A.N. Another chapter! And to answer your question neomoon585, I'll take your suggestion of Petal for the beetle.
Soon after the meeting in the throne room, Peppy notified Poppy of the wedding date.
The princess, feeling less and less confident, decided to take a breather on her personal balcony.
She didn't even notice Branch coming up behind her.
"Anything wrong, Princess?"
Poppy started, before turning to see her teal friend.
"Oh, it's just you. And to tell the truth, yes. I'm feeling a bit envious of my people..."
"Oh really? How so?" asked Branch, though he was positive he knew the answer.
"They're so happy. They're free to sing, dance, and hug all day...while I'm stuck in here."
An awkward silence followed.
Eventually the pink troll decided to speak up.
"...What do you think King Gristle will be like?" she asked.
Branch gazed at her with longing in his eyes.
He sighed.
"I'm sure he'll be suitable."
Poppy walked away and turned back to her tutor.
"I know it's the RIGHT thing to marry him, but sometimes I wish..."
She trailed off, knowing her father would never forgive her if she proclaimed her love for Branch.
"...Apparently he's a lover of music," Branch said at last.
"He can sing and play the guitar and piano."
Another awkward silence filled the air, the two lovesick trolls wishing they could kiss each other like they wanted to.
After ten seconds with no words spoken, the teal troll had an idea.
"...Poppy?"
She inched closer involuntarily.
"...Yes?" she whispered.
"You're going to need your cape."
"I am? Why?" the pink troll was both confused and curious.
Soon Poppy found herself in a carriage with her teal tutor and Petal.
"Oh, will you just tell me where we're going, Branch?" she asked desperately.
"I told you, it's a surprise!" he chuckled in return.
The princess huffed and turned away.
"Hey, we're almost there..." he hinted.
"Now if only I knew where "there" was..." she rebutted teasingly.
Eventually the carriage trundled to a stop, and Branch helped his crush out.
Her face lit up like a firefly.
"Is this...the Annual Bi-Kingdom Market?!" she squealed.
Branch laughed and nodded.
"I know you've always wanted to go here-"
"-not to mention my father would kill me if I tried," Poppy jumped in.
"-so I thought, "Hey, there's nothing like fresh air to diffuse stress!" and here we are."
The pink princess giggled. "If only it was that simple..."
They gazed longingly at each other yet again, before they both came to their senses.
"Ahem, well. Come on, Petal, let's go explore!" Poppy beckoned her beetle as the duo walked off.
No one noticed that Bone and Crusher had sneaked out with them, and were silently following Petal...
With Poppy and Branch, the princess was running from stall to stall with Branch trying his hardest to keep up.
"Please, slow down!" he called, eventually managing to take her hand.
They both froze, a blush evident on their faces, before the teal troll let go.
"There's, uh, plenty of time to see everything..." he muttered.
Poppy smiled softly.
"It sounds like you've been here before," she remarked.
"I have. My parents had a stall here a few years ago."
"What happened to it?"
Branch stopped and looked down with a melancholy expression.
"I...ordered it burned after they died," he admitted.
The princess gasped.
"Oh Branch...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"I know."
The troll looked up with a soft smile, and after a few minutes, the duo started walking again.
"It's nice being outside the village for once," Poppy admitted.
"It's like I'm a normal person!"
They eventually passed by a flower stall, and after discreetly buying one, Branch offered a red rose to Poppy.
"Well, you'll never be normal to me..." he murmured.
Poppy gasped and carefully took it from her crush, being careful not to prick herself on the thorns.
"Rosa Macdub! Thank you Branch, it's my favorite! ...Though you already knew that," she admitted.
Branch chuckled and they started moving along once more.
"Mmmmm...those smell delicious," Poppy remarked when they passed by a troll's cupcake stall.
"I'll be right back," Branch said in return, making it obvious he was going to buy one for her.
He walked away, leaving the princess to look around at everything going on.
There was a troll dad with his kid on his shoulders, a bergen boy with a lollipop, and...a troll family running a vegetable stall.
The stall didn't seem to be getting much business, and the trolls' clothes were ragged and dusty.
Feeling sorry for them, Poppy went over to buy some for the royal kitchen, but as soon as she got close enough, she heard a quiet something.
"Like a bird that flies in the morning light
or a butterfly in the spring..."
Her ears pricked up.
"Is that...singing?"
It was indeed singing, and the one who was singing was none other than Bridget.
"When your spirit rides on the winds of hope,
you'll find your wings..."
Being an excellent singer herself (but who wouldn't expect that from a troll?) Poppy beckoned her pink beetle.
"Come on, Petal, let's go listen!"
Meanwhile, back with the pauper, Leaf was collecting coins in the money cup for his owner while Bridget sang away.
"For you're always free to begin again
and you're always free to believe
When you find your place where your heart belongs-"
However, she was rudely interrupted by none other than Chef!
"IDGET!"
"AH! Chef!" she yelped.
The taller Bergen merely glared at her before she snatched up the cup from Leaf and started putting the coins into her fanny pack.
"No! Wait! I earned that!" Bridget cried desperately as she tried to get the coins back.
"And YOU owe ME!" Chef barked.
The audience, feeling uncomfortable, went back to whatever they were doing before.
Except one, who watched in horror.
Meanwhile, Chef scoffed at her scullery maid.
"Did you REALLY think you could make a living as a singer?"
Bridget hung her head, too despondent to reply.
"Get back to work, scullery maid, or there will be trouble!"
With those last words said, the evil Chef stormed off, tossing the empty cup back at Bridget.
Bridget sighed, and was about to collect the cup and do as her boss said, when the same someone from earlier picked it up and put her own coins into it.
"What a beautiful song..." the stranger said.
"Thanks, my mom taught...it...to..." Bridget looked up and instantly trailed off.
The stranger was none other than Princess Poppy, and she looked just like her!