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Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Twenty-Six

Not Just Puppy Love

At this shocking news, all the trolls gave the traditional loud, theatrical gasps, stepping back from each other, hands thrown into the air. Wide-eyed, Poppy gasped loudly, "You have objections, Doctor Plum?" just as her father cried with exactly the same amount of drama, "You don't want a party, Poppy?"

Her dad put a hand on her forehead, wailing, "Doctor, something is terribly wrong with my little girl!"

"Daaad, I'm fine!" Poppy protested. "I just want to keep our relationship quiet for a while."

"But…but why? You said he makes you happy."

"He does!" she insisted. "It's just that…"

The pink troll suddenly realized that she was surrounded by a bewildered group of orange, plum and mint, their foreheads wrinkling. She flushed a little. "Well, it's…complicated."

After a long pause where the trolls all exchanged glances, Doctor Plum smiled. "Of course. We understand, dear."

"You do?"

"You're dating him as part of his ongoing social rehabilitation, right? That's a fine idea. Teaching him-"

"Oh, no, that's not it," Poppy corrected her politely.

"Oh. Well." The doctor blinked her long, heavy lashes. "Um, you…lost a bet?"

"No."

"I see. So you do have a thing for him."

Poppy nodded, and Doctor Plum sighed. "I suppose that's only natural, considering what he did for you – for all of us – when we were in that bergen pot. He did have an unexpectedly sweet voice…and the adoring way he looked at you… " She paused, a faraway look softening her violet eyes.

Her dad and Acorn were also caught in memory's arms, as a moment later all four trolls put their hands over their hearts and sighed nostalgically.

"Sounds like the perfect reason for a romantic little tryst, eh, daughter?" her dad teased gently.

"Yeahhh…" Poppy was blushing as she put her hands bashfully to her cheeks, swinging from side to side, but mostly she was delighted. Somehow having her dad know about Branch made everything seem more real.

But then Doctor Plum cautioned, "All right, but don't forget to make it clear to him that it's only temporary, of course. It wouldn't be fair to him to make him think you-"

"It's not temporary," Poppy contradicted as the prick of irritation popped the pink troll's giddiness. "It might be a little hard to believe, but I really do love him." She tilted her head and flip-flopped her hands in the air as she went on, "I know he's a bit of a grump, and he can be a little too focused on safety concerns, and yeah," she shrugged her shoulders, "he has some weird habits, but he's really a sweetheart underneath."

Doctor Plum protested, "But Queen Poppy-"

"Doctor," Acorn said suddenly, putting a hand on her arm.

The two females eyed each other, wearing matching looks of frustration and discomfort. Poppy knew that neither of them wanted to be in this position, in conflict with one another, but she'd started this by falling in love with Branch.

So she took a deep breath, trying to see things from the doctor's point of view. I know she probably only knows Branch by his old reputation, like most of the village trolls. We need to find a way to let everyone get to know him better; let them see how much he's changed. He seems to like teaching-

Just then the doctor suggested, "Maybe you're just attracted to him physically? Now that he has his colors back, he's a fine figure of a troll, that's true; but mentally…"

"Branch has always been handsome! And his mind is just fine, thank you!" Poppy heard the indignation in her tone and tried to rein in her temper before she said something she'd regret. "He's made a lot of progress in the past six months."

"Well, if he's so much better, then why do you want to keep your relationship a secret?" The doctor's tone conveyed honest bafflement and a hint of disbelief.

"Oh, I- Because…" The pink troll looked at her father and Acorn, who just stared at her with big curious eyes. She felt her face begin to heat up.

How can I tell you that I want to be with Branch more than I want to be with the rest of you? All I want right now is to spend time alone with him. We haven't even kissed yet…

Doctor Plum frowned, a worry line appearing between her eyes. "Queen Poppy, I apologize if I'm mistaken, but it sounds as if I'm not the only one with misgivings here."

"Oh no-no-no-no!" Poppy waved her hands frantically in front of her. "It's not that! Really! "

There was a long pause while she fidgeted and sweated under their combined stares, trying to figure out what to say. She knew she should explain, but she didn't want to hurt their feelings. And I doubt Branch would want everyone finding out he's having so much trouble making love to me. He's made so much progress already, just since yesterday. We're so close to a breakthrough. I know it!

"We just…need a little more time," she said finally. "To figure everything out. This is so new to – to the both of us. Neither of us has ever dated anyone before, you know."

"Right, that makes sense." Acorn nodded understandingly.

Peppy added, "Of course, dear. We can have the party whenever you're ready."

She gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, Dad."

The two of them turned to the doctor, who still looked uncharacteristically troubled.

At this, Poppy's temper cooled. "Doctor Plum?"

Finally Plum said carefully, "Queen Poppy, I truly don't want to sound negative or question your judgement. You've made sound choices your entire life. But you understand that when there's an issue, as a doctor I'm used to taking the long view and watching for future complications, right?"

"Okay, I get that," Poppy said respectfully, actively trying to defuse the tension in the pod now.

"Also, as an older troll with a family of my own, I feel I have some wisdom to offer."

"Wisdom is always welcome," Poppy replied honestly. With no mother of her own, she took advice wherever she could get it.

"Now, I believe you when you say that Branch has made some progress lately, but, well…" Plum trailed off, looking more stressed than Poppy could ever remember, considering that the plum-purple troll dealt with some of the most unpleasant parts of life – and death – in the village.

One of her people was in distress, and it was her fault. As much as Poppy wanted to rejoin her boyfriend, she couldn't leave things like this.

The pink troll settled down on the soft, furry floor. "Go on," Poppy said quietly. "I want to hear whatever you have to say."

Plum sat down facing her, and the two males followed, sitting on either side to complete the listening circle.

"Thank you. Now then, I understand that you've become fond of the boy, but are you absolutely sure this isn't just puppy love? Or gratitude for his help?"

"Definitely not," Poppy replied. "I've had crushes before – in fact, I had one on Branch when I was fourteen, so I know the difference."

"Oh, so he caught your eye even then." Acorn's face was bright with interest.

"I knew about that." Peppy chuckled.

"You did? How-" Poppy blinked at him, then rolled her eyes. "Right, right, because you're my dad."

She turned back to the doctor. "Branch was my first crush. Back then, I just kind of admired how cool he was, without really thinking about how he'd fit into my life. But then I had a talk with my dad about dating, and needing to be careful whom I chose because I was the princess."

She drew circles in the pretty white, peach and aqua hair of the pod's floor, remembering how disappointed she'd been. "I realized that despite his many admirable qualities, Branch wasn't the right troll for me. Not then."

The young queen lifted her gaze to meet the plum troll's eyes squarely. "But he is now," she said proudly.

Plum hesitated. "I'm glad to hear that you've kept your father's advice in mind. And of course, as your doctor, I know you haven't been intimate with anyone yet – at least, you haven't come to me with questions about family planning?" The doctor's tone lifted at the end of her statement, and Poppy immediately turned red.

"No, not yet," she replied shyly to the implied question. "I want trollings, of course, and I'm pretty sure Branch does, too." She thought about the cute trollings in hers and Branch's colors on the scrapbook page Branch had made during the night, and smiled. "But it's a little soon to start a family. I'm still working on getting this queen thing down, but someday…"

"Someday I'll have adorable little grand-trollings hiding in my hair, just like you used to do?" her dad asked sentimentally, clasping his hands together and leaning forward, his soft brown eyes shining.

Even though she was blushing at the direction this conversation had gone in, Poppy couldn't help joining the others in a group-"Awww…" at the touching thought. She nodded to answer her father and blushed some more.

But as the stars faded from everyone's eyes, Doctor Plum turned an anxious look on Poppy. "Wait, if he's thinking about having a family with you, then it sounds as if Branch is really serious about you."

"He is. He told me he's had feelings for me for years."

"Oh, dear."

"What?"

Doctor Plum bit her lip, then said, "If this relationship doesn't work out, I'm concerned about what it will do to him."

"Nothing's gonna happen to Branch!" Poppy blurted out. "We're best friends! We're totally in love! And we have a superstrong relationship."

But the twist of dread in her belly made her ask in a small voice, "Um…why would you think that it might not work out?"

"Well, you are the queen, after all. I'm sure he's happy to finally have a sweetheart, and that he's very flattered to receive your affections, but unlike you, Branch has very little life experience," Plum said gently. "He may not understand the implications of dating the queen, and that a troll like him just isn't suited to the duties of kingship. It's a very complex social position, after all, with a lot of responsibilities, and well…this is the troll who chose to isolate himself from everyone in an underground bunker for the past decade."

As the doctor spoke, at first Poppy wanted to interrupt her again, to assure her that everything would work out fine, but the longer Plum talked, the more Poppy wilted.

The older female ran a hand uncomfortably through her pale yellow hair with wisps of white at the temples, her eyes creasing at the corners the way Poppy usually associated with Branch's worry-face. "I'm sorry to say it like this, but in all honesty, is there any troll less qualified to lead this village?"

Poppy's stomach sank. She knew Branch would do his best to support her, but she also knew he would do it for love of her, not because he truly desired sharing all her royal duties. I know we talked about it a little bit last night, but Doctor Plum's right. Branch might not truly realize what it may cost him to be with me.

And then Plum said exactly what Poppy had been trying her hardest to not think about ever since she and Branch had had that first heart-to-heart yesterday.

"Queen Poppy, I know you want to help him stay happy, but you don't have to marry him to do that. Getting involved with a troll with Branch's problems seems a little… Forgive me, but if he can't handle things, it wouldn't only affect the two of you. The entire village would suffer."

"The entire…" Poppy whispered, feeling sick. It was a good thing she was sitting down, as all her fears from this afternoon engulfed her in a torrent that threatened to choke her worse than the popcorn had. Her muscles tensed, her stomach lurched, stress hormones roared in her ears. Her friends' doubtful faces spun through her brain, clogging it so she couldn't come up with a reply that sounded good enough. "I- He- I mean, I mean, we-" she stuttered, verbally stumbling all over herself.

Her mind had gone numb again. What had her friends just said to reassure her? All she could remember was something about a scrapbook, but telling them the tale of how she and Branch got together wouldn't answer any of the doctor's fears, would it?

She looked plaintively at her father, whose amber-brown eyes were studying her thoughtfully, giving no clue to his thoughts. Does Dad doubt Branch, too?

Eyes blurring, she turned to see Acorn giving her a sympathetic smile.

The floundering queen gratefully latched onto the support. "Acorn! You know Branch. He'd make a great king, wouldn't he?"

"What? I - I don't know him," the mint-green troll denied, his ears flipping back in surprise.

Hey! Just like Branch. Momentarily distracted, Poppy goggled at the teen.

Eighteen-year-old Acorn Twill was mint-green with light blue eyes, pretty bluish-lavender hair and a soft lavender-pink nose. He had been a class or two below hers in school, but she knew he was usually cheerful and friendly, as most trolls were aside from a certain gray-skinned individual who'd had a…unique way of thinking. But unlike Branch, Acorn had a bit of a shy streak at times.

Acorn's ears looked like typical troll ears; roundish, and normally held upright instead of spread out like a butterfly's wings the way Branch's were, but they moved just like his. Growing up, she herself had occasionally tried to make her ears move the way her friend Branch's did, but the best she had been able to manage was only a fraction of his range of movement.

Then the meaning of his words sank in. "What do you mean you don't know Branch? The way you moved your ears just now…"

Acorn said in a flustered tone, "Well, I mean I did know him, but that was a long, long time ago. Before he ran off into that bunker of his, even. I was just a little trolling then." Acorn looked away. "But we really weren't all that close."

"But I remember you used to be buddies. And Conifer told me you two were really good friends."

"I… I thought we were…" His eyes dropped. "But then I did something wrong and he said he never wanted to see me again."

"Aww. He said that?"

"Well, not exactly," Acorn admitted. "But that's what it felt like."

Poppy gave him a look of sympathy. She remembered how it felt when Branch used to tell her to go away. What happened between them?

Poppy was aware that Acorn had been friends with Branch for a short time when she was about eleven, and that for some reason they had stopped seeing each other. I remember that Acorn said Branch had decided they shouldn't be friends, and that he was sad about that, but that it was okay with him. How could he possibly be okay with that? That never did make any sense to me.

Fourteen-year-old Branch had refused to talk about Acorn at all, even when she'd sung the most persistent song she could think of at him over and over to make him crack. All that had done was make him start avoiding her, too.

Then her father had asked her for help in containing a prank war that had gotten out of control. From then on she had begun to take more responsibility on herself to ease the burden on her dad, so the problem with Branch and Acorn had slipped further and further down her to-do list.

"When did all this happen? I wasn't aware there'd been a quarrel between Branch and Acorn," her dad said in concern.

"Oh, it wasn't like that!" Acorn protested.

Poppy and her father looked at each other and then at the mint-green troll, who blushed light pink and put a hand to the back of his head, seeming unwilling to elaborate.

After a minute, Poppy decided to let him off the hook. "From what Conifer told me, Dad, this happened around the time when those prank wars kept breaking out. Remember those? The two of us had our hands full for months," Poppy explained.

"Ah, yes," her dad agreed. "Every time we had things calmed down, someone would come up with an idea for an even more ingenious prank, and it would start all over again."

"Yeah, someone," Poppy agreed with a smile. From the twinkle in his eye, Poppy suspected that he had been the cause of at least some of the new skirmishes, but she had never been able to get him to admit it. "Dad and I were busy for months, trying to calm things down. So maybe we weren't as attentive as we ought to have been…" she finished under her breath.

The two older trolls didn't appear to have heard her, but Acorn gave her a questioning look. Before he could say anything, she added quickly, "Don't worry, Acorn, you'll see. Things are different now than they were in the past. Branch is different. He's really, truly different."

His eyes grew big as he studied her and she felt herself relaxing into a smile, picturing her boyfriend's own sky-blue eyes. Were his just a shade bluer?

Something in her smile made him smile too as he turned to the doctor to say, "You know, Doctor, maybe things will be all right."

"Acorn, you're backing Branch? I thought you said you didn't really know him."

"I don't, not really. But I'd like to. This new Branch, he's not the Branch I remember. He's…healthy, I think. He's the Branch I used to believe in, the one I looked up to and admired so much when I was a trolling."

"Aww." Poppy was touched.

Then Acorn rubbed his nose and looked shyly to the side. "Besides, I understand how he feels. I'm in love, too, and I want to be a better troll for Celes… I mean, Branch has the motivation to change now, you see?"

Poppy shared a sentimental grin with her dad and the doctor. She made a mental note to talk to Acorn soon about what she could do to help him woo his own sweetheart.

"Doctor Plum, Acorn's right. Branch really is healthy now," she said earnestly. "And he wants to change. It's only been six months since he got his colors back, but he's already so much more relaxed than I've ever known him, getting so much more into the trolly swing of things… Can you imagine the Branch from a year ago, gray and suspicious, ever enjoying singing and dancing, or welcoming hugs with open arms like he does now?"

The three trolls exchanged glances. "Well, no," Plum admitted. She paused, then asked, "Queen Poppy, has Branch ever been to see the village psychologist?"

"Actually, yes."

Suddenly Poppy found it hard to hold back a chuckle as she recalled a very amusing conversation she'd had with Branch, who'd described taking an ink blot test and getting totally weirded out. "Danger. Danger. Danger. What the- danger again? Why are these all about danger? Are these cards rigged?"

"So what happened?"

"He said she couldn't help him much, that she specializes in a completely different area of social problems. Party addiction, party burnout, difficulty saying 'no' to invitations, that sort of thing." The chuckle snuck out anyway. "Nothing that Branch has ever had an issue with!"

The doctor had that disconcerted look that Poppy often saw on the faces of trolls confronted with Branch's…well, Branchness. She laughed again, hard enough to make her dad and Acorn start looking at her funny, and the last of her self-control popped like a soap bubble. The pink troll threw herself backward on the soft rug, rolling around as a burst of sheer merriment with a slightly hysterical edge filled the pod.

"What's so funny?" Acorn asked the others, who shrugged.

Poppy didn't even try to control her giggling fit; it felt so good to just let it all out.

The other trolls exchanged worried glances and her dad looked down at her with concern. "Uh…Poppy? Are you all right, my darling?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said cheerily as she sat back up, crossing her legs comfortably beneath her. Man, I needed that.

Ignoring her little interruption, Poppy picked up where she'd left off. "So anyway, Branch decided he didn't need therapy. But you know what? You know how one of the goals of therapy is to help trolls understand themselves by becoming more introspective? Well, as a troll who spent most of the last ten years with only himself for company, Branch is already a little too introspective, if you ask me."

"So you really don't have any qualms at all?"

Earnest now, Poppy clasped her hands together and leaned toward the older female. "Branch may not be a typical troll, but I believe in him, Doctor. He's come so far, overcome so much to get where he is now. He may not be there quite yet, but he will be. I know he will."

"But what if something happens, and he has a relapse?"

"What do you mean, a relapse?" Poppy's forehead wrinkled.

"Well, look at what he did today, threatening the trolls around you as if we meant to hurt you. Why, the boy looked like he was going to attack someone."

"But he didn't!" Poppy put her hands on her hips, insulted on her boyfriend's behalf. "In fact, he handled what happened today better than-" Just in time she cut herself off. Not going there.

The older female gently insisted, "Queen Poppy, dear, you have to admit that for most of his life Branch has been, well, just a teeny tiny little bit south of healthy, mentally."

Poppy was wordless. Plum was right, in a way, but the pink troll didn't like hearing it phrased like that, like there was something seriously wrong with her boyfriend. She knew Plum was only trying to look out for everyone, Branch included, but she was also wrong.

"But you don't know him the way I do. There's nothing wrong with Branch!" She flung her hands out to the sides to emphasize her point and accidentally clipped Acorn's ear.

"Ouch!" He flinched away from her, laying his ears protectively against the sides of his head.

"Oops! I'm so sorry, Acorn! Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm okay." He rubbed the tip of his ear. "Gee, you weren't kidding about having mood swings, were you?"

"Heh, heh." Poppy rubbed the back of her head, wearing an apologetic smile every bit as awkward as Branch's sometimes still were. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, too, dear," Plum said regretfully, "for upsetting you after what you've just been through. Maybe we should have this conversation another time."

"No, it's a good distraction," Poppy said before she thought.

"A distraction from what?"

"From-" A zing of alarm stopped her just in time. She shook her head. "Never mind. Um, so why are you so afraid that Branch is going to 'relapse'?"

The doctor sighed. "Because that young troll has spent almost his entire life gray and unhappy. When a patient has a chronic issue, it tends to crop up every once in a while, especially when she - or he - is under stress. Can you honestly say that if the boy is put under pressure he won't go back to his old ways?"

Poppy pushed down a rise of unease, holding her breath and counting silently to ten, then managing to say, mostly calmly, "Doctor, you're acting like Branch is totally unstable, but that's not the case at all. This is Troll Village, not Bergentown. Just because Branch moved around a lot as a trolling doesn't mean he wasn't in an emotionally supportive environment," she reassured the older troll. "Yeah, Branch might not have been exactly happy, but he was perfectly functional. And sane."

"Really?" Acorn asked suddenly.

"Of course!" she said in astonishment. "You honestly didn't think he was crazy, did you?"

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well, everybody said… Wait, what about his Incident?"

"He told me about that. He said he just forgot to calculate how much weight the tree branch could hold. It was a simple miscalculation. A mistake!" Her voice began to rise again, and she winced inwardly before adding, "Everyone makes mistakes. Look at how I accidentally hit your ear just now."

"But his Incident wouldn't have happened at all if he hadn't been hoarding supplies," Doctor Plum pointed out. "And now he does the same thing on a larger scale. In a bunker."

For that, Poppy had no reply.

"I'm sorry, dear, but a troll like Branch simply must not be put into a position of power," the doctor said kindly but firmly. "He may have learned to be more sociable, and he obviously cares for you a great deal, but the boy hasn't really changed."

"Why do you keep calling him a boy?" Poppy flared. "Branch is twenty-six years old."

The doctor shook her head. "Not emotionally he isn't. Or socially. You see, inside he's still a teenager, a fifteen-year-old boy, the same age he was when he left the village to live in that bunker," she explained patiently. "Maybe even younger, since he was – if you'll excuse my bluntness – rather socially awkward even then."

Poppy forgot her anger as something suddenly clicked into place. "Huh." She tilted her head to the side, thinking, and laughed. "It's kind of funny to think he's younger than me even though he's older! No wonder he acts like a bashful teenager sometimes. How cute!"

"What?" Plum's mouth dropped open. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not at all," Poppy said honestly. "Despite how world-weary he acts sometimes, in a lot of ways Branch is very innocent, because of the sheltered life he's lived. Ooo, I can't wait to show him all the wonderful things he's missed out on!" She was so pleased at the thought that she hugged herself.

Her pleasure was catching; her companions cooed "Aww," at the thought, their eyes shining as they put their hands to their cheeks.

Then Plum seemed to catch herself and shook her head as if to dispel the lingering sugary-sweet vibe, crossing her arms and looking to the side. Poppy knew she wasn't convinced.

"Doctor Plum, I know that Branch still has issues." She used her most patient, reasonable tone. "But you know, everyone does, even me. That's perfectly normal. He's normal. He's just…a late bloomer. He'll get there. And we'll all be there to help him. Right, Acorn?"

Acorn smiled. "Sure. He was there for me when I needed him. I'll be glad to return the favor." He laughed. "I guess it's his turn to be the little brother!"

"Oh, why can't you see that this is a mistake?" Plum appealed to Poppy's father. "Peppy, you can see that, can't you?"

"Well, I, uh…" He scratched his head uncomfortably, obviously unwilling to get between the two females.

Heat flared inside the young queen like one of Cooper's fireworks and she leaped to her feet. "It's not a mistake! Why are you attacking him like this?" she demanded fiercely.

Plum and Acorn also stood quickly, with her father taking a bit longer to push himself to his feet.

"Poppy!" Her father sounded shocked enough to make Poppy reconsider her tone. Trolls were rarely so confrontational with one another.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Plum." She lowered her head, honestly contrite, then went with her instincts. "It just seems like you have something against Branch personally."

Poppy's dad gave the doctor a sharp look. "Wait a minute. Plum, do you have a – a grudge – against Branch?"

Despite her pique, Poppy paled. Oh no. He said the 'g' word!

Author's Note:

Plum represents the average troll, who doesn't really know Branch except by reputation, and whose rare interactions with him have mostly been negative. But she realizes that losing Poppy would devastate Branch, since he doesn't have many close relationships, and she doesn't want him put under too much stress. She has a pretty good reason for that…

I've hinted at Acorn's existence before. Acorn is the last of my main OCs (original characters), created to let a troubled teenage Branch discover how much he enjoys protecting and taking care of someone small and helpless, and consequentially realizing just how big and strong and capable he's become. Although, as I'll talk about later, things unfortunately didn't go as well as they could have, but their brief friendship was still an important part of Branch's past. In some ways, Acorn has had more of an impact on Branch's basic character than any of my other OCs.