I don't own Hilda.
"Okay, let me see..." Hilda muses, rolling onto her side.
"We start with a... troll. No, a robot troll! And he can't find his... wallet, because a vittra threw it into a volcano... and also stole his girlfriend."
Alfur simply stares at Hilda in concern, his face blank.
"...Are you okay." His tone was completely flat. It didn't even sound like a question. He wasn't sure whether to be appalled or impressed.
"I'm fine," Hilda mutters, "I guess I'm not very good at beginnings."
"N-no, you're all right. It takes a lot of practice to just tell a story on the fly. Actually, I think only a liar could come up with a whole story on the fly."
The two of them jokingly give each other serious looks for a moment before Alfur speaks up again.
"...Now, continue your tale about the endeavor of the rabid troll-"
"Robot troll."
"I said that."
Hilda sighs, smiling as Alfur rests his head on her hand, a warmth spreading through her heart when he smiles back, ears perking slightly as if to tell her he's listening.
In the back of her mind she wondered what it would be like to be able to hug him normally.
"The robot troll is named Bob."
"Bob," Alfur repeats flatly, unimpressed.
"Short for Estebob Julió Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa RamÃrez."
"I- what?"
"He likes it, Alfur. He's very proud to have that name, it is from his great great grandfather's aunt's cousin. Twice removed."
Alfur blinks twice, silent, tilting his head and hurriedly readjusting his hat when it nearly slides off. He sighs to himself.
"I think I see what your game is here."
Hilda freezes.
"Game?"
"Indeed," Alfur answers, standing up, "and might I add-"
He suddenly changes to a more playfully menacing stance.
"The vittra is none other than the king of flames, who rises from the magma of the earth to wreak havoc on the surface -and steal their wallets-"
"And girlfriends."
"And girlfriends- just because he can! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hilda gasps and applauds.
"Wow, Alfur! That was a really good evil laugh! Didn't know you had it in you. I think all you might've needed was some dramatic lightning. Where's Raven when you need him?"
"Eh, it's pretty boring in the northern counties, so it never hurts to brush up on your acting skills!"
"True, true. Anyway-" the young girl wraps her arms around her pillow in a hug, "Bob has to fight ten ridiculously strong ninja warriors before he can fight the king of flames, and the first guy is literally just a carrot and can't even lift a sword, so Bob gives him a swift, um... boot to the head."
Alfur's ears twitch slightly, his mouth forming a straight line.
"Boot to the head," he echoes, "that sounds... uncomfortable. And why is the first 'warrior' a carrot?"
"Carrots are the enemy of mankind! Along with Brussels sprouts. They fought in the war to destroy everything but the cucumbers won and liberated us from the shackles of despair."
"...Uh-huh."
Hilda's either really tired or really hyperactive right now, Alfur thinks to himself. Either way, it was nearing 3 AM and this was probably quite enough stimulation for the both of them. His original goal was to help Hilda fall asleep and it dawned on him that he had gotten so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten about that.
Hilda continues to narrate a jumbled up mess of a plot impossible to follow. Alfur doesn't interrupt, rather watching her and pretending to keep listening to be polite as he slides off of the bed and climbs back up to the shelf. It took a moment for the child to notice he had even moved.
"What are you doing?" She sounded disappointed.
"You'll see in a minute," Alfur replies calmly, "don't worry, keep going."
Hilda rubs her eyes.
"Actually, I... forgot where I was..." She glances at the face of the clock door when Alfur opens it, facing her directly. Realizing the lateness of the hour, she nearly tumbles out of the bed.
"3 AM? It didn't feel that long..."
She watches curiously as the elf hops back onto the bed, a few tiny papers in hand (stick-hands?).
He just laughs.
"Happens to the best of us, I suppose," he muses, glancing at the clock and back at the girl with a kind yet solemn gaze, "...pardon my language, but that's going to stink in the morning." He covers his mouth.
"'Stink' is not a naughty word," Hilda stifles a laugh.
"But it sounds so negative! I highly dislike words like that," Alfur remarks, sitting down. Hilda lays down beside him, peeking at the papers in his hands.
"You know what these are?" Alfur asks, his tone warmer than before. Hilda feels that sweet feeling in her heart again, like there were a part that was broken or missing and it was finally starting to heal.
"What are they?" she asks softly. The words slipped out sounding very innocent, almost as if Hilda were younger than she actually was, but Alfur doesn't seem to notice.
"Reports I've been sending back home. You know, the other elves are curious about you, too. Even if they were afraid of you, they did care."
Hilda nods slightly.
"A little time away from there and I think they might understand -or remember, perhaps- now, you and your mother deserved to live there as much as they do. They miss you. They want to know how you're doing, at your school, with your friends... after all, they watched you grow up, too. And I think seeing you leave the wilderness taught them that."
"I wouldn't choose anyone but you," the girl whispers.
Alfur's ears twitch.
"Hm?"
"If I could have chosen any one of the elves to go with me, I want you to know that I would always choose you. I'm happy to know that the other elves cared, but I know you're the one with the biggest heart."
Alfur smiles, his face flushing a soft pink.
"And I'm happy to have chosen to go with you."
He gives her a light kiss on her nose.
"Do you want me to read what I wrote?"
Hilda nods.
The elf clears his throat and quietly reads.
"I'm happy to share with you the marvelous growth of Hilda in these past months- not just in height, but also as a person, in strength of character, and growing compassion for all things..."
The girl listens to his gentle voice, smiling softly as she curls up under her blanket, Twig nuzzling close to her. She found it paternal in nature and soothing to listen to, just knowing he was nearby was enough.
She was finally lulled (partially) to sleep, resting one hand near Alfur, though one finger was all he could manage to hold for her.
"Good night, Hilda," he whispers.
"G'nite, Da...fur..." Hilda mutters, half asleep but poorly attempting to fix her so-called mistake midsententence.
The elf chuckles softly, about to get up before realizing he was stuck in Hilda's grip.
Smiling and shrugging, he just nuzzles into a tangle of blue hair and eventually falls asleep too.
The night was eventful, even if they stayed inside- there'd always be a wonderful story to tell.
thank you for reading til the end!