"The coronation is going to take place next week." Branch placed an unfolded piece of paper in front of Poppy, sliding it across the table she was cleaning up.

"I'm working," she replied simply, not sparing him a second look.

" Your coronation, Poppy." He grinned at her surprise. "As I said, everyone wants you back."

"I haven't decided if I want to go back," Her eyes quickly scanned the paper and returned it to him, doing her best to look unaffected by the news.

Poppy had been trying to look unaffected by everything Branch did for a while.

Her apartment was utterly changed, thanks to his construction abilities. He fixed the broken shelf and the leaking in the bathroom. With Rob's things gone, the survivalist took more space. He escorted her home every night and prepared something healthy for dinner. He slept on the couch without questioning. He didn't even hug her without proper consent.

On the first days, it felt like he was intruding in her life, but then… Poppy heard him showering while singing a ballad… and the cooking was superb. Branch did the dishes and fluffed her pillows. He was doing a good job at making her notice how indispensable he was. It was just like they were in the bunker, minus the intimacy.

Dr. Leopold mentioned they were playing chess once a week. Branch seemed to have found a good adversary and the therapist couldn't be happier. Poppy knew they weren't talking about her - most likely Branch was having free sessions disguised as chess matches - otherwise, her fake husband wouldn't be taking baby steps to show her he was determined to save their relationship.

Her drinking bill was getting cheaper as well. Perhaps she had stopped taking vodka bottles home and hadn't noticed until then.

"I will reply to this," Branch took the letter back with much enthusiasm, snapping Poppy back from the small flashback and into the bar where she was supposed to be working. "And I'll be back at the time your shift ends to pick you up. Bye."

Branch was also very frustrating. Poppy put her hands on her hips and watched him leave the dark bar. His green vest brightened at the poor sunlight outside and Poppy felt her insides involuntarily melting.

He looked more handsome each day.

Could she do this? Could she go back and act as if nothing had changed?

Trollstopia was her home and it would welcome her back, even if she announced she was staying at her pod instead of the bunker, revealing that she wasn't together with the Prince Regent after all.

But would it break Branch's heart? Fake or not, it was going to be like a divorce, which was ironic because their marriage was just for show in the first place. It was her plan all along: to go back, get married, pass the crown to him, and leave.

The crown part was tricky, and she didn't expect the emotional complication that getting intimate with Branch resulted.

"Excuse me," someone sat at the bar and Poppy looked around. George, the bartender, wasn't anywhere to be seen so it was up to her to prepare the drink.

"Welcome. My name is Poppy. What can I get you today?"

"Whatever you're drinking," the girl answered and Poppy was taken by surprise.

Wait a minute.

Dark orange hair, a black cropped T-shirt, and big salmon-colored lips.

The girl who had started it all. Joan.

"I'll get someone else to prepare your drink," Poppy's knees weakened, and Branch's terrible words that she had buried deep into her subconscious the past weeks quickly came to the surface.

"I want to talk to you," the rock troll replied. Poppy avoided eye contact. She couldn't do it. Her body started shaking in a mix of panic and anger. She felt lightheaded. "Please, it took me a while to get the courage to come here."

Great, the girl was selfish enough to want to be praised for being brave to walk into a bar. Poppy's sarcastic side had to bite its tongue.

"I messed up and I'm so sorry." She said it all in one breath.

The old Poppy would be hospitable enough to put the troll's needs before her own and tell Joean that whatever she was feeling wasn't her fault. But the new Poppy just nodded.

It was her fault. It was all her fault.

"About your boyfriend," Joan reached for a vodka bottle that was on the sink without Poppy stopping her. "I didn't know he was your boyfriend at the time." She gulped the drink before continuing, "I heard you got married. Congratulations," she also reached for a glass and filled it up herself.

"I don't want to talk to you," Poppy took the bottle back and placed it on the shelf behind her. She had desperate for her colleague to walk in and save her from the situation.

"I was played with, just like you guys," Joan gulped the vodka like it was a glass of water one more time. "I couldn't deal with my conscious, I couldn't sleep so I looked for help with the meditation group. The guru said there were some unresolved issues with us - Branch and me, I mean - some tension from that game - which I sincerely apologize for,"

"If you say another word," Poppy noticed she had raised her fists and she was visibly shaking. It wasn't just some internal feeling. Ashamed at the aggressive outburst, she put her hand down and started walking away. She wasn't paid enough to go through that kind of stress.

"Branch cried a lot," Joan stood up, causing Poppy to halt. "I'm sorry."

Poppy didn't know how she got home that night. Branch had picked her up and he noticed she was paler than usual because instead of talking about a very exciting chess move, he stayed quiet during the whole walk, quietly watching her. The back of his hand brushed on hers a couple of times, testing if she was going to give in and take it.

The food was tasteless. Not because he hadn't cooked it masterfully as usual, but because she couldn't bring herself to have an appetite. The cold shower was a resource to make her head start working again. Her mind didn't burst into being fully functional, unfortunately.

"What's up?" Branch walked into her bedroom, seeing that she had just sat on the edge of the mattress staring blankly at the wall.

He looked so worried it broke her heart.

Branch had been through a lot, maybe even more than she had. While she was dealing with herself, the survivalist reconstructed a whole town, took care of her dad, and he brought himself out of his comfort zone to fulfill his duty as Prince Regent. The pressure of not hearing from her and the suffocating darkness he was left in could have ended tragically for him. Locked in the bunker for the rest of his life.

There was no bad guy in that room. They were both victims of a revengeful guru.

Poppy wiped her tears and stood up. Branch quietly watched her. He kept his hands firm on his sides. He barely breathed. Poppy walked up to him and she knew he was fighting the urge to step back.

She placed both her hands on his cheeks and leaned in.

The kiss wasn't sweet. It was hard and wet. Her tears gave her away more than her pulse. Branch stood frozen, surprised at her roughness. He didn't hold her or even close his eyes. Poppy felt him suspiciously watching her through her closed eyelids.

And the frustration was poured down. The hate, the grudge, the mixed feelings she would never bring herself to voice out loud were swiped from her foggy mind.

Only one thing was crystal clear.

She loved Branch. It was that simple.

"You're not divorcing me, are you?" Branch shakingly asked.

Poppy laughed. It was the purest laugh of her life.

Liberating.

"Never."

Notes:

Yes! I finished Mad Queen! I hope you guys liked this small epilogue and I have to say, I loved writing something different for a change. This is probably one of my favorites fanfics so far. I hope you have enjoyed the ride. See you next time :)