As the sun rose, Aria tossed and turned in the uncomfortable bunk bed in the jail cell. She hardly slept at all in the night, all she could think about was how she let Poppy and Branch down. But most of all, she was missing Echo. Echo couldn't reach Aria without the necklace around her neck. And if Aria couldn't reach Echo, she couldn't reach her soul.
Over the time that Aria was in the cell, the trolls would take turns guarding the cell. Hickory and Dickory were the first to guard the cell. Hickory however, couldn't help but feel sorry for Aria. He was so enchanted by her magic and she seemed like such a nice troll.
"If I'm going to be stuck here guarding this cell, then I might as well practice my beautiful yodeling!" Dickory chanted.
"Wait. Yodeling Trolls?" Aria was confused. "I didn't know there was a string for yodeling?"
"Pfft! Us yodeling trolls don't need some stupid string!" Dickory said. Aria just shrugged it off. While Dickory was yodeling. Hickory leaned against the jail door.
"Hey kid, how are you holding up?" Hickory asked Aria. She didn't respond. "Look, I know what it's like to have to do something for your tribe then have a change of heart." Hickory explained.
"Wait, how did you know about that?" Aria asked, only telling that to Poppy and Branch last night.
"Nothing goes unheard in this town without me knowing it." Hickory chuckled.
"My tribe didn't mean to harm you guys," Aria said. "We just needed your help and there was no other way to get you guys to listen to us. But you really have to help me now." Hickory was about to ask before Dickory butted in.
"Hickory! What are you doing talking to the prisoner?!" Dickory yelled.
"Sorry kid." Hickory apologized. Aria sighed as she sat back onto the bunk bed. She suddenly gripped her torso with her arms and winced in pain. It passed after a moment as she took a deep breath.
***
Later in the day, it was Branch's turn to guard the cell. He sat against the jail door and whittled some sticks, sharpening them to give them pointy tips.
While he did, he quietly sang to himself.
🎶You came out of nowhere and you cut through all the noise🎶
🎶I make sense to the madness when I listen to your voice🎶
He was singing a song about Poppy, and how she changed his life. How she always supported him through tough times or when he was feeling scared.
🎶Darling only you can ease my mind🎶
🎶Help me leave these lonely thoughts behind🎶
🎶When they pull me under, and I can feel my sanity start to unwind🎶
🎶Darling only you can ease my mind🎶
"It's bad enough I'm locked in here, can you just keep it down?" Aria asked, annoyed.
"Hey, it's your own fault that you're stuck in there!" Branch got up and confronted her. "You betrayed us! Do you have any idea how much we tried to help you?" Aria started to get annoyed.
"And do you have any idea how much I trusted you?" Aria blurted. "I disobeyed my tribe because I cared about you!" Branch glared at her. "Name one thing I did to harm you while I've been here!"
"Well, you had Echo knock me against a tree." Branch argued.
"It was better being hit on accident by Echo who trusted you than being attacked by a wolf guardian who could have killed you with one-" Aria suddenly felt another pain in her torso causing her to bend down and wrap her arms around her stomach. Branch looked confused.
"What's wrong with you now?" Branch asked. Aria stood back up holding her torso.
"Why do you care?" Aria said dryly. But Branch still looked confused.
"Are you sure?" Branch asked, a little softer this time.
"Of course." Aria said. "But I need to get my gem back."
"What? So you can cause more chaos in the Troll Kingdom?" Branch said dryly.
"I told you, I had nothing to do with what happened! I chose not to get involved because I trusted you and didn't want you to get hurt!" Aria said angrily.
"And look where that got you." Branch crossed his arms. Aria grunted as she slumped back against the wall.
***
It was Poppy's turn to guard the cell in the evening. But this time, she wanted to try reason with Aria. She felt so bad for her and how she left things with her.
"Hey Ari." Poppy said gently. She looked through the bars of the cell and saw Aria sitting with her back to her.
"What do you want?" Ari grunted. "And that's not my name." Poppy sighed at Aria's words.
"I'm so sorry you're stuck in here." Poppy said. Aria didn't react, she just sulked. "But I may be able to get you out of here." Aria turned her head slightly to look at her. "I can talk to my dad about the last couple of days and our friendship with you. Then he might start to trust you and let you go!" Aria still looked doubtful. "You can be friends with us again and the whole tribe!"
"Poppy," Aria sighed as she stood up in front of the bars of the cell door. "If he does let me go, I'm gonna go back to my tribe."
"Well when you can back to visit then you'll-" Poppy was cut off.
"I won't be coming back..." Aria said. Poppy's eyes went wide. "After what happened yesterday, my tribe won't want any of us to come back." Poppy thought for a moment, she didn't want to never see Aria again. But she also couldn't stand seeing her locked up like this. She knew she had to do what was right. Poppy reached through the bars of the cell door and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll speak to him." Poppy said confidently. "I'm not giving up on you, Aria." Poppy ran off to go to the Pop Village. Aria felt another pain in her torso, this one more unbearable than the last one. She collapsed on the floor, holding her stomach and wincing in pain.
***
Night fell soon and Poppy knocked on the door to her dad's pod. She heard his voice telling her to 'come in'.
"Hi Poppy!" King Peppy greeted as he rushed to give his daughter a hug. "What brings you here?" Poppy took a deep breath.
"I-it's about the Lost Troll." Poppy admitted. King Peppy's face widened.
"She didn't escape, did she?!" He panicked. Poppy held his hands to calm him down.
"No." Poppy assured. "It's just...I'm friends with her." King Peppy was confused. "She had been hiding in a small clearing in the outskirts of the village. She was there because she needed to see if we were friendly or something like that."
"Spying on us?" King Peppy stroked his chin.
"Dad, I can promise you she's not dangerous." Poppy said. "Branch and I have been meeting her all week, she's just shy. And she trusted us, that's why she didn't join her tribe when they came. She was trying to defend us." King Peppy thought to himself, twirling his mustache in his fingers. "Please Dad, I know her better than anyone. She just wants to go home to her tribe." King Peppy let out a sigh.
"I trust you, sweetie." Peppy took his daughter's hands. "If you think this troll is trustworthy then I can take your word for it." Poppy sighed in relief. "But I have to meet her myself in the morning."
"Thanks Dad." Poppy hugged her father tight. King Peppy smiled as he returned the hug.
***
In the jail cell, Aria gripped her stomach with her arms. She was in so much pain she couldn't even move. This pain was different, not like a physical pain, it was as if her soul was being crushed by something. She had collapsed on the ground and could barely move.
She needed Echo.