A/N: Trigger warning for mention of suicide in this chapter.
Chapter Fifteen – Do They Run or Let it Be?
"Leave? We can't just leave." Branch protested. "We need to stand and fight!"
"Not a chance." Kai said. "That's a suicide mission. I don't know how you managed to find us, Peppy, but you've surely led Titan right to us! We have to leave as soon as possible." He headed out the door before anyone could answer.
"Excuse me. Let me talk to him." Rosiepuff ran after her husband. "Kai! Kai, would you slow down?"
"Eclipse!" Kai approached his sister as she tried to keep the growing crowd away. "Spread the word. We need to start packing so we can leave."
"Leave?" Eclipse repeated. "Why?"
"Don't ask questions right now!" Kai barked. "Just pack what you can carry!" He marched towards home, and Rosiepuff stayed right behind him.
"Stop!" Rosiepuff stepped in front of him. "Kai, calm down. There is no need to panic."
"This is actually the perfect time to panic, Rosiepuff." Kai corrected. "We have to leave."
"And go where?" Eclipse demanded when she caught up to them.
"Further into the Dragon's Pass." Kai declared. "Someplace we'll never be found."
"Kai, that seems a little drastic." Rosiepuff protested. "You can't expect the children or the elderly in this village to make it through there."
"Then we'll help them! And everyone's a bender, so we'll be fine!" Kai insisted.
"You're acting crazy." Eclipse said.
"Did I or did I not give you an order?" Kai demanded.
"The reason we came up here is because you said we might find something to send Titan back to the Spirit Realm." Rosiepuff pointed out. "Am I to believe that you lied to me?"
"Yes!" Kai exploded. "I knew we had some resources here, but that was not why I told you to come! I just got my wife and grandson back, and then I find out some madman spirit thing is trying to kill one of them, and you expect me to just be okay with it?"
"Of course you shouldn't be okay with that, but you also should not lie to me!" Rosiepuff snapped.
"I did what I had to do to protect you." Kai said. "Do you have any idea what I went through when I thought you were dead?"
"I imagine you felt the same things I felt when I thought the entire village was destroyed." Rosiepuff said. "I'm sure you felt lost and sad and like everything had gone wrong. But I had Branch with me. That was my saving grace. At least you had your sister and half the village!"
"And that almost wasn't enough to save me from killing myself!" Kai turned away from her, seeming to regret saying that. Rosiepuff looked to Eclipse, who nodded to confirm it. Kai inhaled shakily, his fists clenched. "I lost you once. I can't lose you again."
Rosiepuff sighed. "Kai, you're a real jerk for lying to me. But I'll forgive you for acting out of fear for your family's safety. Listen closely: we cannot run from this. We need to stand and fight."
"You'll be killed." Kai protested.
"I'm insulted by your lack of faith in me." Rosiepuff scoffed. "I knew when Titan attacked me a second time that he would not give up until I was dead. He will chase me to the ends of the earth. He will threaten or kill anyone who is my friend or ally, just to get to me. If we don't stand and fight here, then we will run for the rest of our lives, and I'm not going to do that."
Kai turned to her, his eyes in a tired glare. "We are leaving as soon as everyone is ready. Nobody will get left behind, and I will not lose my family." He marched home.
"Well, he did tell me to spread the word." Eclipse said. "I think I'll let everyone know we have a crazy demon guy coming this way."
"I did not want to drag everyone into this fight." Rosiepuff said. "Just tell them to be prepared but they don't have to—"
"Do you have any idea how much the people in this village care about you?" Eclipse said. "The old members of Lotus Lagoon remember your kindness, patience, and great capacity for love. The new members of this village heard stories about you and the power endowed by your family's bloodline. Tambora and Marimba say you now know the rumor that went around about a demon hunting you. We are standing with you because we care about and believe in you. That is not something to shy away from."
Rosiepuff smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, Eclipse."
Poppy had watched Rosiepuff chase after Kai, and then she turned to Apollo. "I can't imagine you're ready to talk to my dad, but can you go get Mom so they can see each other?"
"I'm surprised she hasn't come herself." Apollo said. "Is she really so scared that he'll be mad at her? Mad for what?"
"That's something they can explain themselves." Poppy said. "Please, Apollo. This shouldn't wait, even with what just happened."
Apollo nodded, and he jogged back to his house. Poppy walked into the makeshift medical center and went straight to her father to hug him.
"I'm sorry we couldn't come under better circumstances." Delta Dawn said. She, Smidge, Cooper, Chaz, Peppy, and Branch had all gathered in the den area of the house.
"I'm glad you were able to come and warn us." Poppy said.
"Do you have any other plan except running?" Chaz asked. "I have never before seen the stubbornness I saw in Titan."
"Grandma will convince Grandad to stay and fight, and we'll find a way to beat Titan." Branch assured.
"Well, you surely must have learned some valuable techniques, especially in bending." Peppy said. "Poppy? Have you learned more about double-bending?"
"Yes! Eclipse is a double-bender, too." Poppy said.
"Then Kai was right. You learned much from here." Peppy said.
Poppy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, there was one other reason Kai asked me to come up here."
"What was that?" Peppy asked. Before Poppy could answer, someone knocked on the door. Branch answered it, and he gestured for Poppy to come over. Poppy joined him and saw her mother and Apollo standing outside.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this." Joy whispered. "But I don't think I can avoid it for long."
Poppy smiled. "Come on. Dad's waiting."
"I'll wait out here." Apollo offered. Poppy led her mother inside, and Symphony waited with Apollo.
"Feels a little weird, huh?" Symphony guessed.
"How would you feel if you found out your father might be a liar?" Apollo sighed. "I know he wasn't the best father in the world, but Artemis was still my father, and I loved him. He was imperfect and sometimes he made me so mad, but I loved him and I wanted him to love me and pay attention to me."
Symphony looked to the house. "Maybe Peppy will love and pay attention to you when Artemis didn't."
Apollo followed her gaze. "Can you swear on your life that Peppy is not the monster that my father claimed him to be?"
"Peppy is no monster. In fact, I think he's a good man despite his mistakes." Symphony said. "He and Artemis definitely didn't get along, though."
"I'm not sure that makes me feel better." Apollo nibbled on his thumb nervously.
In the house, Branch managed to herd everyone else out of the den to leave Peppy alone, much to his confusion. Poppy led/pulled her mother into the room, and she let Joy stand a short distance away while she went to hear father and alert him to the newcomer. Peppy did a perfect double-take, and he jumped to his feet. He looked up and down Joy's entire body, as though she might disappear if he did not take her in fully right now.
Joy looked down, waiting for Peppy's angry rant. "I know what you're feeling, Peppy. I can only imagine how overwhelming the betrayal and hatred must be. Would you believe me if I said I lost my memories? That I tried so hard to remember who I was, but nothing would come back to me until recently? Heavens above, I didn't have my memories before that fire until Rosiepuff used that magic called water-bending. There's so much I need to explain and tell you—"
Peppy was in front of her before she could blink, and he pulled her into a kiss. She was still crying in relief when they separated. "How?" Peppy laughed, his own eyes full of happy tears. "How are you alive? Shen and Siren…..they said no one was left inside."
"Artemis pulled me out." Joy explained. "Peppy, there's so much I need to explain. But there is one more thing you need to know." She nodded to her daughter, and Poppy went outside to bring in Apollo. After an encouraging nudge from Symphony, Apollo followed his sister into the house. Peppy couldn't quite place the familiarity he saw in the teen until Joy said, "This is Apollo. He is my and Artemis' son."
Peppy stared at Apollo in shock. He looked back and forth between Apollo and Joy, finding the similarities. A range of emotions flooded him, and he took a deep breath. "I think we need to have a talk."
The family sat down on the couches, and Peppy outlined briefly what happened after he presumed Joy dead at the fire. Then, Joy told him how Artemis found her, how she lost her memories, and the life she had with Artemis. Poppy filled in her part after her arrival in the village, finishing with Rosiepuff unlocking Joy's memories.
"Kai hoped that me coming here would help Mom." Poppy finished. "But, in the end, it was Rosiepuff who recovered her memories."
"And it has been wonderful talking with Poppy, remembering my life again." Joy said.
Apollo stared at Peppy. Then, he looked to his mother. "Were you ever in love with Father?"
Joy sighed. "No. What I felt after he found me with amnesia was more like infatuation. I latched onto the comfort I felt when I was near him, but that comfort came from the bond we had as friends. Artemis always wanted me as his queen, but my heart never truly belonged to him."
"He manipulated you. Plain and simple. Tricked you into marrying him and practically forced you to bear his child." Peppy noticed Apollo glare a little. He considered his next words carefully. "Apollo, your father and I were enemies. Always. We tried to kill each other, and it was an accident that ended up killing him."
"I guess, technically, Rosiepuff and I are to blame for Artemis's death, even if his rash actions also played a role." Poppy said.
"However, you will not be the recipient of my hatred for your father." Peppy continued. "You are not at fault for the cruel things he did."
"But am I not a result of them?" Apollo asked, sounding hurt and angry. "Am I not his son?"
"You are." Poppy tilted Apollo's chin so he looked her in the eyes. "You are that and so much more. You cannot trap yourself in his shadow, Apollo. Learn to be your own person and be proud of who you are."
Peppy ran his fingers through his hair. "I wish this were a better time. Titan is coming. Despite our best efforts, I think Kai is right and Titan will find us sooner or later."
"So we have to be ready." Apollo said. "We have to protect Rosiepuff, right?"
"And we will." Poppy assured. "As soon as Rosiepuff gets Kai to realize that."
Joy glanced to the doorway, and she smiled. "I think we have some more folks to talk to, first."
Poppy, Peppy, and Apollo followed her gaze. Poppy giggled when she saw her friends with their jaws dropped and staring in shock at Joy.
"Kai, stop packing." Rosiepuff ordered. "We are not leaving when Titan is on his way!"
"This conversation is over." Kai tossed his clothes in a bag.
"I'm sorry, but when did my husband become such a coward?"
"Why are you so determined to face him? Is it revenge? Is that what you're after?"
"Of course not! I obliterated his army and cut off his head. That was my revenge, and it haunted me for years! This is his vendetta against me, and he's willing to cut down anyone who gets between me and him. I will not spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder in fear."
"If we leave now, we'll survive."
"Kai—"
"I will not allow you to risk your life! I can't spend another moment without you!"
"You act like my fate is decided if I choose to fight him. But that's just your fear."
"Call me a coward if you want. I mourned for you for over twenty years, and you were alive all this time. You and Branch aren't going anywhere."
Rosiepuff glared. "I fail to see how you can stop us." She stomped from the house. But she didn't make it very far outside before a wall of rock appeared in her path. She spun around to face Kai. "Oh, I know you didn't just earth-bend to stop me."
Kai pushed the wall down into the ground again. "I will go to great lengths to keep my family safe, even if I have to force them someplace safe."
"Are you hearing yourself?" Rosiepuff scoffed.
"Well, you clearly aren't listening to me!" Kai snapped.
"And you will not listen to me." Rosiepuff turned to keep walking, but Kai caused a few rocks to move under her feet and trip her. She jumped to her feet again. "Okay, now you're making me mad."
"And what will you do about it?" Kai yelped in pain when Rosiepuff made a whip of water and cracked it at his feet. He tried to box her in with four rock walls. However, the walls burst into pebbles. The Nymph's Amulet glowed from its spot around Rosiepuff's neck, and she threw a fireball at Kai. He made a rock shield to block it, and he threw that shield at her. Rosiepuff dodged the rock and pulled down nearby snow to make a wave that knocked Kai off his feet. He tried to lunge for her again, but he had to block an incoming fireball that didn't come from Rosiepuff. When she tried to see where the fireball came from, a small twister spun her around and knocked her on her tailbone.
"Enough!" Eclipse snapped. "You're both so freaked out and scared that you're acting stupid." Hickory and Dickory helped Kai stand. Trollex lifted Rosiepuff to her feet while Clampers and Coral Blush circled her for any injuries. The entire village ventured closer, even the visitors from Troll Valley.
"Eclipse, tell my wife that it would be foolhardy to confront the demon trying to kill her." Kai said.
"Eclipse, tell my husband that we'll be running for the rest of our lives if we go through with his plan." Rosiepuff huffed.
"Oh, shut up." Eclipse rolled her eyes. "I'm the little sister. Why am I suddenly the most rational troll here? Rosiepuff, if you had your way, you would go face Titan alone. Well, get that out of your head. Nobody here is going to allow that. Kai, you're so afraid to lose what you just got back that you're not thinking straight."
"It's all right to be afraid, Kai." Essence said. "But there are some things we cannot run from."
"Don't you think we would run if we thought that would help?" Quincy added.
"Yeah, do you really think any of us would still be here if we thought leaving would solve our problem?" Trollex added.
Kai looked to the villagers. His villagers, his people who he vowed to protect with his very life. "You all feel this way?"
Someone stepped from the crowd: one of the oldest members of the village, and the last of Kai's Merry Men. "Kai, you've been good to us."
"Pollen—" Kai sighed.
"Let me finish." Pollen said. "You gave your Merry Men a family. Our original band of friends are gone, but their legacies live on in their children. Look at this village you made. We trust you with our lives. We all know the pain you went through, and we grieved as you did when your family was lost, and we celebrated like you did when they were found again. You witnessed the worst of horrors, and it made you distrust the world. So you brought us here, told us it was a place where we could be ourselves. Now, the very thing you fear is coming, and you are haunted by everything that happened to you in the past. None of us pretend to know what you're facing. But we will stand here and say that we will be with you to help you face your fears. You do not have to go through them alone."
Kai looked down. Eclipse stepped up to him and hugged her brother. Rosiepuff joined in, and so did Branch and Symphony.
"Grandad?" Branch piped up. "I have felt the fear you're feeling. I wish we could just run away from it. I wish we had a simple solution that didn't involve fighting. But I would rather stand and fight for what I believe in and for the people I love."
"I know. You didn't get that from me." Kai chuckled softly.
"Oh, he must have. He had to get something from you." Rosiepuff said. "All he got from me was stubbornness." The family laughed lightly.
Kai sighed and held his wife close. "We're going to beat Titan. Together."
"We'll find a way, I'm sure." Rosiepuff affirmed.
"Well, I think all we need is a good battle plan." Kai reached into his vest and pulled out a dagger. He handed it to Rosiepuff, and she looked it over.
Branch gasped in recognition. "Peach wood handle…..iron blade with a bit of jade…..is that…?"
"The Cleaver." Kai confirmed.
"I knew we had that somewhere!" Darnell said.
"You stole it from the library." Essence realized.
"Because I was afraid that Rosiepuff would go confront Titan herself if we found the dagger." Kai explained. "But if he's going to come here anyway, we might as well be ready."
Branch looked to Rosiepuff. "Grandma? What's the plan?"
Rosiepuff noticed everyone looking to her. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. But I think we can figure something out."