A/N: A'right, here's the continuation.
Disclaimer: I'm broke and I still don't own anything.
"Everyone get inside the Troll Tree!"
The Trolls left the comfort of their pods and listened to their King. They ran outside and headed to where the branches of the Troll Tree converge. Everyone wondered why Peppy suddenly asked them to go there. Whispers filled the whole room as they tried to get some answers from their fellow Trolls. Peppy stood at the platform in front of the crowd inside. However, when he was about to speak, the gates that enclosed the Tree made the clanging noise that meant certain demise to all Trolls. He went outside to see the Bergen that entered. It's that Bergen, who killed his wife again! He gritted his teeth as he watched the creature walk around the Tree. "There's no more Troll outside, Bergen" he whispered triumphantly.
But to his horror, there was a little purple Troll sitting on one of the Tree's branches. Hasn't he heard that all Trolls should be inside the Tree? He looked closer to see who it was while trying to get its attention. He finally realized that it was that friend of Branch and Poppy who always meditates. He tried to get its attention again, but the Troll was too immersed into his meditation that he didn't hear his King call him.
The Bergen, spotted him, much to Peppy's dismay. It wrapped its hands around the little Troll before Peppy could do anything to help. He heard the muffled screams of the child as the Bergen placed him in its bag. The king felt very weak down to his knees as the Bergen left. Has he failed another Troll again? "No" he said to himself. He went back inside and called for everybody's attention.
"Everyone, listen to me!" He began. "We are going to leave this place soon, but I still have to save the little Troll the Bergen took. If I don't come back by dawn, you may leave the Tree and this horrible place through the tunnel that I've made." Everyone whispered at each other again. "Yes! I have finished the tunnel that I've promised! It leads to the outskirts of Bergen Town, to freedom!"
"But we won't leave without you King Peppy!" A few Trolls shouted.
"Yeah! We won't leave without our King!" other Trolls shouted in agreement. "We're staying here until you come back!" Peppy smiled at the loyalty of his people.
"Thank you! But as I've said, if I don't return by dawn…go through that hole and leave this wretched town and never look back! Understood!?" The Trolls nodded reluctantly. They don't want to leave without their King, so all they could do was hope for the best thing to happen. "And while I'm away, place those decoys inside your pods. We're going to give those Bergens a Trollstice that they'd never forget!"
The Trolls did as they were told and took the wooden Trolls from the storage room. It looked a bit odd for their liking, but that would probably do. After all, the Bergens would just put those things inside their mouths.
Peppy ran towards the Bergen castle as fast as he could. He needed to save that Troll before it's too late. He stepped out of the cage and made his way across Bergen Town without being squashed or spotted by a Bergen. He hid behind a lamp post after he crossed the road and tried to catch his breath. He hasn't slept much and didn't even eat anything that day. He looked around for any signs of any Bergen coming his way, there was none. Peppy sprinted once more before he stopped under a bench. There's a Bergen that suddenly appeared! It sniffed the air as if it could smell food nearby. Peppy realized that it was him that the Bergen was looking for. The creature looked at the spot where he stood, so he quickly used his hair to disguise himself as a rock.
The creature frowned before he sneezed. He soon left, and Peppy turned his hair back to its real form. He took a deep breath before he sprinted again towards the huge castle. He finally reached the stairs that leads to the huge wooden doors. The Troll King gulped. The Bergen Castle sure looked eerie, not to mention that the clouds over it was much darker than the clouds that shrouded the town. He hopped on the steps, casting his fears aside at each of it.
"Now how could I get inside?" He muttered. Suddenly, the door swung open and two Bergens in uniform stepped outside. The two lazily walked around with their half-opened eyes. Are they even getting enough sleep? Peppy asked himself. He rolled his eyes before running inside when the two Bergens had their eyes closed.
Peppy looked around the castle. It was a lot bigger than he imagined. The floor was covered with a velvet rug that ran all throughout the hall. "It would sure look better if the Bergens would put some more lights and colors on those walls." Peppy took a few steps and saw some portraits of Bergens. Most of them were faces, probably of those who lived in that castle. He turned to the next hall, until a huge portrait caught his attention. It's a portrait of a group of Trolls gathered around a table looking all excited over a funny looking cake. To Peppy's horror, it was a Troll cake. The Troll King felt sick upon realizing what took place on that picture hanging over the wall of the castle. He walked as fast as he could, not daring to look at anymore images as he may not be able to control himself and throw his guts all over the place. Suddenly, he heard footsteps going his way. He thought as fast as he could and used his hair to climb on top of the nearby furniture then to the wooden beams that hang overhead.
"Yes, that single Troll should be enough for His Majesty." He heard a Bergen say, it was that Bergen who keeps taking away Trolls from the Tree. Peppy felt furious, he wanted to attack the creature, but a voice inside his head told him that it will never be a great idea. "Don't worry, Trollstice is tomorrow everyone could eat as many Trolls as they want. I'll just make sure that everyone gets a fresh Troll to make them happy a bit longer. That old Troll I took the other day only made the king smile for a couple of hours."
"Old Troll?" Peppy muttered. "The other day?" His eyes widened when it finally dawned on him that the Bergen was pertaining to Rosiepuff. He felt a painful tug in his heart. Tears started to form at the corners of his eyes.
"Yes, Chef." Peppy turned his gaze back to the two Bergens. He tried to shrug the thought of Rosiepuff being eaten at the back of his head, despite the unbearable pain he felt inside his chest. The Bergens went on their way. The one who killed his wife, entered a room, while the other walked straight down the hall. Peppy followed the one walking down the hall. The trail of velvet rug stopped and he saw the Bergen take a turn. He carefully snuck up inside and saw a huge kitchen.
"So, this is where they kill the Trolls they take from the Tree" he muttered. He scanned the area and searched for any Troll inside. His eyes widened when he saw the little Troll inside a cage looking absolutely terrified. Peppy waited for the right moment to jump in and save the child. He didn't have to wait much longer, as the Bergen left the kitchen. He didn't know how long the Bergen will be gone, but he can't miss any chances to save the child.
Peppy jumped from the wooden beam and onto the huge table where the cage was situated. The Troll almost squealed in excitement when he saw the Troll King. Peppy quickly made a hushing gesture before the Troll could even express his excitement, he does not want to do anything that would lead to both of them being caught and eaten. He took a pin from his hair and tried to pick the lock. He learned it when he was younger, when he still loves sneaking out of the Tree.
"Twist here, then there aaaaand. Done" he said. He took the lock off and opened the cage. The purple Troll ran into his arms and tearfully hugged him tight. "Shh, everything's gonna be okay now. You're Poppy and Branch's friend, right? What's your name?"
"Creek, sir" the purple Troll humbly replied. The two was about to make an escape when Peppy heard footsteps approaching the Kitchen. He looked around for any place to hide, but to his dismay, there was none. The Bergen arrived, but saw nothing on the table—save for the lemon that lay quietly on top of it. He eyed on the lemon carefully, as if he finds it very suspicious; however, his attention was caught by the open cage next to him. "The Troll was gone!" He exclaimed. "I'm dead, Chef's gonna be so mad!" He ran out of the room.
Peppy turned his hair back to its original form and sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" Creek nodded, but Peppy could say that he's still afraid, especially when that Bergen eyed on them. Peppy took the child's hand and was about to run, when he noticed something lying on the stone floor. It looked rather familiar to his eyes. He hopped off the table and looked closely to the red cloth under one of the tables. Strange thoughts started to fill his head. They need to leave before the Bergens come back; however, a strange force pulsed him towards that thing. That familiar thing. As he stepped closer he realized that it was not just any cloth after all, but a coat. It was red with sparkly pink hearts all over it. It looks just like "Rosiepuff's coat…" Peppy said under his breath. Tears streamed down his face as he picked the coat up and hugged it tight. His tried to control his emotions, but to no success. Creek watched as the Troll King cried over the thing he was holding. He approached his king, who was all shaky and embraced him. Suddenly, they both heard footsteps approaching the Kitchen once again.
"Phil, I asked you one simple task and you failed!" The voice rang across the room. Two Bergens entered the kitchen and made their way to the table. Peppy looked around in search of a safe place to hide. He pulled Creek along when he saw one, under a huge stove. "I told you, I need to look good tomorrow for Trollstice!" The Troll smacked the other Bergen's head with a ladle. The Bergen looked oddly familiar, although Peppy cannot really say. The Bergen had some green stuff all over its face, save for its eyes and mouth. She was wearing a white silk night gown and had some curlers on her hair.
"I'm sorry Chef, but the Troll escaped…" the Bergen named Phil replied.
"Chef?" Peppy whispered. Then he remembered the conversation of the two Bergens earlier. One of the Bergens, who turns out to be Phil, called the other Bergen "Chef". Peppy gritted his teeth. That was the Bergen who killed his wife, Rosiepuff and all the other Trolls in the Troll Tree! He was about to step out and attack the creature, but two little hands stopped him from doing so. He looked at Creek, who gave him a worried look. He shook his head, trying to plead to the Troll King not to do whatever he was planning. Peppy relaxed his clenched fist and his tense body and watched the two Bergens.
"Did it really escape? Or you just decided to eat it and try to pass this 'escape' thing as an excuse?" Chef eyed the other Bergen carefully. "His Majesty, has been craving for a Troll for a while now. We cannot just tell him, to wait until tomorrow."
"B—but…" Phil stuttered.
"Guards!" Instantly, two guards appeared from the hall. "Lock him up. He has taken something very important from King Gristle." The two guards did as they were told. They took each of the Bergen's arms and pulled him out of the Kitchen.
Peppy pitied the poor Bergen as he was blamed for something that he didn't do; although he didn't actually regret taking the little Troll from the cage. Something, bothered him though. Is this a usual thing for the Bergens? To betray their own people? Peppy shuddered at the thought. He watched as the Bergen walked away, but paused halfway out of the room. She sniffed the air, as if a foreign scent was inside. She looked around trying to track the source of the scent. Peppy held tight onto Creek as he prepared for the worse thing to happen. The Bergen took a final sniff and eyed on the stove. She walked closer.
"Gas." She muttered as she closed the valve next to the stove. She smiled, and suddenly dropped down to and looked under the stove. To her dismay, there was nothing underneath. She stood and finally left.
"Phew. That was close. Are you alright Creek?" Peppy said as he retracted his hair back to its original form. When the Bergen stepped close to the stove, he pulled Creek out of their hiding place and behind the leg of a table. He used his hair to blend in and make sure the Bergen won't see them.
"Yes, King Peppy." The child clung unto him tightly.
"We need to leave. Quick." He took Creek's hand and led him back on the wooden beams that he used to get into the Kitchen.
"Make sure those floors are clean!" he heard a Bergen shout. "Trollstice is almost here and Prince Gristle is going to taste his first Troll. Bridget! Get in here!"
Suddenly, a huge feather duster appeared and ran across the beam. Peppy had to drag Creek as fast as he could, so it won't hit them. He looked at the hall, and was shocked at the sight of Bergens all over the place. "Th—they're cleaning" Peppy muttered.
"How are we gonna get out now, King Peppy?" Creek asked. Peppy didn't know too. He expected everyone to be sleeping like that Bergen Chef. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat as he thought of a way to get out of that castle without being captured.
"Alright, Creek. Hold on tight." He said as he helped the purple Troll up on his back. He used his hair to swing from the chandelier and across the other beam. He quietly crept across the wall and made his way through the busy hallway. He took a turn while remembering the path he walked through to get to the Kitchen. "Right, then Left. Then One last turn to the left and we're on out of here."
Thud! The two went flying down to the floor when a huge feather duster hit them hard. Peppy quickly grabbed Creek and tried to find a place to hide. He can't find any! Those Bergens won't be busy for a long time and would soon see the two of them. All of a sudden, a huge shadow appeared from behind them. Peppy knew for sure that a Bergen has spotted them and is ready to either feast on them or tell the others about its discovery. He turned and saw a little Bergen, who was wearing a pink dress. He could say that she's a bit shock with what she found. Peppy waited for her to tattletale about what she found, but instead he felt her hands wrap around him and Creek. "So, she's a greedy one." Peppy said inside his head.
"Bridget? What are you doing there? Didn't I tell you to clean the foyer!?" a Bergen asked from behind.
"Y—yes, ma'am." The Bergen quickly replied after she rose and hid the two Trolls behind her. The other Bergen rolled her eyes and walked away. Bridget held unto the two Trolls carefully as she ran across the corridors. She reached the foyer and opened the door. Is she helping us? Peppy asked himself.
"Quick! Go back to where you came from!" The creature said before she closed the door. Peppy was surprised at what the Bergen did. He turned and saw beams of light rising from the horizon, much to his surprise.
"Quick, Creek! Let's go back to the Troll Tree and leave this Town for good!" Peppy pulled the boy's arm and ran as fast as he could. Good thing, the Bergens are still asleep, so going back was an easy task to do.
Back at the Troll Tree, everyone has finished placing the decoys inside their pods. They went back inside as soon as they finished their job and waited for King Peppy to return.
"The sun is almost up, and King Peppy hasn't returned yet" one of them worriedly said. Everyone agreed. They felt really scared and nervous. They don't wanna leave without their King. Who would lead them? Poppy is still too young to lead and is not even aware what's happening around her.
They heard someone running outside. Could it be their King? Yes! Peppy descended from the top of the tree and into the room where the Trolls gathered, while holding a little purple Troll in his arms. Everyone cheered as their King has finally returned. "Everyone! Into the tunnel!" Peppy commanded. He made sure that all Trolls get inside safely. He ushered each of them inside making sure that no one will ever get left behind.
"Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!" they heard the shouts of the Bergens from outside. Everyone panicked and moved faster. "Get inside, quick! No Troll left behind!" Peppy commanded. The commotion outside grew a bit louder, he felt the excitement the Bergens have. Peppy grabbed a torch and lit it up, before descending down the tunnel. He took one final glance at the place he considered home for all his life. They are never going back.
A/N: Yup, that was it. So, my exams are in the next few days. I really don't know if I'd be able to update any time soon. Anyway, the next chapters are a bit closer to what happened in the movie. Hoped you love this chapter. Got something in mind? Do tell me! I love suggestions!