It was early in the morning. The kind of early during which all signs of the coming day are still hidden far behind the horizon.
From high overhead, a quinlyr swooped down, feathery wings extended out at his sides, fluffy fur ruffling in the light breeze blowing by.
His rider sat upon his back, fingers tightly gripping the reins as he guided the creature further down towards the mountainside where the caves resided. "Easy, pal," Branch spoke. When the quinlyr's paws met the rocky ground, he gave a happy chattering sound, throwing his head back. Branch laughed, knowing exactly what his furry friend was asking for. Leaning forward, he gently scratched under his chin. "Good boy, Ripple."
Ripple flicked his tail, purring at his owner's attention.
Branch hadn't been alone on his early morning flight. His lips formed a tender smile as he heard the troll sitting in front of him yawn and stir.
He touched his chin to her shoulder, gently rubbing his cheek against hers. "Hey there, Sleepyhead," he murmured quietly. "Welcome back." Letting go of the reins, he took hold of her hand. As he laced his fingers with hers, he heard their wedding rings brushing together, and he could only sit there and wonder how one little sound could hit the ears so beautifully.
"Mnnh…" She inhaled drowsily and rubbed at her eyes. "H-how long was I out?"
"A pretty good while," Branch replied. "Almost half the trip."
Remorse set in plain as day on her face. "'M sorry, I was just…" She yawned and stretched a little. "So tired."
"Ah don't be sorry, I'm glad you got some rest."
He hopped down to the surface of the ledge they'd landed on, and turned around just in time to see Poppy readying herself to jump down too.
Eyes popping wide open, he pulled her down into his arms before she had the chance. "Ohhh no you don't."
She gave an over-exaggerated groan, but despite it, she looked up at her husband with a loving little smirk. "You're never gonna let me have fun again, are you?"
Arms encircling themselves around her, he, so very gently yet playfully, pulled her to him from behind, her back to his chest. "I will, I promise." His hands traveled downward, rubbing at the rounded swell of her belly poking out under the pale green fabric of her dress. "Once this little bun's done baking."
Poppy laughed. "They're getting to be not so little," she said as she leaned back against him and glanced down. "I can hardly see my feet anymore."
"I know," he chuckled, nuzzling the back of her head with a grin of absolute contentment. "It's such an adorable look on you."
"Shut it," she laughed, tipping her head back and giving him an upside-down kiss.
"What?" he said when their lips parted. "I can call my pregnant wife adorable if I want to. What's so wrong with that?"
"Nothing. It's just that it's at the expense of my lack of balance, and achy back…and self-consciousness."
"The only thing you should be conscious about regarding yourself is how irresistible I find you, and how happy you make me."
She prodded the underside of his nose. "Buddy you better be real careful with that silver tongue, you know I can cry at the drop of a hat nowadays."
"Oh I'm well aware. So here's the plan: if I cause trouble before we get back outside, then I'll dry your tears and give you a backrub after we get settled in at our old campsite. How's that sound?"
"Mmmm, like heaven," came her contented murmur as he supported her with his arm and walked with her toward the cave entrance. "Now I'm kinda' hoping you cause trouble."
Branch grinned even more, chest resonating with fond laughter.
With Ripple holding Branch's lantern in his teeth, he followed the two trolls through the chambers until they arrived at the one filled with crystals.
"It's just like I remember," Poppy marveled, enthralled once again by the radiant glow given off by countless crystals all around. Then, after giving herself the opportunity to bask in this glow, and get reacquainted with the cave and all its hidden splendor, she gave a happy sigh and retrieved two crowns from a bag strapped to Ripple's back. One was hers. The other, she handed to her husband. "Okay, time to accessorize for the occasion."
"Did your parents wear their crowns for this?"
"I dunno, but that's how you and I are doing it. Because it makes it feel official that way."
He shrugged. "Whatever you say..." After sliding the crown over his hair, he stood to his full height, situating the leafy band and looking to her to make sure it was straight.
She fixed it for him with a dreamy little smile. "And plus, you look so regal and handsome in yours and I will use any and every excuse I can find to see you wear it."
He nodded, an amused smirk quirking at the corners of his lips. "Noooow the truth comes out."
The sound of her soft chortle echoed, bouncing off the cave walls as Branch took a sharp tool and extracted two crystals from a cluster in reach.
They walked hand in hand again, crossing the chamber and stopping when they reached the wall that displayed the carved heart that held Peppy and Primrose's names.
He handed one of the crystals to Poppy. "So, did you want to start or…?"
"Actually I was thinking we make the heart together. So we start at the top, curve down on either side, and then meet at the point at the bottom. And then we'll carve our names one at a time."
Branch nodded. "Sounds good to me."
The two found a space on the wall close to the first heart. Using their hands to measure it out, they agreed on a starting point and then, using the sharpened end of each crystal, carved out the new heart on the wall.
Then it was time to add their names.
"You go first," said Poppy, putting a hand to her back. "I…gotta sit down a minute."
"Tired already?" Branch jested, but agreed nonetheless and didn't tease her further. She had walked all the way through the caves, it only made sense she'd need a little break.
So as Poppy sat on the cave floor, Ripple came up, putting on one of his 'aren't I the cutest?' faces, which persuaded her to pet his ears and compliment him on what a big help he'd been and what a pretty boy he was.
Worked every time.
Branch, meanwhile, carved out his name inside the heart and added an ampersand. "Done," he announced, holding out both his hands and helping Poppy stand, as getting back up again was something she had a bit of trouble with as of late.
Physically speaking.
Not that Branch ever minded helping her back onto those sore little feet of hers. Maybe a footrub was in order too.
Poppy started to carve out the first letters of her name, but halfway through the 'o', she stiffened, huffing out a squeaky breath as she pressed a hand to the front of her belly. "Wow they're kicking like crazy in there."
Branch was in front of her in less than a second, ears perking eagerly. "Really?" He rested his hands against the same spot, waiting. Then his face lit up as he felt small bumps and nudges against his fingers. "They are. They really are," he cooed in a small loving voice reserved only for their baby.
"I swear one of those had to be either an elbow or a heel," Poppy told him as she went back to carving her name.
Kneeling down, Branch laid his head against her stomach, closing his eyes and humming contently. "Trying to get comfy, aren't you? While you grow all big and strong in there so you'll be ready to meet us when it's time," he crooned in a tone of utmost tenderness. He pulled his wife closer to him as he doted on their unborn child with kisses and quiet whispers of love and telling him or her how he couldn't wait to meet them and snuggle with them every night.
Poppy finished carving out the final letter, looping the crystal around with a flourish afterward. "Okay," she said, looking down at him. "That's it, Branch. It's written on the cave wall. An officially official mark of our love stamped on the world. No turning back now."
Still kneeling in front of her, Branch gave a subdued grunt, rubbing his cheek against her belly. "Mmh. Bummer," he said, picking his head up to offer Poppy a mock look of disappointment. "This mean I gotta toss out all my emergency escape plans?"
"Afraid so."
"The backups too?"
She had begun to slip her fingers through his hair. "Yup."
Exhaling in a sarcastic sigh, he dropped his hands and stood up. "Fine. Guess I'll rip 'em up or pitch 'em in the fire when we get back home."
As he stood facing her, Poppy looked down with a sweet smile, placing her hands back on her growing bump. "Hello there, my little prince or princess. It's your mommy." Her gaze lifted to meet Branch's, encouraging him to speak.
"And your dad," he said, before Poppy cheerfully went on.
"And we're all here today to carry on a royal family tradition that your grandparents started. And we hope, if it's something you want to do, that you'll carry it on one day, when you're all grown up and have a special troll in your life that you'll start your very own family with. And when you're old enough, we'll tell you the story behind it all, along with the story of how tradition brought your father and I together."
Branch put his arm around her. "Both are stories worth a listen."
As Poppy leaned against him, the two admired the brand new heart now etched into the cave wall, right near the first.
After leaving the cave, Branch and Poppy rode on Ripple's back through the valley grounds. Soon they'd arrived at the place by the river where they'd set up camp during their first trip here.
Poppy was staring up at the sky, which was still mostly dark. "You remember our first night here, when we made a wish on that star? It shot across the sky, right there," she said, pointing.
Branch looked at the spot she pointed to. "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget anything about that night, honestly. A troll doesn't so easily forget the night he shares his first kiss with the girl he fell for."
Poppy smiled up at him. "So, did you ever get your wish?"
"I did."
Her smile widened. "What'd you wish for? I never did ask you."
He held her gaze, tucking a few silky strands of hair behind a velvety pink ear. "I made two wishes. Not sure if that's allowed, but my first was for you to be happy, even if that meant that I wouldn't get to be the one to share a home and family with you one day. Above all, I just wanted you to be happy and still do now."
"And your second wish?"
"My second wish was, that if, by some miracle, I did get to be the one to share those things with you, that I could spend the rest of forever doing that."
There was a blissful look on her face as she answered, "That's pretty much exactly what I wished for too."
"Yea?"
"Mhm," she hummed. "I wished for you and me, and a place all our own. Somewhere we both felt safe. Sitting cuddled up all warm and cozy, holding a baby in my arms that we made together. And you holding both of us. Because that's what would make me truly happy. Planting flowers in a garden that I get to grow with you. Guess both our wishes are coming true, huh?"
Heart flooding with endless adoration for his wife, his soulmate, and the soon-to-be mother of his child, he gave her a deeply loving kiss on the lips, arms snug around her middle. "Remind me later to go find that star so I can thank it."
[]
Miles away, on a lofty hill obscured by fog, one that overlooked a ravine littered with copses of thorn bushes and thick briar vines, a lone castle stood. And within one of its higher towers, another pair of trolls were welcoming their children into the world.
But it wasn't as happy an occasion as it should've been.
The exhausted mother lay on a bed of leaves, tears and sweat coating her face as her breath came in weary wheezes.
Beside her, a male troll was cradling a squirming newborn baby. His smile was fearful but full of love. "It's a girl. So, two sons and a daughter."
"Let me hold her," she pleaded, trembling arms weakly stretched up to the last little one she'd given birth to.
The male nodded, handing the wailing infant to her.
She beamed, tracing a shaky fingertip around the newborn troll's face. "My sweet baby," she breathed.
She begged to hold the other two and the father obliged. With all three in her arms, she nuzzled and kissed each precious face. Then she asked their father if he would hold her.
He thought it a strange request, but not an undesirable one. He slipped his arms around her, exhaling in a deep sigh and closing his eyes.
"I love you all, more than life," she said to her family. "I hope you know that."
"We know," the male murmured. "And we love you every bit as much."
Her eyes still closed, she began to sing to them. Her voice was worn and hoarse, but the limitless love she held for her family could still be heard in the fragile melody.
The male listened to her song, so relaxed and content for that moment that he didn't notice right away that her voice had trailed off.
He looked down, thinking that perhaps she'd merely fallen asleep.
Then he realized that she wasn't breathing, her body limp and perfectly still.
"Darling?" Dread grabbed hold of him as he gently shook her, getting no response. "Darling," he said again, breath picking up and voice thickening. "Sunrise," he used her name this time, calling urgently to her.
She didn't move; she made not a sound.
Blood going cold, he stood and turned to another troll who had been assisting with the birth. "She's not breathing," he told her.
The aged troll's brow knit in alarm. She scooped up the three newborns and passed them to their father. "Hold them to you and keep them close, they need warmth as long as they can have it." As he did as she advised, the elder female knelt at Sunrise's side, listening and feeling for any signs that she was still holding on.
After performing a few rushed attempts to revive her, she stopped and removed her hands, casting the worried male a gravely apologetic look and shaking her head. "I'm so sorry Whiffle…she's gone."
"…no," he gasped. "O-oh please no." He shook his head wildly, his whole body trembling. "I-I…sh-she can't…she can't leave me, she's my everything!"
Over and over he said this, gripping the newborns to his chest. They wailed louder, as if they somehow knew their mother was no longer alive.
"Whiffle," the elder troll said, bracing her hands to his shoulders and making him snap out of it. "She's gone. Now, we must give her a proper burial. If you hold your children, I will get everything ready so we can."
Instead of agreeing to her offer, he shoved the trio of crying bundles into her arms. "Not until I say goodbye!" he cried, gritting his teeth and sniffling.
With a heavy sigh, the elder nodded compassionately, giving him space and bouncing the tiny trollings in her arms as she did.
Whiffle crawled over to his lost love's body, collapsing atop it as he sobbed, shoulders heaving as he screamed, "Why?!" That was all he could say as he clutched at Sunrise's body. It was still soft and warm. He just kept shouting as he soulfully howled. "Why? Why did you have to go? I need you…I need you! We were going to find a way out of here together! That's how this was supposed to go! That's how it was supposed to go…"
His sobs eventually subsided and he came back down from his hurricane of anguish. But he was just on the precipice of the grief he'd feel down the line.
Trudging back over to the elder, he took a shuddering breath and wiped his face. "I'll do it," he told her.
"No."
From one of the many branches up above, two trolls swooped down, drawing in their speckled wings as their feet met the grass.
The first one was stockier with a broader chest. He spoke in a deep voice. "We'll do it."
The second one was taller with a somewhat narrower build. He was nodding his somber agreement. "Yea, you just take whatever time you need to say your goodbyes. We'll take care of the burial."
So, beneath their Troll Tree, the two dug a grave and gathered flowers to decorate the burial scene, while Whiffle wrapped Sunrise up in her most favorite quilt and clutched her to him.
"My darling," he brokenly whispered while smoothing her hair back. "I have…no idea what I'm going to do without you. But…thank you, for giving me a reason to want to wake up in the morning…I hope that, if we go somewhere after this life, you go somewhere happier than this wretched place. Somewhere you can finally be free. To soar high up to the heavens and beyond. I'll miss you more than I can say, and I just wanted you to know that I—"
His words were halted by a door flying open and slamming against the wall. The gathered trolls cowered in fear, backing away.
A tall spindly beast began stomping over to the small garden in the corner of the drafty room where his captives were held.
As the giant creature came into the meager amount of light the room gave off, his countenance became more distinct. He was a Bergen, but he didn't look quite like the Bergens in King Gristle Jr.'s kingdom. He was lanky and his features were sharply defined, nose and ears hooked at the tips and skin clear of unsightly warts.
"I was just coming to check back in," he spoke in an unnervingly charismatic voice, and looked rather pleased as he got closer. "Ahhh, the little wailing goblins are here. Splendid." He grinned an ugly grin. "Took her long enough to pop them out. I've been waiting for hours."
Whiffle glared, dark green eyes narrowed up at the monster leaning over them. "You can't have them," he hissed.
"Don't make this difficult," the Bergen smoothly said, holding out his palm and wiggling his fingers. "Hand them over."
The elder female took Sunrise's body and placed it at the base of the tree, giving the Bergen a scornful glare, as did the other two.
Whiffle took all three of his newborns and hugged them to his body. "I'll die before I do! Murderous coward!" he yelled up to the beast.
The Bergen chuckled lightly. "That's rather big talk from someone so little. Have you forgotten who runs the show around here?" He glowered now. "I would be more than happy, to refresh your memory."
He took the mystical stone hanging from a chain around his neck, summoning its magic. He spoke a few words in a language unknown to the trolls. The part they did know was that it always meant trouble.
With a snap of his fingers, the four trolls cried out, limbs locked as the summoned magic forced them to go completely still where they stood.
After that, the Bergen used very little effort to reach in through the magical force field keeping them inside, and pluck the three bundles from Whiffle's grasp.
As he walked away from the small garden, he snapped his fingers, and they all fell to the ground, groaning and panting in pain from the terrible sting of the magic's dark power.
Whiffle, still panting, pushed himself up on shaky limbs, glaring up at the Bergen hatefully. "Monster!" he yelled. "Spineless soulless monster!"
A wave of easy chuckles flowed out as he strolled over to a large pot on a table that stood beneath a shelf crowded with vials and bottles galore. "After all these years, that's the best you can do? Shame."
The three newborns cried loudly as the Bergen held them up by what little hair sprouted on their teeny heads. "Now now," he said. "There's no need to cry. Today's a most wonderful day. It's your first day in the world, the first day of your little lives. And as a birthday gift, you get the prestigious honor of helping me achieve longevity in mine." Spreading his clawed thumb and forefinger apart, he dropped them into the pot, calm eyes watching them fall as he smiled. "The greatest gift of all."
He poured bottles of murky liquids into the pot, and after the amulet began to glow an ominous red, the cries from inside had ceased.
Before the eyes of the trolls huddled under their Tree, the Bergen became younger, wrinkles smoothing out and silvering hair returning to its original inky black.
The female troll held Whiffle and rubbed his back as he hid his face in her shoulder, tears spilling down in a torrent.
Whiffle grieved the loss of not only his love, but his children as well, the last he'd ever get to have.
Meanwhile, another troll was flying in through the window, on the back of a furry winged creature with rounded ears and a wispy tail. This troll looked similar to the others, except she was grey.
"Whoa girl," she said, tugging at the reins until the creature protested with a choking sound. "Sorry," she muttered. Once they'd landed on the Bergen's table, the troll hopped down, offering up a bag to him. "Here ya go. Found the herbs you asked for."
"Excellent. I'll find a place for them, set them over there for now."
She nodded, dragging the bag across the tabletop. "So they finally came? How many this time?"
"Three."
"Three?!" the grey troll echoed in disbelief, stopping in her tracks. "Wow, Sunrise must be bushed! She'd better rest up while she can and get ready for next time."
"There won't be a next time," came Whiffle's despondent croak. "She's dead."
Tension fell over the room in an instant as the Bergen turned slowly, features hardened as he stared. "What did you say?"
Whiffled mirrored his stony stare. "Sunrise is dead." He hacked out the words bitterly. "Come see for yourself."
He wasted no time stalking over to the Tree, jaw taut as the trolls stepped aside so he could see the lifeless body where it had been set down. He picked up the once living queen and after bringing her back to his potion table, used every method he had on hand to revive her.
But it quickly became apparent that anything he tried would prove useless. Shaking in anger, he picked up a handful of glass bottles and hurled them at the wall. They shattered loudly against it, smoking liquid and slime sliding down to form a pool on the floor.
He kicked a chair, sending it hurtling into a decorative statue, smashing it to pieces. He'd punched the wall and shoved a stack of tomes to the floor before his tantrum concluded. Then he dug his claws into his hair as he exhaled in livid snarls. "Now what?!" he asked no one in particular. "Without a fertile queen, I have no royal lifeblood. How do I maintain an immortality spell without the key ingredient?"
Several long beats of silence passed. And then another voice spoke up.
"Simple. Find a new queen."
The Bergen turned to the grey troll standing on the table by the potion bottles that still remained after his outburst.
"Another?" He scoffed, glaring hard. "Where would I even begin to look?"
She knocked her feet together and shrugged. "Your nephew and his subjects befriended the ones they used to keep captive. They may not live in his kingdom anymore, but they do stay in contact." She pulled something from a satchel at her side. "In fact…I was there today, just doing a little scoping out. And I saw that Bergen girl he married. The former scullery maid. You remember her?"
"Barely. She's a rather easy one to overlook."
"Well they're married now, and she happened to be out delivering invitations as I was stopping by." She held up the envelope she'd dug out. "I think you'll wanna see this."
Within the envelope was a card with disgustingly cute stickers all over it. He opened it and read over the invitation, lips slowly curling into a malicious grin.
"She was giving these out today?" he asked.
"Earlier this morning."
"Wonderful. It appears they're hosting a little gathering at their castle in two weeks." He set down the card and tapped a set of razor-sharp claws together. "That's more than enough time." He lowered his hand. "Come my dear," he said to her. "We have to make preparations."
The grey troll hopped into his palm. "Preparations? What for?"
"For a trip. We're going to pay my nephew and his little wallflower a visit. And offer our most heartfelt congratulations to their troll queen friend who has a precious arrival on the way." His eyes glowed with eerie excitement. "Seems I've already found a solution to my quandary."
Happy Holidays, they're gonna have a babyyyy!
And surprise, I've left it open for a sequel! It would follow the events leading up to Branch's proposal to Poppy, and the wedding, and then everything else that leads up to this part. And what comes after it. Chapters would be about half as long as these have been, and the story would have nothing to do with ice skating and everything to do with developing the Broppy relationship. While adding some new story elements and characters.
But only if people wanted to see that. You may not and that's totally fine. But if you want to see the story continue, you'll have to let me know.
Anyhow, thanks for reading my first go at a Trolls fanfic! It's been fun!