Branch's wretched backstory

Wishing on a star

Small Trigger warning

Poppy groaned in frustration since  she was still having trouble falling asleep. She often wished that her mother was still alive so she could tuck her in at night. But why was she complaining? Perhaps it was because she was sick and tired of being " the girl who didn't have a mom". She still had a VERY vivid memory of the time  someone even dared to tease her about it. She knew that she wanted an answer to the question  that racked her brain. 

Poppy sighed sadly to herself as she glanced over at an old picture that was taken of her late mother. Part of her still wondered why she didn't have one. For her, Mother's Day was the worse day of the year. It made her heart wrench every time she saw other kids hugging their mothers and having fun with them. She still had her father but it wasn't the same. She was the only one in her group of friends that didn't have a mother. She decided that it was time to ask him that ONE question that she always thought about. Poppy knew that it was well past her bedtime but there was no way she was going to wait until morning. She tip-toed through the empty halls as she made her way to the living room , careful not to make any noise. She spotted her father sitting in his recliner with his back facing her. She had to psych herself up, after all this was a VERY touchy subject that she was about to bring up. 

She let out a stifled giggle as her father snored rather loudly. She gently shook him so he could wake up. His eyelids fluttered open as he came face to face with his only daughter. He smiled gently at her and allowed her to climb onto his lap . " Isn't it way past your bedtime ?" The king questioned. " I know , I know , it's just that I can't get to sleep. " Poppy replied quietly. King Peppy turned her around so he could meet her gaze. He could've swore he saw a sad look on her face , but it was only for a brief moment. " What's wrong sweetheart ?" He said in a worried tone. " I have been wondering about something for a really long time now, and I wanted to talk to you about it. " Poppy replied shakily. " What is it sweetheart? you can tell me anything. " he said in reassurances. She took a deep breath before replying ," What happened to mommy ?" She asked with a pang of sadness. The king's eyes widened at her squeak of a question. 

He knew this day would come. But what he didn't know was that day was today. She looked up at him with anticipation. He scrunched his eyes shut for a moment so he could collect himself. She deserved to KNOW and besides she would probably keep bugging him If he didn't tell her. So he told her everything. Her eyes were as wide as saucers when she found out the cause of her death. The king hated to see her face twisted in distress but hey , she asked and he answered. Tears slid freely down her flushed cheeks in desperation. Her father wasted no time wiping them away and holding her close. She sniffled and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown. " This is all my fault ." Poppy muttered under her breath. The king still heard her though and he frowned deeply. " This has nothing to do with you , it's not your fault I promise." He replied firmly. 

Poppy's eyes were filled with rage for a moment as she looked up at him. " You said she died from childbirth, and she wouldn't have died if I wasn't born. " she said matter-of-factly. " Poppy, look at me. " the king demanded. She crossed her arms and refused to meet his gaze. " Make me." She replied in a huff. The King's eyebrows were furrowed into an agitated expression. " Look at me! " he said in a raised voice. When she rolled her eyes at him , this only seemed to fuel his anger. " LOOK AT ME!" He boomed loudly. The pink troll jerked back at his yell , her eyes wide and glistening with more tears. " I'm sorry I upset you daddy , I think I'll just go back to bed. " she said just below a whisper. She jumped off of his lap and headed straight for her room. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment trying to take all of this in. 

Poppy was about to go back to bed when our of the corner of her eye she spotted something bright and shiny just outside of her window. She climbed onto her built-in window seat and pulled one leg up to her chest. Turns out it was a star. Poppy smiled to herslef as an idea formed in her mind. Just as she did many nights before, she wished on the star. She used to do this sort of thing when she was much younger than she is now. It didn't take her long before she thought of something to wish on. She didn't know if it would work or not , but it was something. " Hi mister star , I just wanted to ask for something , I know it probably won't come true but I have to try. " Poppy said in a pleading manner. She took a deep breath before speaking again. " I wish I  had a mom again , I just want my dad to be happy. " she blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Please...I want this so badly." Her voice cracked on the last word. 

She waited a moment to see if anything would happen. " Well , thanks anyway."  Poppy glanced up at the shiny star before climbing into her bed. Just outside her bedroom, King Peppy heard all of this. He opened her door a crack and walked over to her bedside. The young princess had already fallen asleep and she snored softly. Peppy kissed her forehead gently and ran his fingers through her messy locks. " Oh Poppy, what would I do without you ?" 

Author's note: FINALLY! I have been having trouble thinking of an idea for this chapter all day and now it's finally done and over with. Welp, I hope you people enjoyed this chapter because it is not EASY thinking of something to write about. 😅