A/N: Back from another galaxy LOL So, as I've said in my last note in "Dreams of Disaster", I'll be writing a story based on a Disney Film. That Film would be...Mulan! Yup, I love that movie very much. I can't say that I've completely based this story to the movie because I wanted it to still have the vibes of the film Trolls. Anyway, read it first, and I'll be back waaay down below after the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just my imagination working.
Once there was a Kingdom that stood proud and mighty. A Kingdom quite unique and could only be found in the happiest Tree in all of the Forest. The Kingdom of the happiest creatures known to exist, the Trolls. They love to sing, and dance, and hug, and sing, and hug, and dance, and hug, and sing, and dance...But not all Trolls enjoyed the routine. Some of them? Chose to hurt other Trolls and cause trouble in the Kingdom. This left King Prairie no other choice, but to banish them, so they could no longer hurt anyone. But one day, the banished Trolls decided to take revenge and declared war against the Troll King.
Hundreds of banished Trolls attacked the Kingdom, hurting all the innocent Trolls they could see. King Prairie, however, did not tolerate such violence and had all the rebels captured. Once all madness was over, he made a decree that all of them shall be locked up inside the dead tree in the darkest and coldest part of the northern forest known as Hornwood. The King also made a decree that would ensure that none of them would be able to set foot on the Kingdom ever again. A fifty-foot wall was raised that stretched over the farthest reaches of the horizon. No one is really certain how far the wall goes, but one thing's for sure it shall forbid the rebels from passing through the borders ever again.
"Close the gates as soon as we reach the other side of the Wall" a grey Troll in leather armor with a black fur cloak said.
"Yes, Sir!" a Troll guard replied.
The grey Troll pulled the reins of the fox he was riding on and proceeded inside the tunnel along with his men. He lit a torch as they ventured deeper in the dark cavern. The Great Wall has stood for decades, ever since the late King Prairie decreed its construction. Since then, male Trolls were sent to the Wall to ensure that no rebel shall ever return, that is if they escape their prison cells in Hornwood.
The blistering wind of the northern forest swept from the opening at the far end of the cavern, sending shivers to the Troll army inside. Their commander pulled a bit more on the reins to make his fox move faster, they're almost at the other side. The gate at the other end, from which they entered, were already closed to ensure security. The wind became colder and more violent as they've reached the end of the tunnel. The commander placed his torch over the wall and scanned the surroundings.
The world at the other side of the Wall was so much different from the place where they came from. It's colder and the winds are harsher and stronger. Snow covered almost all of the land and most of the trees are dead. There's almost no sign of vegetation and perhaps even life. The whole place is dead, frozen by the life-freezing winds. "Let's head out!"
The party moved deep into the Dark Forest with their foxes and some supply wagons that should last the Troll guards in Hornwood another six months. They ventured to the heart of the dead forest in silence. They need to be very watchful of their surroundings, that if any creature attacks, they'd be able to fend it off.
"This is General Branch of the Troll Army, open the gates!" the grey Troll called. Usually, the guards inside would open up the wooden gates as soon as they'd hear the General speak, but strangely none of them even unlocked the gates. "Open up! This is your commander speaking!" He knocked on the wooden gates hard, but to his surprise they're open. Something is not right, that's for sure.
He unsheathed his sword and so did his men. Slowly, they pushed the door open and saw the lifeless bodies of the Troll guards on the snow-covered ground. Blood drenched the snow turning it to crimson. Branch's army quickly scanned the whole area to check if there are any survivors or if the assailants are still within the perimeter. The General tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he and some of his men entered the Hornwood Tree. There's gotta be a clue inside that would answer his questions. The halls were silent and more slain Troll guards are found on the floor as they reached for the main dungeon.
The army let out loud gasps upon seeing the torn down prison cells. The place was completely ravaged and the prisoners are nowhere to be seen. Something struck Branch's mind, that made him run deeper inside the Tree with some of his soldiers following behind. They headed to the lowest level of the dungeon, the closest to the roots…the level where the most violent Trolls were being held. The heavily fortified doors that secured the entrance of the bottommost level were torn down from its hinges. More lifeless Trolls were found inside, on the floor and on the railings overhead. The General and his men scanned the area…like on the upper levels from where they came from, the cells were open and the occupants were nowhere to be found.
"Gen…General" one of the Trolls that lay on the floor called. Branch and some of his men quickly ran to aid the blood-covered guard.
"Warden" Branch said upon reaching the Troll. "What happened here? Where are the prisoners?"
"The prisoners…they…they were so…strong. Can't…control them" the Warden said in between his breaths. "They…tore the cells down…and attacked all of us. They…s—said they are no…longer under the…authority of…Hi—His Majesty"
"No longer under the authority of His Majesty?" Branch asked.
"Y—yes…they said…that they are…no longer part…of the Troll…Tree Kingdom" the Warden tried to catch his breath. "They've…declared themselves as…part of a new…Kingdom"
"New Kingdom? What Kingdom?" Branch became more confused to what the Warden said. Instead of getting answers, more questions started to form inside his head.
"Horns…they call themselves…the H—Horns now" the Warden heaved his breath. He won't last long.
"Horns?" Branch asked, but the Warden didn't respond as his body became limp and lifeless. Branch tried to wake him up, but such efforts ended in vain. He sighed and closed the eyes of the Troll lying in front of him. "Horns…" Branch thought.
"General Branch, you might want to see what we've found inside Cell No. 4" one of his soldiers said. Branch left the lifeless Warden and followed the soldier inside the cell. Like the other cells, it was torn down from the inside. Branch could see the cracks on the wall from where the steel door was fastened before. Whoever tore it down must be, without a doubt, strong to destroy a highly-fortified door. The soldiers showed him the vandalism on the wall written in blood.
LONG LIVE KING CANYON! LONG LIVE THE HORNS
"King Canyon?" Branch muttered. He looked around and searched for more clues on who that Canyon was. He asked one of his soldiers to retrieve the records of all the prisoners of Hornwood. That would surely help them.
"There's no prisoner named Canyon in Hornwood…then who could he be?" Branch flipped through the pages of the thick book, still in search for more information. "The name of the occupant of Cell No. 4 is…Pachy. The Troll destroyed almost half of the village and attempted to attack King Prairie and Prince Peppy." Branch closed the book because none of its contents helped him. He handed the book to one of his soldiers and asked the others to gather all the necessary files they could and bring them back to their headquarters. He left the dungeon and went outside.
"General, what happened?" Branch shook his head. His men instantly understood what he meant and sighed.
"The prisoners have escaped, even the ones kept inside the lowest level." The soldiers' eyes widened. "I'm not fully sure what happened, but…I think they are planning to start another rebellion against the Kingdom. Captain Creek!"
A purple Troll quickly ran to answer his superior's call. "Yes, General?"
"Were there any survivors?" Branch asked.
"There were none, sir" the Captain replied and shook his head. Branch clenched his fist and cursed in the wind.
"Send a word to King Peppy immediately!" he commanded. Branch placed his sword back to its sheath and mounted his fox, his men did the same. "We're heading back to the Kingdom, now!"
"Quiet and demure…graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised…patient?" A pink troll cited as she struggled to walk on a straight line, while balancing a book on top of her head.
"Princess Poppy, for the last time, it's punctual…PUNC-TUAL" a red Troll with orange hair said.
"Punctual!" she repeated. "Why does my Dad suddenly forced me to memorize all these…these words? I mean, I should be on the village right now singing and dancing like the other Trolls." Poppy groaned.
"Because your training as queen starts today, remember?" her friend replied. She stood and fixed the posture of the pink Troll and righted the book on top of her head.
"But I won't be Queen any time soon. Why the haste? I mean, Dad is still doing his job perfectly" Poppy took the book off of her head and placed it over the desk. "Suki, if you're in my position, would you find…this as fun?" She gestured at the huge book on the table in front of her and Suki.
"No, I won't. And I am glad that I wasn't in your position and never will be." The red Troll laughed, making Poppy frown. "Sorry. I didn't know that being a Queen needed a manual."
"Me neither." Poppy rolled her eyes. "I need to memorize all of these words and make sure that I'll act upon it. Whoever made this book sure had a lot of time to spare." Poppy flipped the pages of the book and scanned every word in it.
"Well, you need to because King Peppy asked me to make sure that you are going to memorize every word in this…thing." The two stared at the huge book with disgust. "Anyway, Lady Rue is gonna help me in the job, so you have nothing to worry about"
"Well, that's a relief. Dad said that I am the first princess to be crowned as the heiress to the throne in the history of the Troll Kingdom. Previous Kings, like Grandpa, used to have princes to be their heir, but…Dad never had a son, so he chose me." Poppy sighed and ran her fingers on the cover of the book. Suddenly, two Trolls barged inside while dragging a clothes rack with them. "Satin, Chenille, what are those?"
"These are your outfits for tonight, duh?" The two giggled as they pulled the clothes from the rack, so Poppy may try them on. "This one is for your meeting with King Peppy and the members of the council…for Dinner…and for the party tonight!" They said as they handed the clothes to the Princess one by one.
"Party?" She looked quite surprised, until she realized something. "The Party! Oh no! Dad told me that I should have the Admonition memorized before the party starts. This will be the night he'll proclaim me as the heiress to the Throne to the whole Kingdom!" She hastily flipped the book open and started memorizing every word, that may be of importance. "Quiet and delicate…no! Demure…graceful, punct—polite! delicate, refined, poised…punctual" She recited repeatedly until every word would seep inside her head.
"Uhm, Poppy, I think you should relax. You won't memorize those words properly if you're all fidgety." Suki placed her hand over her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.
"Yeah, you're right…I have an idea!" Poppy grabbed a pen and started writing the words on her arm. "Quiet and demure…graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised…punctual! That should do it, right?"
"No, Princess. What I was trying to say is that you should be calm before you memorize the words." Suki sighed and looked at the twins beside her, who nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry guys. I'd still memorize the words, this will just be uh…like my cue cards for tonight or just in case Dad or the council would ask me to recite it. This will help me!" She chuckled.
"Whatever you say so." The three girls inside her room rolled their eyes.
"Princess Poppy, the King said that you should get ready. Your meeting with the council will start in an hour" a servant said after she knocked on her door.
"Yes! I'll be there before he even knows it!" Poppy replied.
"Now, let's get you ready for today. You need to look queenly. You must bring honor to the King and to the whole kingdom!" Suki, Satin and Chenille dragged her to the bathroom to get her cleaned up.
[Suki:]
Is this what you give me to work with?
Well, honey, I've seen worse.
[Satin and Chenille:]
We're going to turn this sow's ear
Into a silk purse.
"The water's freezing!" Poppy complained after they threw her in the tub.
"Sorry, Princess. We need to get you prepared in an hour." Suki apologized.
[Suki, Satin and Chenille:]
We'll have you, washed and cleaned
Prim and proper, you'll glow with self-esteem
Just our recipe for a perfect queen
You'll bring honor to us all.
Poppy noticed the words in her arm were starting to fade. She blew as fast as she could, so it would dry. The other girls rolled their eyes again. They scrubbed her skin clean and washed her hair 'til its shiny. They took a towel and wrapped the princess to get her dried.
[Satin:]
Wait and see, when we're through
[Chenille:]
All the Kingdom will sing for you
[Satin:]
With a lovely dress
[Chenille:]
And a great hairdo
[Both:]
You'll bring honor to us all
They fixed Poppy's hair with its usual style after taking turns in brushing it. Poppy appreciated what they were doing, but their tug on her hair was kinda painful.
[Suki:]
A princess can bring the Kingdom
Great honor in one way
[Satin:]
By striking a good pose
[Chenille:]
Then this might be the day
[Satin:]
Queens must have a good taste
[Chenille:]
Poised
[Suki:]
Demure
[Satin:]
A girl filled with grace
[Chenille:]
With good breeding
[Poppy:]
And a tiny waist?
[Suki, Satin and Chenille:]
You'll bring honor to us all.
The three girls helped their princess in getting into her clothes. Poppy slightly protested when they tied her corset too tight. She can't breathe properly. They had her wear the first dress that Satin and Chenille brought to her for her meeting with the council.
When we're through,
You can't fail
Like a lotus blossom, soft and pale
How could anyone say, "She's not fair"?
You'll bring honor to us all!
"There, you're ready. Oh! Look at the time, your meeting will start in ten minutes! Quick!" The three girls made a few final touches before they sent her out of the room where the guards were waiting for her.
[Poppy:]
Oh, Troll Tree, hear my plea,
Please don't let me make a fool of me
And to not embarrass my family
Keep my father standing proud.
Scarier than the Undertaker
I am meeting our town elders
The three girls followed the princess as she walked to the hall where the meeting shall take place.
[Suki, Satin and Chenille:]
Destiny, guard our girl,
Guide her future as it fast unfurls
Please look kindly on that precious pearl
She's a perfect porcelain doll...
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us
Please bring honor to us all!
The doors of the meeting hall closed as soon as the princess got inside. Poppy's friends could only hope that she won't fail miserably on her first day at a council meeting.
"Dad!" Poppy ran to her father as soon as she saw him standing at the far end of the long table. The elders, who were already seated on their places, cleared their throats upon seeing the Princess. She then realized that she's being observed. Running and shouting at the council hall is not a trait that a queen must bear. She slowed her pace and tried to look poised and regal.
"There's my princess." The King smiled and hugged his daughter. "You don't have to talk a lot today. Remember, you're just here to observe, okay?" he whispered. Poppy looked at him with a big smile and nodded.
"Shall we start the meeting now, your Majesty?" one of the elders asked. Poppy felt tense all of a sudden. Peppy led her to her seat, next to him. A guard pulled the chair to help the Princess get settled. Peppy then asked the guards and servants to leave the room, so they may start the meeting.
"So, one of the reasons that we are gathered here today is that, today, I will officially announce that my daughter, Poppy, shall be my heir to the throne." The princess heard the other members of the council talk to each other.
"Your daughter? But we never had princesses as heirs before" one of them said.
"That's right. How sure are we that she could lead us properly and will never dishonor our Kingdom?" Poppy was quite offended at what he said. What does being a girl have to do with being a leader?
"You should have listened to us, and just married again after your wife died. You could've had a son!" Poppy felt her temper rise. She was no longer offended…she's infuriated. They should've never brought her mother into the discussion. She knows how much her father loved her mother, so hearing the insolent suggestion of the elders made her really angry. But before she could do anything unethical, Peppy raised his hand to shut the elders. The princess took a deep breath and exhaled to get herself relaxed...and to get her emotions controlled.
"I've made up my mind. My daughter will be the Queen of the Kingdom. Yes, she's not a son, but I believe that Poppy could lead and bring great pride and honor to all of us. And besides, the Kingdom loves her, that should be enough." The council murmured at each other, disagreeing to what their King said.
"Can she at least recite the King's Admonition?" They all know that only a King is allowed to recite that act, and it shall be passed down only to his heir, a prince, when he reached the right age. The council laughed under their sleeves. They'd make sure that Poppy would make a fool out of herself. If they succeed, then that'd probably bring some senses to their King and get a son instead.
"Quiet and demure, graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised and punctual. Fulfill your duties calmly and respectively. Reflect before you act. This shall bring you honor and glory." Poppy suddenly said in a dead tone. The council chuckled.
"That's not the King's Admonition, that's the Queen's Admonition. Only to be recited on the day of her marriage to the King." They all looked at each other and sneered. "We are asking you to recite the King's Admonition. The King's."
"Yes, I know. But as far as I am concerned, I won't be a King. I never will be." The council snorted. "However, a girl—a princess maybe—shall be Queen if her father wishes to. She doesn't need to be married to a King just so she could claim the title. And I think, it's more proper and more sensible if she would recite the Queen's Admonition because she'd be a Queen and not a King." The council was silenced. She does have a point, but they still can't let her be the next ruler of the Kingdom. They believe that a princess has no right to lead, though there are no laws that says so. Poppy was so incensed that she felt her body tremble. She would not let those old Trolls knock her over. She looked at her father, who smiled and nodded. She did a great job on placing the council to where they should be, and that proved him that she's fit to be the next leader of the Trolls.
The King was about to speak again when a guard suddenly barged into the room, panting. The guard approached the King as fast as he could, still trying to catch his breath. "Your Majesty, a message from the Great Wall" he said before handing a piece of paper to the King.
Peppy unfolded the letter and silently read the words in it. Everyone noticed great distress form in the King's face. Poppy wondered what happened that made her Dad look so worried. "Dad, is everything okay?"
"They've escaped" he muttered. Everyone gave him a questioning look.
"Escaped? Who escaped?" the council asked.
"The rebels have escaped Hornwood Tree and slaughtered all the Troll guards." Poppy and the members of the council gasped. "General Branch is already on his way to give a full report."
"G—General Branch?" Poppy asked with a slight blush on her face.
"Yes. The General of the Troll Army. We must end this meeting for now. You are all dismissed." Peppy left his seat. "Poppy, be at the Throne Room in twenty minutes. You'll be coming with me to meet the General, okay?"
"Okay…" Poppy felt her cheeks warm up again. Her father smiled and left the room. She stood from her seat and headed to the doors. As she passed by the council, she could hear them whisper and grumble again. She held her head up and walked away with dignity. She left the room and saw her friends waiting outside.
"So, how did the meeting go?" the three excitedly asked.
"I can't say that it went well. Those elders are quite rude." Poppy rolled her eyes. "How could they be so insensitive and talk about my mother as if she was just some Troll who my father married just to have a child?" She's still exasperated with the elders. Her friends stood beside her and embraced her.
"As what I've expected. Satin and I have heard a lot about those dudes." Chenille rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we've heard that those guys are very impolite." Satin agreed to her twin. "I wonder how King Peppy was able to work with those elders…that makes me wonder, how could you deal with them when you're crowned as Queen?"
"Please, don't remind me." Poppy rolled her eyes and shook her head. She kinda wondered as well how could she live with the council when she becomes queen.
"Anyway, why did the meeting ended too soon? Did something happen?" Suki asked.
"Dad said we need to meet with General Branch today. He's going to report about what happened beyond the Wall." Poppy replied trying to hide her smile when she mentioned the name of the Troll General.
"General Branch?" Satin asked. "You mean, Branch, the grumpy Troll?"
"That grumpy grey Troll is a General now?" Chenille asked.
"I—I think so." Poppy looked away.
The girls noticed something awkward with the Princess, then they remembered something. "Satin, do you remember when we were kids…"
"What about it Chenille?" she tried to make the question sound a bit innocent.
"I don't know, perhaps Suki has an idea as well." The twins looked at the red Troll that stood next to them.
"Hmm let's see, as far as I can remember there's that friend of ours that has a crush on Branch…I just can't remember who." The three tried to control their giggles.
"Yeah. I think Poppy knows who that friend of ours is." The three looked mischievously at her, and it made her feel more uncomfortable.
"Wh—what are you talking about?" she asked. Her cheeks turned from pink to crimson in an instant. The girls just laughed and didn't mind answering her question. "I need to get myself ready for the meeting at the Throne Room! It's in twenty minutes"
"Yes, you're Highness." The three giggled again, making their friend frown. "We'll make you look extra special for the General." They snorted and laughed loud.
"Nothing's funny about what I said!" She stomped her feet. Her eyes widened when she heard the dreaded sound of the council whispering behind her.
"Those old dudes, sure are creepy." Satin said.
"Yup, they don't look fun at all." Chenille agreed.
"Just let them be for now, we have to prepare you for a special meeting." Suki said with teasing tone. The twins agreed and dragged the princess back inside her room.
A/N: In the movie, Mulan was being prepared to be the perfect bride and she has no right to speak because she is a woman. So, what I did in this story is that instead of being a bride/wife, Poppy was being trained to be a Queen in a Kingdom where most Trolls believe that only a King could rule. I wanted it to have the vibes from "Trolls", but at the same time, tackle the stereotypes found in the film "Mulan". Also added a few elements found in some stories similar to Mulan. Another thing, I needed to add a little backstory on why is there a wall in the Troll Kingdom. I got the inspiration for the Wall part from the book "A Song Of Ice and Fire". So much for that, what do you think? Any suggestions? Please tell me!