Gray Is Not All Colorless

An Abrupt End to a Party

Gray is Not All Colorless

A/N: I finally finished this late last night, but I was getting really tired. So I held off posting until now. Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait. Hope you enjoy it! And roll it!

Chapter 4

An Abrupt End to a Party

Hours later, the party that everyone in the village had been looking forward to was in full swing, and it was everything that Branch was dreading it would be. It was big, loud and crazy; more so than usual. Most likely because it was meant to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Trolls' freedom from the Bergens.

(A/N: Imagine that this song is playing for the party.)

Watching from above, from a good enough distance, Branch just lightly scoffed and went off into the forest to continue his patrol, having a couple of sharpened sticks tucked under his vest just in case. Just because this was meant to be a happy time, it doesn't mean that there were other dangers out there besides the Bergens. So Branch decided to scan the perimeter and make sure that nothing deadly was being attracted by the noise and colorful flashing lights.

Earlier, when Peppy stopped by the bunker, Branch had agreed to his terms for the party and gave him his answer about him becoming the heir to the throne. Yes, he was a little nervous about how the other Trolls will react to the news, but with Peppy's confidence in him and by how nice CJ Suki was acting to him, it gave him a little bit of reassurance that maybe things actually can change for the better. If others can give him the same chance, then maybe it won't be so bad.

Still, there was something inside of him that wasn't entirely too sure. There were some other Trolls that didn't think very highly of them, and they were the ones that were a bit more vocal when they would gossip about him behind his back. Hopefully, their reactions won't be too terrible. The most Branch would be expecting is a few Trolls fainting from shock.

Just then, he was almost pushed down to his feet from a blast of light that rippled through the forest. He scoffed as he regained his balance.

"Taking it a little too far there, huh?" Branch muttered under his breath, and then headed further away from the village to continue inspecting for any predators. But little did he know that his own worst fear will soon come to pass.

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Miles away, hunched down over a map, with several more pinned onto a board above it, a large, hideous figure was looking at the map, trying to make sense of it. Just then, it heard the fireworks in the distance, and it swirled around to look in its direction.

A Bergen. And it was not just any Bergen. The former royal Chef, who was banished from Bergen Town exactly twenty years ago soon after the Trolls had escaped.

She was even more uglier than she had been twenty years prior. Her pale turquoise hair was dirty, tangled and had twigs in it. Her purple-gray skin seemed to have a few more warts than when she was younger. Her chef's attire was torn and muddied, and she was barefoot. Her red eyes shone with disbelief, even daring to hope.

She took out a telescope and looked in the direction where the fireworks came from. "Put your hands up in the air!" A voice shouted.

Another firework shot up into the air, this time showing a glowing picture of a Troll. She removed the spyglass from her eye and then grinned maliciously.