Trolls Fanfiction: Iris

Chapter 37

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀< ❈Titian's POV❈ >

Titian glanced over at Iris, a little smile just slightly curving the ends of his lips. Three days had passed since Creek had been defeated and things were beginning to look a lot better.

Branch and Poppy had taken over as King and Queen once more and every Troll who had taken Creek's side were forced to take an oath to never betray like that again. And now everything was going back to normal. His friendship with Iris had been restored, and now they were sitting on one of the top branches of Troll Tree together, watching the sunset.

The red Troll remembered trying to make his confession to Iris right after the battle but Branch had interrupted him. He still had not gotten the courage to tell her, and doubted he ever would. I think we were destined to stay friends, he thought, ignoring the longing ache in his heart.

"Iris," the male began.

The Princess looked at him expectantly. "Yes, Titian?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. "What is it?"

"How did...how did everything feel? You know, what you witnessed? Your experience with Creek?" He felt a little nervous asking the question, fearing he might strike up some terrible memories. But to his relief, the blue-skinned girl did not seem bothered.

She sighed. "Well, it's a little hard to explain but..." Her voice trailed off and she fixated her eyes on the beautiful sunset once more. "I...I could sing it."

Titian blinked in surprise. "Sing it? What do you mean?" he asked.

Iris faced him once more, rising up to her feet and reaching into her split-colored hair to pull out a ukulele. "There's a song in my mind that explains everything that happened. I could sing it for you. Then maybe you'll see."

The glitter-Troll stood up, walking closer to her. "If it's no trouble," he muttered. He had only heard Iris sing a few times and when he had, it had been one of the most beautiful sounds. Since she was the daughter of two of the best singers in Troll Tree, there was no doubt she had the voice of an angel. So he was rather excited. "What song is it?"

Iris glanced down at her ukulele. "You'll probably recognize it but...no for sure guarantees," she replied. "It's a good one, though." She seated herself back down on the tree branch and lightly began strumming the instrument.

Titian sat down too, placing his hands in his lap as he crossed his legs. The rhythm so far was not at all ringing a bell but he knew that could change. It was a slow, rather mysterious melody. He was intrigued.

"Jumping up and down the floor, my head is an animal," Iris started the song, her pink eyes focused on her moving fingers. "And once there was an animal, it had a son that mowed the lawn. The son was an okay guy, they had a pet dragonfly."

The sparkly red Troll was a little surprised by the lyrics. They did not make any sense to him, but there was a strangeness in them that he loved. He silently urged Iris to continue singing. For one, her voice was beautiful and for two, this song was certainly sparking his interest. My head is an animal? And how can an animal have a son that mows the lawn? He flung away his curiosities as Iris sang the next line.

"The dragonfly ran away, but it came back with a story to say." Iris paws for a second, then continued. "Her dirty paws and furry coat, she ran down the forest slope. The forest of talking trees, they used to sing about the birds and the bees. The bees had declared a war. The sky wasn't big enough for them all. The birds, they got help from below, from dirty paws and the creatures of snow."

The lyrics faded off and she strummed her ukulele for countless seconds, a slight frown appearing on her visage. The beautiful sounds from the instrument were getting louder and harsher as Iris sped up her work.

Such a strange yet gorgeous song, Titian thought. He unfortunately did not recognize it and was sad he didn't.

Eventually, Iris began singing again. "So for a while things were cold. They were scared down in their holes. The forest that once was green, was colored black by those killing machines. But she and her furry friends took down the queen bee and her men. And that's how the story goes, the story of the beast with those four dirty paws!" She violently strummed the ukulele now, emotions flashing through her eyes like crazy.

Titian thought she would break her ukulele if she wasn't careful. He was about to stop her rapid, furious actions but then, she stopped, the sound of her instrument fading as she set it down beside her. She looked up at Titian with eyes that were now calm and restrained, as if that earlier anger had ceased to ever exist. Had he been imagining it? Doubt it.

"That was... I don't...understand?" Titian spoke, tilting his head to one side. "It's a pretty song. But how does it necessarily apply to what happened?"

Iris blinked at him. "Don't take the lyrics literally, Titian," she told him in a soft voice. "It's a metaphor. Everything in that song represents something here. My mother is the animal, my father is the son. I'm the dragonfly that ran away. You and the rest of the Snack Pack are the birds, Creek and his Trolls are the bees. And Pine...well, Pine is the dirty paws. Since she saved you all—the birds. You know? The birds, they got help from below, from dirty paws and the creatures of snow. I thought of this song yesterday. My father used to sing it to me because I loved it so much. I can't believe I forgot about it..." She sighed, shaking her head.

"What's it called?" Titian inquired. "It's very interesting. And I can see the connection now. You're right."

Iris smiled at him. "It's called Dirty Paws." She paused, glancing downwards for a few heartbeats before slowly looking up again. "There's something else I need to say before we head back for the night."

The sparkly red male was now aware of the sun sinking much more below the horizon. The land was hardly lit at this point and several stars and the moon had appeared in the sky. "Alright," he agreed. "Go ahead."

He saw hesitation and anxiety flash through her gaze. What's wrong with her? he wondered.

"Titian, ever since we became friends...I've felt a connection to you in ways I can't exactly describe." She awkwardly shuffled her feet against the branch.

Titian perked his ears up in interest. He thought he had an idea of where this was going and felt hope sparking through his chest. "Y-yes, and?" he prompted.

"And...look, I'm not going to hold back. I like you, Titian. And not in a friend way. I mean...as more. But uh...I understand if you don't feel the same." She looked away, seeming a little embarrassed that she'd even spoken.

The red Troll scooted over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him. "I didn't think you felt the same way," he muttered.

Iris blinked in surprise. "Y-you like me too?" she asked.

Titian nodded. "For years I have. And you have no idea how bad I felt for yelling at you. I was confused. But now I'm not." He stared her deeply in the eyes, those pure magenta eyes that he loved so much.

"I knew everything would be okay in the end," Iris went on. "I knew my future would be great. And you are my future, Titian. You always were." She took his hand in hers, pressing her forehead against his cheek.

He felt warmth fill his whole body at this gesture, leaning against her and wrapping his arms tightly around her body. Words could never describe how happy he was. After everything they'd gone through, peace had finally come to their lives.

The End

WHOOPS IT'S OVER

I feel kinda sad now. It's okay. I have a surprise ;-;

Thank you all so, so much for reading this book!

The song Iris sang is called Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men. I'm absolutely obsessed with this band so I HAD to use one of their songs here.

The song is actually supposed to be about World War II so ye >~<

Anyways, don't be sad! Like I said, I have a surprise. I'll make one more story part and explain it. Just wait 😈