A/N: Ta-da! My next Trolls adaptation! I'm on a roll! And I'm seeing several other authors doing the same thing! I think I started something. :D Enjoy this next one!

This story will be like my Beauty and the Beast story. I'll be drawing inspiration from mainly the Disney movies and the original fairytale while also throwing in my own originality to it.

Chapter One – The Start of the Story

Once upon a time, there was a population of colorful trolls who lived in a kingdom surrounded by a beautiful forest. The kingdom was small, yet prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. The citizens enjoyed singing and dancing whenever the mood deemed it necessary. The kind and brave King Peppy ruled over the kingdom, guiding his people with wisdom and strength.

But this story is not about him.

This story revolves around a troll who stands apart from the crowd. A troll whose parents died in a house fire when he was a child, leaving him to stay with his grandmother for most of his life. A troll who would learn the true meaning of love and patience in a difficult way. A troll who did everything he could to follow his grandmother's teachings: have courage and be kind.

This is his story, and it begins with a tragedy.

An elderly troll walked through the forest outside the kingdom, gathering herbs she would eventually make medicine from. Her skin was the color of lavender flowers; her hair, eyes, and lips green like jade gemstones. She wore a cream dress and a magenta shawl, carrying a basket of herbs on one arm.

"Heads up, Grandma!"

The troll ducked when her grandson darted past her, chasing a small gardener snake. The teenage troll had cerulean skin and deep azure hair, his eyes shining an icy blue. He wore brown shorts and a green, leafy vest, smiling broadly as he tried to catch the small snake.

"Branch, leave that little creature alone!" the elderly troll called. The snake was quite a bit bigger than trolls. Though not dangerous, the snake might still bite.

"Okay, Grandma Rosiepuff." Branch sighed, bowing with a snarky smirk on his lips.

"Oh, don't you take that cheeky tone with me, young man." Rosiepuff warned with a grin. She grabbed Branch before he could run away, tickling his ribs relentlessly.

"Grandma!" Branch laughed. "I'm too big for that!"

Rosiepuff laughed and kissed her grandson's head. "Not to me." She gave him a warm hug. "If you're not going to help me gather herbs, at least do something productive."

"Fine." Branch jogged ahead, picking a flower as he went, and began to sing.

Rosiepuff smiled as Branch sang. He was truly one of the best singers in the village. To Rosiepuff, he sounded like an angel. Ever since she took him in when he was a toddler, the two of them had developed an inseparable bond that left observers in awe.

Suddenly, Rosiepuff paused. Something didn't feel right. She scanned every inch of the forest around them. Rosiepuff traveled these woods several times before, and she knew there were significant dangers like predatory animals or bandits. She saw a flash of a shadow. Something tried very hard to stay hidden, and Rosiepuff didn't like it.

"Branch?" she called.

"Woah!" Branch yelped when an arrow shot dangerously close to his head and hit a tree behind him.

"Branch!" Rosiepuff screamed. She dropped her basket and ran to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him along so they could make a run for it. The bandits in the trees—a group of imps, to be exact—gave a chase. Everyone dreaded imps. They tended to show no mercy, often killing travelers to steal from them. They didn't pass through the forest often. What bad luck determined they'd be here today?

Rosiepuff held tight to Branch's hand as they ran. If they could just get to the border of the Troll Kingdom, then they would be safe. The imps never dared to go near the kingdom because there would be dire consequences if they committed a crime within the king's jurisdiction.

Branch saw one of the imps closing in. He scooped up a rock and threw it as hard as he could, knocking the imp from the tree.

"Atta boy, Branch!" Rosiepuff cheered. But she could hear plenty more coming after them. Luckily, she could see the gates to the village just ahead. The two trolls cleared the tree line and sprinted for the village. The imps skidded to a halt and cursed their bad luck. But, to their shock and Branch's and Rosiepuff's horror, one of the imps kept going. The imp ignored his brethren's calls to stop, and he chased Rosiepuff and Branch right to the main street of the village.

Rosiepuff looked back to the rogue imp and saw the terrible creature pulling back an arrow in his bow. The imp fired, and Rosiepuff made a split-second decision.

She shoved Branch aside.

Her push sent Branch to the ground, and he heard her scream right when he hit the ground. Branch spun around just in time to catch his grandmother before she fell. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the arrow in her back.

Luckily, a couple of the royal guards restrained the imp and took him to the dungeon to await trial (not that it would be a long one). A few trolls helped Branch bring Rosiepuff home and Dr. Plum came by to look her over.

Branch paced nervously outside the door to his grandmother's room. Their country home rested a few miles away from the main village of the kingdom. They lived humbly, yet the manor alone showed the wealth Rosiepuff inherited from her husband's trade as a merchant. Even after he died, Rosiepuff had enough money for her and Branch to live comfortably until Branch found his own trade.

Dr. Plum emerged from the bedroom with a forlorn look. Branch approached her anxiously. "Well? How is she?"

Dr. Plum gently took Branch's hands in hers. "I'm so sorry, Branch. The arrow hit too close to her heart. She's leaving us."

Branch shook his head a little. "No. No, please! There has to be something you can do!"

"There is nothing I nor anyone else can do." Dr. Plum sighed. "Go. Be with her. I don't know how much time she has left."

Branch swallowed thickly and entered the bedroom. Rosiepuff lay on her bed, pale and breathing abnormally. Her eyes traveled to Branch, and she smiled a little. Branch couldn't stop his tears as he came to his grandmother's side.

"Hey now, none of that." Rosiepuff reached up and caressed Branch's cheek, wiping his tears away. "It'll be all right."

Branch gulped back a sob. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"No, it isn't." Rosiepuff assured. "If it happened all over again, I would still give my life to save yours." She inhaled shakily. "I promise you: no matter where you go, I will always be with you."

Branch put his hand over his grandmother's. "What am I supposed to do without you?"

Rosiepuff's smile grew. "What do I always tell you? Hmm?"

"H-have courage." Branch sighed raggedly. "And be kind."

Rosiepuff nodded. "You have more kindness in one finger than many have in their entire body. Never let that go. Life may knock you down, but you are the one who chooses whether or not to get back up."

Branch nodded in understanding. Rosiepuff pulled him into a tight embrace, and fresh tears sprung up in Branch's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too, my angel."

Rosiepuff's burial was the next day, attended by only the servants of the household and Branch. The servants mourned Rosiepuff's passing, but became even more saddened when Branch lost his colors in the middle of the ceremony, giving him ash-grey skin and coal-black hair.

For several weeks after Rosiepuff's passing, Branch locked himself in his room. Only after Dr. Plum ordered it did he leave the house and go for a walk through the village to clear his head. None of the villagers recognized him anymore with his grey coloring, but he was too sad to care. The bright sun and clear skies did nothing to uplift his mood. He continued to stare at the ground as he walked.

Then, he ran right into another troll. "Oh! I'm so sorry." He said quickly.

The troll he ran into had dark purple skin and sparkly white hair. She wore a long, mahogany-colored dress with a high collar and frills on the sleeve cuffs. She stared at Branch with an air of distaste. "Not at all, dear."

Branch blinked in surprise. "Miss Guffin! It's good to see you." When the older troll gave him a strange look, Branch said, "It's me, Branch, ma'am."

Miss Guffin squinted a little. "Branch? My goodness, you're so grey! What has your grandmother been feeding you?"

Branch looked down. "She…she died….."

Guffin's eyes widened. "What?" Branch explained to her what happened in the forest. "Oh, you poor dear. And here I was going to stop by your grandmother's today to ask her a very important question."

"What question was that?" Branch asked.

"Well, I wouldn't want to bother you, but I'm afraid my sons and I have fallen under a bit of misfortune." Guffin explained. "Our house was badly damaged in a kitchen fire, and it makes staying there quite uncomfortable. I was hoping your grandmother could give my two boys asylum from the discomfort while I work out the situation."

Branch nodded in understanding. "I'm sure Grandma would be all right with that. In fact, why don't all three of you stay in the manor until you can get your house fixed?"

"Really?" Guffin hugged Branch. He tensed up, but couldn't pull away. "Thank you, Branch. You're so kind."

Branch only smiled. Miss Guffin was a good friend to Rosiepuff, so that meant she and her sons could be trusted, according to Branch. He even spent some time as a young boy playing with Guffin's sons. One of them, Guy Diamond, was sparkly-skinned with snow-white hair. He excelled in dancing and loved anything sparkly or covered in glitter. Guffin's eldest son was Creek, who had light purple skin and blue/teal hair. He often devoted himself to the life of Zen and meditation. Both Creek and Guy Diamond had their mother's indigo-colored eyes. Branch hadn't spent much time with them after his parents died, but he had interacted with Guffin before and knew she was a friend.

At least, that's what he thought.

A/N: Hardcore Trolls nerds will know that Miss Guffin was originally going to be the turncoat troll instead of Creek. I adjusted her look here, but I thought she'd make a good evil stepmother.

Also, I have a poll up on my profile! I'm having so much fun with these adaptations, and I want your input on which one I should do after this one! Check out my profile page to cast your vote! If you don't have a Fanfiction account, post your vote in a review!