Chapter Text
“So? Do you at least know who you’re marrying?” Chenille asked, her arms folded and her head tilted towards the door. She was perched on the edge of the bed, so Satin stood beside her, conjoined as they were. Her own hands were clasped in front of her, because Satin was extremely eager for the details. She was a romantic like that.
Poppy had thrown this slumber party to celebrate her wedding, to a suitable troll of her father’s choosing, as per royal tradition. The next morning, her friends would all assist her in getting into her wedding dress and preparing to walk down the aisle. For now, though, she sat cross legged in front of them all with a pillow in her arms as she explained the big news.
“I’m not allowed to know until the day of, you guys know that,” Poppy reminded.
“I guess I just don’t get it,” Smidge huffed, laying on her belly on the end of the bed beside Chenille. “I thought all that arranged marriage stuff was to make sure there was more royal backup, in case of Trollstice. Why would King Peppy arrange this for you when we’re all safe?”
“I don’t know. But Dad says he’s the best singer in the whole tribe, with the voice of an angel!” Poppy said brightly.
“I guess your babies will be the best singers in the world then,” DJ Suki said with a smirk. Unlike the rest of the girls, DJ was sprawled out on top of a pile of pillows that Poppy had moved into her bedroom when she was planning her sleepover.
“It’s a little early to be thinking about babies,” Poppy spluttered.
“Who’s the best singer in the tribe, after Poppy?” Chenille muttered to herself. “It’s not Cooper.”
“I think Creek has a beautiful voice,” Satin said, wiggling her eyebrows at Poppy.
“Satin!” Poppy laughed and threw her pillow at her friend’s face. “Creek and I are just friends.”
“Really good friends,” DJ teased, rolling onto her stomach on the pillow pile.
“Really, really good friends.” Chenille smirked.
“I think Milton’s the best singer in the tribe,” Smidge said with a huff. “But if your dad’s marrying you off to Milton Moss, I may have to kill you, Poppy.”
“I doubt Dad’s marrying me off to Milton Moss,” Poppy dismissed. “If my betrothed was in a relationship, I think it’d get canceled.”
“We’re not official,” Smidge admitted begrudgingly.
“Well, regardless, you’re being biased,” Chenille declared. “Come on, even Guy Diamond is a stronger singer, and he’s Guy!”
“I like Guy’s voice!” Satin said cheerfully, clutching the pillow Poppy had thrown at her. Chenille glared.
“You have bad taste,” she said flatly.
“Well, what about Biggie? His voice is nice,” DJ suggested.
“Guys, I think Dad would say something if it was one of our friends!” Poppy pointed out, even though she found the topic quite amusing.
“I mean, historically, isn’t it someone the royal family knows? These contracts are supposed to be set up when you’re really young, by the parents of you and your future spouse,” Smidge pointed out, resting her chin on her hands to punctuate her statement.
“Well… Dad said this contract was written before I was born, when I was just an egg,” Poppy admitted. “If I didn’t know everybody in town, it would even be possible that I wouldn’t even recognize him.”
“So he’s older than you?” Satin asked.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Poppy said, not having had that thought occur to her before. “Not by a lot, I imagine. Dad called him a sweet boy.”
“We can rule out some geezer like Sky Toronto then,” Chenille said with a shudder.
“Ew gross, Chenille!” Satin cried, smacking her sister with her pillow.
“Ugh, whatever,” Smidge groaned. “So Poppy doesn’t know who she’s getting married to. We don’t know either! And if it was one of our friends, don’t you think they’d tell us they were getting married tomorrow?”
“That’s a good point,” DJ mused. “I definitely would’ve been asked to handle the wedding music way earlier if Guy was getting married.”
“Well I only found out yesterday, so whoever they are couldn’t have known before then,” Poppy pointed out.
“I just can’t believe this is happening!” Satin gushed.
“I wish we had more time to plan your dress,” Chenille grumbled.
“Tomorrow morning will be plenty of time! We’ve worked faster for less important things. And maybe we can even get a sneak peek at the groom when we’re that close to the ceremony, put his colors into the dress,” Satin suggested.
Poppy gasped. “Oh! Em! Gee!!! That would be so totally perfect!”
“Biggie’s gonna be so bummed he missed this,” DJ commented. “You know he’s always wanted to be part of a bridal party!”
“Biggie had his tea party for Mister Dinkles tonight,” Poppy said. “I almost offered him an invite, but he was so excited, I couldn’t bear to make him choose! He’ll be at the wedding tomorrow, so he’ll be fine!”
“I guess this was last minute,” Smidge said. “I’ll be honest, I cancelled an RSVP for this.”
“Aw, Smidge!” Poppy was touched to the point of tears. The other girls gave playful scandalized gasps.
“I couldn’t miss my best friend’s bridal party!” Smidge exclaimed in her own defense. “Guy Diamond was very understanding. He did say he wants his invite to the wedding separate from the general town invite tomorrow morning, though.”
“Fair enough, I’ll make one right now!” Poppy declared, pulling her scissors and a few sheets of scrapbooking paper out of her hair.
“That’s Poppy for you,” Satin chuckled. “She never misses a scrapbook opportunity.”
The girls continued to chat and gossip deep into the night. They discussed what time the wedding was going to start: right before lunch, because they’d be serving lunch at the afterparty. They discussed how the invites would be handled: King Peppy was going to gather the whole town together in the morning and make an announcement on the town center mushroom cap, which meant that everybody was invited. They made more guesses as to who the groom could possibly be, always inevitably circling back to Creek and goading Poppy into embarrassed denials.
Then, as they were winding down to go to bed, each of them nestling into their own bedspreads, they tackled some preliminary ideas for the wedding dress.
“I know you usually like blues and greens as your main colors,” Chenille said sleepily. “But don’t you think this is something a little more special than that?”
“So, what? You think rainbow?” Poppy asked.
“You don’t want the traditional white?” Satin asked.
“Do I look traditional to you?” Poppy teased. The other four girls laughed. Then Poppy sobered up. “It’s just, I was thinking… white is what all the queens wore in the Troll Tree on their wedding days, right?”
“I guess,” Smidge mused. Chenille and Satin hummed thoughtfully.
“This is the first royal wedding happening free of the Bergens in who knows how long,” Poppy pointed out. “Maybe I should do something… more fun?”
“So no white at all?” Satin asked.
“Not even pearl?” Chenille continued.
“Or cream?”
“No white, no pearl, no cream,” Poppy declared. “I want something special.”
“Well, what about gold?” DJ asked, and the other girls all turned to look at her. DJ shrugged. “What? Gold is really special.”
“That’s true…” Satin mused.
“But gold is really easy to clash,” Chenille said. Satin gasped in horror, clutching her cheeks.
“What if the groom-!?”
“-doesn’t match with gold!?”
“Satin, Chenille, calm down!” Poppy said. “This can all be figured out tomorrow! You can check in with my dad, and see if you can meet the groom before making my dress.”
“You’re right, Poppy,” Satin said with a sigh.
“If this were a normal wedding, we wouldn’t have to guess,” Chenille complained, flopping down onto her pillow.
“Comes with being a princess, I guess,” DJ said, almost a little dismissively. Poppy winced as all her friends made various noises of agreement and began to settle down for sleep. The glowbug went to sleep too, the light slowly fading as it did, leaving Poppy lying in the dark, her eyes gazing up at the scalloped roof of her pod.
The next day, Poppy would be marrying a stranger. Probably not a total stranger, as she knew pretty much everyone in town by name, but it was someone her father was reluctant to reveal to her. Someone he insisted would be good for the tribe. Poppy had kept a smile on for her girls, sure, but she was… honestly, a little scared. Not of her groom, because that would be silly! Every troll in the tribe was a good troll!
No, she was scared of the look in her father’s eye. The sad, serious look as he talked about this marriage, and all the good it could do.
“Where are Satin and Chenille?” Poppy asked, as she and Smidge were carefully considering curls or straight locks. “If I have my dress, I can pick highlights to go in my hair…”
“Maybe they had to pick up some extra material,” Smidge suggested. Outside the pod, the reception music was already playing, manned by a very dedicated DJ, who was keeping the crowd cheerful and upbeat. Nothing had lyrics yet, just loud danceable beats that were almost enough to make Poppy want to break out into dance herself. The nerves, unfortunately, were stronger, so instead she had taken to pacing between sessions in front of the mirror.
“It’d also help if we knew what colors to put in your makeup,” Smidge grumbled, currently sorting through the little pots of color.
Just then, Chenille and Satin burst into the pod.
“BRANCH!” Chenille shouted. “Branch is—”
“What about Branch?” Poppy asked. “Is he here!? Oh, I knew he’d come to a party eventually!”
“What?” Satin asked. “I mean, he is here, but he’s—”
“If Branch is here, that means my wedding is gonna be the best party ever!” Poppy declared. “Oh, I just have to wear rainbows now! This is too super special for any other color!”
Satin and Chenille looked at each other with troubled faces. Then, slowly, the frowns eased off into small smiles.
“You know, Poppy,” Satin started, her smile turning bright and cheerful.
“Rainbow sounds like the perfect idea! You’re so colorful,” Chenille declared.
“So every color should get a chance to shine on your big day!” Satin finished their declaration off. Poppy cheered and turned to the mirror, shifting the hues in her hair to see what combination of rainbow paired best with her skin. Behind her, she didn’t quite notice how Chenille and Satin began to whisper panickedly to Smidge, whose face went slightly pale.
“Uh, Poppy!” Smidge called, and Poppy looked over her shoulder at her best friend. Smidge offered her an awkward smile. “While Satin and Chenille help you get ready, I’m gonna go remind your dad about the plan for the grand entrance. After that, I think I’ll take my seat, okay? So don’t wait up.”
“Oh!” Poppy was a bit taken aback. “Are you sure? You wanted to help with my hair.”
“Curls,” Smidge said definitively. “Definitely curls. They make you look like an angel.”
“Aww, Smidge!” Poppy cooed.
“Alright, I’m gonna go,” Smidge declared, and she rushed off. That left Satin and Chenille with Poppy, their faces determined. Poppy felt a trill of anticipation zip up her back. She was gonna look perfect for her special day.
When Poppy was all dressed, Satin and Chenille led her to one of the big curtains in the middle of town, beyond which Poppy could hear people practicing some scales. She felt warm and fuzzy at the idea that she was having a mostly normal troll wedding, with the audience all serenading her and her groom as they walked down the aisles to the altar in the middle. At least some of this wedding was normal.
“Dad!” Poppy greeted cheerfully, and her father turned to see her. His eyes watered.
“Oh, Poppy… look at you!” King Peppy gushed. He took a handkerchief out of his hair and dabbed at his eyes. “You’re all grown up…”
“Oh, don’t cry!” Poppy cried. “If you cry, I’ll cry!”
“I can’t help it!” Peppy wailed, and Poppy sniffled.
“Oh no, here it comes,” Poppy blubbered.
“Oh no you don’t!” Chenille snapped, and she tugged Poppy’s chin up. “If you cry you’ll streak!”
Satin was fanning her face frantically. “You have to look perfect! And what if B—your groom sees you crying!?”
“I would,” Chenille muttered darkly.
Poppy sniffled, and Peppy reigned his sobbing in, mopping up his face and tossing away the handkerchief.
“Yes, yes, thank you girls,” Peppy said, his voice still wavery. “Now, you two go join the chorus. The ceremony is going to start any moment now.”
Chenille and Satin exchanged a look. Then they nodded and went around the curtains to join the throng.
“Are you ready, Poppy?” Peppy asked, and Poppy took a few deep breaths.
“I’m ready, Dad,” Poppy said. Peppy sniffled, then turned and signalled to some of the party management trolls. The red haired troll on the left and the purple glitter troll on the right muttered into their headsets.
A trumpet sounded, and the guests fell silent in their practicing. Then, the chorus began.
You should see the way the stars~
The two trolls on either side of the curtain began to heave and the red velvet began to part ways.
Illuminate your stunning silhouette~
Poppy could see the backs of most of the trolls nearest her, but the way a classic troll wedding was set up was more like a huge circle, with the altar way in the middle. The bride and groom entered from opposite sides, so they could see each other approach the altar at the same time, meeting in the middle like a perfect compromise: very symbolic of what a marriage was supposed to be.
You’re glowing in the dark~
The crowd was still singing, but Poppy heard some of the voices falter as trolls began to notice who it was that was being revealed on the opposite side of the circle.
I had to count to ten and take—
Poppy’s jaw dropped almost at the same time that the singing came to an awkward halt. Across the circle, beyond the now opened second set of curtains, was Branch. He was wearing a suit jacket in a blue so dark it nearly looked black. She could only tell it was blue because it was bluer than his hair, which was as pitch black as ever. Branch’s eyes skittered across the crowd, taking in the horrified silence. Poppy could see the troll beginning to shrink into himself.
Somewhere near the center of the circle, Smidge stood up, and loudly sang, “You think that you don’t have beauty in abundance but you do!”
With that, the audience snapped back into the moment, resuming their song, though with far less vigor.
And that’s the truth~
Peppy cleared his throat and began to lead Poppy down the aisle, and Poppy picked her jaw up and shut it tight. When she thought Branch was a guest at her wedding, she’d been ecstatic. Finally, a party he would come to! Finally, she might see him smile! Except that now he was her groom.
You’re frozen~
And not only that, but if Branch was her groom, then this wedding was a total disaster already! Was the cake even in a flavor he liked!? Was the track list something he’d enjoy!? The decorations were so colorful and bright! Her dress was—oh gah, her dress. It was RAINBOW! He didn’t have any COLOR!
In motion~
Oh gah, and Branch was walking down his aisle completely alone. And people weren’t smiling at him, they weren’t happy for him. In fact, people were throwing pitying looks in Poppy's direction. She wanted to smack those grimaces off their faces; this was a wedding.
A perfect picture in a frame~
Poppy forced a bright smile to cover the simmering rage in her blood. These trolls weren’t looking at her wedding as a happy thing anymore, not now that Branch was the one walking towards her. Well, Poppy for one wasn’t disappointed.
Some visions don’t ever fade~
Branch was probably going to make a great husband! He’d be protective, he’d be careful! Heck, as king he’d probably implement tons of ways to keep all of trollkind safe, as long as Poppy made sure they didn’t suck out the fun! Sure, maybe Poppy wouldn’t get to sing with her husband at their first dance, but this hadn’t suddenly become a funeral.
I don’t need a camera to capture this moment~
Wait, hang on. Branch never sang.
I’ll remember how you look tonight~
“Dad, you said he was the best singer in the tribe,” Poppy whispered to her father.
For all my life~
“He is, Poppy,” King Peppy assured. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
When everything is black and white~
“Branch doesn’t sing!” Poppy hissed, trying not to let her bright smile waver in front of the singing crowd.
Your color’s exploding~
Poppy winced as she saw Branch flinch at this lyric. They were almost at the altar now, which meant she and her dad didn’t have much more time for this conversation without Branch hearing it.
There’s something in the way you shine~
“Branch doesn’t sing anymore,” Peppy corrected. “Look, let’s have this conversation later, alright? There are lots of reasons Branch is going to be a wonderful husband, Poppy.”
I don’t need a camera~
“You have some serious explaining to do later, Dad,” Poppy muttered, as her dad let go of her arm and she climbed up the stairs onto the raised altar. Branch fidgeted awkwardly across from her, but he offered his hands like a groom was supposed to during a wedding ceremony.
When you’re in my eyes~
The crowd finished the song softly, at the same time that Poppy placed her hands into Branch’s. The troll that would be officiating was Doctor Moonbloom, an old friend of King Peppy. She climbed onto the altar from the third set of stairs, and cleared her throat.
“Trolls of all ages,” Doctor Moonbloom projected her voice across the whole square. “We gather today to witness the union between these two trolls, one of whom is indeed our future queen.”
Poppy felt Branch’s grip tighten a tiny bit. She glanced away from Moonbloom, and saw Branch had ducked his head and was looking firmly at the floor.
“We all hope that as they take this next leg of their journey together, they can find endless joy and song,” Moonbloom stuttered on the words and the crowd began to mutter. Poppy’s fake smile dropped finally, and she frowned as she looked around at her friends. Smidge looked grumpy too, hissing at the people around her to shut up and smile. This was supposed to be a happy day.
Poppy was getting married! Why couldn’t everyone just be happy for her? Sure, it was with Branch, but that just made the day extra special. It was a party for Branch and he showed up. That was progress! That was him trying!
“You may now exchange vows,” Moonbloom said, smiling awkwardly at the two of them.
Poppy’s palms felt sweaty suddenly. She didn’t know what she’d say to Branch. She couldn’t promise to harmonize with him, or save her last dance for him at every party, or to save half her plate for him at every picnic. Poppy had no idea what she could do for him that Branch would find even slightly valuable.
“I’ll start,” Branch offered, and Poppy felt a swoop of relief. She could just wing it, toss aside the impersonal vows she’d drafted last night, and come up with something on the spot that matched his. Branch finally looked up from the ground, his pale eyes meeting hers. She almost felt skewered by them as he stared.
“Poppy, you are an unending ray of light,” Branch started, and her breath caught in her throat. “You never fail to bring happiness to our village, and I appreciate that more than you could ever know. I think I’m probably not what you imagined when you thought about your future husband.”
Somewhere in the square, someone let out a derisive snort. Poppy glanced out to the crowd with a frown, but she still caught the wince in Branch’s eyes. She still felt his hands clench hers ever so briefly.
“I know I’m not the easiest troll to get along with, but you never stop trying. I admire that part of you almost as much as it terrifies me. A lot of things terrify me, I admit. But I promise, while we’re married, we’re in this together. I promise to organize your guest lists. I promise to be your shoulder to cry on. I promise to have your back,” Branch said. Poppy sucked in a sharp breath, and the crowd went immediately silent with a matching gasp. Even Moonbloom straightened, looking between Branch and Poppy with surprised awe.
Branch just promised to be there when she was sad. Immediately she couldn't hold back her tears. That was so romantic.
“Branch!” Poppy cried. “Oh my gah! I don’t even know what to say!”
Branch’s gaze dropped, and he looked at his feet awkwardly.
“Okay, okay, um. Okay! So, Branch,” Poppy started, and she pulled one hand free of Branch’s so she could swipe at her tears. Then, she grabbed his hands again, pulling him close and wiggling in excitement. “Branch! You are… just so steady! You’re always there, and you don’t want anybody to figure it out, but you care. You’re like… a big tree with a family of squirrels inside! And Troll Village could use a big tree, metaphorically anyway! You’re going to make an amazing king someday.”
Branch looked at her in surprise, like he hadn’t expected her to say nice things about him. Poppy narrowed her eyes, her determination building inside her.
“I love how hard you try to keep us all safe, Branch. I love how much you care about it, how even when nobody wants to listen, you keep trying. I promise to listen to you, Branch, as your wife,” Poppy swore, squeezing his hands to try and impress upon him how much she meant it. “I promise to check on the spooky things that go bump in the night. I promise to comfort you when there isn’t anything there. I promise to fight for you when there is something there.”
Branch glanced between her and their hands a few times, looking like he couldn’t believe this was happening.
“I promise to save you a dance at every party, and I promise that if you don’t want to dance I will sit out with you. Because I promise we really are in this together.”
When Poppy was done, she looked to Moonbloom, who was staring at her agape. Branch followed suit, and Moonbloom startled into motion.
“With this ribbon, I’ll tie your wrists together,” Moonbloom explained, as she unspooled a length of vibrant pink and blue braided ribbon. Poppy was curious about that. The colors of a wedding braid were usually based on the hair of the trolls being wed. This one had probably been crafted when Poppy was a baby, as old as the betrothal, and it was intriguing to see that Branch’s hair would have been blue, if he wasn’t… gray.
“Branch, do you take Princess Poppy as your wife?” Moonbloom asked, as she wound half the ribbon across his right wrist.
“I do,” Branch said.
“Princess Poppy, do you take Branch as your husband?” Moonbloom asked, slowly winding the ribbon around their clasped hands, and then around Poppy’s left wrist.
“I do,” Poppy declared, a smile crossing her face.
“Then I declare you married.” Moonbloom tied the ends into a bow. Then she opened her mouth to say the last thing, but hesitated. Poppy winced as she remembered the last step of the ceremony. Branch grimaced.
“Just say it,” he said with a sigh.
“You may now serenade your spouse,” Moonbloom said awkwardly.
Branch opened his mouth to sing, but his breath caught. Poppy watched as panic flashed in his eyes, and he could get a single note out. His ears pinned themselves to his skull, and he was looking up to the trees, like he was trying to find something. Poppy squeezed his right hand and then reached over and grabbed his face with her untied hand. She forced him to look directly at her, locking their eyes together.
“Branch, it’s okay,” Poppy assured, and she could hear his fast paced breathing begin to slow. She pressed their foreheads together. “Just look at me, okay? Listen to me.”
“O-okay,” Branch whispered.
“We were both young when I first saw you,” Poppy sang, keeping her voice quiet like the song was just for them, and they weren’t surrounded by all of Troll Village. “I close my eyes and the flashback starts~”
Branch closed his eyes, breathing long and deep.
“I’m standing there,” Poppy continued, going in a sort of lullaby route with the volume of her song. “On a balcony in summer air~”
The wedding party was exhausting in a way parties usually never were for Poppy. Mostly because half the party was supposed to be for Branch, and she spent the whole party regretting how little he clearly had a say in the party proceedings. He grimaced through half the set list, he didn’t seem to understand why people kept coming over to the pair of them for small talk, and he didn’t seem to like most of the food available either. One thing that surprised Poppy, though, was that Branch was more than willing to dance with her. He was also good at dancing, even if he wasn’t really into the music they were dancing to.
All of Poppy’s friends had come by at different points to congratulate them on their marriage, but they seemed hesitant to talk with Branch around, and Poppy didn’t really get any real conversation out of them. It was all pleasantries and stilted congratulations, and they would awkwardly excuse themselves after a minute or two.
Eventually, they were alone at her dad’s pod, and Poppy and Branch both melted like a weight had been pulled off their shoulders. Peppy was already there waiting, and once they closed the door behind them, he stepped forward.
“Here, let me help you untangle that,” Peppy offered, going to the wedding braid knotted between them.
“Thanks, King Peppy,” Branch said quietly.
“No need to thank me, son,” Peppy assured. “We’re family now.”
“Don’t cut it!” Poppy ordered. “I’m going to hang it up in our family pod!”
Branch hummed in an agreeable way, and Peppy began to unravel the knot more gently.
“Well, that was something!” Poppy said cheerfully, and she stretched her left wrist out a little. She looked at her dad pointedly, and Peppy winced.
“Look, Poppy, let me start from the beginning. You once had an older sister,” Peppy began the explanation. Poppy’s jaw dropped at those words alone, and Branch beside her stiffened.
“I had a–? But what happened to her!?” Poppy demanded.
“The night of the Great Bergen Escape… Some trolls perished. I tried my best, but even the most powerful kings can’t stop a cave in. But see, your sister Viva had a betrothal contract already set up, for the day she came of age.”
“Wait, did Poppy not know about any of this?” Branch asked, his gray face paling.
“Viva’s betrothal contract was written up and signed between me and an older troll named Rosiepuff. One of her five grandsons was around Viva’s age, and they got along well enough,” Peppy continued, ignoring Branch’s question for the time being.
“Wait, but Branch isn’t that much older than me,” Poppy interrupted. He was only a few years older than her.
“Branch isn’t the grandson who was betrothed to Viva,” Peppy corrected. “You see, one day, Rosiepuff’s four eldest grandsons all vanished from the Troll Tree, and she came to apologize to me for breaking the contract. Her youngest, Branch, was far too young for Viva. I thought there was a way to salvage the situation, though. All of her grandsons were musical prodigies, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers. And your egg was due to hatch any day.”
“Dad…” Poppy said warily, glancing at Branch and his pale face. Branch being her betrothed couldn’t be the whole of it. “What exactly are you saying?”
“I told you that your betrothal contract with Branch has existed since before you were born,” King Peppy reminded. “He and his older brothers were the only family that had ever come close to accomplishing musical legend. For a while, I considered breaking the contract… Rosiepuff isn’t here any more, and neither you nor Branch knew it existed before this week. We don’t need to settle down as quickly as we used to.”
“But you didn’t break the contract,” Poppy stated flatly. “Branch and I are very much married now because of that contract, Dad.”
“Yes,” Peppy sighed. “Because I suspect the perfect family harmony is the only thing powerful enough to stop the Bergens once and for all.”
“The perfect family…?” Poppy’s eyes widened. “The only family that’s even come close to doing that is BroZone!”
“Yeah,” Branch said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. “We failed pretty spectacularly.”
“Branch was in BroZone!?” Poppy squeaked in shock. Then she gasped. “You have brothers!”
“Had brothers,” Branch corrected.
“Do we know what happened to them!?” Poppy asked, looking between Branch and Peppy with wide eyes. If they’d disappeared before the Great Escape…
“No, we do not,” Peppy admitted. “It’s most likely they perished. Lots of trolls used to try and venture for greener pastures, only to meet untimely ends, when we still lived in the Troll Tree.”
“Oh no,” Poppy said miserably. If only she could invite them to some kind of wedding afterparty. Maybe Branch would cheer up, even if only a little. She looked at her new husband, watching as he glumly picked at his suit jacket. She looked to her father, leaning closer and muttering, “Did Rosiepuff…?”
“Bergens,” Peppy confirmed in a whisper. Poppy’s heart ached. Branch wasn’t that much older than her. He must have been so young when Rosiepuff was eaten. With no family left at all, it was no surprise he was gray. Peppy carefully folded the wedding braid. Poppy couldn’t take her eyes off the blue and pink woven together.
You never fail to bring happiness to our village. I promise to be your shoulder to cry on.
Poppy took the folded up braid from her father’s hands and held it close to her heart. Who knew Branch could be such a smooth talker?
“You two should get settled. Who’s pod will you be staying in for the honeymoon nesting week?” Peppy asked. Poppy perked up.
“Branch! We should stay at yours! I mean, I’m an open book, but I don’t know anything about you! I’d love to see your home!” Poppy said cheerfully. A bit of tension eased from Branch’s shoulders.
“Uh, sure. I don’t know if I’m up for living in a pod quite yet, anyway,” Branch admitted, tapping his fingers against each other.
“Oh yeah, you live on the forest floor, right?” Poppy asked. Branch nodded. Peppy chuckled.
“Alright, you two. Just don’t forget to pack up everything you need before you go, alright Poppy?” Peppy reminded, raising his eyebrows. Poppy chuckled.
“Of course not, Dad, I’ll pack two bags!”
Branch and Poppy were silent as they walked through the woods, and the night time critters seemed way louder than normal because Poppy was just far too aware of how little they were speaking. Branch adjusted his dark blue suit jacket, tugging at the sleeves. Poppy had the train of her rainbow dress tossed over her arm to keep it from dragging half the forest floor along with them. They were both pushing one of her two suitcases.
“So… BroZone, huh?” Poppy asked.
“Yeah. It was an era,” Branch said.
“I was always a huge fan,” Poppy admitted, her cheeks flushing too hot. “Which one were you?”
Branch looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “Which one do you think?”
Poppy felt embarrassed. Obviously, he wasn’t old enough to be anybody other than Bitty B, the very same member that Poppy had an embarrassing childhood crush on. But she wasn’t going to admit to that, so instead she played a little dumb. “Well, if you weren’t the heart throb, you could give him some pretty steep competition. Shoulder to cry on, phew! That’s some hard-hitting romance.”
“Hey, if you can’t cry around the town party pooper, who can you cry around?” Branch asked drily. Poppy frowned. Branch noticed and chuckled. “Come on, don’t act like that’s untrue suddenly. Your friends have said it enough times.”
“Well, sure, but that doesn’t make it all you are,” Poppy complained.
“Poppy… look, I appreciate the way you’re trying to stand up for me already, but I know I’m…” Branch trailed off, looking at his own gray hands against the vibrant blue color of Poppy’s luggage. He curled his fingers. “I’m the last troll anybody would want to wake up to every morning and go to sleep with every night.”
“That’s not true!” Poppy protested.
“If you could pick who you married today, would I even have made the list?” Branch countered, and Poppy opened her mouth to continue to argue, only to hesitate. Admittedly, Poppy probably wouldn’t have chosen to get married yet at all, but if she had wanted to get married, Branch might not have occurred to her as an option. She shut her mouth silently, and Branch took that as his answer. “I get it. I don’t sing, I hate bright lights and colors, and I freak out when I hear loud noises. I’m not a good troll.”
“Yes you are,” Poppy snapped.
“I’m not a friendly person,” Branch corrected. “But I can promise you that I will never ever hurt you again. I will work hard every day to bring a smile to your face, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you never regret this. I know I’m nobody’s ideal husband, but I will try to be a good one.”