Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the Trolls franchise, I just own Melody.

A mystic melody.

It was late by the time Poppy and Melody had returned to the Pop troll village from Bergen town.

The sun had long since vanished and the skies were a dark navy blue with little twinkling stars dotting along it, the breeze was gentle and soothing, nature itself was singing its lullaby to send all into a dreamy state. The mother and daughter duo were delighted upon getting home because they were deeply exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse in their beds.

Mel could barely keep her eyes open but she still had a small burst of energy keeping her abuzz.

The young trolling became exhausted just as Poppy and herself were crossing the threshold of the village and was nodding off on the spot.

The queen hid her fatigue a bit better than her daughter as she carried her all the way back to their home pod where surely Branch was waiting for them, her legs felt like they were about to fall off and her muscles ached when she even moved an inch —not to mention her hair (which had become severely matted and frizzy by now) made it look as though she had been drug through miles upon miles of woodland.

It felt like a long eternity before Poppy and Melody finally came home.

The first place that Poppy went was to Melody's pod and she hardly even hesitated before plopping the small troll into her bed. Melody felt a sleepy smile blossom on her face as she felt the moss blankets become tucked around her, she was barely able to keep her eyes open. Poppy tried not to let her exhaustion show too much and she bent down and planted a kiss atop Melody's head.

The queen of the pop trolls smiled softly.

"Ohhh, it's gonna be your birthday tomorrow! Are you excited?"

Mel nodded her head softly.

"Mhmm! I'm gonna be bigger, and I'm gonna have a great party! Right mama?"

Poppy chuckled warmly.

"That's right, little sparkle...I'm planning on making it the best birthday ever."

Poppy bent down and gently wrapped her arms around her baby, pulling her in for a tight hug; she held Melody fast and tight in her arms as she rubbed her back in a soothing manner. After a minute more, she pulled away once more and proceeded to lay her babe back down in her bed.

"Sweet dreams, sweetheart..."

"Night, night, mama..." She replied.

Poppy left the room and went to the kitchen while Branch decided to bid Melody goodnight himself; he sauntered into the pod and approached the bed with Mel still laying in the bed and her face lit up immediately when she saw her father approach. He slowly dropped down to one knee, leaned forwards, gently brushed Mel's fringe out of her face and kissed her forehead.

Branch's eyes were soft and he felt his heart swell to the size of a watermelon inside his chest.

Melody looked like an angel; he still had trouble believing that this beautiful little girl was his.

As a matter of fact, the survivalist troll sometimes feared that he would open his eyes any second now and not only find that all of this was a dream but he'd wake up in his bed and find himself all alone in his survival bunker...still gray and miserable. Just the mere thought threatened to bring tears to his eyes but he never let anyone see it —not even Poppy.

"Sleep tight, Melody..." He whispered.

As he headed out the door, Branch heard a soft voice call out to him.

"...Daddy...?" She spoke up reluctantly.

Branch turned around and looked over at his barely-awake daughter.

"Yes?"

"Can you please sing me a lullaby?"

Melody gave that request while making sure to pour on the puppy dog eyes; her eyes sparkled and glistened adoringly.

Branch sighed.

He couldn't ever resist those eyes since doing so would always result in him feeling absolutely pitiful until he gave in. He decided to relent because it was going to be her birthday the next day and he had no clue as to how long it would be until Melody was too old for things like this. Melody always loved the lullabies that Branch and Poppy would sing to her each night before bed and she would sometimes join in.

But how much longer would his little girl be into things like this?

Branch barely managed to suppress a smirk as he scratched his chin and pretended to be in thought.

"Pleeeeeeeeease? I promise I'll fall right to sleep!" the small troll pleaded fervently.

"Well..." Branch hummed, a flicker of mischief glimmering in his icy blue eyes. He eventually sighed before acting as though giving in had been a hard decision. "Oh, how can I say no to my sweet little girl?"

The king of the pop trolls turned back around, walking over and then taking a seat on the edge of the young trolling's bed, smiling half-heartedly at his exhausted daughter. The blue adult troll placed both hands on his lap and he smiled at his now elated daughter whom just had this huge smile that spread from ear-to-ear.

Branch leant forwards and rubbed his nose with Melody's, making the little one giggle softly.

He scooted back a bit as he composed himself, closing his eyes for a second as he sat up straight.

"Hard to find a way to get through,
It's a tragedy.
Pulling at me like the stars do.
You're like gravity..."

Branch sung softly and quietly, his eyes soft as he stared tenderly at the small troll tucked beneath the mossy duvets; his brows knitted together and he smile broadened considerably. She looked so adorable as she rested her head back against her little pillow stuffed with feathers and he could see her eyes shining with love and admiration for him. He could see that the lullaby was having its affect and was successfully pacifying her.

"Even if the wind blows...
It makes it hard to believe..."

Branch continued to sing to Melody. He was reminded of how he and Poppy sung to her when she cried when she was a tiny baby, it would always calm her down and get her right to sleep. It always warmed his heart to see her adorable sleeping face and to have her fast asleep in his arms and fit so comfortably in there.

"How ya gonna love,
How ya gonna feel?
How you gonna live your life like the dream you have is real...?"

Melody's eyes were inches from closing completely but she sang along with her father anyway, her voice a soft, quiet meek yet angelic whisper. She gripped the edges of her moss blanket in her stubby fingertips and lay her head back heavily against her plump yet soft pillow. Her cheeks looked even more plump than normal.

She harmonised with Branch.

"And If you lost your way
I will keep you safe
We'll open up all the world inside
I see it come alive tonight..."

Branch finished the song whilst leaning forwards, gingerly pressing his forehead against Melody's.

"I will keep you safe..."

Melody yawned softly as she seemed so close to succumbing to her need to fall asleep but she retained a semblance of consciousness and latched on to it as she rolled over on her side and finally gave in.

"I love you, daddy..." She whispered.

Branch was silent for a few moments but he had this sincere look on his face as he reached down and gently stroked her head, slowly rising off of the bed and climbing to his feet. His icy blue eyes were soft and compassionate as he watched his baby girl begin to settle down in her bed.

Melody sighed contentedly as she was fast asleep within five seconds.

The blue troll chuckled quietly to himself.

"Love you too, Mel." He whispered back.

He was secretly smiling from ear-to-ear as crept towards the door to the pod that was her room, he gently closed the door to his daughter's bedroom behind him. His heart was seconds away from exploding from the cuteness of it all; he loved his daughter more than words could say.

He meandered from the pod, walked through the hallways, and entered the kitchen where Poppy was seated at the table already and awaiting him.

Poppy lit up when she saw her husband enter the kitchen.

"Hey, Branchifer!"

"Hey, Poppifer..."

Branch trudged over towards Poppy, leaned in close and kissed each other deeply. Wrapping an arm around Poppy's shoulders, Branch leaned forwards and planted a featherlight kiss upon her cheek and then nuzzled her lovingly. He could feel the fuzz tickle his nose while Poppy closed her eyes and rested her against the blue troll's shoulder and melted into his embrace. Their lips parted after a few lengthy seconds as they made a soft "mwah" sound.

Branch released Poppy and sat on the other side of the table.

The couple sat whilst looking into one another's eyes adoringly. Branch reached over and took his wife's hand in his own and smiled at her adoringly, his face was full of love and he couldn't help but see how stunning she was.

How could he have been so lucky to have Poppy as his wife?

"You know that I love you right?" He asked.

Poppy smirked.

"Of course. And I you..."

Branch loved bringing a smile to his wife's face and whenever he saw such a look on her face it made him feel like he'd fulfilled one of his many purposes. He loved embracing his wife and he loved sharing her company; sure, being a king wasn't easy, but as long as Poppy was with him and their daughter, he'd endure all the hardships for as long as he needed to.

"It feels like it was only yesterday when she hatched..." Branch sighed in an almost dreamy fashion as he recalled the dramatic day of their daughter's birth.

"And the other troll clans are coming to celebrate Mel's birthday tomorrow; King Trollex, Delta Dawn, Queen Essence, King Quincy, Cooper and Prince D—" Poppy noted the subtle excitement on Branch's face at the mention of their friend Cooper's twin brother. "—not to mention Barb, Riff and their little Ozzie."

Yes, after Barb had tried to turn everyone into rock zombies, she found love in her right hand rock troll/the rock troll in charge of percussion, Riff, and they had a son of their own named Ozzie. Poppy loved spending time with Barb since they would often have "queen conferences" that basically included Barb and Poppy talking about their troubles with ruling their respective tribes...and their children had started becoming one more topic to talk about.

Poppy couldn't wait to organise her daughter's party.

She couldn't fight back a smirk, though.

"Our baby girl is going to become older...I bet it won't be long now until she starts bringing boys home." Poppy mused more to herself then anything.

Branch retorted nevertheless and his happiness gave way to grumpiness.

"And I've got my sharp pointy sticks ready for 'em..."

A/N: Hi, everyone! Here's a new chapter for you guys. We see some more adorability and Branch sings Melody a lullaby; the song is "Safe" by Westlife and I hope you guys enjoy the fluff. You guys are awesome and I hope you lot have a great day/evening.

See you later.

-Chloemcg