Chapter Two: Turn Left


"I'm telling you buddy, there's a great big world out there waiting for us, and we're not going to get anywhere in it while we're sitting around here." Bill said, stretching out his arms to the sun, almost able to hear Tad roll his eyes next to him. "About time we got out of this stupid town!"

"You've never wanted to leave before, what changed?" Tad asked only half interested, distracting the shopkeeper for a moment and snatching an apple. The shopkeeper didn't even notice, taking care of another customer when Tad walked away.

"Things change, I'm restless." Bill shrugged, snatching Tad's apple. "Besides, I came up with the best idea, this one is sure not to fail!"

Tad groaned, tilting his head back to stare up at the cloudy sky that was about to start snowing any second. People around them were trying to sell stolen goods that they hoped wouldn't be able to be tracked back to them, but ever since the fall of the monarchy the police hadn't been enforcing much.

"C'mon, this one's actually got some merit, you just need to trust me on this!" Bill wrapped his arm around Tad's shoulder, offering the half eaten apple back to the man. Tad took it after a moment.

"What's this plan of yours?"

Bill beamed, glad to have gotten a response from Tad, it was already basically him saying that they were going with this plan. A shopkeeper rushed in front of them, showing off an old dress about the size of a small girl.

"It belonged to the Pines, I swear!" She gushed. "I stole it from the palace, after they fell. Have you heard the new rumor?"

"Perfect replica, miss, but that's not Pines. Good luck selling it." Bill pulled Tad away from the stand, leaving the woman there and trying to sell to the next person that hadn't heard Bill calling out.

"There's a new rumor?" Tad was always one for gossip, unfortunately for Bill's tastes, looking back at the woman's item with curiousity. Yet if there was one person that Tad trusted with knowing about the Pines, it was Bill.

"Nah, just the same old ones. Like the one that Mabel survived, that the prince survived, when we all know the only survivor was Stanley." Bill clicked his tongue. "That actually makes the perfect point! My plan."

Bill rubbed his hands together, quite nefariously, making Tad groaned once more. For a long moment they just walked, until they came across a lamppost covered in pieces of paper. It was leaning to one side, aged from snow and use, but still standing. Bill seemed to find what he was looking for rather easily though, snatching one paper among the rest and presenting it to Tad.

"Okay?" It was an notice for the lost princess, the one that many didn't think lived through the night of the massacre. A ten thousand ruble reward was printed at the bottom for anyone who could deliver her to her uncle in Paris.

"This is it! We just have to find a girl who can play a part and looks like her, and bam! We have a one way ticket to a life of luxury!" Bill shoved the flyer in his pocket. "Easy! We'll be rich and skip town before anyone knows what we've done."

"Bill…" Tad started, unsure of where to even begin. "You don't really think she's still around, do you? And you really want to mess with an old man who doesn't have anyone?"

"Who cares if I think she's even alive? We just have to find a pretty actress and our lives are smooth sailing." Bill wrapped his arm around Tad once more, an excited smile spread across his face. His blond hair shone in the light, almost matching his bright smile.

"Just think, soon enough we'll be rich, we can live in luxury and make an old man happy in his final days." Bill could be quite charming when he wanted to be, he had a smile that made women swoon and even men jealous of what they hadn't accomplished. So what if he was a street rat?

"Alright, I'm in. What do we do, hold auditions or something?"


"Bye!"

"So long, Mabel!"

Mabel waved energetically at the rest of the children as she was led out of the orphanage. It was a strange, unpleasant feeling to leave behind the only home she had ever known, but she was of age and they couldn't keep her around. Mabel sighed as she walked through the snow that was just starting to fall.

"Alright, Princess." Mabel had earned her name with the attitude she carried, and the way she walked. Apparently she walked just like the royalty used to when they were in power. "I have a job all set up for you. Just head that way and take a left at the fork in the road. Don't screw this up for me! He's expecting help."

Her old caretaker slammed the gate shut, locking her out of her once home. Mabel had woken up in the orphanage two days after the fall of the Pines family, and everyone assumed she was just a casualty of the riots that occurred. Mabel didn't have any memories to question what they suspected.

"I won't, bye!" Mabel waved cheerfully before heading out, everything she owned on her. One small bag with a set of clothing, a necklace with a key on it, and that was about it. Orphans didn't really have much to their names.

It was nice being named after a princess, despite never even seeing a picture of the girl. Mabel wondered why everyone had gotten rid of the monarchy. Once her old caretaker told her that it was like anger had engulfed the city, most didn't even remember. People had died, but the past was the past.

"I wonder what this job is." Mabel mused, shrugging slightly to get rid of the snow that had built up on her shoulders. "Take a left at the fork, Mabel. Don't worry if you get lost, Mabel. Not like anyone would come looking for me anyways!"

So she was a little bitter about the situation. Mabel pouted, seeing nothing around her but trees covered in frost and snow. After all the years of nearly freezing to death in the winter, she had come to hate the snow.

The path was lonely, not even marks from carriages decorating the snow. While being alone was nice, it was also strange, since most of her life was spent in the company of others. She would have been fine, if she hadn't heard the small crack that broke through the silence. Shakily, her hands searched her pockets for something she could use for defense, but she came up empty.

"Is anyone out there?" Mabel called loudly, loudly enough for the branches to rattle and knock down snow. For a second, there was just silence, and then Mabel noticed how the branches weren't moving because of her voice, but because something was coming towards her.

"I'm armed! Don't come any closer!" Mabel bluffed as more bushes moved, something getting closer and closer to her but still unseen. It was probably a wolf, or a bear, something terrible enough to rip her face off-

Or it was a pig.

Mabel groaned, covering her face with her hands as the little pink pig came and immediately sat at her feet. The poor thing was freezing, shaking from the cold and covered in snow. Mabel knelt down in the snow, brushing it off of the pig gently and watching him lean into her hands. Her heart instantly melted despite the cold, and she picked up the pig to wrap him up inside of her sweater. He easily settled in, curling against her chest.

"Okay, that didn't happen. How was I scared of a little cutie like you?" Mabel gave him a couple pats. "You waddle really adorably though, so I guess I'll call you Waddles. I've never had a pet before. Why are you out here, though? Get lost from your family?"

She almost laughed for a moment at that, but she grew silent. Maybe Waddles was just lost like she was, trying to figure out where he belonged to and where he should go.

"It's okay, we can be lost together."

Once more she started walking, as Waddles fell asleep in her sweater and the snow finally stopped falling. By the time she had reached the fork in the road, she was a cold mess that honestly just wanted to sit down for a while.

"Head left." Mabel muttered, still looking down the other way. She could only see snow, but that was all she could see to the left as well.

"You know what? Screw that! I want an adventure. I want to know who I am. Somewhere out there, someone's got to know who I am." Mabel exclaimed, getting a soft oink from Waddles that seemed to be an agreement with her.

Who needed a job? She'd find her way all on her own.


"No more." A gruff voice cracked with age croaked, as a young woman with blond hair left his room. He could no longer stand up on his own, and his cane wasn't just an accessory anymore but really for use. He had finally had enough.

"Your majesty?" A young man stood next to him, ever a loyal subject to the reign of the King who no longer had a kingdom. "What do you mean?"

Stanley turned to Soos, age clear on his face, but what was also easily seen was the hurt from years of searching. Mabel would have been twenty this year, and once more he had spent this time mourning her birthday instead of celebrating it.

"I'm sick of these girls coming in here thinking they can trick me." Stan said gruffly, brushing off Soos's help as he tried to stand on his own. He couldn't, and only accepted help after he nearly fell over.

"She's gone, I have to realize that. I should have jumped off that train and gone after her." Stan muttered, picking up an old picture he had of her. She was beaming, a bright smile with Dipper making a funny face behind her. He missed them so much.

"She could still be-"

"She's not. She died that night like her brother. The whole kingdom took care of my family, I won't see any more girls. None of them will ever be her, and I'm too old to be getting my hopes up like this." Stan placed the picture frame face down so he wouldn't see the faces of his lost family. "I can't do this anymore."

Soos didn't argue, bringing Stan a cup of water so the man might rest for the remainder of the day. For years Stan had searched for Mabel, and he was getting on in age. If anything, Soos wished he could make Mabel appear so she might comfort him in his last days.