Broppy Coronation Day (ft. my oc)

The Unraveling: A Rescue Begins.

As the night deepened, the palace remained in a serene silence, with only the soft rustling of the wind disturbing the calm. Branch, who had been fast asleep, suddenly stirred as a cool breeze swept across his face. The wind, seemingly determined, tugged at the curtains and brushed against his skin, pulling him from his dreams.

Groggy and disoriented, Branch blinked his eyes open and sat up, glancing around the room. It was then that he noticed the window, slightly ajar, letting the wind dance through the room. A frown creased his brow as he tried to remember if he had left it open. Something didn’t feel right. His gaze shifted down to Poppy’s side of the bed—empty.

The frown deepened into concern as Branch swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet touching the cold floor. His heart began to race as he stood up and noticed a small piece of paper fluttering on the bedside table. He picked it up, reading the simple message:

"Gone to grab some flowers, be back soon."

The words were in Poppy’s handwriting, but something about it didn’t sit well with him. Branch’s instincts, honed from years of protecting those he loved, kicked in. Why would Poppy go out to pick flowers in the middle of the night, especially when she was so close to giving birth? The unease in his chest grew stronger, morphing into a gnawing fear.

Branch hurried to the window, his eyes scanning the dark landscape outside. Nothing seemed out of place, but his gut told him something was very wrong. He turned back to the bed, clutching the note tightly in his hand. Where was Poppy?

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, far from the safety of the palace, Poppy stirred from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and she immediately felt the cold, rough surface beneath her. She blinked, trying to clear the haze from her mind, and as her vision focused, the reality of her situation crashed over her like a wave.

She was in a cage.

Her heart pounded as she scrambled to sit up, her hands instinctively going to her belly, cradling her unborn child. Panic set in, but before she could react further, she noticed a familiar figure standing just outside the cage.

It was Creek.

His expression was a mix of triumph and something darker, something unhinged. He stared at her with a look that sent chills down her spine. Poppy’s mind raced as she tried to make sense of what was happening. How had he found her? Why was he doing this?

“Creek... What are you doing?” Poppy’s voice was shaky, her fear evident as she looked at the troll she had once trusted, now standing before her as a stranger.

Creek’s smile was unsettling, a twisted echo of the charm he once possessed. “I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago, Poppy. I’m making things right,” he said softly, as if trying to convince himself as much as her. “You and I, we’re meant to be together. We were always meant to be together.”

Poppy shook her head, her mind reeling. “No, Creek. This isn’t right. You betrayed us—betrayed me. This isn’t how it was supposed to be.”

But before Creek could respond, Poppy felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Her breath hitched, and she realized with growing horror that the pain wasn’t just from the fear or stress—it was the unmistakable sign that her labor was starting. Their baby girl was coming, and she was coming now.

Poppy’s eyes widened, and she let out a soft, pained gasp as another contraction hit. She instinctively clutched her belly, trying to steady her breathing. She knew she had to stay calm, but it was nearly impossible given the circumstances. Creek, unaware of the full gravity of what was happening, took a step closer to the cage, a strange light in his eyes.

“We can be a family, Poppy. You, me, and our child. Just like it was meant to be.”

Poppy’s heart pounded as she looked at Creek, knowing she had to stay strong, not just for herself but for her baby. She whispered under her breath, her voice a mix of pain and determination. “Branch… Please… find us…”

Back at the palace, Branch’s mind was racing. The note didn’t make sense, and the longer he stared at it, the more certain he became that something was terribly wrong. He rushed to the door and called out for help, waking the palace staff and alerting the guards.

“I need to find Poppy!” he shouted, his voice filled with urgency. “Something’s wrong—she’s gone!”

As the palace erupted into a flurry of activity, Branch’s determination solidified into a steely resolve. He didn’t know where Poppy was, but he would move heaven and earth to find her.

As he gathered a group of his most trusted trolls to search the forest, Branch’s heart pounded with a single thought echoing in his mind: I will find you, Poppy. I will bring you and our baby home.