Hi everyone! Welcome to the first chapter! I won't lie, this chapter took all day to write, but it'll be worth it if you guys like it! Please enjoy!
OoOoOo
Princess Poppy wasn't like any of the trolls she ruled over.
She didn't like dancing or singing. Actually, no, that was a lie. She didn't like dancing or singing in front of others. Poppy preferred doing those things while she was alone, in the safety of her pod. In her solitary pod, there were no judging or prying eyes. It was just her. Sometimes, even that was enough to put her off when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She didn't like physical contact either. No, the only reason she had one of those dreaded "Hug Time" bracelets was so that she could make sure she wasn't near anybody when they went off.
Then there was the fact that she was completely colorless.
Poppy scowled at her reflection. Her light gray complexion had a slight pink tint to it, but most trolls tended to overlook that little tidbit, only seeing the gray. Over the last twenty years, she had grown apart from her people, becoming an outcast among them.
A princess being an outcast, she remarked in her head, chuckling humorlessly. How ironic. She could only imagine how disappointed her parents must be when the looked down on her. A gray troll as the princess was nothing less of a disgrace.
Sighing, Poppy pulled a dress - brown in color, nearly as bland as herself - over her head. She looked up at her downcast hair - it did that from time to time when she was in a particularly foul mood - which framed her face, her ears poking out from either side of her head through it. Her ears twitched as she picked up a sound in the distance.
Party rock is in the house tonight,
Everybody just have a good time (yeah)!
And we gon' make you lose your mind (clap),
Everybody just have a good time (clap)!
This was not happening. There was no way that these people were singing at the top of their lungs so loud that even she, with ears as small as a trolling's, could hear them. Everyone knew better than to sing directly outside her pod, so Poppy figured they must be ways away. Why would they risk the Bergens finding them over a song?
Shaking her head, Poppy began to head out of her pod to order everyone to stop singing so loud. She wasn't so cruel as to outlaw singing and dancing and everything she despised altogether (God knew there would be riots), she simply became worried when trolls sang too loud. What if a Begen happened to hear them one day? As princess, it was her job to protect her subjects.
"Princess Poppy!"
She groaned, before turning around. She willed herself not to glare at the troll in front of her. "Hello, Mr. Brook," she greeted politely. Now, Poppy didn't outright hate any of her subjects, but even she had to admit that something about Brook just didn't sit well with her. He was always speaking to her of her "royal duties." Not only that, he constantly brought up marriage. It was no secret that he was hoping that she would marry his son, Creek. Which was unfortunate for him, since that was the last troll she'd ever marry. "What can I do for you?"
Brook was a slightly lighter purple than his son, but anyone could see the resemblance between the two. "As you know, Your Highness, your coronation is in a few days," he reminded her.
Poppy grimaced; her birthday was in a few days, that was when she would become twenty-one, old enough to inherit the throne. Becoming queen was not something she was looking forward to. Being the sole ruler was draining enough as a princess, but being queen was bound to bring an entire load of responsibilities that she was not looking forward to. "I am aware," she answered coolly. "What of it?"
Brook smirked, obviously noticing her ire. "I was merely pointing out, Your Majesty, that every queen needs a king to rule by her side." And there it was. Nearly all conversations between the two ended up like that.
"Rest assured, Mr. Brook," began Poppy, trying to keep her cool. "I will find a suitor and continue the royal line when the time comes."
The older troll smiled at her, that arrogant smile that made her want to punch something. "I don't suppose that you've changed your mind about my son, Creek?"
She bristled at that. In hindsight, she should have seen it coming, yet every time it managed to catch her off-guard. Everything was moving to fast. Even though she loathed the idea of marrying anyone so soon, she knew that it was going to happen eventually. It was bad enough she was gray, but who knew what would happened if she didn't produce an heir?
Poppy took a deep breath. "While I'm sure that Creek is lovely," she lied through her teeth. "I'm afraid that I have no romantic interest in him." She turned around, forcing herself to walk away. She began to make her way towards where she knew the singing was coming from, if only to stop them from giving out the entire village. Just as she had suspected, the group was finishing up their song.
Put your, put your
Put your hands up!
Your hands up,
Put your hands up
Put your hands up!
"Really, guys?" demanded Poppy, coming into the clearing with her hands on her hips. It was who she thought it was; the twins connected by their hair since birth, Satin and Chenille, the strange, four-legged anomaly that was Cooper, the tiny yet freakishly strong Smidge, the DJ Suki, the small Fuzzbert, the sparkly Guy Diamond, the "gentle giant" Biggie and his pet worm, Mr. Dinkles, and last but certainly not least, the teal Branch. "I get that you all feel the constant need to sing, but do you have to be so loud about it?"
Branch gave her a goofy grin. "Well, if we don't project enough, how will everyone hear us?" he teased her cheekily.
She looked at him incredulously. "Branch, you'll tip off the Bergens being that loud!" she exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. In all honesty, she enjoyed hearing them sing, Branch especially. The teal troll in particular definitely had the voice of an angel.
Guy Diamond rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Oh, boy."
"Here we go again," muttered Cooper.
"Oh, Poppy," voiced Biggie sympathetically.
"You always do this," commented Satin.
"You always ruin everything, always rambling about the Bergens," agreed Chenille.
Poppy tilted her head in slight confusion. "I do?" She didn't want to rain on anyone's parade. Her number one priority was for her subjects to be happy, even if she herself could not be. But part of that priority was to make sure they were safe as well.
"Poppy," Branch spoke gently, approaching her before resting a hand on her shoulder. Usually, she was uncomfortable with physical contact, but Branch was different. He was the only one in the village that she could come close to calling a friend. "We've managed to stay out of sight from the Bergens for twenty years. If they haven't found us yet, why would they now?" He was always the voice of reason among his boisterous group of friends, the only one whose words she would take into consideration.
She bit her lip. "Well, you never know..." she pointed out. Though, she had to admit that he had a good point. After twenty years, who was even sure if the Bergens were still hunting them? Still, as a ruler, she couldn't take that chance. She had to make sure they were ready ever a Bergen did darken their doorstep. "Be that as it may, we can never be too careful."
Branch regarded her carefully. "You're coming to the party tonight, aren't you?" he asked.
Poppy's words died in her throat. Of course she knew that they'd be having a party for tonight. How could they not be? It marked the twentieth anniversary of their escape from Bergen Town. It was obviously going to entail a big, over-the-top party that even the little trollings would be attending. Everyone in the village was going to be there.
Everyone except her, of course.
Not only did this day mark the salvation of troll kind, it marked the day her brave and noble father, King Peppy, had risked his life for her and the entire village. It was the day she had turned gray, the last day she had ever felt happiness. This day was the last one she ever wanted to celebrate.
So, as per usual, Poppy mad up an excuse. "I don't know, Branch," she responded sheepishly. "I've got to make sure the bunkers are secure and all, you know?"
Some time around the age of six, she had gotten the idea of an emergency bunker for the village. In case a Bergen ever should come upon them, she wanted to be ready. It had started out as a small underground cave and had only grown over the years and she was confident that every villager would be able to live in it for about a year or so if need be. The structure itself was finished. Most of her free time was spent gathering food and various other supplies. This night especially would be spent foraging; it kept her mind off the pain.
"But it's gonna be the biggest-!" protested the twins.
"The loudest-!" added Suki.
"The craziest party ever!" Cooper finished.
Big? Loud? Crazy? That was literally a recipe for disaster! Couldn't they all see that she was only trying to keep them safe? Was she the only one with any semblance of common sense? "Seriously? You're basically putting up a sign over the village that says, 'Trolls Here!'" Now she was getting frustrated. All the work she was putting into protecting the village, and these guys wanted to destroy it all in one night!
Branch seemed to sense this as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She knew that he understood that tonight was going to be hard for her, just as it was every year. "We'll be careful," he promised her. She was almost completely sure that he was merely saying this so that she wouldn't shut down the party altogether, but she trusted Branch. Something about those electrifying blue eyes caused her to. He wasn't as careless as the others; if he said that he'd be careful, then he was going to be careful.
She was about to respond when a new voice joined the group, one with a very familiar accent. "And what do we have here?"
Just what I need. Poppy turned around to come face-to-face with the one and only Creek. It wasn't that she disliked him - alright, maybe just a little. He was arrogant and pompous, but that wasn't all. Something about him gave her a funny feeling, much like his father did. Sometimes, having no colors could come in handy because you could pick up things about people that others couldn't. She didn't remember much before she turned gray, but she did recall living obliviously to the dangers around her, blindly joyful in whatever situation she was in. That was something she never wanted to experience again, even if she did get her colors back someday.
"Poppy, love," greeted Creek pleasantly. "To what do I owe the immense pleasure of you gracing us with your presence?"
Poppy resisted the urge to roll her eyes; no matter how much he flirted with her, she knew of his true intentions. He and his father wanted power, they wanted the throne. Had she still been pink, she might have had a crush on the handsome purple troll, playing into his game. But she wasn't, so she didn't.
Nevertheless, she plastered a fake smile on her face. "Just passing through," she lied swiftly. "I should actually be going soon. But enjoy your party, yeah?" With that, she left before anyone could get another word in.
Her ears twitched as she heard someone mutter disdainfully, "I can't believe she's gonna be queen one day."
Tears pricked Poppy's eyes at the words, but she defiantly swallowed the lump in her throat. It wasn't as if she hadn't dealt with such ridicule before. Being gray was enough to spark the flame of gossip, being a princess always kept her in the limelight. Put those together and she was always the talk of the town. She ought to be used to it by now.
The bracelet on her wrist chimed and Poppy sighed in relief. At least she had left before Hug Time had reared its head.
OoOoOo
Who else wants to give Poppy a hug? Just me? Okay then? Now, I've tried to keep both Poppy and Branch in character here. I feel like Poppy being a people-pleaser wouldn't change at all. Even if she couldn't be happy, she'd want everyone else to be. Her distrust of Creek is valid. I mean, come on. He's a creep. She's a lot more sad and lonely than Branch was and her sadness wouldn't take form in anger. I also feel that she'd be lost seeing as though she had no father to guide her. She wouldn't be ready for the responsibility of ruling. I also don't think the Snack Pack would be as taunting as they were to Branch.
As it turns out, Branch was harder to write. I feel like even though he'd be smiling and singing and dancing and hugging, he'd still be quieter and much more cautious than the rest of the Snack Pack. I haven't incorporated him in much, but he will be.
Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!
