Epilogue

Miss Guffin watched the colored girl reading a scrapbook about the life of great Kings and Queens in all Troll Kingdom. The little former-gray child now sparked orange and green tones and had a fire of curiosity in her eyes. With her happiness came a hunger for learning and the mentor revived the memories of teaching young girls and boys into fine ladies and gentletrolls. Her love for teaching made her reopen the school, taking in all students who were interested in learning etiquette.

Fern was also having a good time with his gym. Many trolls got interested in body building after he trained them in Branch's army. Most of the students were girls who seemed more interested in chatting with him between series than actually working out, but he made sure everyone got the results they wanted. In a way, his heart would always blame himself for losing his first love, realizing he couldn't apologize his way to win her back. Maybe one day another troll would be interesting enough to get his attention.

Monique ate the green grass outside the cabin door. It was summer already and the snow had thinned out, giving a chance for the plants to grow and the flowers to bloom. The cherry tree had fully blossomed, painting the landscape with light pink tones. Other critters chirped and buzzed, flying around looking for mates.

From the top window of the two story cabin, it was possible to see two trolls lying down tangled in one another. The teal one would caress the gray one' skin from underneath the sheets. Her eyes watched him silently; she was near him physically, but her mind was half a world away.

Branch inhaled, feeling his lungs failing the long intake of breath. They had been like that for months, she would move monotonously, she would walk around, she'd eat, she'd watch the sunset, but it was lifeless. She'd kiss him, she'd hug him, but he couldn't cross that universe that separated them to make her find herself back. Her kisses didn't have the same taste, her hugs lacked warmth, as if he was hugging her empty gem glass.

He wondered if that was how she felt when she tried to cheer him up during his gray years. If she felt like struggling in a losing battle, but never giving up because he had mattered that much. He wasn't going to give up on her, either. She had put up with him for more than twenty years and she never stopped believing he'd come around.

Her hair was the color of the stars. Still smooth and warm to touch, still smelled like strawberries, which made him miss the pink even more. He had his breath constantly taken away because she still was stunningly beautiful; so beautiful that he couldn't help but pull her in sweet and gentle embraces.

Miss Guffin kept a journal of her progress. She was sure somehow Branch would be able to restore Poppy's colors. Poppy proved she had her memories with her, but they were void sequential images that didn't sparkle emotions. The Queen was there, but she couldn't rule. He had promised to go back to Pop Village only when she had fully recovered. Happiness, as same as their music, came from their cultures, their experiences and their lives and when she gave everything with the Strings, nothing remained.

And so he continuously sang for her, using it as a hook that he would throw into the vastness of her soul and fish her back; the mentor encouraged him to give her as much love and appreciation as he could. He even scrapbooked for her, always keeping an eye on the gem, waiting for the smallest sparkle of Happiness to appear. She needed to learn how to be happy again. She needed new Happy Moments. She needed something new.

He threw the blankets away and stood up, looking at her small and frail form in a yellow pajamas. It was almost dinner time and he wanted to show her he had learned how to cook a curry risotto with the help of Miss Guffin's recipe book, but before that, he went to the bathroom and filled the tub for her.

If it was a mood booster, like she had previously said, he would soak her in every hour if he had to. She had been in the same position he had left her, only her eyes moved when he approached. He offered her a warm smile and reached out his hand. She held his with her own, intertwining their fingers. The first time she responded to his hand-offering he almost broke down crying. It had been a small victory, as if he could understand she was getting back, working her way out of her unresponsive stupor. This time, with a small pull, she stood up on her own and followed him to the bathroom.

He helped her out of her clothes and held her firmly as she slowly sat down, leaning her head back on a rolled towel. He sat down on a small stool, next to her, diving his hands in the bubbles, continually caressing her. He felt like singing.

"You'll never know what you've done for me
What your faith in me has done for my soul
You'll never know the gift you've given me
I'll carry it with me yeah, yeah"

Her hand squeezed his and he felt his heart gradually starting to race. Her eyes looked up from the bubbles and focused exclusively on his, as if she was battling herself to understand what he was trying to say.

"You've opened my eyes
You've opened the door
To something I've never known before
And your love (love)
Is the music of my heart"

As if she was watching him through the looking glass, she seemed to be fighting her way out of her own world to shatter freely into his embrace. Her eyes had a little bit more of shine and he gasped in surprise when she moved to circle her arms around him and bring his face down to a promising kiss. She was slowly coming back to him.

As her gentle lips moved against his, he could identify the small movements and the shift she used to signal that she wanted him. He didn't dare touch her that way since it all happened. It didn't feel right, but a faint grip on his hair made him understand that she was asking to be loved.

XX-XX

Slowly he succumbed into their primal dance, trembling with the anticipation of going somewhere they only had visited together. The memories of their joined bodies slowly left the past and became present when she touched him like that and when he whispered how much he loved her in her ears.

He had missed sliding his hands down the curve of her back, he had missed how he could bury his nose in her hair and feel fully surrounded by her; happy and cozy. He felt her own heart picking up pace, but unlike he had hoped, he didn't hear her gasping his name, he didn't feel her trembling with ecstasy like she used to do.

He tried to distance himself from her, but she stopped him without words, just hooking her ankles on his back, urging him to keep going. It didn't feel right that he could enjoy this while she couldn't... but at the same time it was so perfect being with her again that he couldn't help himself and did exactly what she wordlessly asked him to.

XX-XX

He realized the floor was cold against his skin when he came back to himself. He held her close, tears falling and sobs chocking him. He felt so guilty, holding her like that, naked bodies finding comfort in each other. He felt her hands tightening on his hair.

"Come back to me, love." He pressed his face against her neck, holding her so strongly that he feared he would bruise her. "Please, come back to me."

ooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOooooooooooooooooOOOoooooooooooooo

More weeks passed by and Branch saw Poppy sipping on her a hot cappuccino from the window, looking at the horizon in the direction Pop Village was. He knew she missed home. He returned to his vegetable garden, picking up fresh tomatoes so he could cook a special sauce for dinner.

He was really good at gardening. The peaches he had been growing looked almost ready to be picked. Maybe they could eat them when autumn made its way to the mountains.

Branch went to the kitchen and opened the recipe book. He added flour, eggs, salt, water and everything needed to get a perfect dough. He remembered Poppy working with hers the first day they had been in that cabin. His goal was to cook a fettuccini as good as hers. The stripes looked pretty much like the ones he remembered and he gently placed them in the boiling water, turning his attention to the tomato sauce. He cheered inside, knowing that this time he would probably get it right.

He wasn't the best at placing the dishes beautifully as she did. His plates looked messy and he always had to fix them to look more appetizing. This time, though, the smell could speak for itself. He had nailed it. Happily, he climbed up the stairs to fetch Poppy and stopped on his tracks when he saw the cold mug on her nightstand and the empty room.

He opened the door to the other room, but it was the same it had been since they arrived, there was no sign that she had been there. He knocked on the bathroom door and it opened with no hint of her white hair anywhere.

His heart started tightening. She had never left the cabin before. Had she walked to Miss Guffin by herself? He hurried outside, but stopped when he saw Monique staring at something behind the cabin. Instead of taking the path connecting to the mentor's, he slowly walked around the wooden structure, passing the gym and the critter shelter. Monique was looking at something on top of the hill where he had found her that fateful night when she had almost frozen to death.

He stumbled on a few rocks, but ran up, trusting the critter to have hinted him the right place to find his beloved. When he finally reached the top he fell on his knees. Poppy was sitting there on the green grass, her back turned to him and her hair down. Her PINK her down. His knees were wobbly. He wanted to run to her, to hold her and kiss her until he believed she had really returned to him, but he was shaking so badly he could barely stand.

She heard him moving as he tried to recompose himself and she turned her head to him before turning back to where she had been previously looking. Like a little kid, he crawled his way to her, quietly and tentatively approaching, testing if she was fully herself. It was when he saw it. She was sitting cross legged, holding a pink and blue egg on her lap.

He forgot how to breathe. He wanted to say something. He wanted to show her how much he loved her, but his mouth was mute and his chest was filling up with joy. A shine came from his hair and with his hands - hands that didn't seem like they were his - he picked the heart shaped gem that he kept with him all times. It sparked with a white blinding light. He lifted his head to see her pink face again. Her glitter freckles never before looked so bright.

She leaned her head back and looked up to the sky before meeting his gaze with hers. And then, after long torturous months...

... she smiled.

The end.

A/N - So... I hope you like the ending! Here goes a HUGE thanks to incredibly talented TheBroppyTrain. She's been wonderfully drawing fanarts for many fanfics, this one included. Check her pages for them, because they are BREATHTAKING.

I'm sorry for getting you guys on the edge so many times during this fanfic, but it was a cool ride, wasn't it? I'm sorry for not answering comments, reviews and other inboxes I've got, but I didn't want to ruin the ending. I have a big mouth and I was afraid I'd give it away. I'm opening my Instagram for questions in case you still are curious about anything. ( girl_in_blue_fic)

And I'm proud to announce next week I'll start posting my new fanfic "We Will Rock You.", it's a Branch x Poppy x Rock Branch triangle. So... if you're up for it, I'll see you there.

Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, commenting etc. etc. You guys are the best!

xoxo

Girl in Blue