- Explain this to me

Pepy had let the bag fall on the table. Poppy stared at her knees, trying to calm down, she had to defend him at all costs, she had to show them the truth.

- You have to let him go, he didn't do anything wrong! Poppy had tears in my eyes, I ... I love him!

She still managed to see the Trolls dragging Branch into a cage. His hurt tail dragging on the ground and his eyes opening slightly one last time to see his princess who was trying to escape from the grip of GD and DJ who were crying like her.

- He almost killed me! Creek groaned, suddenly entering in the pod, look what I find in this bag, King Pepy!

He put something on the table. It looked like an old yellowed sheet of paper. Poppy frowned as Creek read what was written there.

- A trollagon, that's what he is, Creek concluded, his plan? Bring back the dragons to destroy us all! Like Claws, a century ago!

Then he pointed to a certain word on the sheet which had been surrounded in red pencil, Pepy read it aloud, he seemed to be scared of it:

- Control...

- It's his power, Creek says in a convinced tone, He uses it on her! He forces her to love him!

he pointed to Poppy, the princess didn't know what to say. Could it be the truth? As Creek explained his frightening theories, Poppy took the sheet in her shaking hands. "A trollagon ... why he never said anything to me? He was afraid ..." She remembers all the frightening looks, all these afternoons with the black dragon ... so that he finally shows her this volcano where this monster was hiding ...

Then on this document, something caught her attention; Branch had not only surrounded the word "Control". There, right next to the legend of Claws, he had drawn strange patterns ... Including a troll who seemed to be suffering martyrdom ... that was what made Creek believe that Branch wanted their death, but he didn't hadn't noticed the line leading to a dragon controlled by a shadow behind him, two eyes shining in the darkness of a volcano.

And that's when all the pieces of the puzzle had been assembled.

- He's not the monster, it's this giant dragon ... it's Claws! She suddenly shouted

Pepy and Creek turned to her, not understanding what she was talking about.

- Claws is long dead, Creek groaned, seriously Po ...

- No, you don't understand, there is this giant dragon on this island ..

But Pepy stopped her, his strange expression hiding his fear.

- An island? ... have you found their nest? He asked.

That's what he was looking for so much time ...

- Huh? No ! It's Hairless, i mean, Branch who show it to me, only a dragon can find it.

Poppy immediately regretted her words; her father's gaze changed, as if animated by a flame of frightening determination. The pink troll began to tremble, understanding what was going on in the mind of the old king:

- Dad, no ... don't do that, you don't know what you're doing!

- Prepare the boats, he will show us the way ... King Pepy orders the chief of the hunters behind him before following him outside the pod.

- DAD DON'T DO THAT! Poppy yelled and grabbed his arm to him turn to her, but the old king brutally pushed her away with his hair.

She fell to the ground, looking up at him. And he said this sentence which tore her heart:

- Kill the dragons, protect my own.

Then he went out; fear had taken possession of the old king and Creek would profit from it. Poppy was trapped.

* * *

When Branch awoke, he was tied with chains. He got up suddenly, noticing what was happening; he were chained to a boat!

A troll grabbed his hair, Branch was forced to stop moving immediately; how did a troll know this ancient fighting technique to paralyze an enemy? Then he realized that they were hunters.

While he was paralyzed, two other trolls brought a heavy wooden object; a collar. The two trolls passed around his neck, Branch grunted when he felt the heavy weight fall on his shoulders. When the troll let go of his hair, Branch tried to use it to defend himself ... but an horrible pain pierced his head, forcing him to stop and fall to the ground. After long minutes of suffering, he looked up at his hair ... they had put on a hair-tight. This old object of torture had been banned a long time ago, but it seemed that they had decided to put one on the trollagon.

The hair-tight had a simple and horribly effective function; if the troll who wear it tried to use his only weapon, his hair, it would tighten until pulling out some wicks of hair, which is, I remind you, very painful for a troll.

- I hope you like your new piece of jewelry, Creek laughed, it fits you perfectly.

Branch let out a horrible growl, without warning, he shot blue fire on his chains. When he stopped, panting, he stared at his intact chains in horror.

- You can't do anything, these are chains especially for trollagons, Creek smiles widely.

But desperate Branch started again and again. He almost burned his throat and tears ran down his cheeks, but there was nothing to do. He was pulling on his chains, trying to burn them, but he was just do that for nothing.

Eventually he stopped moving, closing his eyes to support the weight of the heavy collar and remain standing. He had to remain standing, he must not appear weak ... especially not in front of the chief of the hunters who was staring at him.

- Your princess came to say goodbye, at least you should watch her ... Creek smiles.

Branch hadn't looked at her, though, ashamed of all his lies. Poppy was standing with trolls who had refused to fight or couldn't on the coast. The SnackPack, the children and even some hunters ... but Branch fully deserved what happened to him, cause...

... he knew it deep down, he was the monster.