I do not own Trolls.

Chapter Five

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Branch asked Gristle. He had spent the day dealing with all Poppy's to-do list to help her out, but one of the items was a meeting with King Gristle and Bridgett. He wasn't sure if it was a meeting he should have took control of, but he did anyway. Poppy wasn't up to it and as future King he realised he needed to accept more responsibility amongst the Royals. However, he wasn't sure he was of a status to authorise Gristle's suggestions.

"We thought maybe the Trolls would like to return to the Troll Tree," Gristle repeated himself.

"Yeah, I mean, we spent all this time building a friendship. We want to share all this with you, a bit of extra protection for you too," Bridgett added in. Now the extra protection sounded tempting to Branch, especially with the baby on the way. After all, Bergen Town had guards, large ones compared to them, they also had lots of trade coming in and out of the village. They showed a promising environment for the Trolls, but Branch worried how the Trolls would deal with the change. It would be a huge upheaval and a huge amount of trust would be required for such an alteration. The Trolls had been very forgiving towards the Bergens, so he wondered if they would be open to returning to the Troll Tree, or would the wounds still be too deep?

"It sounds promising, but I can't authorise this…" Branch shook his head, suddenly feeling very out of his depth.

"We understand, which is why we wanted Poppy here…" Gristle almost rolled his eyes, causing a shot of anger through Branch's body. Branch didn't appreciate being spoke about or looked at in that way.

"Where is Poppy?" Bridgett spoke up, looking very worried about her tiny friend. Branch shifted in his spot, unsure of what to tell them. He couldn't exactly reveal the pregnancy to them, not before they had told their own Village.

"Sick," Branch answered quickly and to the point. He didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, and instead began to move towards the end of the table ready to make a hasty exist.

"Wait!" Bridgett shouted, making Branch halt. He glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Please move here. I want to see my bestie and one day you're going to be her husband and start a family no doubt and I would like to be a part of that," Bridgett admitted to him, clearly in the hopes it would persuade him. Branch felt guilt suddenly. He had been hogging Poppy lately. He found he struggled to be without her and the idea that others may want to see her too never crossed his mind. He tended to join Poppy when it came to her usual Troll group of friends, but when it came to the Bergens Branch forgot that Poppy rarely had time spare to visit them. He had taken up her spare time and the Trolls took up the rest. She needed the friendship they offered her. It was her pride and joy. It was this friendship that gained her the title of Queen.

"Yeah, okay," Branch nodded before leaping from the surface and making his way to the Village. It was getting late and if he didn't hurry he would be late for their special announcement.

XoXoXoXoX

Poppy sat on a toad stool, watching her friends as they rushed about, preparing decorations and setting up the stage ready for tonight's party. While Poppy usually enthused over parties, today she felt the opposite way. She felt exhausted, sick and bloated. She didn't feel like dancing or singing. She felt like curling up in bed and sleeping for eternity. She found that the pregnancy was affecting her negatively and while she desperately wanted to feel excited for the announcement, she instead felt dread. She hoped the Trolls would accept her engagement and the future Royal baby. Yet she still worried they wouldn't. After all, Branch was still a bit like marmite amongst the Village. Some adored him, some felt inspired by him, yet other's felt more… annoyed about him. Irritating was a word she heard often when it came to the Trolls description of him.

"Poppy, what's with the glum face?" Biggie asked worriedly as he approached Poppy, Mr Dinkles clenched tightly in his arms.

"What if they don't approve of Branch as their future King?" Poppy blurted out. Biggie looked shocked at the question, but took a breath, clearly getting ready to calm her down.

"You are being silly, Poppy. The Trolls are getting used to Branch, he's been helpful," Poppy almost choked on her laughter at that thought.

"Helpful how?" She challenged. She couldn't remember Branch ever helping the Village out, only when he wanted to spout off rubbish about new safety systems and equipment.

"He's helped the Village with repairs," Biggie reminded her.

"Yeah, he even helped me with harvesting some fruits and veg," Guy Diamond suddenly appeared and joined in.

"He knows all the best places to find them too," Satin stated, coming to stand beside Poppy while her twin sister nodded in agreement. Poppy couldn't help but smile.

"He's also not that bad to get on with, I mean, he's been in the Village all day today sorting stuff out and helping out with different problems," DJ shouted from her place on the stage. Poppy narrowed her eyes in confusion, unsure of what she meant. Why would he be in the Village doing that kind of stuff? She thought he was gathering stuff for the party…

"Yeah, he came around earlier to me and asked me if I'd help lift some materials. He was helping patch in the leaks on the school," Smidge informed Poppy, clearly seeing Poppy's confusion on the situation.

"Did he do a book reading at the school?" Poppy asked cautiously, the puzzle starting to fall into place.

"He did but he was a bit robotic…" Guy informed her. Poppy smiled to herself. He had been doing her duties, filling in for her and doing everything on the list to help her out. It made her heart swell knowing he'd do all that just for her. But upon thinking further about it she suddenly felt worried and horrified. She was meant to have a meeting with Gristle today and he made a point of telling her it was important, and she needed to turn up! Poppy's smile soon faded, especially as the disco lights turned on and the Trolls began to turn up in their masses.

"Come on, Poppy, lets dance!" The twins cheered as they grabbed Poppy by either arm and guided her to the dance floor. She tried to smile and enjoy the music, but she felt sick to her stomach and she resented the fact Branch wasn't here beside her. She hoped he would turn up before the announcement. It was news she wished for them to share together as a couple. Poppy flittered around the guests, enjoying a quick chat and dance with everyone. She was doing her best to keep the vibe up and going and to enjoy herself best she could without Branch by her side.

"Attention party Trolls!" Peppy bellowed as the music died down. The Trolls began to cheer in excitement, all ready to listen to Peppy.

"I would like to thank you all in joining our Queen and I at this wonderful party," Peppy carried on as he welcomed Poppy on the stage beside him. She searched around the sides of the stage frantically, trying to spot Branch. She was feeling nervous and found that her hands were tugging at her dress worryingly. She stared out at her people and knew it was a bad idea to announce anything without Branch. She didn't want them to think they weren't a united front, she didn't want them to think that Branch was unreliable.

She let out a deep, anxious breath. She felt a reassuring hand on her back and with a quick look she couldn't help but grin as she saw Branch stood beside her. He looked out of breath, a few small sweat drops on his forehead, but at least he was there with her. He offered a cheeky grin as reassurance.

"Poppy and Branch would like to speak with you all now," Peppy handed the crowd over to them. Poppy could feel Branch's hand shaking in hers, he was clearly nervous, and it made her smile knowing that. It meant that this meant something to him. He clearly wanted to do it right, not just for her, but for their Kingdom.

"Branch and I are so excited you all came!" Poppy beamed.

"We do have a couple things to tell you," Branch piped up. The crowd suddenly formed a few hushed whispers before a blanket of silence covered them. You could hear a pin drop amongst the stillness of anticipation.

"Yes, we do," Poppy nodded, "We would like to cordially invite you all to a Royal Wedding. Our wedding!" Poppy practically screamed in excitement, the Trolls roaring in excitement. They were all cheering for the couple and voices of approval were shouting over the crowds. The couple smiled at each other, happy with the reaction.

"There is one more thing," Poppy spoke up again, the Trolls falling silent. Suddenly they seemed alert. The Trolls looked worried and curious all in one go.

"We are also expecting our first chid together," Poppy carried on. Some Trolls cheered instantly, others remained silent. They eyed each of the faces in the group to try and harvest some form of reactions, but there just wasn't one.

The Trolls were lost for words.