Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls or the song. The song is "They Don't Know" by Ariana Grande.
Bridget waited anxiously in line. Now that she was here and the song was over, she couldn't help but wonder what she was supposed to say. "Uh... Why am I here?" she asked the trolls quietly.
"To ask the king on a date!" Cooper answered.
"No! I mean, when the king's holding court, you can come petition him for things you need, but what am I asking for? A date isn't a good enough reason to be here!"
Satin started, "What about..." She looked at Chenille, hoping her sister would have an idea.
"Opening a salon?" Chenille suggested.
"Right!" Satin latched onto the idea. "Your hair's so beautiful, it's a great reason!"
"Especially if he thinks you do your own hair!" Chenille added.
Poppy's face lit up in excitement. "Ohh! Great idea! And I can totally use it to get you a date with the king, too! I know exactly what to say," she said, sounding both confident and smug.
The Snack Pack all agreed in yet another jumble of words.
Branch rolled his eyes. Well, that's a stupid reason to be here. Hope he doesn't throw her out for wasting his time.
Then again, if this plan failed, Bridget wouldn't let most of them go while keeping Poppy. Branch wasn't sure which was better—everyone here with him unarmed, or only him and Poppy here with him unarmed. Since a single male and female could still have trollings, Branch figured their chances of survival were about as good either way. His might even be better without the others around—gray trolls have a use if they're the only male troll you have.
Either way, Branch kept his opinions to himself. He doubted anyone would listen, anyway. Poppy was too oblivious and positive, and her friends always followed her lead.
Six more bergens stood between Bridget and the king when she overheard one of the cases—something about who gave the first wedgie in an argument on the street.
"He did it!" the first bergen said.
"No, he did it!" said the second.
"Are you calling me a liar!?"
"Yeah! That's exactly what I'm calling you!"
"Order in the court!" King Gristle shouted. He banged his toy mallet on the arm of his throne, causing a squeaking sound that was nonetheless effective. This was definitely one of the more boring cases of the day. "Well! Since we really can't seem to prove who gave the first wedgie, I hereby sentence you both to go to jail! Don't pass go. Don't collect $200."
To Bridget, that seemed a little intense. Now she was nervous. What if he thought she was wasting his time? She didn't want to go to the dungeon!
"B—King Gristle—!" the first bergen protested.
"This meeting is over," King Gristle said boredly. "Guards? Take them away."
Chad and Tod came to take the two bergens down to the dungeon.
"This isn't fair!" the second bergen protested.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," King Gristle said dismissively. "Who's next!?"
"Oh, I don't know if I can do this!" Bridget worried. Her love had just sent two people to jail over an argument! He was more intimidating than she'd ever thought.
"It'll be okay! I'll be right here, Bridget!" Poppy assured her as she poked out of the rainbow wig.
"You'll tell me what to say, right?"
"Of course I will."
"Of course I will," Bridget repeated with confidence.
"Just—wait until you're next in line," Poppy said, poking back into the bergen's fake hair.
The last bergen before Bridget was a small child who had come to ask if the king could send out soldiers to find his lost kite—50 soldiers, to be exact. After the king had told the boy that, no, he couldn't do that, it was finally Bridget's turn.
"Next!" King Gristle called.
Nervously, Bridget walked into the throne room.
"Hey, there," Poppy started, trying her best to sound like a total babe while telling Bridget what to say. "My names—uh..." She sweat slightly, nervous. Something had just occurred to her.
They'd forgotten to come up with an alias for Bridget. Poppy turned to her friends, frantic. This wasn't a good thing.
Branch gave her a look that screamed "what are you doing?" But he said nothing—he didn't have any suggestions for her.
"Lady," Biggie said.
"Glitter?" Guy suggested.
"Sparkles!" Smidge finished, jumping up in excitement at her own idea.
Branch looked at them, then turned to Poppy and hissed, "Seriously?"
That didn't sound very bergen-y, but Bridget nervously said, "My name is Lady Glitter Sparkles, seriously."
King Gristle stared at her, thinking that was the meanest thing anyone could ever do to a bergen. Who gives their kid a name like that?
This is going great so far, Branch thought sarcastically. No, I'm pretty sure this is how we all die.
"Okay!" Poppy said, encouraged by the fact that King Gristle hadn't called their bluff. "Now tell him, 'Anyway, I'm thinking of opening a hair salon, but I'm a little short on cash. Care to help a girl out?' And make it sound smooth, too."
Obediently, Bridget said, "Anyway, I'm thinking of opening a hair salon, but I'm a little short on cash. Care to help a girl out?"
King Gristle gave her a confused stare and said, "Wait. You're saying you came in here wanting me to fund a salon? And why should I do a silly thing like that?" He crossed his arms, feeling rather annoyed. This was definitely one of the stupidest things anyone had ever asked him for. Why should he waste the town's tax dollars on something this girl could fund herself with a little hard work and a personal loan?
"Because everyone should get to look as stylish as you. Now strike that pose," Poppy instructed.
"Because everyone should get to look as stylish as you," Bridget repeated before striking a pose she hoped would make her look more attractive. She put one hand on the side of her head and the other on her hip, thrusting one hip out to the side.
Gristle's eyes widened. "Hot lunch..." He hadn't realized before just how appealing this girl was. With a lustful look in his eyes, he got up and glided over to her. "Intense flattery from a total babe. ...What did you say your name was again? Glitter Lady Sparkles or...something?" he asked, taking her hand.
"Lady Glitter Sparkles," Bridget answered. Then, because she thought it would help, she added, "Seriously."
King Gristle gave her the same look as before, but he recovered this time and, with a bow, said, "Well, my lovely Lady Glitter Sparkles. I think that's a super cool idea. So, care to discuss this issue further over at Captain Starfunkles Roller Rink and Arcade?"
"Would I?" she asked him. Then she looked up at her hair and repeated quietly, "Would I?"
"Yes!" Poppy answered her. "You'd be delighted."
"Yes. You'd be delighted," Bridget told the king.
He liked this girl's confidence. "Oh. Indeed I would." Turning to the guards, King Gristle said, "Guards, clear the rest of my afternoon. Me and the lovely Lady Glitter Sparkles here have some business to discuss."
As the king walked the bergen woman out, Chad and Tod looked at each other and sighed.
Captain Starfunkle dropped a pizza on the table, saying, "Enjoy your pizza." He tossed some tokens on the table. "Here's your tokens."
The fact that it was the king he was talking to didn't really seem to faze the guy. He walked off, just as gloomy and miserable as any of the bergens.
"Ooh, so fancy," Bridget said. "Good thing I brought my appetite."
She and King Gristle both reached for the pizza at the same time. Their hands touched as they reached for the same slice. They looked at each other, gazes locked...and then Bridget smacked Gristle's hand, snatched the slice of pizza, and started eating it like some kind of wild animal.
Gristle stared at her, stunned. After a moment, he put his hands on the table and said, "You're fantastic!"
Bridget just kept eating until she finished that slice of pizza.
"Bridget! Compliment him back!" Poppy said.
Bridget looked at the king and said, "I like your back."
"No! I mean...say something nice about him."
"But I do like his back," Bridget quietly said to her hair as King Gristle grabbed a slice of pizza himself.
"Huh?" He stopped and looked at her, confused. Who was she talking to?
Bridget looked at Gristle and tried to think of a compliment. "Um...uh..."
Seeing her struggle, Branch looked over at Poppy and quietly said, "Poppy! Help her!"
"Uh—"
Creek ran up, covering Poppy's mouth frantically, and said to Bridget, "No, no, love! Don't start with something so unfeeling as that! Thank him for the compliment first!"
"Thank you," Bridget said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Oh, this was going great.
Gristle looked at her, confused, and asked, "Huh? For what?"
"Good, good," Creek said gently. "But try being a little more...humble. I mean, he called you fantastic, so you need to convince him he's better! Now repeat after me. Thank you, Gristle. I'm so flattered you think I'm fantastic. But I'm not nearly as wonderful as you."
Well, since she had already randomly thanked him, Bridget decided to skip the first part. "I'm so flattered you think I'm fantastic. But I'm not nearly as wonderful as you."
"Oh, really?" King Gristle said, looking like he wanted to hear more. He laughed a bit. "Do tell."
Looking at Creek, Poppy sighed. She just loved the fact that he always knew what to say. Creek's so smooth with the gratitude. Can't believe he thinks I'm with Branch! I mean, sure, he's alright, but—
She blinked as she noticed Creek growing nervous. "Uuh, Creek?"
He still needed to give Bridget a compliment for King Gristle. What was he doing? Was everything okay?
Creek started biting his nails, looking at the king as he desperately tried to think of something nice to say. Finally he took a deep breath and said to Poppy, "I've got nothing. It's all yours, my dear." He walked past Poppy back to the other Snack Pack members.
Poppy stared at him, eyes wide. Since when was Creek ever at a loss for words?
"I've got nothing," Bridget repeated, thinking she was still supposed to copy Creek. "It's all yours, my dear."
Branch smacked himself in the face quietly—he feared if he was too loud, Bridget would do the same. After all, who in their right mind would think that was the right thing to say to your date? Even he knew better, and he hadn't been in any civilized society in ten years!
Gristle stared at her for a moment, absorbing that. "Wait a—You saying I'm not wonderful?" he asked, insulted and hurt, as he got to his feet. If this was how this date was going to go, he figured he'd better just leave.
"No, wait!" Bridget cried desperately.
Gristle stopped and stared, waiting for an explanation to the hurtful comment.
Poppy looked around at the king frantically, trying to find something nice to say. She couldn't believe Creek had thrown her to the wolves like that! He was usually so good with words, so what was the problem here? And why, oh why, did Bridget have to repeat that, of all things!? Here Poppy had thought the girl had some common sense, but bergens were clearly not as smart as she'd started thinking they were.
"Uh... W-what I meant to say was—your eyes..." She looked at the yellow-stained, bloodshot eyes and felt nothing but disgusted. "Ew. Your...ears...?"
Those weren't really any better. Now she knew why Creek had frozen up. How do you compliment something so ugly that it makes you want to hurl? His eyes were like death, his ears were twitchy and jagged, his teeth were uneven and looked rotten... There wasn't anything appealing about this bergen's appearance!
"Your eyes... uh, ears..." Bridget repeated.
That was all the insult the king needed. He glared at Bridget, insulted, and pounded a fist on the table. "That's it!" He turned to walk away. "I'm—"
"Your eyes!" Bridget snapped suddenly as a new troll took over. "They're like...two pools so deep...I fear...if I dive in...I might never come up for air."
Poppy stared at Branch, the new troll feeding Bridget words. She was stunned. She was amazed. She didn't know Branch had this in him. Everyone else stared at him, too, equally amazed. Since when was Branch a poet?
Gristle stopped and looked at his date with uncertainty.
"And your smile..." Branch continued, looking up as he thought of someone who actually lived up to these compliments. "The sun itself turns jealous and refuses to come out from behind the clouds..."
Bridget continued copying this troll, glad it seemed to be working, "...knowing it cannot shine half as bright."
King Gristle smiled and sat back down, saying, "I kinda do have a nice smile, don't I?"
Poppy smiled at Branch. Whoa... And I thought Creek was smooth.
"Yes...you do," Branch said. He glanced at Poppy with a smile, but quickly caught himself and looked away.
Poppy stared at him for a second, still smiling. It was interesting how much she was learning about Branch from the adventure. First he said he wanted to stay with her if she chose to be left behind, and now he was reciting poetry that seemed to be about her. To make it even more interesting, the poetry was supposed to be a compliment for Bridget to use on Gristle during their date, so it was meant to be viewed romantically. Was that part about nobody caring if he died a cover-up of some sort? Considering that the poetry he'd just recited sounded like a sweeter version of what he normally said about her, it sure looked like it. Maybe he was developing a crush on her after all but was too shy to admit it. It was a much better thought for Poppy to have than the idea that he wanted to die, at least. But what would have caused it? When could she have gone from "crazy" and "annoying" to having a smile that would make the sun jealous in his eyes?
The gray troll didn't catch himself quick enough—Creek saw that look. He ran up, hissing, "Ah-ha! I knew you were up to something!" He pointed at Branch glaring. "It's no wonder I got stuck with the twins!"
If this breakup had been Poppy's doing alone, Creek could understand that. She'd been secretly crushing on Branch for years, even if she wouldn't admit it. But if Branch had been going behind Creek's back to deepen those feelings, that would definitely count as stealing Poppy away from him. Now he was getting mad. Had this trouble-maker been manipulating Poppy all this time? It looked to Creek like he had. Branch had been nicer to Poppy in recent days than he ever had when they were children, and he even seemed willing to give his life for her. He'd already tried to more than once—the fight with Bridget, attacking the bergen while Poppy was still in the cage, wanting to stay behind so that Poppy could leave... The others may not have known exactly what Branch was going for there, but Creek did! The gray troll wouldn't let Poppy stay here and would sacrifice himself for her.
If this had all been some clever ploy to woo Poppy, Creek was going to hit something. Not Branch, though. Something that wouldn't hit him back.
"What are you talking about?" Branch asked him quietly.
Fortunately Bridget wasn't repeating any of this—she was too busy going rogue. "I can't believe I'm saying this..."
"I saw that, you no good elf! You've been flirting with my Poppy this entire time!" He glared at Branch, angry at this thief.
Creek wasn't sure what Branch had done before the two had arrived here, but there was little he was willing to rule out at this point. Perhaps Branch had already gotten Poppy to sleep with him but didn't want the others to know. Why else would Poppy feel so uncomfortable with the idea of having children with her own boyfriend? She probably felt as if she was two-timing Branch, which was unfair, given that she was definitely two-timing her actual boyfriend!
Biggie was going to comment on what Bridget was doing, but... Somehow this looked like a bigger problem.
Poppy looked from the two boys to the king nervously. If they weren't careful, King Gristle would hear them, and then they'd be in trouble. Where was this even coming from in the first place? She thought Creek actually liked Branch. "Uh...guys?"
"I haven't been flirting with Poppy! Don't be ridiculous!" Branch told Creek, still keeping his voice down.
"But being here with you today makes me realize that true happiness is possible," Bridget said.
This odd statement drew Poppy's attention away from the arguing boys. "...Whoa..."
Bergens weren't supposed to be able to feel happy. Hearing Bridget say that just changed Poppy's entire view on the world. Maybe they could find a way to stop the bergens from wanting to eat trolls.
Gristle raised an eyebrow, lost and confused. "It is? In this lifetime? I don't know about that..." He knew happiness would eventually be possible, but he certainly hadn't told his people anything about it yet. He didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. I mean, our trolls probably won't be ready until my kids grow up. Will I even be around by then?
Happiness was probably out of his reach, he realized.
"Oh, you aren't, are you!?" Creek demanded, getting louder as he got more worked up. "Then what were you doing just now!?" He jabbed a finger into Branch's chest, getting in the gray troll's face. "Well!?"
"Uh, pardon my asking, but should they be doing that right now?" Guy questioned the others, growing concerned and nervous as this argument heated up. "I mean, won't all that arguing mess up Bridget's date or get us in trouble?"
Everyone else looked concerned, but they said nothing.
Branch, however, was thinking along the same lines. He held his hands up haltingly and said quietly, "Alright, alright. Can we have this conversation later?"
The Snack Pack glared at Creek in agreement. Satin and Chenille had their hands on their hips. Creek started fiddling with his fingers awkwardly before retreating back to where the rest of the group was. The awkward grin on his face told everyone he'd briefly forgotten that this was neither the time nor place for that kind of conversation.
"Why not? I'm having a great time," Bridget asked Gristle, the argument atop her head going completely unnoticed. And it kind of reminds me of the trolls when they were in the tank, especially Biggie and Smidge.
"I am, too! But you know what would make things even better?" Gristle asked with a smile as he got out of his seat.
"What?" Bridget asked.
Shortly the king and his date were out on the skating rink, skating to the song "They Don't Know." Since bergens supposedly didn't sing, the fact that music was playing on the skating rink was irony that wasn't lost on the trolls. As the song started up, the two bergens skated out onto the rink.
"I woke up with all this sunlight."
Gristle took Bridget's hand and spun her around his body once before grabbing her other hand and spinning around with her. What better time to show off his skating skills than on a date with a wonderful girl?
"Ain't got time to listen to any shade," the song played as the bergen couple smiled at each other, spinning around some more. "Yeah."
Gristle laughed as Bridget broke up the spin by leapfrogging over him, still holding his hands. With that, the esteemed bergen king was now facing the backside of a total babe.
"Ah."
Gristle peaked his head around Bridget so he could see her face, smiling as he did so. She smiled back at him, and the two skated backwards for a bit.
"The wind in my pony, top down, alright."
Bridget leaped over the king again, causing him to slide onto one leg with his back barely above the floor of the rink.
"Ain't got time to let them darken my day."
The two smiled and laughed as the song continued, still skating along in that awkward position.
"That's right."
Gristle got up quickly and moved in front of Bridget, spinning her as he passed her by.
"Ah."
Unfortunately for Bridget, Gristle spun her a little too hard. When she stopped, he took her hand, and her troll hair kept going until the trolls flew off. The little creatures grabbed onto each other, holding on tight. Branch ended up grabbing Cooper's head with his legs (yes, he hated the giraffe, but he didn't want to die today) as he grabbed frantically for Poppy's hand. Poppy managed to get hold of Bridget's hair and grabbed Branch's hand as well.
The song continued as Bridget trailed a bunch of trolls behind her. "So light the fireworks. Sing like no one's heard."
Bridget looked up at her normal hair worriedly before quickly looking at Gristle.
"Dance."
King Gristle sprayed his breath to make sure it was fresh, eagerly preparing for a much-desired kiss. When Bridget saw him turning to face her, she spun him hard, hoping to hide the fact that her hair was currently trailing behind her and attached to a bunch of little trolls.
"It's us against the world," the song played on.
Poppy pulled hard on Branch's arm, trying to pull her friends back down onto Bridget's head. As she came down on the bergen's head herself, she held her arms out to catch Branch so that he wouldn't just crash in front of her. Meanwhile all of her other friends had a rough landing, slamming their heads, faces, and other body parts into Bridget's head painfully—for them, at least. Bridget noticed nothing.
"Ohhhhh..."
The ten trolls who were involved in the rainbow wig fixed Bridget's hair just before King Gristle stopped spinning and finally got a look at her. He sighed lovingly. Bridget spared a nervous glance at her hair before smiling back at her date. She then spun him in a similar manner to what he had done earlier with her.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about us," the song continued.
Meanwhile the trolls looked at Poppy in concern.
Oh, my ga! Smidge stared wide-eyed in shock at Poppy holding Branch.
Again!? Guy thought, surprised.
DJ put a hand to her head, which hurt after that face-plant into Bridget's head. Gee, guys, thanks for caring... Ugh...
That's adorable, but he's banished! Satin thought.
Chenille's opinion on the matter differed. Poppy's taste leaves much to be desired. Honestly, a fashion-challenged hermit who wanted to be left alone? Who would choose him for a romantic partner?
The song continued, "They don't know, they don't know, they don't know about what we do."
The bergen couple stopped spinning again, then skated off in opposite directions as they made a loop around the rink, spinning or swerving to the beat from time to time. This, of course, called into question the idea that bergens couldn't dance, which Poppy had long taken for a fact. It seemed they had a lot of misinformation about these guys.
"That it's true. I could have all this, but I'm good if I got you."
The two met up at the other end of the skating rink and took hands, looking at each other lovingly for a second. Gristle leaned in, thinking now was a great time for a kiss, but Bridget was having too much fun to stop just yet. She laughed and playfully slapped his back, sending him into a spin once again.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about..."
Bridget caught Gristle by the hand as he came out of the spin. She winked at him, grinning. He laughed in response, then took her other hand and led her back onto the rink.
"Mmmmm. Listen."
Gristle stopped in the center of the rink and started spinning Bridget around himself again, this time spinning her in a full circle around him.
"You wait so long to catch the feeling, so hold on to it for as long as you can."
Bridget finished the circle, grabbing both his hands and sliding under him. He jumped to make sure she made it.
"Aah."
Letting go for a moment, Bridget flipped herself over into an upright position and spun her date again. Once he stopped spinning, he spun her the same way. He'd kiss her when she was done having fun, he decided. For now, they'd just keep skating until she was tired of it. She'd already stopped him twice, after all.
"We could run away to only where we know."
They kept skating and laughing as the song continued.
"Boy, I've got plans."
About then a few of the other patrons stopped their own bland time to check out the scene. Nobody had any idea what those two could be laughing so much about.
"Hey. Ah."
A few curious but mostly bored bergens gathered to watch the show. The fact that those two seemed to be enjoying themselves made everyone wonder if the key to true happiness had somehow been found. Gristle and Bridget were completely oblivious to their audience, holding hands and skating laps around the rink. They spun to the song from time to time.
"So light the fireworks. Sing like no one's heard. Dance."
Gristle and Bridget held onto each others' hands again, spinning nonstop and laughing.
"It's us against the world."
The audience grew excited as they watched on. It seemed as if these two really had uncovered the secret!
The trolls grew nervous, noticing the bergens' reactions to the new couple. Fearing another flight may be on the horizon—especially given all the spinning Bridget was doing—they got down on their hands and knees and held onto Bridget's natural hair for dear life. A train of trolls flying behind a skating bergen when nobody was watching was one thing, but the same situation would end much worse with an audience.
"Ohhhh..."
Bridget and Gristle pulled apart and spun out to both ends of the rink.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about us."
The watching bergens smiled slightly, seeing all the fun the two were having. Poppy caught a glimpse of this as Bridget and the king started zigzagging toward each other.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know about what we do. That it's true."
The two spun past each other as they met up again. They stopped themselves, taking hands again, and turned to face each other as they skated along with loving looks in their eyes.
"I could have all this, but I'm good if I got you."
Poppy stared at the bergens, thinking, Whoa! Would you look at those guys go! They look so happy skating together that even the other bergens are getting into it! Maybe the bergens aren't so different, after all! They can be happy by having fun, too!
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about..."
Bridget flipped Gristle under herself again, leaving him sliding along almost on his back again. The two pulled each others' hands back and forth to the beat as they kept laughing. They were definitely having the time of their lives.
"They don't know about. They don't know about, bout, bout, bout us."
Gristle got up and pulled the same stunt with Bridget, slipping her back behind him this time. Bridget flipped him back under her, then let go with one hand and spun him with the other.
"Light the fireworks, let it catch fire, we gonna dance, dance til it hurts."
The audience tried hard not to cheer as they enjoyed the show.
"Look at the king go!" one bergen said. "Who knew he had the moves!?"
"Who's that hot chick he's with!? Do bergens even get hair that good!?"
"Who cares!? She's hot!"
The small audience continued to enjoy the show as the song continued, "When we hit the clubs, we bout to let 'em know, know who's your girl."
"Man," said a woman rather excitedly. "Do they look happy. Does that mean they figured out another way to get it without eating trolls!?"
"I don't know!" her friend answered. "I hope so, though!"
"They better share it with us, then. It's not right to hog something that good all to themselves!" a third woman said.
The other two murmured their agreement as the song went on, "So put your hand in my hand. It's you and me, it's us against the world. Sing it to me one more time."
The trolls grew more excited themselves as they watched the bergen audience.
"Did you hear that, gang!?" Guy asked quietly. "The bergens all think they finally found the true keys to happiness!"
"Oh, my! Maybe they won't need to eat trolls after all! Isn't that wonderful, Mr. Dinkles?" Biggie asked as he looked at the worm.
Branch glared at them. How stupid could they all be? "First of all, keep it down! Second, don't be ridiculous. They're bergens. Eating trolls is what they do."
"Aw, lighten up, Branch," Poppy said. "That's not all they do. And, from the look of things, they might not need to much longer. I mean, if they can be this happy without eating a troll, then why would they need to?"
She was excited. She might have found the answer to all of their problems! The others all murmured in excitement, thinking she might be onto something. Everyone looked so hopeful that Branch saw no sense in arguing with them. They'd never listen, anyway. After all, in this case, they'd be too oblivious and optimistic to ever see reality—the bergens were dangerous and enjoyed the taste of trolls in addition to the happy feeling they got from eating them. Why would they ever willingly remove troll from their diet?
Still, knowing it was pointless to argue with them when they got like this, Branch just rolled his eyes and let Poppy and her friends have their delusions.
"It's you and me, it's us against the world. Sing it to me one more time. It's you and me, it's us against the world."
The bergen couple spun each other again, holding hands and staring at each other lovingly.
"I'm trying to tell ya, honey. Ah."
Suddenly Bridget grinned mischievously and lunged forward.
"It's us against the world."
Picking Gristle up with one hand, Bridget balanced him on one finger and gave him a quick spin, as if he were a basketball.
"Hey, yeah..."
She spun a bit as she crossed the skating rink, still spinning her date around on his stomach above her. Suddenly the two of them imagined they weren't in the skating rink anymore. The world just disappeared. They were skating on the rings of a planet out in space instead.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about us," the song continued as Bridget set Gristle down. The two spun around the rink—or, in their minds, ring—a bit more.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know..."
The two bergens launched into space, making a heart in the starry sky.
"...about what we do. That it's true."
The two held hands again, spinning as they fell and landed on a planet covered in brown heart-shaped craters.
"I could have all this, but I'm good if I got you."
The two leaned in for a kiss, Bridget finally ready this time. Gristle, however, decided on a little payback for all of the times he'd tried and been thwarted today. He gave his date a mischievous wink before slapping her away in a spin, laughing.
"They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about..."
Bridget laughed a bit after the spin had finished. She turned to stared at Gristle, a bit confused but still smiling. Gristle shrugged and gave her an innocent look as he pretended not to know what he had done.
"I woke up with all this sunlight. They don't know, they don't know, they don't know about us."
Then Gristle lunged at Bridget, tugging her across the planet in their dream world. Their feet turned everything they touched neon green, yellow, pink, and orange, forming tracks on the planet.
"The wind in my pony, top down, alright. They don't know, they don't know about what we do."
The couple spun around again and skated on.
"That it's true. I could have all this," the song continued as the couple landed in the center of a large heart-shaped crater, now colored neon pink with a couple of rings of yellow and green outlining it, and leaned in for a kiss, "but I'm good if I've got you. They don't know, they don't know, they don't know, they don't know about..."
Their lips met as the song ended. Bridget saw sparks, and Gristle was loving this moment. It had to be the best moment of his entire life.
Back in reality and completely unaware that the bergen couple had ever left it, all the trolls quietly cooed, "Aw..."
Well, okay, one troll didn't. Branch just rolled his eyes. Like he was going to get emotionally invested in the love lives of a couple of bloodthirsty bergens? Sure, Bridget wasn't so bad, but she was still planning on letting two of them sacrifice their lives to protect her.
The watching bergens all started groaning in disgust and disappointment.
"Aw, darn it! They're only falling in love!" one complained.
"There's no happiness to be found here, then. Let's get out of here," one of the women said as she started away from the rink with a disappointed scowl.
The rest of the crowd grumbled and made their way out of the area, heading back to their tables or out of the building. Sure, seeing their king in love was nice, but it wasn't like it would help them any.
Most of the trolls were too entranced by the new, happy couple to notice the negative reaction from the crowd.
Branch, however, wasn't quite as oblivious. Uh-huh. Yep. I knew they wouldn't get "happiness" out of this.
Bridget and Gristle pulled apart, coming back to reality then, and stared at each other lovingly, still holding each others' hands.
"...Whoa. That was..." Gristle skated closer to Bridget and leaned his forehead against hers. She reciprocated the action. "Amazing... I...I never imagined it could feel this good. We totally need to do this again sometime. Wouldn't you agree, my lady?"
"Well, duh! This day's been perfect," Bridget answered without any prompting.
"Aw..." the trolls said again.
"That's so...sweet..." Poppy said. "I think I'm gonna ugly cry..." She started doing just that. "See?" Then she cried louder.
"I agree! So what say we—" Gristle cut himself off, hearing sobbing from... "Uh, Lady Glitter Sparkles? Why's your hair crying?" he asked, looking up at it with curiosity.
Branch covered Poppy's mouth, hissing, "Poppy! You're going to get us discovered!"
He was right, and she couldn't believe she'd messed up so badly. Poppy covered her own mouth with both hands, putting them over Branch's hand. Her eyes widened.
"Oh, uh... I don't know what you're talking about," Bridget said. "Must be your imagination?"
Gristle looked at her with suspicion. The Snack Pack started shaking in fear, causing Bridget's hair to shake.
Fearing they might make the king more suspicious, Branch hissed, "Guys! Calm down! Bridget can smooth this over as long as we don't draw anymore attention."
Gristle blinked suddenly and moved back, a smile on his face. "Yeah, guess so," he said. "What was in that pizza? I've been feeling really weird ever since we ate it!"
Relieved, Bridget said, "Me, too. Maybe we just had too much."
Branch looked at the others and whispered, "You see? We're okay."
The trolls stopped trembling. They were in the clear, which was a huge relief for all of them.
Gristle put a hand to his head and said, "Must have. 'Cause I could've sworn your hair was talking with a man's voice and shaking. I should probably go lie down." He closed his eyes, looking a bit tired.
Still covering Poppy's mouth with one hand, Branch brought his other hand up to smack himself in the face. He stopped himself barely, clenching his hand into a fist and trembling as he resisted the urge to smack himself. He and Poppy had already made enough noise to wonder about. The last thing they needed was King Gristle wondering what the slapping sound was about.
What was I thinking? That was the sort of stupid thing any of these guys would do! I've been spending too much time with them, Branch thought, frustrated with himself.
There was no other explanation. Doing something stupid enough to nearly get them all caught wasn't something Branch would normally do, so these guys had to be rubbing off on him.
Gristle turned to Bridget once again as they made their way off the rink. "So this Saturday work for you, babe?" he asked her with a sly smile. All signs of exhaustion or a headache were gone from his face now as he got back to the topic of their next date.
Branch let go of Poppy so she could answer, "Yes! You'd love that!"
"Yes!" Bridget repeated. "You'd love that!"
"Oh, you know I would," Gristle agreed with a cool smile. He took his skates off and headed for the exit, waving at her and smiling excitedly. "See ya Saturday, Lady Glitter Sparkles! Miss you already!"
"Bye, Gristle," Bridget answered. "Oh, I wish it was Saturday already! I don't want to say goodbye!"
"Me, neither, my lady! But, alas, we must, or Saturday will never come!" Standing in the doorway, he blew a kiss to her and said slyly, "Just a little something to remember me by, my love! Love you!" He gave her another excited wave.
Bridget caught the kiss, put it on her cheek, then blew one back. "I love you, too, Grissie!"
"I love you more!"
"No, I love you more."
"No, I love you more!"
Seeing that they could go at this all day, Branch grew irritated. He was already annoyed at himself for nearly helping to get them all discovered, but now the bergens wanted to stand here all day fighting over who loved who more? Yeah, he was going to have to skip that one.
"Okay, Bridget, wrap it up," he whispered, waving his hands in a gesture that meant she needed to hurry up. "You've gotta get going." He hitched his thumbs toward the left, where the exit was.
Poppy glanced at him, concerned. "Branch?" Was he freaking out, or was that just her imagination?
"Oh, Gristle... I wish I could keep talking to you all day, but I have to go," Bridget said. "I need to get ready for work."
"Okay, babe. I lov—" he started.
"Oh, for all that's trolly, just go!" Branch cried out as Gristle professed his love yet again.
Poppy stared at him, growing more concerned. He was definitely freaking out. She wasn't sure what the problem was, but she knew she needed to calm him down before something bad happened. Walking over to him, Poppy put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Okay, okay. She's going, alright? No need to freak out."
Thinking about it some more, this was a lot of affection, so maybe it was making Branch uncomfortable. He did have a very low tolerance for this sort of thing, after all. Yeah, Poppy figured that was probably what it was.
Bridget smiled and waved. "I'll see you Saturday, Gristle! I love you!"
"I love you mo—" Gristle started as Bridget hurried out the door past him. He watched her leave, waving goodbye. "I'll see ya Saturday!" he called after her.