Who Am I?

Chapter One – The Grey Prince

When Rosiepuff mastered her magic, she realized why Eclipse loved to use it. Magic could be fun. Really fun. As in absolutely, positively, incredibly fun. One of her new favorite things to do was use her magic to create shadows of light that helped her illustrate the stories she would tell the little ones.

"Once upon a time, there was a queen in a faraway kingdom. One day, as she strolled through the castle garden, she took a moment to admire the lovely roses that grew there. 'One day,' she said to herself, 'I hope to have a daughter with hair red and soft like the rose petals, skin as green as the grass, and eyes like the summer sky.' Soon after, the queen got her wish, and so named her daughter Summer Rose. Sadly, the queen died when the princess was only a child. Her father remarried, but the new queen was vain and jealous of the princess's prettiness. When the king died, the Evil Queen forced Summer Rose to work as a scullery maid.

"Time went by and, although she dressed in rags and worked as a servant, Summer Rose grew up to be as beautiful as she was kind. She met a prince by chance, and they fell in love. The Evil Queen had a magic mirror. Every day, she would approach the mirror and say, 'Mirror, mirror, on the wall, say who is fairest of them all.' Every day, the mirror replied that it was the queen who was the most beautiful in the land. But, one day, the mirror said, 'Hair like a rose with eyes of the sky, even rags do not hide. The princess if far fairer than thee, my less-illustrious queen.' Angered, the Evil Queen sent her hunter to take Summer Rose into the forest to kill her. The hunter became remorseful, and instead sent Summer Rose out into the forest to find a safe place to hide.

"Soon, Summer Rose came upon a small cottage, which belonged to a band of silver trolls. The silver trolls are trolls that are grey in color who make wondrous and precious items from metal and gems they collect from the mines. The silver trolls accepted Summer Rose into their home and vowed to protect her from the Evil Queen. But, thanks to the magic mirror, the Evil Queen discovered Summer Rose was still alive and hiding in the forest. Disguising herself as an old hag, she visited Summer Rose at the cottage while the silver trolls were at work in the mines. She tricked the princess into eating a poisoned apple, which put Summer Rose into a death-like sleep. The Evil Queen escaped back to her kingdom, but the silver trolls gave a chase. Eventually, their fight took them to the edge of a cliff, where the Evil Queen met her demise.

"Believing Summer Rose to be dead but unwilling to bury her, the silver trolls put her in a glass coffin and built a resting place for her in the forest. They visited her every day, mourning the loss of their friend. One day, the prince found them, and mourned with the silver trolls for losing his love. The prince kissed the princess for what he believed would be the final time. That kiss of true love broke the curse, and the princess awoke. The prince and Summer Rose were married, with the silver trolls making their wedding bands. Summer Rose and the prince gave the silver trolls a home in their castle, and they all lived happily ever after."

The troll children clapped as the light shadows exploded like fireworks, raining down glitter on them. Peppy, sitting at the back of the room to keep an eye on the children, also applauded for the enchantress. Rosiepuff found another reason to love using magic: seeing the delight and wonder in the eyes of the trolls, especially the children.

"Can we have another story?" one of the children asked.

"It's nearly dinnertime for most of you." Rosiepuff said. "You should all be getting home."

The children collectively groaned in disappointment. "Just one more!" a child pleaded.

"Use your snowflake magic and tell us the one about the ice queen!" another one piped up.

"I've told you that story a hundred times." Rosiepuff laughed. "Plus, I'm only set to babysit the lot of you until dinnertime. I'll tell you the ice queen story tomorrow."

"Can't we just live with you forever so we can hear more stories?" a child asked.

"Do you think my magic solely exists so I can tell you exciting stories?" Rosiepuff asked with a raised eyebrow.

The kids exchanged looks. Several of them said, "Yes, absolutely" at the same time most of them feverishly said, "No, of course not!"

Rosiepuff laughed again. "All right, out with you! Scurry on home!" The kids giggled madly as they gathered their things and headed out of the pod.

Peppy approached his wife as she helped a little girl retie her hair bow. "Your stories continue to delight. I don't think I ever tire of them."

"You and them both." Rosiepuff sighed. "Though I suppose it is good magic practice. Eclipse always used to say that you have to practice magic whenever you can, or else it'll explode."

"As in the magic will burst out unexpectedly or you yourself will explode?" Peppy asked.

"Never found out, don't want to find out." Rosiepuff felt a tug on her dress, and she looked down to one of the troll children.

"Miss Rosiepuff? Are the silver trolls real?" the boy asked.

"Can't say. I've never met one myself. But I think they are." Rosiepuff said.

"Is Prince Ash a silver troll?" a young girl asked.

"No, he's a rainbow troll." Peppy corrected. "Born and bred right here in the Troll Tree."

"So why is he grey?" the girl asked.

"Well, he was born that way." Rosiepuff explained gently. "But he'll get his colors someday."

"How do you know?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, what if that is his true colors?" another girl asked.

"Rainbow trolls don't stay grey forever." Rosiepuff assured. "Prince Ash will find his true colors."

"I can't wait to see them!" the first girl said excitedly. The last of the kids filed out of Rosiepuff and Peppy's home.

Peppy noticed the slightly troubled look in Rosiepuff's eyes. "Still confident of that, huh?"

"Branch and Poppy are very vocal advocates of accepting who you are, no matter what you look like." Rosiepuff said. "But one of the very truest facts about rainbow trolls is that we don't stay grey. Even Ash will find his colors, I'm sure of it. I'm just worried because of how long it might take."

"Remember that Ash's birth wasn't easy." Peppy said reassuringly. "Heck, it wasn't even normal. After what Malcolm did, I'm just relieved Creek was able to save Ash's life. I'm certain Ash will find his colors, but I can't imagine it being easy."

Rosiepuff sighed. "At least we can be happy that he's a kind, thoughtful, wonderful little boy."

"And if I ever hear you did something like this again, I'll have your head served on our old Trollstice platter!" the bergen woman screamed. "Do you understand me?!"

The bergen adolescent before her cowered, still holding a handkerchief to his bleeding nose. "Yes, Mom."

The bergen mother sighed curtly and turned to Branch, Poppy, and their sons, who stood on a tall table at her chest level. "My deepest apologies, Your Majesties. I don't know what came over my son."

It took a moment for the royals to get over their shock at the screaming from the bergen. Poppy and Branch's style hadn't changed much since their adventure in Moonlight Kingdom just over ten years ago. However, Branch still sported the tattoo his mother once had, and he now wore one of Eclipse's old capes in honor of her. Prince Ash, now twelve years old, still had his grey skin and pitch black hair, with magenta eyes that matched his Grandpa Peppy's. His hair had become just as wild as his grandfather's, too. He dressed in purple pants, a light green bandana tied loosely around his neck, a periwinkle blue vest, a blue Hug Time bracelet, and a bone bead bracelet his surrogate brother Prowlus gave him as a baby. The vest lay open enough to show the red mark on his chest in the shape of a flame, the mark that Creek's Phoenix Tear Crystal left on Ash when the yogi saved his life. Prince Prowlus, the now-twenty-three-year-old Moonlight Kingdom troll whom Poppy adopted, had long since adapted into his new royal life. His shaggy indigo hair always looked tangled, and the bangs he now had sometimes hung in his blue-green eyes. His light blue skin almost matched Branch's in hue. Prowlus had grown out of his overalls, and now wore red pants, a black shirt, a forest green poncho, a purple Hug Time bracelet, and a teal headband with the Flame of Happiness Rebellion crest on it.

"Miss, our son is equally responsible." Branch said. "He should not have reacted the way he did."

"My son was insulting Prince Ash's grey coloring." The bergen mother said. "I think the young prince was more than within his rights to throw a Bergen Ball at my son."

"Even though he just broke your son's nose?" Poppy pointed out.

Ash smirked, earning a glare from the bergen child. Prowlus gently whapped Ash upside the head.

"Ash, being bullied is not something that will be condoned, but violent retaliation is not the answer." Branch said. "You have to apologize."

Ash groaned. "Fine. I'm sorry for smashing the Bergen Ball ball in your face and breaking your nose."

"Your apology is accepted, young prince." The bergen mother said. "No worries."

"Hopefully, we can avoid this in the future." Poppy said. "Thank you." The bergen mother bowed and then walked off, dragging her son by the ear.

Branch and Poppy stared at their youngest son. Ash scoffed. "He was asking for it. Just because I'm grey doesn't mean he gets to mock me."

"But you shouldn't be reacting so harshly." Branch said. "Ash, take it from me, anger and violence are not the answer. I know this is hard. Trust me, I do. You are going to find your colors, just like I did. I'm sure of it."

Ash sighed. "Yeah. I'm sure of it, too."

"So can you promise you'll stop physically attacking whoever verbally attacks you?" Poppy requested.

Ash still didn't regret what he did to the bergen child. But he hated that look of disappointment and pleading on his mother's face. "I'll do my best."

Prowlus tousled his brother's hair. 'Hang in there, buddy.' He said in Sign Language. Being mute, Prowlus had no way to communicate verbally. Sign Language was created in Moonlight Kingdom for mutes like Prowlus or deaf trolls.

"Come on. Let's go home and have dinner." Branch encouraged. The royal family headed for the Troll Tree.

Branch and Poppy glanced back to the younger prince. They understood his predicament. It hasn't been easy for Ash to grow up without his colors. One grey troll in an entire kingdom of colorful rainbow trolls. Branch knew exactly what that felt like, and he worried that Ash would fall down the same path he did. Luckily, Ash did have very close friends to help him. His surrogate brother Prowlus spent nearly every waking moment with him. Prowlus's dark phoenix, Ebony, would fly them around the kingdom all the time. Ash and Prowlus also spent quite a bit of time with the prince of Bergen Town, Gris. With a friend and a brother like those, Ash's life was made a little easier.

"Hey there, Prowlus!" Harper called from her pod.

Prowlus perked up, his eyes glowing with delight. He waved excitedly to Harper as she swung down from her pod.

Branch smirked playfully. "Got a hot date tonight?"

Prowlus blushed, shaking his head.

"Hey Prowlus! I finally finished that painting I've been working on!" Harper showed the canvas to Prowlus. The painting depicted Ebony flying in a starry night sky and a full moon.

'It's beautiful!' Prowlus signed with excitement. 'Ebony will love it, too!'

"Here, take it and show her!" Harper handed the canvas to Prowlus. "Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

'Yes, yes!' Prowlus signed/nodded. 'Ebony and I will pick you up!'

"Great." Harper kissed Prowlus's cheek before she skipped off.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Poppy cooed, making Prowlus blush even more. Prowlus and Harper began dating when they were teens, and almost instantly fell in love. Poppy kept saying it was only a matter of time before they were married.

"Come on, let's go have dinner." Branch encouraged. The family journeyed to their pod home. The one thing different about the kingdom was all the new phoenix perches and nests. The Troll Tree Kingdom had its own flock of phoenixes, led by Symphony. Symphony and Ebony had their own nests next to the royal pod.

Poppy noticed Ash pushing his dinner around. She brushed a hand through his hair. "Sweetheart?"

"Please no encouraging words, Mom." Ash pleaded. "I promise I'll do my best to not beat up anyone."

Poppy smiled. "That's all I want."

The next day, Prowlus took Ash out to fly around on Ebony to cheer him up. Normally, Ash loved flying on Ebony and all the acrobatic tricks she would pull while they weaved through the trees of Troll Grove. Today, though, he just wasn't feeling it. So Prowlus had Ebony land on a clear meadow of grass so they could relax and talk.

"I know I'm not going to be grey forever." Ash shrugged. "Dad wasn't grey his entire life. Heck, the entire village turned grey twice. Twice, they regained their colors. Mom says I'll get my colors when I find my happiness. I thought I was already happy."

'Our true colors are our true selves.' Prowlus signed. 'I think you need more than happiness. You need to be yourself and like who you are.'

"Okay, then my problem is I don't know who I am." Ash sighed. "I guess I know what I am: Prince of the Troll Tree, and all that. But then what…"

A rumbling noise caught Ash and Prowlus's attention, and they sat up in excitement. Ash jumped to his feet right before a gray-scaled crocodile tackled him and began licking his face.

"Hi, Ash!" Harper laughed from the crocodile's back.

"Hey Harper!" Ash wiped the crocodile saliva from his face. "Where'd you find Steve?"

"He found me." Harper slid off the crocodile and right into Prowlus's waiting arms. "I think he was really excited to see you. He came running through the grove and picked me up while I was sketching."

Steve was part of the litter of crocodile babies belonging to Barnabas and his mate, Lilypad. Lilypad was Gris's pet, and Steve had bonded with Ash when they were younger. Ash loved riding Steve around Troll Grove, Bergen Town, and even the forest. Someday, he might enjoy flying on his own phoenix, yet he hadn't found one with whom to bond.

"Sorry if he interrupted your art." Ash said.

"No, not at all!" Harper assured. "I was just gathering inspiration. What are you guys up to?"

'Ash is worried about his colors again.' Prowlus explained.

"Harper, have you always had your true colors?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I was born with them. Although, I spend much of my time covered in paint, so these—" She pointed to the paint splotches on her skin and in her hair. "—are practically my true colors, too."

"So what makes them stay?" Ash asked. "What makes you happy? Who you are?"

"Easy: my art." Harper said proudly. "Having some trouble finding yourself?"

Ash nodded. "I know I'm a prince, the future king of the Troll Tree Kingdom. But that doesn't seem to be enough for my colors to come."

Prowlus patted Ash on the shoulder. 'Remember that your birth wasn't normal. It was forced, and you came into the world before your colors developed.'

"But what if that isn't the case?" Ash asked. "What if these are my colors and I spend the rest of my life like this? I've already spent twelve years like this. What if I'm grey as long as or even longer than Dad was? He turned grey from losing someone he loved. I was born this way."

"You'll find your colors someday." Harper assured. "When you find yourself, and we'll help you."

'How do we do that?' Prowlus asked.

"Well," Harper scratched her head. "I guess we should start with what makes you happy. What do you enjoy?"

"Riding Steve around the kingdom, I guess." Ash shrugged.

"So let's do it." Harper suggested. "Come on, Prowlus can bring Ebony, too. We'll take a stroll around the kingdom."

Ash shrugged and mounted Steve. Harper and Prowlus climbed onto Ebony, and the two animals began casually walking through Troll Grove. As Ash looked around, he saw what he did every time he took a walk through his home: trolls out and about, doing what they love and happy with who they are. His entire life, Ash watched the trolls. He knew everyone in his kingdom: every name, what that troll loved to do, what brought out their colors. He knew it all, yet he didn't know it for himself.

I've walked these paths before
I know every face, every name
Sometimes people can change
Yet, to me, it all looks the same

Who am I?
Where do I fit in here?
Who am I?
I wish my path was clear
Because I can't find the answer
No matter how hard I try
Feeling lost, can someone tell me
Who am I?

As they continued through the troll kingdom, Ash observed everyone around them. Sky Toronto tested confetti cannons outside his factory. Toby had a glowstick dance party with his friends, with CJ Suki providing her original music on her pet Wooferbug. Rufus tended to his flock of puffalo. Ripley Wisp, Satin, and Chenille went hair-ziplining, dressed in new sport outfits the twins designed. Thistle McCall performed a play for the enjoyment of a small crowd.

Sky Toronto makes the best parties in town
CJ brings the beats, the greatest DJ around
Toby rocks it, brings a party where he goes
Thistle is an actor, which everyone knows
Ripley and Satin are closest of friends
Chenille with her twin, on the latest trends

All around me, I see the colors of a rainbow
Feel I don't belong here, does that mean I have to go?

Who am I?
Where do I fit in here?
Who am I?
I wish my path was clear
Because I can't find the answer
No matter how hard I try
Feeling lost, can someone tell me
Who am I?

Trolls waved to their princes as they passed. Everyone long since accepted that Prince Ash was grey and would most likely remain that way. But, sometimes, they would still stare. For the older trolls who knew Grey Branch, it almost felt like déjà vu. As Ash grew older and more aggressive, it seemed history repeated itself.

Ash wasn't blind to the stares. He wasn't normal. He knew that. Just because he was born and raised in the Troll Tree Kingdom doesn't mean he looked like he belonged there.

Mom, the queen who made peace
Dad, protector of the Troll Tree
My sister's an empress just next door
I'll bet she never wanted more
Grandma and Grandpa found each other
Years ago, I gained my brother
The darkness and grey of their past
I guess that I'm the last

Everyone plays a role and they seem happy
I'm their prince, and yet I just feel—

"Ash! Not in front of the kids!" Harper scolded.

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."

'You cannot truly be the only troll without his happiness or does not know his path, can you?' Prowlus asked.

Ash gave his brother a deadpan stare. "Hmm, let's see….."

Aspen Heitz does sports
Maddy cuts hair
Tulip grows flowers
And Cybil is wise
Dr. Plum heals our ailments
Rudy likes to compete
Tug Duluth gives tours
Wim hums beautiful songs
Glint shines like his dad
Karma knows all things nature
Arabesque does all dancing
Priscilla is smart
Master Controll, a compliment master
Harper, your art is amazing
Mandy Sparkledust and her family make our Hug Time Bracelets which are pretty much essential to a troll's life I mean they're so important and—

"Okay, we get it!" Harper interrupted, and then sighed. "We get it. We're sorry."

'You have a place here, too.' Prowlus reassured. 'You're still a prince.'

"That's right." Harper nodded.

I know you feel left out and lonely
The only grey troll in this town
But you must know that you are loved
Someday you'll find your sound

Just be a little patient
Soon, I'm sure, you'll find your way
Keep your head up, little friend
You'll find your path someday

Ash stared in the direction of the wall that surrounded Bergen Town and Troll Grove. "Someday isn't soon enough. What if the reason I'm not finding the answer is because the answer isn't here? What if it's out there? Everyone else in my family learned and grew while out on adventures outside their home."

"All of them?" Harper asked.

Prowlus thought to all the stories he heard about his family members. 'Yes, I think he's right.'

Ash sighed heavily. "No one else can give me the answers I want. Is it so wrong to want to fit in? Why shouldn't I fit in with my own people?"

"You do fit in." Harper assured.

"Then why don't I feel like it?" Ash asked.

Who am I?
Everyone tells me to be strong
Who am I?
I just feel like I don't belong
Where do I find the answer?
Could it be it's all out there?
Is there anyone that's like me?
Someone who doesn't stare?

Ash hadn't stopped staring at the forest beyond the wall.

Who am I?

A/N: First chapter, done! Hopefully, I'll be able to stay on a schedule of weekly updates on Fridays. Also, since Fanfiction does not allow song lyrics that aren't in Public Domain, this story will feature all original songs by me! The song in this chapter is titled "Who Am I". See ya next chapter!