-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ups and Downs

The subdued young queen left the scene of her folly, her feet heavy. Her thoughts matched her steps, growing vague and slow as she passively trailed along behind her father and the others. With most of the trolls still at the festival or gone home to have their evening meal, the rest of the village was still and silent, matching the curiously numb, hollow feeling inside her.

One by one, the trolls in front of her used their hair to pull themselves up into the beautiful strong tree where her people made their homes, the sleek hair of dozens of brightly-colored pods glowing red and gold in the setting sun.

Poppy registered the picturesque view in a detached kind of way, without any of the pleasure the sight usually inspired in her. On some level, she knew her current candy-fluff brain was her mind's way of cushioning her from her recent trauma, and she wondered if she should say something to the other trolls, but she couldn't muster the energy. Like Branch, she wanted to hide from the rest of the world for a while.

Something felt off. She felt off; not herself, as if she was fading…

She lifted a hand in front of her eyes.

Oh. I am.

Her rich sunset-pink skin was obscured by a gray haze, draining her natural vibrancy to a misty pink lemonade. Poppy felt a dull lump form in her stomach. Only trolls who felt truly awful faded. It happened to most trolls when someone passed away, or something else especially bad was troubling them, but it had almost never happened to her.

-O-

"It's a cry of distress," her teacher had said once. "Losing your colors won't hurt you, and it lets the trolls around you know you need help. It's one of the reasons we trolls have such a close, caring community."

"What about Branch? He's gray all the time," little Poppy had asked, concerned about her friend.

"Branch is a special case. It's true that he's not exactly happy, but he's learned to live with it. It wouldn't hurt to be especially kind to him, though. We all hope that someday his colors and his heart will be as bright and shining as the sun in the sky."

-O-

She stared at her muted hand a moment longer, then let it drop. She was too tired to worry about it.

When she reached the base of the tree, it took a moment before she was able to summon the will to use her hair to reach for the nearest limb. Listlessly she began to drag herself upward.

Then, just as she reached the first leaf layer, something caused her clouded gaze to sharpen.

As their bond had deepened, the pink troll's ears had become attuned to the sound of a certain aquamarine troll's voice without her realizing it; so sensitive was she now to his particular, beloved timbre that she would have been able to pick it out from a hundred conversations all going on at once. And just as it had once before, her boyfriend's fine voice began to coax her back from the cold gray fog of fear and hurt and confusion that had overtaken her, hugging her heart like a warm blanket.

Branch. Her wonderful Branch. The troll who had made himself hers without her quite knowing when it happened, but now that it had, she would never give him up. His warmth thawed her cold, his light healed her hurt, his logic made things clear. When he'd held her just now, he'd been so sweet to her, even in front of the other trolls. She'd welcomed the distraction of his mouth, moving so temptingly close to her own, and how adorable he'd been when he caught on!

And then he'd kissed her. It wasn't the romantic kiss she longed for, but she could still feel his warm lips on her forehead, his large gentle hands on her body, trying to make her feel better however he could, even if it made him uncomfortable.

Her mental voice sparked awake, a mix of amusement and awe. What a loverboy he's turning out to be…

It made her feel so much better just to hear his voice that she let herself down lower so she could catch one more glimpse of him, the central figure standing among a group of attentive trolls.

"Since there are so many of you who want to learn this–" she watched him leap gracefully up onto a high mushroom so everyone could see him, and many of the trolls smiled at him as he continued, "I'd like to ask those of you who were in my earlier class to stick around to help me with demonstrations. I seem to have left Stuffie-with-an-i-e home today. Silly me." He gently slapped his forehead.

Quite a few trolls chuckled; probably even those who, like she, hadn't been in his earlier class and didn't get the reference. But all of them appreciated his effort to lighten the mood, especially his girlfriend, who felt the corners of her mouth go up by themselves in spite of the gray air that surrounded her.

Until he'd mentioned it last night, Poppy hadn't even heard of his earlier class. Branch had probably decided not to say anything to her about it; he'd known she was busy preparing for Beadfest and so he'd done what he could to help, all on his own, as usual. That was a little irritating - many things with Branch were a little irritating - but still, she appreciated his support.

I want to support him, too. Busy or not, I would have found the time to attend. And if I'd taken his class, she admitted to herself, this whole incident might never have happened.

Suddenly all the embarrassment, guilt and regret for all the trouble and worry she'd caused came rushing back, now that she was recovering from the shock. She wrapped her arms around herself, her cheeks burning, and tried to ignore all it by focusing on what Branch was saying.

Fortunately for her, her boyfriend was as engaging as ever. "Before we get started, I'd just like to say that this is truly gratifying for me." As he warmed to his role, she heard a note of good humor enter his voice. "After all, how could I possibly pass up the invitation to lecture you all?"

That's right, Branch. Start off with a joke. She knew Branch could be a real ham once he got started. He loved attention as much as the next troll; maybe more, considering the long lonely years he'd spent isolated in that gloomy old bunker of his.

"You mean 'the invitation to give a lecture', don't you?" Leafe asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning at the aquamarine troll. "As in, for educational purposes?"

Branch blinked. "What? Oh…yeah. Sure. That's what I said."

A burst of laughter from the other trolls had him smiling sheepishly.

Oh. I guess he wasn't joking…

She almost didn't catch the hint of a sly smirk at the corner of his lips.

…or was he?

Poppy noticed that he waited out the laughter far more patiently than he used to back in his gray days when he was so grim and serious, trying to deliver messages of doom that no one wanted to hear. Her own heart began to feel lighter, warming her inside and out.

Branch held up a finger. "Okay, everyone, first I'd like to cover the basics. Don't eat or carry things in your mouth when you're walking, running, or swinging by your hair. We trolls may have thick, sturdy necks, but their insides are a lot more delicate."

She could attest to that. Her throat still burned a little where the rough-edged popcorn must have scratched it. She had to blink back the sting of tears at the reminder.

Every face there was grave and subdued – completely un-troll-like. Poppy saw her boyfriend's eyes flick to and fro over the gathered trolls, a worried line appearing between his eyes before he continued, "Some kinds of food are more dangerous than others. For example, grapes, carrots, apples, hot dogs and foods that have been cut up into small, bite-sized pieces are likely, um…uh…"

"Culprits?" Leafe offered.

"Culprits, yeah. Thank you for that word, Leafe."

"No problem. It just rolled off my tongue," Leafe said in a jovial tone, spreading giggles through the crowd.

Even Poppy smiled. Well, it looks like Leafe's back to normal, corny puns and all. I'm glad.

Branch smirked at his old roommate. "Yeah, you said a mouthful, buddy."

Leafe shrugged. "As long as it wasn't too much for you to swallow…"

Caught off-guard, Poppy sputtered, snickered and snorted along with the crowd, bouncing and swaying through the air, and a delicious, glowy pink warmth began to spread over her skin. Oh my gosh, the two of them are a riot! Who would've guessed? They should come up with a comedy routine. Branch is the perfect straight man.

With a smile in his voice, Branch continued, "Let's see. Watch out for nuts, candy, gum, thick globs of peanut butter, marshmallows, French fries... And of course, you can choke on lots of things that aren't food and should never be put in your mouth at all, like beads. Basically, anything that's the right size to fit whole down your throat is a danger. Also, popcorn, bread, and other soft foods can fool you into thinking they're smaller than they are, but sometimes they expand once they get wet."

She and many of the other trolls shuddered. I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat popcorn again.

"I never realized food was so scary," Fizzy Speckles said, warily looking down at the tray of chocolates he was holding.

Branch looked at him and at the sight of the chocolates, the tension in his shoulders eased. A sweet little smile flitted across his face, and Poppy wondered if he was thinking about the same thing she was. Caramel chocolates…

He said kindly, "You don't have to be afraid of food, Fizzy. You're perfectly safe as long as you pay attention." Branch looked out over the solemn crowd. "You see, carelessness is what causes accidents. For example, you're more likely to choke when you take really big bites of food, or when you don't take the time to chew it thoroughly. And again, don't move around or talk with your mouth full."

"How about singing?" someone deep in the crowd asked.

"Don't do it. Not only is it dangerous, you'll sound terrible. And it's so uncultured." He shook his head and wrinkled his nose fussily, waving a no-no finger at the gathered trolls, and once again he had them all in stitches.

Between her giggles, Poppy thought fondly, He's a natural. You'd think with that reclusive nature of his that he'd be the type to freeze up in front of a crowd, but even during his darkest periods he's never been afraid to speak up when he's got something important to say.

But then her smile disappeared and a chill went down her spine as her boyfriend continued soberly, "Trollings and the elderly are more at risk, but as we've seen, anyone is susceptible…"

Poppy started as a voice close by asked, "Queen Poppy? Are you coming?"

Nurse Acorn swung gently by his hair near her, giving a look of mingled concern and curiosity. Guiltily she gave her arm a quick check to be sure, but her colors were definitely back to normal. "Oh – yes, I'm coming."

Quickly she pulled herself upward, not looking forward to what was coming next, but feeling much more like herself. Thanks for the save, Branch. Again…

-O-

"How do you feel, Poppy?"

After a quick physical examination, Doctor Plum was looking at Poppy's bare midsection through a large magnifying glass, her long-lashed violet eyes distorted in a way that Poppy would normally have thought funny, but right now she just wanted to get this over with. The pink troll rubbed the tender, muted rainbow-colored bruise in her middle where Leafe's frantic fist had struck her.

"I told you, I feel fine. My throat's a little sore, but I'm sure that will go away soon."

"Here, Queen Poppy, have some warm honeymilk," Nurse Acorn said, offering her a cup of the sweet liquid.

"Thank you, Acorn," she said gratefully. She had to take care to take small sips, but she welcomed the chance to calm the worst of her hunger pangs, which had rebounded as soon as the shock passed. She'd never gotten to eat that popcorn, after all, and now she was starving. In fact, Poppy couldn't ever remember being so hungry. Maybe being in a life-or-death situation triggered some kind of survival instinct. That's what Branch would say.

Her throat hurt a little with every swallow, but the honeymilk went down the way it should, which reassured her. "This is really delicious, Acorn. Is that cinnamon I taste?"

"Yes." Acorn looked shyly pleased. "It's my own recipe. Honeymilk, vanilla beans, cinnamon, and a few herbs to help calm frazzled nerves. I can give you the recipe if you like."

"Aw, thank you! That's so thoughtful of you," she said as she handed him the empty cup. "I'll pass it on to Branch, too. He likes cinnamon. Today we had cinnamon chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast."

"Oh, did you now?" her dad asked, his amber-brown eyes brightening, and then unexpectedly added, "Breakfast with Branch… That happens often, does it?" His tone was mild, but suddenly Poppy saw what she'd said in a totally different light.

Oops! I didn't mean to imply that Branch spent the night in my pod. Dad just might guess that last night was no ordinary slumber party. I wonder what he'll say when he learns that Branch and I are dating? What if he thinks Branch isn't a good choice, like my friends did at first?

"N-no, not often…" she said slowly, looking for signs of disapproval, but he wore only an expression of polite interest.

Doctor Plum frowned lightly, but only said, "And how does your belly feel? Any pain? Do your ribs hurt when you breathe? Your bruise doesn't look too bad, but you could have internal injuries."

"No, I'm fine," she insisted. "It looks worse than it is. It doesn't hurt."

The doctor poked her.

"Ow!"

The older female eyed her, one eyebrow raised.

Poppy held out for a few seconds, then gave in. "Okay, maybe it hurts a little, but I'm not going to complain about it. Leafe saved my life. And…you know, I need to think of something really special to do to thank him…"

Restlessly she swung her feet where they dangled off the soft-furred examination table and then reached for her clothes, glancing at the doctor for permission to get dressed. The plum-purple female nodded. As Poppy pulled on the pretty yellow-and-green outfit the twins had given her, she added, "Branch, too. I wouldn't be alive now if not for him. I owe him a big apology, and an even bigger thank-you…"

The pink troll trailed off wistfully, her eyes unfocused as she felt a deep swell of emotion so foreign to her that it took her a moment to recognize it, and even longer to identify it. Loneliness. I'm lonely for his company. Me, the most social troll in Troll Village.

"Funny, isn't it, that some of his paranoia actually paid off? Or maybe not paranoia – after all, he's right a lot of the time. The thing is, Branch is really a thoughtful, caring person deep down. He just has a hard time showing it without lecturing people."

As she slid off the furry table and straightened her clothes, a welcome warmth began to fill her chest, and her face went all dreamy. "At least he used to. He's got a sense of humor now, did you notice?" she murmured, her voice tinged with warm fuzzies. "It seems like the more I get to know him, the more there is to discover. Who would have thought there was such a comedian buried deep inside that sarcastic heart of his…"

Poppy knew on some level that she was focusing on adoring Branch so she wouldn't have to think about the scary scary thing that had just happened to her, but she didn't get away with it. Where most trolls would have been interested in her affectionate rambling, Doctor Plum refused to get distracted. "All right, you may feel 'fine' physically, but how about emotionally?"

Immediately Poppy stiffened. "Um, I'm…fine," she said awkwardly.

None of the three trolls watching her looked convinced. This was Troll Village, not Bergentown. Everyone's feelings were acknowledged and addressed here - whether the owner wanted to drag them out into the open or not.

Now I know how Branch feels.

Poppy tried to gloss things over. "Sure, I've been…having a few mood swings, but they're not all that serious… I mean, really you should be talking to poor Leafe…who I should really go thank…" She took a step back toward the door.

The doctor said firmly, "You can do that later. And I'll make sure to talk to Leafe, too, but right now I'm more concerned about you."

Her dad agreed, reaching out to pat her hand. "Poppy, you just went through a terrifying ordeal. Are you sure it didn't bother you?"

She squirmed a little. "Well, of course it bothered me. I just…don't want to keep dwelling on it. It's just so…" scary "Embarrassing!"

Her father gave her an understand smile. "Now, honey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It was an accident."

"But Branch wouldn't have been so careless!" It slipped out before she could stop herself.

Her father exchanged glances with Doctor Plum and Nurse Acorn before saying reassuringly, "Sweetie, Branch would be the first to tell you he isn't perfect, either. I heard about his little – ahem – boingo ball attention lapse earlier today."

Poppy heard the note of amusement in his tone and immediately felt better. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that."

She smirked a bit at the memory, but then lost her cool again as her father unexpectedly said, "Speaking of Branch, he's gotten very protective of you lately, hasn't he?"

Instantly she froze, her face heating up, her stomach clenched. "Oh, uh, you think so?" She laughed awkwardly to hide her inner panic, her thoughts racing into high gear.

Does he suspect? Should I confess? Why do I feel like I've been caught doing something sneaky? I'm allowed to date and my dad is the one person I really don't want to lie to and besides if he's going to object to Branch for any reason it's better to get it over with now instead of in front of Branch-

She bit her lip, suddenly remembering how Branch used to try to avoid being noticed by her dad, almost as if he were afraid of him. That was crazy, of course, but sometimes Branch had weird reactions to things.

How should I lead up to the fact that his daughter is dating the weird bunker-dwelling survivalist?

Her dad was still watching her. They all were, in fact, and she suddenly realized how she must look and made an effort to straighten up from her worried stance.

"Well, of course he's protective of me. It - it's only natural," she began, starting to sweat. "He's so caring, like I said, and smart and brave and kind – well, in that grumpy way of his…"

Just then her father stepped toward her, his big soft eyes meeting her own as he put a gentle hand on hers. "Honey, I don't know if you realize this, but you're in love with Branch."

Poppy went still. "What?"

As it sank in, her mouth dropped open. "B-but how did you…" Suddenly the pink troll threw her hands into the air. "Oh my gosh! Did we fool anyone today?" Her growl of sheer exasperation would have made Branch proud.

"Ah, so you do know!" he said gladly. "Excellent. Well, then…how did I know?" He rubbed his chin slyly. "You mean besides all the time you've been spending with that young man lately? Or the way he's managed to make his way into every conversation we have these days?"

"Oh." Poppy thought back. "You mean like just now? I think I mentioned Branch, like, three times in the last five minutes."

"Yes. It's been going on for months now; I was wondering when you'd notice."

"Months?" She goggled at him again in a wash of awe. "Wow. You knew I was in love with him before I did."

"Of course I did; I'm your dad," he said with a grin.

"Huh." She gave her rascal of a father a look of appreciation. "Dad, you've still got it."

Her father chuckled modestly. "Ooo, watch out, you'll make me blush."

With the difficult decision taken out of her hands, Poppy let out a relieved breath as her body relaxed. Everything's going to be all right now. Wait til I tell Branch…

Just then her poor, flustered brain caught up. "Hey, wait a minute! Dad, if you knew I was in love with him, why didn't you say something sooner? Poor Branch has been waiting for me to notice him for so long."

"Well, honey, I wanted to see if anything would come of it. You know, if he felt the same way. But after what Branch did today, I was pretty sure he had feelings for you, too. So I gather it wasn't news to him?"

Blushy cheeks

Warm arms around her body

Gentle lips on her forehead

Tenderness in a pair of sky blue eyes…

Her insides fluttering, Poppy said softly, "No, Dad. In fact, just last night we had a long talk. Like you said, it turned out that I've been in love with Branch for a long time now; I just never realized it. And then when I reached out to him-"

literally…

"-and asked if he was in love with me, too…"

Her face softened into a radiant, loving smile, the smile that made Branch call her his Sunshine, basking in the glow that a certain aquamarine troll had brought to life inside her once upon a time in a dark bergen pot.

"He said 'yes'."

Her father smiled warmly.

Encouraged, she added, "He told me he's cared for me for years, but, well…" She shrugged.

No one had to say it. Gray and reclusive and emotionally repressed, the troll he'd been before Bergentown would never have been able to tell her his true feelings. And even if he had, I probably wouldn't have returned them. Back then, we hardly knew each other, after ten years of his self-imposed isolation…

"Well of course, you really weren't ready yet anyway," he dad commented.

"Huh? Ready for what?"

"I didn't say anything because you weren't ready for a grown-up relationship yet."

Poppy frowned, a little insulted. "Hey, that's not- You think- I-"

I've been queen to an entire village for six months now; of course I… of course… I… never thought about…

Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed. "You're probably right, Dad."

He chuckled gaily. "Of course I am."

If I hadn't had that dream, Dad might still be the only one to know...

-O-

A week ago, Poppy had officiated another wedding, the second one since she'd become queen.

The first time had been only a couple of weeks after she'd taken on her father's role as leader of the village; the troll all the others looked to for help, guidance and support. She'd been nervous, afraid she'd mess it up or that someone (naming no names, but he was the only aquamarine troll in the village) would cause a public scene, as he often had in the past. But he had been on his best behavior, wearing the least-patched set of clothes he'd owned at the time, his newly-purple hair brushed back in a graceful swoop, and everything had gone beautifully.

This time around, she'd thoroughly enjoyed herself. The young couple had been happy, the rest of the trolls had been happy, and Branch had been happy, wearing a somewhat drab but very distinguished pine-green suit that had made him the handsomest troll of all.

And she'd made sure to tell him so, partly because it was true and partly because she knew he would blush adorably. Which he had, much to her pleasure, although from his reaction last night Poppy wondered now if he'd believed her when she'd told him he was handsome. Maybe he thought I was just being polite.

It went without saying that she had been delightfully, deliciously, deliriously happy herself, dancing the night away with Branch and the other trolls (but mostly Branch), with only a few grumbles about missed sleep from her best friend.

In the days after the wedding Poppy hadn't seen much of Branch. She had figured he'd need a day or two to recuperate since socializing could really wipe him out. Not always, not anymore, but he'd been extra social this time, chatting or dancing or playing party games with her and the other trolls throughout the night.

It was a far cry from his behavior at the first wedding where, when he wasn't with her or their friends, he'd spent a lot of time wandering restlessly around the edges of the crowd. Once she had come upon him hiding behind a mushroom. "What are you doing?"

"Poppy!" He'd literally jumped in the air, something that had always tickled her. "Uh, just…taking a breather. Just because I've learned how to be happy doesn't mean I can handle so much social activity. It seems like everybody wants to talk to me."

"Well, you're a popular troll right now. You helped save all of our lives. Besides, everyone saw you get your colors back after twenty years. That's a tremendous achievement, Branch."

To her delight, his pale teal – no, aquamarine - cheeks had turned lavender. She'd met his eyes and watched him smile shyly before he looked down at the ground and had to suppress the urge to hug him, not wanting to make him feel any more overwhelmed than he already was.

"I'm so happy for you," she said instead, and then it occurred to her to add, "You know, everyone here recognizes everyone else. With your colors back, it's almost like you're someone new, so of course everyone wants to get to know you."

Their enthusiasm hadn't lasted long when it became clear that Branch was still the same person, as serious and practical as ever, even if he did sing, dance, and hug after that. But from then on, he began to spend more time in the village than he had in years. The onetime loner had definitely passed a turning point, and she'd watched his determined progress forward with proud eyes ever since.

By the third day her lack of Branch was becoming acute. She had found herself spending time each day looking for him, if only for a Hug Time hug or a few minutes of conversation before all felt right with her world.

When she'd asked for his help in preparing for the Beadfest, he'd claimed he was already making preparations and that she should leave the safety to him. She'd shrugged amiably, glad to see him participating in his own way, but the truth was that she'd missed his grumpy, devoted presence at her side more and more keenly with every day that passed. She recalled the way he'd looked at the wedding and how attentive he'd been, and couldn't help but wonder just whom he might walk with down the aisle one day.

And then yesterday morning she'd woken up from a very special dream unlike any she'd ever had before…

-O-

"Um, so Dad, you're okay with this? Me dating Branch, I mean?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Branch is a fine young troll and he makes you happy. He does, doesn't he?"

Her insides danced, and she gave her father a lovesick grin. "Oh, yes. He makes me very, very happy."

"That's all I needed to hear, dear. I have no objections. Now the only question is, what kind of party do you want to have when you announce the good news?" The orange troll gleefully rubbed his hands together.

Poppy and Doctor Plum answered at the same time.

"Actually, Dad, I don't want a party just yet-"

"You may not have any objections, Peppy, but I do."

Author's Note:

I did some research on the dangers of choking, so everything Poppy hears Branch teaching is accurate.

Even though I'm sure there are troll therapists, I imagine the doctors of troll village are probably more like the kind of small-village doctors of the olden days, who also took care of their patients' emotional health, (some even did dental work) and so Plum is concerned that Poppy feels worse than she says she does. We'll see what she thinks about our queen's choice of boyfriend in the next chapter.

When people go through a traumatic event, they can sometimes suffer from mood swings and delayed shock, as Poppy has, causing her colors to fade. She was able to recover thanks to Branch, but now she really doesn't want to face the memory, even though she knows she should. As queen, I'm sure she's had what we would call counselor training, but like all of us, she wants to avoid unpleasant things, so she's trying to sneak out of it. She may be able to fool the doctor, but what about a certain aquamarine troll who's had decades of experience with unhappy thoughts…