"Atchoo."

King Peppy recognized the sound of that sneeze anywhere. His daughter was nearby. His old bones - sharp with knowledge and achy with age - tingled with the intuition that she wasn't down with a cold or having any case of allergies. No, the way she sneezed came from within. It could only mean one thing.

"Atchoo."

The retired King took a shortcut between the shrubs and quickly found his daughter sitting down on a rock, wearing her yellow bathing suit and watching with a small smile as her friends ended a game of glitterball by the beach. She didn't have a runny nose, but her eyes looked smaller and she had the unmistakable tired look on her face.

"You should come out with it at once, darling." King Peppy loved when he was able to startle Poppy. It was one old thrill that reminded him of when she was a kid and they played hide and seek. Emerging from the green leaves certainly made her jump back.

"My goodness, dad. What are you doing in the shrubs?"

"I was on my way home when I heard you sneeze." He sat down next to her and smiled, letting her know that he already knew something was wrong.

"I'm fine. The weather changed and it's getting cold. That's all." Poppy waved her hand to dismiss her dad's concerns, but - as any daughter deeply knew - it was futile trying to fool her dad.

"Funny," King Peppy turned to Cooper who was pairing up with Tiny Diamond to win the match against DJ Suki and Holly Darling. "That kind of sneeze is very specific. It almost sounded like Guilty Sneeze."

Poppy rolled her eyes, not being noticed by her dad. Indeed, she couldn't fool him even if she tried. It took years to finally win a match during snow day, there was no way she would be able to hide anything important from a King who had a vast experience in knowing every trick a troll could pull.

"Fine. It is Guilty Sneeze." She admitted, earning a victory smile from her dad. "Atchoo."

"Well, why are you feeling guilty?" He wisely swirled his mustache in his orange fingers, feeling like an old Hair Jitsu master. "The sooner you talk about it, the sooner it will go away."

"I don't know…" Her feet were full of sand. Usually the sensation alone made her smile and enjoy her day, but at that moment, it was merely a way to avoid her dad's eyes. "I had to teach someone a lesson and I don't feel well about it."

"I see…" King Peppy nodded. "Being a leader is challenging sometimes."

"You were a great leader, dad." Poppy smiled at the memories of her dad helping every troll out of the old Tree in Bergentown. He didn't wave a second. He was serious the whole time and everyone made it out safely. He was focused all the time and he didn't rest until they found the perfect place for Pop Village. "I don't know if I can ever be as good as you."

"Some decisions are tough." The glitterball match was over. Tiny had won and Poppy's friends started collecting their things to go away. They waved at her in the distance, noticing she was intending to stay a little longer with her dad. "We never want to be harsh on our friends, but sometimes we need to put every troll in their places to avoid problems escalating to something bigger."

"Uh…" Poppy could only imagine Branch's face if things escalated even more. He was already so shaken up when he overheard the elder saying their love was merely an infatuation that he would probably get into a vortex of self-doubt again. "It would get bigger and it would affect… someone I love deeply."

"Were you unjust or out of proportion when you corrected this troll?"

"No, I don't think I was. It was just a private conversation." Poppy explained, burying her fingers deep into the sand, like a crab when hiding from the lake's waves. "But I don't like to do these things."

"If you were just and you didn't expose the troll's faults… if everything remained between you two… then I guess you're a better leader than you realize." King Peppy smiled down at his daughter.

Poppy bit down her lower lip in understanding. It had to be done. She had to protect Branch. Trollstopia needed to respect and appreciate him.

Branch was the strongest of all of them. He had faced sadness, hopelessness, paranoia, he had lost his colors and he was still able to rise from the grayness to save their friends, more than once. He was kind, loving and he was a genius. He built things! Trollstopia wouldn't have half its infrastructure if it wasn't for him.

As for herself… Poppy was ashamed that deep down she felt powerful when the elder was successfully corrected. Her first reaction was to be proud like she did when she had accomplished a difficult task. She felt beautiful, more feminine, queenly… Branch's guardian. She wanted to kiss him, to show him she was there for him and nobody would speak badly of him again.

Then, when the winning fire slowly died, she felt guilty for feeling victorious.

Bernadette was an old lady. She had survived the Bergens, she had raised her grandson and the habits she acquired from the previous generation made her stiff.

Poppy was sure she had done the right thing, but she felt bad for feeling good about it.

How much more conflicted could she be?

"I'm glad you reached a truce." King Peppy stood up, stretching and cracking a few bones.

"Did I…?" Poppy asked her dad in confusion. She wasn't so sure about it.

"You're not sneezing anymore."