Trolls Band Together

Chapter 4

"branch!" poppy yelled, running after him through troll village. "wait up!"

as soon as the wedding was finished, branch took off. he knew his brother was hot on his toes, so he tried everything in his power to get away from him. it had worked, though john dory was still somewhere out in the village, branch used john dory not knowing his way around the village to his advantage.

"branch, can you just talk to me?" poppy asked, out of breath as they went through the woods. "a brother is a friend who could never leave you! it's the strongest bond in the world!"

branch shook his head, looking up at the sky and the trees around him. "you don't understand."

"you're right, i don't. but i can listen." poppy stepped closer towards him and took both of his hands in hers. "what happened between you guys?"

branch looked at her. "i was apart of brozone."

poppy took a step back away from him. "wait, you were what?!" she practically screamed.

"i was only a baby. i don't remember most of it, but i remember the heartbreak i felt when they left me like it was yesterday."

poppy's eyebrows turned, her heart feeling for branch. "why didn't you ever tell me?"

"by the time that we met, i was gray. i never mentioned it to you before you gave me my true colors, because i didn't want you to know that there was a happy version of me before i was betrayed and my grandma passed away," branch gulped, looking around to make sure john dory was no where within hearing range. "and once you gave me my color back, there's no real good time to tell your girlfriend that you were in a boyband growing up and that you have 4 secret long lost brothers."

when poppy didn't say anything, branch sighed. "it's embarrassing for me, knowing people can just walk right out of my life without second thought."

"branch, i-"

interrupting them, john dory hopped off of a tree above them and landed next to poppy. putting his arm on her shoulder, he looked from her to branch. "so, what's the deal with you two? are you like, best friends, or..."

"i'm queen poppy. branch's girlfriend," poppy said to him, trying her best to be there for branch while also trying to accept that that was 20 years ago.

"the Queen?!" john slid over to branch. "bro, how did you pull that off?"

branch folded his arms, glaring at john. "why are you here?"

john sighed. "branch, i need your help. floyd is being held captive. i don't know much, but i know we need to get the band back together, otherwise we may lose him."

branch's eyebrows narrowed. "How do i know you're not lying to me? you show up 20 years later only because you need something from me."

"look branch, i know that this probably isn't the best case scenario, but I promise you. i wouldn't lie to you."

branch looked from poppy, who stood ideally by, watching branch fight through emotions she'd never seen him fight before. "your promises mean nothing to me."

john sighed, reaching into his hair and pulling out a folded up envelope. inside, he pulled out a picture and a note. on the picture was his brother, floyd, being held in a diamond, with a crumpled up note that read, "come get him".

branch looked from the note, to the picture, to john dory, to poppy. poppy nodded at him, in a way that only the two of them could understand. branch turned to john dory, putting the envelope in his own hair. "let's go rescue my brother."