Chapter Fourteen – Poppy's Family Clashes

Even though she was in the air, surrounded by dark storm clouds, Symphony somehow felt bigger than normal. She flew through the clouds, unafraid of the lightning and thunder. She couldn't say where she went. It felt right to keep going.

Then, a glowing figure appeared on a cloud ahead of her. Symphony few up to the figure, and the glow died down to reveal Master Ryu.

"Welcome back, my friend." Ryu greeted.

"I bring news of a demon threatening the bender's village." Symphony said. Her voice seemed to speak without her permission. "He's coming fast."

"Then we will face him in battle." Ryu mounted the dragon, and Symphony flew higher into the clouds. After a moment, a new figure revealed himself from the storm. Symphony snarled when she recognized Titan. The spirit became engulfed by the clouds. When he emerged again, he was a shadowy beast. Ryu drew his sword, and Symphony shot fire from her mouth. They charged fearlessly into battle.

"Wake up, Symphony!"

Symphony gasped as her eyes flew open. She looked around. This was her and Branch's room in Kai's house. She was small again.

Branch pulled on his vest. "Come on, sleepyhead. Grandma wants our help for research today."

Symphony stretched and yawned. "Again?"

"I know, I know." Branch sighed. "But what else are we supposed to do? Defeating Titan is one of the reasons we came here."

"But we've been searching for a month, and we haven't found anything." Symphony said as she floated beside Branch. "Maybe we need to look somewhere else. If we can leave, that is."

"You noticed it, too, huh?" Branch whispered as they walked towards the kitchen for breakfast.

"Last week, I tried to go flying, and your grandpa scolded me for straying too far." Symphony said. "I couldn't tell if he was worried for my safety or if he thought I might attract unsavory characters."

"I don't think my grandpa would keep us prisoner or anything." Branch assured. "He's even helped us in our research."

"I'm just worried about what's happening outside the village." Symphony said.

"Me, too." Branch agreed. "I wish we could send a letter back to Troll Valley." They quieted as they reached the kitchen and joined Rosiepuff and Kai.

"Is there no one else in the village who might be a monk? Or practiced as one?" Rosiepuff asked Kai.

"Essence is our best wisewoman." Kai said. "If she doesn't have the answers, I don't know who does. But enough talk about that for now. Rosiepuff, many of our benders are asking for lessons from you. Hickory, Dickory, the Element Sisters, and Barb especially. How about you hold a class today? Give them some real Golden Rose lessons."

"I would love to, Kai." Rosiepuff said. "It's just that I'm so stressed about Titan. We need to make sure he can't hurt anyone else."

"From what you told me, he disappeared for weeks after you beat him the first time." Kai said. "I bet your last fight sent him crawling back to the Spirit Realm. Please, Rosiepuff, the kids are so excited."

"What about finding a way to beat Titan?" Branch asked.

"You two have been far too stressed about all that." Kai said. "I insist. Take the day off. You do that, and I will continue our research. Maybe even do a bit of meditating. Please, leave it to me."

Rosiepuff tapped the rim of her teacup. "Well, it would be healthier for our mental state to take a break—"

"Perfect! I'll spread the word and then head over to the library." Kai finished his coffee, kissed his wife, tousled Branch's hair, and briskly walked out the door.

Rosiepuff laughed softly, finishing her tea. "He means well. Besides, bending practice will keep us in top shape to face Titan again."

"Agreed." Branch nodded. His grandmother was no fool, so she surely picked up on Kai's restrictive tendencies when it came to letting people leave the village. But she was right: training would keep them ready for Titan when they met again.

Most of the class who came to greet them consisted of young trolls or young adult trolls, including Coral Blush, Trollzart, Trollex, Hickory, Dickory, Barb, Riff, Darnell, Tresillo, Marimba, Tambora, and the Element Sisters. Branch joined them, and Symphony kept Wani company on the sidelines until Rosiepuff insisted they join in.

"We will go through one exercise for each element, but everyone will participate even if that is not their element." Rosiepuff instructed. "If you understand the other elements, you can improve your own fighting style, know how to fight someone using an element that is not yours, and better understand how to make your environment work for you, regardless where you are."

As Rosiepuff gave her directions and demonstrated techniques, she felt wave after wave of déjà vu. Something about these lessons felt so familiar. Then, she realized her own grandparents gave her these same lessons. This was identical to her training sessions with her family. Suddenly, she had visions of herself being trained, and Thorn and Kala going through all the lessons of the Golden Rose Clan. She remembered the days her grandparents put her in charge of training, and she would often glance to them to make sure she explained something correctly. Whenever she demonstrated a technique with perfection, they would applaud her.

Rosiepuff felt a tug on her dress, and she looked down to see a small centaur troll girl with her orange hair in large braids. "Whatcha lookin' at?" the child asked.

Rosiepuff looked back, but her grandparents had disappeared again. She couldn't be sure if she was having a vision or if she saw their spirits watching her while she observed her students sparring. She turned back to the child and answered, "Nothing, dear. Clampers, right?"

"Yeah!" the centaur troll girl nodded so hard her braids whipped about.

"And you're an earth-bender. You have a lot of talent." Rosiepuff said.

Clampers blushed. "Thanks."

"Who are you sparring with?"

"Coral Blush! You wanna watch?"

"Absolutely."

Clampers scampered over to the mermaid troll boy, and Coral Blush made a sphere of air he balanced on. He shot towards Clampers, but she made a rock wave that knocked Coral Blush off-balance. She juggled rocks like one would juggle a soccer ball, and she kicked those rocks at him. Coral Blush inhaled deeply, and then blew out and sent Clampers tumbling from the gust of wind. The children laughed.

"Well done, both of you!" Rosiepuff said. "You're such strong benders. When did you unlock your bending abilities?"

"Miss Eclipse helped us!" Coral Blush said. "She did a magic trick and we got our elements!"

"No, no!" Clampers shook her head. "She used bending to bring out our elements."

"Well, it felt like magic." Coral Blush shrugged.

"True." Clampers agreed.

Rosiepuff knelt in front of the children. "Wait, back up. How did Eclipse help you find your element? And when did this happen?"

"A few years ago." Clampers said. "When we were five."

"Miss Eclipse put her hands here and here." Coral Blush pointed to his chest, where the mermaid trolls' heart marking lay, and his forehead. "She said something about your center of love and health and the center of knowing yourself? I didn't really understand it. But then she told me to close my eyes and imagine myself bending, and I got my element!"

"Me too!" Clamper said. "Somehow, I just knew I was gonna be an earth-bender, and I am!"

Something tickled at Rosiepuff's psyche. She recognized this. But from where? She shook off her train of thought. "Well, that's great. Show me some of the things you learned so far."

Joy spent her days with her children, reminiscing on her formerly lost memories. She told Apollo all the funny stories from her childhood, and Poppy could finally share tales of her and her mother at the Troll Tree. Apollo asked a hundred questions over two days, wanting to know every detail about his mother and half-sister.

"Did you have any other siblings?" Apollo asked Poppy.

"A brother, named Creek." Poppy said.

"Unfortunately, he went down a dark path, and we could not save him." Joy said sadly. "Poppy, what happened to Creek? Is he still in prison?"

"No. He broke out about four years ago and attacked the valley again." Poppy explained. "Branch managed to defeat him, and he was killed in the battle."

Joy sighed. "A regrettable ending, yet one I predicted after he went to prison. I had hoped he would realize his error and reform."

"At least you never gave up on that hope." Apollo said. "Wow. So, I have two famous siblings, but one was bad and one was good. I guess if Creek had been around, family reunions might be awkward."

"I have to admit, Apollo, I was worried about how you would take all of this." Poppy said.

"It's shocking, of course." Apollo shrugged. "But I never had a family outside my parents, and my father was killed three years ago. It has been just me and Mother for so long. You being here made her happy, and now I know my family is bigger than I thought!"

Joy kissed her son's head. "That's my boy." She took their plates from lunch and returned to the house.

Apollo sighed in bliss, looking out over the land. "Do I seem clingy at all? I've been told I have a hyper personality."

"Nothing wrong with that." Poppy said. "I like how happy and cheerful you are all the time. But I do notice that certain things trigger you, Apollo. One of those is your attitude towards protecting us."

"Is it wrong to want to keep my family safe?" Apollo asked.

"Of course not." Poppy said. "I'm protective of my family, too. But you act and speak as though the world is a monster and you want to keep us safe from it."

Apollo stared at the ground. "Well, I guess that's just because there's one monster out there I'm afraid of."

"What monster?" Poppy scooted closer. "Who do you think could be so dangerous? Especially if you've lived in isolation until Kai found you."

"If I'm lucky, this monster has been destroyed already." Apollo's tone turned harsh. Poppy remained patient as he explained, knowing this was an emotionally charged subject for him. "See, when my father was around, he told me about one warrior who caused him and Mother nothing but trouble. Father would tell me all these stories about the horrible things this warrior did, and how he tried to steal Mother away. All I have are stories and a poster Father brought back for me after one of his trips."

"Did your father say the name of this horrible warrior?" Poppy asked.

"Some guy named Peppy." Apollo said. "Father told me he just goes around terrorizing whoever he wants. This guy harassed my mother and tried to force her into marriage."

Poppy realized then why Joy had avoided mentioning Peppy's name for the past few days. Artemis had clearly poisoned Apollo's mind. Apollo knew Peppy's name and face, but the stories Artemis told were entirely false. "I think the monster you fear doesn't exist, Apollo." Poppy said gently.

Apollo grinned, back to his happy self. "Good. Then I won't be worried. Tell me about your father, Poppy. What is he like?"

Poppy thought about what she could say. "He's a great man. He is kind, yet firm. He would do anything to protect the people he loves. He also almost killed Branch when he first kissed me. My dad and I went through a lot of pain when we lost Mom. He's going to be overjoyed to see her again."

"Will he like me?" Apollo asked.

Poppy stared at Apollo for a moment. "Yes. I think so."

Apollo grinned and hugged her. He noticed Branch and Symphony passing by and ran up to them. Joy exited the house and sat next to Poppy on the porch.

"I know why we're keeping it a secret, but we can't keep that secret forever." Poppy pointed out.

"I'll figure out a way to explain it." Joy assured. "At the moment, I'm still sorting out all my memories."

"What did Artemis tell him?"

"Every horrible thing you could imagine. He claimed that Peppy committed murder, treason, burglary, kidnapping, and all sorts of nonsense. Yes, Artemis bought a poster of the warriors of the Troll Tree, and he tore it up so it only showed Peppy, and he gave it to Apollo and claimed it was a wanted poster."

Poppy groaned. "How are we going to tell him his father was a liar?"

"Might not come as a surprise. Artemis was not a constant presence in Apollo's life. He was far more attached to me; and when he was ready to take Sunrise City, he left us alone for months at a time." Joy realized she still wore the engagement ring Artemis gave her, and she pulled it off and threw it as far as she could. The ring disappeared behind some rocks and tumbled down a hill, where it disappeared in the tall grass. Joy used her water-bending to play with the lemonade in her glass. "He needs to be told from multiple people, not just you and me."

"You can ask Branch and Rosiepuff about their experience with Artemis." Poppy offered. "They can tell you more."

Branch looked to Poppy and waved. He smiled when she waved back. "You got a great sister, Apollo."

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome." Apollo agreed. "And you'll make a great brother-in-law!"

Branch laughed. "Picked up on that, huh?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out you two got a thing going." Apollo said. "Don't worry, I approve of you."

"I hate to think what would happen if you didn't." Branch chuckled.

"Sorry." Apollo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." Branch said. "You protect everyone in this village."

Apollo waved to Riff and Barb as they walked by. "You know, I spent the first ten years of my life with my mother in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. There was no one else around that we knew of. I had no siblings, no friends. Moving here was the best thing that could have happened to us."

Branch glanced to Joy and Poppy, who were talking with smiles on their faces. "Apollo, have they mentioned Poppy's father?"

"Nah. They're keeping him a semi-secret from me." Apollo shrugged. "I'll let them decide when they're ready to tell me. It sounds complicated."

"A little." Branch nodded. "At least, it seems weird from my perspective."

"Mother is still remembering things. Maybe she's remembering things she wanted to forget." Apollo said. "I don't know if Father had any sort of friendship or something with the man Mother married before him. Maybe they didn't like each other. Do you know?"

"I don't know how much I should tell you, especially since I don't know everything." Branch said. "But, from what I understand, your dad and Poppy's dad didn't get along."

Apollo hummed. "Maybe that's all I want to know for now. I better get back to them. See ya!" He jogged back to his mother and sister.

"How do you think he'll react?" Symphony asked.

"With how cheery he is, he might be okay with it." Branch said. "But I really don't know. Under all that happiness Apollo displays, there's a damaged soul."

"Damaged how?" Symphony asked.

"I think Artemis neglected him." Branch explained. "Apollo might not like Peppy. Or there's a small chance he'll see Peppy as an opportunity to have a better father."

"You really don't have to go to the trouble." Eclipse told Apollo and Poppy.

"It would be good exercise." Poppy said. "Besides, I want to see if there are any signs of Titan getting close."

"I doubt he is." Eclipse said when they reached the entrance to the village. "However, I can't seem to dissuade you. I do appreciate the scouting help."

"Our pleasure!" Apollo said.

"Why don't you two go left when we reach the trail?" Eclipse suggested on the way down the slope. "If you go left, the trail splits, and you can each choose a path to take. You only need to go about a mile or two. I'll meet you at the base of the slope." After they split up, Poppy and Apollo saw Eclipse use her air-bending to leap from rock to rock on the trail, seeming to fly.

"Why don't you go lower?" Poppy offered when they reached the fork in the trail. "It's icier up here, and I'm the water-bender."

"Sounds good." Apollo nodded. "By the way, who is Titan again?"

"A very evil spirit who is hunting Rosiepuff." Poppy said. "On the off chance you see anyone coming up the trail, see if they have black eyes. If they do, Titan is probably possessing them."

"I'll keep an eye out." Apollo agreed. He and Poppy split up, and Apollo reviewed the fire-bending techniques he learned in his head. He had no reason to think he would see anyone, considering no one ever had before Kai escorted his family to the village. Still, he took the scouting job seriously. Plus, it was nice to get out of the village for a while.

Apollo walked about a mile, and then he heard voices. He scurried up the rocks and hid amongst them, peering out when the voices came closer.

"Stop here!" someone ordered. A group of trolls stopped on the trail, a short distance below Apollo's hiding spot. He saw four rainbow trolls, a llama troll, and a centaur troll. But he only recognized one thanks to the poster his father gave him.

"My hooves are frozen." Delta Dawn panted.

"How much farther to the village?" Cooper looked to Suki. She had gone pale over the last couple days, and only her faint breathing proved she still clung to life.

"I don't know." Peppy handed Suki to Delta Dawn and limped up the trail. He had splinted his ankle and leaned heavily on his cane. "Wait here. I'll see if I can get anyone's attention."

"If there's anyone up here at all." Chaz noted bitterly. Smidge punched his arm.

Peppy limped ahead and scanned the area. It was nothing but rocks, snow, and a few trees as far as he could see. They made it to the Dragon's Pass in record time, but they spent an entire day yesterday trying to find the secret village. No matter how much they called, nobody came to greet them. Ryu's trail had disappeared a short while ago, which probably meant they were close. What drove Peppy was his hope that Suki might survive if they could find Rosiepuff.

Rocks bounced down the cliffside behind Peppy, and he turned in time to jump back to avoid a strike from above. Apollo shot fire from his fists, and Peppy's leg buckled when he tried to step back on his injured ankle. Peppy threw back his own fire, which Apollo dodged. Cooper and Smidge tried to run to their master's defense, but Apollo sent a wave of fire they then had to avoid. Apollo drew his knife and advanced towards Peppy. The older master managed to deflect and block the first few strikes and fireballs, but Apollo then knocked Peppy off-balance and threw him into the rock wall. Apollo raised his knife.

"Apollo, stop!" Poppy dropped from right above them, using her sword to block Apollo's knife.

"Get out of my way, Poppy!" Apollo urged. "This is—"

"I know! This is Peppy, the man your father said was a monster!" Poppy swallowed. "He's my father."

Apollo stared at her in shock. "No….no, that can't be…..someone like you couldn't come from someone like him!"

"Apollo, listen to me." Poppy lowered her sword and slowly brought Apollo's knife down. "You're my brother. I love you, and I want to protect you. Look me in the eye and tell me you really think I would lie to you. Would I ever do something that could harm you or our mother?"

Apollo glanced to Peppy, and then to the other trolls cautiously approaching them. "You know these trolls?"

"Yes. They're my friends." Poppy reassured. "And Master Peppy is my father, but he's not the monster Artemis said he was. Mom and I will explain everything, I promise. Please."

Apollo kept looking around at everyone. His eyes locked onto Poppy's, and he relaxed. He stowed his knife and stepped back. Poppy sighed in relief, hugging Apollo in thanks. She hugged her father next and helped him stand.

"It's good to see you." Peppy said.

"What happened to you?" Poppy asked everyone.

"Titan happened, and he kicked our asses." Smidge said.

"Suki is hurt. She's really hurt." Delta Dawn said. "We need Golden Rose."

"Right." Poppy looked to Apollo. "Can you run ahead and tell Rosiepuff we're coming?"

Apollo analyzed Poppy's pleading and calm gaze, and he glanced to Suki. "I'm on it." He ran off as fast as he could. Poppy led the others back to the entrance to the village, and Peppy quickly explained who Chaz was and what happened during Titan's attack. Eclipse met them at the bottom of the slope. Apprehension changed immediately to concern when she saw Suki, and everyone ran into the village. Apollo waved them down from Kai's house, and Rosiepuff stood beside him.

"Give her to me." Rosiepuff took Suki into her arms. "All of you wait out here. Kai will get the other healers to help you." She hurried into the house and shut the door with her foot.

"Peppy, she'll be okay." Kai reassured. "All of you come with me. We'll get you patched up."

"Thank you." Peppy kept glancing to the house as the weary warriors trudged along with Kai and Branch.

Poppy and Apollo were left alone outside the house. Apollo stared at Poppy. "I knew you and Mother were hiding something about your father. I figured it would be best to let you explain when you were ready. But I did not expect this."

Poppy sighed heavily. "There's so much we need to explain, Apollo. Artemis lied about many things. I understand if your trust is shaken."

"Yeah, it kind of is." Apollo admitted. "But, if you're willing to tell me the whole truth, I think I can forgive you."

Poppy smiled at him. "Thank you."

Meanwhile, Joy peered through a crack in the shutters to watch Peppy limp away, supported by Branch. How coincidental that Peppy should arrive while Joy and Rosiepuff conversed about how they would explain Artemis's lies to Apollo.

"Joy, come here!" Rosiepuff called, laying Suki on the table in the den. "Bring the pot of water on the stove!"

Joy snapped to attention, realizing one of her former students was critically injured. She pulled the pot of water off the stove she was planning to use to make lunch. She brought the water into the den and set it down by Suki's head. Suki coughed and gasped, apparently having a hard time breathing.

"What should we do?" Joy asked.

"Complete encasement of the wound." Rosiepuff instructed. "We both need to get it started, but then I need you to hold it while I do a little work on the internal bleeding."

Joy nodded in understanding. The two water-benders pulled the water from the pot, wrapping Suki's torso in a bubble. The water glowed softly. Joy held it in place, focusing on the healing, and Rosiepuff paid closer attention to what she could sense in Suki's body.

I know my bending abilities often work when I don't think about it. Rosiepuff placed her hands in the bubble of water, and it glowed brighter. Please, just this once, do what I want on purpose.

Joy saw blood emerge from the wound, and Suki's choked breathing returned to normal. Slowly, her wound closed. Joy stared with a mixture of shock and awe. Suki coughed hard, taking deep breaths of air into her newly repaired lungs. Her eyes fluttered open a little, and she found Rosiepuff.

"Hi….thanks…." Suki whispered.

Rosiepuff chuckled lightly as she brushed Suki's hair from her face. "You've been through quite a bit, haven't you?"

"Yeah…." Suki's eyes shut, and she forced them open again.

"No, you rest." Rosiepuff soothed. Joy returned the water to its pot and went to the back door to dump it. "Sleep, and we'll get the story from the others."

Suki fought to stay awake, and she took Rosiepuff's hand in hers. "Titan….."

"I figured." Rosiepuff sighed. "Sleep, Suki." The young archer finally succumbed to rest, and Rosiepuff took Suki to her bed to sleep. When she returned downstairs, Joy sat on the couch with her hands over her mouth and her eyes staring at nothing. "You're going to have to tell him sooner rather than later."

"I know." Joy sighed shakily. "But what will he say when he sees me?"

"If he says one bad thing to you, I'll throw him off a cliff." Rosiepuff assured, causing joy to crack a smile. "I'm going to find them and hear what happened." She ran out the door. Poppy and Apollo led her to Eclipse's house, where Kai took the others for healing. They met with Branch, who led Rosiepuff to where Kai and Peppy talked.

"I've been interviewing them one by one to get the story straight." Kai explained. "Peppy? Care to explain what's going on?"

Peppy winced a little when Rosiepuff prodded at his broken ankle before healing it. "We found that guru, Chaz, who told us Titan went to him to gain more power so he could kill Rosiepuff. We had the idea to draw Titan to us while we were away from Troll Valley. It worked, and we did what we could to keep him busy. But then he changed into an earthbound demon, as Chaz warned us. He told us that a ghost who stays in the Mortal Realm for a full cycle of the moon becomes a demon, with a solid, mortal body and more powers. Now that Titan has that, it won't be easy to send him back to the Spirit Realm. Please tell me you found the answers you needed."

Rosiepuff had since moved to Peppy's other injuries. "I'm afraid not."

"We did all this research, but we don't know how to use it." Branch said. "The most useful things we could find were a portal we cannot open and a weapon we cannot find."

"Ancient weapons and artifacts might be our best chance." Peppy said. "Whatever this weapon is, we should ask our allies about it and find it."

"Did Titan follow you?" Kai demanded.

"No. I don't think so." Peppy said. "I was trying to distract him to let the others run, but they came back when Suki came after me and got hurt. Chaz helped us stay invisible to spirits. I'm sure we didn't leave a trail."

"I'm not convinced of that." Kai muttered.

"Then let's spread the word!" Branch urged. "We need to let everyone know we have a fight heading our way."

"Exactly. Which is why we need to get moving. We're leaving." Kai declared.

"What?" Rosiepuff, Branch, and Peppy asked simultaneously.

"You heard me!" Kai snapped. "We have to leave before Titan gets here!"