The sun slowly rose up into the sky the next morning, it's bright rays of light shining there way beautifully in through Poppy's pod's window and shimmering down onto the young queen who still hadn't woken up from the traumatic events the night before...

At the end of her bed, unbenounced to the little pink troll, Branch was standing bedside her, looking sadly down at the love of his life, tears sliding down his cheeks as he thought about soon being ripped away from her side...

     He didn't want to leave... but he knew he didn't have a choice... the power of fate was stronger than he was... and there was nothing the young troll could do about it... he was doomed... doomed to live for all of eternity in a fiery grave, never able to see the love of his life ever again...

"I'm sorry, Poppy," he finally whispered softly as he gazed down at his girlfriend, knowing this would be the last time he ever saw her beautiful face. "I wish I could keep my promise... I wish I had the power to make sure that beautiful smile of yours never faded away ever again... I wish that I could just stay by your side forever... but... but I can't..."

     His heart aching and tears flowing from his crystal blue eyes, Branch tried so hard to grab onto Poppy's hand, but his fingers just seemed to slip right through hers, almost as if they weren't even there...

With a sigh of defeat, Branch lowered his head as his ears drooped down in despair.

     "This is all my fault..." he whispered through his tears. "I'm so sorry... I... I never wanted to hurt you..." He paused, looking back up at her. "All I ever wanted... was for you to be happy, Poppy... to be safe..." he finally continued softly. "Now... I know your safe... and I wouldn't change anything I did to get you to this point... but please... please don't let me ruin your happiness... Don't be sad... just because I can't be with you anymore... I don't want you to worry about me, ok? Just be happy... live your life... for..." He sighed, looking away yet again, his heart aching with sorrow at what he was about to say... "Forget about me..." He tried to wipe away his tears, but they just kept coming as he continued. "But... I'll never forget about you..."

Slowly, a red mist began drifting into the room, seeming to flood right out of the floor as it rolled stealthily to fill the small space, secretly surrounding Branch within seconds...

     The little transparent troll didn't notice, but as the smoke flooded the room, a crack suddenly split through the ground behind him, fire immediately spitting violently out of it...

Finally, a large hand with sharp fiery nails slithered out of the crack, slowly sneaking it's way over to the helpless troll who still hadn't noticed it, his head low and eyes closed, desperately not wanting to leave Poppy's side... But he didn't have a choice... he had already made his decision, and his fate was now sealed... he had to suffer... forever...

Suddenly, the hand grabbed roughly onto Branch's ankle, yanking him down to the floor as it began violently dragging him towards the crack in the ground...

"No!" Branch cried out as he clawed at the floor beneath him, trying desperately to pull free from the hand's grasp, a painful burn shooting through his ankle as if a fire had just been set to it. "Let me stay with her! Please! Let me stay with Poppy!"

Seemingly at the speed of light, the hand dragged him closer and closer to the crack, Branch trying desperately to stay with Poppy, tears of pure pain and sorrow sparkling in his crystal blue eyes as he dug his fingernails into the floor, trying desperately to stop the hand from taking him.

     The pain in his ankle only got worse as the hand tightened it's grip, dragging him even faster towards his torturous fate...

"Please!" he shouted out, crying hard as he shut his eyes tight, not giving up on his desperate escape attempt.

     He didn't care about the pain... he didn't even care that it would only get a thousand times worse once the hand took him away completely... all he cared about was Poppy... seeing that beautiful smile that always made his heart melt... feeling the warmth of her hugs... having the pure joy that came from just being around her... he wanted to be with her... he needed to be with her...

"St... stop!" he begged, the hand completely ignoring his pleas as it continued dragging him towards the crack, flames shooting out of it ready to engulf the poor troll completely...

     That is... until a blinding light suddenly filled the room, time seeming to freeze in place as its heavenly glow took over everything...

A shriek of pain filled the area as the hand let go of Branch, quickly retreating back into the crack before it closed up forever, never to return...

Once he was free, Branch looked down at his pained ankle, seeing a massive burn mark scaring his blue skin.

     But that didn't matter to him... nothing mattered to him... not even the curiosity of what had scared the evil hand away, saving his afterlife...

     No... all he cared about right now was that he was still on earth... he was still with Poppy!

     Quickly, despite the sharp stab of pain that shot intensely through his ankle as he rose up to his feet, Branch immediately ran back over to the love of his life, smiling slightly as he looked down her...

     She was still safe... still unconscious... but safe... and that's all that truly mattered...

"Branch..." a sweat voice suddenly called out in a quiet whisper, causing Branch's ear to twitch slightly at the sound.

Slowly, he turned towards the calming whisper, shocked to see the angel from before standing just a few feet away from him. The angel who had told him not to wind the watch... the one who had told him he could never come back...

He stared at her, his eyes wide in shock for a moment, before she finally smiled at him, slowly moving aside to reveal a beautiful wight light glowing behind her...

Inside the light, Branch could clearly see the big golden gates from before shinning brightly off in the distance, just waiting to open up for him...

"You ready?" the angle asked in a sweet voice, waiting for the little blue troll to follow her inside the light so they could both go home...

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion, completely shocked by her words...

"But... but you said..." he started, still standing by Poppy's side.

She smiled, nodding her head slightly to tell him he could stop talking...

"Yes... but you helped her. You did everything you could... just to save the one you love," she informed kindly. "Despite knowing the consequences of your actions... you still decided to risk your happiness for hers. And then... you had the chance... you had the chance to save yourself. But instead... you risked death... you risked your life, knowing what would happen to you. You would suffer... but you went to her anyways... to keep her safe... And that's the mark of a good troll..."

     He looked at her for a moment longer, taking in every word that came from her mouth, and then finally turned back to Poppy...

     Seeing he wasn't making even a single move towards the light, the angel took a small step forwards, placing a gentle hand on the blue troll's shoulder...

     "Are you coming?" she asked softly, but got no answer for a long moment of pure and utter silence...

     "I can't go..." he finally said softly, keeping his gaze locked on the troll he loved more than anything else in the world. "I can't leave her..."

     "She'll be ok, Branch," the angel assured sweetly, knowing how tuff it was for the little blue troll to leave Poppy's side. "You saved her... The queen's clock is still ticking. But yours... yours is not..."

     He sighed at the angel's words, lowering his head as he closed his eyes in despair...

     "I... I can't leave her," he repeated, struggling to hold back his tears. "She needs me. I... I need her..."

     "Ugh..." Poppy suddenly groaned softly, beginning to wake up.

     At the sound of his girlfriend awaking from her long dreamless slumber, Branch opened his eyes in excitement, looking down at her with a slight smile. She was ok...

     "Branch..." she muttered softly, slowly moving her head around to try and clear the fuzziness from her brain.

     Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the young queen gasped, sitting straight up in bed as the memories of what had happened the day before flooded back into her head...

     "Branch!" she shouted out in a panic, immediately jumping out of bed, and running right through Branch, completely unaware that he was standing right there in front of her...

     "Poppy! Where are you going!? I'm right here!" Branch cried out, trying frantically to get Poppy's attention. "I'm ok! I'm still with you!"

     But she had no idea he was there, unable to see or hear him as she ran out of her pod, sprinting quickly towards Branch's bunker, a look of pure terror on her face...

     "Wait! Poppy!" he called after her, desperately wanting her to come back...

     "She can't see you..." the angel said softly, seeming quite sympathetic for the young troll. "No one can... not anymore..."

     Not wanting to believe what he was being told, Branch started to run after Poppy, but he didn't get very far before the angel quickly grabbed gently onto his wrist, holding him back...

     "You can't stay, Branch..." she told him softly as he continued staring off towards the door Poppy had disappeared through. "Souls can't live in between realms for more than a few days. If you stay... you will fade into nothingness..."

     He looked back at her, tears flooding his crystal blue eyes as he listened to the angel's warning...

     "I need to be with her..." he said softly, looking away again, ready to leave the light and it's glorious wonders of happiness behind so he could be with the one he truly loved more than anything else...

     "She will join you someday," the angel assured, not letting Branch leave her side. "And until then... you are welcome to use the portals anytime to watch down on her from above."

     Slowly, he raised his head, looking back up at her.

     If he left... if he went into the light like this angel wanted him to... he wouldn't be with Poppy... but at least there was a chance of seeing her again... he knew that even if he stayed now... he still wouldn't be with her in the future...

     He knew that even though he desperately didn't want to... he had to go... he had to leave...

     Finally, he sighed, nodding slowly as he walked towards the light, his head low in defeat... but he knew he would see Poppy again... someday...