Becoming a Brother- Spruce

by Deer Flower

For Spruce, it's difficult imagining a life without his big brother, John Dory, around. He's excited at the fact that he will also be a big brother as well, and is ready to navigate the challenges that come with his changing roles. An exploration of Spruce's experience and feelings towards his brothers. Pre-Trolls (2016). Trolls: Band Together spoilers.

3. Chapter 3

Hello dear reader! Thank you for reading this far!

We now come to the wrap up for Spruce. At least, when he still went by Spruce and life hadn't quite hit him and the rest of the family with a diamond shattering diamond hammer. Yeah, back in the nicer times of his youth for sure.

Anywho, this will be the last chapter for Spruce in this little section. I do plan on getting to Clay and Floyd within the next year, but not sure when I'll post it due to life stuff happening. Thinking of some other story ideas right now as well, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for everyone who has read this far, and for checking out my other stories as well!

Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls or anything dealing with its long history. DreamWorks own the franchise rights, and I'm just a simple writer who enjoys creating fanfiction.

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"Are all egg hatchings this boring?" Clay asked, tilting his head as he continued staring at the still immobile egg resting in his mother's hair.

Shrugging, Spruce answered, "Not sure. You bounced out of mom's hair after your egg hatched and dad caught you before you landed on your face."

"And Spruce at least moved around inside his," John Dory finished, not looking away from the egg. "Maybe he's sleeping? Mom, dad, do babies sleep inside their eggs?"

Seated the same way on the couch Spruce remembered from last time, Reed and Aster gently smiled at the trio below them, the male replying, "I'm sure babies rest inside their eggs like they do after hatching sometimes. Perhaps your brother is finishing whatever he's up to in there and will be coming out soon."

"I do feel them moving a bit," Aster added, carefully lifting up her hand and placing it against the thin shell. "Just be patient with your sibling, boys. They may be a bit shy."

"Would it help if we introduced ourselves, then?" Spruce suggested, leaning forward. "Then we won't be strangers and he'll feel more comfortable coming out."

Reed hummed, indulging the idea by saying, "That's a smart idea, Spruce. Just don't be too loud in case your mom and I can't hear him, okay?"

"I'll go first then!" John Dory exclaimed as he rose to his feet.

In a bout of childish annoyance, Spruce shot up and complained to the other, "No fair! It was MY idea! I should go first!"

"But I'm the oldest!" John Dory retorted, turning his attention away. Unable to hold back his pout at the sound Trolling logic, Sprout crossed his arms. "Hey little brother, I'm John Dory. Like I just told your other brother, I'm the oldest out of the four of us. I like to sing, dance, write songs, watch bugs, and climb branches."

"My name is Spruce and I'm the second oldest," the purple haired Troll started when the other paused for a quick breath. "I also like to sing and dance, and look at ocean pictures, and beach pictures, and eat Fluffleberry cake, and make sure J.D. isn't being a meanie to everyone."

Smiling at John Dory's less than amused look, Spruce let Clay jump in. "I'm Clay, the youngest brother. Well, I guess when you actually hatch you'll be the youngest brother, so that will actually make me an older brother, too! I'm not sure what that's like, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. I also like singing and dancing. And jumping around on the moss not too far from our pod. When you're big enough, I'll take you over there and show you how to bounce on them!"

"And I'll show you the best places to walk across the branches and see the sky without noticing Bergentown," John Dory added, leaning against his dad's legs so his head rested on Reed's knees. "We can make up stories based on the clouds we see passing by!"

"I know some cool spots around the branches where if you catch the wind just right, you can actually glide up if you turn your hair into a glider. Though, that will definitely have to be when your big enough so you can control your hair enough," Spruce offered.

"Spruce is right on that one," Clay started, "The first time I tried it, I didn't make my hair turn into the right shape and instead of flying up to the next branch, I collided with some mushrooms!"

"That's why I told you to let me hold you first, but noooo! You didn't listen to me!" A not uncommon occurrence concerning their little group, if Spruce was being honest.

"That's why I said we should have walked across the branches first," John Dory interrupted, and Spruce could feel his patience starting to slip some. "There's plenty of spots where you can whip your hair out and swing around. It would have been great practice!"

"But you don't feel enough wind that way!" Spruce whined. "And we ALWAYS walk around the branches!"

"Well, we hardly ever go to my moss patch!" Clay joined in.

"Boys," Reed started softly trying to calm them down, only to be overrun with continued cries.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Why don't we go to the spots I like?!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"It's more fun than walking, that's for sure!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"ENOUGH!" Reed shouted, instantly silencing all three. The Trollings recoiled, unused to their father's raised voice. A hushed silence fell over the three as he cleared his throat and spoke much more softly. "Boys, do you really expect your brother to see you three if you're arguing like this?"

"No," the trio chimed, looking down in embarrassment.

"Then I would suggest all three of you stop bickering right now."

"Yes, sir…" they stated, still avoiding looking up.

Reed lightly shook his head, casting a glance to Aster. She gave him a tired smile, nodding down to their boys after a few long seconds of quiet passed.

Expression softening, Reed reached and pulled John Dory and Spruce into his arms and lifted them up to his lap. Making sure they were settled, he then put his arm around Clay and pulled him over until all three were sitting snugly in his arms. The boys were still quiet, but looked less sad when they looked up and saw their parents' gentle smiles.

Clearing his throat, Reed told them, "Your mom and I are very happy you three are excited to welcome your new brother. And I'm sure he'll enjoy spending time with each of you doing the activities you all like to do. Both the ones you three do together and separately. Just remember, he will also have things he enjoys doing and you four will have to be fair to each other. Each one of you is unique and different, and that's not a bad thing. It just means it may take a while longer to work everything out. Okay?"

"Okay, dad," Spruce and Clay responded, smiling cheerily now that they were sure their parents weren't mad at them.

At the end of the group, John Dory bit his lip for a moment before answering with his own, "Will do, dad."

"That's my boys!" Reed cheered, pulling them closer and rubbing his head against them. All three Trollings started laughing, mockingly trying to escape the larger Troll's hold.

"Oh!" Aster exclaimed, catching the other four's attention. "I think I felt them shaking again!"

Sure enough, they managed to catch tiny movement coming from the egg.

Everyone eagerly watched as the egg made a small motion one way, then another small motion another, and then stop moving once again. When the egg didn't move for several seconds, the three boys let out sighs of impatience once again.

"Littlest baby bro, you got to come out eventually."

"Is it because we were loud? If so, we're sorry about that."

"Please come out so I'm not the baby anymore!"

The egg shook from side to side, as if responding to their request with a negative.

"Aster, try holding him instead. Maybe he is shy?" Reed suggested, also confused at the egg's actions.

"Well," Aster mused, carefully lifting the egg out of her hair and setting it on her lap. "Maybe 'he' is actually a 'she.' That could be why they won't come out."

"Naw, he's definitely a 'he,'" John Dory countered.

"Yep, my 'brother thing' is going off like crazy," Spruce finished.

"Hmm…" Aster huffed in amusement, her eyes never leaving the egg. Tenderly, she rubbed against the shell and could feel a little hand from inside press against her own. "Well, my little shy one, I'm not sure what you are waiting for. Your brothers are eager to meet you, and your father and I are ready to love you to the Sun and back. Please now, come out."

Nothing happened for several seconds, as if the Troll inside the egg was thinking about Aster's words.

The silence suddenly broke though as the sounds of an egg cracking filled the room. Everyone held their breaths as more cracks spiderwebbed across the eggshell. Once enough cracks formed and stopped, a thin band of black grew from the center until a pair of purple eyes peeked out from between the shell.

The eyes locked on to three brothers, who eagerly waved at them.

That seemed to spook the little Troll, though, as their eyes widened and the tiny gap disappeared as the eggshell pressed itself back together.

All three pouted, eliciting Reed to rub at their arms in comfort.

With a playful huff, Aster cupped her hands under the egg and slowly brought it up until it was at her eye level. "It's okay, little one. Like I said, they're really excited to me you. So come out and say 'hello' to them."

The gap in the middle returned, gradually increasing until it was just a bit larger than the first time. When those purple eyes met Aster's own hue of purple, she smiled brightly. "Almost there, sweetie. Just a little more. Can you do that for me?"

John Dory, Spruce, and Clay quietly waited, doing their best not to make a sound.

Finally, the top of the eggshell lifted again before being carefully pushed over and falling to the floor. Aster slowly brought her arms down, little purple eyes set against teal skin never breaking away from the other.

Reed reached over as Aster brought their fourth child down, softly holding him with one hand as she brushed the bottom shell away and then retracting his hand when she settled the baby in her lap. The new baby followed the arm as it wrapped itself back around the other three, who smiled brightly as they finally got a proper look at their brother. His eyes looked up and down between his brothers and father, a small smile slowly spreading across his face.

"There we go," Reed whispered loudly. "There's the newest member of our family."

"Sorry if we scared you a while ago. We were just so ready to meet you," Aster cooed, gaining the baby's attention as he looked back up at her. "We'll try not to be so pushy next time, little one." The Troll in question smiled brighter, leaning forward and snuggling against his mom's chest as if accepting the apology. Aster gently rubbed a finger across his back, muttering, "Another son. Guess my boys really do have a sixth sense for this."

"But he does have your marvelous eyes, dear," Reed offered. Giving Aster a minute to gift him with a bashful smile, Reed looked down at his other sons, who were still surprisingly quiet. "Alright you three, reintroduce yourselves, and don't be too loud this time. Got it?"

"Got it," they said as Reed withdrew his arms. Clay remained sitting on his lap, while John Dory and Spruce slid down and gathered next to their mom's legs. The baby was startled at first, managing to somehow push himself further into his mom's chest.

"It's okay, it's okay," she whispered over the noise of the others' shuffling.

Once everyone settled, John Dory took the lead as always. "Hey, littlest brother, I'm John Dory. Like I told the other two when they hatched, I'm gonna be the best big brother to you because I'm the oldest."

"I'm Spruce, the second oldest. I've only been an older brother once, so I'm excited to be one again."

"And I'm Clay," the yellow hair Troll started, leaning forward a bit. The baby looked a bit startled at the action but didn't show any other signs of unease. "I used to be the baby brother, but now I get to be an older brother, too. I may not be as good at it as J.D. and Spruce are, but I'm gonna do my best."

Much to everyone's pleasure, the baby pushed himself away from Aster and seemed to relax as he looked over each brother. His little smile widened as he extended out an arm. Eagerly but slowly, the other three reached as well, Clay being closest finding one of his fingers enclosed by the baby's small hand while John Dory and Spruce set their own across the tiny arm.

Aster lifted her hand toward the baby's unoccupied one, beaming when the other tiny hand enclosed around her finger as well. "See? I told you they were excited to meet you. You have some great brothers, little one."

"We can't keep calling him 'little one,' dear," Reed teased, content with just watching the scene. "And I believe it's your turn to name our child."

"That it is… Floyd. I really like the name Floyd for him."

"Floyd it is," the other parent decreed.

Newly named Floyd continued glancing around at the five faces surrounding him, body language still withdrawn more than the other Trolls were used to. However, the wide and bright smiles being thrown his way let him know his family readily loved him anyway.

XXX

Spruce found baby Floy quite weird. Not weird in a bad way, as everyone was weird in their own way and he definitely couldn't fault someone else when he had strange quarks himself. There was nothing wrong with being weird in general.

No, baby Floyd was weird in the sense that he tended to be a bit more quiet, more observant, less likely to hop in on the older brothers' activities or scrunched his face at them when they were being too loud. It was an adjustment for Spruce whose other younger brother was an energetic ball full of laughs, always eager to do something, and content with just about anything. Even John Dory seemed unsure how to approach the newest addition to the family yet. Which probably bugged the oldest a lot because Spruce knew John Dory disliked not knowing what to do when it came to matters concerning his brothers.

For his part, Spruce decided he would hold off on doing anything too specific since Floyd's shyness was still new to him. That's not to say Spruce avoided his new baby brother. Far from it.

When his parents sat on the couch with baby Floyd in their arms, Spruce would have him and Clay play nearby so they could see each other. When it was time to eat, Spruce wouldn't leave the table until Floyd was also done eating, even if that meant not playing with Clay and John Dory right away. Spruce also helped Clay a bit at bedtime so he could be close to his parents as they also worked on putting baby Floyd to sleep. He felt a little bad about using his best friend like that, but Clay didn't seem to mind the attention either way.

However, baby Floyd still wasn't exactly warming up to Spruce or any of the other brothers. After a week or so of trying, Spruce decided to hold off on bonding with Floyd and went back to hanging around with John Dory and Clay (exclusively) more. It worked well enough for the latter, though John Dory wasn't as fun to hang around with as he was too focused on figuring out the Floyd situation.

It was a weird change to their family routine, but Spruce was confident it wouldn't last forever.

He was proven right when one day, Spruce noticed a change in John Dory. At least, the day that Spruce realized John Dory had changed something about himself. The difference wasn't too obvious and most others probably wouldn't be able to tell one way or another. But Spruce had always been pretty observant when it came to John Dory and had plenty of interactions with him to pick up on his habits.

Their oldest brother never raised his voice that much, unless they were singing or involved in a very engaging game. Or when he was trying to talk over the younger Trollings, which had led to some tension with Spruce, who did not appreciate being talked over one bit. Overall, though, John Dory's voice volume was normally tolerable to anyone within earshot.

However, it was during one of their games that Spruce noticed a change had taken place with his older brother. Instead of shouting like he normally did when he won a particular match, John Dory merely gave a quiet 'whoop!' as he reached over and poked at a frowning Clay. As the eldest successfully worked on cheering up the second youngest, Spruce blinked in confusion when he realized what had not happened. It took Clay resetting the game pieces for Spruce to snap himself out of his thoughts and focus back on the present.

They went through that game and many other activities that day, with Spruce sneaking glances at John Dory a lot and comparing and contrasting his actions with his memory. Clay of course was none the wiser to anything, and John Dory hardly noticed when others were staring at him. Which left Spruce out of sorts for the rest of the day, wondering if Chef had used some weird Bergen chef powers that could conjure up a copy of Trolls and replace them when no one was looking. Or maybe the stories about magical stones and gems that could do power were true, and one of them had accidently come across one while they were playing the other day.

Either way, Spruce was going to figure out what was going on.

XXX

"Hey, Spruce." The Trolling looked up at his standing father, tilting his head at the other. "It's a nice evening out tonight, want to join me for a walk?"

Spruce thought about the request for a moment as he turned to John Dory, who was sitting next to him. His brother merely smiled, waving a hand at him. "Go on ahead, Spruce. We can hang out later once you get back!"

While the break in routine was a bit strange for the second oldest, adding another tally to his ever growing 'JD is acting weird' calculation, Spruce couldn't deny that spending some one-on-one time with his dad sounded like fun. His brothers were great and all, and he did enjoy spending time with his mom. But he and his dad hadn't had very much alone time for as long as Spruce could (barely) remember.

Smiling, he jumped to his feet and answered excitedly, "Okay then!"

He latched onto his dad's outstretched hand and suddenly felt a pair of familiarly small ones wrap about his legs and a face press itself against his back. "I wanna go, too!" the muffled voice whined, causing Spruce to quietly chuckle. Last time the purple haired Trolling had checked, Clay had been hanging around the kitchen with their mom. The younger's speed sure was something.

"Sorry, Clay," Spruce said, carefully pushing one of his younger brothers away gently and trying not to laugh at Clay's pouting face. No matter what sort of mood the Trolling was in, his facial features always seemed so extreme and dramatic that it often gave him a comedic appearance. Spruce had more often than not had to hide his face whenever Clay was really mad or annoyed, otherwise he would end up laughing too much. "Not this time."

The Trolling crossed his arms with a loud huff and sat down aggressively, purposefully avoiding looking up.

Reed reached down and patted his son on the head, waiting until the younger's eyes were looking at him before saying, "You'll get your turn one day, Clay. In the meantime, keep a good eye on John Dory to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

The teasing tone caused a smile to break out over Clay's face, while John Dory exaggerated a sigh as he played along in the background, "I'm not THAT bad, dad."

Pretending to ignore him, Reed continued, "And the best way to keep him out of trouble is to..."

"Play a game with him!" Clay answered, any trace of his negative mood dispelled as shot up and jumped down to sit beside John Dory. The green haired Trolling continued to look annoyed, before a large smile took over his face and he dragged his giggling brother into his lap.

"Well, you better be ready for fun then, cause I came up with this awesome new game we could play!"

Reed and Spruce quietly made their way out the door, waving a goodbye to Aster (and seeing the barest hint of a purple eye peeking out at them through her hair) as she walked into the living room, Spruce wondered if the 'awesome new game' John Dory came up with was anything like the other new games he started. New games which focused heavily on concentration, quiet, and controlling one's movement.

They were fun either way, but definitely weird coming from John Dory.

"Penny for your thoughts, Spruce?" Reed asked as they started walking, the older Troll naturally strolling near the edge to make sure Spruce didn't stray too close there and to look out for danger.

Spruce just shrugged, swinging their still joined hands between them. "Just thinking about something that's probably silly."

Surprisingly, his dad merely hummed and didn't ask another question. Instead, he led them along a faded trail, the wind rustling through the evergreen branches while carrying the background of laughter and general happiness. The decrepit buildings managed to be hidden somewhat by the leaves and was blurred out by the gray of the metal cage, giving Spruce enough imagination to pretend the town and the creatures who lived in it didn't exist.

Spruce focused on the still warm air, the remaining light from the sun, and the company of his dad as he expertly navigated them along. Every now and then he would pop in with a comment about something they saw or had them slow down a bit to enjoy a particularly nice breeze as it passed over them. His dad seemed most at peace when the wind combed through his hair, the gentle brown swaying in a motion like his namesake did.

At least, that's how Spruce pictured what reeds swaying in the wind would look like. Books and descriptions in class could only provide so much, after all.

Without thinking, Spruce blurted out, "Is something wrong with JD?"

Reed blinked at the question, tilting his head as he asked, "Wrong in what sense?"

"I don't know. He's just not acting right. He doesn't talk out as loud or as much as he usually does. He keeps coming up with weird games that aren't like the ones we used to play. And he stares around a lot. Like, a lot lot."

"Hm…" Reed hummed, following it up with. "Does it bother you that your brother is acting different?"

"Yes, no, um… yes? Wait… I don't know… I just know it's weird and not like him at all. And normally when people start acting different, it's because something happened."

"That's a pretty fair observation. So, what do you think has happened that could explain a change in your brother's actions?" Reed asked patiently, carefully guiding them to a breezy spot and sitting them down along a branch.

Spruce kicked his legs up and down as he thought out loud, "The only thing I can think of is Floyd hatching. Which doesn't make that much sense because when Clay hatched, JD didn't care so much about us being loud or very active, though he was still very, very bossy. I just don't see why JD is acting so different with Floyd. Unless something is wrong with Floyd…"

Reed quickly interjected as he noticed Spruce's face falling at the thought. "No, no, I can assure you, Spruce, nothing is wrong with Floyd." The trolling let out a sigh of relief, and Reed continued. "Floyd is just much shier than you, Clay, and John Dory."

"Yeah, he sure is. Why is that?"

The older Troll shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Every Troll is different, even as little Trollings. Clay, for example, is much more active than either you or John Dory were at that age. You have always been more laidback than John Dory, and he's more likely to take the initiative than either of you. All of you boys are different in your own ways, and that also means you'll sometimes treat each other differently from one another."

"That makes sense," Spruce started as he turned to look up at his dad. "But why didn't JD tell me that he was trying to make Floyd happy around us? Wouldn't it be easier if we worked together instead?"

Leaning back on his hands, Reed 'hummed' as a breeze flew around the pair. The leaves quietly ruffling from the movement and both Trolls closing their eyes at the soothing sensation running through their hair. Eyes still closed, Reed answered, "Yes, working together is usually the best course of action. Sometimes, however, the other doesn't think they need help so they don't think to ask, or don't want to bother the other with what they think they can do on their own. Older siblings can especially have a hard time asking for help when they need to. Although…"

When the silence dragged on for a few seconds, Spruce blinked open his eyes and turned his head over to his dad. The older Troll's eyes were still closed as he casually remained leaning back, a teasing smile on his face. Spruce waited for another few breaths, before letting out an impatient sigh.

"Dad," he whined impatiently, earning a chuckle from the other.

Opening the eye facing his son, Reed continued. "John Dory takes his big brother duties very seriously, and he's not that great at asking for help right now. But, he's not the only big brother around here, is he?"

"Nope!" Spruce quickly answered with a grin, flashing up two fingers. "We share the same two younger brothers."

"You are very right about that, Spruce. So, what do you think we should do about John Dory trying to help little Floyd feel more comfortable around his brothers?"

"That's easy: I'll help him! JD is a good big brother, but he doesn't always know when to let someone else do something, and Clay doesn't always like having someone else do things for him. If I help out, though, Clay is more likely to follow my lead and JD won't have to worry so much. Then baby Floyd will see how nice and fun and good we are, so he will want to join us so he doesn't feel left out. Then once Floyd is comfortable around us, JD can go back to being himself without worrying about scaring our youngest brother. Everyone wins!"

"Solid plan, Spruce," Reed replied, holding out a hand which Spruce eagerly slapped against with his own. "And remember, your mom and I are always here in case any of you boys need something. Don't forget that."

"I won't," the purple haired Trolling responded, grinning from ear to ear. He leaned against his dad's side, staring up as the sky darkened and the stars faded into view. Loud noises from around the town floated along the diminishing breeze and the flickering glow of dirty streetlights smudged the lower edge of the sky. Spruce couldn't hold back an involuntary shiver at a particularly grating screech, as if from trashcans being dragged along the uneven stone.

Reed wrapped an arm around his son and kept them still, slightly pointed ears twitching as he processed the sounds around them until the screeching stopped. Only once an uneasy silence fell over the pair did Reed offer a small, encouraging smile as he helped Spruce up and they quietly made their way back home.

XXX

Working with John Dory without explicitly stating he was working with John Dory seemed to be working out from Spruce's point of view. Now that he wasn't worrying that his older brother had been replaced by someone else or was suffering from any life-threatening ailment that altered his personality, Spruce found himself more receptive to John Dory's current calmer, persona.

There was still plenty of fun and laughter to go around for the brothers, just with less arguing as the two older boys watched how they talked and acted when they were less than happy with each other. It was especially funny seeing John Dory wind himself for a loud and long lecture about something he and/or Clay were doing incorrectly, only to stop himself in time and turn red in the face as he held the words in his throat. Clay simply laughed at his oldest brother's painful looking expression, while Spruce used the opportunity to diffuse the situation as best as he could. All while barely managing to contain his own laughter at the other's face.

A comfortable routine developed between them that must have appealed to baby Floyd, as Spruce had caught the youngest family member staring out at them more frequently. All from the corner of his vision though as the little guy was quick to retreat back in their parent's hair if he felt he was a subject of focus. Very strange for usually sociable creatures like Trolls, but Spruce accepted it would just be a quirk of his baby brother they would have to be patient with.

And that patience paid off the night Floyd decided to join the other three Trollings in their little game. Well, less join in on their game and more like relaxed as John Dory, Clay, and Spruce harmonized through the scales until it was time for bed.

The next few days were a gradual process of Floyd spending less time in their parents' hair and opting to hang around the other Trollings. Unlike with Clay, however, Spruce realized there was still a lot of work they needed to do. Floyd was still quite shy and must have inherited some of their dad's excellent hearing as he would often scrunch his face up when the trio were too loud, rough housed too harshly, or accidently snuck up around him. That had more to do with them trying to scare the other than purposefully scar Floyd, but the baby troll always managed to find himself in the middle of it when it happened.

John Dory, being the overly observant eldest brother, would notice Floyd's agitation first and was quick to settle things down before things got too intense for the youngest. That could mean completely stopping whatever they were doing, shooing Clay away if he was being too rowdy, or humming a soft lullaby as Floyd really enjoyed hearing them sing.

When it was up to Spruce to take care of a fussy Floyd, he went with the singing option ("He likes the songs about animals the best, Spruce." "JD, does it really matter if it's about animals or the sky at this point?"), the gentle rocking option as he used to do with a rarely upset Clay ("You're swaying him too fast, Spruce!" "Am not, JD!" "Shush! You two are making Floyd make that weird face."), or Spruce would let Floyd retreat into his hair for a bit to recompose himself. He tried not to let him do that if Clay was around them though, as then the yellow haired Trolling would try climbing up to join the pink haired Trolling in the purple Trolling's hair. Which never failed to make John Dory laugh when he saw Spruce struggling for balance.

Thankfully the oldest would have mercy on him and would carefully distract Clay with something else, giving Spruce time recover and wait out Floyd's sour mood.

Thus, the brothers settled into new routines with each other. Chatting, laughing, playing, singing, crafting, dancing, whatever it was that caught their interests. So long as Spruce had his parents and his brothers, he had little to no worries in his life.

XXX

Somehow, against all reason, Spruce swore Trollstice just kept getting worse and worse every year. The nightmares about him being taken away and feasted on were quite terrifying, made many times worse at the thought that it would be any of his brothers or parents taken away instead. Leaving him alone.

This must have been scheduled to be a particularly ripe year for the Bergens, as his parents had ushered the four of them out of the pod before the sun had even risen. They were leaving in such silent panic that the older Trolls didn't even try coaxing Floyd from the death grip he had on Clay, and John Dory had scooped both of his brothers up within a blink. Aster simply took the lead when the exited the pod and made sure John Dory was following closely with his cargo, Spruce a few steps behind and feeling Reed's labored breathing behind him.

Despite the relatively few times he's run down this path, Spruce knew every twist and turn on the path towards the family's secret hideaway in the tree. He knew the exact spot to stop and wait next to John Dory as their parents opened the secret door to their tree knot. As expected, Floyd whimpered in a trembling Clay's arms and Spruce didn't hesitate to start soothing the pair with John Dory's help.

The door opened into the small, dark place and the four Trollings filed into without a word from either Aster or Reed. Only when the door was closed and they huddled together did any of them feel any marginal sense of safety as they waited for the nightmare day to pass.

Familiar dread encompassed Spruce as he heard the rusty gates swing open and cheers ring out from the rarely excited Bergens. As Chef gave her usually dramatic speech, Spruce slid an arm behind Clay's trembling shoulders and John Dory's chest. The two oldest cast each other quick looks, the eldest brother carefully tightening his grip around the younger two. Spruce barely managed to snake his other arm around the limb holding Floyd, stopping when he heard Chef conclude her speech and the monstrous cheers signaled the beginning of foreboding lumbering toward the Tree.

Just as he remembered, Spruce heard the excitement in the Bergens' voices and movements which barely thundered over the screams from whatever poor Trolls couldn't escape the harvest this year. He started mentally counting down in the vague hope he could be distracted enough to not feel stuck in these moments of terror.

Unfortunately, whether due to reality or a bleed in from his nightmares, the noise continued on and it didn't sound like the Bergens were moving away from the Tree just yet. He and everyone else (including Reed and Aster) nearly screamed when they found themselves being violently shaken as something big knocked against the Tree, accented by the sharp pitched laughter of Chef and more Troll screams.

Spruce spared a glance down, and instantly felt his heart break at the expressions of horror plastered on his younger brothers' faces. Slowly as to not scar either of the further, he leaned his head down on top of Clay's hair and whispered to them, "Everything will be alright. I promise."

Floyd stared up at him with subdued fright and Clay continued shaking in terror, and Spruce dearly wished they could be anywhere but here at the moment. However, there wasn't anything he could really do now but be there for his brothers and hope they would believe him.

Instinctively, Spruce looked up at John Dory's equally scared eyes nestled against a calmer face than his own. Not for the first time, a sense of relief washed over him at the sight of his older brother as they shared a long stare. They nodded, with John Dory leaning down to quietly add, "Spruce is right. This will all be over soon, and then we can all go back home."

John Dory's arms mirrored Spruce's own, and the second oldest Trolling felt his brother's head lean against his own. The tension in Clay's body eased up as his shakes abided and Floyd shyly shifted his head around enough to stare up at the older ones.

A boom of large rustling rang out again, followed by the indistinguishable words of a Bergen who seemed awfully close in Spruce's frightened mind, and he had trouble calming himself down.

In contrast, John Dory smiled brightly, hugged them all tighter, and muttered softly, "We're gonna get pass this Trollstice just like we've gotten past the other ones. And I'll fight any Bergen tooth and hair that even looks at ya." Spruce once again marveled at the ease his brother had when it came to calming them down in situations like this, feeling their parents shift around them as they remained focused super focused on gauging the noise. "Long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to any of you," John Dory finished.

Spruce saw Clay exhale softly and felt the Trolling's shaking stop fully. He let out a deep and calm 'hum,' easing his grip a bit but not dropping his arms from where they were. At this point, the contact with his brothers was about the only thing keeping him from slipping away. Small movement caught his attention, revealing itself to be Floyd outstretching his hand and laying it near the crook of John Dory's elbow. The tiny face previously marred in fear softened into trust and Spruce felt the tension leave the tiny Trolling's body.

Not for the first and probably not for the last time, Spruce found himself both grateful and mystified at John Dory's sheer ability to calm the younger brothers down. Hopefully, one day, I can be just as good a big brother as you, JD, he thought to himself.

The Bergens kept shouting, their hiding spot kept shaking from continued banging, and the ever-faint cries of Trolls kept reaching their ears. And the six of them remained silent in each other's arms. Frightened but glad they were all together.

---

Thank you for reading this up til the end!

Few notes: Like I mentioned previously, I really like writing about Trollstice and how it affected the boys as they grew up and found themselves having more family to protect. It's one thing to be terrified for one's own life, it's another to be terrified for another's.

I realized I didn't have much interaction between Spruce and baby Floyd when I was reviewing and editing this chapter. I wanted to go back and add something, but the flow wasn't working out and I didn't want to make things too clunky. At a later date I would love to develop more events to tie things together until getting to the moment we see in the movie. So that would probably be one of the first things I write about.

Anywho, thank you again for reading this and can't wait to see y'all next time!