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Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Twenty-Seven

More than Meets the Eye

"Well, Plum?" King Peppy said in an unusually stern voice. "Do you have a grudge? Please excuse my language," Peppy added as Poppy and Acorn gasped. Serious grudges among trolls were like myths; almost unheard of in Troll Village.

"What are you talking about? I'm not attacking him; I'm trying to protect him. And I don't have a g…" the doctor's voice trailed off. "At least, I don't think I do. Hm." The plum-purple troll rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I should give you a little background. Queen Poppy, I don't know how much you remember about Branch from when he was a trolling. Does he ever talk about the families he stayed with?"

"Not really…" She felt a squirm coming on and managed to turn it into a shrug. "Branch doesn't really talk much about his past. We're working on that."

"Well, you must know that he stayed with a lot of different families after he lost his own, right?"

"You were one of his foster families?" Poppy guessed.

"No, but my best friend's family was. I would have volunteered, but at the time I was very busy with my medical apprenticeship with Doc Whipple. Also, I already had two young trollings and another on the way. My husband was also completing his own apprenticeship, so we had our hair full."

"Yes, I felt you had enough on your plate." Peppy patted the plum troll's shoulder and she gave him the comfortable smile of an old friend before turning back to Poppy.

"Queen Poppy, you made a comment about Branch moving around a lot when he was a trolling. Well, did you know that he actually stayed with sixteen different families over the first four years after we first came to live here? Five in the first year alone."

Poppy's jaw dropped. "No. I had no idea it had been that many."

The village was a lot smaller then. Sixteen families would have been about forty-five trolls. That was almost half of the village at the time! My gosh! So then, even today a good fifteen percent of this village has direct memories of him as the frantic, fretful little trolling he used to be before he began living with Jaunty and Courtley and they helped calm him down some.

"No wonder he has trouble bonding with anyone," Poppy said in a subdued tone.

"Yes," Doctor Plum replied softly. "During the years in his life when he should have been developing his closest, most secure bonds with other trolls, he kept getting cut loose. It shows, doesn't it?" she said sadly.

Poppy felt even worse. "I feel so bad for him, and for all the trolls who didn't know how to cope with him. And Dad…" She turned to her father, reaching out to hug the elderly troll, resting her chin on his familiar warm shoulder. When had she grown taller than he? "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have done more to help you."

"That's all right, dear." He squeezed her shoulders and let her go, his smile slightly sad. "I'm only sorry it took me so long to get it right."

"I guess I really didn't understand what he was going through. I didn't really know Branch very well until after-" After he slapped me. She pressed her lips together, not wanting to mention that, but from the looks on her father's and Plum's faces, they remembered very well.

There was a shadow in Plum's eyes as she continued her tale. "By the time Peppy asked my friend to take him in, little Branch had acquired something of a reputation. She was a little wary about subjecting her family to his difficult behavior, but they talked it over, and everyone was willing to try to help him."

Poppy felt a waft of anxiety tingle up the backs of her ears. Unlike most troll stories, she had a feeling this one wouldn't end happily.

"Our families were close, so I had the chance to get to know him a little. I began to notice things about him that were…unsettling. It wasn't just his erratic behavior, it was his basic attitude. He was extremely single-minded. Rather than trying to integrate himself into a new family, as any other troll would have, he persisted in trying to recruit us all to his own agenda."

Poppy laughed weakly. "Well, that's Branch. He's really good at making plans and sticking to them. It's one of his strengths, really."

Plum gazed at her for a moment, took a breath as if she wanted to argue, then appeared to change her mind and continued with her story. "We all tried to accommodate his rather unique needs, but then he began to single out my friend's grandmother."

Poppy bit her lip. "What did he do?" she whispered.

"He kept telling her that she was too slow and clumsy and would be the first one caught if a bergen came hunting us."

"Not cool," Acorn murmured, looking unhappy.

"He frightened her, and that upset all of us."

It must be because of what happened to his own grandma. Oh, poor Branch. And poor Plum and her friend and her friend's grandma and everyone…

"But Nana was a strong, compassionate troll, and so she decided to get into better shape to please him. He approved of that, and for a little while things were better."

Poppy perked up at the loving pride in the older female's voice as Doctor Plum remembered her friend's grandmother, who had since passed away peacefully of old age. The pink troll's natural optimism began to emerge. Oh, good. Maybe this story will have a happy ending after all.

Her tenuous hope crashed and burned as Plum went on, "But little Branch was relentless, insisting she work harder and longer every day. Then one morning I came upon her collapsed on a pathway."

"Oh, no!" Poppy's heart leaped into her throat as she and Acorn clutched each other.

"Was she okay?" Acorn whispered with fearful eyes.

"Yes. Fortunately, she wasn't injured, just utterly worn out."

Poppy and Acorn breathed sighs of relief as they let go of one another.

"She really scared me. Worse, she said it was her own fault. She wouldn't let me tell anyone – except King Peppy, of course – but I knew there was no way she would be able to keep up with a hyperactive trolling like Branch. If I didn't do something soon, she really would get hurt. So I made the decision to ask Peppy to find him yet another family."

The doctor shared a troubled look with the orange troll and reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm. "Peppy told me how much trouble he'd had trying to find the right match for the boy. It was the fifteenth family he'd tried, and Branch had only been with them for ten days. I gave it some thought, and suggested that he ask Jaunty and Courtley to take him in, and let them help him work off all his nervous energy."

Poppy beamed. So he found his true family because of you!

Her happy gratitude disappeared as Plum's usually gentle voice took on a flat note of disapproval. "Then later that day, I heard that Branch had hit you."

Acorn gasped, and her father looked upset.

"The whole village was shocked." Plum frowned sternly, one fist on her hip and gesturing toward Poppy with the other hand. "I know Branch probably wasn't pleased to be asked to move on yet again after such a short time, but what kind of troll takes out his frustration by hitting another – especially one so small and helpless, let alone his own princess?"

For a moment Poppy couldn't speak, stunned at the turn this conversation had taken, then protested, "What? Is that what you thought? He didn't hit me because of that! He didn't even know about it. We spent the entire morning playing a game together, and then I said something really insensitive and hurt his feelings really bad and he slapped my face, that's all."

Acorn took a step back and his ears curled back against the sides of his head, his eyes huge. "You said something insensitive?"

Poppy could practically hear Smidge saying Oh my gad.

All of them were looking at her as if unable to believe their eyes. Poppy squirmed. "Well, I didn't know it was something he was sensitive about… Anyway, so you see, Doctor Plum, I'm the one who started it. And he was really, really, really sorry about it later. He was so sorry he cried."

"Oh…" Acorn whimpered, and all three trolls started to tear up in sympathy.

Poppy didn't want to bring everyone down. "But then we apologized and hugged it out and after that we were friends," she said brightly. "I don't regret it. Honestly, I'm kind of glad it happened."

"I see…" Plum said slowly, looking shaken. "Then we were wrong. We all assumed he…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down, then looked up at Poppy with contrite violet eyes. Her shoulders sagged a little as she said, "I'm sorry, Queen Poppy."

Poppy sense a welcome shift in the air, like a bubble of negative feeling had popped, bringing gentle relief to everyone there. "It's okay. I guess it was a natural conclusion to jump to." Then she frowned thoughtfully. I wonder if the whole village thinks that's what happened?

Plum was on the same page. "I'll make sure to tell everyone what really happened," she said quietly. "And I feel like I ought to apologize to Branch, too."

Poppy smiled. "Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure he'll understand."

Al of them were silent for a minute.

I feel so sorry for Doctor Plum and her friends. They never got the chance to get to know and love him. He would have been a fine son if things had been different, but he just wasn't ready to love someone so soon after losing his grandma.

His grandma…

"There's something else you should know. About Nana…" Poppy trailed off, trying to think of the best way to explain things. "Doctor Plum, did you ever wonder why Branch never sang when he was younger?"

She saw the question in Plum's eyes. "I assumed he didn't feel like it. I've heard that the desire to sing goes away when one is unhappy."

"Well, that's probably true, but it's not the whole story..."

Solemnly, Poppy shared the heartbreaking tale Branch had told her and their friends, about how when he was little, his innocent, joyful singing had attracted a bergen's slavering attention and inadvertently led to his grandma's death.

Plum and Peppy were saddened but not surprised.

Acorn burst into tears. "Oh my gosh, Branch… That explains so much!"

Her own eyes brimming, Poppy hugged him, rubbing his back gently to console the soft-hearted troll. After a minute his tears turned to sniffles and he pulled away to blow his nose into a handkerchief.

Poppy turned back to the doctor, saying quietly, "I think the reason Branch was so strict with your friend's grandmother was because she reminded him of his own grandma."

"The poor boy. He must have wanted to protect her," Peppy guessed.

Plum looked down at the floor. "I wish I'd known about that. Why didn't he tell someone?"

Poppy's father answered her. "He felt guilty and ashamed, I assume. He was probably afraid of what we would think of him if we ever found out." Peppy sighed deeply. "I know a thing or two about regrets, and not being able to keep those I love safe. There are a lot of things I'd change if I could, too."

Poppy couldn't bear seeing her beloved father look so downhearted. "Don't forget that you led us to freedom," she reminded him in an upbeat tone. "And you kept us safe for twenty years, and enabled Branch and me to come full circle and ensure our safety for good." She gave her father a loving hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, honey. I needed to hear that." He patted her gently on the back before he let go, commenting, "Ah, my heart feels much lighter now."

She shared an affectionate smile with the wonderful troll who had raised her before she realized something. "You know what? That's exactly what happened to Branch."

"Huh?" Acorn peeked out over the edge of his handkerchief.

Poppy turned to look at the others. "When he finally let go of the burden he'd been carrying all these years, the change in him was so dramatic," Poppy gushed enthusiastically. "And amazing! Underneath all that grumpiness and suspicion was such a great person, so passionate and caring and special… And all he needed was a little love and support."

She met the doctor's eyes. "And forgiveness."

Plum let out a long, slow breath, reminding Poppy of the way Branch acted when he needed time to process something, and she smiled fondly. Not every troll was as open to change as she and her friends were, especially older trolls.

But that was an important part of being queen. To encourage change, when it was for the better.

"So, what do you think?" Poppy asked in a deliberately positive, cheery tone.

"Now that I can see things from his point of view, I can forgive him, yes."

"Great!" Poppy began to skip backwards toward the pod's door, saying perkily, "Okay, now that that's settled, I'm gonna head out now to see Branch-"

"…But when it comes to supporting him as future king…"

Poppy stopped short, hiding her flash of impatient exasperation behind a clenched-tooth smile. "Yes?"

"…What about the fact that he needs to live in a bunker to keep himself under control?"

Poppy scrunched her face up in confusion. "Wait, what? That's not why he lives there; it was because he was preparing for when the bergens found us. And he was right. They did."

"But the bergens aren't a threat anymore. It's been six months now; he could have chosen to move back into the village any time."

"But it's his home," Poppy said earnestly as she came back to stand in front of Plum. "It's a part of him."

"Well, then, could you live there?"

Poppy opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"If you're seriously thinking about marrying him, do you believe he could ever feel safe living in a pod? Or will he always crave the peace and quiet and security of his safe space?"

"I…don't know." The truth was, she'd never thought about it. "I don't see why he couldn't live in a pod. I told you: He's made a lot of progress. And he can still use the bunker as a workshop, and it'll always be there as an emergency shelter." She shrugged, unconcerned. "We'll work something out. There's no hurry. It's barely been a day since we got together."

"I remember when we took shelter from the bergens there." Plum actually shuddered. "Quite frankly, it was disturbing to see how obsessed he really was."

"Oh, but it doesn't look like that anymore," Poppy reassured her. "He cleaned it all up and even decorated a little. It's much nicer now."

"Really?" asked Acorn. "Well, that's good. Because if I'm being honest, that bergen graffiti was really creepy."

Poppy snorted out a laugh. "No argument here," she said cheerfully. "But honestly, he's moved past all that now."

"I'm glad to hear that," Plum said earnestly. "But his tendency to catastrophize things is still concerning. I mean, doesn't it bother you at all that Branch threw away so much of his life for nothing? Misguidedly preparing for a disaster that didn't happen?"

"Didn't it?" Peppy replied as Poppy began to defend her boyfriend. "I'd like to point out that while in the end his bunker wasn't used for very long, it meant a great deal to those of us who took shelter in it. We spent those days feeling safe and happy and well-fed, when we could have been scattered throughout the forest, lost and hurt and starving, as we were during the first year after we escaped from the bergens. It was a terrible, terrible time that I hope will never have to be endured by our people ever again. Don't you remember, Plum?"

The older female nodded, looking haunted. Poppy reached out to pat her hand consolingly, recalling that it wasn't just Branch who had suffered trauma at the hands of the bergens. Sometimes it was hard to remember that. The bergens she knew, especially Bridget and Gristle, were so nice to her and the other trolls, and she even saw them making an effort to be nicer to one another these days.

"What's really bothering you, Plum?" Peppy asked gently.

"Well… The truth is, I keep remembering what it felt like, turning completely colorless in that pot," Plum admitted, running a stressed hand through her hair. "Like a living death. And knowing that the only reason Branch was able to help us was because he understood what it was like to be that gray, to give in to the sadness and despair. A king like that-"

"No! Branch never gives up!" Poppy shouted fiercely. Her hair flared out, hovering in a threatening cloud above them all. Mouths dropped and hands lifted defensively as Poppy snapped her hair back into place, shocked at herself.

"I… I'm sorry!"Her lower lip trembled and she buried her face in her hands, unable to look at the stunned faces of her people.

Where was all this ferocity coming from? The last time she'd reacted like this to something another troll said was when Creek admitted to signing the death warrants of the entire village. But no one's life is in danger here. So why do I feel so threatened?

Then she heard herself whimper, "Why can't you just accept what I want and leave me and Branch alone?"

The young queen's quavering voice plucked at her people's tender heartstrings, and as one they all converged on her, enveloping her in cushiony warmth and love.

"It's okay, Poppy," Acorn said softly, patting her back.

"Everything will be all right, my child," her dad said soothingly.

"What hurts, Poppy?" the doctor murmured in a motherly tone, stroking her hair.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know."

What was this deep ache inside her?

For the first time in her life, Poppy understood just why Branch had left the village to live by himself. Branch had freedom; a freedom the likes of which she'd never known. He didn't have to be accountable to anyone, didn't have anyone depending on him for anything. He didn't even have family members who might object to his choice of a mate. For him to willingly give up such freedom suddenly felt like the greatest unspoken compliment he could give her.

Suddenly she longed for the same freedom.

"I guess…it hurts that you lack confidence in Branch," she said in a small voice. "I'll admit he's a lot of things. Overcautious, skeptical, and entirely too focused on rules, but one thing he's not is a quitter. He's also very brave, and kind, and smart. I wish you could know him the way I do, but I know that only time will do that. So it hurts."

"Skeptical, eh? Sounds like I have more in common with Branch than I thought."

Poppy heard the amusement in Plum's voice and stepped away from the group hug to see the rueful smile on the doctor's kindly face. Then Poppy noticed light care-lines creasing the corners of her eyes and deeper ones on her forehead.

Again Poppy was reminded of a certain aquamarine fussbudget. Aww, she must worry an awful lot. And like Branch, what she needs most is reassurance. And facts.

Plum sighed. "A doctor is supposed to help, not hurt. I'm sorry, Poppy. I truly didn't mean to cause you pain on top of what you've already suffered today." She took a deep breath, let it out briskly, and asked in a lighter tone, "Well, then. How about you tell me more about your boyfriend's positive qualities?"

She called him my boyfriend!

Instantly brightening, the pink troll grinned ear-to-ear as the ache inside her faded, and she pulled in a deep, full breath for the first time since she'd left Branch's side. She really hadn't wanted to go against one of her people's wishes, but there was no way she was giving her beautiful boy up.

As Branch himself had learned time and time again, Queen Poppy made her own choices.

"First of all, I truly believe that building his bunker was a positive thing for Branch. He didn't just waste his life; he spent it looking for solutions to a serious problem, and working hard to learn whatever skills it took to create his 'safe place'. So one important thing you need to know about Branch is that he keeps on trying. And you can count on him to keep on trying in the future."

She plonked her fists sassily on her hips and kicked her enthusiasm up a notch. "In fact, as king, my awesome boyfriend Branch has a lot to offer this village."

"A lot?" For the first time since the doctor had raised her objections, Plum seemed uncertain. As a doctor, she wasn't used to having her advice questioned, but she seemed to be trying to keep an open mind now. And authority figure though she might be, she was still a troll. It wasn't long before her curiosity got the better of her. "Such as?"

"For starters," Poppy began to count on her fingers. "Young as he is, Branch a master craftsman, and a first-rate mechanical engineer. He's good at planning and not forgetting the details and heading off little problems before they become bigger ones. Branch is also very responsible. Looking after his bunker is a lot of hard work. In fact, in some ways he's better qualified to be my boyfriend than most trolls, because he's used to shouldering a lot more responsibility than the average fun-loving troll."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Plum looked pleased. "And is he good at having fun? How is he getting along with the other trolls? He used to be a bit…excuse my language…argumentative." She gave Poppy an apologetic look.

"Oh, he loves having fun now. And he gets along with the other trolls much better than he used to. Once in a while an issue does come up, but that's okay. I was just telling Branch yesterday that there can be such a thing as too much harmony."

"There can?" All three trolls blinked at her.

"He's getting to you, isn't he?" her father asked drolly, raising an eyebrow.

Plum shook her head in disbelief. "How can that possibly be?"

Poppy bounced excitedly up and down, excited to share her new idea. "Okay, so as queen, I need to know what my people want and need, right?"

"Right," they answered.

"But we trolls don't like to complain. So how can I meet my people's needs when some trolls keep quiet for the sake of harmony?"

Three mouths opened. Three mouths closed. Three pairs of eyes got a faraway look as her idea sank in. Then her dad nodded his shaggy magenta mane. "Good point, Poppy, good point."

"Thanks, Dad." Poppy lifted her own eyebrow. "Or are you just agreeing with me for the sake of harmony, too?"

All of them went, "Hm," at that.

"See what I mean?" Poppy spread her hands. "Agreeableness is such an ingrained habit that most trolls never think to question it. But Branch does. I'm only now just starting to realize that he's not so much the voice of dissent as he is an example of an alternate point of view."

"But you can't honestly believe that the rest of the trolls share Branch's opinions?" Plum asked in surprise.

"Maybe some do. Who knows?" She giggled. "He's definitely unique in some respects. I just take that as a reminder that we're all individuals, and we each have our quirks."

"Well, I certainly have quirks. Just ask young Acorn here."

"She sure does."

Doctor Plum playfully ruffled Acorn's lavender hair, and he gave her an affectionate grin.

"So, Queen Poppy, the question I think I really need to ask is whether Branch, as unique as he is, is capable of understanding what's important to the rest of us. Would he be able to make the right choices for us, if he were king?"

"Truthfully, Doctor…probably not. Not always."

"Huh?" Acorn asked. He and the doctor traded surprised glances before meeting the eyes of the amused queen.

"But that doesn't mean he can't learn to. He's been learning more and more about what it means to be a troll ever since he got his colors back," Poppy said confidently. "You know that single-mindedness you mentioned? It can be a negative trait when he's on the wrong path, true, but it can also be an incredibly positive one when he's going in the right direction."

"And it's up to the rest of us to help guide him that way." She reached out to put her hands on Plum's and Acorn's shoulders. "Branch isn't a recluse anymore. He's a wonderful friend, if you make the effort to get to know and trust him. It goes both ways, you know. He doesn't refuse invitations anymore..." She grinned. "Usually."

"You're right, Poppy," her dad said. "I'll invite him to go with me the next time I go hiking."

"That's the spirit!" Poppy held up her hand and her dad gave her a satisfying high-five.

Plum said, "Then we'll invite him to join the sewing circle Acorn and I belong to."

"I'm sure he'll love that," Poppy said cheerfully. "He makes all his own clothes. Well, not the ones he was wearing just now; he got those from the twins." The crafter in her saw the opportunity to share her photo scrapbook of their time in the twins' tent, and she took it. "Want to see?"

All three of her companions enjoyed paging through the short scrapbook, admiring the various fun, quirky and/or beautiful outfits they'd each carefully chosen to appeal to each other. Poppy gazed at Dreamboat Branch for a long time, stroking his cheek gently and sighing with happy longing before she finally closed the scrapbook and slid it back into her hair. Her tummy fluttered. I'll be with you soon, handsome.

She recalled with amusement that the twins had actually tried to flirt with Branch and he hadn't even noticed, and then remembered something important. "Guess what? Did you know that Branch's unique outlook can actually be an incredible asset?"

"Really? How so?" Acorn asked, curiosity alight in his blue eyes.

"Through Branch, we can see familiar things in new ways, and sometimes address problems we're so used to that we simply don't see them. Just today, Branch pointed out that we all tend to think of Satin and Chenille as a single unit, but they aren't. They're two separate people. I overheard Satin admit that it bothered her sometimes. And when one or both of them fall in love, we…may have a problem," she finished awkwardly.

"Why? Can't they just double-date?" Acorn asked innocently.

Both Plum and Peppy stared at him, and he blinked. "What?"

Plum said gently, "What happens when one of them wants to start a family?"

Acorn's eyes shifted up, then down, and then he blushed and looked away. "Oh."

"I'd foreseen that particular problem," Peppy admitted, "and the best idea I could come up with was to have an extra-large pod made, with a dividing wall down the center, and a long slot near the top to pass their hair through. That way each of them could have her own pod, after a fashion. We even tried it out, but…"

"I remember that," said Plum. "The wall worked, but it caused other problems."

"Yes, it was inconvenient for when they did want to be together, which was most of the time, and having to keep their hair extended for long periods got uncomfortable for them. They also got lonely, not being able to see each other. In the end, they went back to their old pod."

"But if each of them had a family of her own, she wouldn't be lonely," Poppy reasoned.

"So I'm assuming that Branch came up with a different solution?" Plum asked.

"He suggested we cut it."

"What, give them each half a pod? That's not much different from Peppy's idea."

"No, their hair. We can separate them. By cutting their hair."

"What?" Acorn slapped a hand over his mouth as if he were going to be sick. Both adults looked taken aback.

"Listen!" Poppy quickly explained Branch's reasoning; that the twins would still be twins, even unattached. "He says we should let them know we'd still love them just as much as individuals, even if they weren't quite as unique as they are now."

After a long pause to process that, a chorus of "Aww…" drifted into the air.

Finally, the doctor gestured at Poppy. "Well, Queen Poppy, I have to admit; it's an elegant solution," she said, and for the first time Poppy heard a note of respect in her tone.

"I never would have thought of it. A long time ago Doc Whipple told me he considered separating them when they were first born, but they spent so much time hugging each other that it didn't seem like the right thing to do. But if they really do want two different lives someday, well…"

Poppy waited.

"It looks like I was wrong. Branch is capable of understanding the needs of others."

"Yesss!" Poppy thrust her hands skyward. "Ooo! I just thought of something. From what you just told me, I think that Branch is actually more qualified to know what the average family's needs are, because he's stayed with so many families. And as for making the right choices based on what the trolls think is important… Well, that depends on your definition of 'important', doesn't it? Right now Branch is giving a lecture to an entire group of dedicated students who are willingly missing out on the fun of Beadfest because they believe learning the technique that was used to save my life, called the 'Heimlich maneuver', is more important."

At the mention of Poppy's recent peril, the recent cheer in the pod died away.

Then the doctor spoke up in an encouraging tone, "I'd like to learn that myself. It would have been very valuable eight years ago, at the Beadfest when a trolling almost choked to death. I helped Doc Whipple take care of her after she'd managed to cough up the bead she'd swallowed. It was the first really scary life-or-death moment for me as a doctor."

Acorn said fervently, "For me, too. The trolling who choked was my little sister, Kiki. I was just a trolling myself, and I'd never been so scared in my life, or felt so helpless. I need to learn this Heimlich maneuver, too."

"And me," Peppy chimed in.

"Me, too." The young queen smiled broadly at them all, proud of their willingness to appreciate the value in her boyfriend, and even prouder of Branch. "I'm planning to have Branch teach it to anyone who wants to learn it. I'm guessing that will be everyone."

Poppy went on to talk about Branch's cleanup plan, created eight years ago after Kiki's choking incident while Branch had still been living isolated from the village in his bunker, and other leadership tasks had taken upon himself.

Her dad helped her out, mentioning the medicinal soup Branch had created when he was just a trolling.

Acorn reminded them all of the camouflage game Branch had come up with, which was still popular to this day. "And the bunker would have kept us safe if we hadn't been tricked. That wasn't Branch's fault, though."

"You see? Branch is a born leader," Poppy declared happily. "He's not afraid to experiment, to do what he feels is right, even if some trolls think he's wrong, or weird." She grinned. "Of course, he does still have some strange habits, but I'm working on them. Incentives can work wonders."

Plum was looking a lot more mellow now. "All right, Queen Poppy. You've convinced me to give him a chance."

"Woo-hoo!" Poppy did a backflip, threw herself into a cartwheel, and sprang to her feet, her spirits soaring so high she was almost giddy.

"I really hope this works out for the two of you," Doctor Plum said earnestly. "I'm sure you'll be able to pass on your exceptional emotional resiliency to him, Queen Poppy."

"Branch is a lot stronger than you think. He spent twenty years gray and gloomy and still managed to accomplish so much." Heady with success, the pink troll got a little reckless. "And you know, I'm not as resilient as you think. There are times when even I can't just brush off bad experiences without help. Like just now, when-"

Finally recognizing the cliff, Poppy sheered off, narrowly avoiding the plunge. "I mean, Branch is really good at that. He understands what it's like to feel sad or worried or scared sometimes, and he always knows what to do to make me feel better." Her jubilation faded. She bit her lip, wanting with all her heart to make them understand, and kept going. "But it's more than that. Just being around him makes me feel good. Even just hearing his voice…"

She really hadn't wanted to talk about this, but she was feeling so much better now that she felt able to, if only to help them understand in no uncertain terms exactly how much Branch meant to her. "My colors faded today," she confessed in a small voice. "On the way over here."

"Oh, Poppy…" said her dad, giving her a sorrowful look under his bushy eyebrows.

"I thought you said you were just embarrassed." Acorn gave her a look of sympathy. "You actually felt bad enough to lose your colors?"

She nodded. "Not all the way, but yes. I think I was in shock, but listening to Branch teaching his class brought me out of it. So you see…I need him, too."

Plum gently touched her arm. "Are you all right, my dear?"

She hesitated, then said honestly, "Not quite. But with Branch at my side, I will be."

The rest of them were silent for a while after that, long enough for Poppy to get uncomfortable.

"So, um, everyone… Are we good?" she said brightly. "Because I really need to be getting back to Branch. He's going to be even more protective of me after what happened today… And you know, for the first time, I'm actually more comforted than annoyed by that."

"I know what you mean. No one will keep you safer than Branch," her father agreed.

Plum and Acorn nodded, smiling.

Poppy turned to go, then turned back, her palms outspread placatingly toward the floor as she added, "And I know I'm asking a lot, but please keep that fact that Branch and I are dating hidden in your hair. The last thing we need right now is for the entire village to go crazy over this. This is so new and different; not just for Branch, but for me, too. And I don't want to mess things up," she confessed, her voice going a little husky.

Their faces softened, and Acorn spoke up. "I get it. Starting a new relationship is scary. I know I feel like that around Celesta. I want her to like me so much, but I'm afraid she'll only see me as a friend, or I'll ask her for a date and she'll turn me down, or we'll go on a date and something will happen to make her change her mind, or realize she wants to date someone else instead." He let out a puff of air. "It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one who worries about stuff like that."

"Me, too."

"We all do," her dad assured the younger trolls, and Plum nodded.

Poppy asked the mint-green troll, "Anything I can do to help?"

She and Acorn shared a look of fellow-feeling before he said, "Well, I like your idea of spending time alone with her, so she can get to know me as well as you two know each other."

"We do, don't we?" Her tight shoulders dropped as Poppy felt something inside her settle comfortably into place. Everything is going to be fine from now on. "Well, let me know how things go, and if you need any help-"

"We'll be here, won't we, Peppy?" Plum said unexpectedly, and Peppy nodded.

"Right."

Poppy gave the doctor a look of surprise, and she gave the young queen a motherly smile. "You just focus on your sweetheart for now, dear. We've got this."

"Oh, thank you!" Poppy launched herself at the older female in a great big hug, and felt her dad and Acorn join in, feeling warm and well-loved. This was life as a troll, and life was wonderful.

Author's Note:

One of the things I love most about troll culture is how they're all taught from an early age to talk out their issues with one another. They don't always, of course, but on the whole, honesty and a willingness to try to see things from each other's point of view goes a long way.

The part about Poppy taking advantage of the opportunity to show her scrapbook is a reference to the first episode of Trolls: The Beat Goes On.

A guest asked this question:

Hi dreamsinger, I have question for you about troll culture when it comes to find a suitor. In your story, are the trolls a monogamy race, as in do they mate for life and adultery and divorce is unthinkable or are they more like us humans, that they only practices monogamy? I'm just curious about your insight on this :D

I feel that trolls, when they marry, are faithful. But I also think they have very long childhoods (mentally, not physically) where they date many other trolls and often don't marry until they are at least 30. I base this on the fact that King Peppy looked about 35 in the movie when Poppy was about 1-2 years old, even though as king he probably had pressure to produce an heir as young as possible. So I'd guess most trolls do a fair amount of dating and learn who they are most compatible with, before choosing the right troll to settle down with forever.

One thing we definitely know from the movie is that trolls love living in harmony, so they have a pretty strong motivation to choose the love of their life carefully and be truly willing to work with them if any conflicts should happen to arise. Since they show their feelings so openly, they don't really need divorce, or adultery. And the other trolls, being truly caring, would all help reconcile any couple who weren't seeing eye-to-eye, too, instead of leaving them to struggle alone.

As to physical relationships, I feel that the trolls are taught to always consider each other's feelings, so if two trolls just want a short, passionate fling, they're honest about it. If it turns out they make a good couple, they stay together, but if they don't, they agree to just be friends, not lovers. After marriage they'd only make love to their one true love, of course.