Hello! If you've stumbled upon this and have never read 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life', some of the OCs and the main character's relationship with the canon characters from the POT franchise might confuse you. 'Looking Glass' is a side-story to 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'; an arc (if you like) between chapter 13 and chapter 14.
I would recommend reading the main fanfic up-to chapter 13 if you're interested, but that's all up to you! :)
'Looking Glass' is inspired by the themes from 'Alice in the Wonderland', Spirited Away' and 'The Cat Returns'
"On the other side
of the door opened ajar
there is a world about to collapse
Will morning come?
Or will it turn into night?
While I'm confused about it, light become undone"
Excerpt from 'Your Silver Garden' by Kajiura Yuki
XXX
A pair of soft brown eyes stared blankly at the straw-thatched roof above a form that was lying sprawled across a rickety old bed.
The roof had numerous cracks, from which light fell through, revealing the dusts that seemed to dance gracefully in the air, and yet, the small and shabby hut remained dim.
As seconds ticked by, everything came crashing down on Akemi; from the encounter with her doppelganger at the airport to the strange rabbit in the clearing, then finally to the memory-like dream…
XXX
(At the airport…)
A low blanket of clouds loomed over the coast. Not a single ray of sunshine could penetrate the thick layer, leaving much of the city dull and very grey in its wake.
Adding to this misery, strong winds made it difficult for those unfortunate caught out in the cold drizzle as they struggled to navigate to and fro the airport. Patience was thinning off for the few who were huddled together at the bus stops as they waited for their turns to board, fighting to stay on their feet.
Inside the departure hall, the howling wind was muffled, and the rain lashed noisily against the large observation windows of the terminal, giving a false impression of heavy rain to the weary travellers.
"Dreich," mumbled a gruff voice with a thick Scottish accent.
Her ears perked at the comment. Pausing in the middle of reading, Noda Akemi subtly peered over the top of her book.
Sitting across from her was an elderly man, probably in his late sixties, with strands of wispy white hair peeking out from underneath his Tweed flat cap. Sensing a pair of curious eyes, the man shifted around in his large waterproof jacket to face the sixteen year old girl, who jerked uncomfortably at being caught spying.
Behind the thick book, she bit on her lower lip nervously, inwardly debating on whether to apologise to the man for her blatant rudeness (even though she purely did it out of curiosity), hide behind the book and pretend nothing happened, or simply flee.
She held her breath as the man opened his mouth to speak.
"Where are you heading off to, lass?"
If she could slip off the chair and collapse onto the ground in relief without being questioned on her sanity, she would have done it in a jiffy.
As it were, her shoulders slumped in relief. She warily studied the old man.
She hesitated, feeling her stomach tied into knots as seconds ticked by. He looked harmless, if not, friendly; his eyes twinkled with that kind of passing curiosity.
But it paid to be extra cautious right?
"Japan," she replied briskly into her book, trying to maintain a good eye contact with him out of respect. It was the least she could do.
He must have seen the discomfort in her eyes, for he gave her a warm smile with a slight bob of his head, and turned to the person beside him, a young woman, who was undoubtedly his granddaughter.
Silently thanking him, Akemi brought the book higher up her face.
But after spending a frustrating minute struggling to drown out the noises around her (the wind and rain behind her were no help at all), she closed the book with a sigh of resignation.
She looked up, blinking in surprise at the two empty seats in front of her.
Glancing around the busy terminal, she laid the book on top of her shoulder bag resting on her lap. 'They must have left,' she mused, stifling a yawn behind her hand. Rubbing her eyes groggily, she lowered her gaze to her watch and frowned at the time which showed 8:06am. 'Bah humbug! Why do we have to choose an early flight of all the –"
A sudden whistling of the wind made her look over her shoulder. Through the rain-splattered window, lights from the cars, the multi-storey car park opposite the terminal, and street lamps seemed to dance before her eyes. She raised them to the sky, staring at the grey clouds unblinkingly. 'Dreich*… only in Scotland do we have a word for such a miserable weather,' she remarked with a dry smirk, remembering the old man's word.
"Akemi? It's time to go. They've just put up the gate number."
At the sound of her mother's voice, she tore her eyes away from the bleak view and turned her head around, and did a double take.
She gaped at the sight of the bulging shopping bag Mrs Noda carried in one arm. "Umm…mama? I'm pretty sure papa did not ask for so many souvenirs."
Her father had left with their house cat and dog two weeks before them so that he could complete all the necessary paperwork. Plus, someone needed to furnish the house, and the job fell on Mr Noda. It helped that both her parents had the same tastes. Otherwise, she would be travelling alone. Not that being alone itself was a problem – having grown used to it and all. It was more of having to haul five pieces of luggage half her height from the taxi stop to the check-in counters, and making sure all of them made it to Narita Airport. She didn't want to begin to think what would happen if one of them ended up somewhere halfway across the journey to Japan.
"Sure, he didn't. But I have mine to give away as well," Mrs Noda smiled, patting the carrier bag. "Now come on, before all seats are taken," she beckoned with a wave of her hand. Without seeing if her daughter complied, she turned around and started towards their gate.
Akemi hastily rose to her feet and followed after her mother, dragging her hand luggage behind. She slowed down her pace when she eventually caught up with Mrs Noda.
Brown eyes roamed around the bustling terminal. Even at this ridiculous time of day, the airport was already buzzing with various activities. Anxious travellers rushed past her to catch their flights. There were tourists and locals alike browsing around the many shops, and the baristas getting breakfast orders from customers. As they walked past a café, Akemi gave the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee a deep and appreciative sniff.
Arriving at their gate, it was to find the waiting area was already packed, which meant getting two neighbouring empty seats was equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily, they managed to find just one close to the ticket inspection counters.
Mrs Noda, exhausted from the trip to the airport and then hunting the shops for decent souvenirs, plopped down onto the seat with a sigh of content.
"I'll be over there, mama," said Akemi, gesturing towards a corner by the window at the back of the waiting area. There were hardly any people nearby, which suited her perfectly for someone who preferred to be left alone in her own thoughts.
After being given the consent, she wheeled her hand luggage over to the window, and stood with her side leaning against it so that she could keep an eye out for any sign of a queue forming while she admired the view outside.
It hadn't stopped drizzling since early this morning, and the grey clouds looked as if they'd never moved an inch across the sky.
At least the gust had weakened to a soft breeze by now. A good thing, because nobody would like their flights delayed due to strong winds, or for any reasons for that matter.
Arms folded over her stomach with the book grasped loosely in one hand, she rested her head on the cold glass, watching the buses go by below and people, unused to the climate, shivering miserably in their coats.
Looking back, it was one of the coldest and wettest Summer this season. Some may curse it, but growing up in this part of the country, she found the unpredictable weather particularly charming.
The corner of her lips twitched upwards into a wry smile. The grip on the book tightened as she fought down the uneasiness swirling inside her stomach that had been there the moment she woke up two hours ago. Since her father left for Japan, Akemi had become slightly withdrawn, much to the dismay of Mrs Noda.
'I've decided to do this. There's no turning back now,' she sighed irritably.
Yet, she could not stop the dull ache behind her chest where her heart was at the sight of a large billboard adorning the side of the multi-storey car park that was facing the airport.
On it was a picture of the famous Edinburgh Castle. Though she had only been there twice in her lifetime, the castle was a huge landmark in the city, as well as in her heart.
It was the one thing that provided assurance she was at home – a place filled with the familiar sights and sounds that had only started to grow on her since she became more adventurous and less wary of people for the past couple of years. She'd spent whatever time left to roam around the city, committing every nook and cranny to her memory. But there were still so many places in the city and the wider country yet to be explored.
With a heavy heart, she realised it was very uncertain when she could return. Definitely not in the next two years or so; their new house and shipping all of their belongings (not including furniture) cost them a fortune, not to mention insurance and all. Anyway, she would probably be too busy with schoolwork to think of going on holiday abroad.
A mixture of excitement and anxiety bubbled inside her at that thought. When her parents asked if she would like to enrol into a private school in Kanagawa, she had been reluctant to give a straight out answer and begged for more time to mull it over. Her parents had been very understanding. No doubt, they had expected it.
Her brown eyes glinted with amusement, recalling the look of utmost surprise on their faces when she walked back into the living room only an hour later with a yes. What they didn't know was that it had taken every ounce of her wit to make that firm decision. She might have torn a big hole in the carpeted floor from the constant pacing, but perhaps it – she would know when the right time came – was worth the scolding for ruining a nice carpet.
"Passengers with small children are allowed to board the plane first. Please ready your boarding pass and passport for inspection. Thank you," a smooth voice announced over the speakers, eliciting a few sighs and murmurs of relief.
Like them, she was getting slightly agitated from all the waiting, and very eager to get on the plane. Though a quick glance over at the queue forming in front of the counters, 'very eager' might just be a little bit of an understatement.
Despite families with small children were given priorities over the rest of the passengers, there were a number of grownups either alone or in small groups at the back of the slowly moving line.
Gesturing at her mother to stay in her seat, Akemi heaved herself off the window, grabbed the luggage's handle and was about to put one foot out when she was alerted to the sound of someone coming this way by the pitter-patter of feet and girlish giggles.
At a blink of an eye, a little girl suddenly slipped onto the floor, falling on her hands and knees with a cry of surprise.
Recovering from the shock, Akemi made to rush towards her, but halted in her steps when a boy, who looked slightly older than the girl, beat her to it.
"I've told you not to run!" the boy firmly but gently admonished, hastily helping the sobbing girl to her feet.
"Ahm thowie!" wailed the girl, her voice thick from all the emotions. She rubbed her eyes furiously as crocodile tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. "Ahm tho thowie, omee-chan!" she flung her little arms around the boy, locking him in a tight embrace, and nearly throwing him off his feet in the process.
A good head taller than his sister, the boy patted the back of her head awkwardly, muttering comforting words into the long curtain of black hair as she sobbed uncontrollably into the front of his T-shirt.
A glimpse of movement out from the corner of his eyes made him look up sharply. He tightened his hold around the girl protectively, narrowing his eyes at the approaching stranger.
Akemi sent him a warm smile, silently assuring him that she was no baddie. Keeping one hand on the luggage while clutching the book to her chest with the other, she knelt down before the two siblings, keeping a small distance between them so as not to frighten any of the two. She studied the younglings closely, estimating their age to be around six to seven years of age.
He glared warningly at her, failing to appear intimidating much to his chagrin, if the flushed cheeks were of any indication.
Something about the way he narrowed his eyes struck a chord. Seconds later, she shook it off as a passer-by from the streets, assuming her subconscious mind might have retained the image of his face.
Shifting her gaze to the little girl, she asked, "Are you hurt?"
The sobbing immediately stopped. After a moment of awkward silence, she slowly lifted her head slightly above her brother's arms.
Akemi caught a glimpse of her eyes, bloodshot from all the crying, before the girl shoved her head back into her hiding place. She raised an eyebrow. 'Those brown eyes, they look so familiar, even more so than the brother's – but why? '
Sniffing, the girl mutely turned her head from side to side.
"Good," the older girl smiled in relief. "Now, why don't you smile for me?" she gently prodded, grinning encouragingly at her.
It was an old tactic the elderly Mackenzies used when she was feeling down. Gosh, she missed them so much. The elderly couple said their goodbyes at the train station a couple of days ago. A pity, because she would very much like to see them today. Unfortunately, they had long bought the train tickets in anticipation of a weeklong stay with their children and grandchildren down in Liverpool, and cancelling the tickets was way out of the question.
Hesitating, the little girl leaned in closer to her brother, but seeing that the older girl was unwilling to back down, she eventually pulled away and smiled shyly at her.
The book fell onto the floor with a clatter.
She crouched there, frozen in her spot, with her mouth agape and eyes the size of platters.
There was no doubt about it. Akemi had seen a few pictures of it adorning the mantelpiece in her old home's living room before they were taken down, packed into boxes and shipped to Japan.
The little girl cocked her head, wondering why she had suddenly gone mute. "Are you okay?"
Tentatively, she picked up her book and heaved herself upright. That alone seemed to take an eternity as her mind tried to come up with a logical solution. "Please tell me this is a bad joke," she whispered hoarsely, never tearing her eyes off the face of her six year old self.
Her mother's voice seemed to be calling her name from a distance. But it wasn't until a hand grabbed her wrist did she snap out of the trance.
"Come on! Before the plane leaves without us," Mrs Noda said exasperatedly, pulling her daughter along towards the ticket inspectors.
Akemi glanced over her shoulder.
Where the siblings stood not a second ago was now an empty spot.
XXX
Resting her head against the oval window, Akemi watched the rain water trickling down its surface with mild fascination.
She hardly gave the retreating view of her beloved city a glance. No longer could she call it home, not when she's already on the plane and en route to London for their connecting flight to Tokyo.
Since waking up this morning, her mind had been in a turmoil, and with the strange encounter with her (presumably) doppelganger, it was (to be nicely) now in a mess.
At the sound of a thump, Mrs Noda shifted her gaze from the inflight magazine to her daughter who sat beside her. Noticing the scowl on her daughter's face, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Akemi? You've been awfully quiet since we got on the plane," she asked, worriedly.
Akemi briefly glanced at her mother then back at the view outside. She shook her head wordlessly, causing her mother to sigh in exasperation.
The weight from her shoulder vanished, only to reappear deep inside her at the disheartened way her mother was flipping through the pages.
The guilt she felt was small, but heavy at the same time. It was a habit, born out of the desire to disburden her parents, who already had their hands full with their jobs and keeping up with the bills and taxes, from the one thing she could deal by herself, though it took her years to find the right solution.
As they journeyed on southwards, she felt the knot in the pits of her stomach tightened. She could feel it coursing through her veins. There was a mixture of anxiety, fear and excitement of the prospect of living in Japan. She had never been there before despite her parents' origins, and after a moment of reflection, she was actually excited about it.
But a few times, her mind wandered back to the encounter at the airport, only fear infected her mind like the plague. Once she lingered on the subject for far too long, Akemi couldn't take it anymore and hastily excused herself to use the lavatory.
Once back, she closed her eyes, hoping the worries would go away in her sleep.
Rolling onto her side, an image of the way the siblings held onto each other brought a bittersweet smile to her face. 'I wonder if my life would be the same if I have a sibling of my own –though I'm not really complaining about being the only child – sibling rivalry and all that jazz.'
XXX
"Senpai?"
"It's best to leave her alone when she's asleep."
Akemi woke up with a start, and shot straight up on the grass, blinking several times before glancing around this new environment.
She was in a clearing with a lone ancient-looking tree in the middle. Like the ones on the edge of the clearing, it towered over her head, making her feel tiny. The leaves were evergreen like the thin blades of grass protruding from the soil. Moses grew on the trunks and rocks that were scattered across the ground. Streams of sunlight burst through the tiny gaps in the canopies, bathing the ground and giving the clearing an eerie and almost magical feel.
As seconds turned to minutes, Akemi realised that no longer was she on the plane.
"Whe-where am I?" she whispered. "Did I knock my head against the window a little bit too hard in my sleep?" She leapt to her feet and started pacing, muttering incomprehensible words under breath. "That's right! This is just a dream!" she abruptly stopped. Then without a second thought, she slapped both her cheeks really hard, regretting it soon after. "Ouch!"
Rubbing her hands against the spots where it stung terribly, she glanced around to see nothing had changed. Then something caught her eyes.
Blinking rapidly, she stared in puzzlement at a light grey rabbit that had hopped into the clearing. It was sniffing at a hollow hidden amidst the thick roots of the lone tree and emitting a series of curious noises.
"Puri! Puri! Puri!" it seemed to squeak, turning its back to her as it shoved its head deeper into the hollow.
She felt her eyebrows rising at the sight of the curious ponytail sticking out from the back of its head to the base of where the neck might be. It was wearing a pair of fancy-looking gold earring on its fluffy ears.
The rabbit seemed to be struggling as it squeezed the rest of its body between the roots. With a final squeak, it completely vanished into the hollow.
After spending a long time debating with her inner mind, she cautiously tiptoed her way towards the tree, feeling the curiosity growing inside her with each step she took.
Akemi carefully knelt down on the blanket of moss before the roots.
"Where did it go?" she asked no one in particular, frowning into hollow. It was pitch black in there.
So engrossed in finding for a sign of life, she was unaware of the fact her knees were slowly sinking into the moss.
Suddenly, she straightened her back and cast the hollow a suspicious look.
The rabbit and the hollow in the tree reminded her of the story she once read.
Chuckling dryly, she shook her head. "Oh no, there is no way am I going to follow a rabbit down a hooooooooolllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
A loud cracking sound, and for a moment, her screams echoed throughout the clearing when the moss caved in. As the noise started to fade away, a soft cackle joined in before silence reigned in the clearing once more.
XXX
Underneath a great oak tree, there was a little girl, who only turned seven a few days ago. She had a pair of soft brown eyes and a curtain of black hair that was wavy towards the end and reached all the way down to her waist.
The dress she wore was equally black with gold embroidery on the sleeves, surcoat and hem of the skirt. The smooth fabric and intricately designed embroidery spoke of nobility. On her left wrist, a silver bracelet glinted in the light cast by the setting sun, and upon her head, she wore a flower crown made from all the different summer flowers that grew at the base of the great oak.
A soft giggle escaped through her parted lips as she twirled around on her spot, holding a similar flower crown in her small hands high above her head as though celebrating a victory. Her floor-length skirt fluttered with her movements that were jerky, but she cared not for the importance of being graceful…or the fact she was humming out of tune to a song.
"Akemi!" a voice called.
The girl immediately stopped dancing and spun on her heels. She gasped in delight.
There, standing tall and proud, was her most favourite in the whole Otherworld. Like her, he had black hair and brown eyes, albeit in a darker shade, and wore black attire with sophisticated gold trimmings. A wooden sword was strapped to the leather belt around his waist.
"Oni-chan!" she greeted, darting towards him with arms outstretched beside her. Her brother nearly fell onto his bottom if had he not steeled himself for the incoming bear hug. "How was training?"
"Hello there," he chuckled, tousling his sister's hair affectionately without ruining the flower crown on her head. "Training went well. What have you been up to while I was away?"
She stepped away from him and held out the other flower crown to him. "Yuki-kun sent me an instruction for making flower crowns. His drawings are amazing! I understood the steps straightaway – and there were no words at all!"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Let me see it." He took the flower crown from her hands and studied it closely with a sceptical expression.
"Well?" she pressed her hands together, grinning excitedly.
"Hmm…not bad, but it could use a lot more work."
A scowl crossed her features as she puffed her cheeks out with an indignant huff. "I spent the whole day on them! Meanie!"
Her brother broke off from laughing when the flower crown was roughly shoved onto his head. "Hey!"
"Divine punishment!" She stuck her tongue out then giggled at the sight of her brother struggling to get the flower crown out of his hair.
"You think it's funny?" Eyes glinting mischievously, he lowered his hands and curled his fingers into claws. "Come here, you!" he roared.
Squealing, she turned tail and fled from her brother who immediately gave chase.
XXX
(Present)
She groggily sat up with a groan.
Realising there was something soft underneath her hands, she glanced down. It was nothing more than a tattered mattress. There were bits of straw everywhere and a few splinters, possibly when that wooden beam had collapsed right onto what was used to be a table right in the middle of the room.
What appeared to be a moth-eaten bed sheet and thin blanket, the colours long faded away, were shoved into a corner next to the wall. Along with the mattress, they were covered with dust and cobwebs, something which she found out from a sneeze after running a finger across the surface a little bit too quickly.
A glint of light made her look down just as she was about to move her hand away from her nose, and felt her eyebrows sprang up.
She placed her hand under a beam of light and slowly turned it around in several different angles. Where her watch used to be, a silver bracelet now glinted back at her. On closer inspection, the bracelet was in fact elaborately designed using Fleur-delis motifs carved onto the surface and encrusted with teardrops of Labradorite between the motifs.
"This is beautiful," she whispered appreciatively, stretching her hand away so that she could admire it from far. Then, quite abruptly, she withdrew her hand, gripping the bracelet. "Wait a minute! When did it –why is the bracelet on my wrist!?" she fretted, panicking when she couldn't remove it no matter how hard she tried.
No mistake, this was the very same silver bracelet the little girl from that strange dream wore. 'But why did it feel more like a memory?' pondered Akemi, pressing her other hand to the spot where she could feel a dull hammering against her skull. 'This is a dream, right?'
But even then, she was very uncertain if this was all a dream, or perhaps she had fallen into a parallel universe.
After a while, she dropped her hand to her lap with a sigh. Her eyes glazed over as she recalled the vivid dream with the siblings.
"Akemi…her name was Akemi," she whispered, scratching the back of her head. "She and her brother looked just like the siblings from the airport, but in different clothes. Were those Edwardian? Medieval? Georgian?" She's always been terrible in history, regardless of how much effort she'd put in the subject. It was like it hated her. Then, her features lit up. "Lord of the Rings! That's it! Nooo! That's not important right now!"
Ignoring the existence of dust, she hastily shuffled out of the bed and stood up. The floorboards creaked the moment her feet touched the ground, nearly sending her ten feet into the air in fright.
Breathing deeply to calm her poor heart, Akemi cautiously made her way towards the door. Her feet slowed to a stop, one hand hovering an inch before it. She flicked a nervous glance at the rusty hinges that were hanging off the side of the door frame. A few moments of hesitation later, she tentatively placed her hand against the door and gave it a gentle push.
Shielding her eyes against the light, she swung the door opened enough to brighten up the ghostly interior of the hut.
"Another woods?" she exhaled wearily, giving the trees around the hut a flat look. "This dream is getting too repetitive for my liking."
She paused at the doorway to give the inside another quick glance. All in all, the hut looked abandoned a long time ago, by a person who either lived here temporarily or preferred a simple lifestyle.
'Or maybe they left in a hurry because of something...' she shuddered at such morbid speculation. She immediately shook it off.
There were signs of it everywhere, and not just the thick layers of dust and cobweb covering every inch of the hut.
Grass stuck out between the floorboards, some of which was broken up into fragments by emerging roots. Crockeries, strewn across the floor, probably used to rest on the table before the beam collapsed. The hut was only fitted with three pieces of furniture: the demolished table, the dust-infested bed, and a lone stool. There was a cobweb attached to one of its legs, but apart from that, the stool seemed to be the only part of the hut that had withstood the test of time.
As she studied the place a second time, her eyes caught something on the floor beside the roof beam.
"What's this?" she whispered, bending down to pick up the dust covered book.
Holding the book far away from her face, she turned halfway around and banged it against the door frame. When she was certain the last of the cloud of dust had dissipated, she headed outside but stayed within a foot of radius from the hut, and leant her back against a tree.
She brushed her hand across the smooth cover, feeling the curves of the crisscrossing pattern underneath her fingers. They were engraved along all four sides of the book into borders. A large emblem, resembling a sunflower, sat in the centre, with unfamiliar inscriptions etched into the banner below.
Despite the yellowing pages and worn leather, the silver lock with a crescent-shaped dent was extremely sturdy, as she found out after a couple of failed attempts trying to get the book to open.
"Never judge a book by its cover indeed," she snorted, rolling her eyes at the irony. "Whoever made this sure is very good at their trade," she muttered, scrutinising the border closely.
"Who?"
"The one who made this book; it's definitely handcrafted."
"Who?"
One of her eyebrows twitched irritably. "Really? Do you want me to repeat myself?"
"Who?"
It suddenly dawned on her that she was not alone anymore.
She spun on her heels, dropping the book when she leapt back with a cry.
"Who?" repeated the owl; it was dangling upside-down from an overhead branch.
"Oh my goodness, you scared me!" Akemi gasped, holding one hand over her pounding heart.
The owl cocked its head, though its eyes were closed (she was uncertain as to why), it appeared to be bemused by either her appearance or the outburst (or both).
Feeling calmer, she vented a sigh and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you a bat-owl?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the bird.
She broke off from her train of thoughts, noticing its wings were ensnared amongst the leaves and twigs. Without a second thought, she briskly stepped closer to the bird, stood on her toes and started to work her way to free the poor bird. "How on Earth did you get in there?" she muttered, careful not to hurt the owl as she extracted a twig from its impressive feathers.
Now that the previous shock was gone, she was amazed at how tame the bird was. Even if it was very well trained by a falconer, wouldn't it try to get hostile with strangers?
'And why won't it open its eyes?' she pondered, chewing on her bottom lips as she examined a rather stubborn twig with a scowl. Then, an idea popped up in her head. "Hang in there. I'll be right back," she told the owl, briskly (not that she expected it to reply).
But she couldn't help but think it had nodded at her as she turned around and dashed back into the hut.
To her dismay, she found nothing while searching every inch of the hut. She went through the remains of the table and wooden beam, the floor and the crockeries; though she did find a dark green travelling cloak while looking underneath the bed.
She paused in her search to sweep off the dust and cobwebs using her hands. 'Looks brand new,' she observed, holding the cloak out in front of her. After satisfied with her inspection, she folded the cloak neatly on her lap, placed it on top of the stool, and sat back with one hand gripping her chin as she studied the bed.
On a whim, she lifted one end of the mattress up and felt her eyebrows sprang up. She readjusted her grip on the mattress to prop it up with one hand, and used her vacant one to reach into the gap between bed and mattress.
The heavy weight initially caught her off guard as she withdrew her arm from the mattress, revealing a silver dagger that had been hidden underneath there for goodness-how-long.
"I'm beginning to wonder who used to live here," whispered Akemi, holding the weapon gingerly between her fingers as she examined the ornate sheath and cross-hilt closely. There was that sunflower emblem again, this time, fashioned from a yellow imperial topaz that was set into the pommel. 'A noble who ran away? Or exiled to this part of the woods? A thief? Hmm…hopefully not the latter,' she mentally added.
She gripped the sheath and handle together, slowly drew the dagger out and held it up in front of her, with the tip of the blade pointing upwards. Curious, she brought the dagger side by side with her left arm. It was about the same length as her lower arm and hand put together.
"Right, this will do perfectly," she grinned in satisfaction. She returned to the outdoors with the dagger, leaving the sheath behind.
The owl appeared to be getting increasingly nervous with each step she took.
She glanced down at the dagger in her hand, finally understanding why the owl was reacting that way. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," she tried to assure the bird. Raising the pointed end to the stubborn twig, she added, "Try not to move, okay?"
Again, she didn't expect the owl to understand her, but somehow – perhaps by pure luck – the owl remained very still as she carefully cut away the remaining twigs.
"This dream is getting weirder and weirder," she muttered. After managing to liberate one of its wings, she repeated the same method with the other. "First, the rabbit with the gold earrings, then the hollow, the hut –and now an owl," she paused to give said owl a sceptical look.
It was watching her with great interest. But as soon as she caught it staring at her, the owl turned his head pointedly away as though pretending nothing happened. With a shake of her head, she resumed cutting the twigs.
It was definitely quicker than working with bare hands, as she found out (much to her annoyance) a minute later when the owl was finally freed from its woody imprisonment.
Akemi stumbled away from the branch, keeping the pointy end of the blade well away from her, as it sprang back into its original position.
The owl flapped its magnificent wings a few times in the air before perching itself on one of the tree's roots.
She smiled, watching the bird preened its wings with a mixture of amazement and relief. The bird seemed to have escaped its ordeal relatively unscathed.
Careful not the spook it, she gently placed the dagger flatly on the ground and bent her knees into a crouch, causing the owl to snap its head up.
It cocked its head to one side, studying her through its closed eyes, almost contemplatively. It hopped a little closer to her, and stooped on its talons into a bow, one wing folded over its chest while holding the other out beside it. The owl opened its beak.
"Thank you for freeing me, your Highness. I am forever in your debt." Maintaining the bow, it raised its head to the face that had gone as pale as sheet, and added, "But for future references, I am actually an eagle-owl."
The bird remained impassive even when a flabbergasted Akemi tumbled onto her bottom and scrambled on her hands, elbows, and whatever she could use to get away from it.
Her mouth opened and closed several times, seemingly lost the ability to speak.
It – no, he – left the perch in a rustle of feathers and reappeared beside her. "Are you feeling alright, your Highness?" the owl enquired curiously, startling her from the stupor.
"Y-you t-talk!" she stuttered, pointing at the owl with a trembling finger.
"Well, I definitely did not sing my thanks," he remarked, as matter-of-factly.
"You talk!" she went on as though he did not speak. "B-but you're an owl! H-how?" She dropped her head into her hands with a groan. Then, it hit her. "Wait…did you call me 'your Highness'?" she asked, dubiously.
He bobbed his head, though he was wearing a puzzled look.
For some weird reason or the other, the expression on his face felt a bit familiar to Akemi, but she couldn't begin to understand why. "This is a really crazy dream," she muttered under her breath, massaging the spot between her eyes.
But, being in close range, the owl had overheard every single word. "Forgive me for prying, but why do you keep saying this is a dream?"
"Do you really want to know?" she vented a sigh. She propped up her elbow on a knee and laid her head on her hand. Her eyes glazed over as she stared ahead.
"I have all day."
She chewed on her lips, mulling over his request. 'Where's the harm in it? He's only an owl – well, a talking owl,' she shifted her gaze to the bird.
As soon as she had finished recounting everything she could remember (including the memory-like dream), Akemi's mouth was dry from all the non-stop talking, but there was a liberating sensation inside her as though a great burden was lifted away.
She watched as the bird took her words in, holding one wing underneath its beak in the same manner as a human would grip its chin in thoughts.
"Interesting," he finally uttered, raising his head to her. "I'm not entirely sure about this 'airport' business – or that strange outfit you're wearing –" Akemi briefly glanced down at her cream coloured Peter Pan collar shirt and maroon knee-length skirt, then back at the owl "– but I'm sorry to say this isn't a dream."
"Wh-what do you – Oww!" She snatched her hand away and held it to her chest, rubbing the spot where the owl had not so softly nibbled. "What was that for?" she demanded hotly.
"It hurt didn't it?"
A death glare was the answer, but the anger was gradually replaced by fear.
Akemi lowered her eyes. "If this isn't a dream, then where am I?" she whispered despondently, almost whimpering at that thought. She shook her head fervently; she would not cry.
"The Empire of Samhradh."
"Samhradh*?" she echoed in a surprised manner, glancing up at him. 'Where have I heard that name before?'
"That's right," the owl nodded, wearing a hopeful expression. "Do you remember it now?"
She pressed a hand to the side of her face, humming. A frown appeared on her forehead. "No, I'm afraid not."
The owl opened its beak and sighed disappointingly. "Samhradh is – was – a prosperous empire ruled by your brother, the Black Emperor – Genichiro the Steadfast."
One of her eyebrows was raised in an arch. "Umm…I don't have a brother, or any siblings for that matter."
"That bracelet on your wrist, that dagger and book with the Royal Emblem over there," he gestured at the aforementioned items with his wing. "These are pure evidences which verify your identity. I wasn't convinced at first, but when I saw the bracelet on your wrist, I have no doubt you're the one I've been looking for."
"Why is the bracelet so special that you are very certain of your claim?"
"It is a very unique accessory – try pulling it out for starters."
She eyed the owl sceptically for a brief moment before carrying out his request. Like before, the bracelet remained firmly in place and refused to move an inch like it was glued to her wrist.
In the end, she conceded with a sigh. "Tell me, apart from being absolutely stubborn, why is it 'very unique.'"
"Only two were ever made – one of which is owned by the Emperor's sister."
"And you called me 'your Highness' because?" she prodded in a bored tone, already knowing the answer.
"You're the Emperor's sister, Sanada Akemi; better known as Princess Akemi."
She snorted in an unladylike manner, startling the owl, and shuffled onto her feet. Mind in a daze, she staggered towards her tree, not bothering to reign in her tumult of emotions as the images of the siblings at the airport and then the memory-like dream flashed before her eyes.
"I am not a princess. And my surname isn't 'Sanada'. It's 'Noda'." She dropped onto her hands and knees just in front of the dagger and book. "'No' – not 'Sana'!" Her whole body shook violently as she bit back the tears. "I just want to go home," she whimpered meekly.
There was a flutter of wings as though the owl took off and flew into the hut. By the time, he re-emerged from the door carrying the dagger's sheath between its talons and the travelling cloak in its beak, Akemi had calmed down a little.
She blinked in surprise when the travelling cloak was dropped onto her back. The hood fell over her head and shoulders perfectly as though it was made for her.
"Regardless of who you are, it isn't safe to linger around this place much longer," said the owl, using his talons to hastily push the dagger back into its sheath. "The fact I could find this hut meant we're in danger of getting caught."
"Caught? By who?" she asked slowly, eyeing the owl suspiciously as she pulled the hood off and fastened the chain clasp. She took the offered sheathed dagger and book from his beak.
"I'll explain after we leave this place."
"L-leave?"
There was a pause, and then –
"Don't let me use the talons."
She glared at the blatant threat. "I have the dagger you gave me – hey!"
Akemi sprang up from the ground, throwing her arms over her face when he swiped one of his sharp talons at her.
It missed, but that didn't stop the owl. It swiftly took the sky and began to chase her away from the hut, the leather book in its beak, flexing its talons warningly when she did so much as falter.
When he was sure they were well away from the hut, he stopped trying to terrorise her. Dropping the book by her feet, he flew up a tree and disappeared into the leaves.
"G-good riddance," she panted, clutching her knees. "Go and get stuck in the tree. See if I care." She made to turn around, but stopped when (to her disappointment) he returned with a curious item in his beak.
She shrunk back a little as he glided down.
The owl seemed to have noticed, for he looked almost apologetic as he hovered before her, keeping a distance as though wanting her to understand that he meant no harm (despite what happened earlier).
"Take this. The emperor gave it to the princess on her thirteenth birthday. It's a talisman that will warn you if mystical creatures that pose a threat are near."
Dangling from the silver chain was a pendant, shaped into a crescent moon with a large turquoise embedded onto the front. The Royal Emblem was carved into the precious stone.
Akemi hesitated, sceptical about the magical properties and the supposed mystical creatures ('Then again there's a talking owl right in front of me'). But if this was no dream surely she should just go for it? Maybe she could find a way home along the way?
"Why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be one of them, and you're just luring me into a trap," she pointed out, eyeing the owl warily.
The owl seemed to slump his shoulders, after a moment of deliberation, he flew past her to perch on a low-hanging branch. He gently set the pendant down such that it was hanging from one of his talons, and unexpectedly bowed lowly, taking her by surprise.
"Pardon for the late introduction," he said in a formal tone. "My name is Nagi; Royal Adviser to the Emperor of Samhradh and guardian to the Princess. Tis' I swear on pain of death," he added the latter, folding his wing over his chest and pointing the other towards the sky.
"You're a Royal Adviser?" she gawked at the feathered creature before her.
"On pain of death," he repeated briskly, wagging his raised wing.
"And the Princess' guardian?"
"I have sworn before the Emperor to watch over you – the Princess –" he hastily amended upon receiving the death glare from Akemi "– until the time comes to give her away."
He bent down to pick up the necklace and glided down from the branch. Hovering in the air, he held out the talisman as she pondered over it. Alas, she tentatively took the necklace from him and placed the pendant on her opened palm. She jumped with a cry of surprise when Nagi decided to land on her shoulder.
"Sorry," he muttered with a hint of amusement, unperturbed by the death glare.
She gave him a warning look before turning her attention back to the turquoise pendant. It was at that moment, she realised the pendant was in fact a locket. With delicate fingers, she pried it open and felt her lower jaw dropped.
('Maybe I should have shown it to her earlier. Would have made my life easier,' he mentally sighed.)
Whoever drew them must either be ridiculously skilled or just have all the time in the world – could be a mix of both too.
Sketched using graphite pencils, the two small portraits could still be clearly seen despite the cracks on the glass compartments.
The one on the left, which caught her eyes the moment she opened the locket, was herself. In the portrait, she was drawn to be smiling warmly at the other person in the next compartment. He looked like a teenage version, or possibly older, of the little boy from the airport and memory-like dream, except he appeared more dignified and very serious, if not stern. But there was a subtle hint of discomfort in his eyes, almost as though the artist purposely added that trivial detail there, as he gazed protectively back at his sister.
She ran a thumb over the glass, frowning at the portraits "It doesn't make any sense at all," she whispered, finally looking up from the locket. "Unless she's my long lost twin –"
"There are no records of any other siblings – lost or adopted," he interjected smoothly.
"But, I'm not from the Empire of Samhradh, or this world for that matter." She stared blankly at the sky, noticing it was getting darker by the minute.
Nagi studied the girl closely with a solemn expression. 'The Great Oak's prophecy was right again. Now I shudder to think what lies ahead for her – and for every living being – in the days to come.'
"– Nagi-kun!"
Startled from his thoughts, the owl jerked with a start, only realising Akemi was flipping through the book at great speed. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, you were saying?"
Venting a sigh of irritation, she slammed the book shut, missing the look of disappointment on Nagi's feathered face. Everything written in there was gibberish to her. "If we manage to find the real princess, in return, will you help me find a way back to my world?" The lock device made a sharp click when she extracted the locket out. She swung the necklace over her head, the locket falling perfectly over her chest.
"You still don't believe me after all the explanations?" he asked, sounding a little bit hurt.
She chewed on her bottom lip. Everything was too unreal despite all the facts pointing away from her assumption this was all but a dream, and going back to the vivid dream with the siblings at the great oak tree, that again felt more like a small figment of memory. Then what was it to say she's not the Princess?
"I honestly don't know what to think," she finally said in a soft whisper, hugging the book to her stomach as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She blinked, remembering something important. "Say…you haven't exactly explained why we have to leave the hut," she curiously enquired.
"Walk and I'll explain everything to you. We've lingered too long."
"Walk? To where?"
"Anywhere – and I'll give you the full details in a minute."
"You promise?"
Nagi exhaled warily, and held his wings in the same posture as when he introduced himself. "On pain of death."
Akemi begrudgingly complied, tucking the book underneath her arm. She can sense him struggling with his inner mind as they moved deeper into the woods. At one point, she discovered a nifty place to store the dagger within the folds of the travelling cloak. It was sewn into a convenient place such that she could quickly draw it out with ease. But, with a gulp, she hoped she wouldn't have to use it on anyone – good or bad.
She paused at an opening beside a cliff. Curious, she walked over to the edge, careful not to step on any loose rocks. Falling to her death was a big no-no.
As far as her eyes could see, the woods seemed endless, stretching from the bottom of the cliff to the horizon where she could see the setting sun.
Despite the breathtaking view, there was a kind of eerily tranquil aura in the air, almost as if the woods were hiding something sinister, and she was soon to find out why.
"Since the disappearance of both the Princess and the Emperor over a year ago, Samhradh has fallen much without a monarch. Many nobles and civilians have fled to other kingdoms. This empire is pretty much empty now, save for the odd civilians, who either can't afford or are too weak to leave their homes.
But not all who remained are good. There are the occasional bandits who would ransack abandoned villages and towns, exploit the lands for games, and sell anything they could find on black market. With the severe lack of humans around, the animals thrive excellently, especially in this part of the woods."
"Including you."
"Including –" Nagi broke off abruptly in cold sweat.
Akemi stifled a giggle behind her hand.
He cleared his throat and rustled his wings. "I'm glad the possibility of me ending up as someone's food or clothing is a source of entertainment for you," he remarked evenly.
"Sorry," she smiled apologetically. "I can take care of the bandits if that's what you're worrying about," she cracked her knuckles.
At that, he titled his head to one side. "Even if they're armed?"
Her stance faltered. Though she prided herself in Karate, Akemi had never dealt with armed situation, and hoped never would. "I'll think about it when that happens," she chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.
"That's all good to hear, but I'm afraid there's something bigger and far more dangerous than all the bandits put together."
"Please tell me, there are no mountain trolls," she interjected with a look of utter horror.
"…I'll ask what those are another day (Akemi raised an eyebrow). Even if you are the Princess Akemi or not, the fact that you resemble her puts you in grave danger."
"Why?"
"The Red Queen, ruler of the neighbouring Kingdom of Foghar*, has already claimed the eastern border of the empire as hers," he gestured towards the setting sun with one wing, "Recently, her army has successfully captured the capital city where the royal palace resides, and it won't be long until she orders them to move into this part of the land."
"But I don't understand why this has anything to do with me resembling the Princess."
"There is only one assumption, and only after overhearing a discussion among the Queen's soldiers, am I certain of it…" he trailed off, hesitating.
Akemi didn't like the grim expression one bit.
He took a deep breath and said, "The Red Queen has decreed for the capture of both the Emperor and Princess – dead or alive."
References:
*Dreich (Old Scots Origin) = A combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather. At least 4 of the above adjectives must apply before the weather is truly dreich. (Credits to Urban Dictionary)
*Akemi's birthplace is Edinburgh, Scotland.
*Samhradh = Summer (Scots Gaelic)
*Foghar = Autumn (Scots Gaelic)
(Credits to English-Scots Gaelic translation websites: lexilogos and glosbe)
Cameos/roles explained:
Nagi = Yanagi
The Black Emperor = Sanada
ooo
'Your Silver Garden' or ('Kimi no gin no niwa') is actually the ending theme song of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Rebellion Story. It's performed by Kalafina, and composed by Kajiura Yuki. I find this section of the song very apt for this chapter, so stuck it to the top. Also, props to PMMM wikia for the translated lyrics.
I don't speak Scots Gaelic - never learned it - so I apologise if I got 'Samhradh' and 'Foghar' wrong. I thought it will be nice to romanticise the words 'Summer' and 'Winter' using Scots Gaelic *sheepish laugh*
There's no 'Black King' in addition to 'Red Queen', 'Queen of Hearts' etc. in the original version of Alice in the Wonderland, so I just made this up. But renamed 'Black King' to 'Black Emperor' instead since Sanada is known as the Emperor.