~ DRAGON HEART ~ Broppy (Trolls, Httyd fanfiction)

~ Chapter 26 ~

It was nice not to have to put on a scarf to go out; when spring came, it was not necessary to cover himself. Branch still had his bag with his flying equipment inside, he still dragged it everywhere.

Branch was walking between the kiosks, looking at the items the merchants were offering. It was a nice day; the snow had almost melted. He remembered the kiss he had shared with his princess that morning, unable to prevent a smile from illuminating his face.

But as he approached a kiosk, a horrible pain crossed his cheek when he was hit in the face. The gray troll screamed in pain and he fell to the ground.

- I TOLD YOU DON'T APPROCH HER! Creek screamed and hit the gray troll again.

Branch gave another cry of pain. Creek had trapped him on the ground and Branch had no choice but to try to escape; he would not hit Creek back. The hunter gave him several punches he was trying to avoid.

The village had started to gather around the two males. The two trolls were rolling in the dust, we could not see who was attacking the other. Nobody tried to stop them, confused and scared by the situation.

- LET ME GO ! He screamed in despair, POPPY!

But Creek had given him another hit:

- DON'T TELL HER NAME, YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO!

But the princess had heard, she had just arrived at the village and saw the troop of trolls. Curious and slightly frightened, she had tried to break through between them. Her heart was in panic, the pink troll could hear cries of pain and hits. When she finally found herself in the middle of the circle, she froze.

There, in front of her, Creek had pinned Branch to the ground, the gray troll was trying to hold the hunter's fist away from his face:

- BRANCH! She screamed in fear.

The gray troll was turning to look at her. For a moment, the time was stopping. It was just his gaze plunged into hers ... she had already seen it; blue, not crazy, but scared ... but where?

Creek had taken advantage of this moment to punch Branch again before catching him by the neck and lifting him up against a tree. The tearing-ear troll brought his hands back to Creek's, unable to breathe and trying to break free.

- Creek, let him go! Poppy screamed with rage and went up to the purple troll.

- Let me do that for you, babe!

The pink troll began to pull on his arm, trying to make him let go. Her eyes were filled with tears of fear; why was he doing this? What was taking him? Seeing Branch begin to falter and his hands let go of the purple troll, she redoubled her energy.

- LET HIM GO ! She screamed again.

Branch was almost out of oxygen, his vision was beginning to weaken. He was scarcely aware of what was going on around him. Everything he heard seemed to plunge into a frightening fog, but so comforting ... He was slowly observing what he could still see; the eyes of all who stared at the fight ... Even Keith, the child he had saved was looking at him with eyes full of fear.

And directly in front of him, he managed to recognize a familiar pink figure. Then his weakened hearing had managed to perceive these words ....

- Leave him alone ! Poppy was screaming and crying.

Then Creek had push her with rage the princess, still holding his hold on him. The pink troll fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Powy? ...."

- Don't worry, when I get rid of this monster ... we can go share a good cream pie together, all alone ... Creek had smiled.

And that smile, that smile had awakened him, made him burst, made him lose control. With a furious roar, Branch was free from the hunter's grip. Scales had covered his chest, wings were spread like that of a bat, his dragon's eyes had burned the light of a fighter, ready to defend the one he loved.

A red veil covered his vision, he no longer knew what he was doing. His claws had left scary marks in the ground and his tail was whipping the air angrily. He jumped on his prey, opening his mouth to reveal his sharp teeth and prepare his death blow ...

- NO! A voice screamed suddenly.

He had stopped immediately, swallowing his flame. He turned his blue eyes to the princess, two dragon eyes scare. It was not her who had been screaming, it was Aurora's voice in his mind that had awakened him. Poppy had wide eyes, mouth wide open without believing:

Branch was Hairless

Hairless was Branch

They were the same.

With a frightening growl, he had tried to run away, but all the trolls around them kept him from do it. He tried to spread his wings but he fall on the ground with a roar of pain ... obviously, his ear had taken the form of his tail wound.

- CATCH HIM! Creek ordered.

Immediately, his team of hunters had catch ropes. A first troll wrapped a rope around his shoulders, preventing him from spreading his wings again. Another had to catch his leg, the other, his tail ... Soon, the trolls had caught him between the strong strings. He opened the mouth again ready to burn the ropes to escape but...

PFT! -

A sting in the neck. He slowly withdrew the tranquilizer that one of the hunters had just launched, feeling his mind fall asleep. He turned his blue eyes back to the princess, feeling his legs become heavier. With a desperate groan, the poor trollagon was tugging on his ropes to join her. He was shooting so hard that some troll was sliding on the ground as he tried to hold him back.

- DON'T LET HIM GO! Creek had ordered again, but his voice seemed to be plunging into the fog.

Branch had groaned again as Poppy's silhouette became blurred:

- .... Po .... Powy! ....

But the black come.

With a thud, Branch fall on the floor right in front of the princess.

Poppy had her hands in front of her mouth, tears of incomprehension flooding her eyes. Branch was the dragon, he was Hairless, he had hidden the truth from her all the time, thinking to protect her and the village because he thought he was a monster ... She fell on her knees, trying to undo his ropes that held him prisoner like a beast.

- Let him go! It will not hurt you! Hairless .... I mean Br ... JUST LET HIM GO!

At that moment, the trolls were let King Pepy pass. Her father stared at her as she held the unconscious Branch's body and deformed by his powers. Her eyes filled with tears as her father ordered the hunters to locked up him. The hunters began to pull the ropes to bring Branch back into a large cage:

- I HAVE TOLD YOU TO LET HIM GO ! She screamed as she stopped them from taking him away, holding him against her, Branch ... Hairless is not a monster!

At these words, his father had opened his eyes wide:

- Hairless? He repeated

For a moment he had seemed to calm down... Poppy saw the fear in his eyes ... but Creek was up and came close to the king. In his hand, he was holding the bag that contained the equipment Poppy had made to save Hairless:

- It seems that your daughter knew the dragon and never told us! Betrayal! He says showing the prosthesis.

The trolls around them gasped. Their king had looked at Branch in his daughter's arms, staring at his wings slightly wrapping around the princess even though he was asleep. He looked at his tail, hurt, before looking at the prosthesis.

- Poppy, we have to talk, he just says.