After he heard her say she was the princess his eyes widened in shock. "You're the princess?!" He said. "Yes I am but please don't call me by my title." Poppy said crossing her arms. "Why were you in this part of the forest and not at home with your father?" Branch asked her. "I ran away from home because I was arranged to marry a horrible prince I didn't want to marry." Poppy said sadly. Branch regretted asking her that as he saw the sad look on her face. "At first I didn't mind the idea because I thought he was going to be a gentleman, oh how naive I was. When he first showed up he bossed me around and called me ugly and started abusing me." Poppy said sadly. Branch's eyebrows furrowed at this. She didn't deserve to be bossed around and abused, she was a princess dammit!!! And she was not ugly, she was beautiful!!! "You are not ugly, you're very beautiful and you don't deserve to be abused and bossed around like you're his maid." He said to her. Poppy was shocked when she heard him say this and she blushed. "Don't listen to what others say about you, they're just jealous because they'll never know what true beauty is or who it comes from!" Branch said. "T-Thank you, nobody has ever said such beautiful and sweet words like that to me before." Poppy said blushing. "You're welcome but I'm just being honest." Branch said as he reached out and held her hand. Poppy lightly gasped. "Are you hungry?" Branch said to her. "U-Uhh y-yeah." Poppy shyly stuttered. Oh no, she just met this guy and she was now starting to fall for him!!! Bad Poppy, Bad!! She said in her mind. "Come on, I'll make dinner for us." Branch said with a smile and helped her stand up and walked her to the kitchen. "Oh Thank you so much but you don't have to do that." Poppy said. "But I insist." Branch said. "Well okay." Poppy said. After they had dinner Branch helped her bathe although he had to help her take her clothes off(don't get any ideas, they just met and he's only helping her.) he was blushing up a storm as he struggled not to stare at her naked body and not to get excited. Poppy stepped in the tub, it stinged at first because her cuts and bruises but after a few minutes she relaxed. Branch rubbed the sponge all over her body but he was still blushing, after her bath he found her a night shirt she could wear. "Well I'm going to go sleep on the couch." Branch said as he was about to leave the room. "Wait!!" He heard Poppy say, he turned around to look at her. "Can you sleep with me? I'm scared of being alone." She said pleadingly. "Well Okay." Branch said. Poppy got in the bed and made herself comfortable. Branch took off his vest much to Poppy's shock, he had muscles and abs. She tried her best not to stare. Branch got in the bed himself and turned off the light. "Hey Branch?" He heard Poppy say. "Yes Poppy?" Branch said. "Thank you for being nice to me." Poppy said and hugged him...despite her cuts and bruises burning. Branch blushed because he has never been hugged by a girl other than his grandmother before, he returned the hug as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're Welcome Poppy." He said. "I would do anything for you Poppy" he said in his head. "Goodnight Branch." Poppy said as she snuggled in his chest. "Goodnight Poppy." Branch said as the female troll fell asleep, he kissed her head and fell asleep himself.
