Being there for you

Who was the perpetrator?

It all happened so fast....

The flames, the screaming , everything....

Ginger was in pretty bad condition but compared to everyone else, she was lucky. You see, she was the only one who managed to escape the burning pod.... alive.  Her parents suffered burns on 80 percent of their bodies and as a result, they died. Ginger has been undergoing physical therapy in hopes that she could walk again . You see, as she was trying to escape, her dresser fell on her legs, trapping her. Luckily , the king heard her cries for help , and rescued the little girl. Her legs are badly hurt and who knows? She may never walk again. This was putting a lot of stress on the queen because everybody was expecting her to find out who was responsible for this.  Several trolls speculated that it was Thorn who set the pod on fire. He was known for causing all sorts of mischief and he was also known for taunting and teasing other kids younger than him. 

Poppy however , was absolutely disgusted that they would blame this on a child. So what if he was a troublemaker? That doesn't mean he's capable of burning down a pod. His mother , Saphire , defended him by saying he was still at home while the fire occurred. But if it wasn't Thorn , then who did it? This was a question that nobody  had an answer to. The king went to the hospital to check on Ginger one last time before heading home. She looked like she was in unbearable pain and her legs were twisted in an awkward position.  Branch had a talk with Dr Plum about this, and he found out that she was in critical condition. He came home to find his wife sitting at her desk, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. She was still busy writing a report about all of this and she hasn't found time to do anything else. She turned around to face the king and gave him a warm smile. " I'm so glad you're home, what did Dr Plum have to say?" She asked with anticipation. " Ginger is in really bad condition and..." Branch's voice trailed off and he inhaled sharply. " She might need to get her legs amputated."

Poppy gasped and stared at him with a slightly widened expression ," Are you serious ? " She asked below a whisper. The king nodded , " She might need to If her legs don't heal."  Poppy felt absolutely horrible about all of this. She couldn't help but feel like this was somehow all of her fault. " I am such a horrible queen ." she replied sadly. Suddenly, the memories of him as a grey troll came flooding to him in a pool of memories. 

I can't believe your going to be queen one day....

Branch's demeanor slackened significantly as he watched his wife with a melancholy expression. He shook his head vehemently. " Poppy , you're an excellent queen, and you shouldn't think otherwise."  He hooked a finger under her chin so he could gaze into her eyes. " And I'm not just saying that because I love you." he doted affectionately. The queen smiled and closed the gap between them, placing a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth. Branch wasn't going to allow her to get away with that and her grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her into a kiss. Her eyes widened but she soon melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. They pulled away smiling at each other. " I think I'll go make dinner like I promised. " Branch declared. 

" Fine , but you better not make the food too salty like you did last time." Poppy chided jokingly. Branch playfully rolled his eyes at her, " Well, I'm not the one who loosened the top of the salt shaker." he pointed out. Poppy arched her brow at this ," Well, it wasn't me ."    Suddenly , it dawned on them, " It was Thorn wasn't it ?" Branch questioned. " Well , who else could it be? " She responded almost incredulously at his obvious question. " It's about time I've had a little talk with Sapphire about this , he needs to stop coming into our pod without our permission." Branch said sternly. " We'll take care of it later , besides you need to start making dinner. " she reminded him. He nodded and went back into the kitchen to finish cooking. 

She went over to her messy desk and continued to write the report. Luckily , she finished right before dinner was finished. They ate their steamy pasta in silence . They hardly ever talked during their meals and Poppy was getting tired of it. At least the food was good. Usually when it was Branch's turn to cook ,it never disappointed her. Unfortunately, since he cooked , that meant it was her turn to clean. She collected their dishes and cleaned them diligently and effectively, whilst Branch prepared for bed. It wasn't long before she joined him in bed, with a silk nightgown adorning her petite figure. She had trouble falling asleep and Branch noticed. He pulled her flush against him and stroked her cheek gently. " Go to sleep Poppy , I know you're upset about Ginger but if it makes you feel better we can go visit her tomorrow." Branch smiled . " Thanks, I'd like that ." Poppy replied gratefully. She snuggled up against his warmth and slept soundly. 

The king's heart melted when he glanced over at Poppy. 

How did he ever get so lucky? 

Author's note: Tbh, I was actually planning on publishing a one-shot but I kinda changed my mind. He he 🙂

Anyways I hope you broppy shippers enjoyed that....