⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀< ❈Iris' POV❈ >
Iris stared in complete disbelief at Smidge, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt so weird now that her colors were gone...so empty...so hopeless. But now some hope was sparking through her (unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make her happy again.) There was still a possibility that her parents and Blossom's family were dead. What if Smidge was the only survivor...?
The little yellow Troll looked a little cautious as she stepped towards the two girls, her strong arms flexed up and showing her big muscles. Iris knew she could knock her out in a single punch and had to force herself not to shudder.
"Looking for something, are you?" Smidge growled.
"Smidge, no! Stop!" Blossom stepped forward, her bright blue eyes glistening with hurt. "We aren't here to hurt you. Please... Look at Iris!"
Smidge seemed to just now be noticing the new state of the formerly blue Princess. Her skin was colorless, gray like storm clouds. Even though her eyes still remained pink, they were dull and sad.
The little female tipped her head to one side, her eyes full of concern. "What happened?"
Iris wanted to fall to her knees and cry once again. "They're all dead, aren't they? My parents, Blossom's family, and all the rest of the Snack Pack! I killed them, didn't I?" She collapsed down, tears spilling from her eyes once again and a giant lump filling her throat as if someone had just made her swallow a stone.
"Iris," Smidge's voice sounded close by. The now-gray female lifted her eyes towards the little Troll, frowning. "No one's dead, silly. They're all alive and okay, safe in the tunnels."
Iris lifted her head higher, her mouth gaping. They're alive? she thought.
Smidge walked over to the Princess and tucked her small hand underneath her face, smiling softly. "Don't be sad," she muttered.
Iris felt another hand on her shoulder and looked upwards, seeing Blossom had joined them. "Yes, please don't be," the pale pink female agreed. "Everyone's alive, Iris. Your parents are, my parents are, my brother is, and so is the rest of the Snack Pack. It'll be just fine. Here." She grasped Iris' hands and lifted her back up to her feet, her bright blue eyes glistening with affection. "Be happy."
Iris felt a whole new rush of hope flare up inside her so harshly, happiness surged through her body like a wave. Suddenly, a strange glowing light appeared at the top of her hair, moving towards, devouring her head, and enfolding the rest of her body until her skin glowed bright blue. Her regular colors had returned! And she was feeling rather excited and relieved, staring down at Smidge. "Please take us to them," she pleaded. "I need to...talk to them."
Smidge nodded and began walking in a different direction, the two younger Trolls following after her.
Iris felt her heartbeat increase with both anxiety and excitement. She was happy to finally see her parents again but anxious about what their reunion would be like. Would they shout at her? Would they tell her to leave Troll Tree? No! They'd never do that. She knew they would be overly relieved to see her again. Man, I sure have a lot of explaining to do. Guilt crashed over her once again. She'd said some harsh things. But, of course, she had meant none of it since her hijacked self had been speaking instead of the real her. I can't believe I did it with Creek. How will I explain that? Do I really have to...?
The bright blue female swallowed hard, her nervousness fighting with her excitement and winning. She noticed a large hole in the ground leading down into darkness and guessed that was the tunnel everyone was hiding in. Her heart was pounding wildly, the noise of it ringing through her ears so loud she was for sure Smidge and Blossom could hear it.
Smidge halted next to the opening in the soil and looked over at the two girls. "Are you ready?" she asked.
Iris hesitated, and then slowly nodded to the mini yellow Troll.
Smidge blinked in acceptance of her answer and hopped down into the opening, disappearing in the shadows.
Iris exchanged a glance with Blossom, her own anxiety reflected in her new friend's blue eyes. She was trapped in the color for quite a few heartbeats, amazed at how they perfectly matched Guy Diamond's eyes. She then shook herself and turned back to the dark hole, slowly stepping towards it and bunching the muscles in her legs, preparing to leap down into it. She took a shaky deep breath and pushed off, slipping down through the slide of soft, damp earth and landing with a thump on the ground. She scrambled to her feet, dusting the soil from her dress and looking over at Smidge who was waiting for them.
Blossom hopped down beside her, looking around the dark tunnel that only had dim moonlight filtering in through the small holes in the roof.
"This is it, I guess," Iris murmured as they trekked through the dirt walls. "Man, I'm so nervous. Do you think we're gonna be in trouble?"
The pink girl shrugged. "Hard to say," she muttered.
Smidge was just a few feet away from them, taking the lead through the spiraling tunnel until she finally stopped, her bright blue eyes locked on a group of shadowy figures.
Iris' heart leaped in her chest as she realized that was the whole Snack Pack, just waiting for them. Well, I don't know about that, she thought. They don't know we're here.
"Hey guys!" Smidge called as she ran towards everyone. "Look who I found!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the tiny Troll, looking curious and shocked.
Iris stood close to Blossom, her breath hitching in her throat as her eyes collided with her father's. He seemed to freeze in place, his eyes filling with disbelief.
He turned towards Poppy, grabbing her arm and leading her gaze towards the Princess. The pink Queen gasped, running over in her direction with a squeal of both happiness and sorrow escaping her mouth. Branch followed after her, his gaze curious and somewhat cautious.
Before Iris could make any movements, her mother's arms clasped around her, pulling her into a tight hug. The bright blue female was overwhelmed with relief, hugging the Queen back and burying her face into her shoulder, breathing in her familiar and comforting sugary smell.
"Oh, Iris," Poppy muttered against her, her arms tightening around her body. "Are you okay?" She pulled back slightly, holding onto her daughter's hands and staring deeply into her eyes.
Before Iris could answer, she was aware of another Troll beside them and slowly turned her head, her heart halting in her chest as her gaze collided with Branch's. She forced herself not to wince, seeing his leg was still looking a little awkward from its break. He stared at her with a blankly sorrowful expression.
The heiress broke away from her mother and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his body and pressing her face into his chest. She felt him slowly give in, holding her close to him. "I'm so sorry," she whimpered. She pulled her head back so she could speak in a clear voice. "I disobeyed literally everything you taught me. You told me not to trust strangers and I did it anyway. I was just...mad. I'm sorry. I understand if you—"
"Iris, stop," Branch muttered. His hand brushed against her cheek and he smiled. "Your mother and I are not mad at you. We're relieved."
Poppy walked over to them, slipping a hand around Iris' shoulders and joining in on the hug. "That's right," she agreed. "How could we be mad? We love you!"
Iris felt that horrible, cold guilt spread through her again. She had caused so much pain for these good Trolls, had done some things with Creek that she deeply regretted. Should I even tell them? she wondered. She almost did, but the words dried up in her throat and would not come out. Maybe some other time.
Poppy suddenly gasped sharply, her eyes full of concern. "Iris! You're covered in blood. What happened?"
Branch became a little panicked at the Queen's words and began inspecting Iris' body frantically. "He hurt you, didn't he?" the blue male growled.
Iris shook her head. "I...I was trying to escape him and I-I jumped out of a window. I-it's fine. Don't worry." She felt her lower lip trembling and tears threatening to slide down her face again.
Her father gazed at her with a very serious expression. "What was he doing?"
Iris began to tremble nervously. "He...he was..." Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard. "I-I guess he had me under some 'spell' or whatever you wanna call it. He t-told me I was waking up and kept...grabbing me and...I just...."
Branch's eyes became furious, like two disks of bright blue fire. "What?" he snarled. "Grabbing you? Why?"
Iris shrugged. "I don't know," she whimpered, a single teardrop dripping down her face.
Poppy moved closer to her. "Iris, did he do anything else?" she asked.
The Princess stared nervously at her mother. She looked over and saw the other Trolls were watching them, curious, and she shrunk away.
Blossom was with her family now, all of them hugging and talking frantically. But other than that, the other Trolls had their eyes locked on them. That's when Iris noticed a different Troll....one she'd never laid eyes on before.
Her skin was bright red, her hair dark green, and her streaked scarlet. She blinked questioningly at her, but decided she'd ask who she was later. Right now, she felt as though it was okay to tell her parents what happened. "Can we go somewhere private?" she asked.
Branch and Poppy exchanged surprised glances but then nodded, walking over to her and guiding her to a secret, closed-off area in a different tunnel.
Iris walked on, her legs and feet shaky and her heart rapidly beating against her rib cage. She felt dizzy from the internal panic and tried to appear calm on the outside.
Branch halted and sighed, turning to face the bright blue female with a curious expression. "What's wrong, Cupcake?" he asked.
She froze when hearing that nickname. It had been so long she almost burst into tears at having it spoken again.
Poppy came to stand beside Branch, watching her daughter with equal interest and a slight bit of concern.
Iris wanted to run off in that moment, too afraid of what she was about to say. But she had to face it now. She had to. Keeping a secret like this will tear me apart like a fox attacking me. I can't do that. She took a deep breath, trying to gather up words. What was she gonna say first? But finally, something came to her and she opened her mouth, hesitating, and then continuing. "I did something terrible," she muttered. "Something so terrible. I understand if you get furious with me. I deserve to be yelled at more than ever right now."
Poppy shook her head. "Sweetie, we're not here to yell at you. Whatever you say will not make us love you any less. So, come on, it's okay. We won't bite you." The Queen smiled, amusement filling her eyes, as if she were trying to lighten the mood.
Iris felt her confidence lift but she was still nervous. "A-alright," she agreed. She shuffled her hands together, trying to piece words together that would help her explain the situation. This is the scariest thing I've ever had to confess! she thought, curling her toes into the slightly damp soil underfoot as frustration raked through her. She was getting irritated with herself. "I...um..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I lost my...my...virginity to—"
"I knew this would happen!" Branch cut into her sentence, his eyes blazing with pure rage. The King moved quickly over to Iris, wrapping his arms around her and holding her protectively against him. He rubbed the back of her head and all she could do was lean back and let the comfort of his hug calm her. "Creek raped you, didn't he?"
Iris was shocked by her father's words and pulled back, shaking her head, tears flowing from her eyes.
Poppy had come to stand beside Branch once again, her eyes wide.
"I let him touch me...I let him do everything." She turned away, shame washing through her and burning the tips of her ears. "I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't have control over myself because I-I wasn't...me. That was a different Iris there. I don't know...I'm just...I'm sorry!" She fell to the ground, burying her face in her arms and letting herself cry like there was no tomorrow.
"Hey! Iris, no!" Branch's voice protested next to her as he crouched down beside her, his hand resting on her back. She slowly lifted her head, blinking up at him and seeing sympathy crowd his eyes. "Come here." He reached for her, scooping her up and holding her against him. "We understand completely. You don't need to explain anything. You couldn't help what was happening. Creek is the one to blame."
"That's right," Poppy agreed, crouching down beside them and ruffling her fingers through Iris' hair. "You're gonna be okay. We'll deal with Creek."
Iris snapped her gaze up to the Queen. "How?" she demanded. "He has several Trolls on his side! The majority of the village supports him!"
Branch pulled Iris closer to him. "We have a plan. Don't worry."
The Princess huffed. "Well, it better be a good one because we're screwed if we walk out there. And who knows what Creek will do when he sees me again..." Her voice trailed off and fear spread through her, making her shiver.
"I will not let Creek lay a finger on you," Branch promised in a determined, threatening voice. "He's hurt you enough. And when I see him...ohhh..." She felt his muscles tense and his bright blue eyes spark with rage. "I'm gonna slam that stupid orange nose of his into his skull and beat him to death. That—"
"Easy, Branch," Poppy chuckled, rubbing her husband's shoulder. "Creek will get what he deserves in time."
Branch lifted Iris to her feet and stared her deep in the eyes, leaning forward and planting a loving kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad you told us," he muttered. He hugged her one last time, squeezing her tightly as if he'd never let go. Like he was about to lose her. "I love you so much, Cupcake. Don't ever think differently."
"I love you too," Iris mumbled, resting her chin on his shoulder. Poppy was standing close by, a loving smile plastered to her face. She moved closer and pecked the blue girl's nose with a little kiss and brushed her forehead with her hand.
"And I love you as well," Iris muttered to her mother, seeing the pink Troll's smile widen.
"I love you too," she chuckled.
"Alright, let's get back to the others," Branch said, gently pulling back from Iris. He carefully took Poppy's hand in his and Iris' hand in his other and began walking them back to the other tunnel.
Even though Iris felt beyond relieved that she'd made things right again, she couldn't stop asking herself one specific question: What happens now?
Wow, this chapter was really long 😂
I hope you all enjoyed it!
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for chapter 29!