Wow! It's been a while, huh guys? You'll have to forgive me for that, school's started and it's been a bit hectic. Plus, I have about 50 unfinished stories. Hahaha... I've been chipping at this chapter for ages now and I finally got it done! Yay for me ^_^ Without further ado, please enjoy!
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Bridget was nervous, that much was obvious.
Even as she was strutting through Bergen Town, it was evident that her nerves might end up getting the better of her. Poppy bit her lip, hoping that the girl wouldn't chicken out. This was their one and only chance at finding Creek. If she got cold feet now, it was all over. She would have to face the shame of a troll left behind on her watch.
Bridget approached a bib shop where Gristle was shouting at the seller. She honestly didn't get what someone as kind as Bridget saw in such a brat. "Oh, he's so beautiful," the Bergen gushed.
"And so are you," Poppy encouraged, hoping to speed this along. They were running out of time.
That, apparently, had been the wrong thing to say. "Oh, he'll know that I'm just a scullery maid!" Bridget suddenly panicked.
"No, no, no!" exclaimed Poppy quickly, trying to put her mind at ease. She was really no good in these types of situations.
"Argh, I got to get out of here!"
"Bridget, we're going to be right there with you," Branch cut in, his voice reassuring and smooth. She sent him a grateful smile; Branch always knew what to say to make someone feel better.
"You'll tell me what to say, right?" questioned the Bergen.
"Of course we will," promised Poppy.
"Of course we will," reiterated Bridget.
Branch smiled nervously. "Better save that for inside," he advised.
"I love it!" exclaimed Gristle as they entered the shop.
"Tell him you think he looks fat," whispered DJ. Poppy thought that was a terrible idea, but didn't say anything. She wasn't as well-versed as the other trolls, so perhaps it was better to let them take the reins.
"I think you look fat," said Bridget obediently, using the "diva voice" the other girls had helped her to perfect. Poppy thought it sounded strange, but who was she to judge when she had little to no knowledge on these things?
"Ph-fat, then strike that pose!" the twins directed.
"Ph-fat," Bridget clarified, popping her hip.
"Hot lunch!" gushed Gristle, practically floating over to them. "Total honesty from a total babe." The maid gave a nervous chuckle. "And who might you be?"
"Your name is, uh..." began Poppy, but she was at a loss. She looked to the others for help.
"Lady!" supplied Biggie urgently.
Guy Diamond shrugged. "Glitter?"
"Sparkles!" suggested Smidge, jumping up cheerfully.
"Seriously?!" hissed both Poppy and Branch at the same time. That had to be the most ridiculous name she had ever heard! Hopefully, the king would be dull enough to actually buy it.
"My name is Lady Glitter Sparkles, seriously," repeated Bridget.
The gray troll's right eyes twitched. That was it. They were getting caught. It was the end-
"Well, Milady Glitter Sparkles," said Gristle, bowing. He actually looked nervous, something she had never seen on his face. Maybe there was more to this Bergen then anyone saw. "Would you care to join me for an evening at Captain Starfunkle's Roller Rink and Arcade?"
"Would I!" exclaimed Bridget excitedly before glancing up at them, uncertain. "Would I?"
"Yes, you'd love to," Branch answered.
"Yes, you'd love to," Bridget parroted.
Dear god, why? thought Poppy miserably.
"Hmm," hummed Gristle, a small smile on his face. "Indeed I would." Apparently, his dullness was playing in their favor.
"When should we ask about Creek?" whispered Branch to her.
Poppy smirked slyly. "Well, we have to warm him up first," she teased. "Don't you know anything about romance?"
Branch rolled his eyes. "Of course, I'm passionate about it," he muttered sarcastically. She just giggled in response.
"And I'll take one of everything, Bibbly!" exclaimed Gristle to the shopkeeper as they began to exit the store. "Things are gonna get messy!" Poppy shuddered; that sounded wrong.
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Well, at least it wasn't that kind of messy. Poppy winced; it was still gross though. The waiter had thrown the two Begerns' pizza onto the platter in front of them, causing it to make a sloshing sound due to the grease. She could tell the other trolls felt the same. They didn't east stuff like this. Sure, they had pizza, but it has significantly less grease and seemed to be a lot less unhealthy.
"Here's your tokens," slurred the waiter. "Enjoy your pizza." He then stalked away.
"Ooh, so fancy," complimented Bridget, gesturing around. Poppy felt sad at that. If Bridget thought this was fancy, she had obviously never been somewhere really nice before. "Good thing I brought my apatite."
The two Bergens reached for the same slice of pizza, their fingers touching. They gazed into each other's eyes - which reminded the princess of some cliché yet enjoyable romance movie - before Bridget smacked Gristle's hand away, gobbling the piece of pizza for himself. Poppy would have laughed at the king's face, if the reality of the maid's actions wasn't so obvious.
There was a good chance that Bridget didn't get fed regularly or as much as she should.
She tried to push those thoughts away, convincing herself that she was overreacting. Yet, she couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of her head that Bridget wasn't being nourished properly.
"You are fantastic!" complimented Gristle.
That snapped Poppy back to reality. "Bridget, compliment him back," she instructed. Honestly, she was going out on a limb here. She knew nothing about romance, so she assumed that the polite thing to do would be to compliment him back.
"I like your back." Seriously?
"I mean, say something nice about him!"
Bridget looked genuinely confused. "But I do like his back." The corners of Poppy's mouth twitched at the innocence of the Bergen. Clearly, they had been wrong in saying that they were all blood thirsty monsters. Since they met her, Bridget had shown no interest in eating them. All she wanted was the king's attention.
Gristle looked at her quizzically. "Huh?"
The maid froze. "Um..."
Poppy was beginning to panic. "Guys, help her!" she urged. She had never been on a date before in her life. She didn't dare open her trap in fear that she would give the maid the wrong advice.
"He has nice-" began DJ, but her idea died out. "His eyes are-" She sighed dejectedly. "I got nothing."
"Try his nose!"
"Teeth!"
"Skin!"
"Neck!"
This plan was going downhill fast. Not only were the trolls shouting out ideas all at once, but Bridget was repeating all of them! How the king didn't suspect that something was going on would forever allude her.
"What's going on?" asked Gristle, getting up. "Are you making fun of me?"
Poppy gripped her hair. This was it. They were going to get caught. Every last one of them were going to be eaten. She had failed her parents. She was a sorry excuse for a princess and-
"Your eyes."
Wait, what?
"They're like two pools," continued Branch next to her, Bridget repeating every word. "So deep, I fear if I dive in, I may never come up for air."
Poppy turned to him, her heart thumping in her chest. Who could he possibly be talking about? Certainly not her, right? It must have been Suki or Satin or Chenille. Yes, one of the pretty trolls.
But Branch wasn't done. "And your smile," he added. "Seldom as it may be, the sun itself turns jealous when it shows, refusing to come out from behind the clouds. Knowing that it cannot shine half as bright."
The king sat back down. "I kinda do have a nice smile, don't I?" he asked sheepishly.
Branch turned to look directly at her. "Yes," he answered. "You do." Poppy felt her cheeks heat up and Branch must have realized exactly what he had done because he blushed purple and looked away from her. She herself couldn't help the silly, bashful smile that adorned her face.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this," began Bridget.
"Guys, she's going rogue!" warned Biggie.
Poppy shushed him. "I want to see where this goes." So no one protested, just followed her lead to listen to what the maid had to say.
"But being here with you today... makes me realize that true happiness is possible," Bridget continued.
She was amazed. The Bergens had been described to her - to all of them - as beings incapable of happiness. That they would never know the feeling, would never experience it. That's why they preyed on the trolls. But Bridget changed everything. Her admission to possibly feeling happy meant everything on this mission. Maybe things could change for the better.
"Whoa," was all she could utter.
"It is!" agreed Gristle cheerfully, sliding in closer to her. "True happiness is a lot closer than you think." He showed her an emerald green gem on his necklace. "It's right here."
Poppy rolled her eyes. Leave it to him to ruin a nice moment with an obsession for material things. Though, she couldn't really fault him. Bergens were raised differently than them. Without happiness, they had to turn to their things for solace.
"Hmm," hummed Bridget, unimpressed. "That's pretty, I guess."
The king didn't seemed perturbed by her disinterest. "What do think now?" he asked, opening it. Poppy gasped, hands flying to her mouth at the sight.
It was Creek.
He was dirty and his clothes were slightly torn, but there was no mistaking the purple troll. "Creek?" breathed Branch in disbelief.
Poppy couldn't help the tears of relief that welled in her eyes at seeing him. "I knew he was alive!" She hadn't failed in her mission after all. She hadn't lost anyone, she hadn't left any troll behind. The other trolls were expressing their joys as well, but she was hardly paying attention. She hadn't failed yet. She still had a chance at getting everyone home safely.
"I've been savoring this little guy," stated Gristle, obviously pleased with himself.
"Help!" yelped Creek before being stuffed back into the locket. "Mercy!" Poppy cringed, but tried to convince herself that she would save him in time. She had to.
"Tell me, milady," said the king casually while the maid stared at him awkwardly. "will I be seeing you at the Trollstice feast?"
Bridget scoffed. "Well, duh. I'll be working."
"It!" supplied the twins. "Working it!"
"It!" obeyed Bridget quickly, covering her slip-up. "You know, working it." She got up and swayed her hips a bit. Poppy chortled delicately into her hand. The scullery maid was endearing, that was for sure.
"Yeah, you're not kidding, you will!" agreed Gristle, watching her in awe. "Because you're gonna be there as my plus-one."
Bridget looked shocked. "Really?" she gasped, voice dripping in surprise.
Suddenly, the king looked nervous. "Assuming you'll say yes?"
"Yes!" answered Bridget immediately.
"Yes!" cheered Gristle in victory.
"Yes!" chorused the trolls - aside from Poppy, thought she was smiling - in triumph.
"In the meantime, maybe we should find some other way to-" began Gristle, snapping the waistband of his shorts. "-work up an apatite."
Bridget grinned. "Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?"
If they kept making innuendos like this - intentional or not - Poppy was going to be sick.
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Okay, I had to force this chapter out, does it show? Not as smooth as I'd like it, but passable I suppose. Oh, and did y'all watch season three of Trolls? I did. I'm really loving *SPOILERS* Archer as a character. I'll always be a Broppy girl, but Archppy is a close second. Anything's better than Preek. I still can't believe he got "redeemed."
Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!
