Chapter Text
Centuries ago...
Two species...
Trolls and Fairies once lived in harmony.
The Fairies would help the Trolls in many different ways.
Using their magic, they would grow crops, heal wounds, cure sickness, protect them from predators, and so on.
Then one day, the Fairies vanished.
The Trolls tried to look for them but no matter where they looked or how long they searched they just couldn't find them,
As if they never existed in the first place.
However the Trolls never lost hope,
Believing that the Fairies were still out there, somewhere.
Each year on the anniversary of the Fairies disappearance,
Every troll makes a paper lantern then releases them into the sky.
In hope that one day the Fairies would return.
The book closed with the cover reads 'The Tragic Tale Of The Fairies.' Ironically, the person reading the book was a fairy herself and her name was Lilian. She has long white hair that went to her hips, ice blue eyes, pale skin, and a light blue dress. She stared at the book with a sad expression. "If only they knew" she whispered to herself, gripping her necklace. She was snapping out of her thoughts when she heard singing in the distance.
Everybody
Move your hair and feel united
Ooh!
Everybody
Shake your hair and feel united
Ooh
She chuckled knowing exactly who it was. It was her friend, Princess Poppy. Starting off the morning song and assumingely passing out invitations for their 20th anniversary party. She arrived at troll village 15 years ago and she met Poppy and her friends the Snack Pack 2 years after that.
13 years ago
She had been flying around the forest. It wasn't raining yet but it was thundering hard. "I better get back home before it starts raining. He'll be worried sick if I don't." "Mr Dinkles! Where are you!" The sudden shouting made her stop. It sounded like someone it distress. She quickly flew to where the shouting was without thinking twice.
Poppy and her friends had been walking home from their picnic. Somewhere along the way Biggie had lost his beloved companion Mr Dinkles so he had been running through the forest looking for him. Of course his friends Poppy, Cooper, Fuzzbert, Smidge, Satin & Chenille, Guy Diamond, DJ Suki, and Creek followed him. They had been looking for over five minutes and they were worried. They had been told to be back before the storm since it was going to be a bad one so it'd be very dangerous for them to be out during the storm.
"Guys! We really have to go!" Cooper said worriedly. "But we haven't found Mr Dinkles yet!" Poppy interjected. "We know! But we'll be in big trouble if we don't leave right now" DJ Suki said. Biggie shook his head. "We can't leave without him." "Biggie, we get it. You care about him a lot but we'll be in danger if we don't get out of this storm. I'm sure he'll be ok" Creek said with all of his friends agreeing with him, well almost all of them (Biggie and Poppy). Biggie kept shaking his head repeating 'no' over and over again.
Seeing that the poor troll was about to have a panic attack, Poppy ran to him and tried to comfort him. "Biggie, it'll be ok we'll find him." Before anyone else could say anything, they heard a little 'mew' off in the distance. Biggie immediately perked up. "Did you hear that! It's him!" He then ran off. "Mr Dinkles!" "Biggie!" Poppy shouted. She turned to her friends and said "you guys can go home. I'll go get him." She then ran after her friend.
Biggie once again shouted for his companion and heard another 'mew' except it was real close this time. He pushed some bushes aside and smiled when he saw him on the floor. "Mr Dinkles" he said relieved. Poppy quickly caught up and saw him kneeling on the ground, clutching his companion, telling him how relieved he was. The happy moment was cut short when a bolt of lightning struck a tree causing it to fall. Biggie screamed as the tree was falling towards him. "Biggie!" Poppy shouted, running over to him.
"Biggie! Poppy!" Their friends yelled as they watched the tree fall on top of them. Some of them fell to their knees, others stood there in horror. Tear welled up in their eyes, thinking they had just lost two of their beloved friends. They suddenly heard two gasps causing them to look up. They gasped themselves at the scene ahead of them. In front of them was the two friends they thought they lost but there was a third person they did not recognize. The tree was lied on the grow destroyed while the three of them were covered by a transparent, pastel yellow, dome.
Lilian dropped her shield before turning to look at Poppy and Biggie to see if they were ok. "Are you ok? No injuries?" They looked at her with their jaws touching the ground. "Y-yo–" Biggie was too stunned to finish his sentence. "You... saved us" Poppy said surprised, finishing his sentence for him. Their voices barely above a whisper.
"Thank goodness you two are ok" Creek said to Poppy and Biggie. "That was aaaawesome!" Guy Diamond's autotuned voice boomed. "You saved them!" The twins Satin and Chenille said together. "That was the craziest thing I have ever seen!" Cooper chimed in. Fuzzbert nodded in agreement. "Thank you so much!" DJ Suki said sounding very grateful. "How did you do that?!" Smidge asked.
When she turned towards them, their jaws dropped much like Poppy and Biggie's. They were all stunned at the young girl's beauty. Lillian, feeling uncomfortable with them staring at her, took a couple steps backwards, getting ready to fly away. The trolls were somehow even more stunned when they saw her wings. "A FAIRY!?" They all shouted in unison.
Scared by the sudden shouting, Lilian began to fly away. "Wait a minute!" Poppy shouted. She didn't want her to leave. She had so much she wanted to ask to her. Lilian landed on a high branch before looking back at her. "I'm so sorry. We didn't mean to scare you." The Snake Pack nodded and apologized as well. "It's alright" Lilian quickly reassured them. "I can't handle big groups so is it ok if I stay up here?" Poppy nodded. "If you feel more comfortable up there than of course."
She cleared her throat and introduced herself "hello, I'm Poppy and these are my friends." She gestured to the trolls behind her, pointing to each respective troll as she said their names. "Biggie, Cooper, Fuzzbert, Smidge, Satin & Chenille, Guy Diamond, DJ Suki, and Creek." They waved at her and she waved back. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Lilian but you can call me Lilly."
"Thank you for saving me Lilly!" Biggie said a little too enthusiastically. "Oh my goodness you're beautiful!" DJ Suki said. "Lilian, what a lovely name to go with such a beautiful creature, such as yourself" Creek said taking a great liking to creature in front of him. Cooper nodded. "Yeah! A book I read said your kind were pretty but you are gorgeous girl!" Their comments caused her to blush as she shyly brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She wasn't used to being called beautiful. When you're born in a type of species that was well known for their beauty, it wasn't common for someone to call you beautiful, unless it was coming from their parents. "She is beautiful..." Satin hesitated. "But her clothes aren't." Her comment caused her to look at her outfit.
Her entire outfit was black, looking almost emo-ish, which clashed with her pale complexion and her light hair. Chenille agreed with her sister. "Black doesn't suit her at all and is it me or does that look like a boy's outfit." That last comment caused them to look at her confused, wondering why she was wearing boy clothes. "It's the only article of clothing I have" she answered rubbing her arm. The trolls gasped. "Oh my Guh!" Smidge said. "That's no good!" Creek said. "A gorgeous creature like you shouldn't be forced to wear something so hideous!"
"Satin & Chenille can make you some make you some new clothes" Poppy said. The twins quickly agreed. "What color you think she'd look good in?" Satin asked. Chenille looked at her and thought about her sister's question. "What about pastel blue? It would go with her pale skin and white hair." Satin agreed, along with everyone else. Before anymore words could be said, it started raining. The Snake Pack panicked. Satin & Chenille panicked about their clothes being ruined, DJ Suki panicked about the rain destroying her headphones, the rest of them panicked because they realized how much trouble their gonna be in since they were supposed to be home before it started raining.
Lilian flew down. "There's no need to panic" she said capturing their attention. "I can get you back home safely." "How?" Poppy asked. She held out her hand and twirled her other hand above it. Fairy dust fell from her fingertips and pilled up onto her hand. She blew the fairy dust onto the trolls causing them to glow before disappearing. She smiled, happy that she was able to help, before flying away.
By the time she got back, her brother scolded her for staying out too long. Saying how dangerous it was for her to be out there. What's funny was that she was older but he acts like her big brother. The Snake Pack found her again the next day. They dragged her to the village and to say everyone was astonished was an understatement.
They surrounded her asking questions. It was so chaotic that even Poppy couldn't get them to backoff. It got so overwhelming that she had a panic attack. She flew herself out of there and shut herself in her room. Lucky for her, her brother was by her side for the entire day, helping her through it. He knew how to help since he's had many panic attacks before. It was so bad that it took him over a week to coax her out of her room and their home, even refusing to go anywhere near the village.
The next time she stepped foot in the village, Poppy had to do a lot of convincing to get her to go and had to have it arranged so that no one would crowd around her. She gradually introduced her to everyone including her own father, King Peppy. Almost all of them asked her something. They were surprised since many of them were convinced that Fairies were just a fairytale, no pun intended. Those who did believe in them, saw this as a sign that the Fairies were coming back.
Present
As time passed, she's gotten better with groups but that's only if they have less than 15 people but she still couldn't handle large crowds, nor could she handle loud noises or flashing lights so she ultimately couldn't go to any parties they threw, which greatly disappointed her friends. When asked why, she told them the true large crowds, flashing lights, loud noises but she never told them why she couldn't handle them. "Might as well see what's going on." Lilian stressed her wings and flew. She was perched on a nearby tree, watching Poppy wrap up her musical number.
Everybody, move your hair and feel united
Poppy then orchestrated everyone to make a very elaborate tower out of their hair as she finished the song.
Ooh! Yeah, ooh!
Yeah!
Lilian placed her hand in front of her mouth. Trying her hardest to suppress her giggling, knowing very well that they had over done it again and left themselves exhausted. She watched as they panted from singing so hard before a slow clap caught her attention. "Unbelievable guys. Really, really great. Good job." A gray troll sarcastically said before he started walking towards Poppy and the Snack Pack. "I could hear you from a mile away."
Lilian couldn't suppress the smile on her face since she knew that troll very well. It was her brother, Branch. When they were young, he had found her sitting in the snow, cold, alone, soaking wet, injured, with frozen tears streaming down her face. She was shaking from the cold due to the fact that she didn't wear any warm. Her wing was torn, preventing her from flying, with her sparkly pastel yellow blood staining the sleeve of her dress. He was hesitant to approach her at first but he couldn't leave her to freeze to death.
He invited her back to his bunker got her dry, helped bring her temperature up, gave her some new clothes, and bandaged her shoulder. He would have also bandaged her wing but she told him that it doesn't need bandages, fairy wings would regenerate on its own. He let her stay in his bunker when she told him that she has nowhere else to go but she had to help out. She helped him build his bunker and abided by his rules. It was supposed to be temporary but as time flew by she just never left and Branch never made any indication that he had wanted her to leave, even built a room for her.
"Good, I was worried we weren't projecting enough" Poppy said sounding relieved. "Poppy, if I can hear you, so can the Bergens." Ahh, the Bergens, the entire reason for her brother's paranoia. The Bergens are the most miserable creatures in the world and the only way they can be happy is by eating a troll.
"Oh, boy" Guy Diamond said rolling his eyes. "Here we go again" Cooper chimed in. "Oh, Branch" Biggie said. "You always ruin everything" Satin said with her hand on her hips. "Warning us about the Bergens" Chenille added. "No I don't" Branch defended, looking at the Snack Pack. Lilian frowned, thinking about all the times Branch panicked because he thought a Bergen was near but he had a right to be afraid. Those were times Branch was genuinely convinced a Bergen was near. Just because they hadn't seen a Bergen in two decades, doesn't mean that they aren't a threat.
"Guys, can you please lay off my brother?" She asked making her presence known. "Lilly!" Her friends practically cheered. "I know the past times he panicked turned out to be nothing. But that doesn't mean he's wrong. It wouldn't hurt if we're a little more careful." "Come on!" Poppy insisted. "We haven't seen a Bergen in twenty years. They're not gonna find us." "No" Branch insisted. "They're not going to find me and Lilly because we'll be in our highly camouflaged, heavily fortified, Bergen-proof survival bunker."
"You mean you're not coming to the party tonight?" Poppy asked disappointed. "But it's going to be the biggest..." Satin and Chenille started. "The loudest..." Followed by Dj Suki. "The craziest party ever!" And Cooper finished with Biggie nodding. The Snack Pack cheered while Branch looked at them incredulously. "Big? Loud? Crazy? You're just going to lead the Bergens right to us!"
"Are you sure you wanna invite this party pooper to poop on your party?" Cooper asked Poppy. "Cooper, be nice" Lilian said sternly. She loved her friends but she hated when they made comments like that about her brother. "Yes, I think everyone deserves to be happy" Poppy said with Lilian nodding in agreement. "I don't do happy" Branch replied. "Branch, I know you have happiness inside you, you just need our help to find it" Poppy insisted before pulling out an invitation and opened it. It was a personalized pop-up invitation that Poppy had made herself singing. "Celebrate freedom from, the Bergens!" Once the song ended, the card blasted glitter in his face. She smiled. "What do you say, Branch?"
Branch smiled as he took the invitation before tossing it to the ground and stomping on it. The Snack Pack gasped in horror. "Oh my Guh!" Smidge said. Lilian placed a hand on his shoulder. "Branch." Poppy sighed in defeat. "What about you, Lilly?" She asked changing the subject. "Huh?" Lilian questioned. "You're coming to the party, right?" A terrible memory flashed in her mind. Hundreds of people running for their lives. Screaming, running past her, bumping into her, nearly knocking her over. She had been a child at the time so they towered over her.
"Poppy, you know I can't handle large crowds." "So you're not coming?" Biggie asked actually sounding disappointed. The rest of the Snack Pack wined. "Come on, Lilly" DJ Suki said. "You always say no" Satin said "come on, it'll be fun" Cooper said. "Quit trying to guilt her into going when she's already told you no" Branch stepped in, feeling frustrated for his sister. "Neither of us wouldn't be caught dead at your party but you will be. Caught and dead."
"Woah woah, Easy, Branch. Easy" Creek said as he floated down with of his bug friends holding him by the hair. He nuzzled his friend saying "thank you for providing safe passage, brother. Namaste." He then waved the bug off. "It's lovely to see you this evening, Lilian" he said before kissing her hand. "Hey!" Branch said pushing him off her. Believe it or not, she was actually thankful for that.
Creek was the one troll she tried her best to avoid. There was something about him that doesn't sit right with her, like he was hiding something not just from her but from everyone. Maybe it was his 'above everyone else' attitude that no one else besides her and Branch could see or was it something else? She didn't know, but there was one thing she knew and that was Poppy's crush on him. Every time she saw him flirting with her, she saw a flash of hurt and jealousy in her eyes. It always made her feel bad.
Creek grinned, turning to Branch. "Okay, first of all, mate, thanks for sharing your unique perspective in things.... Again." Biggie and Cooper started snickering. "But, just for now, why don't you try on some positivity, eh? A little positivity might go with that vest." "Okay, fine. I'm positive you all are going to get eaten" Branch said in an annoyed yet positive tone.
Their bracelets went off indicating that it was hug time. "Hug time!" Poppy excitedly calling out with her arms out. The Snack Pack also shouted 'hug time' pulling Branch and Lilian into a group hug. Lilian chuckled and accepted her friends hug while Branch resisted. It wasn't long before Branch managed to pull himself out of the hug. "Someday, when the Bergens find us," Branch started, walking away, "and the survival of every Troll is in your hands. I sure hope the answer is singing, dancing, and hugging. Because that's all you know how to do."
Biggie quickly came to her defense. "That is not true, Poppy can also scrapbook." "I can't believe you're gonna be queen one day" Branch said annoyed. Lilian silently gasped as she watched him storm off. She was about to go after him before turning to Poppy and apologized "sorry Poppy, maybe next time." "Yeah, maybe next time" Poppy said, sad but tried to hide it with a smile.
"Branch, that wasn't called for" Lilian scolded. "She's not taking this seriously," Branch insisted. "We could be attacked any day by Bergens and she wouldn't know what to do." He sighed and sat down, frowning. "Lilly, do you... think I'm crazy?" He hesitantly asked. She gasped and rushed to his side. "Of course not, Branch. You're not crazy." "They seem to think so" he replied. "Branch" she said softly, lifting his chin so he'd look at her. "They don't understand that you have a different perspective on things and that crazy and trauma are two completely different things. I remember how scared you looked every time you thought a Bergen was near by. You were traumatized by them and trauma can make do a bunch of things to avoid experiencing that again. Whether a Bergen shows up or not, I know you'd rather stay down here and I'll stay down here with you. Cause no one deserves to be alone, especially not you."
"I..." Branch couldn't finish his sentence. "Look at your hand." It was a weird request but he knew the meaning behind it. He looked at the back of his hand and on it was a mark. The mark was white and in the shape of fairy wings with a star in the middle. "That's a permanent reminder that we're family." The mark on his hand was the result of little ritual they did. The ritual is called a 'Fairy Bond.' It's a special ritual two non-blood related Fairies, or a Fairy and another creature, do to become honorary siblings. All they had to do is cut the palms of their hands and press the wounds up against each other to swap blood.
The ritual is an eternal bond that can't be removed even in death. "So, if we did the ritual... Does that mean you'll stay here with me?" He asked her when she told him about it. "I'd stay even if we didn't do the ritual" was her reply. Her response made him happy so did her asking him if he wanted to be her brother. The only thing about that made his stomach churn was that she would also inherit his memories. He settled down some when she told him that he pick which memories he did and didn't want her to see. It took him a few days to think before he decided to do it. He had let her see all his memories but in any memories where he still young and colorful, she saw nine blacked out figures but she couldn't hear what he or the figures was saying.
One of the memories had took place when Branch was a baby, there looked to be a fight going on between the three older figures while Branch and the youngest one, who looked closer to her age, watched. They were all older than him but they didn't look like adults so she guessed that they were teenagers. The memory ended with the figures leaving and she never saw them in any other memory.
The second memory had taken place when Branch was a bit older. He was with four more blacked out figures but they looked to be around Branch's age. The five of them were playing some kind of card game, having a good time. They were in more of Branch's memories but they stopped appearing in his memories not long after he lost his colors.
The final blacked out figure was in the majority of his memories. The figure was definitely an adult maybe they were an elder? She couldn't tell but she could tell that they meant a lot to him. The last memory she saw them in was in the Troll Tree. Branch was holding a rose and singing and the figure was doing laundry. The memory suddenly cut off then reappeared with the figure gone and Branch on his knees with his colors disappearing.
To this day, she still doesn't know who those figures were. She didn't bother to ask him because Branch didn't want her to know who those trolls were and she will respect his privacy. Branch took a breath, feeling better than he did a moment ago. "Lilly... thank you." He didn't know how but she always knew how to make him feel better. "You're welcome" she said resting a wing on his back. He may not be a fan of physical contact, but he liked how warm Lilian's wing felt. "I don't care about what they have to say about you, I think you're great just the way you are" she said meaning every word. She was not about to let him doubt himself.
Not long after, Lilian retired to her room. She sat on her bed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Once she opened her eyes, she was in a forest with white trees and golden leaves. These are rare trees were known as fairy trees, they grow fruits that heals and improves health. The scenery was beautiful but the only time she's brought here, she's warned about an approaching disaster. "Lilian." She heard a familiar voice. In front of her stood a fairy with long curly blonde hair. She couldn't see her face since she had her back turned to her but Lilian already knew who she was. It was her mother, Elizabeth. She tragically died a couple minutes after her birth. The only time she's seen her was in these warnings but she never looked at her, she's always had her back turned to her which hurts her in ways you can't imagine.
"Mother?" If she could, she would have ran up and hugged her mother but she sadly couldn't. She tried when she first saw her but she ran face-first into an invisible wall. "Is it time?!" Elizabeth shook her head. "No, not yet. But something bad will happen very soon. You need to be prepared, or else you'll lose the people you love." The scene and her mother began to fade away. "Wait, Mother!" She shouted in an attempt to make her stay but she was gone. That's always what happens when her mother appears. She was there for short sessions just to warn her of up coming disasters but she never told her what these disasters were.
Lilian felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself and did her best to compose herself. When that ultimately failed, she resorted to the one tactic that always worked.
All of the time that we took for granted
Thinking tomorrow's just another day
Sun on your face with the windows open
I never got the chance to say
She sang this song when she was about to cry. It always succeed in stopping her from crying. Her mother had made this song for her so it holds a special place in her heart. She made sure to sing quietly so she wouldn't disturb her brother.
I know your wings are getting heavy
She walked to the mirror and pulled down the sleeve on her dress, reveling a scar in the shape of a claw.
You can let go when you're ready
This scar was a permanent reminder of that awful day. The day she lost everything. She gently ran her thumb over her discolored skin.
To fly, fly
I know we'll meet between heaven and the sky
I, I'll try
I'm gonna try to find the good after goodbye
Butterfly
She stopped singing when she knew she wasn't going to cry anymore. Taking a deep breath, she wiped any remaining tears from her eyes and readjusted her sleeve to cover her scar. "I won't lose them too." With a determined expression, she left.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Chapter Text
Lilian had left the bunker, telling Branch she would collect more supplies for him. She watched the party from afar, countless Trolls singing and dancing without a care in the world. She had to wear sunglasses and earplugs to cancel out the bright lights and loud noises. "MORE GLITTER!" Poppy shouted. Bright beams of glitter shot into the air. Even with the sunglasses on, Lilian had to turn away to shield her eyes. The warning she had received made her nervous but the beams of glitter made her anxiety shoot through the roof. She just hoped that whatever was gonna happen next wouldn't be too bad but the world wasn't that generous.
Somewhere not too far away, a Bergen resident. This Bergen happened to be the Royal Chef. She was banished from Bergen Town 20 years ago. They believed that it was her fault the Trolls escaped, that they lost their only way to be happy, for ruining the prince's first Trollstice. She had been living in the forest for the past 20 years, searching for them day in and day out. She was alerted when she heard fireworks and saw wisps of glitter flying by her. She took out a telescope and began looking around. "I can't hear you!" Poppy's voice rang out as a firework launched into the sky. Chef smiled maliciously, knowing that she finally found them. "Trolls."
Back at the village, Poppy was on stage with Cooper and King Peppy. "Ok everyone, I just wanna take a moment... and get a little real." "Poppy!" Biggie shouted. "She's my friend! I know her!" The rest of his friends shushed him. Poppy smiled. "I'd like to take a second to celebrate our King, my father." She reached out her hand to hold his. "Who 20 years ago this night, saved all of us from those dreaded..." She was unable to finish her sentence as a loud 'THUMP' could be heard as well as the ground shaking. This made the Trolls look around as it happened again and again. It wasn't until the four time it happened did they see what it was. "Bergens" King Peppy quietly said.
There was no doubt about it. Standing right there in front of them was the monster that has plague their kind for so long, a Bergen. "Gotcha" she quickly said with her hands on her hips. "Uh... cupcake?" Poppy said awkwardly. Chef just smiled and unzipped her fanny pack. Poppy dropped the cupcakes and shouted "RUN!" The Trolls ran and hid, trying to get away from the Bergen.
Lilian stayed hidden, watching all this happening. Memories of that day flashed in her mind. People screaming and running for their lives and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She watched as her friends, minus Poppy, were taken. 'Not again' she thought. She wanted to help, to try and save them but she couldn't move, her body wouldn't let her. She stood there hyperventilating, frozen in fear. She was close to blacking out but she managed to force herself to calm down.
Once Chef couldn't see any more trolls, she stopped. "Thanks for throwing the biggest... the loudest..." "The craziest party ever" Cooper said poking his head out of the fanny pack. Chef pushed him back in before zipping it shut. The Snack Pack screamed in fear as she walked away. Once she was gone, the Trolls came out of hiding, looking at their destroyed home before looking at Poppy. "Is it coming back?" "What are we gonna do now?" They questioned. Before Poppy could answer, King Peppy stepped in "we have to find a new home. Everyone, hurry! We have to leave before the Bergens come back!" "We have to rescue them!" Poppy interjected. "No, Poppy, we have to run" King Peppy quickly shut her down before turning to the remaining Trolls. "Now, let's go everyone. Come on!" "What about "No Troll Left Behind"?" Poppy asked, not believing that her father, the king, the same Troll who saved everyone from the Bergens, wasn't gonna go save them.
King Peppy looked at his daughter and with a sad face, he said "I'm sorry, Poppy. That was a long time ago. And I'm not the king I once was." Poppy thought for a moment. She accepted his answer but there was no way she wasn't gonna save her friends. "Then I'll go. I'll go and save them." King Peppy quickly turned to look at her. "No, Poppy. It's to dangerous." "I have to at least try." "No. You can't go to Bergen town by yourself. It's impossible." Poppy turned away from her father as she thought of what to do.
Branch was staring at the, now fixed, Invitation Poppy had given him. It repeated "Celebrate freedom from, the Bergens!" Over and over again. He looked at the other invitations Poppy had given to him over the years. He had to make two little cubbies just to put them somewhere. He doesn't know why she still try and invite him to things, he made it clear that he wasn't gonna come, but he was still touched by the gesture. There was something about her blind optimism and her stubborn drive to make him happy again that he just couldn't get off his mind.
His thoughts were interrupted by someone pounding on the door. He closed up to card and attempted to hide it with the others, but in his hurry he ended up knocking the invitations out. He frantically tried to close them to get them to shut up but they just kept opening back up. He eventually gave up and shoved them back into the cubby and closing the curtains. Poppy kept knocking and repeating his name. "Branch, are you in there?!" She shouted losing her patience. "Huh?" She said as he opened a little hole in the mat. "I'm not going to your party" he said. "The party's over! We just got attacked by a Bergen!" Branch's eyes widened. "I knew it!" He pulled her into the bunker.
As he did so, his eye caught the mark on the back of his hand causing his mind wandered to a certain sister of his, who happened to still be outside. "Where's Lilly?!" He asked. Poppy looked at him surprised and confused. "Lilly was there?" She said more to herself. "I didn't see her." Branch felt tears welling up in his eyes, immediately assumed the worst. 'No, no, no, no! I can't lose her too!' He thought on the verge of a break down. "Branch." He opened the door and sighed in relief, seeing his sister standing in front of him. He ran over and hugged her. "Are you ok?! You're not hurt, are you?!" He asked, looking for any injuries. Lilian shook her head. "No, I'm ok." 'Physically that is.'
He pulled her into the bunker and said "go to your room, don't come out no matter what!" She didn't argue and flew off to her room. She closed the door with her back pressed to it, sliding down. She panted heavily and her heart raced as memories of her friends being taken played in her mind. Branch always told her how terrifying the Bergens were but she never met one before so she never truly understood how it felt, well now she does. She gripped her hair in panic, the Bergen's twisted smile made her think back to another creature showing her that exact same smile. She let go of her hair and gripped her shoulder instead, feeling a familiar burning sensation. Her scar itched when she remembered the day she got it but it burned when she felt fear.
She walked to her mirror and pulled down her sleeve. Her scar looked the same as it always does. She honestly doesn't know why she expects it to be red whenever she gets this burning sensation. She turned her attention away from her shoulder and to her reflection. Instead of seeing herself as a grown up, like she expected, she instead saw herself as a child. The same scared, injured, crying child she once was. Back then, she had been a child so there was nothing she could do to stop that disaster from happening but know she was a grown woman, she could have done something to save them and what did she do instead? Nothing, absolutely nothing. She just hid and watched as her friends were taken.
Her fist clenched in anger as tears fell from her eyes. She punched the mirror, unable to stand looking at that helpless child any longer. The mirror shattered as blood trickled from her knuckles. She fell to her knees, shoulders slumped, her chest ached, with tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm so pathetic" she angrily whispered to herself. "All these years, I tried to be stronger so I wouldn't lose anyone else but when they actually need me, I let them down. This is my fault." As the words left her mouth, her necklace began to glow. 'Don't give up.' She heard a familiar voice in her head. This voice talked to her and encouraged her when she needed it. 'It'll be a while before that Bergen arrives back at Bergen Town. You can still go after it. It's not too late.' The voice vanished and her necklace stopped glowing.
She looked at her distorted reflection and wiped her tears away. She stood up readjusting her dress and bandaging her hand. "I'm not weak" she told herself with a determined face. She wrote a letter and addressed it to her brother. 'Branch, if you're reading this then I already left, I'm gonna go to Bergen Town and try to save the kidnapped Trolls. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you but I promise to be careful and to return as soon as possible. Please don't follow me. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt. Please be careful Love Lilian.' She hopped he would forgive her for this. "I'm sorry, Branch, but I have to try." She packed some supplies then, using her magic, she teleported out of the bunker and outside the village.
She looked at the sky before gripping her necklace and closing her eyes. "Lady Aurora" she stared, addressing the Fairies Goddess. "First Fairy to exist, Mother Of Magic, please lend me your courage and show me the way." The necklace once again began to glow and a path was created. She sighed in relief, knowing her prayer was answered. "Thank you." She followed the path, flying to avoid predators.
Lilian had landed on the ground. She had been flying for hours. She still had ways to go but she needed to give her aching wings a break. "I'll just have to go the rest of the way on foot." She could have teleported but she had no idea what she's up against so she wants to save as much magic as possible. That and if she wants to teleport somewhere, she needs to know the coordinates. She was about to continue on the path when she suddenly heard singing.
And if you knock knock me over,
You knock knock me over
I will... get back up again!...
The last bit sounded forced and like they were having trouble catching their breath. The song ultimately ending with a 'bleh.' "Was that... POPPY?!" Lilian said to herself shocked. In hindsight, she should have expected this. She had told her father that she would go after their friends and once she has her mind set on something, it's almost impossible to get her to back down. She ran over to see her friend passed out, wrapped in webs, with four spiders surrounding her. 'Poppy!' As she was about to run over to them until she saw a familiar Troll wrapping his hair around her and pulled her to safety. 'Branch?!' Lilian thought astonished. The spiders charged towards them. Lilian ran over to them and summoned her shield. "What are you doing here?!" He reached into his vest. "I'm pretty sure you know exactly why I'm here!" he said showing her the letter she left him.
The moment Poppy left the bunker, Branch had been preparing to go after her. He went to her room to tell her that he was leaving, only to see that she wasn't there. He freaked out over her absence along with the broken mirror with her blood running down the cracks. He saw the note on her bed and groaned when he read it. "Of course she when after them" he said bitterly. He loved his sister dearly but sometimes her need to help people drove him insane. He saw the path not long after leaving the bunker, he just hoped that they hadn't gone too far.
"I told you not to follow me" Lilian said. "Did you really think I was gonna let go to Bergen Town by yourself? If you did then you're the crazy one, not me" Branch answered. Lilian opened her mouth to speak but the spiders started attacking the shield. The shield held strong but they couldn't just sit there and wait for them to give up. They had bunch of Trolls to save. Branch threw his backpack to the ground and using his hair like a whip, he managed to drive them back and into a cave. The entrance to the cave closed, revealing to be a giant creature when it opened its eyes. Lilian ran to her brother's side, ready to put up her shield again.
The creature didn't attack, it simply closed and went to sleep. They sighed in relief. "Nice, Branch." He blushed at her compliment. He'd never say it aloud but it was nice to hear someone praising him for his accomplishments. "Poppy!" He shouted, suddenly remembering the still unconscious princess behind them. He placed his ear close to her to make sure she was still breathing. She was it was just very faint. "Hang on!" He turned to Lilian. "Get your healing magic ready, Lilly!" "Alright on it!" She replied as he ran.
He grabbed the nearest sharp object and two light beetles. He cut the webs to reveal her swollen, blue spotted body. Which was definitely caused by poison or an allergic reaction, either way it didn't matter. Lilian blew a handful of fairy dust onto her causing the swelling to go down and the spots to disappear. Branch, using the bugs as defibrillators, quickly rubbed them together and placed them on her chest. "Get back up again!" Poppy sang springing up. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Branch. "Branch! My man, you are right on time!" She turned her gaze to Lilian when she offered to help her up. "And you brought Lilly too! This is perfect!" she said as Lilian helped her up.
Branch couldn't help but flinch when she used the word 'perfect' the one word he hates more than anything. "Oh, right. Like you really knew we were coming." Lilian gave the bugs a quick pet as a way of saying thank you. "Yes! I figured after the third hug time, getting eaten by a Bergen wouldn't seem so bad" Poppy said sounding smug. "And I figured there was no way you could do this by yourself" he shot back. "Guess we were both right." Poppy shrugged. "Hmm. All right! Let's do this!" she declared as she walked away. "Sooner we get to Bergen Town, sooner we can rescue everyone, and make it home safely." "Poppy, do you have a plan?" Lilian asked because to her, it sounded like she was running in blind. "I just told you. Rescue everyone and make it home safely."
Branch sighed. "Okay. That's not a plan. That's a wish list." "Oh! I suppose you have a plan." "I'm sure he does" Lilian chimed in. "He always has one." Branch smiled at his sister and cleared his throat. "First, we get to the edge of Bergen Town without being spotted. Then, we get inside by sneaking through the old escape tunnels which will then lead us to the Troll Tree, right before we get caught, and suffer a miserable death at the hand of a horrible, bloodthirsty Bergen! Hold on a second" he stopped narrating when he saw Poppy on the ground. "Are you scrapbooking my plan?" "Uh-huh. Yeah," she replied from her spot on the ground. Surrounded by colorful craft supplies and snipping away at a pink piece of paper. "Almost." After one final snip, she held up her masterpiece to show him. "Done!" Mini versions of her, Branch, Lilian, and the rest of her friends popped up saying "we did it!" It then blasted glitter in his face, much to his annoyance. "And there will be no more..." He blew some glitter out of his nose. "Scrapbooking." Lilian had to place her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. The dynamic between these two was honestly hilarious. She took a breath before activating the path again. "This path with lead us there." "Awesome!" Poppy said.
The three continued on their way. Poppy started singing and like usual Branch as annoyed. "Do you have to sing?" "I always sing when I'm in a good mood." "Do you have to be in a good mood?" "Why wouldn't I be? By this time tomorrow, I'll be with all my friends! Oh, I wonder what they're doing right now." Branch rolled his eyes. "Probably being digested." "They're alive, Branch. I know it!" He shook his head. "You don't know anything, Poppy. And I can't wait to see the look on your face when you realize the world isn't all "cupcakes and rainbows" cause it isn't. Bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it."
As sad as it is, he's right. Everything can seem happy but then out of nowhere horrible things can happen that can cost you everything. Life is like nature, where nothing is ever consistent and things can change in an instant. By the time you get used to the warmth of the sun the wind will start to get colder and the leaves will change color for the cold dark winter ahead, but no matter what happens there's one thing that never changes. When happiness is destroyed it leaves a lasting impression on someone.
"Hey, I know it's not all cupcakes and rainbows but I'd rather go through life thinking that it mostly is instead of being like you." That caught her off guard. "Poppy!" That ended up being louder than she intended making the two jump. Branch scurried ahead, not wanting to see her mad. Lilian took a deep breath to try and calm down. "Poppy, you have no right to judge someone for how they are especially if you don't know why they are the way they are. What you just said was very disrespectful. Branch wasn't always like this. He was once like you but sometimes terrible happened that made him like this. So if you're gonna say things like that to somebody then please keep it to yourself cause you're just gonna hurt their feelings."
Having said what she wanted to say, as politely as possible, she left not wanting to say anything she'll regret later. Poppy, meanwhile, had trouble comprehending what just happened. Was Lilian mad at her? She had seen her mad before but never at her. Was what she said really that insensitive that she felt the need to scold her like a mother scolding her child for bullying? Then again, why did she sound so... insulted? It wasn't evident in her voice but it was there.
The three decided to stop for the night when the sun went down. Branch was working on a fire when Lilian approached him. "Hey, I'm gonna set up some spells around the area to keep predators away." He threw a stick into the fire before turning to her. "Alright, just be careful and be back soon." She nodded then left. She set up a trail of fairy dust around the camp so if something tries to get near them, a shield will prevent them from getting close.
She was about to head back, until a certain flower caught her attention. A single red rose. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. With shaky legs, she walked to the rose, unable to find the strength to walk away. She fell to her knees and cupped the flower with her hands, gently to not damage any of the petals. The tears fell from her eyes as memories of a man, she cherished, would bring her these flowers almost every day, even when she was a baby. That man was her father. He had white hair, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. The tears fell faster as she remembered an old nickname he gave her. “My wild flower." She carefully plucked the flowers and held it to her chest.
'Now's not the time for tears. Your friends need you. Focus on the task at hand' the voice said. Lilian took a shaky breath and stood up, not letting go of the flower. She tried in vain to wipe away her tears. When that failed, she took a breath to start singing again.
You come down to visit your favorite flower
The forest around her disappeared and was replaced with a dark room. Not far away, she saw the younger version of herself but she looked to be made out of fairy dust. She was admiring a rose bush when her father approached.
Catching the wind in the light of day
He placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to look at him. He picked her up and swung her around several times before embracing her.
You keep sending me bittersweet reminders
Signs, you're never really far away
You know I will always need you
He flew away with her in his arms.
I feel better when I see you
Fly, fly
I know we'll meet between heaven and the sky
Her father appeared behind her with his hand stretched out. She reached out to touch him.
I, I'll try
When her hand was just inches away, the fairy dust dispersed and reformed into a butterfly and flew away.
I'm gonna try to find the good after goodbye
She tried to chase after it but it disappeared into the sky.
Butterfly, butterfly
Fly, 'til next time
Where to butterfly disappeared, a bunch more butterflies emerged.
Butterfly, butterfly
Fly, 'til next time
They all flew in circles around her before flying into the sky.
Butterfly
Once the butterflies disappeared, she was once again back in the forest, looking at the moon. She wiped away any remaining tears then looked at the flower. "I'm not that little girl anymore. I can't stand here and cry. I have to be strong, for me, for them, for him." She placed the flower in her hair to remind her to be strong. "I should head back. Branch might be worried." She walked back to their camp, mentally preparing herself for whatever challenges may lie ahead.
Rarer on Chapter 1 Mon 25 Aug 2025 04:30AM UTC
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