A/N: Alright, new chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Trolls.

Bridget skated her way back into her room (wearing skates on the stairs might not have been the smartest move, but she'd somehow made it without falling, so Branch decided not to complain). Once there, she spun around once before falling onto her back on the bed. The trolls all fell off her head, retracting their hair and returning it to normal.

"I think the king really likes us!" Cooper said to Biggie.

"Oh, really? What was your first clue?" Branch asked sarcastically.

"Branch," Poppy said, giving him a lame look. "Chill. It's over now, alright?"

Seriously, she knew he had a low tolerance for affection, but there wasn't any need to keep getting upset about it now.

"That was the greatest day of my life!" Bridget said. She rolled over and looked at the trolls, saying, "Thanks, Poppy! Thanks to all of you!" She looked at Branch and added, "Even you, I guess."

Branch looked a bit irritated but didn't say anything.

"I just never thought something like that could happen to me!" Bridget exclaimed, rolling back onto her back. "And it just did! I'm so excited, I could just scream!" She took a breath then let out a very quiet scream—not really even a scream, actually. She covered her mouth after she finished, as if she had just disrupted the peace.

Poppy leaped up excitedly and asked, "So does that mean we did a good job!? My friends can go now!?" She gave Branch a lame look before turning back to Bridget and throwing her arms up over her head, beaming. "And you can throw Branch out somewhere so far from here, he'd never make it back!?"

She hoped Bridget would say yes to this last bit. Sure, they'd made a deal, but Poppy really didn't want Branch staying behind. Something really bad was bound to happen to the one who stayed, and Branch had been through way more than enough. He deserved to be free and far away from here, even if he was all alone. It was better than ending up in a bergen's stomach or something.

"Poppy!" Branch snapped, getting to his feet.

"What!?" Bridget asked, looking at Poppy in concern. "But Lady Glitter Sparkles has a date with the king on Saturday! I need you!"

Poppy sweat, thinking about that. "Oooooh..."

That did throw a bit of a monkey wrench into her plans, didn't it? Sure, the deal had only been that they would get Bridget one date with the king, but Poppy wasn't one to abandon someone in need. She'd have to make sure King Gristle knew that Bridget was his dream girl all along. Then the two could be happy together without the wig and the lies. Bridget could finally be herself.

Branch smirked. "Looks like you haven't solved the problem yet." Normally he'd complain about Poppy's incessant need to help everyone, but it was working to his advantage in this case. He then glared at her and added, "And, Poppy, seriously. No matter how far she takes me, I will come back or die trying!"

Honestly, did she think he was going to leave her here to die? If so, she was as stupid as all the rest of them. There was no way he was letting the only decent troll in the world die here alone. Maybe he wouldn't be able to save her by staying, but he'd give it his best shot. At least she wouldn't be alone in her last moments if he did fail. He'd never be able to live with himself if he let anything happen to Poppy.

"Oh, of course, you will," Smidge said, walking over with a look that was either smug or annoyed—it was hard to tell which. "You only forced her to sleep with you last night and—"

"I didn't force her to do anything!" Branch cut her off.

"I agree. I actually think Poppy's the one who forced Branch to sleep with her," Satin said. It wasn't like Poppy hadn't said she was the one who moved, after all.

"When you think about it, that does make more sense," Chenille added, admitting that Poppy had probably been telling the truth. "Poppy was next to Cooper, after all."

"That's right, and Branch didn't want to be near any of us, but especially not Cooper," Biggie added.

"Okay, okay! Guys!" Poppy cut them all off as she waved her hands in front of her, looking slightly annoyed. "We went over this this morning!" She put her hand on her hip, exasperated. Why couldn't these guys just stop? "It was an accident. Branch was sleeping all alone, so I went over to sleep near him! Not with him. And, no, Cooper! I don't sleep walk!" Blushing, she glared at her friends before throwing her arms up, groaning in exasperation. "Now can we please try to stay focused here? Bridget's got a point," she said, gesturing at the bergen. "We do need to help her see this thing through. So why don't we focus more on that and less on something that didn't even happen!?" She walked back over to Bridget, still grumbling.

Honestly, accidentally roll over close to someone in your sleep one time, and these guys would never let you forget it! What was their problem, anyway? It wasn't like stranger things hadn't happened before. Biggie and Cooper had once woken up hugging each other's legs at a sleepover, but nobody was claiming they were in love!

Branch glared at the Snack Pack, daring them to comment again. Nobody did—they weren't stupid. Guy and Smidge did, however, exchange looks that said they believed Poppy was lying.

"Alright, Bridge," Poppy said to the bergen. She gave her a reassuring smile. "Here's the thing. You can't keep pretending to be someone you're not. You're gonna have to tell him sooner or later."

Bridget looked upset. "But..."

"Bridget. I know it's not easy telling someone the truth. But you can't spend the rest of your life living a lie. Sooner or later, Gristle's gonna catch on, and he may not be too happy to find out that you lied to him. Then what will you do?"

Bridget sighed. It was hard to argue with that logic. "You're right, Poppy. But what if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh, come on, Bridge. Of course, he will. You saw what happened back there! You guys made each other really happy!"

"Kinda like Poppy and Branch, although I still don't think that's a good idea," Cooper interjected. "I don't trust him!"

Even if Branch wasn't a traitor, what kind of troll spent all his time in an underground bunker? Talk about shifty!

Branch whipped the giraffe with his hair for that comment. Cooper yelped, jumping, then ran to hide behind Biggie.

"Oh, my!" Biggie said, putting a hand to his face. "Now, Cooper, perhaps you shouldn't talk about Branch like that..." he lowered his voice and whispered to Cooper behind his hand, "—while he's around.

Cooper nodded. That definitely seemed like a good idea. Branch glared at the pair. He didn't hear what Biggie had just whispered, but he imagined it was something bad about him. Everybody had something bad to say about him, after all.

DJ smiled and stepped forward, adding to Bridget, "Yeah, like they all said! By bein' yourself, you'll both be able to be happy! Just like—"

That was enough for Bridget. "That's impossible!" she wailed, sitting up. "Only eating a troll can make you happy! Everyone knows that!"

"But—Bridget! You just di—"

"A deal's a deal," Bridget said, sounding dejected. "Besides Poppy and Branch, the rest of you can leave..."

Satin and Chenille looked at each other. They felt bad for Bridget, but what could they do to help?

Poppy, meanwhile, wasn't sure how saying they were happy could cause such a negative response. "What!? But, Bridget! You're not—" She moved toward Bridget again, shocked and worried.

The Snack Pack all looked at Poppy and Branch in concern before Bridget scooped the two up in her hands and headed over to the tank. She held them in her fists, but their arms were free, at least.

"Bridget, listen to me!" Poppy said desperately. "You were happy! Couldn't you feel it!? During that date, you both—"

"Bridget, happiness is inside of you!" Biggie cut in desperately. Poor Bridget didn't even realize she had just been happy. She still thought it was impossible, and Biggie knew he'd lose sleep over this if they didn't help her. "You can feel sadness, can't you?"

She stopped and looked at Biggie, confused. "Yes..." she said, wondering where he was going with this.

"Happiness is the same way! It's another emotion, like fear or anger!"

"Yeah! Happiness is inside all of us! Sometimes you just...need someone to help you find it," Poppy agreed with a hopeful smile.

"Right! Well said, Poppy!" Guy agreed. "And falling in love's a greeaat way to do it! Now, Bridget, you do love King Gristle now, don't you?" He smiled, giving her a sly wink.

"Yeah! And I for one think watching Biggie and Smidge is a great way to learn it!" Cooper added. "That, or Poppy and Branch, even if they don't look right together." He laughed a bit.

Branch glared at the oblivious troll, and Cooper's laughter cut off abruptly. He'd forgotten that he should be careful what he said around Branch, although he hadn't meant for that to sound mean. The two were obviously in love, weren't they? Poppy put her hand to her face, grimacing. These guys were just too much.

"You're saying I should watch Branch and Poppy?" Bridget asked. After all, she wasn't going to be keeping the rest of them.

Guy shrugged, still smiling. "Well, why not? I mean, it's a lot better than some girl-stealing elf like—" He crossed his arms, glaring at Biggie out of the corner of his eye.

Creek got up in Guy's face with a vicious glare on his own. "Hey!" he cut Guy off. "Quit using such language with one of your friends, mate! Besides! He's not the girl-stealing elf at all!" Creek glared at Branch, gesturing to him, and added, "He is!"

There was no doubt about it. Branch was definitely trying to steal Poppy from him, and Creek was sure of it! He'd just heard plenty of proof here—Poppy telling Bridget to take Branch far away had led to another lovely confession from him. He'd "come back or die trying," even if he was taken to the ends of the earth! Could that sound anymore romantic if he tried? What did he mean, he wasn't trying to steal her!? How could he not be trying!? You don't say things like that by accident!

The Snack Pack all looked up in concern. They couldn't really argue with that, after all. Some even glared a bit, such as Guy (he could relate), Smidge (she still didn't approve, even if she did understand Branch better now), and Chenille (who, in spite of wanting Creek to stop impregnating every girl he saw, still thought Poppy could do better than Branch).

Poppy smacked herself in the face again, thinking, Urgh, these guys and their bad timing! Can't they hate on Branch at a better time? Or not at all, for that matter? She glared down at them, annoyed, and said, "Again, guys. This isn't the time."

Seriously, were they just programmed to hate him? And what was Creek's problem, anyway? He was getting all bent out of shape over nothing! It wasn't like she was in love with Branch or anything. Sure, he was kind, protective, brave, and helpful when he wanted to be. And, yeah, he'd said he thought her eyes and smile were beautiful and that he'd never abandon her to the bergens. And maybe he'd been there to comfort her after that fight she'd had with Creek. But all of that was besides the point! Branch wasn't her type, even if he was a really good friend to have around!

"Yeah," Branch said, sounding irritated—which, Poppy knew, was his way of covering up the hurt they were causing. "You'll have plenty of time to complain about me while you're looking for the rest of your village, considering you don't have to stay here!"

"Branch? Not helping," Poppy told him, a lame look on her face.

"Poppy?" he mimicked her tone. "Not caring."

Poppy groaned, exasperated with him now, too. That was so childish. "Anyway... Bridget. Think. When you were with Gristle, you were feeling something, weren't you?"

"Wasn't that just too much pizza?" she asked, curious.

"No! That was happiness! It felt like the opposite of sad, didn't it?"

"Yeah!" DJ added with a smile. "Happiness is, like, total opposite of sadness! You bergens know a ton about that, right?"

"Well, yeah," Bridget admitted.

"That's it, then!" Guy said with a smile of his own. "If you're not sad, mad, or scared, then you've gotta be happy! Having fun makes you happy, and dancing and skating with someone you love can do it, too!"

Sure, he was oversimplifying emotions, but he didn't think trying to list all of them would really help the situation any.

"And hugging and kissing someone you love shows that you're happy with them," Chenille added helpfully.

"It does?"

Poppy nodded, giving Bridget an encouraging smile.

Creek glared, crossing his arms. His jealousy was showing full force now. "Hmph. Which is why Branch is the way he is," he said, sounding bitter. "He never sings, hugs, or dances. It's really no wonder he'd abandon Princess Poppy! He acts more like a bergen than a real troll!"

Poppy gasped, eyes widening. Creek had always been the only one on her side, and now even he was trash-talking Branch? "Creek! How could you?" she asked, hurt.

For his part, Branch wasn't bothered by it. He could tell the guy was jealous, stupid as that was. Why be jealous of someone who literally has no chance?

Creek glared up at Poppy and pointed accusingly at her. She had some nerve. First she turned him down as her mate, and now she was defending the troll who was tearing their relationship apart? Even worse, she claimed she still loved him, but she was on Branch's side in this matter! Couldn't she see what he was doing, or did she just not care? She was two-timing him for sure now, and he couldn't take it anymore.

"How could you!?" Creek countered. "You've been going—"

"Creek, I understand that you're upset, but now is not the time for this," Biggie cut him off gently. "Let's help Bridget first, and then you can win Poppy back from Branch."

Creek sighed, looking down guiltily. "You're right, mate. My bad."

Poppy stared down at her ex-boyfriend, still feeling hurt. She sighed, all enthusiasm for this idea lost. How could Creek not only accuse Branch of wrongdoing, but also put the blame on her? She hadn't done anything wrong! She wasn't cheating on him! Why was he so sure she was in love with Branch? She wasn't!

"Either way, Bridget..." Satin said, brushing aside the awkwardness for now. "All bergens can be happy without eating trolls! You just were happy!"

"That's right!" Chenille agreed. "And the king definitely likes you, sister. You just have to be yourself!"

Satin nodded along with her sister's words.

"Well, I guess I could try..." Bridget said hesitantly.

"Of course, you can," Smidge said. "And we'll all be here to back you up!" She looked at the others with an encouraging smile, and they all started agreeing excitedly, even Creek.

Poppy, on the other hand, didn't say anything. She was still feeling down. Here she was, trying to get Branch back in good standing with the other trolls, and the opposite was happening. The one troll besides her who liked him was starting to hate him, and she was losing her boyfriend! Why was this happening? She didn't get it!

"Wait, you're all staying?" Bridget asked.

Branch groaned and threw his head back, annoyed. Yeah, that was just what he needed. After all, he hadn't suffered enough verbal or physical abuse from these trolls yet, and he loved being stuck with a bunch of guys who hated him.

Everyone answered in sync, just as excited as before. Bridget made out a few affirmative phrases, like "you bet" and "of course."

"Wow! Thanks, everyone! I don't know what to say. You're all so nice!"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Branch muttered with heavy sarcasm. "They're great."

Poppy just sighed, still upset.

"But of course, love," Creek said, smiling. "We couldn't simply leave you to the wolves like that. A troll never abandons a friend in need!"

As they ran for the table with the tank, everyone cried out their agreement again.

"Thank you so much, all of you! You're the best!" Bridget said. She was really starting to like these little trolls.

"Don't mention it, Bridget!" Biggie said.

"We're happy to help!" Satin agreed.

"Unlike some trolls," Chenille added unnecessarily.

It was obvious who she was talking about. As the others leaped back into the tank, Poppy, still held in Bridget's hand, smacked herself in the face and growled. That was more than enough. "For the last time—"

That's when trouble hit—Chef came barging into Bridget's room, holding a box full of troll care supplies that had been long forgotten. "Scullery maid! I found these in the east wing of the castle. They should—" She cut off, dropping the box as her eyes widened. Bridget had two trolls in hand—trolls that Chef knew full well she hadn't brought to Bergen Town. "Idget! What's going on here!?" she demanded as she stormed over, glaring viciously at the two new trolls.

Those nine in the tank all started trembling before pulling the lid shut. Chef glanced at them out of the corner of her eye, pleased to know that the trolls she had brought were still behaving, then went back to glaring at the new arrivals. Poppy's eyes widened in fear. They were in definite trouble now.

"Oh! Well, I found these two trolls when I was gathering supplies for taking care of the others. I just thought I'd put them in with the rest so we'd have more trolls," Bridget answered, hoping to smooth this over.

Chef took a closer look at the two trolls, starting with the girl.

Poppy stared at Chef worriedly. She started trembling slightly before offering an awkward grin. "Uuuh... Hi?"

"Hmm..." Chef approved of this new girl. Then she gave a closer look to the other one.

Branch knew full well he was in serious trouble. Chef wouldn't have any need for a gray troll, especially considering he would just be an extra male. If he wasn't edible, then the only reason she would keep him would be so she could use him as livestock. There were already five other male trolls here, along with six female, counting Poppy.

Obviously he was just a waste of space for Chef.

Regardless, Branch didn't react. He wasn't going to show fear, and anger seemed unwise when he was already going to be slated for execution. His best chance of survival was to remain calm. He'd save the freak-out for if Chef tried to hurt Poppy.

Chef narrowed her eyes at the new male. "...Gray?" She looked at Bridget in annoyance and said, "I can't serve anyone a troll that's gray! And besides, we already have enough male trolls to go around! What use could we possibly have for another one!?"

Thinking quickly, Bridget answered, "Well, I just thought that there was always the chance some of our male trolls can't have children. I mean, you never know, right? Besides, according to the book, trolls do better if they choose one mate and stay loyal to her! And what if we find more female trolls?"

Okay, so she'd made up that part about the book. It didn't say anything about troll mating habits. But hopefully Chef hadn't read it too closely herself.

"Hmm..." Chef put her hands on her hips, thinking.

Poppy knew this was the only hope Branch had—if she couldn't convince Chef that Branch needed to stay, the bergen would probably kill him right now.

"Please don't hurt my Branchy!" she said desperately. "He's my husband, and I can't imagine life without him!"

Satin and Chenille both jumped, startled. Fortunately for Branch, they had enough sense not to say anything. Chenille may not have liked Branch, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him die. Biggie covered Cooper's mouth, knowing how the giraffe troll could be when it came to keeping secrets.

"Oh, my ga!"

Great. Now they had to cover that up. Biggie pulled out a cupcake covered in homemade sparkle melon frosting and handed it to Smidge quickly.

"Sparkle melon cupcake!?" Smidge cried excitedly, taking the cupcake and munching on it with excitement.

Biggie had reacted just in time. Hearing Smidge cry out, Chef had looked to the trolls in the tank, curious. Seeing a treat in little Smidge's face, Chef assumed that the cupcake was the reason Smidge had cried out. She turned her attention back to the new trolls.

Branch looked at Poppy but said nothing. That lie caught him off guard, but he had enough sense not to question her when she was trying to save his life.

Chef looked at the supposed couple for a bit before she growled. "Make sure these two give us happy trolls!" she commanded of Bridget. "I won't have my—I mean, King Gristle's plans foiled by allowing this infestation to spread!"

Right, because being gray was contagious. Please. If that were the case, Branch would have infected Troll Village a long time ago. It wasn't like his ultimate goal in life was to drag others down to his level.

"Yes, Chef! Of course, Chef!" Bridget answered.

Chef grunted angrily and pointed at the box she had dropped. "There are warm blankets, baby troll supplies, and birthing equipment in there." Muttering, she added, "How they managed to even own this stuff, I'll never know." She continued more loudly, "Make sure every troll cooperates! And keep an eye on these two! No troll would ever come here unless they were the aggressive type! See what your book says to do about that, and fix it quick! I'll be back soon to check on you." She headed out of the room.

"Yes, Chef! Thank you, Chef!"

Chef slammed the door behind her as she exited Bridget's room.

Poppy didn't like the sound of that. Growing nervous, she said, "Uh, Bridge? Not to sound ungrateful to you for saving Branch, but... What do you do to an aggressive troll, anyway?"

"Well..." Bridget hesitated, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm supposed to isolate aggressive trolls because they're leader-types. Strong-willed fighters who often overestimate their abilities and sacrifice themselves to save the others. That means I need to lock you in a metal container with solid walls and chain the lid shut. I'm not supposed to open it for anything, and I'm supposed to slip food into you through the holes that line the top of the container that let in air. I'm...also supposed to break an aggressive troll's rebellious spirit?"

"Break their spirit?" Biggie asked. He didn't like the sound of that.

Cooper asked, "How are you gonna do that?"

Poppy cleared the lump from her throat, very nervous now.

Bridget fidgeted and said, "Oh, there are several ways... Isolation itself, for one, and no fun objects at all."

The Snack Pack gasped at that.

"Oh, my ga!" Smidge cried.

Poppy's eyes widened in horror. "NOOOOO!"

From those reactions, Bridget knew they wouldn't be able to handle the rest.

According to her book, if the isolation wasn't enough to break the troll, she had two other options. She could deprive the troll of food and water until they were cooperative, only providing either of the two vital necessities when the troll couldn't live another day without it. This method was the most effective but also the most time-consuming. The final option was to threaten harm to the other trolls if the rebellious one didn't obey.

"It's okay, Poppy, you'll be fine!" Branch said, but Bridget could tell from his tone that the idea horrified him as much as it did the others. He looked at Bridget and asked, "What happens when you tame one?"

"They go in with the rest of the trolls."

Poppy didn't seem to hear Bridget or Branch. She was still screaming, hands up over her head and her eyes tearing up. Trolls were very affectionate creatures, and going even a single day without having some kind of fun was awful. Sure, Poppy had been on her own for five days during this whole mess, but she'd had her flyer bug and all the other critters she'd run into for company, and she'd been able to sing and scrapbook for entertainment. What Bridget was describing sounded horrible. She couldn't handle being all alone and bored!

"Poppy!" Branch cried out, concerned for her.

Bridget looked at the pink troll, then gently unclenched her fists so the trolls were on her palms. She moved her hands closer together so Branch could get to Poppy. The pink troll fell to her knees, crying loudly and trembling.

Branch walked over and put his hands on Poppy's shoulders, kneeling down in front of her. "Poppy. Poppy, look at me."

"Noooo..." Poppy cried, loudly, her eyes slammed shut. "I'm not an aggressive troll at alllll... I don't attack everyone like Branch doooooes... And I know when to quit, tooooo... It's Branch who thinks he can take on a whole bergen army by himselllllf! Why am I in troubllllle!?"

"You're not, Poppy, it's okay," Branch said gently. He looked at Bridget and added, "She really isn't. Really. If I hadn't brought her here, you never would have seen her! She couldn't have made it here alive. That's why she needed me."

"But...Chef's not going to accept that," Bridget told him.

Branch stood, turning to face Bridget as he said, "Well, Poppy's my 'wife' and can't live without me, right?"

"Right..." Bridget said. That was, after all, the story they seemed to be going with.

"So she came because she didn't want separated from me! Not because she's aggressive. Chef said keep an eye on us, not lock us up. For appearances, lock me up, but leave Poppy out of it."

He could handle the isolation—he'd been isolated for the last ten years, so it wouldn't be anything new for him. And nothing "fun" to do wasn't an issue, either. Sure, there wouldn't be anything he could do to distract himself from the situation, but that wasn't any different than those nights he'd spent lying awake, trying in vain to fall asleep because his thoughts wouldn't let him. But he knew full well that Poppy wouldn't hold up so well. Even he, a troll who valued alone time, didn't want to be completely alone. Add in the boredom, and Poppy would go crazy within the day.

Poppy stopped crying suddenly, eyes widening in shock. She looked up at Branch in disbelief. Was he saying what she thought he was? The Snack Pack gasped, horror-struck.

"Are you serious!?" Cooper asked.

Biggie started, "Branch, that's so—"

"Please, Bridget," Branch said, desperation clear in his tone. "Poppy can't handle that! And another thing, she didn't bring weapons! Those were all mine, all of them! Everything you took earlier belongs to me. I cut the glass, I almost led everyone out of here, and I had a whole escape plan mapped out in my head! Poppy wasn't even paying attention to what we were talking about!"

He knew he didn't technically have to defend Poppy from Bridget, but he wanted to make it brutally clear just how non-aggressive Poppy was. Treating her like she was aggressive would be complete overkill.

Poppy was touched. Here was Branch, who had already been through more than enough, wanting to take the heat all on his own. He was trying so hard to spare her from the trouble that was likely in store for them both. "...Branch..."

There was no doubt about it. She was adding "sacrificing himself to save the lives of others" to the list of reasons why Branch was a hero. She'd have to put that in her second scrapbook. This was, after all, the fourth time he'd tried this—telling them all to leave while he fought Bridget, jumping onto Bridget to fight her so Poppy could get away, trying to make a deal with Bridget so Poppy could leave, and now this.

"So it was you?" Bridget asked.

Branch nodded. "All of it. I'm the only aggressive troll here, Bridget. If there's anyone here who's not going to stop until everyone else is safe, it's me."

Such a bold statement caught the Snack Pack off guard, especially since they knew full well that he probably considered Smidge aggressive, too.

"That's...an interesting development," Chenille said. Was he actually that determined to save everyone?

"I didn't know Branch had that in him," Biggie said, a hand to his cheek.

"I guess that explains the traps around the village..." Satin said, now feeling even more guilty for the way she had been treating him.

"Now I really wish I hadn't done that this morning!" Smidge said, referring to the attack on Branch. "He's too good a protector to try anything sneaky like that!"

Everyone started talking in agreement.

Poppy reached out and took Branch's hands, looking appreciative. That had to be the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. "Branch... It's okay," she said to him. "You don't have to do that. We're in this together, remember?"

"No, Poppy," he said firmly. "For once, just listen to me. Look, I can handle the isolation—I like being alone, remember? And whatever else Bridget has to do, I'll be okay. I'm not going to sit there and act as stubborn as I possibly can, alright? I'm just going to make it believable, that's all. Hey, if your plan goes well, we'll be out of here soon anyway, right?"

Not that he expected it would, but he had to get Poppy to stay out of trouble.

"Branch..." Poppy said, touched once again. This guy was so sweet and caring sometimes that it was hard not to like him...as a friend, of course. Poppy's feelings for him didn't go any further than that.

"Aw..." cooed the Snack Pack and Bridget.

Poppy started, eyes wide, and looked around uncomfortably. Were they all thinking what she thought they were thinking?

Satin and Chenille looked at each other and said, "Called it."

"You called it?" Smidge said. It wasn't like they hadn't all noticed it already.

Guy waved a hand dismissively and grinned. "Aw, please. I think we all saw this coming. Right, gang?"

The Snack Pack all started talking at the same time, nodding in agreement. Their words are indistinguishable. Poppy looked down, blushing in embarrassment. She slowly let go of Branch's hands, letting her hands fall in front of her back down to Bridget's hand.

She wasn't in love with Branch. They were overreacting. They had to be!

"Branch...if being deprived of fun and company isn't enough, I have to threaten the others, starve you... Are you sure you're willing to go through that?" Bridget asked.

He stepped in front of Poppy and answered, "As long as it's me, not Poppy."

Poppy looked around at the others. Sure, it might have been embarrassing to have them calling her out on romantic feelings she didn't even think she had, but she couldn't just let Branch do this to himself. She made up her mind—she got up and ran up beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving Bridget a sincere look.

"No, Bridge. It's cool," Poppy said. "I can take a little time off from singing, dancing, and hugging. Hairballs, I've practically done it all week. So what's one more day? And, besides...I'm an amazing actress. So I'm sure I'll be able to wiggle my way out in no time." She gave a reassuring smile.

"Poppy!" Branch protested.

Poppy cupped her hands in front of her face, giving Bridget her best pleading look. "Please, Bridge! He's been through enough already! He doesn't need to go through anymore alone."

Bridget looked at the two trolls. "Well..."

They were both so desperate to take care of each other. Branch didn't want Poppy to suffer at all, and Poppy didn't want Branch to go through any pain alone. She couldn't do what they both wanted, and she knew Chef would be back soon to deal with the "aggressive" troll or trolls. Bridget doubted Chef would believe that neither was aggressive.

As Bridget had feared, Chef came banging back into the room then, holding two metal boxes about the size of her hand. Each had a thick bronze-colored chain wrapped around it with a padlock to secure it in place, a latch on the lid secured with a padlock, and small holes in the lid that were about the size of a troll's hand.

Bridget slammed her hands together, hearing the door open, quickly shifting her grip on the trolls so she was gripping one in each fist again. Both trolls cried out, startled, as Bridget's hand slammed into Branch's back, knocking him into Poppy. Before they realized it, they were separated.

"Here, Bridget," Chef said, walking up behind the scullery maid. "These cages are meant especially for stubborn, aggressive trolls who only want to cause trouble. So tell me. Which troll have you decided is the culprit?"

Just as Bridget had thought. There was no chance that she could convince Chef neither was aggressive. "Well—"

Poppy growled. "How dare you trap my friends like that! Oh, just wait til I get out of this hand, I'll—" she said, clenching her teeth and giving Chef a vicious glare.

"Stop! That's enough!" Branch cut her off, glaring at her. "You're just trying to get in trouble, and you know it! You can't do anything, remember!?"

Bridget sweat. "...I'm not sure? I mean, I know he is. It's her I'm not sure about."

"She's all hot air!" Branch snapped, looking at Bridget. "Without me, she's completely useless!" He glared at Poppy at this last bit.

"Oh, yeah!? Then what do you call this!?" Poppy bit down hard on Bridget's hand.

The Snack Pack gasped in horror. "Poppy!"

"Oh, my ga!" Smidge slapped her hands to her cheeks, eyes wide in shock.

Bridget yelped, jumping. That was the third troll to bite her since they'd been brought here. It was really starting to get old.

Branch glared at Poppy again. "Great. Let me know when you start feeling guilty for biting the bloodthirsty bergen!"

Chef just watched this for a moment. One thing became apparent to her—the gray one was definitely aggressive. He'd do anything to protect his wife. As for the girl...

Chef looked serious as she slammed both cages down and opened the lids. "Idget! Quit fooling around and lock those two up! Make sure you store them far from the other and in separate rooms! And, if I were you, I'd ask the king if I could keep that one in the dungeon!" She pointed at Poppy as she glared at the pink troll.

Branch's eyes widened in horror. The dungeon? There was no way that was a place where Poppy belonged.

"Yes, Chef!" Bridget said, moving to put the trolls in the aggressive troll cages.

"No! Poppy!" Branch cried, struggling in Bridget's grip. He started whipping her with his hair even, trying to get her to drop him.

This wasn't an act—Branch was actually trying to get loose. Bridget winced as he bruised her hand. Wow, Branch, you really don't want Poppy going in that cage. You must really love her.

Poppy struggled, too, although her struggles were far more gentle. In her case, it was all pretend. She did spare Branch a reassuring glance, hoping he'd notice it. He caught her look, but it didn't make him any less concerned. He wriggled around until he finally got an arm free, then reached into his hair and pulled out the spiky tennis racket Poppy had given him.

Bridget's eyes widened. She leaned back with a startled cry. W-where did that come from!? I thought I had all of his weapons!

Apparently he'd managed to keep one from her.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Chef exclaimed, exasperated. She snatched both trolls by the hair and flicked them each into a separate cage before either could react. Then she quickly slammed the lids shut and held them down, saying, "Bridget! Lock these cages while I hold the lids!"

"Yes, Chef!" Bridget said, going to grab the padlocks for the latches.

Poppy tried to force the lid open by pushing it with her hair. Since she wasn't nearly as strong as a bergen, it didn't go so well for her. Branch, on the other hand, actually managed to lift the lid a bit by doing the same thing. Chef's hand started to hurt from the exertion it took to hold that cage shut. She brought her foot up awkwardly and slammed her leg down on the lid to hold it down. Despite the added weight, the lid kept vibrating with Branch's struggles.

"Hurry up, you imbecile!" Chef called to Bridget. "This one's stronger than the girl!"

Bridget put the lock on Branch's cage before doing the same with Poppy's. The padlock alone didn't seem to be good enough—for Branch. It was being forced open, despite the fact that it was locked. If he kept going, he might actually break the lock.

Poppy, on the other hand, gave up with a sigh. Her efforts were useless. So far, so good, she thought. But, man, it's stuffy in here! There's no way I won't break after only a single day!

This was not going to be fun, but she'd be okay. She just had to tough it out.

Bridget started wrapping the chain around Branch's cage so she could secure it with another padlock.

"Let me out of here right now, or I swear I'll make you regret it, Idget!" he threatened, messing her name up intentionally.

"Oh, you'll regret it, alright!" Poppy did her best to sound aggressive and defiant here. "I—H-hey! Where are all the party supplies!?" she cried, sounding a bit nervous now. She might as well get started on acting like this would break her. "Y-you didn't!"

With the chain wrapped and secured around Branch's cage, he shouldn't have been able to open the lid, in Chef's experience. However, much to her annoyance, the gray troll kept struggling with mild success. Chef could hear cracking sounds, as if the chain were cracking. Looking at it and the cage's lock, she saw cracks forming in it.

"He's strong," Bridget said, stunned. That should have been enough to hold him!

Chef stared, growing concerned now. Noticing that Poppy's cage was secure without the chain, she took the chain from that cage and handed it to Bridget. "Here. I'm not taking any chances!"

"I-it's so dark..." Poppy said, sounding almost scared. Then she growled. "How dare you! You'll pay for this one for sure!"

If Bridget hadn't been distracted, she might have appreciated how good of an actress Poppy was. As it was, Bridget was busy wrapping the second chain around Branch's cage. The more secure she made it, the more effort Branch had to direct toward trying to break free. Finally, however, the lid wouldn't budge at all.

No, no, no! Poppy! he thought. He couldn't let this happen, not to Poppy. She wouldn't last in isolation, even if it was only an act. Even worse, Chef wanted her in the dungeon. Poppy would never recover from this! He had to get her out of there!

The Snack Pack, watching this, were equally as stunned as the two bergens. They didn't realize Branch was so powerful.

Eyes wide, Guy gasped. "Oh, my shining stars! And I thought you were strong!" he said, looking at Smidge. She was the strongest troll in Troll Village, after all.

Smidge waved a hand through the air dismissively, saying, "Aw, that's nothing. I could break those things easy... if I wasn't too scared to move!" She gave Chef a fearful look as she tried to cover that slip of the tongue. Chef didn't know that Smidge could be aggressive, too, and this wasn't exactly something Smidge had a problem with, all things considered.

Biggie hugged Smidge, handing her a chocolate pie to help her calm down.

"Chocolate pie!?" She snatched it and ate, excited.

Bridget looked at the cage for a moment, making sure Branch wasn't still on the verge of escaping and gutting them both. Once she was satisfied that the threat was dealt with, she turned to Chef and said, "The trolls are secured, Chef."

Branch finally stopped struggling. It was pointless, anyway. That lid wasn't going to open like this. He'd have to find another way. "Mark my words, one way or another, I'm getting out of here!"

"Mh-hm... Better get to work on taming them right away. I can see he's going to be trouble," Chef said before she left. The gray troll's strength was unexpected, to say the least, and it disturbed Chef to know that a troll that powerful and dangerous had come here.

Well, on the bright side, Branch figured that meant he was the one Chef wanted in the dungeon now. At least he was officially more dangerous than Poppy. But the little pink dimwit had still gotten herself in way over her head.

Poppy waited until the footsteps faded away before quietly asking, "Is she gone?"

Bridget listened for a moment, then said, "Yes."

"Oh... Great! So when can we work on getting us out of here? You know I'll crack before the day is out!"

"Well, I have to put you both in separate rooms first...at least for today, Poppy. I'm really sorry."

Bridget didn't want to do this to her new friends. They were trying so hard to help her, and the only thing she could do to repay them was promise that she'd make this "breaking" process as painless as possible.

"You're sorry? She's the one who got herself put in there!" Branch retorted, furious at Poppy for getting herself into this. Seriously, why did she want to be locked in an aggressive troll cage? That would make more sense for him, considering her friends weren't exactly being kind to him. Isolation honestly didn't seem so bad to him right now. But why would she want to be alone!?

"Of course I did, Branch," Poppy told him. "No one should have to suffer something like this alone. It's bad enough you already did!"

She was referring to the banishment. Because of that, Branch was all alone in the world, and nobody but her seemed to care. She knew that had to hurt him, she was sure of it! Why would he have kept coming to the village or lived within walking distance of it if he wanted to be completely alone? Besides that, he'd been trying so hard to make sure she was happy and safe, even though this adventure was probably like salt in a wound for him. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't return the favor? They'd both been trying to save the others, so it was only fair—she had been selfish to try to get out of this, really.

Branch punched the wall of his cage. "Poppy, there's a fatal flaw in your plan: We're in separate cages! We're going to be in separate rooms! Just because you're locked in one of these things, too, doesn't mean I'm not 'suffering' alone!"

"Of course it does, Branch. You're not the only one being put through this, so you're not suffering alone! I'm going through the exact same thing right now, so we're sharing our suffering together!"

If he had someone who could relate, then maybe some of what he'd been through would be easier to bear. She'd at least be able to understand his pain. And this isolation might even help her understand what the banishment had put him through, too. Then she could finally help him get over it all.

Branch sighed. "Poppy..."

She was absolutely ridiculous sometimes. He couldn't believe that she thought he'd be happy about that.

"I may not have been able to be there for you when I was 11," Poppy continued. "But I'm gonna be there for you from now on. You're my friend, Branch, and I'd never abandon you."

"Oh, Poppy, that's so beautiful!" Biggie cried. He felt the tears coming on, that's how sweet that was.

"She's in love, alright," Chenille said, to which Satin nodded.

Branch hardly believed what he was hearing. She wanted to be there for him from now on, and that extended so far as to put herself through the same problems so she could better relate to him. Was that what she was saying?

In spite of himself, Branch was touched. "...Thank you, Poppy," he said, and he sincerely meant it. Sure, he didn't want her tortured, but it felt nice to have someone care so much about him.

Even if Branch Appreciation Day was the act of a mentally unstable stalker.

Bridget fidgeted again. Now she really didn't want to do this to them! "Well... I need to find separate rooms for the two of you, so..." She headed out of her room with the two troll cages. "We're leaving my room now. We're not friends anymore," she said as she headed up the stairs.

"Got it!" Poppy answered. "Branch!? Sweetie!? You okay!?" she called, trying to sound unnerved and worried.

The rest of the trolls stared after Bridget for a bit. They could hardly believe what had just happened.

"...Whoa, ya guys! Did you hear all of that?" DJ asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Oh, I heard it, alright!" Cooper answered, nodding emphatically.

"What totally unexpeeeeeected turn of events!" Guy auto-tuned in shock. "Not only does Poppy have feelings for Branch, but he has feelings for her, too!"

Fuzzbert confessed that he'd seen it coming since Poppy was 11. After all, they say the hero gets the girl.

"You right, Fuzzbert, the hero does get the girl," Cooper agreed.

"So she's been interested since she was 11," Satin said.

"We already knew that! But Branch having feelings for anybody?" Chenille asked. That just didn't seem right. He'd always claimed they were all annoying or stupid.

"That is quite shocking, isn't it, Mr. Dinkles?"

The worm gave a single, "Meep." He still hated Branch, so he really didn't care.

"Now, Mr. Dinkles, he's not that awful!" Biggie scolded. "He is trying to help us, after all."

"Yes, well," said Creek. This conversation was irritating his jealous bone yet again. "That's all very interesting. But is it necessarily a good thing? I mean, we all know that he abandoned Poppy once before. Then who's to say he won't do it again?"

"I don't know, Creek. Didn't you hear him? He wanted to be locked up alone."

"But, Biggie! He also said he liked it!" Smidge countered, growing concerned for Poppy. Sure, it looked like Branch liked her, but what if he was just pretending, trying to get out of this banishment or steal her away from the village he hated so much?

"Hmm... Yes. That's quite true, indeed..." Guy said, putting a hand to his chin. "And it's not as if he's as scared of the bergens as he was a bunch of birds. So how do we know he won't run off if faced with one of them?" He looked at the others in concern himself.

"We have got to separate those two!" Cooper said.

"Exactly," Creek agreed. "It'll clearly never work out. And, besides all that, it's a crime to abandon the princess to a dangerous situation like that, and the penalty for such a case is permanent banishment." He smiled, feeling rather smug. He didn't have anything to fear from Branch. The gray troll would never be welcomed back in Troll Village, so Poppy was as good as his.

"So there's no way Poppy could be with Branch, even if she wanted to," Chenille said. Earlier that day, this news would have been a huge relief. Now, she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Whoa... Now that's the pits, for sure..." DJ said, feeling sorry for the two trolls in question now.

Fuzzbert said something in his unique language, and Cooper looked at him and asked, "What's that, Fuzzbert? Banishment can be revoked if the troll saves the village from danger?"

The fuzzling thought he had read something about that, at least.

Everyone else gasped in surprise.

"Really!?" Smidge asked, eyes wide.

"Are you sure about that, Fuzzbert?" Biggie asked.

Fuzzbert thought about it a bit before he shrugged and answered Biggie.

Cooper unnecessarily translated, "Well, that, or save the royal family more than once. One or the other. He ain't really sure which."

Satin thought about that for a bit. "But...if it counts to just save one member, Branch has saved Poppy twice so far..."

How many more times would he need to do that before his banishment could be revoked?

"That we know of," Chenille corrected. "He said something about falling off her flyer bug yesterday."

"So how many other times could he have saved her that we don't know about?"

Everyone grew silent, thinking about that. For one, if Branch was saving Poppy now rather than endangering her, then he'd probably never meant to hurt her in the first place. It really had just been an accident, and he seemed to have resolved never to let it happen again. For another, if he was going out of his way to protect Poppy, without any regard for his own safety, then...he did deserve something for that.

But the question still remained: What would happen if he and Poppy were alone together and a bird attacked? Would he face it? Would he warn her? Or would he run and hide, leaving Poppy to die, like before?

None of them really wanted to find out. Granted, their hatred of Branch had mostly faded, driven off in the face of his selfless and self-sacrificing behavior, but they still feared for their friend and princess. Some, like Biggie and Satin, wanted Branch to be given a second chance, but even they didn't really want to see him in a relationship with Poppy.

Meanwhile Bridget took Poppy to the storage room with all the troll care supplies before delivering Branch to the dungeon. The dungeon master told her she could put him in a room all the way in the back. Then he went back to torturing his victims.

Branch couldn't see what was going on around him, but the cacophony in the dungeon wasn't reassuring. He heard a whip cracking, something drilling, chains rattling, a slapping sound, screams of pain and suffering, and even some woman screaming at someone about cavities. Sure, that last wasn't so bad, but the rest? He was extremely glad that Poppy wasn't down here. To top it all off, the friendly tone of the dungeon master was, apparently, reserved for guests. Yelling at his victims, the dungeon master sounded vicious. And he had a very evil laugh, too.

The only good thing was that, with the door to the back room shut, the sounds were slightly muffled. Bridget hung the cage from the ceiling, looping the chain over a hook hanging down, before she quietly apologized and scurried out of the dungeon.

"Thank goodness it's me, not Poppy," Branch said once he was alone. "She couldn't even handle me killing a couple of growlbeasts quickly. Torture isn't something she'd be able to stomach."

A blood-curdling scream rang out above all other sounds then.

Branch cringed. He wasn't sure if he could stomach this. "What are they doing to these people!?"

The noises continued throughout the evening, quieting when the night came. The dungeon master and cavity bergen stopped, and Branch figured they were gone. The whipping and slapping quieted. But every now and them, someone still cried out in agony. Branch just tried his best to block it out. He'd been through worse than this. He'd be fine. Besides, at least this whole thing gave him a break from Poppy's friends, even if this wasn't his first choice of location.

Poppy, meanwhile, was more fortunate—or unfortunate, depending on your point of view. The storage room was dark and quiet. Nobody was there at all. Her heart sank as she sat on her knees and looked around, listening to the intense silence.

"Whoa... So this is what it feels like to be totally alone and with nothing to do... It's...awful. No wonder Branch turned out that way... If only there was something I could do to help him, but..."

The silence was bad enough, but there was nothing to do, no way to distract herself from the fact that she was all alone. She was left with nothing but her thoughts for company.

She imagined this wasn't too far off from what the banishment had forced Branch into. After all, he'd had to pack up and leave in a hurry. Knowing Branch, even if he had owned anything fun, he'd left it behind in favor of survival supplies, like food and tools. Sure, he could distract himself by working on his new bunker or gathering supplies, but wouldn't that just remind him of what had happened? He was on his own, with nobody to turn to if he needed help. Poppy knew for sure he'd gotten hurt out there—over the last few days, she'd noticed scars on his body that hadn't been there ten years ago. His arms and legs were covered in them, and she'd seen one on his chest through the opening in his vest.

As the silence and boredom grew too unbearable for her, Poppy curled up on the floor of the cage, trembling. "B-Branch w-was r-right... T-this is p-pure t-torture! C-can't believe m-my dad c-could be th-this c-cruel..."

She curled into a ball to sleep the rest of the day away. She hoped Bridget would come check on her in the morning. She was ready to leave this horrible place behind her and never come back.

And she was never letting Branch go back to that swamp alone. She'd die first.