Gravity Falls and its characters were created by Alex Hirsch and owned by Disney. Belle Sterling is an original character owned by MaryPSue. All credit goes to their respective creators.

Siegfried's smile widened. "That's a good boy. I knew you were a lad with some smarts. Which you can now put to good use." He neared again, his hand reaching inside his pocket, and Orrie tensed in reflex. But the man only pulled out a scroll and handed it to Orrie. Despite himself, curiosity flickered through the whirlwind of distrust and rage, and he grabbed the paper and unfurled it to read:

"Nod's old shoe can't travel far."

Orrie read the hint over and over, burning it into his memory before handing it back to Siegfried. "I don't know all the words to the rhyme, but I think I know the gist of it. It's the one with the three fishermen who fished for the star herrings?"

"That is correct," replied Siegfried, taking the scroll. Orrie pondered hard. His first guess would have been to search the beds too, the closest to the 'wooden shoe' in the rhyme. But Siegfried confirmed none of them was hiding the clue. Maybe there was another bed somewhere? There was the cot in the infirmary, but Orrie had a strong suspicion a room wouldn't be hiding two clues at once. Furthermore, he, Belle, and Dipper did a fairly thorough job of scouring the manor; they hadn't seen any other beds that he could recall. "Perhaps what we are searching for isn't a normal sort of 'bed'."

"What do you mean?"

"The rhyme makes direct reference to a trundle bed. What we need to find, therefore, might be a bed that has a hidden compartment."

"That's…probably it," Orrie mumbled. But something didn't feel right. None of the hints they'd found so far had clear-cut and obvious answers, and if a bed was specifically mentioned in the rhyme, then a bed with a secret compartment was too simple a solution. Inside a shoe, for that matter then, was also not likely to be it.

Siegfried frowned. "You don't sound convinced." Orrie hesitated, not sure what response might set Siegfried off. He fumbled for the words.

"It's n-not a—you're not wro—the answer can't—there has to be more to it," he finally managed to get out. "I just can't think of what." The man nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, you're right. None of the solutions has been that easy to solve. You wouldn't have known to go to the kitchen if you didn't have some basic understanding of demonology."

"Yeah," nodded Orrie absentmindedly before freezing when he realized what he'd just done. Siegfried folded his arms, glaring at Orrie with further accusation and a bit of self-satisfaction.

"Like I said, I knew you were looking for clues. But thanks for the confirmation." He gestured toward one of the halls with a jerk of his head. "Perhaps we'll be sparked with inspiration if we look around." Orrie took that as his cue to take the lead. A grim voice reasoned he was probably to serve as a shield in case there were more traps set by the murderer. As they walked down a hall full of armored suits, both of them on alert for any suspicious noises or movement, Orrie couldn't stop from pondering something.

"Why did you scare Zahia out of her room? Couldn't you have just told her to step out while you checked something? You could have lied."

"You know as well as I do, boy, that she won't listen to anything we tell her. Scaring her was the fastest way of removing her."

Or causing a commotion, the boy thought darkly. A commotion to lead others into a deadly trap.

"You̶̕ t̕h͞ink I͞ d̢idn͏'t́ h̢av͏e inside͏ hel͏p͞ pulli̢ng of͞f̕ t͞he̕se mur̢de̶rs?"

Orrie thickly swallowed the tight lump in his throat at the sudden realization. It made perfect sense now. His beforehand knowledge of the manor, his absences, his indifference to the deaths. Siegfried was—

No, couldn't start freaking out now. What would Siegfried do if he did not solve this hint in time? Think, think! What sort of bed wouldn't travel far? Logically speaking, all of them since beds couldn't move. But they could be moved, so it had to be a bed that could not be moved. So one bolted to the ground? No, no, that couldn't be it…could it? No, that'd be ridiculous. Orrie was starting to panic, fearing his thoughts were leading to dead ends. His eyes darted around for some sort of sign. But the only things in this hall were a vase, a painting of a shepherd with his flock, and a window peering out into a garden. Even from here he could tell how immaculately the flowers were arranged in such a stunning display, like a rainbow had fallen to earth and laid delicately on that patch of land.

Wait…the flowers…that were in a flower bed…

Orrie's eyes widened as his brain reeled to snap together new possibilities. Siegfried was right; they weren't looking for a normal bed. It was something else entirely. The nursery rhyme was constantly making references to fishing, so something to do with the sea. Sea…water…a seabed!

"You found the answer?" Orrie looked up, not realizing he'd stopped in his tracks.

"Maybe," he tried to mask the excitement of solving yet another hint, "But there isn't a lake or river anywhere on the property, is there?"

"What? What on– of course! Why didn't I think of that!" Even he looked a tad impressed by how quickly Orrie solved the hint. "But there isn't any body of water near here. And as far as I remember, I haven't seen any paintings with rivers or lakes."

Then where else could the clue be? Orrie just knew they were on the right track somehow. He stared out the window again. "This may be a stretch, but do you think the clue might be in the pool?" With how it was constructed it vaguely resembled the shallow reaches of a lagoon. He watched as Siegfried drummed his fingers against his side.

"It's as reasonable a guess as any. Well, then, hurry on." Orrie held back his glare as he directed them through the kitchen and outside to where the manor's pool was located. The morning sky was more comforting grey than blue, but it still seemed wholly oblivious to the dark intents lurking inside the luxurious mansion.

The crystal-clear water rippled almost excitedly as they approached, a soft gale disturbing the surface and causing all the white lotuses to bob gently. Orrie peered over the side. If he squinted just right, he could almost imagine the bottom of the pool as a rocky river bed or something of the sort. "It seems they were expecting us," Siegfried uttered, his attention to the side. Orrie turned to see what he was looking at. A large towel, folded, with a pair of goggles rested in one of the pool chairs.

After a wordless gesture from Siegfried, Orrie grabbed the goggles. Rolling up his pant legs and removing his shirt, bag, and glasses before putting on the goggles, he took a deep breath and jumped in. Around him were large stones lining the pool walls. He swam around trying to find something out of the ordinary, but in all honesty he had no idea what he was looking for. Nothing seemed out of place. After a few more seconds, he had to resurface.

"Did you find anything resembling a head?"

Orrie shook the droplets from his hair. "Huh?"

"From the rhyme." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nod represents a child's head as they sleep. Did you find anything resembling that?"

"I can check again." The boy didn't wait for a reply. He dove again, now with an inkling of what they needed. And sure enough, nestled near the bottom of the pool, was a stone that had the faint image of a sleeping face. Orrie grabbed it, wriggling it loose and pulling it out with little trouble. On the stone's backside were an embedded key and etched words, but Orrie couldn't quite read them. He swam back. Siegfried helped him out once he saw the stone in the boy's grasp. But when he realized he wasn't going to be receiving any more assistance, Orrie let the man take the rock as he stomped his soppy self to the chair to grab the towel and dry himself off. He quickly put his shirt back on and stepped as quietly as he could back toward the manor, backpack in hand.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Dang it– busted. Orrie turned back around. "I helped you find the hint; now I'm going back to help my friends."

"We're not finished yet. We still need to find the clue to this key."

"But—!"

"You wouldn't want something to happen to them, hm? We better hurry and find that clue then." Orrie cast Siegfried the darkest glower he could muster, though the man clearly wasn't bothered. He was in control, and Orrie knew he was helpless but to go along. Even from this distance and with the stone in Siegfried's hand turned slightly away, Orrie could just make out the words engraved on its backside:

"In the four kingdoms, who is stacked on top?"

Orrie racked his brain. There were no nursery rhymes in his memory that involved four kingdoms. Though it nonetheless rang a bell. "Four kingdoms. What rhyme has four kingdoms?"

Siegfried smirked. "Think a bit more broadly, boy. There is something else you know of that has four kingdoms. Come." And for once he took the lead, directing Orrie back inside while still keeping a watchful eye over him. Orrie didn't mind too much; he was still trying to understand what Siegfried meant. He only grew more and more confused when the man led them to a place they'd passed before– a room akin to a family game room. There was a small square poker table dead center in the room with numerous waist-high shelves stacked with board games lining the walls. A monitor hung in a ceiling corner, and for the first time since arriving to the manor Orrie spotted what was undoubtedly a security camera—its circular case and lens almost blending in with the row of billiard balls mounted on the wall. He averted his eyes hastily, though if someone were really watching them they'd have already seen him staring.

Siegfried approached the table. "Figure it out yet?" Orrie neared him, blinking at what he saw. A stack of playing cards sat in the middle with four sets of three cards positioned around the table where players would have sat. The sets—each with a king, a queen, and a jack—were of a particular suit. Orrie gasped, finally understanding. The four kingdoms were referring to the four suits in a deck of playing cards. Then there was only one rhyme he could barely remember that corresponded.

"The Queen of Hearts," he said. He frowned. Title aside, he knew almost nothing about that rhyme, just remembered hearing it from somewhere as a child, most of the words now lost to him. He hoped the markings on the table would spark more of his memory, but they only confused him further to what they needed to do. Above each set of cards were three boxes arranged into shapes: the sets with the Hearts and Spades had vertical columns while the Clubs and Diamonds had pyramids, with the pyramid over the Diamonds being upside-down.

"I'm pretty sure I understand now," Siegfried said. A greedy smile was forming. "Yes, yes– I've got it! We must arrange the cards in such a way that the one who comes out on top is on top."

"What does that mean? And how do we figure that out for the other three suits? I thought the rhyme was only about the Hearts."

"Hmph, figures," Siegfried scoffed. "You only learned the first stanza. That's to be expected since there's still much contention as to whether the other three were ever part of the original rhyme. But to summarize them all…" He picked up the nearest card, the Queen of Hearts. "The Queen of Hearts makes some tarts, 'til the Knave comes along and steals them." He placed the card in the middle box in the column, and there came a distinct sound of something clicking open inside the table. "The King, of course, demands them back, makes the Knave come home and return some."

He placed the King of Hearts in the box above the Queen and the Jack in the one below it. Two more clicks resounded. Siegfried moved to the next side of the table. "The King of Spades kisses the maids, but to the Queen this won't at all sit. So the Knave begs them free, but the Queen, you do see, lets neither of them forget." This time he placed the Jack above the Queen and the King below. Three more clicks. Orrie, now more intrigued than before, watched intently as Siegfried continued.

"The Queen of Clubs so often snubs the King to his face in spite. The King retorts, but the Knave stays mute, his response the only one that's right." Siegfried placed the Jack at the top of the pyramid and the Queen and King in the boxes below. The clicks this time were much louder, and Orrie suspected the mechanism was near fully unlocked.

"The Diamond King, when he sings, spouts naught but praise to his wife. The Knave makes jests when she woos back, so from him the King takes his life." The Jack was placed below the King and Queen, and the final latches clicked, allowing a small drawer to roll out. Inside it was the fifth clue.

Before Orrie had the chance to even consider reaching for the small booklet, Siegfried's hand swooped down and snatched it. He opened it with the key and held the clue up to read, high enough that Orrie could not see its contents. "At last! That reward is mine!" And he ran out of the room without a glance back, the booklet still in hand. If Orrie didn't have more pressing matters he would've felt anger for being cheated out of the clue. Instead he was nothing more than relieved and anxious to find his friends. He too raced out of the room, trying his best to remember the way back to the room with the trapdoor. He eventually found it and cautiously stepped inside. Dipper and Belle were, unsurprisingly, not there, meaning Orrie had to go down and find them. Bracing himself, Orrie jumped through the hole.

It wasn't that far down, just like Dipper had said. But the utter darkness greatly disoriented Orrie, and he blindly but hurriedly pulled out his phone from his backpack. Using it as a flashlight wasn't quite as usefully as he would've hoped, but it was better than nothing. He walked slowly down the long corridor, the stone floor and walls so slick to the touch. He froze when he thought he heard footsteps rushing behind him, but when he turned around he saw nothing but darkness. The light from his phone just couldn't travel that far.

He walked with deliberate steps, his ears keenly attuned to every sound heard. The path seemed to forever bend slightly, though every once in a while there would be a door or narrow hall branching off, but Orrie didn't dare explore them. Dozens of eyes seemed to be watching his every move, and he was honestly more confused why nobody tried to attack him. It was when he was beginning to believe he was starting to walk in a circle he heard a grunt that came from a side hallway.

"Dipper? Belle?" No answer. Cautiously he walked down it. It led to a metallic door. Pushing that open he found himself in yet another stony, circular hall, but this one was lit entirely by lights hanging overhead. There were also more doors in this hall. And, even more curiously, a trail of water splotches leading away.

There was another groan. Orrie followed it and the trail, being guided into yet another small hallway. The groan sounded exactly like—

"Dipper!" The teen was supporting himself against the wall, one arm cradling the other. Wisps of smoke floated off of him as he struggled to keep his human visage intact; Orrie caught glimpses of skin melting away only to be regenerated soon after. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing," he grunted, pushing himself off the wall. "It looks worse than it actually is." Orrie still hurried over to him to provide him support. Dipper tried not to be too much of a burden as they continued down the hall. "It's the staff. They're able to spy on us from behind these walls, and they practically hosed me down with holy water the second I came in here. Those cultists must have run out because I haven't seen any of them in a while. And, oh yeah– they're definitely cultists, by the way." He suddenly went quiet. "Um…why do you smell herbal?"

"Herbal?"

"Well, more flowery than herbal."

Flowery? Orrie remembered the lotuses that were in the swimming pool. "Blame Siegfried," he grumbled. He himself didn't think he smelled at all. "Is it bothering you?"

"I think?" Why was that a question? Orrie didn't say anything, but he started to grow a bit worried by the troubled look Dipper had. The teen abruptly stood up straighter. "This way!" Grabbing Orrie's wrist, he practically dragged him down two side corridors. But Orrie was starting to hear it too: the sound of gushing water. Orrie used his own feet to follow after, and they soon reached what appeared to be a storage room. Not even checking for traps, Orrie pushed it open.

Inside was Belle, tied up and bound to a chair. She was trapped inside a giant glass box, the kind that reminded Orrie of a magician's box, filled to the brink with water. Perched on top of it—just outside the box and thus pouring through a hole on top—was a hose. Though it didn't look special, Orrie would bet that was holy water flowing into the box. Despite the room being some sort of closet there was nothing Orrie could see that they could use to break the box.

Except…

Orrie snatched Belle's grappling hook from his bag. He took aim at the base of the box and fired, cracking its corner. A small fireball from Dipper made it shatter , and the water rushed out like a rapid. They both heard the deep inhale for oxygen once the water was low enough. This was followed by coughing, and Dipper spread his wings, hovering over the water to untie his twin.

"Nearly…broke the world record…for longest without air," Belle tried to chuckle; it came out way too forced. Dipper hissed as he tore the cable ties around her wrists. "Ouch!"

"Sorry!" he apologized, gentler with the ones on her ankles. He helped her to stand.

"Whoa…" Belle was a bit wobbly on her legs. "Ooh, my head is pounding. Hey, Dipper, think I could trade you a week's worth of desserts to get rid of this headache?" As the two of them prepared for the deal, Orrie nearly jumped a foot when something cool and airy fluttered through his hair. He stared up, feeling like a complete fool when he realized it was just the vent having kicked on. Hiding his embarrassment he turned for the exit…and spotted just in time a shadow disappearing around the corner. And on the door was a note.

Silently, Orrie stepped over and took it. He read it quietly to himself. An iciness flowed through him when he turned the paper over. As discreetly as he could, he hid the note in his pocket.

"Did you see something?" This time Orrie did jump.

"Yeah," he answered Dipper, "I think one of those cultists was spying on us."

The older boy's expression darkened. "Great. Perfect. They could be gathering as we speak."

"And we don't even know the way out. Think you can blip us upstairs?" asked Belle. He bit his lower lip, hesitant.

"It's possible. But it'll be a very rough ride."

"Better than nothing." She linked hands with her brother. Dipper held out his other for Orrie, and the boy tentatively grabbed it. He—

—instantly wanted to puke. One moment he was standing in the dungeon basement, the next he was sitting at the top of the foyer stairs in the manor, the part of his brain in charge of rationale on the fritz. It felt as if someone shoved him onto a rollercoaster—backwards—and had it go straight down at terminal velocity. Even Belle didn't look like she trusted herself to stand.

Groaning, Orrie asked, "Is 'blipping' always this…" He couldn't find the right word.

"Nauseating?" Dipper supplied. Heck, even he was woozy. "No. But don't forget that this place is meant to keep me trapped inside. Wouldn't be much of a prison if I could tesser freely."

"We didn't even have breakfast and I feel like hurling it all up," moaned Belle. She finally stood and helped her brother up.

Orrie also got to his feet. "I think we should take a break."

"Huh?" Both twins replied as one. Orrie grimaced.

"I've been running around with Siegfried the past hour, Belle nearly drowned, and Dipper, you're weak from all that holy water plus the blipping plus that fireball used to free Belle, I'm betting. It doesn't have to be long, just a quick break to catch our breaths." Neither said anything, clearly debating and weighing the options.

"Alright. Ten minutes." Orrie and Belle agreed to that. The twins made for their room, but Dipper stopped when he noticed Orrie not following. "What's wrong?"

"Noth—well…okay, I want to check something out first." He tried to sound reassuring. "It's downstairs. I think I saw something while I was with Siegfried that could help us out, but I want to make sure. It shouldn't take more than a minute to go there and come back."

Dipper didn't look eager to let him go wandering alone, but he nodded nonetheless. "Just be careful."

"Promise," Orrie grinned as Dipper stepped inside his room. The smile slid once the door closed.

With the paper in his pocket the boy treaded carefully down the stairs, fears aflame, the destination hinted by the note vibrantly clear in his mind as he went.