In The Rough

Chapter 5: The Escape

John Dory is both grateful and extremely frustrated that Peppy decided to wait until the dawn of Trollstice to escape. On one hand, the king had told him to be with Branch after what happened to Rosiepuff and it gave him the time he needed to comfort his baby as much as possible. It also gave him the chance to explain what was going on to Branch, that they'd finally be leaving, which made the boy as excited as he could be. And the plan had spread around the tree through invitations, made with the help of Princess Viva.

On the other hand, waiting also felt like a fucking lifetime. And it made John more paranoid that something would go wrong, that if everything didn't go smoothly, it would all fall apart. What if the tunnels weren't finished in time? What if they collapsed? What if they got caught and everyone got eaten?

John had been terrified the entire time they were in those tunnels, Branch tucked safety in his hair despite the boys protesting. Everyone had what little they could carry on their backs. Thankfully, they were in the first wave to go through and since John had helped dig them, he lead the group through safely.

And coming out on the other side had felt magical, almost. There were trees everywhere and grass and flowers and it made everyone feel at home, finally closer to nature after so long. Trolls were built for the wild, their tree once being part of a lush forest that the Bergens had leveled to build their town. And now they're finally free. The escape had been successful.

Mostly. John's ears droop as he remembers the group that got left behind. The tunnels had collapsed at some point, about thirty trolls trapped behind them. One of them had been the princess. Peppy was devastated, John could tell. He hid it from everyone else, occupying himself with finding a good place for them to live and his other daughter, Poppy. She was only two, not much younger than Branch, and John's heart aches for that poor girl.

Watching Branch touch a blade of grass curiously, the boy asks him, "What is this? It looks like a leaf but it's in the dirt?"

That's probably the cutest and saddest thing John has ever heard. "That's grass, buddy. It grows out of the ground all over, like the moss."

"Oh. Cool." Branch points. "What's that?"

John looks and chuckles. "That's a pinecone. It's like a big bunch of seeds for a tree stuck together."

"Woah," the boy whispers. "What kind of tree? Our tree doesn't have those."

"Pinecones come from pine trees. They're super, super tall and pointy at the top and instead of leaves, they have green needles all over them."

"No way!" Branch gasps.

"Yes way." John smirks. "I've seen them. There's probably one close by if a pinecone is here, so maybe I can show you."

"That'd be so cool!" Branch's eyes sparkle, making John smile. He's so glad his boy is feeling at least a little bit better for now.

His colors are still very dulled, but John has faith he'll get better. His eyes are still the beautiful mismatched sky blue and navy, which John is grateful for. At least part of Branch is still a little bright and that gives JD hope.

Branch also hasn't sung a note since the incident and it makes John a little bit nervous. Most trollings can't go longer than a day without singing, even when they're sad, so John hopes he can get Branch to talk to him, or maybe someone else about what happened.

"What kind of tree was our tree?" Branch asks, looking up at him.

"It was an oak tree. They have smaller seeds but they're still bigger than you."

"Hey! I'm not small," Branch says, glaring at him.

"You are, love." John snickers as he crosses his arms and pouts. He ruffles his hair. "Don't worry, you'll grow, little man."