"Daddy! Tell me a story! Tell me, tell me, tell meeee!" The voluminous magenta eyes of a six year old Poppy twinkled imploringly at her father. The prominent king of the Pop Trolls smiled lovingly down at the dainty princess who was eagerly clutching his legs. King Peppy's mustache danced as laughter peeled off at his daughter's enthusiastic request. Orange arms scooped the child up, and together they crossed the cozy pod to settle into a massive rocker. The pink trolling excitedly vibrated, realizing it was going to be one of those nights. The nights that the usual scrapbooks weren't going to be read from to appease her, but spilled from memory. These stories were the absolutely best! They were revered with the utmost respect, and woven with fantastic mystery and warmth.

Lilac irises shimmered as a particular tale forced itself into focus. "Daddy...what's wrong?" Peppy rapidly shooed away the fog obscuring his vision and grinned reassuringly at his lass's troubled face. "Of course, my flower. Come here." Poppy sank into the peach-painted ruler's lap, a tiny yawn betraying the sleepiness lurking behind her alert form. Peppy gently pushed his legs against the carpet, causing the chair to serenely roll. "We trolls are very special creatures. Something that makes us special is our hearts. Have I told you how your mother and I found each other?" The young monarch shook her head, wordlessly encouraging him to resume. That misty look returned to cloud experienced eyes. "I was older than you when I felt a...pull in my chest. Like an unknown call. Something strange...and welcoming."

The princess's lips parted as a wondrous breath escaped her. "The feeling wouldn't leave me. I didn't even let my own mom and dad know how I felt. I figured it would disappear. It only got worse." Poppy's fingers curled into her dad's vest, silently contributing her comfort. "We used to live where the Bergens are, where the old Troll Tree is. I was walking around town, trying to get a grip on my heart's weird bouncing when I heard a shriek. I looked up to see a troll diving from a high branch above. I caught them before the ground did." Peppy's baby girl showered him in applause. "There was shouting, asking if the princess was okay. I had caught the princess of all trolls! I had never seen her up close. She was...oh hair, so beautiful. You are the spitting image of her, Popsicle. But you have my eyes. She had ones like a stormy sea. They nearly paralyzed me. Periwinkle couldn't apologize enough and thank me enough for my rescuing her."

Poppy sighed, innocent heart fluttering at the romantic undertone her father's voice reverberated with. "That strange and welcoming pull I felt in my chest...I steadily understood that my heart was bouncing to the beat of Periwinkle's...The more I got to know her, the more the unique rhythm inside me made sense. When I revealed my condition to my parents, they couldn't be more overjoyed." The king cleared his constricting throat, torn between wanting and not wanting to finish. "I would walk beside her, and my heart skipped the same skips and twirled the same twirls she performed, firecracker with every glance and giggle... I finally told Periwinkle I liked her, really really liked her...I'll never forget the sheer amazement of blasting cerulean when she kissed me after that. I also filled her in on my heart's secret. And guess what? The queen-to-be said her heart matched mine. We were meant to be…"

King Peppy's thoughtful smile wobbled with the absence of his wife, the loss anew with the recollection. Poppy hugged tighter around his middle, warding off the soft sadness that dampened the edges of the past. "I loved her, Daddy." The tired murmur crinkled Peppy's mouth upward. "I loved her, too, Angel. She gave me you. So I never truly lost her. WE never truly lost her." The trolling's next drowsy words flooded the troll king's veins with fierce fondness. "Do you...do you think someday...my heart will beat like another's? That I'll...I'll be lucky to have that connection?" Peppy cradled his child, lifting them both off the seat, and bringing them to the stairs that lead to their bedrooms. "Anything is possible, Poppy. You have to nurture it if there's the slightest pulse. You'll have to be persistent and positive. Sometimes it's even found in one you'd least expect. Just keep caring and loving with the fire you have. Never lose that."

The sixteen year old pop princess's lashes flapped contentedly, registering the deep shades of midnight outside her window. Poppy yawned, shedding the cocoon of sleep, as her sheets billowed like the ripples on Glitter Lake. Her magenta gaze fixed on the view of distant stars and lightning bugs attempting to outshine the celestial specs. A strange, but welcoming embrace of heat splayed across her chest. Her heart followed the trail as it skittered across pink goosebumps. "Weird," the troll girl whispered. She sat up and hopped quietly to the open doorway. The sound of peaceful silence blanketed Poppy's conscience as cool air braided playful fingers through frizzy tresses. She retreated to her cabinet for a hairband, checked the mirror to ensure she was decent for a late stroll, and sauntered off the tree limb that housed her pod.

Poppy grinned at her village's night attire. Her loyal subjects were missing out on the beauty that possessed the forest during these odd hours. It was rare for the monarch to encounter isolation. Yet, maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought. The princess had a peculiar feeling there was another out and about. Her heart leapt and pirouetted in ballerina fashion, reigniting that heated embrace to burn across her chest. Poppy mimicked her heart's unusual movement, twisting and swaying along the grassy path. The queen-to-be stopped at a towering pine, studying the bark to plot a route. Poppy's violet nose wrinkled in concentration as her hair grasped a sturdy branch and her feet propelled up the trunk. "WOW," was all she could utter at the moon-washed landscape surrounding her as she perched in a comfortable spot.

The sparse echoes of owl conversation and spiders busily weaving webs drifted on the breeze. An appreciation for the calm buzz of life poured into her soul, and Poppy had to shut her eyes to fully immerse in it. Creek would be ecstatic of my contemplative state. She had been practicing meditation with the intelligent, composed guru for a while now. An abrupt splashing interrupted her musings. Fuchsia optics flickered to a lone troll on the lake shore which extended its sandy spread below a few pines away. Whipping her rosy strands, Poppy flew, utilizing her hair jitsu training to ninja towards her target undetected. A final pounce brought a surprised, but not too surprised flashing of teeth as she recognized her company. Branch! "Hey-," was all the princess could holler before her heart trembled and spun, imitating the gray recluse's twirling feet.

Poppy gaped in alarm, fist smacking her breast. Panic flooded her system as she tried to decipher the message of the beat that drummed chaotically. Branch turned as if he knew she was there, brow furrowed and eyes sharp for danger. Fear at being seen and at the panic still surging at her heart's irregular frolicking sent the future queen toppling from the tree and careening to the undergrowth. "AHH!" She screamed, too shocked to cushion herself with her hair. "GOT YAH!" A strong pair of muscled arms and the delectable scent of glitter freshwater securely enveloped her. Poppy instinctually wrapped around Branch's middle as he plopped to the dirt and pressed her face into his neck. "POPPY! For Troll's sake! What are you-" But the princess's quivering cut his berating short.

Poppy felt the survivalist freezing up, but couldn't extinguish the whine that collided on his nape. Among her top priorities was every troll's well being, but anxiety over her sifting insides quelled the need to soothe her rescuer's tension. "Pop-Poppy? Are-are you...okay?" Branch mumbled, shifting to better console the upset girl. "I'm-I'm so so sorry! I-I sh-shouldn't have been spying o-on you! I-I just wa-wanted t-to explore a bit a-and then I almost hurt you be-because I almost hu-hurt myself and-" A pebble-colored digit shushed Poppy's distraught rambling. "Easy, Pinkie. Relax. It's fine. Don't worry." He hesitated as the princess sniffled, tears staining freckled cheeks. Branch groaned raggedly as he allowed a faint smile to surface. "I'm THRILLED to break your fall, Your Highness."

The sarcasm triggered a heavy bout of musical giggles. "Th-thanks, my man. I owe you." His own chuckle mingled in the docile evening wind. "Next time you have a helmet on when scouring the canopy, or hair help me, you'll REALLY feel my wrath." Poppy stuck her tongue out impishly. "Yes sir, Mister Safety Sir." The royal troll and self-made outcast permitted silence to seep over them till Branch acknowledged their rather intimate arrangement, ruining the tranquil spell. A crimson blush bloomed as the pop princess scrambled for appropriate distance. An eggplant flush dusted the loner's own cheeks, Poppy noticed. A bizarre satisfaction welled at the reaction. With her previous heart attack dismissed, the monarch twiddled her thumbs, not ready to say goodbye. "S-so! Umm. Any reason you are out here getting wet waltzing?"

The older troll was wringing his black locks, releasing the last traces of his soaking outing. "I was foraging for sprinkle stones. They are harvested best by moonlight. With the waves, it requires fancy footwork to acquire them. They are good for flavoring soups." Poppy propped an intrigued hand to her hip, leaning forward inquisitively. "That's cool! May I see?" Branch backtracked to retrieve his bag. Her heart immediately pounded in tandem to his feet hitting the forest floor, shore, and forest floor again. It skidded to a halt as Branch did in front of her, sack of sprinkle stones in tow. An ashy palm offered a small rainbow rock for inspection. I caught Branch on a good day. Or I suppose he caught me on a good night. Poppy watched her companion animatedly explain the proper process for garnering the multi tinted spheres.

I've never witnessed him talk this much. He is actually surpassing my ability right now. She suppressed a chortle as the hazard expert began to gracefully demonstrate. Relaxation reclaimed her nerves and Poppy cheerfully prepared to absorb the lesson, but her heart planned otherwise. That darned cardiac organ jolted and jumped as he did. If the princess wasn't the wiser, she'd believe Branch was purposefully controlling her heart strings. Breathing became a chore with an instantaneous clap of thunderous knowledge. Her heart was beating to a unique rhythm, a rhythm tied to- Fire seared throughout her hair as she saw Branch dressed in a different luminosity. This can't be! I thought I sorta kinda liked...This is impossible! The dismal dyed troll went rigid under incredulous orbs. She blinked timidly. Did I speak aloud?

Branch stared back as his arms went slack at his sides. His head cocked questioningly, as if listening to an inner monologue. "Branch?..." Her words hung in the tense space, and she advanced to place a concerned hand in his, disregarding his personal bubble since the night had summoned many a new thing. The sheer amazement of blasting cerulean kept her from going any closer. His eyes swallowed her, intent on her every move. "Poppy?..." His rich voice melted her ears. Violet neurons fired in retaliation at the buttery effect. "I think...it's time for me to bid you pleasant dreams." Her heart howled its protest as his eyes swirled with tempting ocean torrent. "And thank you. Sincerely. For saving me. Hopefully you don't have to do that again anytime soon." A honeyed titter coated her farewell.

Poppy wished to douse the unspoken rejection for further night chatting. For now. "Yeah, hopefully…" The princess could taste the dishonesty sewn into the syllables. "Bye," was tossed over a switching shoulder as she pivoted on a wild heel. She tore through thick bushes and vanished through her pod's entryway. After a second's deliberation, Poppy employed her privacy curtain. She hated to appear unavailable, but her heart buzzed too loudly for the possibility of an audience. This doesn't mean I love-love Branch! Yeah! That's it! It means I like-love him! As a matter of fact, it probably means I need to develop a tighter friendship with him to convince him to rejoin troll society! And he is a nice guy. I know he is. He can be harsh, but that's because he cares. He cares and is capable of loving with such fire…

The bubbly girl floated towards her desk. Art materials ranging from felt to fleece to crayons and clay drenched the crannies and cubbies. A smile beamed at her solution. I will never forget to invite Branch to all the festivities we host! He needs to be included! No matter what he says! Oh, how could I be so horrible, ignoring that all this time! I mean we discuss things, like tonight, once in a blue troll moon, but there's nothing a party can't heal. I thought I was doing the right thing, granting him the solitude he seems to crave. Purpose raging in her core, Poppy stayed up till the morning sun greeted Troll Village. Her creation lay on the wooden counter in all its glorious glory. The first of many an invitation. Look out, Branch. Here I come.

My notes: Hello, everyone! Thank you so much again for reading my stories and the reviews you leave! It makes my heart swell! I just wanted to clarify a few things. I looked up Branch and Poppy's ages. It seems to be accepted that Branch is three years older than Poppy, from what I found, so since Poppy is sixteen by the end of this, Branch is nineteen. Also, I wanted to push Poppy making invitations for Branch a little further out in her life. It's not that she didn't care, but like she said in this story, she thought she was doing the right thing initially. Now that has changed, and will bring the collection we see Branch owning by the time the first movie rolls around. Also, I don't know if a Glitter Lake exists in the Troll Village area or Trolls World, but I thought I'd include something like it because I like how it sounded. I wanted to clarify in case there was confusion on Branch and Poppy's discussion towards the end, Branch was listening to his own heart. He realized his heart was beating to someone else's rhythm. And, of course, we know who. :) Poppy is also in denial of who she really likes, figuring that it's simply friendship she is feeling on the other end of her pulling heart strings.