Song Defies Color
A/N: PLEASE do NOT tell me how long it's been since the last time I updated this story. I know it's been forever! But with the live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid", which in my opinion was amazing; and the trailers for "Trolls Band Together", which I am super psyched for, I've been getting inspired again.
I still won't promise frequent updates because I'm back in school, and I have to prioritize homework over my stories unfortunately. But I'm happy that I uploaded this on time for Broppy Day! And also, as a bonus, I will be uploading a video on my YouTube channel, featuring a cover from one of the new songs from "The Little Mermaid" remake.
Well, I'm sure you guys had been waiting long enough. And I've missed writing "Trolls". So... ROLL IT!
Chapter 10
Two Worlds Finally Meet
Hours felt like days as Branch laid on his new bed in complete silence, tears silently streaming down his cheeks and quietly sobbing. He couldn't form any words as he cried, but the sounds of his gasping for air wasn't really a comfort.
He tried a couple of times to look out the window, but if he ever got too close to it, he would get shocked. Apparently, Guffin had placed another enchantment on the tower to keep him inside, in case he tried to escape. Needless to say, the thought did cross his mind, but it was quickly rendered pointless when he learned of the spell.
After losing count of how many knots he could see in the ceiling at 256, Branch tried his best to make himself comfortable as the sun disappeared under the horizon and the moon and stars came out to play. He reached into his hair and pulled out his grandmother's music box. He then inserted the key, his necklace, into its slot, turned it three times, and let the music play as he put it next to him on the nightstand.
Branch stared at the little figurines of his grandparents dancing. For a moment, he imagined that he and Poppy took their places before he shook his head and turned away. Why bother hoping? It was all just a fantasy, to even think that he could be with her. With that thought, he closed his eyes and soon fell into a dreamless sleep, listening to the chiming melody of the music box.
Back on the ground, Archer and Cloud Guy were gathered around a campfire they had made close to the manor. They had left Branch alone after a few minutes, seeing that he needed some time alone. Glitz was with them, chirping sadly next to Cloud Guy as Archer paced back and forth furiously.
"That rotten little witch!" Archer cursed, kicking a pebble with his foot. "And I thought she couldn't get any worse!"
"There's gotta be something we can do to help Branch." Cloud Guy said.
"Oh, I suppose you have a plan?" Archer asked dryly, stopping in his pacing.
Cloud Guy lifted a finger to say something, but then put it down. "Not exactly." He replied.
"Uh-huh, I thought so." Archer muttered while Glitz chirped sadly.
But then the talking cloud had a goofy grin appear on his face. "But I at least have something that could give us an idea."
He reached inside his fluffy white body and pulled out a familiar book to Archer. The teenage Party Crasher gaped at him.
"You stole Guffin's spellbook?!" He exclaimed.
"Hey, it wasn't like you did it yourself before." Cloud Guy retorted back before he began flipping through the pages. "There's gotta be something in here that could help Branch."
Archer came to sit down next to him, scanning through the pages. Just then, he saw something that caught his eye.
"Wait. Look there." He pointed to a specific spell. "Do you think that could work?"
Cloud Guy thought about it for a few moments. "It's worth a shot. Plus, if it doesn't, the worst that could happen is that he gets zapped. Again."
The next morning, Branch was still lying in bed as he stared at the wall. He had woken up at the crack of dawn, but he didn't bother getting out of bed. Sure, he liked his privacy, but being alone in complete silence and isolation isn't what he wanted. Not really.
Deep down, he knew that he had always wanted to be a part of the colorful world of the Trolls in the village nearby. But he knew that it was impossible. Not with his colors, and not without his voice. Poppy wouldn't know that it was him who saved her that night. How could she?
He can't tell her, and he doesn't really know sign language either. He only knew a couple of signs, and he only used them if he was out exploring with his friends and they had to be quiet.
Just then, he heard something hit the window, and the crackling of magic fried it. Branch whirled around and sat up to see Archer standing on top of Glitz, while Cloud Guy was floating next to him. By the sill was a charred little pebble.
"Branch!" Archer called out. "I think we found a loophole!"
Branch tilted his head in confusion. "The spell that Guffin used isn't meant to keep you in specifically." Cloud Guy explained. "It was only meant to trap gray Trolls."
Archer then held up a little bottle of something that shifted into all of the colors of the rainbow, one at a time. He then tossed it in, and surprisingly, the bottle didn't shatter on contact. Instead, it just easily passed through the magical barrier without a scratch, and Branch quickly caught it before it hit the floor.
He looked down at the little glass bottle in his hands, and then he glanced back up at his friends with confusion. "We found that potion in Guffin's spellbook." Archer explained, while Cloud Guy held up the book. Branch's eyes widened in fear, and then glared at him sternly.
"Slap us later, but listen." Archer continued. "Apparently, that potion will bring back your colors only temporarily for five days. While Guffin's gone, you can use that potion to sneak out."
"You can be free for a few days." Cloud Guy said. "You might not get this chance again."
Branch thought long and hard about this as he stared at the bottle in his hands. He could see his reflection as the liquid changed gradually; from red to orange to yellow to green and so on. Even if his colors wouldn't truly be back, this would only be temporary; he could easily blend in with the rest of the village, even though he still wouldn't be able to speak. He could try to get close to Poppy and at least try to be her friend, even if she might never know that he was the one who saved her.
For once, Cloud Guy had a point. He might never get this chance again. And maybe, somewhere in the village, he could get some answers about his past. What was he missing, and how do they fit in the bigger picture?
With a determined expression, Branch uncorked the bottle and quickly gulped the whole potion down. When he was done, he stuck out his tongue in disgust. The concoction was even more bitter than his coffee when he would sometimes have it black.
"We didn't say that it would taste good." Archer shrugged apologetically, flinching at how bad it must've tasted.
"I had a feeling." Cloud Guy said. "It had a lot of bitter stuff in it. The only magical thing that it needed was a rainbow."
Branch raised an eyebrow at that, silently asking the question of how they acquired that. "You don't want to know." Archer quickly answered that.
Flashback
"How the heck do we even get a rainbow?" Archer asked.
"I've heard some of the others mention something about a Triple Rainbow Maker that's somewhere past the forest." Cloud Guy said.
"Triple rainbow?" Archer asked, a skeptical brow raised. "First off, how do you know about that? Second, does such a thing even exist? And three, I don't think I would want to see how a Troll would react to a triple rainbow."
"They talk about it in their library." Cloud Guy explained vaguely. "And I even went to see it for myself, and it does exist."
Needless to say, Archer was confused, but decided against asking. He had a feeling that it would be too much for him to process.
They traveled through the forest and up into the rocky hills where they found the Triple Rainbow Maker. Archer turned the handle a few times, and a rainbow appeared. But before Cloud Guy could catch it in the bottle of liquid, it morphed into a tornado of color!
"Tornado?!" Archer exclaimed. But before he could turn it off, the machine was sucked inside, along with Archer and Cloud Guy.
"Now what?!" Archer yelled as the two of them were tossed and flung around in the air, in circles.
"You gotta turn it off!" Cloud Guy shouted back.
"Oh, great!" Archer exclaimed sarcastically.
They eventually found the Rainbow Maker in the middle of the tornado, Archer turned it off, the colorful tornado vanished, and they managed to catch a sliver of rainbow in the bottle before the machine broke into pieces on the ground.
They both were exhausted from the ride, and then looked to see the liquid in the bottle shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. They took it as a sign to collapse and regain their breath before getting the potion to their friend.
End of Flashback
Branch let go of the thought and looked down at his skin. For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. But then, slowly, his skin shifted from gray to teal. He hadn't seen that shade of teal in years.
He then looked up at his hair, and saw a little tower of royal blue on his head instead of coal black. He then turned to his friends and gestured to himself, silently asking them how he looked.
"Oh my gosh, it really worked." Archer muttered in awe.
"Looking good, Grouchy McGee." Cloud Guy said with a thumbs-up. Branch only scowled at him at the nickname.
The now blue Troll then came up to the window. He felt the crackling of the magic barrier prickle his skin, but he didn't get zapped. So far, so good.
Branch took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then jumped through the window. He felt the energy of the barrier pass over him, like a river over stone, as he made it to the other side without even a scratch.
Archer and Cloud Guy caught him by the arms before he could plummet to the earth below. Then, they all carefully descended to the ground. Once his feet were on the grass, Branch relished in the soft green blades between his toes and took a deep breath in through his nose. He missed the sweet smell of fresh air and grass.
"How are you feeling, buddy?" Cloud Guy asked him.
Branch turned around to face his friends, a little smile on his face and tears building up in his eyes. He first crossed his arms, but after a few seconds; his finger tapping against his arm, he sighed and then ran over to the two of them, wrapping his arms around them both in a grateful hug.
Both Archer and Cloud Guy were a little surprised by his action, but since he couldn't speak at the moment, they took it as an alternative way of telling them that he was thankful for what they did. They returned the hug, and the three of them stayed together for a few moments before Branch removed himself, sheepishly rubbing his arm with a nervous and embarrassed look.
"We know why you did that." Archer assured him, to which Branch smiled thankfully.
Cloud Guy then came up to him. "But just know that I won't let you live it down any time soon." He said with a smug smirk.
Branch narrowed his eyes at him, and gave him a firm jab to the arm. "Ow!" The cloud exclaimed.
"Way to ruin the moment." Archer berated him.
Glitz gave Branch a nuzzle to the face, to which he smiled and petted the glowbug on the head with a little laugh. "So Mr. Free Bird, what do you want to do with your five days of freedom?" Cloud Guy asked.
Branch looked around, trying to get his bearings. Then he saw a path that looked a little worn out, but for some reason, it looked familiar. He walked towards it, analyzing the path as best as he could.
"What is it?" Archer asked.
Branch kept his eyes on the path ahead. The more he looked at it, the more it looked familiar. It just didn't look like anyone had used it in years. Maybe if he followed it and saw where it led…
He then suddenly took off down the path. "Branch!" His friends called out to him, and then followed him down the path.
Within minutes, Branch soon came to a stop when he saw where the path led to. It led right to his boyhood lake. So the path was the one he usually took to get there. But when he saw the condition of the path, he knew that he haven't walked down it in a long time. Not for almost eight years.
For some reason, he stopped coming to the pond when he was about fifteen years old. But he never knew why. Maybe Guffin had found him sneaking off to it, and punished him for it. But somehow, he got the feeling that it wasn't the whole story.
Suddenly, his ears perked up when he heard something coming. Instinctively, he swung himself and leaped up into the trees to see what was coming. After a few tense seconds, he saw a familiar pop of pink appear.
Princess Poppy.
Branch quietly watched her as she came to the pond and sat down by the water. He then slowly climbed further out on the tree branch he was on to get a better look at her.
Poppy sat down on her knees by the pond as she let her thoughts wander. It had been days, and there had been no more signs of her Mystery Troll. She was starting to get worried. But she still refused to believe that she had dreamt him up. He was out there somewhere, and she was going to find him and thank him for saving her. She owed him that much.
She then scooped up some water to splash onto her face. But before she could, she stopped when she thought she saw something in the reflection of the water in her hands. It was aquamarine and blurry, but it was definitely Troll-shaped.
Poppy looked around the area, now getting the feeling that something, or someone, was watching her. Yes, she may be a happy-go-lucky Troll, but that doesn't mean that she wasn't aware that the forest beyond the forest can sometimes be dangerous. After all, why else would her father push her to take hair-jitsu lessons?
She splashed the water onto her face and then looked behind her, wiping her face. She saw nothing there, but the feeling of being watched was still there.
Branch had managed to hide in the shadows of the leaves before Poppy spotted him. He slowly peeked out from behind one of them and saw that Poppy had turned back around, her back to him. Feeling curious and mischievous, since he was no longer gray; he slowly climbed down the tree and back to ground level.
He almost crawled through the tall grass towards the pond before carefully pushing some of the blades away. But Poppy was gone. He didn't hear her leave the area. He scanned the area, wondering where she did go.
"Hey! Can't you ever slow down for us?" Cloud Guy loudly announced as he and Archer suddenly popped up next to the startled blue Troll.
Branch shoved him and Archer down to the ground, pressing a finger to his lips with a stern glare. He then showed them his palm, silently telling them to stay before he slowly stepped out of the grass and headed to the water.
There was still no sign of Poppy, so he walked onto one of the stones that was out of the water. Still nothing. He then jumped onto another nearby rock to see if he could get a better look.
Unbeknownst to him, Poppy was hiding at the other side of the pond, her hair camouflaged into the blades of grass. She knew that there was someone hiding there. She didn't get a good look at the Troll yet, but she could see their form out on the pond.
She took a slow, deep breath and waited for the right moment to ambush the suspicious Troll, grabbing a nearby stick. When she saw the Troll jump onto the last stone that was out on the pond, Poppy jumped out of her hiding spot.
"Gotcha!" She yelled, making the Troll jump.
When Branch heard the sudden yell, he jumped up and accidentally shot a bright red fireball out of his hand and into the water, creating a cloud of steam. He then steadied himself on the rock, getting down on a knee to keep himself from falling into the pond.
Poppy waved her free hand around, as if she was trying to push away the sudden cloud of steam that appeared over the pond. It wasn't cold, and it hadn't been raining; so it wasn't fog. But where did it come from?
When she saw the Troll's crouched form slowly appear from the cloud, she took up again a defensive stance. She silently watched as the Troll seemed to sense that she was there, and then carefully got up on their feet. But other than that, they didn't move a muscle.
Poppy slowly eased herself from her defensive stance as the steam dissipated more. Then, she finally got a good look at the Troll. When she did, she felt like all the air was stolen from her lungs.
This Troll, a male, was the most handsome Troll she had ever seen. He had beautiful teal blue skin and royal blue hair that contrasted magnificently with his skin. He wore a vest made out of leaves, and his brown shorts had multiple patches on them.
But it was his eyes that drew her in. They were as blue as the skies above on a perfect sunny day. She had never seen such eyes before, looking at her so intensely and focused.
Branch was awestruck as well. Poppy was even more beautiful than he remembered the last time he came this close to her. Now that he could really get a good look into her eyes, they were like two rosy magenta pools. Pools so deep that he feared if he dove in, he might never come up for air.
Neither Troll said a word or did anything as they just stared at each other. Poppy wondered if this was him. If this was her Mystery Troll.
She took a couple of steps forwards to him, but the Troll just slowly backed away from her, like he was some kind of skittish animal being wary of a stranger. Right when Poppy was about to take another step to him, the Troll took off, leaping across the rocks back to the edge of the pond.
"No! Wait!" She called after him, but he was already making a break for the tall grass.
Branch was running as fast as he could. He couldn't believe what just happened. He finally met Princess Poppy. But instead of letting her come to him, he took off like a coward! What would he even say to her? If he could even speak at all!
He had reached one of the tallest trees in the forest, climbed up on one of the gnarled roots, and was about to swing his hair up to grab one of the lowest branches to pull himself up when he heard her again.
"Wait!"
Branch whirled around and saw that Poppy had followed him. She still maintained a fair distance between them when she stopped running. In case her continued pursuit would only make him run more.
"Don't run off." She said quietly, and then slowly began to approach him again. Branch backed away, but this time, he didn't run.
"It's okay." She assured him as she came up to the root. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
She then held her hand up to him. "Here. You need a hand to get down?"
Branch just looked at her warily, mentally debating if he should turn off his survival instincts or finally allow Poppy to see him. The pink Troll on the other hand, wasn't sure if this stranger understood what she was saying. But she had a feeling that he was feeling pretty on edge, so she continued to coax him.
"It's alright." She said, looking at him right in his pretty blue eyes.
Branch stared into her gentle magenta irises, and the beauty of them started to make him feel more at ease. Slowly, he reached out his hand and carefully placed it in Poppy's.
To both of them, it was like sparks were flying. Poppy carefully pulled Branch towards her, and he slowly slid down until he was at her level. Neither let go of the other's hand. In his ears, Branch thought he heard his grandmother's voice in the wind.
Listen with your heart,
You will understand.
Let it break upon you
Like a wave upon the sand.
Poppy slowly let go of Branch's hand, not removing her gaze from his face. "Who are you?" She asked.
Branch closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the guidance of his beloved grandmother's voice that gave him the strength he needed.
Listen with your heart,
You will understand.
Branch opened his eyes again. But when he opened his mouth to answer Poppy's question, no sound came out. His hand came up to his throat, remembering that he couldn't say a word anymore.
"What's wrong?" Poppy asked him.
Branch only tapped a finger against his throat a couple of times, hoping that Poppy will get what he's trying to tell her. Luckily for him, she did.
"You can't speak?" She asked.
Branch sadly shook his head. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Poppy said.
She had thought she had found her Mystery Troll at last, but he could sing. This very handsome one sadly couldn't speak, let alone sing most likely.
"Well, I guess I can start the introductions." She said, changing the subject. Even though she still didn't find her Mystery Troll, at least she can make a new friend, even if he can't speak.
"I'm Poppy." She smiled at him, extending her hand to him again.
Branch smiled shyly at her and then shook her hand with his. Even though he can't tell her anything, much less his own name, at least now, he has finally met her in person. Freedom never seemed better.
Watching the whole exchange from the tall grass, Archer and Cloud Guy were both happy and frustrated at the same time. "He is your Mystery Troll, Princess!" Archer muttered under his breath.
"Well, maybe she'll figure it out." Cloud Guy suggested. "If she spends more time with him, she'll grow to like him even more, even without his voice."
Archer thought about it for a few moments. "Yeah. And once we figure out a plan to get Branch's voice back, he'll then tell her the whole truth."
"Even about his colors?" Cloud Guy asked.
Archer was quiet as he thought about it. The potion lasts only for five days. When the sun sets on the last day, the potion will wear off.
"Then we better start coming up with ideas. Fast."
A/N: It finally happened. Our two star-crossed Trolls have finally met. But, Branch can't talk, and that in Poppy's mind, doesn't make him the Troll she's looking for. (But HE IS!)
Please don't ask when I'll upload again, because I have no idea. With the new Trolls movie coming out in less than two months, I've been getting back into the "Trolls" vibe. But like I said, I still have to make homework a top priority right now.
Once again, I used a tidbit of "Listen With Your Heart" from "Pocahontas." But I don't own it in any way or form.
Also, if any of you guys watch my YouTube channel, I just uploaded a video of Poppy singing "Wild Uncharted Waters" from the remake of "The Little Mermaid". If you want, you can go and check it out.
I hope this can give you guys a taste of what is coming in the future, whether it be near or distant. Please leave a review about what you think, and remember to stay healthy. Here in the United States, the weather is starting to get colder.
Got to fly! ;)