Well, chapter 2 is here. So like Harmony Trollscket said before, this is your last chance to turn back... but for those of you who wish to stay, buckle up! Because the story is truly about to begin! It's time to see just what fate awaits the newly orphaned BroZone brothers.
I DO NOT OWN TROLLS OR LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. RIGHTS TO BOTH MOVIES BELONG TO DREAMWORKS AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES.
King Peppy soon came into the pod himself, holding papers in his hands, and once again gestured to the brothers to follow him.
Peppy – There now. Come along, Boys.
The brothers all glanced at each other for a moment before they stood up and began to follow King Peppy. All 6 trolls were then shown sitting in a car, with King Peppy driving while the BroZone brothers sat together in the back.
Peppy – I know this is all very sudden, but please know my heart truly goes out to you boys for your loss. After all, Rosiepuff was a dear friend to me as well. And do not worry, I've already addressed to the village that BroZone will be taking an indefinite leave of absence while you all are readjusting.
John Dory – Thank you for your kindness, King Peppy.
Clay – Wait, if BroZone's on break, how are we gonna make ends meet now?
Peppy – Oh no need to worry about that either, Clay my boy. Your grandmother left you an enormous fortune she's been saving up for years now, which will be yours once you come of age. And until then, you would ordinarily be placed in the care of your next closest relative.
The boys all looked at each other uneasily.
Spruce – Uh, except we don't have any other "closest relatives."
John Dory – Yeah, that's kinda the reason we were living with Grandma in the first place.
Peppy – Yes, I am aware. But guess what? A most promising arrangement has been generously made to solve that!
Peppy grinned proudly while the boys looked at each other in confusion.
Peppy – As you boys know, we've recently entered friendly relations with our neighbors, the Bergans. And King Gristle and I have been frequently meeting in regards of plans to better intermingle both our villages to improve this budding friendship between our species. Well, one of the bergan residents made a most gracious offer and has agreed to take in all 5 of you.
The brothers now looked surprised, if not a little cautious.
Floyd – You mean, we will be living with a Bergan?
Peppy – Yes, and it seems she was quite insistent on the matter! Perhaps you boys have some fans even in Bergan Town!
Peppy glanced back at the boys with a smile, attempting to cheer them up, though the brothers only looked at him skeptically.
John Dory – And who exactly is this bergan?
Peppy – Oh, apparently she's quite renown in all of Bergan Town! She used to serve as King Gristle's personal Royal Chef. Now it seems she's an actor by trade. How exciting is that?
King Peppy smiled enthusiastically again, though the BroZone brothers did not look convinced.
Peppy – Oh there, there now, boys. This will be an excellent opportunity. Both for you and for our villages. Just think, you'd be setting an example for both bergans and trolls everywhere!
Branch looked over at Floyd and whispered to him.
Branch – What example?
Floyd just shrugged while Clay, who also heard Branch, let out a snicker.
Soon enough, the car arrived in a more modern-looking village, where a big dark green elderly-looking bergan wearing a red-violet suit, a purple cape with a fur edge and a purple gem on the clip, yellow flipflops, and a golden crown on top of his head was waiting. Once the car stopped, Peppy came out first and greeted the bergan as the BroZone brothers followed suit with their few belongings in tow.
Peppy – King Gristle! Good to see you!
Gristle Sr. – Ah! King Peppy! There you are!
The bergan king and the troll king shook hands before the former turned his attention to the brothers.
Gristle Sr. – And this must be BroZone! Hello there, boys!
John smiled faintly at the bergan king.
John Dory – Hey, your majesty. I'm John Dory, and these are my brothers, Spruce, Clay, Floyd, and Baby Branch.
As John introduced each of his brothers, they each gave a respectful nod, greeting, or hand wave.
Gristle Sr. – I'm so sorry to hear about the accident, but please allow me to formally welcome you as the first troll residents of my humble kingdom.
John Dory – Thank you. And thank you for giving me and my brothers a place to live in the first place.
Gristle Sr. – Oh please, you should really be thanking Chef.
Spruce – Chef?
Gristle Sr. – Yes, your new guardian. She was just saying how anxious she was to "get her hands on you."
The smiles dropped from all the brothers' faces at that, as a sense of unease and suspicion settled into their guts.
Gristle Sr. – Any who, right this way!
King Gristle gestured behind him as he began to lead the trolls through town. Overall, it was a rural town; a bit of a fixer-upper here and there, but a few houses were overall nice. The trolls got some curious looks from the bergan residents as they walked by, making them feel a little self-conscious, though John and Spruce hid it better and put a hand on Clay's shoulder or pulled Floyd closer to offer them some comfort, while Branch looked everywhere with his big curious eyes in wonder of the new surroundings.
Gristle Sr. – Ah, here we are.
The group soon stopped, although peppy and the brothers' expressions couldn't help form into ones of utter unsettlement as they gazed at the large, rickety, unkept, dirty, and overall spooky looking house that was just ahead of them, up on a small hill.
John Dory – As someone who's done it, sleeping outside might actually be the better option here.
None of the other brothers argued as they continued to stare fearfully at the house. King Gristle even now had an uneasy expression on his face as he cleared his throat.
Gristle Sr. – Yes… Chef is, shall you say… more, old fashioned as opposed to the rest of my citizens. Never really a fan of changing times, that one. I suppose she's just never truly adjusted to living outside the castle when she still worked for me. But perhaps all she needs is more pairs of feet in the house to look after and serve again to get herself back on track!
None of the brothers looked reassured by King Gristle's words; if anything, the more he spoke, the more red flags popped up to them. The group soon walked up to the front door, which had an eye design carved onto it; King Gristle and Peppy leading in front while the boys warily followed behind. At Gristle's insistence, Peppy attempted to knock on the door, only for the center of the eye pupil to instantly open, revealing itself to be a looking hole, and surprising the troll king. The silhouette of a bergan could be seen inside and as Peppy cautiously tried to lean in to get a closer look, the hole immediately shut closed in his face, startling him once again. The sound of hurried footsteps could then be heard from inside the house, prompting the boys to glance at each other incredulously. Just as Peppy tried to reach out to knock again, albeit more cautiously this time, a woman's voice resonating from inside the house stopped him in his tracks.
Chef – Entrée!
As Peppy looked over at King Gristle questioningly, the bergan king just rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Peppy slowly opened the door, cautiously peeking inside before leading the brothers in with King Gristle following behind.
Chef – Well…
All seven pairs of eyes looked up to see a female bergan with light purple skin and light turquoise hair, wearing a dark blue, button corset tailcoat, and small golden hoop hearings, standing up the stairs behind the second-floor banister, and eagerly staring at the BroZone brothers with a feral grin on her face.
Chef – Hello, hello, hello. I am your beloved loyal Chef.
Branch was shown, now standing on his own while holding onto both Floyd and Clay's hands respectively as he gulped nervously at the sight of Chef.
Chef – And welcome to my lovely home. May you find solace within the womblike warmth of its…
Chef began to make her way over to the stairs, briefly stopping and slowly sliding her hand across the railing.
Chef – …downy plume.
Peppy watched as Chef began to dramatically make her way down the stairs with befuddlement while the 5 brothers just stared unimpressed.
Chef – Or as the Greeks in the ancient times would say, "Orphanis… encribo…
The brothers then looked at each other incredulously while King Gristle merely rubbed his eyes with his forefingers while shaking his head.
Chef – …something, something, something-
Chef descended the rest of the stairs rapidly while waving her arms around before pointing upwards dramatically while singing her next words.
Chef – "Music builds to a crescendoooooo-"
Chef pointed down at her foot while continuing to hold her last note as she sang her next words at a faster pace.
Chef – "Ending on the right foot…"
Chef then instantly lunged, leading with her left foot and struck a pose.
Chef – And strike a Fosse!
Branch's eyes soon wandered down to Chef's legs to see a tattoo of an eye on the bergan's ankle, to which he subtly pointed out to Floyd and Clay, prompting the two to also briefly glance at the tattoo in curiosity.
Chef – Not exactly what I was going for, but you get the idea. One celebrity to another.
Chef turned her attention to the boys as she stepped in front of them, towering over all of them with a nonchalant expression before giving another big smile once her eyes landed on John Dory.
Chef – Oh… dear young…
Chef brings her hands together, before opening her palms to see little stick troll figures she drew on her hand with each of the brothers' names written above each one, except for the smallest figure, indicating it to be Branch, which just said WHATEVER written above it. Having seen what she needed from her makeshift cheat sheet, she returned her attention to John, continuing like she didn't just take a pause.
Chef – …John Dory. Enchanté.
Chef holds her hand out down to John, face-down as though she was expecting him to take it in a formal manner. The eldest brother however only looks at her hand with wariness.
John Dory – Uh… yeah, um…
John hesitantly clasped the edge of Chef's fingers with the tips of his own.
John Dory – …hey there.
John then immediately pulled away before Chef could close her hand around his. Despite the eldest brother's short and withdrawn greeting, Chef kept her smile as she turned her gaze towards Spruce.
Chef – And this must be Spruce. "The Heartthrob…" Spruce.
Chef reached over and held Spruce's face in her hand, checking him over while the purple-haired troll only stared in bewildered discomfort as the bergan invaded his personal space.
Chef – I suppose you are slightly better looking than most trolls.
Having had enough, Spruce pulled himself away from Chef's grasp while John pulled him closer protectively; the female bergan, once again undeterred then switched her gaze over to both Clay and Floyd.
Chef – Which makes the two of you Clay and Floyd. Now, which one of you is which again?
Chef interchanged between pointing at the two younger trolls with a nonchalant expression on her face while Clay and Floyd just glanced at each other in slight disbelief. The yellow-haired brother then held up a hand as he looked back at Chef incredulously.
Clay – Uh, Clay here?
Floyd – I'm Floyd.
Chef – Ah, right, right, right. Forgive me. You trolls all look the same to me. I'm sure you understand.
Once again, Clay and Floyd looked at each other in disbelief at the very clear slight Chef had just thrown at them; sure, they looked similar cause they were related, but there were very clear differences between the two, like Floyd's earing, along with their height and very obviously different hair colors for crying out loud! Having finally caught sight of Branch between Floyd and Clay, Chef's expression slowly morphed to a frown as she put her hands on the two trolls' shoulders as she leaned down closer to inspect the baby troll.
Chef – And… what is this?
Branch narrowed his eyes as he stared back at Chef, showing his obvious disdain for her as he gave her a curt response.
Branch – Branch.
A strained smile formed Chef's face as she could feel the sass radiating from the baby troll.
Chef – Funny, I thought goblins lived in caves, not trees.
Branch, just like Clay and Floyd, then looked offended.
Branch – I'm not a goblin!
John Dory – No, Branch is our baby brother.
Chef stepped back as she inspected all 5 of the brothers.
Chef – I must say, you're all gloomier looking than I expected. I thought trolls were supposed to be the happiest creatures in the world.
Once again, all the brothers just stared at Chef with incredulous expressions on their faces.
Clay – Uh, our grandma just died.
Chef – Ah, yes, of course. How very, very awful.
Chef's words didn't seem to hold any real sentiment however, and her expression did not look even the slightest bit remorseful.
Chef – Wait!
Chef clapped her hands before turning around and walking a few steps away before facing the brothers again.
Chef – Let me do that one more time! Give me the line again! Quickly, while it's fresh in my mind!
Chef snapped her fingers at Clay, who now just had a confused expression on his face and a quick glance at the rest of his brothers showed they were all just as bewildered at the female bergan's antics as he was.
Clay – Our grandma just… died?
Chef proceeded to gasp dramatically, this time overplaying her reaction.
Chef – Oh, yes! You poor, poor things!
Branch whispered over to Floyd, looking unimpressed.
Branch – She's not fooling anyone.
Chef – Your Majesties…
Chef leaned forward and kneeled down as she reached out and placed her hands on Floyd and John's shoulders respectively since the rest of the brothers were sandwiched between them. Of course, all the brothers just widened their eyes in discomfort at this gesture.
Chef – I will raise these orphans as if they were actually wanted.
Despite the fact she appeared to be smiling sweetly at the BroZone brothers, none of them missed the fact that Chef's wording was clearly another slight towards them.
Chef – While many fellow bergans would call it a burden, a sacrifice even, they are mistaken. They should be ashamed of themselves!
Chef abruptly stood up, turning her attention to King Gristle and King Peppy and brought the brothers closer to her, side-hugging John and Floyd with Spruce, Clay, and Branch squeezed even closer between them.
Chef – The idea! But have no fear! Your loyal, former royal Chef is here!
King Gristle let out a chuckle, seeming to be a little surprised by Chef's supposed passion, yet having bought her act all the same.
Gristle Sr. – Ah, well…
King gristle cleared his throat, attempting to look more confident.
Gristle Sr. – I knew I could count on you, Chef!
King Gristle turned towards Peppy and patted his shoulder as he smiled reassuringly.
Gristle Sr. – There now, you see, Peppy? The boys will be in good hands.
Peppy, also being seemingly convinced smiled and nodded back to the bergan king.
Chef – Yes, speaking of which… Where do I sign for the fortu-? I mean… boys.
Chef put on another smile, attempting to look caring once again as she pulled the brothers even closer, much to their discomfort. However, they all had picked up on her little slip-up and where now glancing up at her in suspicion.
Peppy – Oh, well, you see you won't officially have guardianship until the hearing on Thursday morning.
Chef, having clearly not expected that little detail, strained to keep her expression from faltering.
Chef – What's that?
Gristle Sr. – This being our first custody arrangement between our two villages… Peppy is essentially handing 5 of his subjects into our care, there's still a few matters to be settled before it becomes official.
Chef – And what am I to do with them until then?
Peppy and King Gristle looked a bit perplexed from Chef's muttering.
Peppy – Excuse me?
Chef – I mean… King Gristle, have you been working out? You seem to have a very healthy glow today.
King Gristle looked proud and bashful, having immediately taken to Chef's redirecting compliment, and tried puffing out his chest as though to appear as though he was flexing his upper body.
Gristle Sr. – Ah, so you've noticed! I knew those cardio sessions paid off!
Chef just nodded along, continuing to feed into the bergan king's ego. Peppy then cleared his throat to regain the two bergans' attention.
Peppy – Well, I suppose we should be off. Let you all get settled, and I have a village I need to get back to.
The brothers all looked nervous about King Peppy leaving, but before they could say or even do anything, Chef stepped forward till she was at both Peppy and King Gristle's sides.
Chef – Oh, can't you stay for a refreshment or two? A latte? Smoothie?
Chef then put her arms around Peppy and King Gristle's shoulders as she gazed at them with a tempting smile.
Chef – Stoutberry juice?
Both kings looked intrigued, particularly Peppy at Chef's last suggestion.
Peppy – Well, I suppose I could-
However, without an ounce of hesitation, Chef proceeded to twist them around and push both kings out the door, completely disregarding their answers.
Chef – Another time then!
Peppy – Uh, boys, remember if you- if you ever need anything-
However, Chef just shut the door, not giving Peppy any time to finish.
Chef – Oh, no, we're fine. We're all fine.
Peppy suddenly opened the peephole to keep talking.
Peppy – Call me any-
Chef shut the peephole closed and locked it before leaning against the door with her arms crossed, facing the apprehensive brothers, who all huddled closer together now that they were alone with the bergan.
Chef – I realize that my… humble abode isn't as spiffy as those pod homes you trolls are used to, but I'm coming into a great deal of money soon, and I think it'll be… quite charming when it's finished.
Chef eerily leaned closer to the brothers, widening only one of her eyes at them as she did so.
Chef – Shall we take a look?
Chef was then shown showing the boys around the house.
Chef – This is the living room!
Soon they came into a clearly dirty and disorganized kitchen, dirty pots, dishes, and silverware littering the sink and shelves.
Chef – The kitchen! The stage of my youth! Now I know you're probably thinking, "This place could use a little TLC."
Naturally the boys looked quite shocked and a little disgusted at the sight of the messy kitchen. Spruce even picked up Branch out of caution, not wanting the infant troll to even be touching the ground of the room.
Chef – But being so busy in my new field of excellence these days, I never have time to hire a proper scullery maid.
Next Chef brought the brothers into a room filled with couches, chairs, and a destroyed ceiling.
Chef – This is the entertainment or rumpus room! I'm told the ceiling can be brought up to code in no time. You're not afraid of heights, are you?
Chef then laughed and pointed at Branch.
Chef – Imagine that. A goblin, living in a tree and afraid of heights.
Chef laughed again at her own little joke, while Branch just glared at her once again, not amused. Continuing the tour, Chef took the boys to the house's backdoor and showed them the yard outside.
Chef – My theater.
Back inside, a giant framed photo of Chef dressed in a white chef uniform and a white chef's togue, holding a knife in one hand and a spoon in another, was portrayed on the wall, which the bergan stopped in front of, gesturing to it proudly and longingly.
Chef – And of course, there I am. In all my youthful glory! Oh, the good old days, when I was the ruler of my own kitchen. And everyone in Bergan Town, including the King himself, groveled before the excellence of my provided sustenance!
Chef spread her arms out dramatically, as though she were talking about herself like she was some kind of ruler, earning her an odd yet suspicious looks from the brothers.
Spruce – So… What happened?
Chef's expression then froze, except for her eye which began twitching before she forced her next words out with gritted teeth.
Chef – Just a little thing called a "potluck trade market." The King gets new exported dishes from neighbor lands and in return I get my pink slip!
Chef pulled out a knife from her coat and stabbed it into a nearby table aggressively as she spoke, scaring the brothers and causing them to take a step back out of fear, with John holding his arm out in front of Clay and Floyd while Spruce held branch closer to his chest in protective manners. However, Chef's anger seemed to quickly dissipate just as it arrived before she twirled back around to face the boys again, once more with a cheery smile on her face, and clapped her hands together.
Chef – But as they say, "One closed door opens another." Now I dazzle the commonfolk of Bergan Town with my unparalleled acting brilliance that they could only dream of possessing.
Chef posed dramatically again before she began marching down the hall.
Chef – Now! Resuming the tour!
The brothers cautiously proceeded to follow the bergan once again, deeper into the house.
Chef – This way.
Chef soon passed by a hexagonal shaped spiral staircase, capturing the boys' attention.
Floyd – What's that up there?
All of a sudden, Chef stopped. She seemed to pause for a moment before she slowly turned around, her eyes fixed up towards wherever the stairs led, and her smile gone from her face.
Chef – The tower…
All the brothers followed her gaze and looked up before they met her eyes once more, as Chef shifted her gaze to the boys as well.
Chef - …which you are never to enter…
Once again, Chef leaned forward, widening only one of her eyes and staring at the brothers intensely with it as though she was threatening them.
Chef - …under any circumstances.
The boys could only stare back with wide, fearful expressions until Chef turned back around and snickered before she continued onwards. Before following her, all the brothers took one last curious look up towards the tower. Finally, Chef opened a door to a small room.
Chef – And this is where you'll sleep, time permitting. Good night.
With that, Chef exited the room as quickly as she came, shutting the door behind her as all the brothers scurried inside.
John Dory – But the sun's still up!
Chef seemed to ignore John's protest, responding only by repeating his sentence in a mocking voice.
Chef – "But the sun's still up!"
The door locked behind the brothers, leaving them trapped inside and only able to take in the horrible state of their new sleeping chamber: there was only a single bed which was both hardly big enough for all 5 of them and clearly broken, with a tattered and lumpy mattress and pillow. The walls and ceiling had various cracks and missing boards, letting in various drafts from everywhere; one of the windows was even broken while the other was boarded up with wooden planks. To top it off, the room was cluttered with various household junk; all in all, it looked more like an attic room than an actual bedroom.
Harmony Trollscket – I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.
A flashback was suddenly shown of Clay, in Rosiepuff's pod, walking into a doorway and looking into a room with his arms crossed and a displeased frown on his face while only the shadows of 3 adult trolls, presumed to be Rosiepuff herself and the boys' own parents, along with Branch's own shadow, could be seen against the wall; the 3 adults were holding up and clearly fawning over the infant trolling.
Harmony Trollscket – For instance, Clay, when Branch first hatched, didn't like him at all.
A short time-skip later showed Clay practicing his Rusty Robot signature dance in the living room.
Harmony Trollscket – But by the time he was six weeks old, the two of them were "thick as thieves," a phrase which here means, "spending rehearsals tuning 'robots' and dances alike."
An infant Branch suddenly popped out of Clay's hair, holding an actual oil can in one hand and pretended to oil his big brother's joints, followed by Clay proceeding to dance in a smoother fashion, now resembling a well-oiled robot. After ending on a pose, Branch let out a giggle and clapped his hands, clearly both entertained with his brother's antics and pleased with himself for his "maintenance." Clay proceeded to join in on his baby brother's laughter.
Harmony Trollscket – In the case of Chef, however…
Back in the present, all 5 brothers were shown settling into their new room as best as they possibly could, until they heard Chef's voice calling for them.
Chef – ORPHANS!
Harmony Trollscket – …they were correct.
Oh dear... it seems the BroZone brothers won't exactly be feeling at home anytime soon.
Here we go! Introducing Chef herself as Count Olaf! I tried to incorporate her original role in the Trolls movie while also adding on Count Olaf's profession as an actor. I even made her say "entrée" as opposed to Olaf's "entrood" as a fun little pun considering she used to be a chef here as well.
I don't know for sure if trolls even have currency, but for plot's sake, lets say they do in this universe; basically, Rosiepuff has been saving up a great amount of money she intended to have the brothers eventually inherit for a long time now... she knew she wouldn't always be around to protect them, considering both her age and her past as a member of this world's VFD, so she hoped to at least leave a foundation to support her grandsons behind. Of course, what she didn't know was that a greedy and spiteful member of the other side of the organization would find out, and after being let go from her position, she was clearly hungry for some new form of power and wealth, and this just seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Also, in this universe, the trolls are not as isolated or ignorant of how big their world truly is, so they're actually aware of the other troll tribes as well as the many different species that inhabit their world, like the bergans, rageons, and vacationers. The bergans never ate trolls in this universe, so they were never enemies, just more neighboring civilizations who were aware of the other but didn't have very much communication.