This is another fairy tale AU based on the story of the Princess and the pea as well as Once upon a mattress. As usual this has my own little unique twist to the story. Warnings of angst and fluff. I have dyslexia so please go easy on the spelling and grammar. I will say one of the hardest things to work with in the princess and the pea is that you really only have like one day for them to meet and fall in love to work with.

The grey troll and the pea.

Chapter one:

Once upon a time their lived a beautiful and kind troll princess, who wanted nothing more than to find her true love, get married and love happily ever after. Her father King Peppy however was very protective of his daughter, he insisted that she could only marry a true prince and so it was that every prince who came to the castle as a suiter to the princess had to undergo a test to prove that they were a true prince. None of prince's who had sought the hand of Poppy in marriage had ever passed King Peppy's test and Poppy had to admit that she was starting to wonder if any prince ever would. The pink troll princess also felt that it was a little unfair that the test changed with every prince, but her father insisted that this way no one could cheat by telling another prince what the test had been Poppy had no argument to her father's reasoning.

Then when Poppy was twenty on one cold and rainy night there came a knocking on the castle doors, since she was going past the castle doors at the time the princess went to the door, she opened one of the doors and found standing on the doorstep was a very wet grey troll who had clearly been caught in that night's storm. He looked at her and said very politely. "Forgive me, I was going home when the storm struck. I was hoping that as I was of royal blood I could seek shelter here for the night."

Poppy took in his bedraggled state and his simple clothing, she found it hard to believe that this was a royal of any kind but she was to compassionate to leave the troll out in the storm. "I am princess Poppy please come in prince…?"

"Branch please just Branch."

"I see Branch what an unusual name."

The grey troll was hardly surprised that the princess did not recognise his name, his people lived far away from hers deep in the forests. The grey troll was also not a prince but he was not about to correct the princess by telling Poppy what his true title was, he had to admit she was a beautiful troll. Branch had of cause heard about princess Poppy and her father King Peppy testing every royal troll who came to the castle as her suiter. "Branch is the translation of my name into your language and it is also considered a good strong name where I come from." The grey troll explained to the princess.

"Oh, where is that?" Poppy asked curiously.

"Far from here princess." The grey troll said as he took off the backpack he had been carrying. "As long as the storm is gone by morning I shall leave again."

"Well if you will come with me I am sure I can find you somewhere to stay for the night."

Branch bowed to the princess. "Thank you. You are most kind princess Poppy."

As they walked along the corridors of the castle the princess couldn't help but look at the troll by her side. Grey was such an unusual colour but she had to admit despite his odd colouring Branch was a handsome troll. The pink troll found herself wanting the storm to last, she wanted to get to know this strange troll from far away, Poppy had never felt like this before and these feelings took her completely by surprise. Poppy took the grey troll to the room of her friend and a knight of the castle sir Creek, she knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later the purple troll opened the door, he looked at the two trolls standing in the doorway and gestured them into his room. "Princess Poppy how can I help you?"

"Creek this is Branch, he was caught out in the storm and wanted somewhere to stay. Branch is of royal blood please don't tell my father that or he will want to make Branch undergo a test and he is only looking for somewhere to stay for the night."

Creek looked at the grey troll, he had the same feelings as Poppy this troll could be no royal yet he claimed to be one. The purple troll was half tempted to tell the King of Branch, just to watch him fail at a test like all of the other who had come here before him but as the princess was his oldest and dearest friend Creek decided to help his friend. "I see princess, well my rooms were built for two trolls so I have a spare bedroom he could use for the night."

"Thank you Creek." The princess said to him with happiness.

"You are welcome princess." With this said Creek escorted Branch into the spare room he had. Once the purple had made sure that his unexpected guest for the night was involved in settling in for the night. The knight left the bedroom, he went back to the main room, Creek crossed the room to Poppy and said to his princess. "You don't really think he can be of royal blood, do you?"

"I don't know, he speaks to well to be a peasant and there is something about him a kind of power…" Poppy said slowly before she let out a deep sigh. "Look after him Creek that's all I'm asking."

"I will my princess." When the pink troll left to go to bed herself, intrigued by his strangely coloured guest Creek went to the door of the room of the sleeping troll and looked in at him. If this troll really was of royal blood then he was certainly not the most usual of royal trolls and the knight found himself thinking that this might be a very good thing. The purple troll was sure that by the morning the King would have been told of the strange arrival at the castle by the servants and then well they would soon see if Branch really was of royal blood. Creek moved away from the room containing the grey troll, he went to his own bedroom and settled down to sleep.

When Branch woke in the morning he felt well rested, but was annoyed to see it was still raining heavily. He left the room he had been given and joined Creek in a quiet breakfast, the grey troll was well aware of the other troll watching him closely as they ate trying to judge him. A few moments after they finished eating, there was a knock on door to the room, Creek answered it, King Peppy entered the room and at his side was a very displeased looking princess Poppy. The purple troll politely bowed to the King, Branch also rose from where he had been sitting and gave the King a respectful bow. The old troll took one look at the simply dressed grey troll sitting in Creeks main room and let out a derisive snort. "You are the one who says he is of royal blood?"

"I am King Peppy. I am Branch." Branch said in an even voice and both Creek and Poppy had to admit considering the way the King was acting that this troll showed remarkable restraint.

The King glared hard at the younger troll clearly trying to intimidate him. "I've never heard of a prince named Branch. I assume you have come here to win my daughter for your bride."

Branch raised both eyebrows at Peppy, he was not at all intimidated by the King. "No sire I simply asked your kind daughter if I could rest here for the night due to the bad weather."

"Are you trying to say my daughter is not good enough for you to consider her as a prospective bride?" The old King enquired a steely edge to his voice.

The grey troll answered this question in an even tone of voice. "I am not saying that sire, but I will say that do not know the princess well enough to say if I would consider her someone I might wish to take as my bride."

For a few moments, there was silence in the room, the King simply stared at the troll standing before him not quite sure what to say to him but eventually he spoke. "You will be tested like all the others who have come here before you. The test will be at some point towards the end of today, this test will soon tell if you are indeed a prince and if you are then my daughter will be yours." With this said the King turned and stalked out of the room.

Branch shook his head and sighed, when Poppy looked at him the poor princess was crimson with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Branch…As you said we hardly know each other…And you were only looking for a place to shelter from the bad weather."

The grey trolls held up both hands towards the princess in a forestalling motion. "It is alright princess, I suppose I should have guessed this might happen…Well as we have today…Which is more than some royal couples get…I suggest we at least get to know each other."

Poppy gave the other troll a nod and a smile, together the two of them left the room, Creek watched them leave and then went after the two trolls wanting to make sure nothing happened between them which shouldn't. Branch looked at Poppy as they walked side by side and he said to her softly. "So, what interests do you have?"

"I love to sing, I like music too and I really enjoy dancing. I have an artistic streak mostly I paint, nothing amazing but I'm getting better…I learnt to play the guitar but my father doesn't like that I do, he says I should learn to play something more feminine like the harp but I don't like the harp. What about you what interests you and why are you grey?"

"I am grey because I…I…Sorry this is hard. I am grey because I lost my beloved grandmother when I was young. According to the other trolls I have spoken to about my condition I can only find my true colours again if I can find a some troll to love and then sing that love to them…I can't sing and I can't find someone to love because my condition makes me unhappy all the time. As for what interests me well I like to learn about nature, animals, as well as plants and what I can make from them such as healing tonics…I'm actually an accomplished healer…" Branch blushed with embarrassment and then scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't tell many trolls that…I also have an interest in myths and legends from all of the troll clans."

The pink troll found herself intrigued by him, although Branch was unfailingly polite he was also quite down to earth. "Branch how you became grey sounds terrible…How are you ever supposed to find your true colours…? It sounds…" Poppy's sentence petered off as she searched for the right word.

"Impossible." Branch said for her and the princess gave him a nod and then the grey troll carried on speaking. "Yes, I'll admit that sometimes feel that it is an impossible task, but I try to keep hoping that someday…Someday I'll find love and a reason to sing."

Poppy found herself smiling at him, the grey troll had stopped walking, he had fallen quiet and was looking out of the window at the castle garden with a far away look in his eyes. "Where are you?" The princess found herself asking him in gentle tones.

When Branch answered this question it was in a very soft voice. "Home, at the edge of the trees, by the lake of dreams watching the stars and the moon being reflected in its water. Someday I hope that I will marry my wife by that water…"

"It sounds beautiful. Where is your home?"

"Far away from here…Your country seems very strange to me but beautiful. So how many have under gone your fathers test?" Branch asked Poppy curiously as he looked away from the window and back to the princess.

The pink troll let out a deep sigh as he asked her this question. "I'd say over twenty now. I'll admit I'm starting to think no one is going to past my father test. He changes it with every prince so that they can't cheat. All I want is to find someone to love and marry…But my father insists they have to prove they are a true prince before they can marry me…"

"It sounds like you have been through a lot yourself. Haven't you ever thought about asking your father to stop giving those who come here seeking your hand in marriage tests and let you at least find out if you actually want to marry any of them?"

Poppy let out a deep sigh. "Of cause I have thought about it, but trying to convince my father that he is wrong about his tests and that I'm old enough to make my own decisions is a bit like trying to convince a rainstorm to go away."

"Oh, I see he is that kind of stubborn…I feel sorry for you…I mean you could fall in love with one of your suiters one day and then you might not be able to be with him because of your fathers test. It seems wrong somehow."

The princess looked at the grey troll out of the corner of her eyes. "Maybe I already have fallen in love with one of the princes' who came here trying to win me." Realising that Poppy was looking at him the grey troll raised both his eyebrows at her and she smiled at him softly as she said to him. "Maybe I think grey is cute…Though you're not all grey…You have blue eyes."

Branch looked at the other troll with surprise very few trolls ever noticed the fact that his eyes were blue. "Grey is not cute, it's depressing…Trust me on that…I've been told it enough times to know."

"It wasn't very kind to be told a colour that you can't help being is depressing and besides being grey makes you different from all the other trolls I have met. I was amazed by the way you handled my father…Not many trolls are that brave or that restrained."

"Yes well, your father would not be the first troll to try and provoke a reaction from me, I learnt to control myself years ago. Is this your mother?" Branch asked indicating a painting on the wall which portrayed a pink troll in regal dress who looked too old to be Poppy.

"Oh no, that's my ancestor Queen Poppy I was named for her…She was one of the greatest rulers this country ever had and my mother hoped that naming me after Queen Poppy would give me some of her strength and wisdom." The princess explained to her grey companion as she looked at the painting which Branch had pointed to.

"Ah I see."

Poppy turned and looked at him. "What about your name Branch…It sounds so strange for a royal."

"That is because it is what my name translates to in your language, it is not how my name is said in my own country. Like your name it also comes from an ancestor long ago, many of us have carried his name and I am sure that many of my descendants will carry his name after me."

"Your people speak another language…" The grey troll gave her a nod and the princess asked. "Would you say something in your language to me?"

He gave the pink troll a second nod and then spoke. "Us un ja hil." As he spoke it felt to the princess like listening to soft flowing water or rustling leaves. "Before you ask that means if you so wish."

"It sounded lovely. You speak our language so well and go from one to the other with such ease. I would never have guessed that you hadn't been born here in our country if you hadn't told me." Poppy said with clear amazement to her voice.

Branch blushed slightly. "Yes, well I had good teachers."

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Poppy asked him suddenly blushing brightly as she did.

"Until recently no…But now I think that it might be possible to fall in love with someone at first sight." The grey troll told her locking his blue eyes with her pink ones, Branch took one of Poppy's hands into his and kissed the back of it. "You make me want to sing…" As he said the words the eyes of the grey toll went wide, he let go of the hand of the princess and backed away from her slightly. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that it just…It just came out."

"You want to sing to me…" Poppy said to him her eyes wide, Branch blushed he looked down at the floor and gave her a nod. The pink troll smiled softly at the grey troll, gently she lifted his face up and looked into those blue eyes that she found so captivating. "You want to sing to me and I want to hear you Branch." As she spoke the pink troll let go of his face and took both of his grey hands into her pink ones.

Branch looked down at their joined hands and then back up to Poppy. "You're sure?" He asked her his voice hesitant, the princess gave him a nod and an encouraging smile. The grey troll took a deep breath, as he began to sing Creek's eyes shot wide so too did Poppy's neither of them had heard such an angelic voice in all of their lives before. Branch sung about finding true colours, of always being there for the princess if she would let him be and of loving her. The pink troll blushed, then once more both her eyes and Creek's widened again as the skin of the grey troll turned sky blue and his hair became the colour of sapphires. As his song drew to its close the now blue troll smiled softly at the princess, Poppy found herself smiling back, even with his colours returned he was still a handsome troll and his colours were as rare as his grey had been in her country.

"Blue…" Creek said softly.

Branch looked at the clearly shocked purple troll and smiled. "Yes, I am blue. It's going to take some time to get used to having my colour back again. Thank you princess." After he said this the blue troll leant in and placed a kiss to Poppy's cheek and she blushed delicately.

The two trolls spent the rest of the day together with Creek watching over them, they walked and talked. It was clear to all of the other trolls in the castle who set eyes on the two royals that they were in such a short space of time already in love. Creek had to admit it was obvious from the way that Branch and Poppy acted around each other that given time and nurture this seed of new love would turn into a strong and enduring love. The purple troll had to admit that Branch was perfectly well behaved, the blue troll was regal in a quiet way and Creek also noticed that feeling that Branch was some troll of power Poppy had spoken of. The knight was a little annoyed with himself he couldn't help the nagging feeling that there was something important that he was forgetting something to do with Branch, but no matter how hard he tried Creek couldn't remember what it was he had forgotten and eventually the purple troll shook the feeling off.