Chapter Text
Branch and Poppy made sure to be careful as they helped Floyd straight toward Rhonda, moving him to the back as soon as they were on her and sitting him down on the couch. The others followed, John Dory moving to the back as well and finding out a blanket. The pink and white haired Troll curled up in it as soon as it was placed over him. His complaints over how cold he was immediately dissipated.
Branch sat down to Floyd’s right as Bruce, Clay and Viva made their way towards the back. Tiny Diamond was fast asleep in Bruce’s hands, snoring away. Rhonda had since started on her way back towards Pop Village with help from something Poppy gave to John for Rhonda to sniff and find her way to the Village.
“How are you feeling?”
“A mixture of fatigue and tiredness.” Floyd rested one of his hands across his forehead. “My head hurts and I need rest.”
“And a drink, obviously,” John interrupted, holding up a mug. “You want a cup of water?”
Floyd shook his head. “No thanks. Tea’s fine.”
John shrugged and nodded, turning to boil his kettle. As he waited for it to finish, he turned back to Floyd. “Want anything to eat at least?”
“No. I only want tea.”
When the kettle finished, John Dory stepped back towards it and poured the tea before turning back to Floyd and passing it to him. He gave him a rather stern warning as he did so, “Don’t spill it.”
Floyd nodded and took a sip. A rather large one, leading to simultaneous concern growing on everyone’s faces. He paused, putting his cup down on the couch beside him and looking around at everyone with a relatively confused look on his face.
“I’m just really thirsty,” was the first thing he said when a brief silence hit the air.
“I can tell,” Bruce observed. “Two months of getting your talent stolen did that to you, right?”
Floyd nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s the only symptom?”
Floyd shook his head. “I’m freezing,” he said. “And, like I said earlier, still headachy. Still fatigued. Still tired. Still in need of rest, food and drink.”
“And your body is aching even more?”
Floyd draped an arm across his forehead to look dramatic. “Prepare for the nightmares, Branch.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Branch huffed.
“No, no, dude,” Clay said. “Isn’t it completely normal to have nightmares after anything traumatic?”
“He’s right. I remember Branch ranting on about all those nightmares he had starting from age four without giving me any further details,” Poppy said. “Even when I tried to ask.”
“Poppy, there were things I didn’t want to tell you about my childhood.”
“Well, I know them now.”
Clay patted his business partner on the back. “And Viva here had constant nightmares after the Great Bergen Attack.”
“Which was obviously a few months after my nightmares began,” Branch said after a brief silence. “Also Bergen related.”
Floyd let out another yawn. “What’s a Bergen?”
Oh boy. How were they going to explain this? Branch turned his attention to Poppy, gesturing to Floyd.
“They were these large creatures that thought that the only way they could be happy was to eat Trolls,” Poppy explained, as calmly as she could, as she looked at Floyd. “Don’t worry though. They stopped.”
“Glad I wasn’t there. It’d have been disastrous.”
Agitation crossed Branch’s face. “So you’re glad that you weren’t there at a time when I needed you most?”
Floyd held his hands up, his blanket falling off a little bit. “No, no, Branch. I didn’t mean that. I’m glad you’re safe. I’m glad grandma—”
Before Floyd could finish his sentence, Clay was quick to interrupt him.
“Grandma wasn’t safe, dude.”
“What?”
“Yeah, bro,” Bruce confirmed. “Branch told us she got eaten and he was left alone without anyone to take care of him.”
Tears started to stream down the sides of Floyd’s face, which didn’t help his headache. It only made it worse. He really should’ve stayed. Everyone looked at one another before turning back to Floyd. None of them had a chance to say anything when Floyd buried his head in his hands, blanket falling off completely and ending up in a pile on the floor in front of him.
Poppy put a hand on Floyd’s shoulder. “Floyd, are you okay?”
“No! I’m not! I broke my promise!”
“Floyd, come on,” Bruce said. “It was just a mistake.”
The tears increased. “Just a mistake? It’s too late to go back in time and fix things.”
“It takes time. I’ll forgive you and the others eventually.”
Floyd tried to wipe away his tears, but they just kept flowing. “Eventually doesn’t cut it, Branch. I messed up.”
“This is worsening your current condition.” Clay picked up the blanket and draped it around Floyd’s shoulders.
“Does it matter? I’m an idiot.”
Branch draped an arm around his fourth older brother’s shoulder. “You’re not an idiot.”
“I left you alone,” Floyd muttered, breathing heavy, tone stressed. “Without back up.”
He even ignored the fact that he was close to fainting. But his brothers all picked up on that immediately, glancing at each
“Floyd, you’re stressing out and you look pale,” Branch stated. “We need to get you to a doctor.”
And that’s when the pink and white haired Troll fell forwards, Branch and Bruce moving to quickly catch him before anything could happen. Before he could hit his head. Working together, they lifted him up and rested him back down the couch.
“Okay, we’re heading back to Pop Village now!”
“Branch, we’re almost there!” Branch looked up. When had Poppy gotten up to the front of Rhonda?
The others all rushed to the front of Rhonda, Branch helping Floyd, as the armadillo bus stopped outside of it to not scare any of the tribe. Everyone exited Rhonda, her following behind as they entered the village. But they didn’t go any farther into it.
The brothers stopped and turned their attention to Poppy and Viva.
“You go straight to your dad!” Branch was the first to say. “We’ll get Floyd to a doctor!”
Poppy and Viva nodded as they separated from the brothers and both sets of siblings ran off in two opposite directions. They found their father in the center of the village, the group of elder Trolls that he was talking to falling silent as they spotted them, covering their mouths in shock. King Peppy barely had any time to even turn around when he was tackled to the ground by an excited Viva, ending up on his back on the ground.
“DADDY!!!”
“…Viva?”