Chapter Two: Homeward Bound

Moxie was delighted to work more in the restaurant and learn to be a proper chef. Rosiepuff made sure Moxie understood all the ins and outs of running the restaurant, and left her in charge while Rosiepuff, Branch, and Symphony were gone. After Rosiepuff's follow-up appointment with Dr. Plum (who confirmed that things looked better than they had in weeks), Branch and Symphony helped her pack for the trip. The next day, they caught the first coach towards Rosiepuff's hometown.

The ride was far from quiet, what with the rowdy passengers excited for whatever reason they had for traveling. Rosiepuff stared at the passing scenery, deep in thought. Branch and Symphony played games and napped most of the way. They had to change coaches halfway through the trip. Branch found a small bookstore near the coach station and picked up a travel guide and a small biography about the Golden Rose Clan. Branch and Symphony perused the Golden Rose book and found the name of the town they protected: Hana Rosa. But all they could find in the travel guide was two pages about the village of Hana Rosa, describing the environment, annual festivals, local economy, and a few sentences about the Golden Rose Clan.

"What's this?" Branch asked his grandma. "This thing just says your family once guarded the village, but that you all disappeared after defeating Titan and his army. There's barely any mention of you."

"You'll mostly likely see more books about us when we get to the village." Rosiepuff said, still staring out the window. "I suppose I should've mentioned that the village was not very big when my family lived there. In fact, our house was on the outskirts of the town's boundaries. After my family was killed, some left the village in fear of there being no protection. Your grandfather, Kai, sent a message to the leader of the village explaining what happened, and that the only living member of the Golden Rose Clan was safe with him. I never heard anything else from them."

"I bet it's nice there." Symphony said.

"Maybe." Rosiepuff murmured. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Grandma, we're almost there. Kind of late to turn back now." Branch pointed out.

"But I haven't been back in….." Rosiepuff counted in her head, doing some quick math. "Forty-ish years? Damn, I'm old. What if they don't want to see me?"

"Grandpa was good enough to tell them something from the Golden Rose Clan survived." Branch said. "I'll bet they will want to see you again. They'll probably be happy to have you for a visit."

"We can still have fun regardless." Symphony said.

Rosiepuff nodded a little. "Well, we are going to be there for the Starlight Festival. Rather fortuitous, seeing how this is a festival about celebrating memories. My grandfather once told me a story that we go through our lives and we experience so many things. Our memories stay with us, though some are forgotten. But our most precious memories go up to the stars, where they live on forever."

"That's so sweet." Symphony cooed.

Rosiepuff finally smiled. "It'll be nice to see it again after so long. We make these lovely lanterns to send into the air. We take this special paper and write our favorite memories on them, and then we make the paper into lanterns. We send them up into the sky, hoping our memory will be immortalized in the stars."

"Can we do that?" Branch asked, bouncing in his seat like a child.

Rosiepuff laughed lightly. "Provided no one's mad at me for leaving."

"They won't." Branch said. "This is going to be great."

The next morning, the coach stopped at a small shack that served as the ticket booth. It was a small building with a flag signaling it's a coach stop, plopped down in the middle of the nowhere. Only Branch, Rosiepuff, and Symphony got off with their backpacks. The coach left, and the troll in the ticket booth poked his head out to see who arrived. He tipped his hat in greeting to the little family. Rosiepuff led the way. She recognized this area. She knew this footpath that led to her village. She knew those rolling fields full of wildflowers. She walked this road many times before, even if she had not for so long.

Branch held her grandmother's hand. "You okay?"

Rosiepuff stared ahead, knowing her village would appear when they reached the peak of this hill. Her voice was soft. "I haven't been home in so long….."

Quite suddenly, Rosiepuff broke into a run. Branch and Symphony rushed after her. They reached the top of the hill. Down below, they saw a little village nestled in the middle of so many wildflower fields. There was a bare spot, a village square, and the houses and buildings were arranged in what appeared to be a circular maze. The bright colors of the festival could be seen from on the hill.

Branch looked to Rosiepuff, and silently sighed in relief when he saw her smile. "Ready?"

Rosiepuff inhaled deeply. The air smelled sweet, as it usually did in this area. "Let's go."

There was one main road through town. Most of the other pathways were either as wide as a single cart or narrow alleyways. Rosiepuff, Branch, and Symphony walked down the main road. Rosiepuff recognized several buildings, noticed new businesses, and she searched for familiar faces. Branch felt like he needed another dozen eyes to see everything. For a modest-sized village, the last thing Branch expected was to see a variety of troll species. There were six main classes of trolls: fairy trolls, mermaid trolls, llama trolls, centaur trolls, rainbow trolls, and dark elf trolls. Usually, a village contained one type of troll inhabitants. For example, there were fairy troll villages in the hills, mermaid trolls tended to live closer to or on the water, and centaur trolls seemed to prefer the deserts and wide-open fields. There were also subspecies of trolls, like mountain trolls or wolf trolls. Only in the largest communities—Sunrise City and Troll Valley, for example—did you see the species co-mingling. Now, Hana Rosa could be added to that list. Branch saw an almost equal number of each troll type and even a few subspecies.

People began noticing the newcomers. They whispered to each other excitedly. They pointed at Rosiepuff specifically. Someone suddenly approached the new arrivals, and Branch stepped closer to his grandmother out of habit of protecting her. This was a dark elf troll, staring at Rosiepuff incredulously.

"Golden Rose?" the dark elf troll breathed.

"Yes…." Rosiepuff searched the troll's face. "Aron?"

"Yes!" the dark elf troll said happily. "I can't believe you remember me!"

"How could I forget the village's greatest emcee?" Rosiepuff laughed. "You did all the announcements when I had that marriage competition. I'm a bit surprised you recognized me."

"Everyone recognizes you!" Aron pulled Rosiepuff to a nearby painter's shop and pointed to some of the paintings in the window. Branch and Symphony recognized a few pieces depicting Rosiepuff as a young woman. There were plenty more paintings of the Golden Rose Clan. More trolls garnered some bravery to approach Rosiepuff, confirming a Golden Rose member had returned. Older trolls reintroduced themselves, and younger trolls explained their relation to trolls Rosiepuff knew from when she lived in Hana Rosa. Several minutes later, the crowd parted for a certain centaur troll. He had grass green skin and red hair, and he dressed only in a pair of blue overalls. Even his horse tail was a fiery red like his hair.

"Wait, I know you….." Rosiepuff wracked her brain. "You wouldn't happen to be related to old Growly Pete?"

The centaur troll laughed. "He was my great-uncle! I knew I recognized you! My family's been telling stories about your family for decades! My name's Rockwell. I run this town."

"I hope you don't mind the visit." Rosiepuff said. "After finally putting some old pain to rest, my grandson encouraged me to make a trip to my hometown."

Rockwell looked to Branch. "Wait, this is your grandson?"

"I'm Branch, the Dragon Warrior of Troll Valley." Branch introduced. "This is Symphony."

"Pleased to meet you." Symphony nodded, perching on Branch's shoulder.

Rockwell laughed. "Well it is just so great you came! Great-Uncle Pete said he got a letter from your husband, saying you were safe but had to run away. We always prayed you'd come back someday, just to show us your family lived on. Welcome back." Rockwell looked to the crowd that had gathered. "Love live the Golden Rose!"

"Long live the Golden Rose!" the crowd echoed.

Rosiepuff blushed a little. "I hope we didn't miss too much of the festival."

"Not at all!" Rockwell ushered Rosiepuff, Branch, and Symphony down the road. "Come on! We'll have lunch and make your lanterns and tonight we'll all set them loose!"

Branch relaxed at last. Aron lured him and Symphony away to check out the food vendors. With Rockwell taking care of Rosiepuff's tour of the village, Branch and Symphony gladly went with Aron. Word spread like a wildfire about the return of the Golden Rose Clan. Everyone wanted to talk to Branch and his life and his family. More than once, he demonstrated his fire- and lightning-bending skills to the awe and delight of the crowd. Symphony ended up getting much attention from the little children. A few hours later, Branch and Symphony met with Rockwell and Rosiepuff at the fountain in the center of the square. Rockwell made sure they had the materials to make their lanterns for this evening.

Branch groaned happily as he plopped down on the ground next to Rosiepuff. "I am so full of so much great food."

"I never want to leave." Symphony sighed.

"Because you're treated like a pampered princess?" Branch chuckled. Symphony waved him off.

Rosiepuff laughed. "Rockwell showed me most of the village. Only half the businesses have changed, and I met a lot of people I recognize."

"People happy to see you?" Branch asked.

"Why wouldn't we be happy to see her?" Rockwell scoffed, munching on a scone.

"She seemed to think you'd be mad for abandoning her home." Symphony said.

Rockwell stared at Rosiepuff incredulously. "What?!"

"Don't give me that look and take that tone with me." Rosiepuff scolded. "How did you feel when you found out this village's greatest defense was just gone?"

"We were terrified of Titan's attack, but the only benders in town were your family. We were more afraid for you." Rockwell said. "Obviously, we were sad to see you go, but the entire village spent more time mourning than being bitter about your departure. Yes, we had hoped someone remained behind to protect us. We found a way around it, and my family took up the helm and protected the village."

"See?" Branch lightly elbowed his grandmother. "And you thought we'd be sleeping in some random tree like criminals."

At Rockwell's raised eyebrow, Rosiepuff said, "I had us pack camping gear in case we weren't welcome."

Rockwell snorted. "You're staying in my home as my personal guests and that's final. And, if you're up for it, we would be honored to have the Golden Rose family begin our lantern ceremony tonight, as they always did."

Rosiepuff smiled and nodded. "I would like that very much. This was always my favorite festival."

"You think I chose an okay memory?" Branch asked, showing the paper to everyone. "I wrote down the day I was chosen as Dragon Warrior. It's one of the coolest things to ever happen to me."

"It can be any memory you find important and/or meaningful." Rosiepuff said.

"Branch, can you help me make one?" Symphony requested. "I want to make a lantern for the day Rosiepuff found out about me."

"I was grounded for a week for keeping a pet behind her back." Branch reminded her. The dragon just shrugged. Branch rolled his eyes but pulled over another paper. "What about you, Grandma?"

"After careful thought, I'm choosing the first time I ever beat Grandpa Thorn in a spar." Rosiepuff said. "I had to pass a series of tests to prove I was ready to be the leader of the clan. My grandfather challenged me a dozen times, and I got my butt handed to me every time. Except for once. For the first time, I did more than remember my lessons. I was innovative, I improvised, and I noticed new things about Grandpa Thorn's fighting style. I beat him, and he said I was finally ready." She blinked several times, but her tears still came.

"Why are you crying?" Branch asked in a bit of a panic.

"No, it's okay!" Rosiepuff laughed, wiping her eyes. "These are happy tears, I promise."

"I'll get some tissues!" Branch stood and ran off.

"Hey, what about my lantern?" Symphony whined as she flew after him.

Branch ran right into someone on his way to the nearest vendor, and he fell to the ground. The girl he ran into snapped, "Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?"

Branch huffed. "Why don't you watch where you're—" Branch suddenly noticed something, and he stuttered.

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" the centaur troll growled. She appeared to be Branch's age. She had orange skin, apple-red hair, and a teal tail. She wore sparkly white pants and a plaid shirt that matched her tail. Branch couldn't be sure what color her eyes were since they were cloudy with cataracts.

"I'm sorry." Branch said. "I was just in a hurry."

"You always such a klutz?" the blind centaur troll flicked her tail in Branch's face as she walked off.

"You always such a klutz?" Branch mimicked her mockingly. He kept walking and suddenly tripped and fell again. He looked back and saw a small column of rock right as it disappeared into the ground. Branch glanced to the blind centaur troll, who seemed to have a bit of smug sass in her walk. "Did she do that?"

"Of course not. She's blind." Symphony tugged on Branch's vest. "Come on, hurry it up. I still need help with my lantern and you know my claw-writing in horrible."

Branch retrieved napkins from a food vendor and returned to his grandmother. After they finished their lanterns, Rockwell led them to his home where he insisted they stay until their visit was finished.

"What else is on your agenda, Golden Rose?" Rockwell asked.

"Call me Rosiepuff, Rockwell. I'm not quite accustomed to the formality anymore." Rosiepuff insisted.

"Very well, but you'll please pardon me for still trying to show you the respect Great-Uncle Pete said I ought to give your family." Rockwell said.

"Fair enough." Rosiepuff said. "Well, I want to visit with a lot of other people and we need to figure out a good mailing system so we can keep in touch. Also, the one big thing I want to do is revisit the site of my old house. Pay my respects and fully get closure, you know?"

"Not a problem at all." Rockwell said. "Provided you ain't scared of ghosts."

"Excuse me?" Branch asked as they entered Rockwell's home.

"What are you doing in my house, Klutzy?" a familiar voice demanded.

Branch nearly cracked his neck from turning his head so quickly, and he saw that same blind centaur troll from before sitting in a living room area. "What are you doing here?"

"I see you've already met my daughter." Rockwell chuckled. "Golden Rose, this is my daughter, Delta Dawn. Delta, darling, remember how you always wanted to meet a Golden Rose? I present the matriarch, Rosiepuff, and her grandson, Branch."

Delta Dawn walked right up to them, somehow knowing exactly where to stop so they could converse. She stared in Rosiepuff's direction with her cloudy eyes. She shot an irritated glare in Branch's direction, baffling him. How did she know where they were standing if she was blind?

Delta Dawn bowed a little to Rosiepuff. "It's nice to meet you, Golden Rose."

"Just Rosiepuff, dear." Rosiepuff said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Are you here to protect the village again?" Delta Dawn asked, in a strange tone that seemed to imply she hoped Rosiepuff would say, "No."

"They're here for a visit." Rockwell said. "I thought it'd be best for them to stay with us, since our family has protected this village for decades."

"So then what do you do if you're blind?" Symphony asked Delta Dawn.

Delta Dawn's ears flicked at the sound of the new voice, and she growled towards Symphony. "What're you implying?"

"Nothing at all." Rosiepuff said quickly. "Branch, Symphony, be nice to our very gracious hosts."

"Yes, Grandma." Branch and Symphony mumbled. Rockwell led the little family to a guest room. He made everyone dinner, and they sat down to eat before the lantern lighting.

"Can you tell us about that ghost thing you mentioned?" Rosiepuff asked.

"Your family home is haunted." Delta Dawn said bluntly.

"Delta…." Rockwell said warningly.

"Sorry." Delta Dawn focused on eating her chili.

"I thought you told me Grandpa burned the house." Branch said to his grandmother.

"He did. It was like a massive funeral pyre for…everyone who didn't make it out." Rosiepuff said.

"We went back to the remains of the house." Rockwell explained. "The idea was to make a memorial for your family, and leave the area alone as a sort of holy site. Well, we got to the house, and it was basically a charred skeleton of a house, and we didn't even find any bodies. But when we tried to get work started, everyone said they saw strange things up there. They saw ghosts, we were hearing voices, the whole nine yards. Nothing harmful, just a little spooky. Eventually, we got the message that the house ought to just stay like it is. We made our memorial up the path leading to the house."

"But, after all these years, wouldn't the house have crumbled?" Branch asked. "You know, from the elements?"

"We waited for that heart-wrenching day, but the remains of the house still stand even now." Rockwell shrugged. "You'll have to see for yourself."

"I plan to. Tomorrow." Rosiepuff said. She put on a smile to hide her residual sadness at the thought of her family. "Tonight, we're doing something I've missed very much."

After dinner, Rockwell led everyone to the town square. The entire town gathered with their already lit lanterns, ready to fly. Rockwell guided Rosiepuff, Branch, and Symphony to the fountain, where they stood in front of eager trolls ready to hear from them.

"So, what do we do?" Branch whispered to Rosiepuff.

"The leader of the Golden Rose Clan writes a small poem to say in front of the village, and then we release our lanterns." Rosiepuff said.

"I didn't prepare a poem. Did you?" Branch asked.

"My grandfather had one prepared for the next festival." Rosiepuff said. "He never got the chance to present it. But I know it by heart."

"What a treat this is!" Rockwell said to the crowd. "It cannot be understated how important the Golden Rose Clan was to this village. That family was here long before our ancestors decided to settle in this valley, and we have been protected ever since! My family may have taken the helm when the Golden Rose was nearly wiped out, but we always fought in their honor! At last, we have living proof the Golden Rose Clan is strong and thriving! I present their matriarch to start the lantern's flight and finish our most sacred festival." Rockwell stepped aside, and Rosiepuff shut her eyes to visualize the poem. She could clearly see her grandfather, reciting the poem to her to practice for the festival. She smiled, remembering how they worked together to revise and edit the poem.

Stars
In our eyes during the best times of our lives
Through joy and pain in the sun and rain
The hardships we defy, the lights in our eyes

Eyes
We see the work that was enough, our plans that take off
Watch little flowers grow, and someday they will go
All we feel and all we see, committed to our memory

Memory
Family coming and going, the future unknowing
The past that fuels the path we take, choices we make
Let these memories live in the stars, these moments of ours

Now, Branch loved poetry. He even had a couple notebooks of poems he stashed away in secret hiding places: one in his room at the restaurant and one in his sleeping space in the Troll Tree barracks. Had he known his gift for words came from his grandmother's side of the family, he would've revealed his secret sooner. Rosiepuff nodded to Branch and Symphony, and the three of them released their lanterns to let them float skyward. After the trio of lanterns rose past the top of the fountain, the rest of the village let go of their lanterns. The cloud of lanterns filled the air and drifted off in different directions. Branch and Symphony stared in awe. Everyone was bathed in the warm glow of the lanterns. There was mostly silence, with the occasional sigh in awe and whispers as people watched their lanterns fly.

Rosiepuff remembered standing here, as a little girl, her Grandpa Thorn holding her and bouncing her a little to keep her awake, as she requested. Thorn would chuckle when the child's eyes fluttered as she tried to stay awake as long as possible. It would take a few more years for her to be able to stay up late like this. Rosiepuff sighed happily. Even the anxiety of what tomorrow might bring couldn't bring down her mood.

A/N: As you may notice, I am indeed including the trolls from World Tour! I think they sort of seamlessly fit into the trilogy since I didn't always describe the looks of other trolls. LOL :D Delta Dawn isn't the only TWT character you'll see, and there are going to be plenty of Avatar: The Last Airbender references.

As a key (if it weren't already obvious):
Fairy trolls: Classical
Mermaid trolls: Techno
Llama trolls: Funk
Centaur trolls: Country
Rainbow trolls: Pop
Dark elf trolls: Rock