Chapter three:

By morning the events that had occurred at the choosing ball between the princess and her mysterious partner were known all round the troll tree, in fact not a single troll hadn't heard of what had happened at the choosing ball. Poppy had taken all of the trolls by surprise when she had announced that she had found her chosen one, the one troll she wished to marry and that he would be the one who would fit the mask. The princess had made it clear to her father as well as to all of the other trolls that she would keep searching for him no matter how long it took her to find him and that she would have no other troll to be her husband and King.

Peppy had to admit he was more than a little concerned by his daughter's announcement from the night before. The old troll had waited until the morning after the ball to sit Poppy down in the main room of the royal pod and air his concerns about her decision to his daughter. "Poppy are you sure you want to do this? After all you only met him last night. I know that was usually how it was done in times gone by, but I had expected you to choose a troll you knew well, like Creek."

"Father I don't love Creek, yes I had a crush on him when we were younger but that was all, I never honestly considered marrying Creek. As for the troll I met last night…I can't help but think that I was supposed to meet him when and how I did. I don't how to explain it to you father but it was like something in him called out to me in a way nothing ever has before. I feel like such a fool for not even asking his name…It was all so magical I didn't even think about the most basic things at the time." When she had finished speaking Poppy sighed and looked out of the window of the pod before speaking to her father once more. "I just want to find him again, I can't help but feel like I'm never going to feel complete without him by my side."

Slowly Peppy smiled at his daughter. "You sound exactly the way I did when I found your mother my soul mate and true love…I couldn't stand the thought of being without her, but at least I remembered to ask your mother her name."

Poppy managed to laugh as her father teased her a little about not asking her chosen partners name. "At least I know his colouring was two shades of blue and that is something I can use to my advantage in my search for him."

"What will you do if you can't find him Poppy?" The King asked his daughter with concern.

The pink troll turned her eyes back to her father and said determinedly. "I'll just keep searching until I do find him. I refuse to give up…I'll even hold another ball if I have to…He is my soul mate and true love father I know that even without the proof. The feelings I have for him are the same ones you have often told me that you felt for mum when you first met her."

The old troll smiled widely at his daughter. "Well then if that is the way you feel, then you shouldn't give up on finding him no matter how long it takes you to find him."

"Thanks dad. At least I have his mask, I know if it fits and they have the same blue eyes then I will know that it is him. I didn't realise until I looked at the mask closely that it had been hand made…It's so simple but so elegant just like him really." As the princess spoke she looked down at the mask which lay in her lap and smiled softly.

"It sounds like you have chosen a troll with some skills then."

Poppy looked back up, she smiled at her father and then said to him softly. "I asked him if her were made King what he would do first and his answer really surprised me…He told me that he would want to make sure all the trolls were safe, happy and had all of the things they might need for any hard times or any mass illnesses which might come to us."

The eyebrows of the King shot upwards with surprise. "Well my…It would appear that the one you have chosen is very wise as well as skilled. You could use a King like that at your side."

"I know he is going to make me a wonderful husband and a great King to our tribe. Well I am going to begin my search."

"Good luck Poppy." Peppy told his daughter with sincerity.

"Thank you father." The pink troll, lifted the mask from her lap, she placed it into her hair, then Poppy stood up. The princess left the royal pod and set off out into the troll tree to begin her search for the one she had chosen to be hers. Poppy was unsurprised to find that the snack pack where waiting for her not far from the royal pod, the princess smiled round at them all glad that they were all here to help her in her search.

The snack pack smiled back at Poppy before walking over to her and gathering round the princess. The friends greeted Poppy enthusiastically, who returned their greeting with equal eagerness, it was Suki who said to the princess. "So are we starting the search for your chosen today?"

"Yes, I'm hoping you will all be willing to help me try and find him." As she said this the pink troll focused her gaze onto Creek. The purple troll blushed under her gaze but gave the princess a nod, while the rest of the snack pack enthusiastically agreed to help their friend find her chosen King and husband. With another smile for her friends Poppy, fist pumped and then said to them all. "Come on then let's get to it!" They all cheered and followed their princess into the troll tree.

The morning after the ball Branch had carefully stored the clothes he had made for the ball in the depths of his bunker so that they couldn't be found by accident. The grey troll wished he had not lost the mask but there was little he could do about that now, he could only hope that Poppy hadn't found it, as Branch could help but think that was the last thing he needed to happen. Branch hated to admit it but the night of the ball had been wonderful, like one of his deepest, most hidden secret dreams come to life. The grey troll had not expected Poppy to spend so much time with him or that he would find himself falling even further in love with the princess than he had been before. The grey troll could only hope that his disguise for the night before would have been good enough to prevent Poppy from ever finding him, Branch was completely convinced that if the princess discovered he had been the one she had wanted to choose Poppy would be humiliated and disgusted. The grey troll shook his head to clear those thoughts, he was sure that there was no way that the princess was ever going to discover the truth and in time she would forget all about that one night and find another more fitting troll to be her chosen one.

When he had to go to the troll tree later in that week for some unavoidable shopping, the grey troll was unable to avoid hearing all about the princesses search for the one she had chosen or that she had his mask, as this seemed to be the only topic of discussion in the troll tree. From the description of this troll Branch knew that the troll Poppy was looking for was him and when he heard this the grey troll felt a stab of concern and pity go through him. Concern because he did not wish to be found by the princess and pity because now that Poppy had chosen him she would never get to be with anyone unless she gave up her choice, which Branch knew was unlikely with a troll as determined as the pink princess. The grey troll was careful to make sure that none of the other trolls noticed that he took any special interest in this news or that the fact that the Poppy was searching for him and had his mask made him nervous in the extreme.

The grey troll picked up the various things he had been in need of from the assorted shops around the troll tree. Then when he was making his way back out of the last shop he had needed to stop in for shopping Branch found that the snack pack and the princess were outside the shop talking together. Despite his hopes that none of them would see him standing there, it was not to be as Poppy had quickly noticed him coming out of the shop. Before Branch could even think about making a hasty exit so he could avoid being questioned by the princess, she waved at him enthusiastically and then bounced over to Branch. "Hey Branch!"

Trying to sound as casual as possible the grey troll spoke to the princess. "Hello Poppy, something I can do for you?"

"Did you go to the choosing ball?" Poppy asked him hopefully.

The grey troll raised both eye brows at the pink troll and then answered this question in the most scathing tone he could manage. "You're asking if I went to the ball? Me of all trolls…Of cause I didn't go Poppy. You know I don't go to parties of any kind!"

As she heard the answer to this question the princess deflated. "Oh…I see."

"I heard you were looking for some mysterious troll you danced with at the ball and have chosen to be your husband and King…Don't you think that's a bit of a long shot searching for someone you only met once?" Branch asked this question wanting to see just how determined Poppy was going to be in her search for this enigmatic troll.

"I have to try and find him…He is my soul mate and true love I just know it." The pink troll told him with complete confidence in her conviction.

Branch shook his head at the younger troll and rolled his eyes before saying to her. "Those don't exist."

"Yes they do." Poppy said with offence, putting her hands onto her hips and glaring up at the grey troll.

"Seriously…You believe in such a thing as soul mates and true love…That's just something that little trolls believe in. You need to grow up and see the real world princess."

"I see the real world just fine Branch. My mother and father were true loves and soul mates, so I know such things exists and I know I found mine in him."

Branch rolled his eyes at Poppy again and then asked the pink troll a question he already knew the answer to. "Do you even know his name?"

"No…I forgot to ask." The pink troll admitted blushing brightly as she told Branch this.

The grey troll stared at the princess with carefully contrived disbelief for a few moments before bursting out with. "Let me get this straight, not only are you searching for some mythical true love and soul mate, he has somehow done a vanishing act on you and you don't even know his name!"

"Well yes…" Poppy began.

Quickly Branch interrupted her by saying. "Poppy do you know how ridiculous that all sounds! Let alone the fact that he might have a reason to hide who he is from you or that you might never find him again!"

"Don't say that!" The princesses yelled at the top of her voice a slight edge of panic to her voice as she did so.

Knowing he'd struck some kind of nerve the grey troll softened slightly towards the younger troll. "I'm sorry that was very thoughtless and insensitive of me…I just don't want to see you hurt…I know…Well every troll knows I'm not good at expressing my emotions well, but even though you annoy me you're still my friend, I worry about you and I don't want you to be hurt. All I'm saying and you don't have to listen to me, in point of fact I know you more than likely won't but still…Maybe…Just maybe you should just leave him to be what this troll is or was a wonderful romantic mystery. Reality isn't likely to measure up to whatever dream you have of him…Let him go Poppy and marry some troll you know some troll like Creek." Poppy stared at Branch wide eyed, she wasn't the only one doing this, the rest of the snack pack were also wide eyed with surprise. As the grey troll noticed this reaction to his words, he looked round at them all with confusion before saying. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Suki was the one to answer this question from the other troll. "You sounded different just then…Like another troll. You sounded…" The words trailed off as the orange haired troll struggled to find the words she wanted.

It was Creek who helped her by saying. "He sounded wise…Almost Kingly…" The other trolls all nodded their agreement as he said this.

Branch shook his head at them. "Just because I am speaking sense when no other troll is, that doesn't somehow suddenly make me either wise or Kingly."

"But you did…" Poppy said softly causing his gaze to fall on her again. "You sounded so different from normal…"

The grey troll rolled his eyes at them all. "I wish you luck with your search Poppy, I think you may need it." This said Branch shook his head, muttering to himself darkly the grey troll turned and walked quickly away from the snack pack heading back towards the forest and his bunker.

When the grey troll was out of sight and ear shot, Biggie spoke up. "Okay that was weird…I mean I know Branch isn't exactly normal by troll standards but even for him that was strange."

"I think he is genuinely worried for Poppy." Satin said softly causing the rest of the snack pack to turn and look at her with surprise, she shrugged at them and spoke again. "Branch doesn't care for many trolls, but he said Branch considers Poppy a friend, so in his own grey way I think that Branch was just trying to express his concern for her. Branch said he didn't want to see Poppy get hurt, I think he was just trying to point out the potential pitfalls and problems with her search that's all."

"He did sound really strange though." Her twin said softly.

Satin gave her a smile. "Yeah that I won't disagree with, it was odd to hear Branch talk like that, but hey enough of talking about Branch we need to be getting on with helping Poppy with the search for mystery the troll from the ball!"

With a cheer of agreement, the snack pack once more set off on their search thoughts of Branch and his strange behaviour shelved in favour of their task. They were unaware of the fact that the grey troll was watching them as they dashed off hidden as he was in some nearby shadows of the troll tree. Branch shook his head and said softly to himself. "Give her time and even the ever determined Poppy will eventually have to give up searching. It was a beautiful dream…But dreams can only live during the night time hours." The grey troll turned and made his way quietly back to his home underground determined that the princess would not discover he had been the mystery troll she had spent the night of the choosing ball with. Branch was also determined that he would always hold close the memory of that one perfect night with the one he loved for the rest of his lonely grey life.