Above is a drawing of what I originally imagined Rhegan to look like. Just pretend she sounds like Taylor Swift. Enjoy!

That night, the Trolls and Northrens settled down together. Flower, Tiny Diamond, Dusty and Manta Rave explained life outside of the mist to their native peers.

“So, what's the sun like?" a boy asked.

“Oh, you're gonna love it!" Manta said. “It shines like a glow stick and it's so warm, it feels like a hundred thousand group hugs."

“But it won't suffocate you," Dusty added.

“Wait till you see the night sky," Tiny Diamond said. “It's mostly black and full of stars that shine like diamonds. Like me and my daddy!"

“How do we know all that stuff is for real?" a girl said in doubt. “Is that lady with the rainbow on her head really gonna free Northros?"

“Of course, she is," Flower assured her. “Willow's the greatest Troll who ever lived. Well, next to my mommy, of course."

“Kids," Biggie said suddenly. “Your parents and the others said you should all get some sleep."

“Aw, man!" Tiny Diamond groaned.

“Do we have to?" Manta whined.

While the kids were settling down, Branch was talking to Errick about his desire to propose.

“I just want it to perfect," he explained, “but I can't find a moment that can top... basically everything else we've done together."

“Why don't you set up a romantic scene?" Errick suggested. “I, personally, know nothing about women, but I do know we have a very romantic way of proposing. If we round up the dragonflies now, we'll be ready by dawn."

“What do the dragonflies do?" Branch asked.

“I'll explain it along the way."

“Hey, back at home," Dandelion said to Poppy, “do you know a Troll named Elle Cloverton?"

“Yeah, she teaches Advanced Partynomics," Poppy answered.

“Is she married?" he asked. Poppy shook her head. “Oh. Why didn't that make me feel better?"

“What else do you miss?"

“My father," Dandelion replied. “He passed long before all of this. He was a great Troll. Built us a good life, but taught me to never take the good for granted. He'd say, ‘Be prepared. Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you onto a new path.'"

“What do you do when it does?" Poppy asked.

“Don't give up," he answered. “Take it one step at a time and..."

“Just do the next right thing?" Poppy finished, remembering what Queen Essence told her.

“Yeah. You got it."

Barb, meanwhile, was feeling uneasy about Fuchsia being so close to Ash.

“So these Hard Rock Trolls... Have they been good to you?"

“They've been great," Ash answered. “Except maybe the kids that said I looked like unicorn poop and their parents, who didn't like me because I was born a Pop Troll. But Barb and Dad, they adore me."

“Well, at least you're with the Trolls you belong with now," Fuchsia said.

“What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused. Barb, however, was outraged.

“Are you saying the Rocker Trolls are not good enough for her?" she said angrily. “That I'm not good enough for her?!"

“What? No!" Fuchsia insisted. “I'm just saying, I'm her birth mother and we've been apart for far too long."

Well, I'm her big sister and we've been together for far too long!" Barb argued. “Which is a lot sweeter than it sounds!"

“Uh... Could you excuse us for a moment?" Ash said, pulled Barb aside. She immediately glared at her sister. “Barb, what are you doing?"

“What am I doing? Why are you fraternizing with the Troll who abandoned you at birth?!"

“The Pop Troll who dumped me was orange with green hair," Ash explained. Although most of her earliest memories were lost, she would never forget the first face she saw. “For eighteen years, I thought my birth mother was someone else."

“So, that's just it for us?" Barb asked, feeling upset. “We're not sisters anymore?"

“Barb, we'll always be sisters," Ash tried to reassure her. “Nothing can ever change that. But I can't spend the rest of my life attached to you. I want to move forward with my life. I want to live with Willow."

“I already told you, Willow can come live with us," Barb reminded her.

“That's not the point!" Ash shouted. Everyone stared at her in surprise. “I just... I'm gonna go get some rest."

While Ash went inside a hut, Barb noticed Fuchsia staring at her curiously. Barb snarled at her and stormed off.

“What was that about?" Rhegan wondered.

“I don't know," Willow admitted, wrapping the scarf around herself. “I never saw my girlfriend fight with her sister before."

“Hey, I wanna show you something," Rhegan said, holding a corner of the scarf. She pointed to a pattern that showed a symbol shaped like a clover surrounded by the four spirits' symbols. “You know air, fire, water, and earth? But look, there's a fifth spirit, said to be the bridge between us and the magic of nature."

“A fifth spirit?"

“Some say," Rhegan added, “that they heard it call out the day the forest fell."

“King Peppy heard it," Willow said in realization. “Could that be who's calling me?"

“Maybe," Rhegan replied. “Alas, only Nefilheim knows."

“Nefilheim," Willow gasped, and began singing. “Dive down deep into her sound..."

“But not too far or you'll be drowned," Rhegan joined in, laughing. “Why do lullabies always seem to have some terrible warning in them?"

“I wonder that all the time," Willow admitted.

Suddenly, they all felt the ground shake. To the Northrens, that could only mean one thing.

“Earth Giants," Rhegan gasped.

“What are they doing down here?" Sapphira wondered. The rest of the Northrens immediately put out the fires and hid in their huts.

Flower woke up when she noticed how the earth moved. Wanting to keep her promise to protect her mother and sisters, she ran out of the hut and searched for Poppy. She then ran into the Fire Spirit, who began to flame up. Flower attempted to blow the flames out, but this just made them grow higher. She tried to cover them, but the gecko just set her purple mittens on fire! Flower managed to rip them off her hands before she got severely burned, but her fingers stung a bit, so she grabbed some of the snow Willow made earlier and held it to cool them down. The Fire Spirit got the same idea and jumped into the snow, the flames dying instantly.

“This is why we don't play with fire!" Flower whispered angrily, but the spirit just smiled at her and crawled up her arm. “Aw, you're so cute, I can't stay mad at you."

Willow peaked from behind a tree to get a good look at one of the Earth Giants. It was three times as big as the tallest Bergen and its whole body was made of stone. It stopped and turned to look in her direction. Panicking, Willow hid behind the tree until the Earth Giants began to head off. After calming herself down, Willow emerged from her hiding spot and took a step forward, only for someone to grab her wrist.

“Please tell me you were not gonna follow them," Poppy pleaded.

“What if I can settle them?" Willow said. “Like I did the wind and fire?"

“Or what if they can crush you before you get the chance?" Poppy warned. “Remember why we came? The sooner we find the voice, the sooner we can fix everything and go home."

“Mommy!" Flower exclaimed, running up to Poppy to give her a hug. “Are you okay? Are my sisters okay?"

“We're fine, princess, don't worry," Poppy reassured her.

“That was a close one, right guys?" Cooper said.

“The Earth Giants sensed me, they'll probably be back," Willow told her friends. “And you're right, Pops. We need to find the voice."

“Then we need to go now," Poppy informed them. “Flower, stay with the other kids."

“But Mommy, I wanna come, too!" Flower pouted.

“Sorry, but it's too dangerous," she said. “Besides, I don't Daddy will... Wait, where is Branch?"

“I saw him go with that guy Errick and a bunch of dragonflies," Cooper answered.

“He left?!" Poppy asked in disbelief. It wasn't like Branch to just head off on his own. “Without saying anything?"

“Who knows the ways of men?" Flower muttered. “Does that mean I can go?!"

Poppy thought about this and noticed Willow and Cooper already heading north. What Branch didn't know wouldn't kill him, would it?

🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂

“Am I supposed to feel this stupid?" Branch asked Errick, standing on a rock surrounded by dragonflies.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely," Errick replied. “Ready, guys?"

The dragonflies buzzed happily in response, except for one who was nervously shaking his head. His buddy smacked him and buzzed “Suck it up, Kevin!" Suddenly, they noticed someone approaching them.

“Here she comes!" Errick said, climbing up a tree with a bag of helicopter seeds. The dragonflies hovered as he tossed them around. Branch would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but there was no going back.

“Queen Poppy," he began, closing his eyes, “the, kind, fearless, beautiful mother of my children... Will you marry me?"

Branch opened his eyes to find... Prince D. staring at him in shock.

“Uh... No," he answered. “Poppy left with Cooper and Willow last night. Took Flower with them."

“You're telling me my daughter and pregnant girlfriend are gone?!" Branch exclaimed.

Prince D. nodded. “Sorry, dude. I wish I could tell you where they went. Oh, by the way, the other Northrens are headed west, Sapphira said we can join them."

“I better go pack," Errick said, heading for the campsite as the dragonflies dispersed.

“You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," Branch fibbed. Really, he was going to go look for his girls.

As Branch searched the forest, he heard a strange noise. It sounded like... yelling and stuff getting broken? He followed it to find the Queen of Rock slamming as many guitars as she had against a rock, screaming in frustration.

“Uh, Barb, are you okay?" he asked before she could destroy her last one.

“Am I okay?" she repeated with a fake laugh. “Would you be okay if your sister wanted to leave you?!"

“I don't have a sister," Branch pointed out. “And what makes you think Ash wants to leave you?"

Barb sighed. “We had a fight. She said she doesn't want to be attached to me anymore and that she wants to live her own life with Willow, even though I told her she can live with us."

“She probably just wants to live as an independent Troll," Branch explained. “Besides, what if Willow didn't want to live with you guys? Ash would never force her into a situation she was uncomfortable with."

“What's that supposed to mean?" Barb asked suspiciously.

“Oh, boy," Branch groaned. “It means, sometimes when you care about someone, you have to let them make their own decisions."

“But I'm scared, Branch," she admitted. “One day, my dad's gonna get really old and eventually die, Ash will be the only family I have left. I can't lose her."

“Barb, letting any family member leave can be difficult," Branch admitted. “My own kids will have to leave me one day, but I know it wouldn't be right to hold them back. Besides, Ash will never truly leave as long as you keep her in a special place in your–"

“Okay, enough with the mushy stuff," Barb gagged, storming off. Branch followed her to a small waterfall where she sat down on a log and noticed a red X and O on the back of her last guitar. This one was a present from Ash and began to make her feel sentimental. Saddened by how things were changing, she began playing a chord on her guitar. It was rather different than the loud and defiant music everyone was used to hearing from her.

When you walk away

I count the steps that you take

Do you see how much I need you right now?

And all I ever wanted was for you to know

Everything I do, I give my heart and soul

I can hardly breathe

I need to feel you here with me

When you're gone

The pieces of my heart are missin' you

When you're gone

The face I came to know is missin', too

When you're gone

The words I need to hear

Will always get me through the day

And make it okay

I miss you...

Sorry this took so long. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Until next time. 🌈