hilda took her hands and pushed the bookshelf aside by a little bit, revealing a dark, secret passage.

Karen gasped. “I-Is that- woah!” Hilda quickly took Karen’s hand and dragged her inside, closing the bookshelf behind them so no one would suspect a thing.

“Hey!” Karen let go. “Warn me next time before you do something like that…” She trailed off as she saw what appeared to be even more books, as far as the eye could see. Despite how dark it was, she could make out that the entire walls of the secret room were bookshelves, as well as what appeared to be a desk and a comfy red chair.

“This is one of the library’s secret rooms.” Hilda mentioned as she turned on the light and went down the steps.

“Secret rooms?” Karen repeated, astonished by the plural usage.

“Oh yeah, there’s even more than this one. But Kaisa doesn’t like me bringing others this far down.”

“Kaisa?”

“The librarian.”

“Oh!” Karen understood as she followed down the steps. “Why doesn’t she like people being in the secret rooms?”

“Because she’s a witch.”

 “Haha, very funny, Hilda.” Karen rolled her eyes as she grabbed a book out and noted the appearance of several odd-looking, yet colorful people called the Yule Lads.

“No, I’m being serious. Kaisa’s a witch.” Hilda corrected as she saw the book. “Oh, hey, the Yule Lads. I met those guys last Sonstansil.”

“Huh?” Karen blinked, confused again. “What do they have to do with that?”

“Every year they’d scour the city to find if the children are being naughty or nice. If they’re naughty, the children get taken away.”

“And if they’re nice…?” Karen fretted, sweating bullets.

“They don’t get taken away.” Hilda placed the book back on the shelf. “Not that it matters anymore, all the Yule Lads need now is that broth we sell, and they’ll be on their way.” She shrugged it off, watching as Karen sighed in relief.

“That’s good. I’d hate to be deemed naughty by them.”

“How come? You don’t seem very naughty to me.” Hilda raised an eyebrow.

“Tell that to the magician who called me such when I talked back to him.” Karen frowned as she sat down on the chair. “Even though he was the one who threw his hat away.” She moped.

Despite not knowing the context, Hilda felt sympathetic of Karen again, and rubbed her arm.

“I don’t think you’re naughty just because you talked back to someone once. Seems a bit dramatic of them to say that to be honest.”

“It was! They didn’t even want the hat anymore until me and my old friends found a good use for it...” Karen’s voice got quieter as she remembered those she knew from her old home.

Wondering what she meant by that, Hilda was just about ready to ask more, but at that moment, the two girls heard the bookshelf being moved again. That meant only one thing: Kaisa was coming down.

“Quick hide!” Hilda whispered as Karen darted her eyes around quickly. Seeing as there were no good spots, she immediately ran under the table and pulled the chair in so she wouldn’t be easily seen. Hilda stood in front of the chair and put on an innocent grin, acting like nothing was wrong.

Upon making it down, Kaisa saw Hilda and groaned in frustration. “What are you doing down here?”

“Um… Frida told me to find another spell book to study! You know how she is.” Hilda nervously laughed as Karen sweated tremendously.

“…Odd. It sounded like you were talking to someone a moment ago.”

“Oh, that’s because Frida was here, and then she told me to stay up here while she goes further down to find the book she was wanting!” She explained, pointing over to where the next secret room was located. “Say, since you’re a witch, maybe you could help her find the book she’s looking for!” Hilda argued, as Kaisa crossed her arms. “Please?” She asked again, hoping that the librarian would give in.

Fortunately, she did. “Alright, I’ll go check on her.” Kaisa sighed as she went down the secret rooms, leaving Hilda and Karen to make their quick escape! “Frida? Are you down here? Hilda told me you were trying to look for another book-“

Before Kaisa could finish, she immediately heard the noises of two kids scurrying out from the room next door, causing her to take a deep breath. “I’m gonna give that girl a stern talking to next time I see her.”

Hilda and Karen bolted out of the library soon afterwards, huffing from how much they had ran. After having been on that crazy sprint, Karen started snickering, confusing Hilda.

“What’s so funny?”

“How much that actually worked!” Karen’s snickers transitioned into a laughter. “You really fooled Kaisa there!”

“I did… I did didn’t I?” Hilda giggled as well.

“I can’t believe you got away with that!”

“We got away with it!” She corrected Karen as they continued to laugh, and laugh, until it came to an end.

Now that Hilda had shown Karen the library, she was unsure of where to go next.

“How much more time do we have before we serve broth again?” Karen wondered as Hilda rubbed her chin.

“It was morning when you arrived, so I’d say we have at least a bit more time, but not enough for me to show you another cool thing Trolberg has.”

“I didn’t realize the cool things have a schedule.” Karen chuckled. “Maybe we could… do something a little more fun than a library? Like ice-skating!”

“…Ice skating?”

“Yeah! Haven’t you heard of it?”

“I’ve heard of it, b-but…” Hilda clenched her hands. “…I’d rather not.”

“What? Come on, it’s fun!” Karen gestured as she saw a frozen pond a few meters away that looked perfectly solid. “Follow me.” She directed as Hilda sighed.

“Whatever, anything that will get her to take your side.” She told herself before following Karen.

Once they got closer, Hilda recognized it, knowing that during the spring, it was a duck pond that her friend, Tontu, had a strong liking towards. However, right now, it was frozen solid.

Karen observed the ice for a moment while Hilda started to panic. Thankfully for the former, it was safe to walk on.

“Alright, you ready to go, Hilda?” Karen placed her backpack down to pull out a pair of blue ice-skating boots.

“Sorry Karen, I forgot to bring my own.” Hilda apologized, only for Karen to bring out a similar set of ice-skating boots that were red.

“That’s alright, I brought a spare just in case.”

Hilda’s jaw dropped upon seeing how prepared Karen was, and yet, because of it, she no longer had an excuse. Still, Hilda wanted out of ice-skating.

 “Y-You can go on ahead, Karen.”

“Are you sure? These boots would love to be skating on that pond right about now.”

“No, it’s okay! I don’t think they’d want someone who doesn’t want to skate at all.”

Karen gasped, not believing it. “What’s wrong with ice-skating?”

“N-Nothing! I just… don’t know how to skate.” Hilda mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know how to skate!” Hilda admitted, turning red from embarrassment.

“Ah… I see.” Karen put on her ice-skating boots before helping Hilda with hers. “Maybe I could help you. I happen to know a thing or two about skating, after all.”

“Really?”

“It’s easy!” Karen took Hilda over to the pond, holding her hand.

It first started with teaching Hilda how to balance, where Karen slightly bent down and watched as Hilda almost bent too far down, causing her to push her back up. Then, she taught her how to move little by little, and after that, how to glide. Finally, she taught Hilda how to do strokes, which made Hilda lose balance with every second try.

“Woah!”

“I got you!” But before Hilda would fall, Karen was always there to save her and keep her on balance. It was a beautiful sight, as Karen watched Hilda’s confidence grew more and more, until eventually… it soared.

“Hey… I haven’t fallen at all! Isn’t that neat, Karen?” Hilda looked back as she saw Karen’s hand was gone, surprising her. She leaned around and saw Karen waving with a huge smile on her face.

“I’m skating… I’m skating!” Hilda laughed happily as she glided back over to Karen and grabbed onto her hands tightly. “Thank you, Karen!”

“Don’t mention it!”

The two girls laughed as they continued to skate for minutes on end, until they both realized how much time had passed, and how tired their legs were. Once they sat back on the snow, they started putting their normal boots back on. At that moment, a question entered Hilda’s mind.

“How come you had a spare set of boots, Karen?”

“You always gotta be prepared for anything, Hilda. You never know when a friend will need a spare set of… boots…” Karen trailed off again. She sighed. “At least, back in America, I always had a friend who needed them.” She scrunched up, looking away from Hilda. “I miss having friends.”

Hilda’s heart twinged from Karen’s solemn words. She didn’t want to accept them. In her mind, there was no way that someone who taught her how to ice-skate was going to say that like she had… no one else to turn to.

Suddenly, Karen found herself wrapped into a hug by Hilda.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m hugging my friend.” She proclaimed to her.

Karen’s smile grew in response, while her cheeks became a slight rosy red.

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Chapter Text

Chapter Four

Over time, the two girls continued their exploration of Trolberg. While at first it was for the sake of a bet between them, it ended up being something more as the days went by.

It started simple, with Hilda taking Karen over to the Trolberg docks right on the harbor one day. There, she was looking for a peculiar shell.

“Why are we shell-searching?” Karen scratched her head as Hilda picked a shell up. She shook her head and put it back down.

“You’ll see. A-ha!” She found a white conch shell and shook it so there wouldn’t be any excess water or sand. “Watch this.” She blew the shell like it was a horn, astonishing Karen further.

“Why did you do that-“ Before she could finish, she heard the water beside them ripple in a rapid manner. Suddenly, a huge mound made of water formed upward, forming a pair of eyes that looked down at the two.

“Eep!” Karen screamed as she hid behind Hilda, making her chuckle.

“Hey! Hey! There’s nothing to be worried about; it’s just the water spirit!” She cleared her throat. “Spirit, do you mind if you take us for a ride around the docks here?” Hilda did a circular motion with her finger.

The water spirit obliged, creating a set of stairs beside them. Remembering how apprehensive her other friends were, Hilda grabbed Karen’s hand and headed towards the spirit.

“What are you doing?!” Karen said, struggling to get her hand out, before seeing Hilda step on the stair like it was made out of solid material. Karen’s eyes widened. “It’s…okay?” She stepped on the stair as well, shocking her.

The spirit looked over at her and winked, showing itself as a benevolent creature. While that did ease her worries, Karen’s shock still got to her, while Hilda noticed, making her smile as they headed up to the top.

Just like the stairs, the surface was like that of a solid, which continued amazing Karen and amusing Hilda.

“I can’t believe we’re on top of the water! It must be magic!”

“Magic?” Hilda giggled. “Nah, it’s just what the water spirits are known for!” She patted the spirit’s head, as it slowly took them around the bay, letting Karen get a better view of the surrounding around her. It was a lovely sight, one that made her forget about her worries, just as much as it made Hilda forget about her own.

“This… is amazing.” Karen marveled at the city’s colors that complemented the snow on the ground. “And you can just have a ride like this anytime?”

“Well, not anytime. Only when we really need to.” Hilda corrected her.

“Huh. Wait, so was this a time you really needed to ask them?”

“…I’d say so. Just so I could get to spend time with you.” She realized what she had just said, getting embarrassed. “I-I mean for the bet!” Hilda stammered with her face flushed. “I can spend time for you to know that Trolberg’s not boring!”

Karen giggled. "If you wanted to hang out you could’ve asked.”

“I could.” Hilda lied down on the spirit’s head, as did Karen. “But I usually have a reason when I hang out with someone else. Sometimes I need help from David regarding a Sparrow Scout thing. Twig tends to accompany me whenever adventure is afoot. Heck, I pretty much have to help Frida with her witch studies. I’m her familiar!”

Karen hummed. “You’ve never just… asked to spend time with anyone else? At all?”

“…Not really. I don’t want anyone to think I’m clingy or anything such.”

“You’re not clingy! You’re such a cool girl that it’s surprising you think no one wants to be around you!” Hilda paused in thought, prompting Karen to speak further. “I think you’re cool, if that means anything.”

Hilda shyly smiled, her cheeks turning a bit red. “It does.”

On another day, Hilda, alongside her friend, Alfur, directed Karen outside of the city’s walls, much to her confusion.

“I still don’t understand why we must sign contracts to see elves.” Karen admitted.

“We do everything via formalities and negotiations.” Alfur explained. “It’s just what we find joyful!” He made a toothy grin.

“It’s okay. I don’t understand why they believe it, either.” Hilda whispered, making Karen chuckle.

“I heard that.” Alfur crossed his arms.

“Sorry.” They both apologized in unison.

“Why are we over here, anyways? I don’t believe something outside of Trolberg counts as a part of Trolberg.”

“There’s a lot of things that you’re gonna associate with Trolberg whether or not it’s within those walls.” Hilda placed her hand on the wall, gazing upward into the sunny sky.

“Like what?” Karen raised an eyebrow.

“Like… the bells.” Hilda’s voice got noticeably quieter upon mentioning. “Every few nights the bells ring so they can keep the trolls away and…” She trailed off, clenching onto the wall.

Karen looked at Alfur, who had a bothered expression on his face. “Is there something wrong with the bells?”

“Well, not necessarily, but-“

“I don’t like them.” Hilda interrupted Alfur.

“Why do you-“

“I just don’t like them.” Hilda repeated again to answer Karen’s question, with a tone that showed she wasn’t going to say anything further.

Karen was stunned at the sudden tone shift, causing her to feel like she said something wrong. “I-I’m sorry if I offended you by asking. Really!” She apologized, causing Hilda’s tone to also nosedive.

“No, no. You didn’t. I…-“ Her lips quivered “-I have a lot of baggage regarding bells.”

Karen darted her eyes away, feeling the weight of Hilda’s admittance.

Fortunately for them, their destination was coming up, as within the trees and flowers surrounding the wall was many rocks that were reshaped into homes.

“There’s the Bragga clan.” Alfur got the two’s attention as he hopped down and saw elves that looked gruff, and prude compared to him. One in particular came out, wearing a coat and having a grey beard. It was the clan’s leader, Bartell.

“Well, if it isn’t Alfur!” He called him out. “I suppose you’re here for another mission?”

“Actually, I have no interest in a mission today.” Alfur declined, before gesturing Hilda to place the gift box down beside them. “I instead wanted to give the clan a gift.”

Bartell checked inside, seeing that it was small hairbrushes, smaller than the elves themselves. While the others were befuddled at the generous gift, Bartell was shocked.

“How did you know I was wanting a new brush?”

“I heard from Cedric you were wanting one for Sonstansil.” Alfur chuckled while Karen gazed at Hilda.

“He made me ask the Rat King.” She whispered.

“Oh.” She understood, remembering what Hilda had told her during one of their travels.

Sure enough, the gift proved to be very popular, with the clan of elves using their brushes one by one to make new hairstyles. Most especially Bartell, who was laughing away while brushing his own hair.

“We very much appreciate this gift you’ve given us, Alfur.” Bartell patted his back. “Happy Sonstansil!”

“Happy Sonstansil.” The two elves said to each other.

While Hilda was happy at the sight, Karen couldn’t help but feel how similar it was to give gifts to friends and family during Christmastime. She wanted to be happy for the elves, but deep down, she just wished that they were giving Christmas gifts, instead of gifts for… Sonstansil.

More and more time came between the two girls as their bet continued throughout December, culminating on the twenty-third. Once again, it was another night to sell broth.

Hilda and Karen walked with Frida, David, and Twig as they headed down to their usual stall during the day.

“I have to say, working right beside the Sonstansil Tree was the best outcome.” Frida commented, holding their tip box. “We’ll have enough for all of us after tonight.”

“Good thing too, I was really missing all the candy I could’ve had last year.” David added.

“And I needed to get a new snow globe for Mum.” Hilda agreed. “Baba broke that old one.”

David’s eyes widened. “So, my candy last year was sacrificed for nothing?!”

“Hey, I can’t help if I was…” Hilda groaned before she could finish her sentence, as if she didn’t want to think about those events further. Frida shot a look at David, not appreciating that he brought down Hilda’s mood. Twig barked as he jumped into Hilda’s arms, giving her face a few licks to make her feel better. “Thanks, boy.” She petted him.

Meanwhile, Karen looked and saw something that caught her eye. It was a stall that had several toys on display, so she ambled over to check it out. On the display were several plush toys of different shapes and sizes. Some were animals, like a small little reindeer, and a brown great dane. Some were humanoid, like one that looked like a fairy with a tag that said “Made in Tofoten” right on it.

But one particularly stuck out to Karen’s eyes. It was… a  small snowman. A snowman that had a red and green scarf on, and a grey top hat that resembled someone she knew. She grabbed the toy and held it close to her face, her grip getting tighter by the second. Seeing she was over there, the others followed, wondering why she was so focused on the snowman.

“You know, you can buy that toy with your tips, Karen.” Hilda pointed out, only for Karen to not respond. “Karen? Are you there?”

“Huh?” Karen snapped out of it, seeing that Hilda and the others were right beside her. “Oh, right. The broth.” She sighed as she slowly placed the toy back down and followed them again, much to Hilda’s dismay and curiosity.

During the broth sale, Frida and Hilda took over the front while David and Karen handled the back. Like the other days they had done this, it was going pretty smoothy up until it was time for them to take a break. With this break, Hilda passed a question onto Karen.

“Hey Karen?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your opinion on snowmen?”

Karen tensed up. “Um…I mean I like them as much as the next person, why?” She shyly lied.

“I was just wondering because we saw you hold onto that toy like your life depended on it.” Frida and David nodded in agreement with Hilda.

“Hey, we don’t judge if you care about toys. I have plenty of plushies at my house.” David assured, as Karen started sweating.

“T-That’s great, but…” She trailed off, unable to answer any further. “Just forget it.”

“Forget what?” Hilda questioned further. “I just wanted to ask what your opinion on snowmen was and you’re getting weirdly defensive about it.”

“I-I’m not getting defensive about Frosty!” Karen pushed back, before immediately covering her mouth up with her hands. The trio stood there, confused at who she was talking about.

“Frosty…?” Hilda raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Even though they weren’t giving her bad looks, Karen couldn’t help but feel like she was being judged by mentioning his name, and right then and there, her emotions started taking over. She could feel her tears welling up in her eyes, and not wanting to break down in front of people she had only gotten to know, she dashed out of the stall.

“K-KAREN?! COME BACK!” Hilda shouted as she saw Karen run away as fast as she could. “Come on, Twig, we gotta follow her!” She stepped out of the stall, ready to move. But before she did, she looked at her friends.

“Frida! David! Can you two keep the stall open while we’re gone?”

“We got your back!”

“You can count on us.” The two understood respectively, as Hilda and Twig ran off to follow Karen.

Just as they left, however, one of the marketplace people headed around the tree beside them with a megaphone. “Attention all Trolbergians! We have just gotten word that the Sonstansil Tree will be blooming in three hours!” They announced with people cheering at the celebration coming to a start. All except for Frida and David, who gulped in fear over their missing friends.

Fanart:

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

Karen sprinted throughout the market, hoping to find somewhere she could stop and calm down. Her mind was scattered with memories that only contributed to her anxiety. At some point, she slowed down to take a breath, when she heard Hilda’s voice shout from afar.

“Karen, come back, please!” Twig barked alongside her. Karen gasped as she started running again, now realizing she was being chased. “Wait, no! Don’t just keep-“ Hilda sighed as she and Twig kept their pursuit.

Because of the adventures they shared together, Karen knew Hilda had Trolberg figured out. This meant that if she tried to hide anywhere, Hilda would certainly find Karen. So, she had only one option to throw the two off her trail. She needed to hide outside of the city.

Now that she had a plan, she quickly bolted out of the market and towards Trolberg’s walls, upsetting Hilda.

“Where are you going?!” She shouted again, losing sight of Karen once she escaped. “Twig, help me find her.” Hilda requested, as he took a whiff of her smell. He believed that by hanging out with her so much, Karen would have a similar smell. He placed his head down on the ground, searching.

Unbeknownst to them, Karen was just a few meters away, huffing from how much she ran. She found a large rock formation that was able to obscure her from them, but unfortunately for her, Twig didn’t need to see. Thanks to his nose, he was able to find the rock.

Since she assumed that Karen would likely run away again, Hilda tiptoed quietly over, overhearing her friend’s breathing. She looked at Twig, and did a circular motion with her hand, telling him to meet Karen from the other way. He did what Hilda silently asked, and now all she had to do was confront Karen.

Hilda quickly jumped over the rock. Shocked, Karen tried to run before Twig stopped her, barking.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough, boy.” Hilda quelled him, before looking at Karen baffled. “What was that all about? You mentioned something about this Frosty person and you just… left!”

“H-He was just someone I knew.” Karen clenched her hands, which Hilda noticed.

“If he was just that, then why did you decide to run so far?” She pressed further, unintentionally making Karen mad. “Y-You certainly have a lot of attachment to them!” She stuttered upon noticing Karen’s eyebrows furrowing. “Who is Frosty, Karen?”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“What’s the harm in telling me?” Hilda questioned as Karen growled.

“Well, what’s the harm in telling me why you hate bells so much?” She immediately turned the question back on her, causing Hilda to step back.

“Y-You don’t need to know that.”

“Says the girl who really wants to know who Frosty is, huh?” Karen called her out.

“That’s different. You’re actively not wanting to talk about someone while I just dislike something.”

“Yeah like the pretty sound of bells!”

“Bells aren’t that pretty!”

“Yes they are!”

The two girls argued over and over, causing Twig to roll his eyes. He knew this was going on long enough, but a deerfox can only do so much. However, upon looking away from them, Twig’s eyes centered on a familiar sight.

It was a bout of white lights, that illuminated just far enough for him to see. He was stunned. He knew what these lights were and couldn’t believe it. They had returned once again.

Twig ran over to Hilda, scratching on her leg as she kept squabbling with Karen. “Not now, Twig.” Twig continued scratching, now whining to get her attention. “What is it, boy?” Hilda exclaimed, frustrated that he took her attention away from the argument.

Now that she was distracted, Karen gazed around for places she could hide from the two. That was, until she herself saw the bout of lights, catching her eyes like they were the only thing there.

“What the…?” She raised an eyebrow as Hilda looked up from Twig and saw the lights herself, gasping.

“The deerfoxes…” She stood up as Karen walked beside them, confused.

“What about the deerfoxes?”

“That’s their lights.” Hilda pointed at the bout. “If that’s here, then that means… Twig’s family is here!”

She and Twig immediately raced towards the lights, much to Karen’s befuddlement. Even though she had an opportunity to run away, she couldn’t help but feel enamored with the sight, and follow it. Something about the white lights reminded her of… home. Not Trolberg, but her old home...

Karen caught up with Hilda and Twig within a few seconds. Even though she had met Twig for a much shorter time, Karen wondered what the deal was with the deerfoxes. Thankfully, Hilda told her during one of their outings. But it wasn’t until now that she realized how grand and mysterious the deerfoxes really were.

As they got closer to the lights, deerfoxes like Twig started to become visible to them. He smiled as he saw two adult deerfoxes standing by a bright blue path emanating from the lights. It was his parents. Twig howled as he got the attention of the deerfoxes on him, as well as his friends. Hilda and Karen gasped at the sight, the former in happiness.

“I can’t believe they’re back… I almost thought I’d never see them again.” Hilda looked at Karen, who was enchanted by the sight.

“I can’t believe you weren’t lying about them.” She admitted. “I-I thought you were just telling me a story.”

Hilda scoffed. “When are you gonna learn that I don’t make up adventures? Come on, let’s get a little closer.” She gestured as she walked closer to the deerfoxes, prompting Karen to follow her.

Once they got down there, the two girls were confronted by Twig’s parents. They looked down at them wisely, before giving Twig snuggles and licks. He was glad to be reunited with them once again, as was Hilda, this time without the fear of losing her best friend.

At that moment, the young deerfoxes walked up the path, seemingly implying that it was time to leave already.

“Aww… we just got here.” Hilda fretted as Karen frowned in disappointment.

However, Twig understood that something was different about this time, and did a little bark at his parents. The two bent themselves down, as if they wanted Hilda and Karen to get on their backs.

“Do they want us to ride them?” Karen asked, as Twig nodded, much to Hilda’s glee as she hopped on. Karen hopped on as well, albeit more carefully, and held onto the parent tightly. Now that they had the girls, Twig and his parents went up the path and into the lights.

Hilda and Karen’s jaws dropped at the marvelous sight. Light blue paths were all around them like they were ribbons, all with deerfoxes ambling on as orbs of light flew around. All along a majestically dark sky that was filled with stars.

“Oh my gosh…” Hilda took the sight in. “Is this really where you came from, Twig?” She asked him as he wagged his tail, smiling.

While the sights were familiar to the duo, Karen couldn’t help but think about the Aurora Borealis, which just like the Deerfoxes’ home, was a bout of lights that illuminated over the North Pole. She liked the sights as much as Hilda and Twig, but deep down, she only thought about her own best friend, and how much she wished he was here to see this.

After walking on top of the current path for a bit, Twig’s parents took them over to a distant, yet surprisingly spacious land that floated in mid-air. It was clearly made out of hard material, and yet it looked as if it stayed floating for millennia. Surrounding the land were golden columns that glowed a bright orange, as if they were meant for a palace long ago.

It started to snow on the land specifically, gaining the attention of many young deerfoxes. They ran in droves, before coming together in pairs of two. Each pair of deerfoxes stood parallel to one another, closed their eyes, and stayed as still as stones.

“What are they doing, Hilda?”

“No idea.” Hilda shook her head at Karen’s question.

Just then, Twig’s parents looked at the two girls, prompting them to get off. Once Hilda and Karen got off, the parents pointed at the land, encouraging the girls and Twig to join the other children in their stillness.

“Um… I’m good.” Karen respectfully declined, not understanding why the deerfoxes were doing this.

“Yeah, I don’t know if we should really participate in… whatever this is.” Hilda added, as the deerfoxes looked at each other, and then at their son.

Knowing that they weren’t intending on harming the girls, Twig ran over and gently pushed Hilda’s leg in encouragement.

“Twig, I know this is your family, but Karen and I aren’t like you, so we-“

He barked before she could finish, as if he really wanted them to join.

“Okay, okay!” Hilda accepted as she and Karen walked onto the land with befuddled gazes.

Even when the former looked back, she saw Twig find a deerfox friend that appeared like him but with scruffy fur. The two stood between each other and closed their eyes as well. Fortunately, it wasn’t very long for them to open their eyes and play around in the snow, easing any worries Hilda could’ve had.

“Seems like it won’t take too long, Karen.” She told her as Karen looked at another pair, taking a similar amount of time.

“Good thing. I was scared of staying still for a bit.” Karen chuckled for a moment, before stopping when she saw stress lines form under Hilda’s eyes. “B-Because I, um… have trouble staying completely still.” She admitted, feeling like she said something wrong. “Just forget it.”

“No, I… get what you mean.” Hilda nodded. “I really do…” She trailed off as they found an empty spot of the land. “Okay, so it looks like we have to stand beside each other like this,” -Hilda stood parallel in front of Karen, like she was making eye contact with her- “and we just close our eyes. Ready?”

“…Can we hold hands? Just so I don’t end up losing you in case my eyes are somehow closed for longer?”

Hilda obliged, holding onto Karen’s hands. “Alright. One… two… three.”

The two closed their eyes, and upon doing so, a bright yellow glow enveloped their visions, despite them being as still as stone in the deerfoxes’ world.

Immediately, Hilda found herself in the middle of a forest, where snow was covering everything from the trees to the rocks. She was bewildered.

“Huh? What am I doing over here?” She looked around as her eyes centered on a greenhouse just a few meters away. “Since when does Trolberg have greenhouses?” Hilda wondered as she came closer to it, noting the pretty-looking flowers inside, before seeing something that made her stop right in her tracks.

 She saw Karen inside, sobbing over a top hat and a corncob pipe resting on top of a puddle. Bothered by the sight, Hilda unlocked the door and went inside.

 “Karen…?”

“He’s gone… He’s really gone…” Karen squeaked in her sobs. “My friend is gone.”

“Who’s gone?” Hilda pressed further, concerned.

“Frosty… He was a snowman that came to life.” Karen explained. “He and I did everything together! We had a parade! We played follow the leader! We tried going to the North Pole! But I…” She sniffled again. “But I got really cold and Frosty got scared about me, so we went inside this greenhouse and he… he…”

Hilda covered her mouth at the horrifying realization. Karen nodded, knowing that Hilda knew, before going back into sobs.

“And I don’t even know what to do anymore. I lost my best friend… What am I gonna do…?”

Hilda grabbed onto Karen’s hand. “Maybe I could help you rebuild him?” She undid her scarf from her jacket. “We can use my scarf to wring Frosty up into the snow outside and we’ll pitter and patter until we can’t feel our thumbs!” She gave Karen the scarf. “What’d ya say?”

Karen wiped her tears with her arm. “Y-You’d help me?”

“Absolutely! I’m always down to help my friends!” Hilda giggled, making Karen hug her tightly.

“Thank you…”

Once Karen opened her eyes, she found herself inside of a dark, damp cave. A rather expansive one at that, with the sources of light being campfires that were made by the local… trolls?

She hid as fast as she could from any one of them. After all, they’re scary creatures who would likely eat her the second they could. Or at least, that was what she was told to believe by her mom. Regardless, she had no idea why she was here, let alone where anyone else was. Before she could wonder any further, the sounds of sniffling were heard in Karen’s ears.

She snuck around the caves, visiting place after place to follow the sound. She needed to, because with every passing step, it was as if she was getting closer to someone who could help her get out. Maybe the sniffling were coming from a troll who could use a child’s help. Maybe the sniffling was from another human who ended up in the caves. No matter what, Karen was keen on finding out who it was.

Sure enough, she heard the most amount of sniffling coming from within a particular cavern, and Karen popped her head out to see who it was coming from.

Inside, there was a little troll girl with blue hair. Her backside was turned away from Karen, still sniffling as if she was holding herself back. Even though her mother told her not to approach the trolls, Karen felt an odd connection with the troll girl, and slowly ambled inside, hearing the girl’s sobs slowly come out in between her sniffles.

“Hello? What’s wrong…?” Karen asked as the girl turned her head over, revealing that she was none other than Hilda, with tears flowing down her stony face.

“H-Hilda?!” Karen stuttered in fear as she got closer to her. “What happened to you?”

Hilda sniffled. “T-Trylla separated me from my mum and turned me into a t-troll…”

“But how?! You’re a human, aren’t you?”

Hilda nodded. “But s-she thinks I’m better off being a troll because I kept fighting with my mum. But I didn’t mean to fight with her! I just wished she wasn’t so controlling sometimes!” She cried. “And now I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to change back into me again! Let alone ever go back home and see my friends, or Twig, or… or…” Hilda broke down into sobbing, upsetting Karen as she sat beside her.

“Hilda, it’s okay…” She rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. “I’m sure everyone’s out there trying to find you.”

“You don’t know that… What if something happened to them? What if they never find me?”

“Well, I found you.” Karen countered. “Granted, I have no idea how I ended up in this cave, but… if I can find you, I bet your mom can too.” She smiled, seeing Hilda wipe her tears with her arm.

“You really think so?”

“I know so. Maybe we could even work together to get back to Trolberg! What’d ya say?” Karen offered.

In response, Hilda embraced her, continuing to cry. Karen shushed her, rubbing her back as she heard Hilda’s sobs become quieter and quieter, until they just… came to a stop.

Fanart:

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

Suddenly, the bright light flashed again, and upon opening their eyes, Hilda and Karen found themselves back on the strange land, looking at each other. It seemed like no time passed, as it was still snowing down. Neither Twig nor his parents seemed to be bothered either.

“Woah…” Hilda blinked as she processed everything. “That was strange.”

“Really strange.” Karen nodded as the two went quiet.

Deep down, they wanted to talk about what happened, but they just didn’t know where to start.

“You were turned into a troll?”

“You brought a snowman to life?” Karen and Hilda asked at the exact same time, causing them to gasp.

“How did you know that?” Hilda immediately questioned. “I-I never told you about the changeling spell or anything like that…” Her eyes widened. “Wait a moment… Yes I did! I just remembered it!” She looked at Karen’s eyes. “You were there when I thought there was no way to change back.”

Karen scratched her head. “That can’t be true. I lived in America for all my life. Even if I did meet you by accident, I would’ve told Frosty about you-” Karen paused as her eyes also widened “-Hold on. I-I remember what you suggested while I cried over Frosty melt-” She stopped herself. Her lips quivered for a moment before shaking it off like it was a chill on her back. “But there’s no way! I only met you a few weeks ago!”

“None of this makes any sense.” Hilda shook her head. “It’s like we… relived memories.” She realized. “Karen, what happened when you opened your eyes after that weird flashing light thing happened?”

“Hmm…” Karen rubbed her chin. “I ended up in a cave that was filled with trolls, including you.”

“You were in the stone forest…” Hilda gasped again. “When I opened my eyes, I found a greenhouse covered in snow.”

“Wait. Did it have a sign that said, ‘Country Nurseries’ on it?” Karen asked as Hilda nodded. “So, you really did see what happened then…” Karen frowned as she headed over to the edge of the land and sat down. She looked up at the orbs flying around the Deerfoxes’ paths. Feeling bad, Twig sat next to her, as did Hilda soon after.

She cleared her throat. “Karen, what happened after Frosty was gone?”

“Well… You know how I told you about Santa Claus?”

“Yes?”

“He told me that Frosty was made out of Christmas snow and used his magic to bring him back.” She looked up at the sky with a faint smile. “I was so happy. My best friend was okay, and he always will be okay as long as he was at the North Pole.”

Her smile faded. “But I only got to see him once a year.” She rubbed her hand. “Sometimes I only saw him for one day before I’d have to wait again. A-And then… my mother forced me to move to Trolberg, all because of the troll attacks.” Hilda’s heart twinged as Karen’s eyes watered with tears.

“The worst part is… I never got to say anything to him. What if he doesn’t ever know? What if I never see him again? W-What if he forgets about me?” She buried her face into her hands, sobbing. “Frosty, where ever you are… I miss you.”

Hilda was stunned. She wasn’t expecting this level of honesty from Karen, let alone how much her eyes stung when she heard Karen’s sobs. And to make matters worse… Hilda knew that she was to blame for it, which broke her heart further.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized to Karen.

“For what?” She sniffled.

“It’s my fault you ended up here.” Hilda admitted. “You know how you saw me as a troll?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well… A much larger troll tricked me into getting something for him in exchange for becoming me again. I knew it was my only option if I ever wanted to go home without those bells… killing me.”

Karen’s pupils shrunk. “That’s why you dislike bells so much.”

Hilda nodded. “I tried running home the second I found myself kidnapped, but once I stepped outside, I found myself frozen inside a rock.” She clenched onto her arms. “I could only see darkness. I couldn’t get out for hours. And once I got out and dashed for the city, the bells rang. The pain was awful, Karen. It rattled from my ears to my whole body! I had to find some way to change back!”

Karen covered her mouth with her hands. “So… the troll that tricked you attacked the town, then?” She guessed, as Hilda nodded again, her lips quivering. “I-I mean, I was able to convince the Safety Patrol to stand down and let the trolls inside without violence but…” She paused, tearing up. “Trolberg was severely damaged because of my actions. You lost your old home and your best friend. All just because I…I…”

Karen hugged her, sniffling. “You didn’t want to be alone.” She said for her, even though that wasn’t what Hilda wanted to say.

She really wanted to say that she didn’t want to stay being a troll. But when she heard Karen utter those words in her ears, she started crying.

“You’re right. I don’t want to be alone.” Hilda returned the embrace, finally understanding why those events bothered her so much. "I’m so scared of losing everyone. I don’t want to lose Twig! I don’t want to lose mum, or Frida and David, o-or…” She sniffled. “You…”

Karen’s heart swelled in response as tears welled up in her eyes again. “You don’t have to be alone.” She whispered as Twig ambled beside them both, getting their attention. They let go of the embrace as he jumped into Karen’s arms. “We’ll all stay by your side, no matter what happens.” She reassured as Twig made a soft smile in agreement.

Hilda wiped the tears off her face with her arm. “Really?”

“Absolutely. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?” Karen shrugged, seeing Hilda’s smile grow and her cheeks glowing a slight rosy red. From then on, they continued their talks, while Twig’s parents directed them back over to their world where they belonged.

As they headed down to the snowy ground of the wilderness before them, Hilda and Karen were still chatting.

“So, how did you actually become you again, Hilda?”

“After Mum and Baba found me, we found Trylla. My hands and Baba’s hands started having this purple sparkling smoke appear and then poof! We were us again.”

“You must have felt so relieved.”

“Not really. When I transformed back I realized-“ Twig barked before Hilda could finish, grabbing her attention. “What is it, boy?” He tilted his head out towards the town with urgency, confusing the girls. That was until they both realized what he was saying.

“THE STALL!” The girls yelled in unison.

“I was supposed to take you back to the market this whole time!” Hilda placed her hands on her face, stressed out.

“How long has it been?” Karen questioned as the three saw something in the center of the town bloom with a bright glow.

“Uh oh.” Hilda’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

“Why is there a part of Trolberg glowing, Hilda?”

“That’s the Sonstansil Tree! It’s blooming right now! Everyone’s gonna be there to see it!”

“Then that means-“ Karen’s eyes also grew in fear. “Our moms are gonna be there! They’re gonna panic when our friends tell them we left!” She started sweating a storm. “We gotta start running!”

“There’s not gonna be enough time!” Hilda shook her head.

Overhearing this, Twig’s parents walked beside the two and bent down, offering a ride for them back to the city. “Seems like there is a way after all.” Karen climbed on Twig’s mother. “Come on! We have a holiday to celebrate!” She gestured, watching Hilda smile as she climbed onto his father.

“Let’s go!” Hilda directed as Twig and his parents sprinted towards Trolberg.

Unlike the girls, the deerfoxes ran twice as fast, allowing them to pass through the wilderness at an incredible pace. As they ran, Hilda could hear a hearty laugh coming from Karen. It was a laugh she hadn’t heard up to now, and it was beautiful. She couldn’t help but turn a little red again.

Finally, the deerfoxes came to a stop once they reached the city gates. The parents bent down once again to let the two girls get off and gave Twig licks to signify that it was time for them to go. Hilda and Karen waved as the parents headed back to the lights in the wilderness, before looking into the city. The former held the latter’s hand, with a determined smile, giving her one as well as they bolted towards the market.

David and Frida, meanwhile, started sweating as the tree continued blooming. “Where are they…?” She asked him as he shrugged.

“M-Maybe they got lost?”

“Excuse me.” Johanna requested as she passed by the crowd, having a concerned expression. “Have you two seen Hilda around? I was hoping I’d find her with you two.” Frida and David clenched their hands, afraid of telling the truth.

Just then, however, Karen’s mother arrived to the scene. “Sheesh, so many people here. Is Karen around?” She looked around, scratching her head as Johanna recognized the name.

“Are you her mother?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Hilda’s Mum. She told me a bit about your daughter.”

“Nice to meet you! Karen’s told me a lot about Hilda, too. And from what it sounds like, she’s a bit of a handful, huh?”

“You can say that again…” Johanna chuckled before realizing that Hilda and Karen weren’t around. “Hey, wait a moment. Frida. David.” She looked at both of them with a solemn glare. “Where are our daughters?”

“Um…” David paused as Frida darted her eyes away, hoping she would find them. Fortunately, she saw Hilda and Karen running over as fast as they could, huffing.

“There they are!” Frida pointed as David sighed in relief, while the two mothers looked over and noticed their daughters holding their hands.

“We made it!” Hilda exclaimed as Karen panted from how much they ran.

“I… I hope we’re not late.”

“Ah, you made it just in time.” Johanna told them as Hilda and Karen got a look at the tree for themselves.

The lights from the flowers blooming shined throughout the whole city, giving a feeling of warmth to what was otherwise a cold December night. While Hilda had felt this since the first time she celebrated Sonstansil, Karen felt the warmth as if it was hugging her, which only made her heart swell when she gazed around and saw how others were celebrating.

Some were enamored with the tree before them. Some were giving others gifts that meant a lot to them. And some were giving their friends and family hugs, which compelled her to do the same with those around her. This was a night neither her nor Hilda would forget anytime soon.

That evening, however, Hilda and Karen laid down in their bedrooms with their eyes open. Neither of them could sleep.

Karen kept thinking about how much fun she had with Hilda during the past month. She kept thinking about how much Hilda had gotten herself hurt during her troll escapades, and then… she wondered what it would’ve been like if she was there with Hilda the whole time.

Hilda, meanwhile, kept coming back to the memory of ice-skating for the first time with Karen. The joys it brought her, and how much Karen lit up when Hilda said they were friends. When Hilda wasn’t thinking about that, she was thinking about how Karen knew why being a troll bothered her so badly. And maybe that was because in her mind… she knew Karen didn’t want to be alone either.

Karen couldn’t stop thinking about every time she blushed when Hilda showed love and appreciation towards her.

Hilda couldn’t stop thinking about the tight embrace Karen gave her back on the deerfoxes’ land.

Karen kept thinking about how striking Hilda’s blue hair was, and how it made her special.

Hilda kept thinking about Karen’s golden hair and how soft it looked with its details.

They both kept thinking about their fashion choices and how it made them look cute. They wanted nothing more than to hold onto each other’s hands and never let go. They couldn’t stop thinking about each other. They knew, at that moment, that it was no longer just friendship between them. Both Hilda and Karen knew that it was much more than that, and they needed to say something the next time they meet.

Luckily, Hilda already knew the perfect day to ask.

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Chapter Text

Chapter Seven

It was now the twenty-fifth of December. Christmas Day. Since she lived in Trolberg now, Karen’s family was one of the very few who practiced the holiday.

The morning was the same as it was when she lived in America. Karen got up, went down to her tree next to the fireplace, and opened her gifts while her mother watched happily.

While Karen enjoyed the gifts she received, her mind was still racing about her crush. After all, it must be another day in her life since Sonstansil ended the night before. Surely, now that the presents were done, that she could just go on and visit her. Being quick, Karen ran over and put her coat over her lined shirt.

“I’m gonna go over to Hilda’s, I’ll be back-“

“Hey now.” Karen’s mother stopped her. “We’re gonna have our Christmas supper in a little bit, honey. You know Grandma’s wanting to see her favorite little granddaughter.”

“B-But-“

“No buts.” Her mother interjected, before seeing Karen frown in disappointment. She squatted down to meet at her level and rubbed her back. “You’ll see them soon. But for now, let’s celebrate our first Christmas here as best as we can. Would that be okay?”

“…I guess.” Karen sighed as the two heard knocks on the living room door.

“That must be Grandma.” Her mother opened the door, only to find Hilda, Frida, and David standing there instead.

“Merry Christmas!” The three shouted.

“Hilda!” Karen exclaimed, her frown turning upside down from excitement. “What are you guys doing here?” She asked as she noticed Hilda holding a gift and David holding a small black pot.  

“We figured we could celebrate your holiday, since you celebrated Sonstansil with us. I even got you a present!”

“We used whatever tip money we had left to get you something.” Frida added.

“And I brought some extra broth!” David pointed at the pot in his hands.

“We were wondering if it’s alright that we could… stay for a meal?” Hilda requested, surprising Karen’s mom with her nice tone and generous offerings. Karen looked at her mother as well, with an expression that said she really, really wanted Hilda to stay.

“Why not. It is Christmas.” She let the children in, causing Karen to hug her joyfully.

“Thanks, Mom!”

“Don’t mention it.” Her mother mentioned as she directed David into the kitchen. “Just put the broth in here, I’ll serve it when it’s suppertime.”

“Oh, man, it smells good in here.” He commented as Frida and Hilda undid their coats and wore their usual attire. This, of course, included Hilda’s beret, which she pulled out of her pocket and placed onto her head.

“Aww, you brought your nice hat!” Karen complimented as Hilda sighed.

“I told you it was a beret, Karen.” She reminded, flustered, while placing the gift under Karen’s tree.

While she watched, Frida noticed the colorful spheres and toys hanging on the branches. “What are these?”

“Ornaments. We keep them on the trees because it makes them stand out from the trees outside.” Karen tilted her head towards the window, where snow was falling down on a tree nearby.

“What about these little lightbulbs?” Hilda pressed further.

“They light up the tree, silly!” Karen chuckled as she flipped a light switch off, letting the Christmas lights sparkle out of the tree. It was a wondrous sight to Hilda and Frida, much similar to the Sonstansil Tree when it bloomed.

“Wow…” The former awed as Karen turned the light back on. “And you can just have it on whenever?”

“Whenever it is Christmastime, yeah." Karen nodded. "Here, I’ll show you some other stuff around here.” She directed Hilda as Frida looked over and noticed a bookshelf nearby.

Reading the titles, she noticed that some of them sounded like fairy tales, like The Last Unicorn and The Flight of Dragons, but one caught her attention as she pulled it out.

“All About Christmas… Sounds like it would be good for my book report.” Frida sat down on the couch, skimming through as David walked out of the kitchen and sat beside her.

“Already found a book to read?”

“It’s about Christmas traditions and customs.”

“Does it explain why Karen’s door has that weird circle plant thing?”

“You mean a wreath?”

“Yeah, that.” Frida and David started reading as time started passing by.

Eventually, Karen’s grandmother arrived, and suppertime started. Everyone had gotten a little bit of everything Karen’s mom prepared, as well as the broth. All except for Hilda, who skipped out on the meats.

“How come you didn’t get any ham?” Karen pointed at Hilda’s plate.

“Oh, I don’t really like meat. I’m a vegetarian.”

“Really? That’s interesting!”

“It is?”

“Well, yeah because… I like it.” Karen started fretting. “N-Not that you have to because I like it! I think it’s great that you don’t. It’s just that I-“

“Karen. It’s okay.” Hilda patted her back. “I don’t mind if you like it.”

Karen turned red in response, much to Hilda’s surprise. “I-I mean, after all, just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean others have to as well.” Hilda muttered in a flustered manner, which caught David and Frida’s attention.

Once supper ended, the children headed back over to the Christmas tree, where Karen started playing cartoons on the television. Old cartoons, where characters sculpted by handmade material moved around in specific ways, much to Hilda’s intrigue.

“Why do they move around like that?”

“That’s the style, Hilda.” Karen explained. “I think it’s called ‘stop-motion’?” She placed her hand on her chin, trying to remember. “Though whatever it is, it’s pretty magical to watch once you know those are actual dolls.”

“Is that why they look so creepy?” David questioned before Frida cleared her throat in disapproval. “What, am I wrong?”

Hilda hummed, scratching her head. “I don’t know. I think it looks charming. Must’ve taken a lot of time creating those lovely backgrounds and animating the characters.” She complimented the cartoon, surprising Karen. “I draw a lot.” Hilda added when she saw her surprised face. “It’s uh… one of my favorite hobbies.” She blushed, causing Karen to clasp her hands.

“Would I be able to see some of these drawings?”

“ABSOLUTELY! I mean-“ Hilda stopped herself, blushing harder as she didn’t mean to shout. “I-I love for you to see them.”

Meanwhile, Frida turned over to David. “How long is this gonna go on for?” She whispered as he shrugged.

“Depends on who wants to confess first, I guess.” Frida hummed, gazing around the room before remembering the gift under the tree.

“Hey, Hilda. I think it’s time you gave Karen her gift.”

“Oh my gosh! I totally forgot about it!” Karen ran over and held the gift in her hands.

Hilda followed, standing right beside her. “I hope you like it.” She watched as Karen unwrapped the gift and looked inside.

She paused upon seeing it, gasping. It was the snowman plushie. The same one she looked fondly on at the market the other night.

“Hilda, you…”

“I got you the snowman toy.” Hilda confirmed. “I spent all the money I had saved from tips so you could have it.” She rubbed her arm, embarrassed. “I know it’s not really your friend, but… maybe with this toy, you’ll always feel like Frosty’s there, no matter what day it is.”

“Y-Yeah…” Karen trailed off, feeling her heart flutter from Hilda’s kind gesture.

At the same time, Hilda knew that she had struck Karen’s emotions, and felt her own heart flutter as well. They both knew it was time to say something, even if the other didn’t feel that same way. It was now or never. Hilda took a deep breath as Karen clenched onto the toy.

“Hilda, I love you!”

“Karen, I love you!”

They admitted at the same exact time, shocking them to a standstill, while Frida and David gasped.

“Y-You love me?” Karen’s eyes watered as a slew of emotions started pouring out between them.

Hilda’s lips quivered. “Yes! Alright! I love you! I couldn’t believe there was someone who knew why I was so bothered by everything until I met you! You helped me learn how to ice-skate! You told me I didn’t need a reason to hang out with anyone! Y-You… made me become an adventurer again, Karen.” Hilda admitted as her friends ambled beside when she felt like an emotional dam was about to break.

“We’ve been trying to get her to feel better for months.” Frida added.

“We almost thought she would never be our old friend again before we met you, Karen.” David agreed, watching as Karen’s tears rolled down her eyes.

“But all I needed was a reminder that I’ll always have someone beside me.” Hilda looked at Karen with sparkles in her eyes. “Someone like you.”

Karen’s heart twinged as she felt compelled to say something. “Hilda, you win.” She admitted back, befuddling the trio.

“Win what?”

“Don’t you remember? It was the bet you made when I wrote off Trolberg as being a… stupid town.” Karen paused, feeling bad about her words back then. “You tried to prove me wrong, and you did it. You made me realize Trolberg wasn’t boring, and then you won my heart with how much you cared about me.” Karen sniffled as she darted her eyes at the doll.

“Before I moved here, I was really scared I would have no one to turn to about my own worries. I was afraid that if I told anyone about Frosty, that people would write it off as a fairy tale.”

She looked back at Hilda with sparkles in her eyes. “But you even proved me wrong on those things. So, you win the bet, Hilda. And do you know what you win?” Hilda shook her head, only for Karen to hug her tightly.

“My love.”

Hilda smiled as she returned the embrace. Frida and David looked at each other, happy that their friends were happy, when the former remembered something from the Christmas book. She looked around the fireplace and saw a green plant with berries that she recognized, so she grabbed it. She cleared her throat, grabbing the lovers’ attention.

“Something wrong, Frida?” Hilda raised an eyebrow.

“Do you two know what this is?”

“Hmm… no.” She replied as Frida raised the plant over their heads, much to Karen’s cheeks blushing heavily.

“It’s mistletoe. From what I read, when two people stand under it, they’re supposed to kiss each other.”

Hilda scoffed. “I don’t believe that’s true-“ Just before she could finish, Karen took her hands onto Hilda’s face and pressed her lips against hers. Hilda gasped, her face turning completely red as a big grin started to form.

“It is.” Karen corrected her, her face also a deep red. Red as the berries on the plant Frida twirled in her fingers.

“It’s not true when you’re using holly.” She whispered into David’s ear, shocking him.

“What?”

“Hey, it got them to kiss, didn’t it?” Frida giggled as David rolled his eyes, sighing.

Hoping to lower the intense emotions, the two lovers started laughing it off.

“Come on, Hilda, I think the desserts are almost ready.” Karen held onto Hilda’s hand as they headed out into the kitchen, with David and Frida following behind them.

“That sounds great, love!” Hilda agreed.

“You already have a nickname for me?”

“I’ve already thought of several, Karen.”

“What? I could barely come up with one!”

“You can just call me love, love.”

“Okay but it won’t sound as good when I say it, love.”

“You just said it fine!”

“Yeah, but you say it with that cute accent of yours!”

“Your accent’s cute too!”

“I don’t have an accent!”

“Yes, you do.” Frida and David interjected.

“I don’t!”

“Accent or not, your voice is cute, Karen.”

“So is yours, Hilda!”

The children laughed as they continued their chatting throughout the night.

 So, after that merry Christmas night, Hilda and Karen found their own spark. And that spark would continue to persist long after the holidays were over. Once the weather warmed up, Karen changed her clothes to wear a red shirt with white buttons and shorts, complimenting her girlfriend’s long sweater and pants.

From then on, Hilda offered Karen not just to go on adventures together, but also dates, and hangouts. They were each shoulders for their love to cry on, and at night, both of them dreamed of futures where they would see themselves as more than girlfriends. Hilda and Karen were in love, and they always will be in love, for as long as the spark continued to shine brighter than the brightest of stars in the sky.

The End

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