Branch's Perspective

Description: The Trolls story based on Branch's Perspective with a few added scenes into the mix, not traditionally written in 1st person. It's my first time writing in a long time, and my first attempt at a Trolls fic, I just fell in love (I'm completely obsessed) with the movie and came up with a few story ideas.
I already have an idea of how I want this to go and probably won't be taking any suggestions, that being said once this one is finished if you'd like me to write a similar story, except from Poppy's perspective I'd be happy to with enough requests!

Disclaimer: I do not own Trolls or the plot, it belongs to Dreamworks Productions.

Constructive criticism is welcome flaming is not.

Chapter One

"I don't think King Peppy made it…" announced a troubled purple troll who had injured his leg while escaping through the root tunnels.

"When I say no troll left behind…" echoed a familiar voice from within the tunnels as their King began to emerge, no longer clothed.

"I mean no troll left behind!" he cheered. The surrounding area erupted into loud cheers from the Trolls who had all successfully escaped from Bergen Town. All cheered, except one lone grey troll, he was only a child, about six years in age. He sat alone, separate from the rest of the group, unable to find himself happy about the successful escape.

"King Peppy!" Chimed in another young troll of light blue coloring.

"Where's Princess Poppy?" She worried.

"Don't worry, she's safe." He reassured the crowd as he reached into his hair to grab his daughter whom was hidden within.

"No troll left behind!" The young troll princess cheered, barely a year in age. Her actions earned a resounding 'aww' from the crowd.

"But we'll be a lot safer the further we get from Bergen Town." King Peppy urged, bringing everyone back to focus on the trouble at hand.

"Go, go! Hurry!" The Trolls heeded his warnings and made way to start on their long journey to find a new home and live a new life, free of fear from the Bergen's. King Peppy stopped in his tracks as he noticed the young grey troll who would not follow the others, and remained hurdled against the wall of root tunnels. The young one seemed unwilling to leave the tree, the only home he ever knew behind, and King Peppy knew why.

"Branch?" King Peppy called as he slowly approached the heartbroken troll, still holding his daughter. Branch jumped a bit as he heard the King address him, a little surprised that the King of the Trolls knew him by name.

"Are you alright? Were you hurt?" asked the concerned King. Branch glanced up at the King and Princess Poppy, and in that moment he felt his heart leap in his chest. Branch had never paid much attention to the Princess prior to this moment as she had been born around the same time he suffered a great loss. But he couldn't ignore her now and he found himself thinking about how cute she was, he also could not ignore the sudden pull he felt toward her. Realizing he still had not answered the King he quickly averted his eyes away, flushing lightly with embarrassment. King Peppy did not miss that interaction.

"N-No… I'm… okay…" Branch replied bashfully.

"I just… can't leave…" He added vaguely.

"Grandma Rosiepuff… right?" King Peppy asked kindly. They grey troll whipped his head back up to look at the King, shocked that he had known his reason for being unwilling to leave his home, and ultimately, his reason for turning grey. He was the King, so it made sense for him to know everything that occurred within his Village, but no other troll in Troll Village seemed to care about him anymore. Sure, they were all concerned and tried to help him at first, but after all their attempts at trying to cheer him up failed, one by one, they'd all eventually given up… many had even forgotten why he was this way. Except King Peppy, he still… remembered, still cared… about him.

"Branch, Grandma Rosiepuff sacrificed her life so you could live… she would want you to be safe, the same way she always cared for and protected all of the young trolls in Troll Village and kept them safe." King Peppy spoke, attempting to reason with the young troll. Grandma had been a close friend to the King, almost like a mother not only to him, but all the trolls in troll village; her sacrifice didn't only affect her grandson, it had affected all of them.

"She would want you to come with us and continue living… and hopefully one day… find a way to bring your true colors back." Branch looked down again as the King spoke. He knew King Peppy was right and was trying to encourage him, but with his grandmother gone he doubted he would ever be able to find his true colors again. How could that be possible when being a troll, who loved to sing, dance and be happy was the very reason he'd lost everyone he loved… He had no one left…

"Their memory will always be with you." The King continued, as if he'd read Branch's mind.

"No matter where you are." Branch found his gaze landing on the King's daughter again. He felt his heart begin to race as she smiled at him and he couldn't understand what this feeling was. The King was right, and even if he knew it was impossible for him to gain back his true colors, he knew one thing was for sure, the Bergen's would still be a threat to them, no matter how far they ran. He found himself feeling as if he didn't want anything to ever happen to the King or Princess Poppy if the Bergen's ever did end up finding them again.

"You can always rely on me Branch." King Peppy assured the young Branch and he held his hand out to him.

"Always rely on me, Branch!" Princess Poppy repeated after her father. This earned a small smile from the grey troll, a smile that had not emerged since the loss of his grandmother. Placing his hand in the King's outstretched hand he allowed the King to pull him to his feet. King Peppy continued to hold Branch's hand as he led him and his daughter in the direction the rest of the trolls had gone. It was then Branch vowed to do everything in his power to ensure King Peppy and Princess Poppy's safety. This meant keeping all of Troll Village safe, even if most had forgotten about him. He couldn't allow the King or his daughter to ever suffer the sadness he felt and now lived with, he may be young and still naïve but with this one small vow, he knew he could continue to fight and live in a way he hoped would make his grandmother proud.

20 YEARS LATER

"Everybody! Move your hair and feel united, ooh!" His ears twitched as a loud singing voice could be heard through out the forest. He sighed and rolled his eyes, this troll really made his job difficult.

"Not again…" He groaned. He tried to tune out the dance number that he could hear commence, refocusing his thoughts on his task at hand. But try as he may, he couldn't deny that in truth he was very fond of the troll Princess' singing voice, it seemed to sooth him. Shaking his head from those thoughts he scowled as he gathered more wood for his bunker. He enjoyed hearing her sing but did she need to be that loud? He had done everything he could to ensure the village's safety from the Bergen's for twenty years, but if she insisted on getting louder and louder, one day he wouldn't be able to protect them anymore. He could keep them hidden, but he couldn't keep them silent. Their lack of silence would eventually reveal their hiding place. No matter how angelic Branch may have found her voice to be, he simply could not accept the danger that she was unknowingly putting everyone in.

As he made he was back to his bunker, it suddenly sounded like the princess was much closer to his location then she had been before. Branch turned around and peered through the cluster of bushes in front of him to see Poppy and her closest friends finishing their most recent, choreographed dance number. He approached them and leaned against the stem of a mushroom not far from them, he allowed them to catch their breath for a moment before he set down his bundle of wood and began a slow clap, making his presence known.

"Unbelievable guys really, really great job. I can hear you from a mile away!" he scoffed as he picked up his bundle of wood again and made his way to approach the troll princess. Poppy dismounted from her position on Cooper's head as he did so, still smiling and seemingly not affected by his scolding.

"Good I was worried we weren't projecting enough." The pink troll responded nonchalantly and still slightly out of breath. This only served to irritate the grey troll even more. Was she really that naïve!

"Poppy." He spoke in a voice that grabbed her full attention.

"If I can hear you… so can the bergens!" he whispered the last part, hoping to add more emphasis to his statement.

"Oh boy." Commented an amused Guy Diamond.

"Here we go again." Cooper added.

"Aww Branch." Biggie groaned.

"You always ruin everything." Satin continued.

"Warning us about the bergens." Chenille finished. Branch watched as all her friends retorted his proclamation with exasperated looks.

"No I don't." he denied feeling slightly embarrassed, he began to recall some of the moments he had warned the trolls about a Bergen attack in the past and had to admit that they were right. Poppy's voice soon interrupted him.

"Come on! We haven't seen a bergen in twenty years! They're not gonna find us." Poppy argued, attempting to remain positive but he could see she was exasperated with him as well. Her statement only added fuel to his fire, she had no idea what occurred in the world around the troll village, what he had been protecting them from all of this time.

"No, they're not going to find me, because I'll be hiding in my highly camouflaged, heavily fortified, bergen proof, survival bunker." He barked. Only Poppy could get him fired up like this, no other troll could get him this worked up, and he couldn't entirely understand why.

"You mean you're not coming to the party tonight?" She asked concerned. And there it was, that look on her face, the one that told him the she cared about him, that she wanted to include him, that she truly felt that he deserved to be happy. But her comment again, was naïve, and it was as if she hadn't even heard anything he just said.

"But it's gonna be the biggest…"

"…the loudest…"

"…the craziest party ever!"

"Yeah!" Were his ears deceiving him? Or was the entire Snack Pack actually trying to convince him to come to the party? He brushed the thought off assuming they were just acting on Poppy's behalf and grew irritated again.

"Big? Loud? Crazy?! You're just gonna lead the bergens right to us!" Why couldn't they understand? Why wouldn't they listen to him and heed his warnings? He knew Poppy was too young to remember much from their old home, but she knew, she knew her mother had sacrificed her life to the Bergen's dreaded tradition so that she and her father could live. Why didn't the fact that the bergens were still out there terrify her? Was putting everyone in danger, by hosting a loud and crazy celebration really the right way to honor her mothers' sacrifice?

"The same could be said about all of her friends, they all lost someone back then. Most of them were the same age as Poppy, too little to remember what happened, their only memories being the stories told to them by the other trolls. But Biggie and Cooper were old enough to remember loosing their loved ones. Their actions perplexed him the most, they still had a family member with them so they hadn't gone grey as he had, but he knew they still remembered. Why weren't they terrified? Why wouldn't they stop her?

"Are you sure you want to invite this party pooper to poop on your party?" An annoyed Cooper whispered to the princess, but he wasn't quiet enough, Branch could hear every word and he could only roll his eyes. Poppy responded with a warm, genuine smile.

"Yes, I think everyone deserves to be happy." She answered, casting her glance back toward the survivalist troll.

"I don't do happy." He retorted.

"Branch, I know you have happiness inside you… You just need our help, to find it." Poppy responded back while pulling out another one of her handmade invitations from the back of her hair. He watched her, still appearing un-amused and disinterested as the invitation popped open in front of him.

"Celebrate freedom from the bergens!" The invitation sang before is sprayed glitter out from the mini-Branch's eyes and all over his face. Branch held a straight face, but could not ignore the warmth he felt in his heart as he secretly admired the well-made invitation Poppy held in her hands. The pink troll always included him; she always made him an invitation even when it was against everyone else's wishes. He knew he was a 'party pooper' as Cooper so kindly put, but Poppy always overlooked his harsh reactions and denials and still continued to go out of her way to try and make him feel like he actually mattered to her, like she cared about him.

"What do you say Branch?" Part of him really wanted to accept the invitation, wanted to truly believe that she actually cared about him and wanted to celebrate alongside him, but that small voice in the back of his mind rang loud again.

'There's no way she wants you there! You'd ruin the whole party! Plus, you know it would be dangerous to be in a place that could clearly attract a bergen! It's foolish to attend!' With his mind made up, he reached out to take the invitation from Poppy with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Ignoring the small glimmer of hope that shimmered in the troll princess' eyes he immediately threw the invitation onto the ground and stomped on it. Sending a clear message that he was denying her invitation, once again. He watched everyone's reactions, slightly confused as the Snack Pack all gasped in shock.

"Oh my God." Smidge remarked. Why did this still surprise them? He always reacted this way.

"I wouldn't be caught dead at your party, but you will be." Branch spat has he wiped the unwanted glitter from his face.

"Caught and dead." He finished, ignoring the pull he always felt in his heart when he reacted this way toward Poppy. He could see a look of frustration and hurt cross the princess' features, and for a moment, that look caused him to regret his harsh actions. He knew Poppy had mostly likely put a lot of work and effort into that invitation, just as she had with every invitation she handed out, and he just crushed it right in front of her.

"Woah, woah, woah, easy Branch, easy."

'Oh great not him.' Branch inwardly groaned. Any feeling of regret he had harbored toward his actions was gone in an instant as the purple troll glided in. Branch rolled his eyes in annoyance as the lightening bug carrying the peaceful minded troll, dropped him right in between him and Poppy. Creek turned to acknowledge the bug before it departed.

"Thank you for providing safe passage brother. Namaste." He released the bug and turned to face the grumpy troll.

"Okay, first of all mate. Thanks for sharing your unique perspective on things." Branch backed himself away from Creek, bringing his bundle of wood in front of him defensively as Creek had the nerve to touch Branch as he addressed him.

"Again." Branch didn't miss what Creek had intended with that statement as he listened to Biggie and Copper snicker in the background. Creek knew Branch had felt something toward the Princess and used that to tease him relentlessly. He always made him seem more foolish to the others then he already was, and never failed to rub the fact that Poppy had a crush on Creek in his face. There had always been a bad vibe between the two.

"Just for now, why don't you try on some positivity eh? A little positivity might go with that vest." Another backhanded remark, this time directed at Branch's choice of attire.

"Okay fine." Branch decided to play along.

"I'm positive you all are going to get eaten." Branch responded hiding behind his mask of sarcasm once again. Their conversation was soon interrupted when everyone's wrists began to chime, signaling a moment in which Branch dreaded most.

"Hug time!"

"It is hug time."

"HUG TIME!" Before Branch could react appropriately, he found himself being dragged into their group hug, Creek continuing to tease the grey troll even further by acting on what he knew the troll hated most, pulled him into a hug.

"Awww."

"Our hearts are synchronizing."

"I could squeeeezzee you forever." Branch only continued to grow more annoyed and irritated with the Snack Pack as they ignored his discomfort with the action. Guy Diamond eventually squeezed Branch so tightly, he found himself being thrown from the group. He wasn't sure if that was his intention to help free him, knowing he was uncomfortable or if he was teasing him as well, but regardless he was happy to have escaped.

"Aahh!" He shouted as he landed flat on his back, before getting right back up onto his feet again unfazed. He gathered up his wood that had been dropped, before getting as far away from the group as he could, unwilling to join in their group hug again. He had not noticed how Poppy tried to pry herself away from her friends, worried about him.

"Someday, when the Bergen's find us, and the survival of every troll is in your hands…" he snapped turning around to glare at Princess Poppy.

"I sure hope the answer is singing, dancing and hugging, 'cause that's all you know how to do!" He finished with vigor.

"That's not true! Poppy also knows how to scrapbook!" Biggie defended, but both Branch and Poppy knew that was a hopeless statement. Branch glared at the princess again and continued to scold her.

"I can't believe you're going to be Queen one day." Branch stomped away with that last statement. He knew what he had just said was very harsh, and without seeing Poppy's face he knew that very statement had hurt her. It was said out of frustration and anger and should've never been said, but Branch could never bring himself to apologize to her, even though he could always admit to himself that he was wrong.

Maybe he was hard on her because he couldn't bring himself to see Poppy as great as her father was and still is, especially on that day he single-handedly rescued the entire Troll Village from the bergens. To him, her concern should be with the safety of her kingdom, not on celebrations, dancing and singing. Branch himself though, was no king, nor was he as great as her father, King Peppy either. He had no control over the decisions she made and could only continue to voice his opinions to her as he secretly did everything he could to keep the Troll Village safe while in the shadows. Hoping that one day, she would finally heed his warnings.

Later that evening, Branch emerged from his bunker again and the sounds of cheers, music and celebration could be heard coming from Poppy's party. Sighing he shook his head in disappointment and headed in the direction of the area where he had met up with Poppy and her friends earlier that day. He made sure to be productive along the way as well, gathering more wood as he had done earlier.

As he approached the clearing, he cautiously looked around and listened. Making sure no one was around, so he wouldn't be seen. Once he was sure there was no one in the surrounding area, he walked into the clearing and immediately spotted what he came here for. Gingerly he bent down to pick up the flattened and forgotten invitation Poppy had given to him earlier. The sight of the invitation made his heart feel heavy again and he signed sadly. Carefully he folded the invitation back up as best as he could before safely tucking it away within his hair.

"Sorry… Poppy…" He murmured the words he could never bring himself to say in her presence. Quietly, without another word, he turned back around to make his way back to his bunker to retire for the night. Along the way he found himself approaching an overlook where he could see the entire troll village enjoying Princess Poppy's celebration. He paused and watched her for a moment, enjoying the happiness written all over her face. He quickly regained his composure though, realizing that he could be placing himself in danger here.

"Pfff." He shook his head at the lot of them as he walked away, silently hoping they would luck out once again and this party would not lead a Bergen right to their location.

(Author's note: Well that's it for this chapter! I should have another one up very soon! Let me know what y'all think!)