Falling for a King (Revision)

Chapter 3

Poppy wasn't lying when she said they'd have a party. Flashing lights and glitter were everywhere; Poppy had decided to let the party start before letting every troll know what the party was for.

Ash watched in horror as one of the glitter trolls jumped in the air, glitter shooting out of his butt. Is that where all this glitter is coming from?! As soon as that thought crossed her mind, gold glitter fell from the sky above them; slowly, she glanced up to see a golden troll standing on a branch while singing. She was covered, and it wasn't coming off. Ash hissed, scrubbing her arms against her shirt and jeans. It only made it worse. I'm covered in shit glitter.

"Okay, let's go! We'll go to the stage so I can introduce you to everyone!" Poppy stepped between the two humans, grabbing their hands while skipping to the location. Star kept up with Poppy's pace while Ash dragged her feet, hoping to slow the other two down. It didn't work. Poppy just ended up dragging Ash to the stage. "I'm so excited!" Poppy cheered.

While Ash looked like she was walking to the electric chair, Star looked excited and curious. The music was great, colored smoke and glitter everywhere, and with the new clothes gifted to her by those conjoined twins, she even felt great; the weather was perfect, warm but not humid. Star felt slightly nervous about standing before a vast crowd, but her nervousness was nothing compared to Ash.

"Just breathe, it'll be fine," Star whispered, hoping Ash wouldn't have a panic attack. Ash might've never had one before, but she's also never been put in this position.

Staring at the crowd, Ash clenched her fist, hoping it'd help hide how bad her hands were shaking. If she had known they would've ended up in this position, she would've never touched that damned book. This is all Grandma Doreen's fault. She had to entice Ash with stupid promises of learning more about her family history. Promises of answers she'd never get in this world.

Oblivious to Ash's current state, Poppy stood proudly in front of the crowd. "Hey, everyone!" She called out; the music stopped as everyone turned to their Queen. "We've got new friends! Branch and I were walking around the forest today and ran into them." She turned around, motioning for the two girls to stand by her. Knowing they had no choice, Star grabbed Ash's arm to pull her towards the Queen.

"This is Star," Poppy held up Star's arm as she introduced her. "And this is Ash!" She then reached for Ash's arm to do the same. Below them, many of the trolls cheered, seemingly unbothered by their appearance. Though there were a few, maybe the smart ones? Who had questions?

"What are they?" Two trolls stood in the middle; they looked like they might be twins, though the same could be said with all the glitter trolls around. However, these two seemed a lot different than the others. Ash narrowed her eyes in confusion, trying to get a better look at them. Hot and light pink striped fur, blue hair, and purple legs. The shape of their bodies also reminded Ash of giraffes. She didn't notice which one that had asked the question.

Poppy opened her mouth to answer, "Wait, what are you again?" She questioned.

At the bottom of the stage to the left, Ash noticed Branch slap his hand over his face while shaking his head.

"Humans," Star replied.

"They're humans!"

"What are humans?" A tiny yellow troll with long blue hair questioned in a creepily deep voice.

"It's complicated," Poppy spoke unsurely. "Anyway, let's welcome them!"

And just like that, everyone accepted the humans, which was concerning, but Ash decided not to comment. Is Branch the only one cautious in this village? Regardless, Ash sighed in relief when the introduction was over so she could slip away from the eyes of every troll.