#avaluna

A v a l u n a

The Hero’s Forge, a large arena, adorned on its highest points by the statues of past trollhunters that were felled in battle, or any other circumstance. Avaluna was already there, looking up at her old friends and those she advised through the centuries, some before, some after the Battle of Killahead. The raven-haired wizard had her eyes set on Deya, her eyes were closed, a symbol of her last battle. As sadness tried to overtake her, she felt a comforting presence beside her, closing her physical eyes but reaching out with her soul, she could sense and see Deya’s spirit, as well as every other in the forge. 

“How’re they doing?” Suniva asked, smiling and landing next to her sister. 

“As good as any dead troll can be!” She smiled back and opened her eyes. “And I think you would like to know that Aberon was giving you deer horns behind you.”

Both laughed, it wasn’t unknown for Trollhunters to have a personality beyond the grave much similar to the one they had when alive. The sisters sat together, Suniva instantly talking about her time with Draal and how the crystal back had been, or at least what she could gather in his half-drunken state. Avaluna did show concern for the troll, something told her there was trouble brewing with him, yet she hoped she was wrong, continuing to listen quietly as she made sure all the mechanisms were working.

Their mostly one-sided conversation ended when the gasps of a teenage boy coming from the entrance, announcing the presence of the Trollhunter in trollmarket. Avaluna and Suniva waited patiently for him and his friend to notice them, allowing them to take in the sights and the greatness of the place. It wasn’t something easy to take in at first, the oldest sister as well as both siblings remembered the amazement and awe they felt when introduced to places held together by magic, surely, it was no different for that child. 

Once there had been enough time to introduce the boys to the place, with Blinkous explaining who some of the Trollhunters high above, they stepped forward. 

“Welcome Trollhunter! It is a pleasure to be meeting you.” Avaluna smiled, offering her hand which the boy took with a confused glance. “I am Avaluna, Wizard of the moon and chosen of the Northen Wind.” 

“And I’m Suniva! Wizard of the Sun and chosen of the Eternal Flame! Great meeting you!” Her younger sister pipped up, leaning and observing the boy’s physique, concurring with Draals statement that the boy was not exactly strong, but also not out of shape. “Are you ready to start your training?”

“Um- yeah I guess- just one question?”

“O’ course! What’s your question?”

“So? You’re… witches?” 

That statement got on Suniva’s nerves the slightest bit, but her sister was quick to correct it before her sister did. “No, Master Jim. We are wizards.”

“I thought that was just the male version?”

“No, it is more complex than that you see.” She smiled, bringing the necklace from inside her clothes to the surface. “Witches make trades. They need sources of magic to use it, and also corrupt it into what they want them to do. Wizards are different in that aspect. We do not need to change the core of something. We simply need to guide its pre-existing energy to the objective we seek!” 

With a few waves of her hand, she summoned a sphere of light, which played around in her hands and rolled on her arms a bit like a ball. It delighted the boys, who watched in awe at the simple trick. Suniva calmed down, also bringing forth her necklace from inside her clothes. “Any more questions?” 

Toby raised his hand high, and the sister of red curls nodded in his direction. “Yes? Er…”

“Tobias Domzalski! Best friend of Jim. One question:...”

“Just one?” Jim queried, amused.

“You guys are trolls.” He points to Aaarrrgh and Blinky. “Doesn’t ‘Trollhunter’ mean you hunt yourselves?”

“Hunt bad trolls. Gumm-gumms.” The big green troll clarified. 

“Bringers of calculated painful death and destruction.” Suniva added, walking back to be beside her sister, also noticing Jim’s fearful demeanor. “Don’t worry, Jim! Only one gumm-gumm remains on the surface lands! The rest are rotting in the Darklands, if not already dead.”

“Wait- Bular is one of the murderous ones?!” Toby squealed, fear clear in his voice. 

“Indeed he is, thus the urgency of training! I fear dark times are upon us.” Blinky moved towards the starting button for the arena. 

Avaluna knew of the plan, moving to be beside him together with her sister, before she could stop him, however, he had pressed the button. Blades emerged from the ground and giant axes swung from the walls, Aaarrrgh left the arena in time, the boys narrowly escaping being chopped in half. 

“Maybe we start with something less sharp?!” Jim exasperated, backed into a wall next to them. 

“I agree with the Trollhunter, that was too much to start.” Avaluna frowned. 

“You should have seen him facing Bular before we entered Trollmarket today! It was amazing! I think he’s got more potential than he gives out.”

“You were attacked by Bular outside Trollmarket?!” The moon wizard gasped, black eyes wide with shock. 

Blinkous had no time to reply, as Vendel’s voice echoed in the arena. “Blinkous Galadrigal!” 

The elder crossed the arena, facing the trainer as he scrunched his shoulders, ready to be faced with some sort of anger, disappointment or both at once. Once the chief arrived at their spot, he turned to the boys, asking the Trollhunter to come forward, so he could meet the boy who was chosen. 

Avaluna stepped up, pointing to Jim. “Here he is Vendel!” The elder turned around from looking at Toby, who took back his phone before anything happened. “Jim, this is Vendel. Son of Rundle, son Of Kilfred. And elder to trollmarket.”

The boy was intimidated by the elder's attitude, back stretched, demanding respect. He cleared his throat, “I'm Jim… Well… James Lake Junior… Son of… Barbara?” 

Jim produced the amulet, showing it. “So the rumors are true…” 

A bit of banter back and forth, debating whether this was another one of the Amulet's tests of Trollkinds own individual strength or a legitimate protector in the making, as well as a very terrifying Soothscriar test that ended inconclusive, made so Vendel left. Leaving behind some emotional damage and trauma, which the sisters rushed to correct.

“Don’t mind him! He’s an old goat and sometimes can’t fathem change.” Suniva chirped, pulling Jim and Toby up.

Avaluna agreed with her sister, it was not a lie, though she had to add. “Though you must also recall that he is, like most of Trollmarket, grieving an old friend who was felled.” 

Jim and Toby stared as all fell somber, looking up again at the empty space. “Grieving? The last Trollhunter?”

“Precisely…” Avaluna sighed heavily, using light once again and projecting the images of the past as she narrates it. “Kanjigar was the first Trollhunter after the battle of Killahead, centuries ago. He was the guide as we traversed the New World, as we searched for a Hearthstone…” The image projected itself into the air, the room dimming as Avaluna’s lit hands painted the empty space. “Before that, he was a scholar, a historian, who was beloved by the community. He had a wife, a son, all he could need… Even as the war struck, he was a pillar for our populus.” The images of the horrors of war flashed through. “The Gumm-gumms attacked… They killed his wife while his son was still young… They threatened his life and his way of being… More than all… Threatened his son.” The image of a young Draal, threatened by a giant troll and a smaller figure. “His death affects everyone, the lives he has touched were many… Of course, he is missed. All grieve differently, and his grief is simply different for he is the headmaster. A lot is expected. The world, sadly, does not stop when you are grieving.” 

Jim looked down in thought as Avaluna undid the illusions, dusting off her sweaty hands. There truly was no time for that, but knowing was better than anything. For the duty, he had to know what was emotional intelligence. And more so, how to handle things such as this. 

“Fighting is of importance. But not as much as having a kind heart and understanding what goes through it.” She places a hand on Jim’s shoulder, attentive. “You have been burdened with a lot. But now, on this journey, to be a Trollhunter, you may decide if you are Hades, or if you will be Ares.” 

With that, she stepped away, placing a hand next to her necklace, same as her sister. Both started glowing, revealing a shocking sight to the boys.

Avaluna gazed at the moon, wide and shining full as it could be, the wind soft against her feathers. The cold winds of winter came and went but she was not bothered in the slightest, her feathers shielded her, just like she expected they would. The cliff she sat at was not as tall as she remembered, though it might’ve been that, after being in a void so long, it didn't call to her anymore. Her thoughts consumed her as she listened, the winds voice a comforting reminder of her place in the unforgiving universe she had pledged herself to.

Though other sounds could pass through the whistling.

"What is it saying tonight?" Bular smiled, approaching her on the cliff edge.

"Nothing new. The shadows are recovering. The trees are happy... the flame is ever strong." She smiled. "They say we're at peace at last."

The gumm-gumm prince nodded, laying down at the edge next to her, staring up at the moon much like her. He hadn't stopped to watch it in a while, now it felt like a good time.

"And to think... we almost didn't have this..." He mused, memories of the months beforehand crawling through his mind, followed by a heartache he was getting used to. "And it was all-..."

"It was all meant to happen." She cut off. "We both made mistakes... but we all got here in the end." She brings a wing around him, covering him, almost like she used to when they were younger. "We are here now... and we're together once more. Just like we promised."

The troll smiles softly, an expression she was getting used to seeing. She leans down, pressing her forehead to his, a moment of intimacy they barely had time to share before. It was almost like she could read his mind, his worries, and he felt the same. The woman leaned against him, turning to the night sky once more, in time to see a shooting star, wishing for more nights like that.

Wir scharren schon mit den Hufen! Vom 14. bis zum 16. Juni 2019 findet auf dem Maimarktgelände in Mannheim das Maifeld Derby 2019 statt. Auf vier Bühnen werden in diesem Juni wieder über siebzig Künstler und Künstlerinnen aus Deutschland und der ganzen Welt begeistern. Hatten wir in den vergangenen beiden Jahren wunderbares Festival Wetter, sind wir auch dieses Mal fest davon überzeugt, dass auch für 2019 nur das beste Wetter zu den besten Bands für Mannheim bestellt wurde. Wieder hat der Festival Besucher die Möglichkeit den Derby Dollar als Zahlungsmittel zu erwerben und sich davon leckeres Essen wie beispielsweise Handbrot und nichtalkoholische sowie alkoholische Getränke auf dem Gelände zu kaufen.  Wie immer kann der Besucher entspannt zwischen folgenden Bühnen wechseln - das Palastzelt, die Fackelbühne draußen, der Parcours d'amour welcher sich auf der Tribüne des Reitstadions befindet und das kleine Zirkuszelt. Schaut euch hierzu den Maifeld Derby Gelände Plan an.  Am Freitag den 14. Juni 2019 könnt ihr euch den ersten Act Ellmaurer um 16:30 Uhr auf der Fackelbühne anschauen. Der Tag endet um 03:00 Uhr mit Komfortrauschen im Zirkuszelt. Am Samstag den 15. Juni 2019 steht der erste Act Kirchner Hochtief bereits um 14:30 Uhr auf der Fackelbühne. Der Tag endet um 03:00 Uhr mit ZA! im Zirkuszelt. Am Sonntag den 16. Juni 2019 beginnt der Tag mit The Mauscovic Dance Band bereits um 12:30 Uhr auf der Fackelbühne und endet dann um 22:00 Uhr mit Faber im Palastzelt. Den gesamten Timetable seht ihr hier:

Photo Gallery: Ava Luna at Kings in Raleigh, NC

Madelyn Matthews