Gray Is Not All Colorless

A/N: I actually finished this chapter a bit faster than I thought. I had thought that it would take me at least until the end of the week and into the New Year, but I guess it didn't. Not that I'm complaining though.

Well, now. Let's get on with Chapter 7. Roll it!

Chapter 7

The Colors Don't Mean the Same

When Gristle and Tempest had returned to the dining hall, Chef was silently looming over Branch, who was still under the glass bowl, sitting down with his legs pulled up tightly against his chest. The female gray Troll leapt off Gristle's shoulder and landed on the table while Gristle ordered Chef to get a proper cage for their prisoner.

Branch just glared at the gray female Troll, not saying a word, as she approached the glass bowl he was trapped under. Then, he sharply turned his gaze away from her.

Tempest stared at every inch of Branch that she could see as she slowly circled around the bowl, feeling a bit intrigued by him. Despite him being gray and unhappy like her, she actually thought that he was quite handsome. The most attractive male Troll she had ever seen, at least the most attractive out of all of those few males from before.

Back from her previous analysis of him compared to those other colorful and foolish males, she could tell that he was a hard worker, which clearly showed in his strong and actually pretty muscular body, and he clearly has more than half a brain if he came all this way just to rescue them.

But what surprised her was that his eyes were not like the rest of him; they're blue, not gray; the bright cerulean color perfectly mimicking the ocean from what she had seen in pictures from books. If he still has a bit of color in him, then maybe there was still a little bit of happiness in him.

Branch. She believed that was his name, since that was what those other colorful, annoying Trolls were calling him from before. Well, it was certainly better than some of those other stupid and ridiculous names she had heard. Seriously, Biggie? Guy Diamond? Fuzzbert?! Yeesh.

Plus, her own birth name was very much annoying and happy for her taste. It seemed that Branch was a fitting name for him, whether he would be gray or whatever colors he might be hiding under that stormy exterior.

Then, Chef returned to the dining hall with a small cage loudly swinging back and forth in her hand. It was definitely much smaller than the one that was used to hold the Snack Pack. This one was clearly meant for only one or two Trolls.

"What are we doing to do with him?" She asked the Bergen king as she set down the cage next to the bowl. "Lock him away in the dungeon where all prisoners should go?"

Gristle tapped a finger on his chin, looking down at their captive trapped underneath the glass bowl, not moving a muscle.

"I don't know." He answered before looking down over at Tempest. "What do you think?" He asked her.

But the gray female Troll didn't answer him. She just kept staring at Branch, whose eyes were closed shut, and he was still slightly turned away from them, not wanting to feel their penetrating gazes on him anymore.

Smooth black eyebrows on flint gray skin. Ears slightly more pointed and spread outwards. Definitely well-built and somewhat muscular with large hands and feet that deceivingly looked like he would be clumsy; which obviously wasn't the case if his quick and nimble movements from earlier were any indication, and his mind was clearly quite sharp as well.

Handsome, strong, feisty, and brave.

"A-hem!" Gristle's voice snapped Tempest out of her muddled thoughts as Branch's eyes snapped open again to reveal those beautiful blue eyes.

"What do you think? Should we lock him up in the dungeon?" The Bergen king asked again.

Tempest looked back over at Branch, who only narrowed his eyes at her. It looked like his blue eyes turned a little stormy themselves as he glared hatefully at her.

That, along with the thought of him being locked away in even worse conditions than her, made her heart clench. The pain inside of it was unfamiliar, though. Was it.... empathy?

"No." Tempest said, surprising everyone, including Branch, his eyes widened with surprise. "I want him to experience exactly how my life was in this ghastly place. Let's put him somewhere else, but under constant surveillance."

"Fine." Gristle said, sounding bored, but he was a little curious of Tempest's reasoning of why she didn't want this other gray Troll to be put in the dungeon, like all prisoners should be. What was she up to this time?

Chef opened the cage, lifted up the bowl and then quickly grabbed Branch, in case he was planning on making a run for it once the bowl was no longer over him. She then roughly stuffed him inside the little cage and locked it shut.

"Scullery maid!" She shouted.

A female Bergen with gray skin and light pink pigtails dressed in a dirty pink work dress and apron meekly approached Chef from the opposite side of the dining hall.

"Y-Yes?" She asked timidly, rightfully afraid of the sinister and taller Bergen.

Chef then handed Branch's cage over to her. "Keep this creature in your room, and make sure that he is under constant watch." She said, while also throwing a little silver key to her, which Bridget caught clumsily.

"Yes, Chef." The scullery maid said before walking out of the dining hall, Branch's cage in her hands and the key in her apron pocket.

Tempest watched silently as the scullery maid took Branch away. The more her thoughts were lingering on him, the more she felt like there was something inside of her beating rapidly, and heat was starting to coil up around her heart and brain, making her cheeks flare up in a darker shade of gray.

She then quickly shook her head. This unknown feeling was quickly getting infuriating, and that rapid beating inside her chest was starting to hurt. He's a prisoner, not someone to ogle over, even if he is quite the piece of eye candy.

Plus, it was obvious that he hates her. Well, good. After all, she hates him as well. She hated how stupidly brave he was to rescue those other Trolls, hated his guts, hated his strength, hated his smarts, hated how selfless he was to take their place, hated his bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle and glow against his gray skin-

Oh, come on!

***********************

Branch managed to cling onto the bars of the cage, even if the scullery maid was actually handling it pretty carefully in both of her hands as she headed down a spiral staircase. He wasn't going to get sick right now, despite everything that had happened in the past ten minutes, but if he felt like hurling later, whether it was because of motion sickness or shock, he at least wanted to be able to aim.

Finally, the scullery maid pushed open a door to reveal a little room where there were piles of dishes in one corner, while on the other side, there was a small bed with pink sheets, a single pillow and a matching pink taffeta curtain covering the wall behind the bed.

The scullery maid placed the cage on a little side table that was right next to her bed. She stared down at Branch as she slowly sat down on her bed, who only narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. But unlike Chef or Gristle, she looked at him with.... curiosity.

Branch didn't say a word, just looking up at her, waiting to see what she might do. He had to admit, she wasn't as hideous as the other Bergens that he saw; actually, she looked a lot nicer than the other Bergens he had seen, if he could say that. But he had learned that looks could be deceiving, so he wasn't going to push his luck.

After a seemingly long period of awkward silence, the maid opened her mouth to speak, but then, Chef's voice rang from above.

"Scullery maid!" She called to her. "Get up here and finish sweeping the dining hall! Then you can retire for the night. And make it quick. We're not letting our prisoner try anything."

The maid sighed. "Yes, Chef." She answered, and then slid off the bed, looking back at Branch. "Um....don't go anywhere, okay?" She said awkwardly. Then, she left the room.

As if I could right now. Branch thought to himself sarcastically. He could just try to break out and sneak outside the castle already, but it was still too early. The Snack Pack wouldn't have gotten back to the village by now, and the Bergens could easily find them again.

So much to his annoyance, Branch had to wait until he had lulled them into a false sense of confidence. Then, he would make his move and sneak out of the castle to head back home, when by then, the Bergens would notice too late that he was gone.

As minutes slowly ticked by, Branch had run out of things to do other than pace back and forth to plan his eventual escape. He had counted all of the leaves on his vest, lost count on how many knotholes there were in the ceiling of the room, and listened to the metal bars of his cage quietly sing about a good twenty times for each one of them, and there were about fifteen of them surrounding him.

He could feel the music swelling in his soul, but he didn't dare let it out. He wasn't going to reveal his little secret of singing to the Bergens! They might think that because of that, they might try to eat him. But it was starting to feel like he was going to burst because of how much he wanted to sing.

Branch twitched his ears around, listening for any sign of someone coming. It was eerily silent. After a few more seconds, the survivalist deemed it safe for him to sing without being heard.

He took in a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, taking control and then began to sing; softly at first.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Branch: Yes, I made the choice.
For my people, I will stay.
But I don't deserve to lose my
Freedom in this way,
You monster!

His fists clenched at the thought of Tempest, the traitor who was working with the Bergens. How could a Troll turn against their own people?

If you think that
What you've done is right,
Well then,
You're a fool!
Think again.

Branch slowly unclenched his fists and slowly brought his legs up to his chest as he sat down on the metal floor of the cage.

Is this home?
Is this where
I should learn
To be happy?

Never dreamed
That a home could be
Dark and cold.

Slowly, Branch released his legs and let them drop onto the metal floor. He then looked out of the bars of the cage and examined the room. True, it was actually not as bad, and maybe the pink in the corner was a little much, but he'll admit, it looked a bit cozier than the rest of the castle.

I was told
Every day
In my childhood,
Even when we grow old;

"Home will be where
The heart is".
Never were words so true.

My heart's far,
Far away
Home is too.

Slowly, Branch stood up and began walking over to the bars of the cage to hold them in his hands, somewhat hoping that the metal would freeze and break into pieces at his touch.

Is this home?
Is this what
I must learn
To believe in?

Try to find
Something good
In this tragic place,

Just in case,
I should stay here forever,
Held in this empty space.

What Branch didn't know was that of two things. Tempest was secretly hiding in the ventilation shaft in the room, and the scullery maid was behind the door, and both of them were listening to him sing.

Oh, but that won't be easy.
I know the reason why.
My heart's far, far away
Home's a lie.

The scullery maid had her jaw dropped in shock from behind the door, while Tempest's own mouth was slightly agape, feeling that strange thumping inside her chest again, listening to Branch sing. Neither of them thought that a gray Troll would sing, and not so beautifully either. His voice could only be described as glorious.

What I'd give
To return
To the life
That I knew lately.

And to think
I complained
Of that dull,
Provincial town!

Both girls could feel the emotion in his voice; the longing, the pain, and the heartbreak. Branch then released the bars as he felt like the whole room was starting to slowly spin around, and his body was moving with it.

Is this home?
Am I here
For a day
Or forever?

Shut away
From the world
Until who knows when?

Oh, but then,
As my life
Has been altered once,
It can change again.

Build higher walls around me!
Change every lock and key.
Nothing lasts,
Nothing holds
All of me.

Branch's voice slowly started to grow quiet again as he sat back down on the cold metal floor of the cage, bringing his legs up to his chest again while looking up at what little ceiling he could see from inside the containment of his imprisonment.

My heart's far,
Far away;
Home and free.

That final sweet note rang out through the room, and when everything became silent again, Branch buried his face in his arms, feeling the lump that had been building up in his throat getting harder and harder to contain. Finally, he could bear it no more and softly began to sob. What had he gotten himself into?

Tempest could hear his quiet sobs from where she was listening in the ventilation shaft. Something pricked at her chest at the sound. Even if Bergens are unhappy all the time, they never cry, so this was the first time that she had heard someone else cry, besides herself. She wasn't sure why she wanted to go over to him, but she immediately decided against it, and silently headed back to Gristle's room through the shaft.

The scullery maid lightly felt her heart sink as she listened to Branch continue sobbing quietly. She had never heard a Troll cry before. Usually, they were so happy. But then again, he was gray, just like the king's pet, meaning that he was unhappy. Just like them.

The female Bergen waited for a few more seconds, letting Branch believe that she didn't hear anything, before she finally came back inside her room. The captive male Troll immediately straightened himself and swallowed any remaining tears, narrowing his glistening blue and reddening eyes at her. The maid didn't say anything to him and instead began getting ready for bed.

Branch quickly looked away, shutting his eyes as the scullery maid put on a thin, oversized light pink nightshirt over her body. Even when the female Bergen was done and had plopped onto her bed, Branch still didn't dare look at her, not that he wanted to anyway.

Finally, the maid couldn't take the silence anymore; she had to say something to him. "I think what you did earlier.... was very brave." She said.

Branch's ears slightly twitched over in her direction, indicating that he was listening. "I saw everything earlier, but no one ever notices me." The maid continued. "I guess that's one thing about being invisible. You see and hear a lot of things."

The male gray Troll still didn't say a word, and the scullery maid sighed. "Look, I know that you and your kind hate us. But please trust me when I tell you this. I'm not going to hurt you. I've never eaten a Troll before. To be honest, I think that you and I are kind of the same. Unlike you compared to the king's so-called pet."

Even though she couldn't see Branch's face, he had a brow quirked up in curiosity. Was he really that different from Tempest? Other than her being a traitor.

"You both are gray and unhappy, but something else must've happened for you to be like this. But instead of letting it bring you down, to me, I think you're trying to fight it. Tempest on the other hand, she wants revenge against your kind because she won't let go of what happened to her."

Branch sat up a little straighter when he heard this. He wasn't going to correct her when she said that he wasn't letting what happened to him bring him down. Well, his grandmother's death was still hurting him inside, but she was right about him trying to not let it haunt him so much. However, it was proving to be harder than he wished.

But what was really intriguing for him was about what she said about Tempest. Revenge? What did the Trolls do to Tempest that made her so bitter? Trolls aren't ones for holding grudges, so it was kind of unheard of.

However, he wasn't a typical Troll either. But he never really held anything against anyone; it was just that there were some Trolls that got on his nerves, like Creek. Cooper was a bit clueless and annoying as well, but he didn't necessarily hate him.

"Your name's Branch, right?" The scullery maid asked him. "I heard that was what those other Trolls called you. I kind of like it. Strong name."

Branch didn't answer her, although he was kind of surprised by that. No one other than his grandmother and King Peppy said that about his name. He personally thought that his name was kind of strange.

"My name's Bridget." The scullery maid introduced herself. "And.... I think, even though you hate Bergens, and I can't eat you because you're gray, can we.... at least.... come to a compromise? It would be kind of nice.... to have someone to talk to."

Branch's ears twitched over in her direction, surprised at her request. "I won't treat you the way that the king treats Tempest." Bridget said. "From what I've heard, she's like a source of entertainment for him, even though she doesn't sing or dance. I don't know if you could, or if she refuses to because she's gray. I just.... want someone to talk to. Everyone thinks that I'm just a pitiful scullery maid, whose name they don't even bother to know or learn."

Was he going crazy, or was Branch starting to feel.... sympathy towards this Bergen? He was an outcast in his own village because he stuck out like a sore thumb, or like a storm cloud in a clear blue sky. She was an outcast among her own people as well, because she is constantly overlooked, or basically invisible because she was considered expendable. And he thought that the Bergens couldn't stoop any lower.

Suddenly, he heard Bridget starting to sing, which was strange because he thought that Bergens were terrible at it. But she actually had a pretty nice voice.

Bridget: I hope that we'll be friends,
Though I don't know you well.
If anyone can make the most of living here,
Then, Branch, it's you.

And who knows?
You may find
Home here too.

Branch finally turned around in time to see Bridget lie down and turn away herself. Did she hear him?! If she did, then why didn't she ask him about it? Was she going to report him, and then Chef might change her mind and then serve him on a silver platter?

"It's okay." Bridget whispered over to him, hearing his quiet, shallow breathing increase in speed. "Your secret's safe with me. You're not like Tempest at all. Just because you both are gray doesn't mean that you're the same."

With that, the female Bergen quickly fell asleep, leaving Branch alone with his thoughts. She did have a point, though. He and Tempest are nothing alike, despite their similar monotonous colors.

But her words didn't quite put him at ease. He still was going to keep his guard up. He had to be ready for anything tomorrow, regardless of what Bridget said to him. He was going to get home, one way or another.

A/N: I figured that maybe Bridget wouldn't mind having someone to talk to, even if Branch is technically a prisoner. Plus, it's not like she could even hurt a fly. She may be a Bergen, but she is a lot nicer than most of them. But it is going to take a bit more time for Branch to trust her. After all, this is Branch we're talking about here.

And I think I'm going to enjoy writing Tempest. She had gone almost her entire life without feeling any sort of positive emotions that they're pretty much strange to her. Well, actually she wasn't feeling anything positive; but feeling an attraction would definitely be foreign territory to her.

And of course she was going to feel attracted to Branch! He wasn't anything that she would've expected from a Troll from what she had been told, so to her, it was almost like looking in a mirror. The only difference is that Branch still had some sort of hope in him, while Tempest had completely given up on it, and wants revenge.

The songs that I used are "Home" and its reprise from the Broadway musical version of "Beauty and the Beast." I'm sorry; it may be kind of cheesy, but I thought that they could work perfectly. And I was actually lucky enough to find a video of a guy singing this song that sounded amazing! However, I don't own any of them in any way or form. All credit goes to their rightful owners.

Well, I'll see you guys in the next chapter! And in the New Year, too! Please leave a comment about what you think! They are highly appreciated, and remember to stay healthy!

Got to fly! ;)