Chapter Five – Titan's Vendetta

Poppy often liked to meditate on the higher branches of the Troll Tree, where she could listen to the breeze through the leaves. Peppy knew this, and so knew exactly where to find her that evening.

"Sorry to interrupt your meditating, my daughter." Peppy said. "I wanted to check in with you because you seem distracted these days."

"Sort of." Poppy shrugged. "I am all right. Please, come sit with me."

"My pleasure." The father sat next to his daughter. "How are Rosiepuff's lessons?"

"Great!" Poppy said excitedly. "I am thankful you can teach me fire-bending, but Rosiepuff's water-bending lessons have been critical. She is teaching me all sorts of tricks from her family."

"That's good. I have considered revisiting my proposal that she start doing regular lessons in bending." Peppy said. "Her experience as a Golden Rose makes her an excellent teacher."

"I think she'd be more willing nowadays." Poppy said. "She said she has more free time since hiring Moxie in the restaurant." Poppy nibbled on her lip. "Speaking of proposals, may I ask you something, Dad?"

"Anything." Peppy said.

"What do you think of Branch?" Poppy asked.

Peppy raised an eyebrow. "A bit of an odd question. Do you mean as a student? As a warrior? Or as your boyfriend?"

"You already tried to kill him when he kissed me in front of you." Poppy laughed. "I guess what I'm wondering is would you try to murder him again if he married me?"

Peppy stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "I might scare him a little so he remembers who he is dealing with. Of course, I would be more concerned if he broke your heart in any way."

"He wouldn't do that." Poppy assured. "Dad, I really like him. I have been thinking about the future. Every time I do, I see Branch there with me."

"Has he proposed yet?" Peppy asked.

"No. I don't know if he's thinking about it, either." Poppy admitted. "I'm thinking of just proposing myself."

"Well, whatever you do, make sure your hands are dry if he's giving you a ring." Peppy said. "When I proposed to your mother, my palms got all sweaty and I felt so gross."

Poppy laughed. "I'm sure Mom didn't notice."

"Oh, I bet she did and she just didn't say anything." Peppy chuckled. His eyes went skyward. The stars shined through the gaps in the tree's foliage. "I can count on one hand how many times I saw your mother lose her temper. When she got angry, it was a quiet anger. She knew how to keep a level head, regardless of the tension in the room. She even negotiated several hostage situations while on missions. It was incredible."

Poppy scooted closer to Peppy. "Do you think I'm like that?"

Peppy thought for a moment. "Yes. Unfortunately, you also inherited my temper, I'm afraid. But you have your mother's strength, her kindness, and her tenacity. You are very much like her, Poppy."

Poppy stared off into space. "I miss her."

"Me, too." Peppy sighed, hugging her. "I'm sorry that I essentially stopped being your father after she died and—"

"No, stop that. You did not stop being my dad." Poppy insisted. "We both felt a lot of pain, and we dealt with it in our own ways. Everyone was hurting when Mom died. But we're moving on, right? We can talk about her, now."

"Anything you want to know, I will tell you to the best of my abilities." Peppy said. "Truth be told, Poppy, there were some things about your mother that surprised me. Who knows what other secrets she didn't tell?"

"Like her friendship with Artemis?"

"Exactly."

The spirit of Titan chuckled, apparently amused by Rosiepuff's and Symphony's horrified expressions. "I suppose it doesn't take much to remember cutting off someone's head." He put his head back on his shoulders. "I've waited a long time for this, Golden Rose."

Rosiepuff summoned water and prepared for a fight. "Back for revenge? Is that it?"

"You slaughtered me and my men!" Titan snarled.

"You massacred my family!" Rosiepuff snapped back. "I regret the blood I shed that day, but you and your men were monsters!"

"A demon cannot say who is a monster when she is one herself." Titan said. "My time in the realm of spirits has prepared me for this. I have unfinished business with you."

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me!" Symphony snarled, baring her pointy teeth.

"I'll destroy you both if I have to." Titan said. "The Golden Rose Clan were the greatest group of demons in the land. I will end your reign once and for all!"

Titan's body turned into a white comet, flying about the room and knocking stuff off the counters and shelves. Rosiepuff shot icicles at the spirit but missed. Pans hanging under the shelves flung themselves off their hooks and nearly hit Rosiepuff and Symphony. Rosiepuff caught one of the heavy, cast-iron skillets and wielded it like a baseball bat. She swung it and smacked the comet-like specter out the window.

"Nice shot!" Symphony said as she slammed the window shut. Suddenly, Titan's head went through the glass. "EEK!" Symphony screamed.

Titan's body followed, and Rosiepuff and Symphony ran for the dining room. Titan returned his head to his body and followed them. He made the tables float and then crash into the door, blocking Rosiepuff's escape. Rosiepuff spun around and assembled the water from the vases around the dining room.

"What kind of spirit are you?" Symphony demanded.

"A high-ranking spirit." Titan answered. "It's something you learn after you die. Takes quite a bit of time to reach the level I have achieved. But thanks to all that work, I can do this." He telekinetically lifted another table and threw it at Rosiepuff. She sliced it in half with her water-bending. Titan drew his sword and swung it. Rosiepuff encased her arm in ice to block the strike, and she had to brace herself against it. She quickly stepped back, avoiding Titan's swing of his sword. Titan kept throwing the remaining tables, dishware, silverware, and anything else that could be thrown in the dining room, until the area was clear enough for a proper fight. Symphony went in to scratch, bite, and blow fire. But Titan backhanded her hard enough to send her flying into the wall, and she fell onto a table. She was too dazed to stand.

Titan refocused his attention on Rosiepuff. His swordplay was as superb now as when he was alive. Rosiepuff relied on her water-bending, blocking Titan's attacks with shields of ice and shots of water. It was getting darker, harder to see each other. Rosiepuff remembered Delta Dawn's introduction to her earth-bending style, and that helped her. But the darkness made it difficult for both fighters. Their attacks became wild, and they missed often in their shadowed arena.

"You should leave now, Titan." Rosiepuff warned. "I beat you once. I can beat you again."

Titan chuckled. "I think you underestimate me, Golden Rose. Let me show you another trick I learned."

He disappeared, and Rosiepuff frantically scanned the shadows for him. Something moved. Something big. Claws tapped on the wooden floor.

"Symphony?" Rosiepuff hoped and prayed it was just the dragon.

Titan's sinister laugh sounded to her left, and she had to duck to avoid a shot of fire. In the new light, Rosiepuff saw what looked like Symphony. This dragon, however, was twice Rosiepuff's size, and her eyes were black.

"Possession is an intermediate skill that took much practice." Titan's voice came from the dragon. "But it was worth it." He shot another stream of fire.

Branch found his kung fu master on a balcony built in the branches of the Troll Tree, where the warriors had a peaceful spot to meditate or do tai chi. Peppy sat before a collection of candles, meditating peacefully.

"Forgive me for intruding, Master Peppy." Branch said with a bow. "I need to ask you something important."

"You would not have interrupted me if it wasn't important." Peppy agreed. "Come, sit with me."

Branch sat cross-legged next to the older troll. He exhaled slowly. "Okay, I'm a little nervous, but—"

Peppy held up a hand to silence him. "Meditate a minute. Clear your mind and settle your troubles."

Branch nodded, and he shut his eyes. He took a few deep breaths, trying to push his fears away. The incense from the candles soothed him. "I'm ready."

"Can I help you with something?" Peppy asked.

"I'm about to make a big decision, and it involves someone very close to me." Branch explained. "In fact, to an extent, it involves you."

"Is this about Poppy?" Peppy asked. "She and I were talking about you earlier."

"Yeah, it is about Poppy." Branch nodded. "I love her with all my heart. I think I'm ready to take the next step with her. While I respect that she is an independent woman who doesn't need permission to do anything, I thought it would be respectful to first go to you and make my intentions known. I want to marry her. I'm not asking for your permission, but it would boost my confidence to have your blessing."

Peppy hummed in thought. "You think you're ready to be married?"

"I think so. We've been together long enough to know each other well. I think we've been so wrapped up in our lives as warriors that we're forgetting about the next step in a relationship." Branch explained. "I'm ready. I think Poppy is, too."

"Do you have a plan yet?" Peppy asked.

"Still a work-in-progress." Branch stared at the candlelight. "Do you think I'm worthy of her?"

Peppy seemed a little surprised by the question. "Yes. You are."

Branch sighed. "Lately, I've been feeling a bit weird. I feel like I haven't done everything I needed to do as the Dragon Warrior. Despite everything I have done, I feel like there should be more. Some great destiny I'm supposed to have."

"As far as I know, your destiny was to defeat Creek, and you have." Peppy pointed out.

"I did that years ago." Branch shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's all in my head."

Peppy patted Branch's shoulder. "May I attempt to cheer you up?"

"Sure." Branch shrugged.

"You made a great change in the Troll Tree." Peppy explained. "My father, grandfather, and even great-grandfather believed in referring to your fellow warriors as brothers- and sisters-in-arms. You take that concept very seriously. The warriors of the Troll Tree become like your real brothers and sisters. We're a family. I went through a decade of fearing that such a bond was too dangerous and caused only pain for anyone involved." He chuckled. "I still remember that night when your grandmother first made dinner for all of us. I hadn't seen such life and laughter in this palace for so long."

"I hadn't seen someone go so crazy for Grandma's food." Branch laughed.

"My point is you made us a family again." Peppy said. "The Troll Tree is a family again, thanks to you."

Branch smiled. "Thanks. That does make me feel a little better."

"You don't have to accomplish a thousand great things to be considered important." Peppy said. "In fact, you shouldn't strive for such a thing. It will never be enough. Sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness carry the most weight."

"Grandma says that's something Grandad always said and did." Branch said.

"I remember Kai. He was a good man and a faithful friend. You are much like him."

"Thanks. And this all means I can ask your daughter to marry me, right?"

"You can ask. I can't say what she'll say in return."

Branch scoffed. "Thanks for the pep talk."

Peppy chuckled. He sighed in content, staring out into the stars. His eyes traveled to the village, and he gasped softly. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Branch looked to the village, and he noticed a thick smoke trail and a small orange glow. "What is that? A fire?"

Peppy ran off, and Branch hurried after him. They reached the front doors of the palace, where the other warriors gathered. Suki crouched on a nearby tree branch, analyzing the village. Her sharp eyesight made her an excellent archer and allowed her to pick out what others could not.

"Suki, what do you see?" Peppy asked.

"Fire in the northwest area of the village." Suki's eyes pinpointed the location. She knew exactly what the village looked like in the light and the dark. "It's coming from…" Suki's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

"What?" Poppy asked.

"Where's the fire?" Smidge asked.

"It's coming from the restaurant!" Suki said as she returned to her friends. "Rosie's Place is on fire!"

Branch stared at the orange dot in the village. "Grandma?"

Rosiepuff used her water to deflect any attack from Titan. He forced Symphony to grow and shrink at his command, and he attacked so often that Rosiepuff spent most of her time defending. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Symphony. It would take something creative to defeat Titan. In Symphony's body, Titan had all the literal firepower he needed to cause all sorts of destruction. Any blast that missed Rosiepuff hit another part of the restaurant, causing the fire to spread. Smoke clogged the air and made her cough. Titan tried to force back his coughs, apparently forgetting that possessing Symphony would cause him to suffer like living mortals did.

"You can't keep up this fight, Golden Rose." Titan roared. Fire surrounded the two opponents. "Your water is depleting, and you can't bend fire." He summoned a massive fireball and shot it at Rosiepuff. It hit her point-blank. Titan grinned, thinking himself victorious. Then, he realized the fireball was changing, taking a snake-like form as Rosiepuff manipulated it around her. There was not a single burn on her, nor a scorch on her dress.

"Once again, Captain Titan, you underestimate me." Rosiepuff shot the fire back. She fired a few more blasts, knowing fire was less likely to hurt a dragon. Titan jumped around to avoid the strikes. If he blew more fire, she redirected it. Then, Rosiepuff used air-bending to create a twister around the possessed dragon. Titan felt his breath being taken away, and he stumbled and then fell. Rosiepuff diminished the twister. She cautiously stepped closer to the dragon.

Suddenly, Titan flicked his tail and smacked Rosiepuff into a wall. She slid down to the ground, and she struggled to rise. She collapsed to the burning floor.

Titan chuckled as he casually prowled closer. "You should not underestimate me, Golden Rose. I remember everything I learned while I was a soldier; and, now, I know all the powers of a spirit visiting the Land of the Living." He used a claw to lift Rosiepuff up by the collar of her dress. She could barely open her eyes. "I will not kill you yet, Golden Rose. I want you to suffer as I have. There were a hundred men in my army, and you and your family of devils murdered them all. So, I think it's only right that you suffer a hundred tortures in return."

Rosiepuff opened her eyes fully and glared. "Think again." She put a hand to Titan's chest and pushed a great amount of chi energy through his body. Titan's spirit forcefully exited Symphony's body, and the dragon passed out. Titan hit the burning wall, and he stumbled on his feet. He winced and growled, seemingly in pain. Symphony shrunk down to her smaller size once more. Rosiepuff scooped up the dragon in her arms. "Symphony? Are you okay?"

Symphony moaned as she opened her eyes, now their normal color again. "I'm okay….I'm….." She noticed a glint of gold, and she saw a familiar rose-shaped, golden pendant around Rosiepuff's neck. Symphony stared at Rosiepuff, who quickly tucked the Nymph's Amulet back under the collar of her dress.

Rosiepuff turned her attention back to Titan. "Get out of my house!" She shot lightning at Titan, and he just managed to avoid it.

"I'll be back, Golden Rose!" Titan warned. "My spirit will not leave the Mortal Realm until the last of the Golden Rose Clan is dead! Once I finish you, your family will officially be wiped out!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me. I said GET OUT!" Rosiepuff shot another fireball, sending Titan through the wall and finally out of the restaurant. Once he was gone, she collapsed to her knees.

"Are you okay?" Symphony asked worriedly, finally floating as she used to.

Rosiepuff panted a little. "That technique I used…..to get him out of you….was really advanced. I haven't done it…..in a long time…" She coughed, the smoke invading her lungs.

"We have to get out of here." Symphony noticed the barricaded front door. "Maybe the back door is open." She guided Rosiepuff through the smoke and flames and into the kitchen.

"Wait!" Rosiepuff suddenly ran up the stairs.

"Grandma!" Symphony followed Rosiepuff. The fire was on their heels as they journeyed upstairs, and Rosiepuff ran to her room. She grabbed the picture of Kai from her nightstand, did a sharp turn, and ran out of the room again. But when she and Symphony reached the stairs, the fire was already there. The smoke flooded the upper floor, and the fire creeped ever closer.

"I got this." Rosiepuff tried to pull water from anywhere, including the air, but she fell and had to lean against the wall for support.

"You're not strong enough to water-bend." Symphony looked around frantically. There were no nearby windows that she could see. If she didn't get them out quickly, they'd asphyxiate before they burned to death. Symphony focused hard. She remembered everything Titan did while he possessed her. He unlocked something inside her, an ability she never used before. "Come on. Come on. Please…grow!"

Symphony suddenly expanded until she was twice Rosiepuff's size. She grabbed Rosiepuff and curled her body around the troll. Symphony launched herself through the wall of the house. They burst into the cool night air. Symphony shrunk down to her normal size again. Before they could hit the street, Peppy appeared and caught Rosiepuff. Symphony landed in Branch's arms. The rest of the Troll Tree warriors arrived to help.

"Nice catch." Rosiepuff complimented. She coughed a couple times as the fresh air soothed her throat and lungs.

"Glad we got here in time." Peppy gently set her down. "Poppy, now!"

"I'm on it!" Poppy carried a large bubble of water over her head with her water-bending. Just as Rosiepuff once showed her, Poppy gently engulfed the restaurant-house in the water. She waited a moment, and then removed the water and sent it towards the creek. The fire was fully out.

"Are you okay?" Branch asked his grandmother.

"I'll live." Rosiepuff assured. She moaned sadly at the sight of her home. "My poor house."

"We'll help you rebuild it in the morning." Cooper offered.

"For now, let's get you back to the palace where we can assess any injuries you might have." Peppy suggested.

"Thank you." Rosiepuff jumped, searching the ground. "Wait, where is it? Where did it go?"

"What?" Branch asked, looking around for something she might've dropped.

"Kai! I just had him!" Rosiepuff frantically scanned the dark ground. "Where is he?"

Suki noticed a wooden frame, and she picked it up. The picture in the frame showed two trolls: one who looked like a young Rosiepuff and another troll with dark blue skin and bright blue hair. "Is this it?" Suki handed the picture frame to Rosiepuff. "I'm sorry, I think the frame and glass are cracked."

"I don't care about a frame!" Rosiepuff harshly broke open the frame and pulled out the picture. "I just need this." She held the picture close. She trembled, but she couldn't tell if it was from emotion or exhaustion.

Branch hugged her tightly. "It's okay. We got you."

Rosiepuff exhaled slowly. "Thanks."