Poppy stared wide eyed in disbelief at Branch as he told her everything that had happened to him in the past few days, not leaving out even a single detail...

     He told her about the Caturbus hitting him... about the thousands of little lights that surrounded him in the inescapable darkness... about the mystery troll up in the clouds who wanted to take him away into an eternity of happiness... he even told her about the watch, and the warning the angel had given him before he took it... the warning he had blatantly ignored... just to be with her...

     "I... I'm sorry..." he finally said softly, after finishing his explanation, looking straight at the young queen with sorrowful eyes. "I just... I..." He sighed unable to continue speaking, as he looked away from the love of his life in sadness and shame. "I'm so sorry..." he finally muttered softly, not knowing what else he could possibly say after what he had just told her...

     Full of overwhelming guilt and shame, Branch lowered his head as his ears drooped down in sadness, his eyes falling gently shut...

     Poppy blinked, looking at Branch in disbelief, shocked by what he was telling her. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing...

     "So... so you're... you're... dead..." the young queen finally asked in disbelief as she stared sadly at the troll she loved so much...

     He nodded slowly as a reply to Poppy's question, but didn't look up at her, too ashamed in himself to make eye contact, knowing he would surly crumble into tears of despair under her worried gaze...

     "I'm sorry..." he said again softly, struggling to hold back his tears of shame and regret. This whole thing... it was all his fault... the love of his life was in danger... all because of him... "I am so... so... sorry..."

     "Branch..." Poppy said softly, gently placing her hand under Branch's chin to make him look up at her, instantly noticing the tears flooding from her best friend's bright blue eyes as he turned his head in her direction... "You don't need to apologize... it... it wasn't your fault. You didn't mean for any of this to happen... you... you didn't know..."

He looked up at her for a moment longer, before sighing softly as he lowered his head once again in shame, still feeling as if he had let her down...

"I... I promise... I'm going to find a way to fix this..." the young queen continued, looking at Branch sadly, her heart filled with sorrow to see him in so much pain. "I'm not gonna let this happen. I won't let you suffer..."

     "It's too late... I'm doomed..." he muttered silently, not even looking up at the beautiful pink troll in front of him as he sighed softly in defeat. "I made my choice..."

     Slowly, he looked back up at her, tears still sparkling in his crystal blue eyes as he smiled slightly at the love of his life...

     "And I wouldn't change that choice... even if I could," he told her, taking the young queen's hands gently in his as he gazed into her beautiful pink eyes. "I love you, Poppy. And I won't let anything bad happen to you... no matter what..."

     Tears in her eyes, Poppy leaned forwards, wrapping Branch in a tight hug as she cried into his shoulder, her heart filled with pain and sorrow.

     "I love you too, Branch," she told him softly, squeezing him as tightly as she could without hurting him. "I love you so much..."

     With a sigh of content, Branch closed his eyes, hugging her back as they both cried into each other's shoulders, just happy to be together in that one short moment...