Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls! And I definite own the little yellow troll or the clown troll.
AN: Inspired by any tumblr post I read that mentioned the yellow troll and the clown troll. A sort-of fix-it/what-if ficlet.
The Bergens are Coming
Part 1
"You done yet?"
Sage leaned back on her dirt-smudged feet, her bright green hair waving as it caught the breeze. Surrounded by bright berry bushes and gleaming flowers, the young troll was in her element. Most of the time, she had a few flowers or petals nestling in her hair, leftover from her work out in her gardens and berry patches.
Rubbing her hands on the bottom of her dress, she looked up at her best friend Herb, an emerald green troll with red hair. He was also a gardener, and they often helped each other out, especially during harvest time.
"You didn't forget about the party, did you?" he asked.
"Nooo," Sage said slowly, softly, as she stood up.
"You did too," he said, putting his hands on his hips, "Sage! I've been planning this for forever."
"I know, and I'm grateful!" She bit her lower lip and glanced at him. "It's just…you're sure it's just going to be a few trolls?" While she enjoyed parties, just like practically every other troll, she didn't like big parties or being the center of attention. Small gatherings were more her style.
"Only ten or twelve. Or fifteen," Herb said. He picked up her basket of freshly-picked flowers and berries and slid it onto it his arm so it was nestled in the crook of his elbow. Gallantly, he offered her his free arm. "Just me, you, some of the other gardening trolls, the Snack Pack—"
"What?" Sage asked, her eyes widening.
Herb gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Poppy overhead me planning with Caprica, and I didn't think you'd mind."
"Oh, I don't. Not really." She liked Princess Poppy and her friends, it was just, well, they were super into big, giant, loud parties. Which Sage could handle in small doses. But it would be nice to have Poppy and the Snack Pack there, she guessed. At least no one would be able to say the party was dull if they were there. A few other trolls would probably show up, as was troll custom. If you were in hearing distance of a party, it was an automatic invitation to said party. So a small party might escalate into a big one quickly, especially if DJ Suki was going to come. Ah, hmm, if it got too much for her to handle, she would just slip out for a little while. No big deal.
She and Herb walked most the home together until the path split. Taking her basket from him and promising to get ready quickly, she dashed to her home tree and then scurried up into her light blue pod. It was decorated with pastel petals that she had found around the forest and pressed between the pages of some books. There were also a few knit and crocheted things lying around, another one of her hobbies. Sage dunked herself in her rain barrel bathtub, changed into her new party dress, and then darted out the doorway of her pod.
It wasn't far to Herb's pod, only a few branches and swinging bridges away. As she walked up the tree path to his pod, she heard the sounds of the party music lower and trolls hush each other. It was a bit late for a surprise, since she knew all about the party, but trolls sometimes couldn't help themselves. She knocked on the side of the pod and then let herself in.
A wave of sound nearly bowled her over. "Surprise!" shouted about twenty trolls, nearly twice the amount Herb had first told her he'd invited. His neighbors must have heard the music.
Glancing over, she saw Herb between Cooper and Fern, wearing a party hat. Someone started to play a rousing birthday song, and everyone sang right at her, making her blush and want to hide behind her hair. There was a pile of presents taller than she was, and someone had made a beautiful cake with strawberries on it. Her favorite.
The party rocked on, and Sage enjoyed herself, dancing and singing to some of her favorite songs. A few of the guests started in on karaoke, and in normal troll tradition, they dedicated songs to her as gifts.
Embarrassed by the outpouring of love and celebration, Sage eventually wandered over to the cake table, greeting the guests and promising to open cards and presents very soon. The cake was positively enormous, and it drew her in, tempting her into brushing her finger down the side of it.
"If you weren't the birthday girl, I'd saw that was bad luck," a teasing voice said.
She looked up, startled to find a yellow boy troll with bright red hair standing on the other side of the cake. He was wearing a plaid outfit and shoes (how interesting!), and on top of everything else, he had the most interesting face markings. She had heard about some of the trolls who were born with marks, like the ankle and arm marks that Satin and Chenille had, but this one was way more noticeable. It was certainly eye-catching. She had seen him around the troll village, but he was a few years older than her and one of the party-planning trolls, meaning he wasn't often in the gardens. His name currently escaped her, but she wished that she remembered it.
Sage blushed, pink dashing across her sunflower cheeks. "Lucky I'm the birthday girl, right?" she said.
He laughed. "Yep, guess so! You're a super awesome birthday-having troll. Happy birthday, Sage."
"Thanks…" she said, and suddenly his name popped into her head, "Charlie!"
"You remembered!" He grinned brightly. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here, see, 'cause I don't live in any of the nearby trees, you know, well, Poppy saw me on her way here and then she grabbed my arm and said I had to come, and hey, you don't say no to Princess Poppy! Right? Yeah…" He rubbed the back on his neck and gave a little laugh. "Sorry, I talk a lot sometimes."
"It's okay," Sage said with a grin of her own, amused by his chatter, "I'm a good listener."
"You seem like a good listener," he said, and then held up his hands, "Not that you're not a good talker, too! I bet you're a great talker, we just haven't talked that much yet, but, um…"
Sage giggled, which got a chuckle out of Charlie. He smiled and reached to the side of the table, where a red balloon was bobbing happily. Picking it up, he seemed to hesitate for a minute and then he held it out to her with a smile. "I'm sorry it's not much, but it's all I had in my pocket. I wish it was a flower or something…"
"It's lovely," Sage said, "It looks like a cherry, and I love cherries."
It was Charlie's turn to blush just a bit, and then he held out the balloon to her. Sage reached out to take it, her blue eyes meeting Charlie's.
Then Charlie was flying backward. Literally, just shooting through the air until he crashed into the side of Sam's pod. His assailant, an all-too-familiar grey troll, waved his arms, belting out his perpetual, never-ceasing warning.
"The Bergens are coming!" Branch shouted before screaming and running off, presumably to circle back around to the only entrance/exit to the pod. Sage and the rest of the party-goers just stared at him, shocked by the interruption. Bergens?
"Are there Bergens for real this time?" someone squeaked.
"What do we do?!"
"Everyone calm down, I'll go talk to him," Poppy was saying, but Sage wasn't listening anymore. Instead, she rushed over and knelt down by Charlie's side, her hand on his arm as he sat up and groaned.
"Sage? You have a twin?" He gave a wobbly wave to the air beside her. "Hallo, Sage twin."
"Oh, I think we should take you to see Dr. Plum," Sage said, biting her lip. She held on to his arm, helping him to his feet. Smidge wandered over and looked Charlie up and down.
"I'll help ya," she said. The tiny, gruff troll wrapped her hair around Charlie and carried him out the doorway, Sage following behind. Even though it was her party, she doubted she would be missed after that, plus it would be winding down soon anyways as people moved on to the next party. She would certainly have to send Herb a thank-you letter. Maybe Poppy would give her a hand, she was good at that kind of thing.
Smidge and Sage escorted Charlie to Dr. Plum's, where the doctor looked him over carefully while Sage sat out on the waiting balcony. Smidge had to go, but she gave Sage one last present before she left, a little song about raindrops and earth and growing things. They parted with a quick, warm hug, then all Sage had to do was sit and hum to herself.
After a while, Charlie came out of the exam pod, Dr. Plum by his side. "He just needs some rest and relaxation and maybe some blueberry tea," Dr. Plum said, "By the way, happy birthday, Sage, dear." She waved and disappeared back into her pod.
"You waited for me?" Charlie said, eyes wide, "You didn't have to do that, Sage. It's your birthday."
"Yep," she said, her hair curling happily, "It is. And on my birthday, I'm entitled to do what I want. And I wanted to wait for you."
"But I lost your balloon," he said, and then glanced around. Reaching up, he plucked a light blue leaf off the tree and turned around. She could see his arms moving, but she didn't know what he was doing.
"Charlie? It's okay, it wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're okay." And not unconscious.
"Hold on a minute…"
When he turned around, he held out a crown that he had created by folding, tearing and braiding the leaf. It was simple and cute, and he gently placed it on her head, tucking it into her green hair. "There. You needed a birthday crown."
And that was the start of something sweet and simple and perfect.
A/N: Sage is named because her green hair reminds me of sage, and Charlie is named after Charlie Chaplin.