Branch sat at the trunk of the tree and rested his back against the hut that he and Poppy were kept in when they were tranquilized. His knees were folded into his chest and his head rested on top. Talking about lost loved ones overwhelmed Branch, it always did. That's why he kept to himself so much, so that he wouldn't feel like this when someone brought up the subject.
He thought about what Aria said, and looked up at the stars. His family was up there, but why couldn't they be here with him? Especially through his darkest moments.
Poppy swung down the tree with her hair and looked around frantically to find Branch. She had a feeling she knew why he was upset. Branch was a gruff and sarcastic troll on the outside, but when it came to his feelings, especially about his family, he was so sensitive. And Poppy knew it, so it was her job to be there for him when he needs her.
She caught sight of Branch sitting by the hut. She gently approached him, trying not to startle him. Poppy sat next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Hey Branchie." Poppy said gently. Branch looked over at her and tried to smile, but it came out crooked. She could tell that something was wrong. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," He whimpered. "I...I just got a little overwhelmed."
"Is it because we were talking about..." Poppy's words trailed off as she saw Branch tense. She didn't hesitate and hugged him tightly. "Oh Branch. I know you miss them."
"Why do I have to feel like this?" Branch sniffed. "It's been over twenty years since they..." Poppy gently stroked his back.
"Branch, it's okay to feel sad about them." Poppy assured. "It doesn't matter how long it's been." Poppy grabbed his cheeks in her hands and kissed his forehead. "And I promise I'll always be here for you when you feel like this. You will always have me." Poppy hugged him close.
"She's right, you know." A voice said from behind them as they turned to face it. It was Aria. "Grief may get easier to deal with along the line, but it never goes away completely." She said, kneeling down beside them. "It comes and goes. But it's perfectly okay to feel this way when it comes." Branch had never thought of it like that. He smiled at her, rubbing his eye. Branch hugged both Poppy and Aria, resting his head on their shoulders.
"You know, my mom always used to sing to me and Ash when we felt sad," Aria explained. "It always made us feel better. She was a Lost Troll, but she always had a song in her heart like you guys." She held her guardian gem in her hand and sung.
🎶You say 'what if I go crazy?'🎶
🎶I'll say 'that ain't gonna happen'🎶
🎶You say 'what if I get lost?'🎶
🎶I'll say 'you'll just find your way back'🎶
🎶And you say 'what if someone breaks my heart?'🎶
🎶I'll put it back together like I do🎶
Aria's necklace glowed dimly and Echo nuzzled her body against Branch's face.
🎶You say 'what if I don't catch the dreams that I've been out there chasing?'🎶
🎶'What if when my fears show up, I'm too afraid to face them?'🎶
🎶Well I can't fight your battles🎶
🎶But I sure can hold your hand and promise you🎶
The three trolls looked up at the stars, where their loved one's were. Aria's mind flashed back to when her mom would sing to her and Ash. She used to sing the exact same song when Aria and Ash were growing up, it always made Aria feel like everything was going to be alright.
🎶That the sky will still be up there🎶
🎶And the sun will always shine🎶
🎶The stars will keep on falling for the ones who wish at night🎶
🎶The mountains won't start moving🎶
🎶And the rivers won't run dry🎶
🎶The world will always be there🎶
🎶And so will I🎶
After the song, Aria took something out of her pocket.
"I thought you might need this." Aria held a small pale purple crystal, slightly smaller that her guardian gem. It was transparent and there was a small star shape engraved into it.
"What is it?" Branch asked. Aria placed it in his hand and he stared down at it. It lit up with a dim glow, the light throbbing and matching the rhythm of his own heartbeat.
"It's a star stone." Aria explained. "It always made me feel better when I was feeling down or if I was missing my mom. It's relaxing glow made it seem like everything was going to be okay." Branch ran his fingers over the engraved star. "I think you need it more than I do." Branch looked at Aria with shocked eyes.
"What?" Branch asked. "Aria, this is too special to you." He held it out to her, offering it back. But Aria pushed his hand back to him.
"I don't need it." She smiled at him. "I know my mom will always be with me in the stars." She looked up at the night sky, then she placed her hand on top of the gem in Branch's hand. "It'll always be a reminder that your loved ones are always with you, even if you can't see them." Branch smiled at Aria, bringing her in for a hug.
"Thank you, Ari." Branch said as she hugged her.
"We should be getting to bed," Aria suggested. "We got a big day tomorrow."
***
Early next morning, Poppy, Branch and Aria were getting ready to head back to the Troll Kingdom. Aria was about to slide down the zip wire to meet Poppy and Branch at the bottom of the tree when her dad took her arm.
"Aria!" Her dad stopped her. He looked at her deep in the eyes, then looked down at Poppy and Branch. "Please be careful. You may have bonded with these Pop Trolls but you don't know what those other trolls are capable of." Aria looked at him compassionately.
"Dad, I know these trolls." Aria assured. "I'll be fine." The two trolls hugged until Ash jumped down.
"Don't worry Dad, I'll keep her out of trouble." Ash joked as he ruffled Aria's hair.
"Your mother would be proud of you two." Their dad said. "Good luck!" The twins hopped on the zip wire and rode down to the bottom of the tree.
"Right, let's get to the village!" Ash said.
The trolls met Tala in the center of the village. Since she was the chieftain, she could connect with the other troll leaders. The reason that the trolls were so frightened of the Lost Trolls was because they thought the ancestor attacked them with her guardian. They needed to convince them that she tried to save them, and prove to them that the Lost Trolls and their guardians were not dangerous.
Tala was standing with a familiar troll. It was the troll with the golden panther guardian, the one from the invasion. He had dark blue hair with a blue-ish gray color for his skin, he wore a green cape with a hood and his golden gem hung around his neck.
"Queen Poppy, this is Oak." Tala introduced Poppy to him. Oak lowered his head and bowed to the Pop queen. "He's the leader of our tribe's guards. He'll be joining us on our journey."
"Hello Queen Poppy." Oak greeted. "I apologize for the frightening approach of our guards during your tribe's party."
"It's okay, Oak." Poppy assured. "Soon, all trolls will be together again!" Oak nodded.
"Uh just wondering..." Branch interrupted. "How are we gonna get to the Troll Kingdom? It's on the other side of the island."
"The same way we got you guys here!" Aria exclaimed.
"We wouldn't remember. You tranquilized us!" Branch said. Echo suddenly appeared from Aria's necklace. Aria pointed at her as Echo grew large enough to ride. Branch's face immediately dropped. "You have got to be kidding me!"
Poppy and Branch both climbed onto Echo's back with Aria. Ash rode his falcon, Tala took her snow leopard and Oak riding his panther. They all waved their tribe goodbye as they flew away.
"You know, I'm really gonna miss that place." Poppy said. "It's such a beautiful land."
"You two will always be welcome here." Tala said to Poppy and Branch. While Poppy was admiring the view, Branch was clinging onto her. He didn't trust flying on a spiritual whale at all.
"Can you see why we tranquilized you, Branch?" Aria laughed. "It was the only way to get you on a guardian!" Branch rolled his eyes at her words.
***
After a while of travelling, the trolls landed by a lake in the middle of the forest to stretch their legs and get some water. Poppy and Branch sat by the lake, enjoying the view.
"How far away are we from the Troll Kingdom?" Poppy asked. Aria came and sat down beside the two trolls.
"Not too far, now." Aria said. She pointed to one of the edges of the lake which had a stream connected to it. "That stream joins a river that goes right through the kingdom itself."
"That must be the river we took to get to the funk trolls during our last adventure!" Poppy reminded Branch. Oak soon came up behind them with his hands on his hips.
"We're gonna be leaving in a few minutes." Oak informed. "So be ready." When he walked away, Aria got off the ground.
"Alright, I'm gonna get Echo ready for the journey!" Aria said. "I'll see you guys there." After she left, Branch gave Poppy as serious look.
"What do you think will happen after we reunite the trolls?" Branch asked her. "You know, with us and Aria."
"What are you talking about?" Poppy asked.
"You heard what Tala said. The Paradise Isles had been the Lost Trolls' home for generations." Branch explained. "Do you think Aria's gonna stay there?"
"I hadn't thought about that." Poppy sighed. "She's gonna be so far away."
"We'll have to respect her decision." Branch sighed as he took out the star stone Aria gave him. The two trolls looked over at Aria who was messing around with Echo, the thought of being so far away from a friend made them sad.
"You guys coming?" Aria asked them. Poppy and Branch got up on their feet and went over to continue the journey.
***
During the journey, Poppy and Branch couldn't get the thought of Aria leaving out of their heads. They barely spoke at all during the journey and Aria could tell that something was going on.
"So do you know how we're going to persuade the troll leaders?" Aria tried to change the subject.
"We tell them the real story of why the trolls became so divided." Poppy said. "And show them the power of your guardians." Aria and Ash looked at each other, confused. "I mean when Aria showed our friends Echo, they were so enchanted and didn't feel threatened by her at all."
"We can do that!" Ash said as he and his falcon guardian flipped upside down and flew above their heads. "No doubt about that!"
"Speaking of which...Look!" Aria pointed out. They spotted the Troll Kingdom down below. The trolls cheered as they saw it. "Follow me! I'll show you where to land!" Echo flew down to the edge of Pop village with the other guardians following behind. They landed down in the clearing where Aria stayed while she was at the village. "We'll be out of sight here until we go persuade the leaders."
"This is gonna happen guys!" Poppy said excitedly. "The trolls are finally gonna be reunited." Tala smiled at the Queen's enthusiasm.
"I hope you're right about this." Tala said. Poppy agreed, she also hoped she was right about this.
---
A/N: Hey guys!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Since I'm back at school, I may not add drawings with chapters but we'll just have to see how it goes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Here's the song from this chapter if you want to listen to it: