Chapter 2: Hawkeye
The teacup shattered against the floor. The sound of it cracking into little pieces and its fragments clattering against the floor scratched at Gough's ears. He never got surprised by anything anymore and felt nothing from it, but he did accidentally let out an involuntary grunt.
"The Four Knights of Gwyn?" Alice repeated.
"Indeed," Gough responded.
He expected his mission to be over. He expected Alice to tell him to leave at once. He expected her dolls to push him out the door. He expected her to get out a knife and mutilate him, just as the others had done befo-
"It's an honor, Hawkeye Gough," Alice said.
This is what shocked him.
"An honor?" he repeated.
"Yeah, it is," Alice reaffirmed. "I've read the tales about you... and the others."
"Mm," was all Gough could respond with.
Alice continued, "I don't get visitors often, and if you don't have anywhere to live..."
Gough didn't have the heart to tell her that he preferred living in the wide open spaces of the forest.
"It would be a pleasure," Gough said.
Alice didn't reply, so Gough could only assume she was making a face of some sort.
He heard the dolls sweep up the pieces of the broken teacup, and then Alice's chair scraped away from his direction, presumably her getting up.
"I'll make a bed for you," she announced. "Excuse me."
Gough nodded as he heard her walk away.
He could tell by a strain in her voice that she was trying not to let something slip. He sensed that, if she was telling the truth, she wouldn't be so kind to him.
Then again, she never really said she wanted him here.
He listened to the dolls rushing around for a bit longer before he heard Alice's heels clack clack clack towards him.
"It's finished," she said. "I'll lead you there."
Gough got up, and Alice grabbed his wrist. Pulling him gently, he let his free hand run across the wall adjacent to him. They were walking through a hallway, and Alice took a turn, and this time Gough could tell that he was walking through a doorframe.
"Your bed's here," Alice told him. "I hope it's big enough for you."
Gough nodded and walked past her to his bed. He felt it down and found where the pillow was before lying down on it. He heard Alice leave and close the door behind her before walking upstairs. With a grunt, Gough shut his eyes (not that there was any difference to him) and soon fell asleep...
...
The lumberjack's daughter is the only one besides your dear friends who know where you live in the woods.
The young girl is pleasant and doesn't bother you, for the most part. She is chatty, but there's something charming about her that you cannot deny. She cannot be any older than seven, and is a mere human. If you wanted to, you could crush her under your thumb. But then you would be no better than the other giants.
Not that the villagers care.
The girl looks up at you and says, "Sir Gough! I have a question for thee!"
You look down on her and ask, "What has thou wondering about myself?"
"Well," the young girl says guiltily, "I wanted to know something about thee!"
"Very well, young one. What does thee want to know?"
The young girl opens her mouth.
...
Would you hold my hand?
Gough immediately tried to remember that dream... he knew that face, that voice...
He desperately searched his memories, but they weren't there. And soon enough, the dream faded, and it was lost forever.
With a sigh of disappointment, Gough got up from his bed. The floorboards creaked under his weight, but he stood up and walked over to where he remembered the door being. Finding the knob, he twisted it and entered the hallway, and immediately he registered a sound.
Sizzling. Along with that, the smell of meat cooking.
Following the path he had taken before, Gough stepped into Alice's foyer, and registered the fact that she was humming a cheery song.
"Oh, good morning, Sir Gough!" Alice greeted cheerily. If her voice signified anything, it was that her good night's rest had made her a brighter, happier person. Something Gough could appreciate.
"Good morning, Lady Alice," Gough replied politely. Alice giggled at that.
"'Lady Alice?'" she repeated. "I don't really deserve that, do I?"
Gough, stuck to his code as a knight, nodded.
Alice let out another giggle and repeated again, "'Lady Alice.' I like that. I really do."
"I'm glad," Gough said, really not sure how else to respond.
With the sound of her footsteps coming towards him, Alice put her hand on his bare left bicep, considering it. Before Gough could consider how gentle her hand was, she said, "Hey, who hurt you like this?"
"People," Gough replied plainly.
Alice made a disgusted sound and retracted her hand. "You're their defender, and they do this to you? Disgusting."
Gough had to wonder how she knew it was the people he was defending, seeing as his vague answer could've been enemies of Gwyn. Before he could ask, she suddenly said, "Oh, I'm going out for a bit. See you!"
The door opened and closed. Turning to where the cooking meat was coming from, Gough went over, grabbed the bacon from the pan with his bare hands, and ate it.
It was flinty, hard, and tasted bitter. Definitely burned.
He crunched down on it anyway.
After eating the rest of the bacon, Gough searched for a water source to was the pan. Nearby the stove was a tap that released water, so he put the pan under the running water and, when it felt perfectly clean to him, set it aside to dry.
Sometime after that, Alice returned with a sigh. She simply said, "I'm back."
"Welcome back, Lady Alice," Gough greeted.
"Hello, Hawkeye Gough," Alice greeted. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes," Gough responded, deciding not to comment on the bacon.
He heard Alice step away and heard a small pomf as she sat down on a chair, he assumed.
"What are you doing, Lady Alice?" Gough asked.
"Some of my dolls were damaged earlier," Alice told him. "I'm going to repair them."
"Truly? May I be of assistance?"
"Sorry, but I don't think you... have the right capabilities to do it."
Giant fingers. Blind. Obviously.
"Apologies, Lady Alice," Gough mumbled, feeling impotent.
"You offered, and that's good enough," Alice told him. "I'm happy you did."
Gough nodded, feeling a bit better about himself. "What is the use of your dolls, Alice?" he decided to ask her.
"Many uses," Alice responded. "I use them for chores or combat, mostly."
"Combat?"
"Yes. Sometimes someone will challenge me to combat, and I... I actually really like fighting. That's what the combat dolls are for. Sure, there are the ones that cut the grass outside, but instead of shears, the combat dolls are armed with swords, shields, all sorts of weapons."
"And how many dolls do you tend to use?"
"Usually around thirty."
Unless these dolls were as strong as toys, which was heavily doubtful, Alice would definitely be a tough opponent to face.
Deciding to find out Alice's full potential, Gough asked: "How many can you control?"
Instead of replying, Alice laughed before telling him, "Fight me. Maybe you'll find out."
"A knight's duel."
"Sure, if that's how you want it to be."
Gough considered the possibilities before replying: "I attack only behind armies, not in front of it. My apologies, Lady Alice, but I must refuse."
"Good," Alice replied, sounding impressed. "You know when to pick your fights."
Okay, Alice did sound impressed. But there was a quiver in her voice that let Gough know that she was afraid of such a fight.
They were always afraid of giants.
"What do you plan to do today?" Gough asked Alice.
"I might go and visit my friend Marisa later," Alice told him, "...and maybe see Patchouli Knowledge to trade some stuff."
Patchouli Knowledge, Gough remembered. She lives at the same place as Ornstein.
"Do you want to tag along?" Alice asked.
"I'd be honored."
"Good. Then get some earmuffs. Marisa's place isn't going to be quiet."