Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. Crystal belongs to Shadgirl2. The bergen belongs to Midna Azusa.
A few years later, Branch, now 10 years old, sat in party class. Still as gray as ever, he wished he was anywhere but there, especially since one of his classmates was Cooper.
"Okay, class. Now, who can tell me what is the exact formula for the perfect party punch?" their teacher, a pale blue troll named Crystal, asked. She looked around, her eyes stopping on the gray boy, and asked, "Prince Branch?"
Branch recited the answer, sounding bored, his head in his hand.
"Very good, your highness!" Crystal said with a smile. She turned her attention back to the class at large and continued, "Now, as you all know..."
Branch tuned her out then. He honestly didn't care what she had to say. It wasn't like he'd be throwing parties anytime soon—he didn't even like parties.
Ugh, I don't want to be here! And stop calling me "your highness!" he thought, irritated. Can't believe I actually thought being king would be fun. Putting up with Poppy all day isn't exactly the best thing ever. Why won't King Peppy just let me out of it? It's not going to make his daughter happy, either!
About then, Cooper, sitting maybe two desks away from Branch, fell asleep. His head hit the desk with an audible thud.
This, unfortunately, drew Crystal's attention to not only him but the prince, whose gaze had wandered off to the side. "Cooper! Prince Branch! Repeat what I just said!" she instructed, her hands on her hips.
Cooper sat up with a start and responded, "Cooper! Prince Branch! Repeat what I just said!"
At the same time, Branch gave a start and looked back at the teacher. The other students started laughing at Cooper's response.
Crystal put a hand to her head, exasperated, and said, "Cooper... That isn't what I meant, young man..."
"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I didn't hear what you said before that!" Cooper answered.
Crystal sighed and looked at Branch. "Well?" she asked, stern.
Branch racked his brain, but he had no idea what she'd been talking about before Cooper fell asleep. "Uh... I don't know."
Crystal sighed again. "Boys, look. I know learning how to throw parties isn't the most fun thing ever. But, if you don't pay attention now, you'll turn into let-downs when you try to throw your own parties later. And, my prince? That would be a horrible example to set, so try to stay focused, alright?"
Cooper looked properly chastised. "Yes, Crystal. Sorry.
Branch rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
If she thought he was worried about any of that, she was in for a rude awakening when Peppy actually made him king.
Crystal seemed satisfied, though. She nodded and said, "Good. Now, to continue..."
And she went back to teaching her class until the bell rang, ending the lesson. Branch paid just enough attention to keep her from calling him out again, still mad about the situation he'd gotten himself in when he was 5 and naive. He never should have told his grandma being king sounded like a good time. Maybe Peppy wouldn't have signed him up for an arranged marriage to the only princess if he'd just told his grandma he didn't want to be king.
When class was over, Branch sneaked out of the village, heading for a secret hideout he'd dug for himself underground. He needed to get away from everyone for a little while, and he certainly couldn't do that at home since she lived there, too.
"'If you don't pay attention now, you'll turn into let-downs when you try to throw your own parties,'" Branch mocked Crystal as he walked through the forest alone. "Yeah, like I'm ever going to throw a party in the first place! Honestly, it's like they think I care!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pink wisp of hair slip into a bush behind him. He knew exactly what it was, too—the annoying 5-year-old girl who never let him get away with anything...and who had to be worse than he was at her age.
Branch rolled his eyes and thought, And, as usual, my stupid fiance's following me around.
She stayed quiet, though, trying not to be seen. Unluckily for her, it was nearly impossible to sneak up on Branch these days unless you were skilled at such things. As a dopey little kid, Poppy certainly wasn't able to surprise him. Still, he kept walking, pretending for now that he didn't know she was there, and she crept along, following as expected. She probably wanted to play. That was her usual reason for following him everywhere. No matter how many times Branch told her he didn't want to play with her, she never listened.
"I don't want to be king!" Branch complained, not caring if Poppy heard. "And I'm not going to be throwing any parties in the foreseeable future."
Poppy didn't know what foreseeable meant, but she did know that Branch was saying things that were untrolly and inappropriate for a royal troll. She gasped in shock, even though she'd heard all of this before on more than one occasion, and ran up behind Branch with a concerned look on her face. "Big brother! That's not a nice thing to say! You're older, so you gotta—" she cried, running straight for him.
Branch dodged out of the way, snapping, "How many times do I have to tell you, Poppy!? We're not related!"
"Who—Oof!" Poppy exclaimed as she fell face-first into the dirt. Her eyes teared up. "W...whaa..." she started as she sat up slightly.
Branch could hardly seem to care less, glaring at the little girl on the ground as he said, "I'm your fiance, not your brother! Your dad isn't my dad. Your mom wasn't my mom!"
Poppy was too upset to respond to that right now. She sat on her knees, covering her face with her hands and crying. "Whaaaa!"
Branch watched for a moment, irritated, then rolled his eyes and walked over. He couldn't stand it when this girl started bawling like that. Not only was she loud and obnoxious, but she'd gotten him kicked out of her house when she was a baby because she cried so much.
Not that he cared if Peppy kicked him out again. If he did, it would mean Branch wouldn't have to become king of the trolls someday.
Still, he approached his stupid fiance and said, "Come on, you're fine." He knelt down beside her and asked, "Where does it hurt?"
Poppy sniffled and answered, "M-my knee..." She sniffled again. "A-and o-over h-here...a-and...here..." She pointed at a spot on her left arm and on her side.
Branch looked at each of the spots she indicated, but nothing was bleeding. There were no visible marks. "You look fine to me, Poppy," he said. "Stop crying."
Poppy put her hands to her eyes and wailed, "Whaaaa! You're so meeeeeaan, b-big—"
"I'm not your brother!" Branch snapped, cutting her off.
Poppy sniffled, then got up, looking at him with curiosity. Branch sighed, standing up himself. He'd been through this with her more times than he could count, and he was getting sick of this girl thinking they were family. He didn't have a family. Anybody who took him in did so because they chose to, meaning they could easily change their minds. King Peppy had once, and he doubted his foster parents had been too upset when Peppy took him back a few months later. As far as Branch was concerned, he didn't have a home. The closest thing he really had was the hideout he'd built for himself in the forest. Nobody could kick him out of there.
Still, he tried one more time, "Poppy, your dad isn't my dad. He was friends with my family, so he took me in after we lost them. That's the only reason I even live with you!" He crossed his arms and wondered, How many ways can I explain this to her before she understands!?
"But...you're gonna be king someday," she said, like always, a confused look in her eyes. "That's silly, Branch!" Poppy giggled. "Of course Daddy's your daddy! He's—"
As she kept talking, Branch tuned her out, annoyed. Ugh, get a clue, Poppy! How did I get stuck in this mess, anyway!? This is ridiculous! Don't know why King Peppy thinks I'll thank him for this one day! Pretending he was listening, he said, "Uh-huh. Sure. Okay."
There was no point in arguing with a stupid little kid. He even doubted she'd realize he wasn't paying attention to her.
"But, anyway, where you going?" Poppy asked, cocking her head. She pointed back toward the village and added, "Home's that way, and Daddy says it's dangerous in the woods! You don't wanna worry him, do ya?"
"King Peppy can worry all he wants. I can take care of myself."
"But, Branch! Daddy said—"
"I don't care what your dad said!" Branch snapped, jabbing a finger into her chest. "That's for you to worry about, not me! I don't even want to be living with you! You're so annoying! Just go home and leave me alone!"
Poppy's eyes watered again. "That's it! I'm telling Daaaddyyyyyy!" she wailed, running off in tears.
Branch knew he'd be in trouble for that later, but he was just glad that she'd finally left. "Ugh, finally!" Muttering, he wondered, "Why can't she just leave me alone already?" He continued on to his hideout. "There has to be some way I can get out of this stupid engagement. I don't even want to marry that girl!"
When he reached his hideout, he opened it up and headed inside, taking off his stupid crown as he went. If he had any say in it, he wouldn't have been wearing it in the first place. However, since he was so reluctant to be prince, Peppy insisted that he wear it any time he left their pod. It was supposed to remind him of his place. All it did was make him more frustrated at the whole situation.
"This engagement wasn't even a good idea in the first place!" he complained. "Never should've—" He sighed, trying to think of a solution instead of just complaining. Unfortunately, he didn't have any ideas.
He'd already asked Peppy to call it off. He'd given the king every possible reason for why it was a bad match—everything from pointing out how lousy of a king he'd be to saying he'd be condemning Poppy to a life of misery married to a guy who hates her. Peppy just insisted that Branch would thank him one day and might find it less unbearable if he actually tried being nice to Poppy for once. He'd been a jerk to Poppy, sometimes intentionally, but he was still living in their pod after four years of this. There was really only one thing Branch hadn't tried yet.
"...I'm going to have to leave Troll Village to get away from this, aren't I?"
It wasn't like he'd be leaving anything behind. His family was dead, and he didn't have any friends. He got on Peppy's nerves so bad that Branch was positive the king didn't even like him anymore at this point. Nobody would really care if he left. They'd probably be happier, actually, given how "difficult" and "boring" he was now.
Maybe him leaving would be best for everybody.
Far away, in a town called Crumsville, an 11-year-old troll packed his things, preparing for a trip to the Troll Tree. Crumsville was a town populated by bergens who didn't know what happiness was, and this purple troll's master, a bergen who always wore a chef's outfit, intended to fix that...by feeding the townspeople trolls.
Chef watched carefully as her troll packed for his journey. "Well, Creek? Have you thoroughly prepared yourself?"
"Y-yes, master..." Creek stammered. "I-I've got e-everything I'll n-need to f-find the o-other trolls..."
Chef gave him a wicked grin, pleased. "Good. Then get going. I'll be keeping in touch with you through my crystal ball." She held up her wrist, tapping a crystal the size of a golf ball that she'd fashioned into a watch for herself. "So you'd better not let me down. After all, you know what will happen to you if you do..." She pulled out a tiny whip and snapped it on the table, making Creek tremble.
"Y-yes, master... I-I promise n-not to l-let you d-down..."
Chef gave him a wicked grin. "Excellent."
It wasn't long before Branch heard an angry voice outside of his hideout. Sadly, Peppy had found it early on, thanks to Poppy following Branch everywhere like a shadow.
"Branch! Get out here this instant! Don't make me come get you!" the king snapped.
Branch groaned and headed back out, grabbing his crown and putting it on as he went. Peppy was already mad at him. There was no point in getting into more trouble for taking his crown off. When he opened the door, Branch saw Peppy, looking angry, with a sobbing Poppy holding his hand. The first thing that ran through his head was "tattle tale."
"Branch, what were you thinking, treating Poppy like that!? That's no way for a prince to behave!" Peppy began his lecture as Branch climbed out of the hole that led into his hideout. "How many times have I got to tell you!? Poppy's not going to like you if you keep—"
"I don't care if she likes me!" Branch snapped, waving an arm through the air. "I've told you over and over that I don't want to marry her, but you won't listen! And I don't want to be a prince!"
Peppy groaned, rubbing his head in exasperation. This boy was good at giving him headaches.
"S-see, Daddy? He's doing it again," Poppy said, still highly upset at Branch's behavior.
"I can handle it from here, Princess," Peppy assured her. "Now run along and play."
Suddenly all signs of Poppy's distress were gone as she smiled. "Okay, Daddy. Bye-bye!" she said before running off, apparently happy.
It didn't surprise Branch that his fiance was happy she'd gotten him in trouble. Like everyone else in town, the girl hated him.
Peppy turned back to Branch, putting his hands on his hips and looking at the boy sternly. "Branch. This has got to stop. I miss them, too, but you can't keep wallowing in self-pity like this forever. If you do, you'll wind up missing out on the important things in life, like having a real childhood or making friends with others. The way you're acting, you're likely to lose both, and you won't like it if you do."
"I don't care! What part of that don't you get!?"
Peppy groaned again. "Well, I don't care if you care or not! You can't go treating people like this! And, since you refuse to stop, you leave me with no choice but to crack open the old troll rule books on you and..." Peppy cringed at the thought of what he was about to do, "ground you...until further notice!" He panted heavily after forcing himself to say that.
Trolls considered that too untrolly to do to a trolling, so they hadn't used that punishment in decades. They knew what it meant, but they didn't like to use it. Sadly, Branch often drove Peppy to such extreme measures.
Branch just looked at him with defiance and said, "Yeah? And what do you think that will teach me?"
Being grounded meant he wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere other than his lessons, but it wasn't like Branch really wanted to go anywhere. Admittedly, he didn't want to be trapped in the royal pod, where Poppy lived, but he could make do. She'd probably be out playing with her friends most of the time, anyway.
Peppy firmly grabbed Branch by the ear and started dragging him off as he answered, "Respect, that's what! And I'm not going to unground you until you learn some! Is that clear!?"
"Agh! Ow, let go!" Branch whined.
Peppy dragged Branch straight back to his room in the royal pod and tossed him inside. Branch hated this room. Peppy had decorated it with the goal of cheering Branch up. The walls, ceiling, and floor were sky blue, and there were two windows looking out on the village. The bed was green with a blue bedspread; a purple, pink, and yellow rug was on the floor under the bed; the closet door was painted green; a yellow desk sat by the bed; and a hot pink bookshelf was on the opposite wall. For some reason, Peppy seemed to think being surrounded by bright colors would help improve Branch's mood. So far, it hadn't worked, which Branch didn't really think should have been surprising, given that the color scheme hadn't revived his family from the dead.
Besides that, there were all kinds of toys, most of which Branch ignored. They were too trolly for his liking—crayons and coloring books, a jack-in-the-box, maracas, a pogo stick, a toy guitar, and various cuddly stuffed animals (a teddy bear, kitten, and puppy, to name a few). Even the books were of little interest to Branch—Peppy had filled the bookshelf with pop-up books filled with happy stories, stories Branch always called out for being unrealistic. He already knew there was no such thing as a happy ending.
The only things in this room Branch really cared about had been his back in the Troll Tree, before his family had died. A bulls-eye hanging by the bookshelf, a stuffed gator on the bed, an orange blanket folded at the foot of the bed, and a framed picture of him and his family on the desk. The bulls-eye was his family's crest, given to him by his dad. The gator, Croco, was a gift from his grandma. The blanket was made for him by his mother when he was still a toddler. These mementos were the only things in this room he really considered his.
"Now you're going to stay in here until I come get you for dinner!" Peppy instructed. "And you'll be coming straight back here afterwards, too! You're not allowed out of this room without my permission until you learn the right way to treat others! Do you understand?"
His tone was firm enough that Branch knew there was no arguing. He briefly considered sarcastically asking if he was allowed to leave it to use the bathroom, but he decided not to push his luck. He knew by now that annoying Peppy wasn't going to get him out of his engagement, so he just groaned.
Peppy grunted and closed the door.
Grounded? Stuck in this pod? That's it! I am not staying here! I need to get some supplies out of my bunker and get out of here, permanently.
Irritated, Branch took off his crown and carelessly tossed it into a corner. If he wasn't allowed out, there wasn't any point in wearing it right now. Besides, he planned on leaving here and never coming back. Nobody could tell him to put on a stupid crown if he didn't live with anybody.
Creek, meanwhile, boarded a flyer bug that he'd found and tamed himself and headed straight for the Troll Tree. He was startled to find it empty. "W-where is everyone? How can I assume my role as king of the trolls if there are none?" he worried.
He flew around a bit longer, but he still didn't see anyone. The tree looked to be in good health, the cage gone, but...nobody was there. Unsure what to do, he approached one of the bergens.
"Pardon me, my friend," Creek said. "But I'm afraid I'm quite lost, it seems. You wouldn't happen to know where the trolls that used to reside in that tree are, would you?" He pointed at the tree as he spoke.
"Huh?" The bergen looked at the small troll, still riding his bug. "Oh! Yeah, they all moved out of the Troll Tree years ago. They're living in the forest in Troll Village now."
Creek had forgotten they'd been getting ready to move. He'd been snatched up when his family was still preparing to leave. Now he remembered, though—King Peppy had taught the bergens how to be happy and decided to move everyone to a less nerve-wracking location for their new home.
"Ah... Well, if it's not too much trouble, could you take me to them, good sir? And, by the way, has anyone ever told you you have the most dazzling eyes this side of Bergen Town?"
Not that Creek meant what he was saying. He'd been taught by Chef that bergens loved flattery. It made them more willing to be helpful.
It worked. The bergen smiled and waved a hand through the air. "Oh, stop! Of course, I can take you to them! I suppose you got left behind in the shuffle a few years back, huh?"
"You could say that, yes," Creek answered, landing his bug on the bergen's shoulder. "Thank you so much for the assist. But what do you expect from someone with such a magnificent smile such as yourself?" Creek smiled pleasantly at the bergen as he spoke.
"Oh, I don't think it's that magnificent," the bergen said, looking flattered yet again as he headed off with Creek.