Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls or the song "Hero" by Mariah Carey.
After about four more songs, everyone's Hug Time watches went off again.
"It's Hug Time, everyone!" Poppy said.
Branch groaned. He'd long since finished those ridiculous s'mores and knew full well what another Hug Time meant for him. He was starting to think Poppy would wake up every hour tonight just to hug him.
Sure enough, the Snack Pack started hugging whoever was closest, and Poppy wrapped her arms around Branch yet again.
"Has anyone ever told you you're just so huggable before?" she asked, squeezing him playfully. His irritation made this more fun for her. She was also grateful that she was able to hug him again after all these years—so grateful, in fact, that she just couldn't help herself anymore. He was the most entertaining troll at Hug Time, generally speaking.
"No, can't say they have," he answered. "Has anyone ever told you that you hug too much?"
Poppy just grinned as she let go, her eyes sending the silent message "I win." She'd successfully annoyed him again. He just made it too easy sometimes, which was part of why he was so fun to mess with. She'd missed his crude sense of humor. As children, she remembered, they'd tease each other relentlessly over the silliest of things. Sure, it was sometimes annoying and even hurtful, but it was usually kind of fun.
She remembered one time when she was 9. Branch had a habit of growling at people, so she'd painted a picture of him turning into a growlbeast and told him he'd turn into one if he kept growling. She started showing people pictures of growlbeasts, claiming they were Branch's family; tried to speak to him in growls; and placed baskets of raw meat near where she thought he lived for three days in a row. He retaliated by acting like she was a baby for a week afterward, claiming it was because she was an overgrown baby. She spent the week being given baby bottles to drink from (and having real food snatched away because she was "too young" for it); getting rattles and other toys for babies waved in her face; and, of course, listening to baby talk whenever he was around.
Those kind of goofy antics were what she missed the most about Branch, no doubt.
Now that she was done, Branch got to his feet.
He'd been thinking about this entire situation since they'd started singing again. This was like back in the old days, before he was banished. It was nostalgic. On some level, he missed it. That's what he'd learned tonight. And that wasn't a good thing.
Every troll here, with the exception of Poppy and possibly Creek, had acted exactly like this before he'd been banished, and it had meant nothing. If Poppy dragged him around with them, they acted like they were friends, even if they did tease him often or cringe in fear when he was mad. This wasn't new. He'd thought they were dumb enough to call him a friend back then. He wasn't about to be fooled twice by the same behavior. They didn't like him. They'd never liked him. They only put up with him and pretended to like him for Poppy's sake.
It was going to take more than a stupid game of Troll, Troll, Bergen to change their minds about him.
"Okay, hate to break up this great time we're all having here, but it's time to get some sleep so we can maybe get back to Troll Village tomorrow," Branch told them all sarcastically. "After that, we can figure out which way the others went. So no more singing, no more dancing, no more hugging." He grabbed his bag and finished, "If you need me, I'll be about as far away from all of you as I can get and still be considered 'here,'" before walking away, putting a few yards between the Snack Pack and himself.
He needed to put some distance between them and him before he did something he'd regret. There was a saying about this kind of situation: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Poppy gaped, watching. She'd thought things were going well, so why was he retreating now?
She was about to go after him when Cooper said, "Aw, but I don't wanna go to sleep! Why are you always such a party pooper, Branch?"
Biggie started, "Cooper—"
Just then a rock hit Cooper in the head—Branch had pulled out his slingshot and aimed at the animal troll.
"Yowch!" Cooper said. "Whoa, he's got good aim! I did not see that coming!" He laughed, apparently unfazed.
Smidge and Guy stared at Cooper, their eyes wide in concern. "Oh, my ga..." Smidge said.
Creek closed his eyes, grinning with amusement. If Cooper was a bit odd, that was nobody's fault but Cooper's. Besides, Branch did have a point—they should get their rest if they aimed to find the others.
"Heh. Can't be helped," Creek said. He opened his eyes and turned to Poppy, getting to his feet as he asked, "Shall we get some shut eye, Poppet?"
Poppy looked at him, feeling awkward yet not understanding where that came from. Weird. Normally I don't mind it when Creek calls me that. She could only come up with a couple of reasons for that, and both involved Branch. Am I still mad at him for the way he's been acting, or—
Was she bothered by Creek's words because she had feelings for Branch? She knew better than to act on those feelings—no, not because he was banished. She'd fix that soon. She just wasn't worthy of his affections, having left him alone for ten years. But she didn't really have the time to think about any of this before her thoughts were interrupted by a pair of irate girls.
"That's quite enough of that, Creek!" Chenille said. "Are you forgetting something?"
She and Satin had come to stand in front of Creek, hands on their hips and stern glares on their faces.
"Like us, perhaps?" Satin added.
Poppy's eyes widened, partly from surprise and partly from confusion. Where was this drama coming from? Since when were the twins in love with Creek?
Creek cringed and turned to them with a nervous smile. "Now, now, ladies. There's no need to—"
"You just said that only we were pregnant!" Satin cut him off.
"And you remember who the father is, don't you?"
He sweat and held his hands up, backing away from the two. They were making him very uneasy right now. "Y-yes, but that was—"
"Are you saying you plan to leave us raising two children alone?" Satin pressed.
"Because, according to troll law, you can't do that. You fathered children with both of us, so you have to marry us."
"Y-yes, I k-k-know that, b-but—"
Both gave him a nasty glare, which cut Creek off and made him cringe. He sighed, giving in. "I'm sorry, Poppy. The law's the law, I'm afraid..." And, thoroughly uncomfortable, he moved to go with the twins. "So...I guess I'll just..." he said, backing toward the twins, "see you...around." With a defeated sigh, he turned and walked to Satin and Chenille.
"It's about time!" Chenille snapped.
Satin grabbed Creek's right arm, and Chenille grabbed his left.
"Yeah! It wouldn't be fair to stick us with two trolls babies alone!"
"Especially since Satin is already enough like a baby."
Creek's eyes widened in fear, and he cried out as they walked off, leaving Poppy sitting alone by the fire and completely baffled. Oh, sure, she knew the marriage laws involving pregnancy, but they weren't even positive the twins were having babies. There was still a chance they might not, and she didn't think that they were the jealous type. What was she missing here?
Poppy just stared after them. "Uuuhh... Okay... That was—"
"GAAAAAAAHHH!" Smidge screamed as she ran over, a look of panic on her face.
Poppy blinked and stared at her best friend, unsure what all the fuss was about now. "Uh, Smidge?"
The small troll leaped onto Poppy's head and said, "If anyone asks, I am not here!" And she ducked into Poppy's hair, hiding like a trolling.
Poppy's eyes darted upward, confused by this weird reaction. But before she had a chance to even wonder about it, Guy and Biggie both came running over, smiling brightly. Poppy wasn't even sure when the three of them had left the campfire, but apparently they had. Biggie held a piece of paper in his hand, and Guy had a gift wrapped in glittery silver paper and tied with a sky blue ribbon.
"Poppy, you haven't seen Smidge, have you?" Biggie asked.
The honest answer was yes, but Smidge didn't want them knowing she was here. "Uuuhhh..."
That explained a lot.
"Because, if you have then you should know, I got her this greeeeaaaat gift! I'm sure she'll loooooove it!" Guy auto-tuned, smiling brightly as he held out the present.
"And I wrote a special poem just for her!"
"Oh, please! As if she'd like anything you wrote!" Guy retorted, turning to glare at Biggie.
"Well, at least I don't have the most dazzling blue eyes and a knack for choosing the most thoughtful gifts!" Biggie said, effectively insulting only himself. It was an improvement, however—he was insulting somebody for the first time ever.
Both Guy and Poppy both just stared at him. They were completely speechless. Biggies insults were growing rather concerning. Now he was managing to insult himself while still complimenting Guy. What was the problem with these two, anyway? It didn't make any sense to Poppy.
Recovering her voice, Poppy said, "Okay, first of all, Biggie...that was beautiful. And second, you guys, where's all this coming from anyway? I didn't even know you both had a crush on Smidge!" She threw her hands up over her head.
This seemed as good a time as any to ask about this. After all, they were safe for the night and getting ready for bed. Nothing exciting or important was going on, so it seemed like it would be okay to resolve this. A fleeting thought crossed Poppy's mind that maybe this was just her trying to be a good princess when they all knew she wasn't.
Either way, this thing with Biggie and Guy had to stop if anybody was going to get any sleep tonight.
Guy looked affronted. "Ah! Why, Poppy! How could you?" He put a hand to his heart and continued, "Of course, I do! I mean, just look at her!" He pulled out a picture of Smidge and quickly pointed it at Poppy before turning it to face himself. He smiled affectionately at it. "Why, any troll can plainly see we were maaaade for each other. And we have so much in common, too!" He put the picture away and glared at Biggie, pointing at him as he said, "Unlike this troll, who can't even dish out a single good insult! Honestly! Who raised you!? The goddess of perfect maaaaanners!?"
"I learned my manners from Grandma Rosiepuff!" Biggie answered indignantly. "And, for the record, she was a saint! Not that you would know anything about that! After all, you're a god yourself!"
Okay, that was where Poppy drew the line. Calling someone a god? Really?
She jumped up and got between the two, saying, "Guys! Look, I get that you both have a crush on Smidge." Lowering her voice, she added, "As random as that may be." She spoke up again as she continued, "B-but do you really think all this fighting's gonna make her like you? All you're doing is driving her off!"
Guy gave a humph. "Well, it wouldn't be a problem if somebody could take a hint already."
"She already told you she wasn't interested! Who can't take a hint?"
"GUYS!" Poppy bellowed at the top of her lungs. This was getting frustrating. It was like they weren't even listening to a word she was saying. Who did they think they were, Branch?
Hearing this, Branch groaned and went back to investigate.
Guy and Biggie froze, looking at Poppy with wide eyes.
She took some deep, deep breaths, then glared sternly at the two. "Look. I don't think that whatever happened back in Bergen Town counts since the both of you have apparently been doing this this entire time! You forced her to make a decision on the fly in the hopes it would stop you from fighting! If that wasn't true, she wouldn't be trying so hard to lose you both! Now I suggest you both knock it off and apologize to her!"
As princess, Poppy had been left to settle disputes like this one on occasion. Normally her reasoning would get the trolls involved to see sense, but things didn't go as planned this time, thanks to some unexpected and unhelpful interference.
"Why are you wasting your breath, Poppy?" Branch asked as he walked over with a glare on his face. He should've known it was those two idiots. "Rainbow trolls don't know how to care about someone else's feelings. If someone isn't always happy, smiling, and laughing, they just shut down completely. Telling these guys they're upsetting Smidge is about as useful as telling a growlbeast you just want a hug. It will never get through.
"Branch!" Poppy started. He couldn't be more wrong if he tried. "That's not—"
"Oh, forget it," Guy cut her off with a glare. He waved a hand through the air, annoyed. "What do you know, anyway?" He stormed off, stuffing his gift into his hair as he went.
As if Poppy could understand his feelings. She wasn't currently in a love triangle, so who was she to tell him what to do? It wasn't like anyone else was lobbying for Branch's attention and winning him from her, after all.
"Will all due respect, Poppy, I have to agree with Guy," Biggie said as he stuck up his nose and walked away.
She would never understand. He'd won Smidge's affections fair and square, yet Guy insisted on stealing her away from him. Nobody was trying to do that with Branch, and Poppy was clearly not interested in Creek anymore. She couldn't possibly understand how he was feeling.
Poppy started, eyes wide. She'd thought she was getting through to them before Branch interfered. Now what was their problem? "W-wait—Hold on, you gu—"
"Good night, Poppy," Guy said, his nose in the air now as well.
"Good night."
And that was the end of that conversation.
Satisfied, Branch turned and started back to the place he'd chosen to spend the night.
"Hold on, mister!" Poppy commanded, glaring at him in annoyance. If he'd just stayed out of that, she could have resolved it. "Just what was that all about? Guy and Biggie were—"
"Being completely oblivious to the way they're making someone else feel. In other words, they're being rainbow trolls." He didn't even stop. He was still walking.
There was no way she was letting him get away with that. Biggie and Guy had been listening to her until he messed it up.
Poppy ran after him, glaring. Firm, she said, "Hold up! Just because my dad made a bad call—" She stopped glaring, her eyes widening in horror. "Real bad...insanely—" She grabbed her head as she started freaking out again.
Smidge poked out of Poppy's hair and bopped her on the head, concerned. They didn't need anymore freak-outs, and they were far too easy to trigger these days. "Poppy!"
The princess froze for a second, then shook it off (Smidge holding on for dear life). Calmer now, she cupped her hands in front of her and said, "Look the point is, just because that happened doesn't mean we're all like that!" She gestured toward DJ, laying down to sleep nearby, and started, "Why, just look at—"
DJ seemed like a perfect example to use to counter Branch. She'd stayed out of the drama since Poppy had shared her latest scrapbook on that impromptu Branch Appreciation Day. Sure, she'd acted a little nervous whenever Branch lost his temper, but everyone did that. Unfortunately Poppy never had the chance to point any of this out.
Branch whirled around. That was the last straw. "At what?" he demanded. "At the way Biggie and Guy get along when jealousy comes up?"
Guy and Biggie were both nearby, setting up for bed. Both turned their heads toward this, glaring at first. Then, realizing what was going on, Guy frowned as he thought about Branch's words. He had been acting rather mean to his friend because of that. Biggie turned around fully to watch in concern. Branch had a point, and the way things were going, he might just lose Guy's friendship.
Branch gestured toward Satin and Chenille as he added, "At the twins getting mad at Creek for saving their lives?"
At the mention of twins, they both looked that way in curiosity. Then, when he finished, Satin looked down and rubbed her arm. Chenille looked up, tapping her arm with one finger and looking uncomfortable.
Creek sighed, smiling in relief as he meditated to calm himself down. Branch had a point. The girls were being unfair to him, with that in mind.
"At Creek's desire to abandon the mothers of his babies?"
Creek cringed, looking uncomfortable. Another point for Branch—Creek hadn't been acting fairly toward the girls, knowing what might be coming. "Eh..." He looked at the twins, sheepish.
The two looked back at him with guilt. After all, that wasn't any excuse for them to treat him badly as well.
"Rright... About that..." Creek started, wanting to explain himself to the two mothers-to-be and apologize for acting so untrolly lately.
He'd wanted to protect them from the bergens, but he could have just faked it, like he did with Poppy. With that in mind, he had no right to back out, even if the circumstances of these two possible childrens' births were abnormal. What kind of father would abandon their responsibilities like that, anyway? Creek found the very idea appalling.
But Branch wasn't done. He'd been verbally assaulted by these guys way too many times since meeting up with them again, and the fact that they were still acting like they could tolerate his existence for Poppy's sake just made him even angrier at them all. And there was one more he wanted to mention.
"At Smidge refusing to forgive someone for endangering her friend once, even after he's also saved her about a dozen times, and attacking based on rumors and speculation?"
Feeling guilty once again, Smidge ducked back into Poppy's hair, trying not to be noticed. "Eh..."
Apparently Branch hadn't accepted her apology for that attack. That or he hadn't heard it. Either way, hearing him bring it up again was awkward for her. The rest of it...she still didn't have an answer to. He had left her best friend to that bird; and, even though he'd been protecting them all ever since he'd come to Bergen Town, the bird issue was still a concern for her.
"Poppy, you may not be like that, but your people are! You're not a troll if you aren't singing, dancing, hugging, and happy all the time, and the moment you stop doing that, everyone decides they want nothing to do with you! You turn into some kind of untrustworthy freak!"
Those who hadn't already been watching the show turned to look at these words.
Smidge dropped her hands, eyes wide in shock. "Oh, my ga..."
She hadn't known that was how he'd been feeling. But the singing, dancing, and hugging had nothing to do with it. It was the rude, violent tendencies he'd shown everyone coupled with the fact that he'd almost gotten Poppy killed that was the issue. It seemed obvious to her—anyone would dislike someone like that. Why was he blaming it on his refusal to sing or dance? What was his problem? He wasn't making any sense to Smidge.
"Banishing me was the best thing your king could have done for me. It showed me what I should have known all along—that I don't belong in your society! That the only thing that matters to you rainbow trolls is having fun, and anyone who doesn't do that isn't welcome!"
Everyone gathered around, looking guilty and concerned. Smidge climbed out of Poppy's hair with the same look on her face. The majority of the Snack Pack were thinking along the same lines as Smidge, wondering why Branch seemed to think that him being different from them was the reason they didn't like him. How had they managed to confuse him so much that he thought their problem with him was something so trivial? Those he'd called out still felt guilty, too.
"Branch," Biggie started, "that's not—"
Branch waved an arm through the air and glared at him, snapping, "Don't tell me it's not true, Biggie! None of you care what I do! I'm always going to be the bad guy! I endangered Poppy's life, so I obviously was never any good! I mean, it's not like I ever tried to protect anyone but myself, right!?"
"Well..." Satin trailed off. That wasn't true. She could think of several instances where he had tried to protect them and even the rest of the village. But they'd all been acting like it was, like he only cared about himself. Like they'd forgotten any time he'd ever helped them.
"The traps..." Chenille said guiltily.
The Snack Pack looked at each other, feeling worse and worse with each word Branch said. That point was hard to argue with. He was spot on about that part, at least. They'd definitely been acting like he could never redeem himself, even though Troll Village's entire justice system centered on being apologetic and fixing one's mistakes.
Poppy walked over to stand beside Branch and put a hand on his shoulder. "Branch..."
She knew that what he was saying wasn't entirely true and hoped she could reassure him. The anger and hurt he was expressing was too much for her to bear. He needed words of comfort, to hear the things everyone had started saying about him—that they now felt safe around him; felt sorry for what had happened to his grandma; and, most importantly, that they'd started thinking he was taking good care of her now.
Since this entire mess had started ten years ago with the bird attack, that last was definitely the most important part. If the others thought Branch was taking good care of Poppy, then they were saying he was making up for the incident and they were about ready to forgive him for it.
But Branch didn't want her comfort right now. He pulled away from her, glaring around at the others. He wasn't paying any attention to her, as far as she could tell. "The sooner we find your village, the better. I don't want to be around any of you!" he snapped. Then he turned and stormed off.
They tolerated him best when he did their dumb activities, like that last camping trip before he'd been banished or tonight. They had very little tolerance for a guy who differed so greatly from them.
And the rest of the village was exactly the same.
He'd once thought that everyone just didn't like his attitude and chose to avoid him because of it, but he'd never given them reason to accuse him of murder before. That unfair trial had been more than enough to convince him that getting rid of the party pooper, the paranoid hermit, the crazy survivalist had been something everyone was looking forward to for years.
Poppy stared after him sadly, reaching a hand out. She didn't understand why he wouldn't listen. Couldn't he see things weren't as bad as they seemed? Then she turned to the others and glared at them as she put her hands on her hips.
The answer was obvious—no, he couldn't see things weren't that bad. The way her friends acted around Branch, it seemed as if they could barely tolerate him, and none of them had shown any signs that they felt different. Why couldn't they just admit to the same things they'd said back in the root tunnels when he hadn't been there to hear it? Why couldn't they tell him how they actually felt now? Sure, they didn't like him, but they didn't hate him anymore.
The Snack Pack all looked down, ashamed.
It was about time they realize they were wrong. Now if they'd just start showing it around Branch, they'd be golden.
Poppy turned, reaching out, and chased after Branch, calling, "Branch! Wait up!"
She couldn't let him walk off feeling like that. He needed to know the truth.
Left alone with each other, the Snack Pack looked around.
Cooper felt worse than any of them. He was the entire reason this was happening. Sure, he hadn't known the consequences of his actions, but it didn't change the way he and the others had been behaving.
The day Branch was banished, Cooper saw his friend being abandoned by the village grump—the guy who hated fun and happiness and always acted like a real jerk. He wasn't initially angry at Branch. He was only worried for Poppy. When he told King Peppy what happened, he said that Poppy had been with Branch, a bird came out of nowhere, and Branch hid, leaving Poppy exposed. He hadn't accused Branch of any crime that he'd known existed. He had just wanted to get help for Poppy.
But King Peppy had gathered many others and gone after Branch, not Poppy. Cooper hadn't found out where the adults had gone until later, when Poppy had told them Branch was banished and they'd asked the adults why. All of them had heard the same story: Branch tried to kill Princess Poppy, so he was banished. At first, Cooper remembered, he'd protested that Branch had saved his life at least once. But his caretaker had convinced him that was just a fluke or a ruse, that Branch didn't really care about anyone but himself. Over time, Cooper had become convinced that Branch really was dangerous and untrustworthy.
It was the same for the others, he was sure. How had they let themselves believe that about someone they'd spent so much time with? And how had they held onto those beliefs so stubbornly that they'd left Branch thinking he could never convince them they were wrong?
"We haven't been acting very trolly lately, have we?" Cooper asked, his head down.
"I mean, I apologized for attacking him, but..." Smidge trailed off. She might need to do that again, she realized. She was sorry, even if Branch didn't believe it.
The others all looked down again and sighed. Branch was right—their behavior was absolutely atrocious.
Walking along the stream, Branch pulled out Smidge's "thank you" gift from that stupid ceremony. He'd never decided what to do with it, but he knew what he wanted to do with it now. He tossed it in the water, letting it sink to the bottom. His eyes were burning with tears he didn't want to shed.
He should have stayed away from that campfire. So what if he was hungry? He shouldn't have joined them. He thought he was beyond caring what those people thought of him, but he was apparently wrong. As stupid as it was, he still wished they'd accept him.
Poppy ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder again. "Branch, wait. I—"
Branch blinked back the tears and pulled away. He turned around, glaring at her, and threw his arms out to the side as he demanded, "You what, Poppy? What could you possibly have to say now?"
It was easier to be angry. He could do angry.
Poppy just stared at him for a moment. The way he looked, she just knew talking to him about everyone's true feelings wouldn't help any. He was too far gone, too hurt and broken to believe her. At this point, only the others could convince him. But there was one thing she could do for him, one gesture that could help at least a little.
She pulled out her sleeping bag as she said, "You shouldn't be out here alone."
And, just like that, she broke his facade. He stopped glaring, his expression finally revealing what he really felt inside—sadness and loneliness. "...You can't keep saying that. Eventually we're going to find your village, and you'll be back where you belong."
"Don't say that!" Poppy said, upset, as she laid her sleeping bag out on the ground. "You can't leave! Not after—"
"What choice do I have!?"
"Branch that law's all wrong! Total isolation is pure torture for a troll! We should never have done it in the first place, but—"
"Poppy, there's a difference between what you went through and what I live. You were locked up, trapped, unable to go anywhere. I choose to stay away from people."
"...Not that time..." Poppy countered quietly. Her tone was filled with sympathy, her eyes gentle and sad.
Branch looked away, holding back tears again. He didn't want to cry in front of anyone, and Poppy was no exception. Why did she have to be right?
Poppy moved closer, standing beside him. "Branch. I know we hurt you real bad. But you can't go living in the past forever. Sooner or later, all this bitterness you're carrying's gonna consume you, and who knows what will happen then. You need to let it go and forgive us. Just as I always forgive you." She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle smile.
Branch sighed. He didn't say anything—He didn't have anything to say. After a moment, he put one of his hands over Poppy's hand on his shoulder, calming down a bit. "Alright."
Poppy smiled and wrapped him in a hug. Finally she was getting through to him. That was such a huge relief after everything they'd been through lately. "It's going to be okay, Branch. You'll see..."
She wanted to tell him he'd earned the right to come home, law change or no. But she chose to hold back on that. She didn't want to set him off again. He was like a ticking time bomb right now, and one wrong move could cause him to break completely. Giving him what he viewed as false hope would do no good right now. And she couldn't really blame him. All trolls learned from an early age that they could make things right by fixing their mistakes, like cleaning up after themselves if they litter or replacing something they broke. Yet Branch had been banished, even after fixing his mistake. Why would he believe her, with that in mind?
"Yeah," he said, although he doubted that. Nothing in his life was ever okay.
Poppy pulled back then and let go. She pulled out her mandolin, as if she thought now was a great time for a song. This one was one she'd been feeling Branch should hear ever since this whole thing started, but the timing had never felt right. Now, however, it seemed like he needed it, so what did she have to lose?
Branch groaned. "Poppy, really? Now?"
She didn't answer. Instead she started swaying gently to the music and singing, "Hm mm mm hmmm mm... There's a hero...if you look inside your heart."
Branch rolled his eyes. It figured she'd pick a song called "Hero." Sarcastically he said, "Of course. We're off to a great start."
"You don't have to be afraid of what you are..." she sang on, ignoring his complaint. She started toward him, dancing a bit slowly, and used her hair to pull a luminescent blue flower from a nearby tree. "There's an answer if you reach into your soul... And the sorrow that you know will melt away..." She stopped right in front of him and held the flower out to him with her hair. The look she gave him was gentle, not as pushy as she usually was with him.
Branch looked at her, and his expression softened a bit. Hesitantly he reached out and took the flower. Poppy smiled gently at him and backed up again, still swaying gently to the music. As she did, some glowflies started circling her, putting on a little show like the environment so often did when trolls sang.
"And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on...and you cast your fears aside..." she sang, swaying to the music.
The glowflies flew over to Branch and started flying around him in a spiral. He watched them for a second.
"And you know you can survive..." Poppy sang.
The glowflies finished their spiral and flew back to Poppy, where they broke into small groups. One group flew in a circle around her, and the other two flew in smaller circles off to either side of her.
"So when you feel like hope is gone...look inside you and be strong."
Some chorusflies came out from behind Poppy and scurried over to Branch. They rubbed against his legs affectionately, seemingly wanting some attention.
"And you'll finally see the truth."
Startled, Branch looked down at the chorusflies. It wasn't often that anything actually wanted his attention. Even rarer, he actually felt like giving it for once. He reached down, bending forward a little, and pet the little bugs a bit. They closed their eyes, cooing slightly, as the song continued.
"That a hero lies in you..."
Branch smiled slightly, straightening up. The bugs moved back a bit, but they stayed fairly close and smiled at him the whole time. "You've been looking for a good time to sing this one, haven't you?" he asked teasingly.
Poppy smiled warmly at him, reassurance in her eyes. Everything was going to be okay—he was strong, he'd get through this. They would find some way to fix this. All he had to do was cooperate with her. She was sure she could solve this problem.
She spun around on one foot, then started swaying again. "It's a long road...when you face the world alone... No one reaches out a hand for you to hold..."
Branch looked away. He knew that all too well. "Yeah..."
"You can find love..." she sang, and she spun again and slid to the left, swaying some more.
One of the chorusflies reached a foot up and touched Branch's chest, although it could barely reach that high. It smiled at him gently as Poppy sang, "—if you search within yourself."
Looking uncertain, Branch put a hand on his chest, causing the chorusfly to move its foot. It and its friends were still smiling at him.
"And the emptiness you felt will disappear..." Poppy side-stepped back to her original position and spun around a couple of times.
Branch looked at her again as the chorusflies gathered in a circle at his feet. "...Yeah, maybe."
Poppy started swaying again, continuing, "And then a hero comes along—" As the song continued, some songbirds came flying down out of the trees, carrying a large leaf. "—with the strength to carry on..."
The songbirds flew toward Branch, who looked at them, startled. They flew up behind him and gently placed the leaf on his back. At the same time, two small spiders landed on his shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.
"And you cast your fears aside..." Poppy sang as the spiders shot webbing toward each other.
The spider webbing formed a line across Branch's neck, and the spiders attached the webbing to the leaf the songbirds held as well. It seemed the critters were giving him a makeshift cape, which just struck him as extremely bizarre. He looked at the web and the leaf, highly confused.
Poppy smiled gently. She was definitely enjoying the critters' antics. "And you know you can survive... So when you feel like hope is gone...look inside you and be strong..."
The spiders finished up and retreated into the trees. The songbirds let go of the leaf and flew away. Branch was now wearing a leaf on his back down to his knees, the tip of it centered.
"And you'll finally see the truth..."
Branch looked at himself and blinked. Then, a lame look on his face, he shook his head. They'd put a cape on him. This wasn't just childish, it was wrong. He wasn't a hero. How did living creatures keep missing that point?
Poppy smiled at him with warmth and reassurance as he examined his new accessory.
"That a hero lies in you..." Poppy slid to the right, then back to her starting place and spun around again. "Oh, hoh... Lord knows—" the glowflies flew in random patterns around Branch, matching their movements to the music as he watched, "—dreams are hard to follow."
The glowflies flew back to Poppy, flying around in various swirling patterns.
"But don't let anyone...tear them away..." She spun a bit herself as she continued, "Hey, yeah... Hold on... There will be tomorrow... In time, you'll find the way..." Poppy stepped quickly to the right as she sang that.
Branch shook his head, but he was smiling a bit now. "And there's that undying positivity again."
"Hey..." She spun around a few times.
Then several things happened all at once. As Poppy resumed swaying to the music, the trees went into bloom, with luminescent flowers of blue, pink, yellow, purple, and orange shining brightly around Poppy. Some stars started spinning gently in the background. A red and orange worm crawled up to Branch, holding a pointy stick in its mouth.
"And then a hero comes along..." Poppy sang.
The worm started jabbing its stick toward Branch, seemingly challenging him to a battle. Branch raised an eyebrow at the bug. He smirked and shook his head. Since when did the local critters play with trolls when joining their songs?
"With the strength to carry on...and you cast your fears aside..."
Another worm tossed a stick at Branch's hand as the first bounced around, looking eager. Branch caught the stick, looked at the worm that threw it, and rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous, but he didn't seem to have a choice. He raised his own weapon and accepted the playful challenge.
"And you know you can survive..." Poppy spun around again, and the glowflies kept up their dance.
Feeling absolutely stupid, Branch started having a gentle "sword" fight with the worm. All the other critters gathered around smiled, enjoying the show. To Poppy, the way the two were moving looked like dancing to her music, especially since the worm was jumping around in time to the song. She smiled in amusement.
"So when you feel like hope is gone...look inside you and be strong..."
Branch pretended to stab the worm in the chest then, and it dropped its stick and played dead.
"And you'll finally see the truth..."
The other critters jumped around and rubbed against Branch, celebrating his victory in this play fight. Poppy stopped swaying and smiled proudly at the scene, her eyes locked on Branch as she tenderly sang on, "That a hero lies in you..."
He looked at her and smiled again. She does have a great voice, I have to admit.
"That a hero lies in—" She reached out with her hair and grabbed the hand that was still holding the stick. She turned him toward the creek. "—you..."
Poppy walked over, using her hair to move his head down so he was looking at his reflection, dimly visible by the moonlight. Branch blinked, taking it in.
It was him, but not the way he normally saw himself. The leaf cape actually made him look like some sort of valiant hero. He still had the blue flower glowing slightly in one hand and the stick for a weapon in the other. Behind him, Poppy and her mandolin were barely reflected. Somehow, for once, he didn't look like an outcast.
He stared, stunned. That's...a new look...
Poppy moved to stand beside him. The critters gathered around the both of them, looking happy.
"Mmm... That a hero lies in..." Poppy stopped playing her instrument and placed a hand on Branch's shoulder. She gave him a gentle smile. "...you..."
The local critters took over the music, cooing out the final melodies of the song. They retreated, giving the trolls their space. As the song ended, the scene returned to its pre-song state, save the glowing blue flowers in the trees along the creek bed.
Branch smiled a bit, shaking his head. "Bursting into song at random... What am I going to do with you, Poppy?"
Poppy smiled at him, putting her mandolin away. She looked at Branch expectantly, eyes asking the unspoken question of "feeling better now?"
She hoped, from the look she was getting back, that the answer was yes. He needed to know he wasn't completely unlovable or a monster. Sure, he still hadn't found out that everyone's views on him were changing, but maybe that wouldn't bother him as much if he could just learn to love himself.
Branch nodded, dropping the stick. "Thank you, Poppy. Believe it or not, I needed that."
Of course, if she ever told anyone else about this—especially the part where he said he needed it—Branch would deny it fervently.
Poppy's smile became more affectionate and she gently said, "Anytime, Branch. That's what friends are for."
Branch smiled at her. "Poppy..."
This girl was something else, he'd give her that. He didn't know what he'd do without her. Of course, he'd probably be figuring that out pretty soon.
Poppy was beyond happy to see that look on Branch's face. Now she knew she'd made the right decision in singing that instead of telling him the truth. That look implied a hint of hope that everything would be alright and he wasn't unlovable after all. Now if she could somehow convince him the others didn't hate him anymore, getting him to come home with her should be a breeze.
She put a gentle hand on his shoulder again, saying, "Now come on. We should get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us, and I get the feeling that some of my friends are gonna make it even longer..." She looked over her shoulder toward the campsite, thinking of Biggie and Guy. She was feeling nervous and a bit stressed—how could she get these guys to settle down? She barely knew what the problem was in the first place.
"For me, they're all going to make it longer." Branch put the flower in his hair for safekeeping, took off the cape, and lay down to sleep.
Poppy scooted her sleeping bag closer to Branch, trying to get as close to him as he would find comfortable. She then lay down and said, "Good night, Branch. See you tomorrow."
For the first time, Branch actually felt like answering that. "...Good night, Poppy."
She smiled at that as she drifted off to sleep. Progress. She was finally making progress. Yes, he was still upset about the way everyone was treating him, but it was obvious now that he did want to go home. It was also apparent that Branch might be starting to see himself in a new light, one that was more caring and heroic, a protector instead of a villain. This was good. He'd spent more than enough time hating himself and agreeing with the others, after all.
She could bring him home. She could even get the others to accept him. They were already starting to. It wasn't his fault they were keeping it from him, and the more trolls she could get to admit they accepted him, the easier it would be to convince him to come home. Everything was finally falling into place. She could fix this. No one would have to die. No one else would ever be hurt like this. She'd become the queen that ended it at long last. Her dreams of bringing Branch home would finally become a reality.
Especially if he was finally willing to admit that he didn't want to be all alone.
A/N: Shadgirl2 has a note about the song in this chapter: It's been on my mind as representing this story since we first dreamed it up. You could say its the song theme of this fic because of that since no other song has more meaning to someone like Branch at a time like this. It's his own personal hope song, showing him how to overcome the torments of being alone. Branch, in this fic, needed that more than ever. I just needed to find the right time to use it. Hopefully this seems like the right time. Please review and tell me what you think!