Gray Is Not All Colorless

Godfather's Choosing

Gray Is Not All Colorless

A/N: Okay, since I don't want to bore you guys right now, let's just get on Chapter 2. Roll it!

Chapter 2

Godfather's Choosing

Branch finally made it over to the king's royal pod. He breathed out a sigh of relief upon having gotten away from Creek again. He knew that he was just trying to get on his good side to further boost up his status; possibly even his already-large ego.

Well, he desperately hoped that King Peppy wouldn't choose Creek to one day become the next leader of the Trolls, even if he might be the preferred option in the eyes of most of the other Trolls. He really hoped that whoever it is would want to protect the village at all costs, and he really hoped that Peppy would agree with that as well.

Right as he was by the door, he heard the gentle melodic chimes of a music box being heard from inside the pod. The soothing little ditty brought a small smile to his face, remembering that particular song that he would hear when he himself was a boy, and when things seemed to be much happier for him.

He slowly came up to the door and saw that it was partially ajar. He peered in and saw the wizened orange Troll sitting at a desk, tinkering with a beautifully wood carved rectangular music box, which the little melody was coming from. The top of it and the bottom were painted an ivory white, but the sides of it were painted a dark indigo purple color with shimmering silver stars on the sides. It was the perfect theme for a nighttime melody, since the song that chimes from it was a lullaby.

Then, Peppy began to sing softly to himself, having a look of longing in his withered brown eyes, looking back and forth from the music box to a picture frame on his desk. The picture contained a female Troll with pink skin, sunny yellow hair and magenta eyes, wearing an emerald green dress. In her arms was a little baby girl with pink hair that matched her father's own, and the rest; her pink skin and magenta eyes, she inherited from her mother.

Peppy: How does a moment last forever?
How can a story never die?
It is love we must hold onto;
Never easy, but we try.

Sometimes, our happiness is captured.
Somehow, a time and place stand still.
Love lives on inside our hearts,
And always will.

Branch felt his lips slightly curl up at the many memories rushing in his mind. He remembered when he was younger, about three or four years old, and when his grandmother needed someone to babysit him, she would often call for the late Queen Jasmine, until she was forced to rest until her own child came into the world.

Whenever she would put him down for a nap, much to his sleepy protests, that very same lullaby always put him right to sleep. He guaranteed that she had sung that same song for her own little princess when she was born, until that tragic day when she was taken herself.

It was a sad time for everyone at the Troll Tree, particularly for Peppy since his daughter was only a few months old at the time, who could hardly remember her mother. Branch could understand somewhat. He lost his own parents when he was very small, remembering very little of what they were like, and his grandfather was taken a year before them. And then two years later, when he was four years old, thanks to his carelessness and that Bergen who was collecting Trolls when it wasn't Trollstice yet, his grandmother was taken away, and he was left all alone.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and lightly knocked on the door. Peppy looked away from the music box and saw his godson standing in the doorway.