Unconditional: A Broppy Story

Part XVIII

Just a little heads up, this chapter is kinda long. So much stuff happens, but I just couldn't break it apart. Enjoy!

Before anyone could see him, Creek prepared himself to play the role of grief-striken lover. When he was ready, he approached Biggie, DJ Suki, Smidge, and Cooper.

"Hey, Creek!" Cooper greeted. "What's wrong? You look as though the world just ended."

"It may as well have," he said in a quiet voice. "Poppy's... dead."

"What?!" Smidge gasped. "No! She can't be!"

"What happen to her?" Biggie asked.

"She was killed... by Prince Branch," Creek lied with some fake tears. The others gasped. "At least I got to tell her I... Before she..."

"I can't believe Poppy's gone," DJ Suki cried softly. "Without her, how do we go on?"

"I don't know," Biggie said. "But we need to tell King Peppy. He won't want to hear it, but he's the only one who would know what to do about Prince Branch and who will lead us before he goes."

The five Trolls went to see King Peppy, not knowing they were being followed. They found the elderly king trying to settle a town wide argument.

"People, settle down," he tried to say to everyone.

"King Peppy?" Biggie said. "You may want to sit down."

"Why? What's wrong?" King Peppy asked.

"It's Poppy, sir," Creek said. "Prince Branch murdered her."

"What?! No!" King Peppy gasped. "That... That can't be."

"What was that?" Blaze asked.

"He said Poppy's dead," a Techno Troll replied.

"We have to do something about that two-faced so-called Prince!" Smidge said angrily. "I say we throw him in a pit full of grossums!"

"Excuse me," Captain Hyacinth interrupted. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"The trouble is your 'prince' killed our Poppy!" Smidge answered.

"And why do you assume this?"

"She told me herself before dying in my arms," Creek answered, feigning both anger and pain. "I don't know why he would perform this evil task, but any Troll whose prince is a cold-blooded murderer should not be welcome here."

"Is that so?" Hyacinth asked, holding out a piece of paper. "Then, how do you explain this letter written by the prince himself?"

Waterlily grabbed the note and looked at it for herself. "It's his handwriting. I'd recognize it after two years of lame poems."

"It also says that Branch was going to leave so Poppy and Creek could be together," Minuet added.

"Hmm, why would Branch kill Poppy after letting her go?" Laguna asked. "Unless... Branch wasn't the one who killed her."

"No!" Creek said desperately. "He... He's lying! Or Hyacinth forged it!"

"That's Captain Hyacinth to you," Hyacinth corrected.

"Okay, Blaze is confused," Blaze said.

💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹💍💗💐🍾🥂🌹

Branch and Synth were on their way to Guru's Glade when they heard someone shout "QUIET!" It startled them, but Branch recognized his sister's voice anywhere. Then he heard her singing, but her tone didn't match the song.

M-My head's underwater

B-but I'm b-breathing fine

You're c-crazy and I'm out of my mind...