slycooper1 (Guest): I love that's song from Quest for Camelot too, unfortunately including lyrics that aren't your own can get your story taken down but you may find this song hinted at here if you look for it.

StarlightSinger32: Yep he's back and alive! As for colours you'll see….

Just Me: LoL baldy well that's fitting.

Chapter ten:

Three months later Branch was feeling much better, in fact he was almost back to normal now, it had still taken both Oak and Daisy to convince Poppy that the grey troll should now be fine to go back to his own pod and start living his life as a healer again. So, it was that Branch was once more doing his healers round, but every time the grey troll went out to see those trolls on his round Poppy was always waiting for him and accompanied him throughout the whole of his round. The grey troll knew that the princess was worried about him, he did enjoy her company but he worried that she should be spending some more time with her other friends as well as with him. So one day after he had finished his round Branch turned to Poppy, he took both of her hands into his, he smiled at her slightly and then said to the pink troll. "I'm going to be fine Poppy, you don't have to come with me everyday and before you think it no I don't dislike you being with me on my round, I just worry that you should be spending time doing things with your friends and doing your duty as the princess of the troll tree instead of being with me all of the time."

"I know, I know you're going to be alright, I just worry about you I can't help myself…"

Before she could say anymore Branch interrupted her saying gently. "Poppy please go and have some fun with the rest of the snack pack, I am sure you are worrying them and all I plan to do tonight now my round is over is some yoga and meditation."

"You're sure you are going to be all right doing that on your own I don't want you to start to think about that traitor."

Branch let out a gentle sigh, he slowly placed one of her hands on his chest over his heart. "I'm going to be fine, my warriors heart won't give up, I'm not going to think about him I promise and besides which you don't need to worry about me leaving you after all I've been assured my time isn't any time soon."

Poppy gave him a nod, which he returned, Branch then let go of the hands of the princess but Poppy kept her hand on his chest where it had been. "A warrior's heart…" The pink troll whispered softly to herself, to the healer it sounded almost like Poppy was trying to remember something but just couldn't quiet do so. Then she surprised Branch by, removing her hand yanking up his healer's shirt and pressing her lips to the skin of his chest over his heart. The grey troll took a deep breath, that simple action made everything inside him feel like it was suddenly tingling with energy. Slowly Poppy pulled back, Branch tucked his shirt back into his trousers, he waited for the princess to explain herself but she just gave him a small sad smile before dashing off into the tree.

Branch watched her run away from him for a second time, but this time he wasn't in pain, he knew she was and the grey troll was more than just a little confused by what had just happened. Branch was well aware that just as Pansy had told him she would be that Poppy was worried about his grey state and unhappy state. Still there was something about what the princess had just done to him which had the grey troll wondering what she had been trying to do. Frowning slightly Branch made his way to the royal pod rather than going home as he had intended to do, when he arrived there the grey troll knocked on the door, it was answered a few moments later by King Peppy, who noticing it was Branch quickly ushered him into the royal pod.

The healer found himself a seat in the main room of the pod, he then turned his attention to peppy who had chosen a seat near to the grey troll and was watching him with worried eyes. "I'm sure that by now Poppy has told you about my little visit to heaven."

"Yes she did."

Happy that he didn't have to explain his visit to heaven to the old troll Branch spoke to the King again. "Good, while I was there your wife told me I had a warrior's heart, just now your daughter muttered that to herself, before pulling my shirt up and kissing my chest over my heart…It made me feel very strange…What is going on?"

Peppy let out a gasp and it took him a few moments to find his voice and say to the other troll. "A warrior's heart…Your sure that's what my wife said to you?"

"Yes, my recollection of my time in heaven is very clear, Queen Pansy definitely told me that I had a warrior's heart."

"One moment." With this said the old troll rose from his chair, he went into his room and came back with an old slender book in his hands and sat in the chair right beside Branch's this time. "My wife brought this book for Poppy before she died, my daughter used to love to have me read from it…I think it made her feel connected to the mother she had never known, there was one particular story in here which she loved most of all." Carefully Peppy opened the book up, Branch looked down at the paged before him and his eyes widened.

Together the two male trolls read out the title. "The grey troll prince with the warrior's heart."

Branch found himself swallowing hard, his eyes found the old troll sitting beside him and his eyes held tears in them. "Poppy always loved this prince…I'm so sorry I didn't realise before…She loved him because he is you…How couldn't I have seen it…?"

"King Peppy…" Branch began.

The old troll interrupted him saying firmly. "Please just Peppy Branch."

"Very well Peppy, what is that story about? Does it explain why Poppy kissed me on my chest over my heart?"

"It does explain that…Shall I…Shall I tell you the story Branch?"

"Please."

This one word was said so softly it almost made Peppy cry, but the King pulled himself together, cleared his throat and started to read to Branch. "Once upon a time there was a grey troll, he had lost all his happiness after those he loved most were taken from him, but despite this the grey troll was kind and compassionate to the other trolls around him and deep inside his heart the grey troll refused to give up hope that someday he would find his colours again. This determination and hope caused the grey troll to be referred to by the rest of his tribe as the one with the warrior's heart. Then one day a princess from a far off country came to his lands desperately seeking a way to cure her people of a grave illness, she had been told by a wise old sage that only the one with the warriors heart could save her people. After hearing this the grey troll offered to help the princess if she would do one thing for him in return should he succeed in curing her people. The princess asked him what it was he wanted from her, the grey troll told her that all he wanted her to do was to kiss his chest over his heart and the princess seeing no harm in this request agreed. So it was that the grey troll came back to her kingdom, as soon as he got to see the sickness first hand the grey troll knew exactly what it was and soon the whole kingdom was cured of this illness. When this was done the grey troll went to the princess, he asked her to keep her promise, the princess said she would, so before the whole troll tree the grey troll took off his top and the princess kissed his chest over his heart. As she pulled back the princess was amazed to see that the grey troll was glowing with bright light from within, he then began to dance a wooing dance around her and as he did so his colours returned and with joy in her heart the princess joined him in his dance. When the dance was over the now no longer grey troll sung of his love of her to the princess, quickly she joined her voice to his and then in that moment the princess knew she had found her royal soul mate, this was confirmed only a few moments later when they were both crowned with crowns made of light. The princess realised that just when she had been about to give up hope that she had found her prince at last and it taught her a lesson she would teach all of her heirs hope is always there you just have to look for it. The prince and princess were married shortly after and they both lived happily ever after." As he finished the story Peppy turned over the last page of the story to show Branch an illustrated page, in the illustration the princess was pink just like Poppy, but the prince, the grey troll could hardly believe it, as the prince looked just as he did when he had his colours.

"The prince looks just like me…"

"Branch I think that in a way he is you." The old troll told the younger as gently as possible.

"But how?" The grey troll asked him very confused.

The King shook his head. "I don't know how…thought I do know from the history of our tribe this has happened once or twice before. I think Poppy was hoping your reaction to her kiss might be the same as his and was upset to find that it wasn't."

"I haven't tried dancing it yet…To be honest I have been a bit afraid to try to perform my wooing dance again after last time…"

"Branch…it will be fine this time you have to believe that. Just try dancing your wooing dance again and see how it makes you feel." The older troll told the younger, determinedly trying to help that seed of hope inside Branch grow stronger.

"I'll think about it." The grey troll promised, the King before he stood and left the royal pod clearly deep in thought. Peppy watched the younger troll walk away, he hoped that Branch would start to try dancing again and that he would hopefully be ready to try dancing his wooing dance again soon. The King knew usually single trolls only felt the urge to dance and sing for their mate during summer but Peppy was hoping that when Branch would feel the same urge when he regained his colours.

The grey troll went home, he settled on the floor of his pod, but found he couldn't meditate there were just too many thoughts running around his head to make it possible. Sighing Branch stood back up, he considered yoga but he had a funny feeling that wasn't going to be able to do that either. The grey troll moved across his pod, a few moments later music filled the pod, music which Branch hadn't listened to in months. Then slowly but surely, he started to move to the music, as he danced the grey troll was careful not to push himself this first time but he had to admit it felt wonderful to dance like this again.

That night when Branch went to bed he found himself dreaming, well more accurately remembering, he was surrounded by darkness and the pain he could feel was excruciating. Branch didn't want to be here but the pink line had guided him to this place and the healer could hear Poppy's voice, it was so full of pain and fear as she spoke to him. "Branch please, please fight this…I don't care if you stay grey…I don't care if you can never tell me you love me again… Just don't leave me please…I'm so sorry that I ran away from you after we danced together…I was so scared of getting hurt again and I hurt you instead…I know…I know you want to be with family but…But I can't lose you…I'm to selfish to let you go to them Branch…My soul mate…My precious soul royal mate please…Please come back to me…" As she spoke the grey troll could hear his own heart beating steadily, he refused to hurt the one he loved so deeply by leaving her. When he had made the decision that he didn't want to hurt Poppy, Branch knew he wasn't going to give up on fighting his way back to her, so he did as Pansy had told him to the grey troll let her words and Poppy's relight the fire of hope inside him which Creek had so cruel snuffed out. Branch heard her heart beating, that just made the grey troll fight what had been done to him all the harder, the healer felt himself breath he heard her relief in the simple words of thank goodness, all the time he was in the darkness he could hear Poppy's heart, her voice and her songs, they had kept him fighting.

When Branch woke the next morning, the grey troll realised he had never thanked the princess for saving him or for staying with him the whole time he was recovering and the healer felt like an idiot for not doing that most simple of things. Quickly the healer got out of bed and dressed, as today was his day off Branch set off looking for the princess, he found Poppy with the snack pack, as the grey troll walked up behind the princess he made hand signals to the others not to give him away which they caught and being more than happy to help the grey troll the snack pack had just carried on talking to Poppy as if nothing unusual was going on. Branch walked right up behind the princess, he slipped his arms around her waist, placed his head onto her shoulder and hugged her to him gently. The pink troll gave a start of surprise, she quickly looked down at the hands around her waist, as soon as Poppy did this she knew who was holding her but despite this she found herself asking with a touch of awe to her voice. "Branch?"

"Yes my soul mate?" As he asked her this the other members of the snack pack smiled at each other and drifted away from them together wanting to give the two trolls some time alone.

"You hugging me…" Poppy said redundantly.

"I am, I realised that I hadn't thanked you yet."

"Thanked me? What do you need to thank me for?" The princess asked the one she loved with confusion.

"I realised I never told you I could hear you talking to me and singing to me the whole time until I woke up the first time, I know that I told you I heard you call my name…I thought I'd made it obvious enough but then I thought well maybe I hadn't. I heard every word you said Poppy, it kept me fighting, it made me cling onto hope, I didn't want to give up because you were cheering for me, you kept me going thank you…Thank you for bringing me back and for taking care of me for as long as you did."

Branch's words of thanks made the princess want to cry and Poppy didn't stop herself from crying, the tears flowed as she spoke to him. "How can you thank me…I took you away from your family…You're here because I couldn't let you go, because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

Having heard enough Branch took his arms from round the waist of the princess, he removed his chin from her shoulder, then came to stand in front of the princess, he pulled Poppy in putting his arms around her as he did so and kissed her full on the lips. The pink troll let out a noise of surprise, but before she could even think about responding to this kiss, Branch was pulling back, all Poppy wanted to do was pull him back in for another kiss, so she decided that was exactly what she would do, the princess grabbed the front of the grey troll's shirt, she pulled him in, closed her eyes and kissed him hard. Branch closed his eyes he leant into the kiss, starting to return it, as he did this Poppy let out a hum of appreciation and moved her hands from his shirt up to his shoulders. The two trolls slowly and reluctantly broke the kiss, the pink troll sighed with pleasure, Branch smiled at the princess who said to him softly. "I've been wanting us to kiss for such a long time and it was as wonderful as I had hoped it would be."

"Good I'm glad to hear it, kissing you felt amazing and I look forward to doing it again."

Poppy gave the grey troll a coy smile. "We could kiss again right now." Branch didn't have to be told twice, he brought his lips to those of the other troll once again.

The princess quickly started returning this kiss, she moved closer to the grey troll moving her hands up to run her fingers into the hair of the healer who let out a soft sigh as she did this. Branch moved his hands from her waist he brought his hands up, carefully the grey troll took Poppy's hair band out and then ran his fingers into her hair causing the princess to shudder with pleasure. Panting hard the pink troll broke the kiss, she let out a sound which was a combination of a sigh and a moan and then blushed brightly having never made such a such a sound before. Branch smiled at the troll in his arms, he nuzzled into her neck for a moment and then the healer spoke to her in a clear but gentle voice. "Poppy never feel guilty for bringing me back, I'm truly glad that you brought me back to my life. I won't say I won't miss my family, but I know my mother told me the truth that even though I can't see them they are with me even now, just as I am sure that your mother is with you too. Poppy…I…I…" The grey troll gave a frustrated grumble and pushed himself away from the princess.

Poppy reacted quickly she grabbed hold of Branch and pulled him close to her once more before putting her arms back around him. "Don't...Don't be angry with yourself, don't push yourself...I know it must be hard to say those words to me after the way I reacted to them last time...But I want to hear you say them to me. I hope knowing that will help you to find saying the words to me easier."

Branch gasped with surprise breath before he said. "You want me to say it again...?"

"Yes I do very much...I want to say those words to you to but something inside me keeps telling me I need to wait until you have said them to me first...I know I said I didn't care if you could never tell me again, but truthfully I do want to hear those words from you, over and over again."

The grey troll was to stunned to talk for a moment and when he did at last it was in a whisper. "You want to hear me say those words that much?" Poppy simply gave him a nod, the healer found himself smiling at the one he loved after the pink troll had said what she had those words just didn't feel as daunting as they had done before. "I love you Poppy."

The princess blinked at him for a moment clearly stunned to hear those words being spoken by him so soon. "Did you just say...?" This time he answered her question with a nod, Poppy hugged Branch tightly and then said to him. "I love you too Branch so very much."

The healer let out a sigh of contentment, slowly his arms came up, Branch put them around the one he loved holding her just as tightly as she was holding him and now the grey troll had told Poppy how much he loved her Branch just wanted to do so over and over again but instead of doing so the grey troll contented himself with holding her close to him instead. Then slowly blushing slightly Branch began to share a little of his often hidden and as he called it bad poetry with Poppy. "The moon is a pale and envious ghost in comparison to your beauty. The stars cannot sparkle as brightly as the love I have seen in your eyes and the suns light is never as strong as the hope you always hold inside your heart."

Poppy found that for a few moments she just couldn't speak and then very softly she said. "That was beautiful…That day we spoke about you loving someone, I was the star you were talking about wasn't I?"

"Yes…You were always my beautiful pink star, my light in a dark place, my guide through the pain of my grey, lonely days and the glimmer of hope that my happiness could be found again."

"Oh Branch." Poppy said as she gulped back tears which were threatening to spill over for the second time.

"Poppy I want you to understand something and I want you to believe me are you listening?" Poppy continued to hold him but nodded against her head against Branch's neck. "I am glad to be back here with you, your soul is the other half of mine and my heart it belongs to you and only you. We are connected in a way I could never have foreseen but now I know what I am to you and what you are to me I don't want to be any were but here with you."

Poppy didn't know what to say to this at first, she just hugged Branch a little harder before she found her voice at last. "I believe you and I'm glad that you feel that way."

Branch swallowed then slowly and a little hesitantly for the first time since he had come back to Poppy he began to sing he asked the princess what she could see, she sang to the blue troll that through him she could see heaven. As the princess sang back to him the courage of the healer grew Branch told the pink troll in song that she made his life worthwhile and then the two trolls joined their voices together singing that here their hearts were as one. Poppy told him in song that loving him had taken her by surprise, Branch sang back to her that she made him feel like he alone was enough for her. They sang together that they would always be together from now and until forever. As their song ended the two trolls reluctantly broke their hug, their shared a loving smile, followed by a short, gentle kiss, after which the healer then handed back her hair band and Poppy placed it back into her hair. When the princess had finished putting her hair back up the couple then went to look for their friends, after finally confessing he loved Poppy Branch wanted to talk to Suki about putting together a little surprise for his soul mate. So when they found the snack pack the grey troll caught the eye of the DJ and together they moved off to one side.

Once Branch was sure that Poppy was not going to over hear them he addressed Suki. "I think I am going to be ready to dance my wooing dance for Poppy once more and try singing to her properly as part of a wooing."

"But it's out of season and you're not blue yet." The DJ said to the other troll with confusion.

The grey troll chuckled slightly. "Trust me when I say I'll be blue soon, I can feel it and as for it being out of season I just don't care, I love Poppy and I want to dance for her and then sing for her as well this time. Do you think you can help me by playing the music for my dance for me?"

The orange haired troll placed her hands to her hips and said to the other troll. "Of cause I can, when will you need me to play it."

"Well I was hoping that we could head to my pod now so that I could give you my music before I have a chance to change my mind. I thought you could set up in the clearing at the bottom of the troll tree then when that was done and the music was playing I thought I would just go for it."

"Do you really think you are well enough for this?" Suki asked concerned that Branch might hurt himself by dancing to soon.

"I think I will be just fine but even if I'm not I know that Poppy will be more than happy to take care of me but more importantly then that my heart tells me that it is time."

The DJ found herself smiling at the other troll it was wonderful to hear him sound so confident about this and Suki gave him a nod. "Alright then, let's do this!"

Together they went back to the rest of the snack pack, Branch told them he had asked Suki to make him a special meditation mix and that they were off back to his pod so that he could show the other troll what music he wanted put in the mix. None of the other trolls found this idea strange so they said nothing as side by side the two trolls headed off into the tree towards Branch's home. When they arrived at Branch's pod the healer found his two pieces of music, he handed them across to Suki who took them from him and then dashing out of the grey troll's pod to go to her own, so that she could get her equipment, bring it down to the space before the troll tree and start to play this music. Branch watched the DJ hurry away with his music more than content that she was going to go and find her equipment before setting up at the base of the tree as they had discussed. The grey troll smiled to himself, he left his pod then made his way down the troll tree to the clearing, once he was there Branch made sure to conceal himself in the shadows of one of the mushrooms at the base of the tree so he wouldn't be easy to spot and then the grey troll then started to do a few warm up exercises.