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❀ Chapter 2 - Parcourir ❀

From where they're walking, a green dot in the distance that looks like nothing more than a speck on a wall, but the closer Nana and Toon Link amble towards it, the clearer their view of it becomes. Almost as if like a mirage, Nana realises it's a patch of grass laying in the middle of the area while a small river with a teal turtle swimming in it runs along the ground—as if it formed from patches of cloud.

Is this real? she asks herself. They got here through painting on the wall, and she still can't believe how they ended up—what looks to be—on top of a cloud after she finally took the time to assess their surroundings; the entire floor is blanketed in mist, but her feet can still shift along a solid surface.

"Are you sure you want to see the Hatter?" Toon Link glances to the side. "I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

"It'll be fine. Quit worrying so much."

"I was right the last few times—"

And her eyes rolling without needing to wait for her command. "Those don't count."

He smirks. "Like every other time, I bet."

"Oh, shut up."

In the centre of the grassy patch sits a wooden table covered by a white tablecloth, but what she steals her attention right away is the svelte figure with a tall frame standing behind it drinking tea. He's wearing what she thinks to be a monocle over his eye and a navy-blue circus uniform with black sleeves and gold buttons. It's not just that—the bright teal top hat sitting on top of his darker blue hair adds a few inches to his already tall demeanour, if not for the legs covered by his blanched pants.

No wonder he's called the Hatter, Nana thinks to herself.

His eyes soon flicker to her as he sets his teacup down on the table. Then in a split-second, he pulls out a revolver. Nana's gasps, eyes widened, and he fires— BANG! Nana shrieks as she drops to the floor on her knees, covering her ears. Eyes close, and she finds her breathing heavier than she likes.

Eyes open, and the Hatter's now standing mere inches away in front of her.

"Tip one, onna," he says. "Don't be a cock-up. Your guard should never be down."

"Seriously?" Toon Link stomps over towards the them, rubbing both of his ears. "Do you have to do that every time?"

The Hatter chuckles as he stuffs the gun back in his holster. "If it isn't Bunny Boy again. Weren't you just here a while ago?" Then he turns toward Nana. "Then again onna, if you're here with that daft nitwit, it must be that time of month again."

Nana's heartbeat starts slowing down, but the gunfire keeps ringing in her ears like a rumble along the ground, though she can't place where she'd felt it before. But she shakes her head, shoving the thought as far back as she can. Then she stands up, eyes now focused on the Hatter.

"I heard you can take me to the queen."

"You're in quite a hurry, aren't you? Before that, how about a game? Two truths and a lie."

Is it necessary? Head tilts, and her foot starts tapping before she even realises, but the Hatter only smirks.

"One, you were told all the answers you need can be found with the queen. Two, Bunny Boy's led you down the right path."

Toon Link scowls, and Nana hears him mumble curse words. Guess they don't like each other, she tells herself.

"Or three, you're here to remove me."

"What do you mean 'remove'?"

"How does the expression go? To bring the end of me, you could say?"

To kill him, he means? Is that why she was handed a weapon at the start? But before she can say any more, the Hatter takes out his revolver once more, and Nana's hand tightens around the grip of her hammer's handle.

"Two truths and a lie," he continues as he aims the barrel at her head. "You tell me where the end of your road leads, onna."

Toon Link's eyes soon widen. "Wait— Marth?" He stops and turns. "You don't have my sword, do you?"

The Hatter—Marth—half-smiles, half-glares at him as he draws his gun away. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't break the moment next time." Then he plops off his top hat and digs a hand inside, reaching in and soon pulling out a long sword in a leather sheath.

Like a magician, is the first thought that comes to Nana. The sword itself is twice as long as the hat. Soon, Marth tosses it over to Toon Link, who catches it before attaching it back to his belt.

"Let me ask you something," Marth continues. "Is it foolish to put trust someone in you fear?"

Nana's head tilts to the side. "Who should I be afraid of?"

"That is for yourself to figure out; your fears are different from my own, after all. Shall we go see a queen then?" She nods, and he continues: "Lovely woman, though I'd watch what you say if I were you. Give me a moment to prepare first." Then he walks over to the table, taking off his hat as he sets it down and reaches a hand into it.

At least she now knows why Toon Link doesn't like Marth. Even the way he speaks strikes her as someone of upper class. Speaking of Toon Link, Nana hears his footsteps walking towards her, and when she turns to face him, she immediately notices his glare fixated on the Hatter.

"Never liked that guy when I first came here two years ago," he says. "If you thought the shadow from before was dangerous, Marth's even worse."

"But he's the only one who can take me to the queen."

"Exactly."

Soon Marth walks back while loading both gold and silver bullets into his revolver. "Are you two ready to go? Be sure to rendezvous at the Gold Castle."

"Wait," Nana says. "You're not coming with us?"

Toon Link's eyes, however, widens, and Nana hears him repeating "No, no, no…" like a mantra.

"I will for the first bit," Marth continues, "but you'll need to go the rest of the way yourself by foot. Though first, we go down." He smirks. "Falling's a lot like flying, you know—" and Nana's eyes widen, "—except there's a more permanent destination."

Just as Marth snaps his fingers, Toon Link's "No, no, NO!" heightens as he grabs Nana's hand. She spins around, but the floor collapses under their feet and they plummet below the clouds screaming.

"What the hell is going on?" Nana shouts out as she holds onto Toon Link tighter. She hears him yelling out to her, but the bursts of wind under her as they fall freeze her skin.

Marth, however, has a hand on his hat as he soars like a bird while laughing on the way down. "Be sure to not be late getting to the castle. The queen can be narked when it comes to that."

Soon he soars upwards, leaving Nana and Toon Link by themselves. Their screaming deafens them as We're gonna die repeats like a mantra in Nana's head. Then she looks down below her feet. A faint dot starts growing into a shape. A window. And she braces for impact.

CRASH! They burst through the window as the glass flies around them. Nana quickly tumbles into the earth with Toon Link's scream soaring over her.

A thud, and now they're both left sprawled across the dirt. Body aches with bumps as Nana pushes herself up. Toon Link groans as he stumbles onto his feet.

"If we keep this up," he says while rubbing his head, "someone's gonna have to set up a proper target zone."

"At this rate, I think I know what's going to go on my tombstone." Nana starts scribbling words in the air with her finger. "Nana Celia - death by a fall."

He lets out a nervous chuckle, but doesn't say anymore, so the two of them start walking along the forest path, each of their steps crunching along the dirt. As for Nana, her eyes trail along the outlines of the trees and bushes around them, including the shadows of ones hiding in the background within fog.

"Where are we, anyway?"

"The east side of the forest. We went to the cottage through the south side, and Gold Castle is to the west. A ways away, but we can get there by a day's hike."

Then rustling sounds from behind them snatch Nana's attention. Her head snaps round, but sees nothing there.

Toon Link stares at her. "Wait, do you even remember how to fight?"

"Remember?" She grips the mallet in her hand tighter while rubbing the back of her neck. "Of course I do—" But Toon Link only shoots her a raised eyebrow. "You still don't think I can take care of myself, do you?"

"Not necessarily—it's just the forest's east end isn't exactly known for butterflies and daisies."

Now comes Nana's turn to give him a raised brow, and she scoffs. "So you do think I can't. I expected more trust from you."

"Trust from me?" He laughs. "Says the one who hardly gives me any! Some friend you are."

"You said you knew me, right?"

He nods. "What about it?"

"What was I like? Am I any different from before?"

She watches as his glance sinks to the side, a habit she has tagged on him now. Scratching his head, Toon Link says, "Sorta." Then he smirks. "You're still as stubborn as ever."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Now he's laughing, and Nana can't help but shoot him a glare. "To be honest, you haven't changed much since the last time, and it feels like forever since then. Heck, I remember the one time you were running through a snow field in a bikini."

Her face burns red in an instant. "W-wait, did I really?"

"No. I'm just kidding." And then comes his smug smirk again. "Or am I?"

She shoves him as he starts laughing. "That's not funny."

"But you should've seen your face! You were almost as bright as the peaches in Gold Castle's garden."

That only makes her cheeks heat up even more than earlier despite the fact that she's smiling now, and he continues chuckling. As she steals a glance at him, she starts thinking how natural it all feels—following his lead, them talking, him teasing. Was it always like this before she had forgotten everything?

The thought of it only thins her patience; she wants to remember again. She can't stand having to cope with an empty mind.

More rustles from the bushes steal her attention. She even catches a glimpse of Toon Link's right ear twiching at each sound. Something's here, but they continue walking—albeit a little slower than earlier. Then Toon Link snaps around.

"Get down!"

Nana ducks, and he rips out his sword slashing at an incoming object. His blade slices through a whispy cannon ball as it evaporates into the air.

A branch snaps from behind them, and Nana quickly turns. Before she can do anything, a shadowy figure charges towards at her with blinding speed. Nana whips her hammer at its head, but it ducks. Whoosh. Swing after swing, it sidesteps away from each of Nana's attacks.

Her breathing gets heavier. Pant. And she realises swinging's getting her nowhere. The shadow thrusts a punch at her, but Nana blocks with her mallet. The shadow soon throws more and more hits at it, pushing her back along the dirt.

As for Toon Link, he slices incoming balls as another shadow races through the trees—its speed so quick, eyes can't keep up. With leaves as cover, the shadow fires more balls before rushing forward. Toon Link's panting a bit now, but he holds his blade up ready to block. It's fast, he knows. Or is he getting slow? However, when Toon Link swings, the shadow slips past him and hurls itself towards Nana.

He gasps. "Nana, move!"

Her ears perk up as she leaps off to the side. The first shadow stumbles forward and collides with the second. They tumble along the ground, but quickly push themselves up and rush back towards them. Nana holds her mallet up, but Toon Link pushes her out of the way as he slashes through both shadows in one swipe. Then they both disintegrate into dust with a screech.

He didn't let me attack is the first thought to come in Nana's head. Brow raised, she finds herself finally breathing right again as her panting and her heart begin to slow down, but she holds her hammer close to her side, eyes scanning the forest.

"What were they?"

Toon Link sheaths his sword. "Shadows—like the one from before. Hate those things, but you get used to them after a while. They feed off people's doubts like yours for example."

"You sure it's not yours?"

Then he laughs even though he's still panting a bit himself. "Nana, I've been here two years. They're everywhere, so don't leave your guard down; they can pop up at any time."

She doesn't want to get used to it though. The longer she walks around, the more uneasy she feels. She isn't even sure what is a part of her trial and what isn't—perhaps it's everything or perhaps it's nothing here at all.

Nana looks at Toon Link, who's already staring back at her. "How much can you tell me about this world? This trial? My past?"

He glances to the side—he's doing it again. "Depends. I'm not allowed to say too much, to be honest."

"But you're supposed to be my friend, right? And to be fair, you both pushed me and landed on top of me the first two times we saw each other."

"Hey, first time was because I had to, second time an accident. But fine, I'll tell you everything you need to hear, but on one condition." He holds up three fingers. "You get three questions and no more."

"What do you mean— wait. You better not be using loopholes."

Then he's laughing once more—loud enough to shake the forest, and Nana's muscles tense up. "Loosen up, Nana. I meant only three questions if you're asking about something big or important. I'll tell you when you've used one, don't worry."

She has to admit he's being pretty generous. It's not as if anyone else she may come across will be willing to give her straightforward answers, and at least he's an assigned guide too, so she won't need to ask for directions.

Nana soon finds herself relaxing. "You make a nice guide. Do you know that?"

Toon Link grins, scratching the back of his neck. "Coming from someone as uptight as you, I guess that makes me even nicer than I thought."

She gasps. "I take that back. You are mean."

And all he gives is a faux gasp of his own. "After all I've done for you, yet you still call me mean."

She can't help but laugh along with him as they do continue ambling through the forest. At least she believes him now—about when he mentioned they used to be friends. She finds it easy to talk to him—granted if they have something to talk about. As for now, following behind his lead in silence allows her to not worry as much about every bush or branch that rustles or snaps.

Soon Nana studies the way Toon Link keeps his sights focused on the road ahead of him. He must be used to constant travelling, she assumes, considering he didn't break a sweat when the shadows attacked. There are so many questions she wants to ask him though, but she realises how limited having only three chances can be.

Toon Link glances back at her, asking if she's all right. Nana nods and smiles.

Are you always like this? A question that slips into her mind among the many she wants to ask of him. He's very protective, she notes in her head. It's not that she doesn't appreciate his help, but if he's not going to give her any opportunities like he did when he pushed her out of the way earlier, he better watch out.

"Always like what?"

Eyes widen as she looks up only to find Toon Link staring at her, realising she must've asked her question aloud. After a few moments of silence between them, and his gaze not breaking, Nana sighs. "Are you always worrying about everything? And with all the people doing their trials that you had to guide?"

"Obviously it's not the same depending on the person…" His voice drifts off for a moment, rabbit ears drooping. "I guess it's a bit different this time since I used to know you. It doesn't feel right being the one who has to guide you this time around."

But how do we know each other? Another question that slides into her mind's eye. Mouth opens, but Toon Link interjects before she can ask.

"By the way, that was your first question. Two more left."

"And all you give me is a vague answer?"

"Like I said, I'll only say what you need to know, nothing more," then he's back to his usual chuckle, "else the queen will have my head."

Nana decides not to ask anymore, if not to risk using another question, as she continues walking behind Toon Link's lead. Glancing around the forest, the wind starts picking up as a gust blows through the trees. The forest chills her skin even colder than it did earlier.

A voice echoes in the wind, and Nana recognises it instantly.

"You've finally found your kind, I see."

Toon Link glances up to the tree by his left. "Jigglypuff, don't be rude."

On top of the branch, a pink ball materialises like an apparition, trademark grin plastered across its face. "At least I don't feign fool."

Jigglypuff, the creature who approached her before. The name plants itself in Nana's mind. In her ear, Toon Link whispers, "Be careful around Jigglypuff. She's almost as bad as Marth."

"Have you converted faiths, Rabbit, or do you dare defy your queen?"

"I'm still obeying orders. As a matter of fact, I'm guiding Nana to the queen right now."

"Plays will be the end of you, boy."

"But it wouldn't matter since you've been against me from the start."

Their gazes stay evenly matched, neither of them backing down. Toon Link seems to have a lot of hostility against everyone they've come across so far. Perhaps that is one of the cons to being a guide, Nana assumes. However, with that in mind, anxiety of the trial ahead lingers in her thoughts.

Then Jigglypuff's gaze shifts over to Nana. She swallows, but her unchanging face hides her shaky, quiet breath. Soon she hears its voice from behind her. "And you, sweetie, can lie upon the grave of fools. You still know not the road in front of you." Nana turns, and there, the pink creature sways its arms as it continues speaking. "How much would it take to suspend your beliefs?"

She raises a brow. "I don't understand."

"There's a lot you assume you can see, but that mindset hinders you. Both your answer and your bane stem from the same tree, and it's easy to confuse one for the other. Are you willing to remove those standing in your path for the answer to be guaranteed?"

The way it smiles cheek-to-cheek causes Nana to shudder, but she remains solid on her feet and shakes her head.

"Then you are no different from the ones who came before you." Before anyone knew it, Jigglypuff begins twirling while singing her words out like a song. "Fools. All of you. The game is won before it's begun."

"Wait," Nana says. "What else is there for me to do? I've followed your instructions."

Its giggling echoes from behind, and both Nana and Toon Link spin around to see Jigglypuff skipping in the trees. "Then you have not followed the instructions properly." And it fades before disappearing into the wind once again.