The next day, it was time for the next event of the Shuffling: the Hunt! The guests were lead to the edge of the forest within the estate. There were a lot of small tables scattered around the area, a few stands for drinks and food, and a huge one right in the middle. There was also a display of weapons, such as bows and crossbows, and other hunting gears. The King of Hearts stood in front of his guests and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.
"Welcome everyone." he said in a clear, booming voice that everyone could hear. "Welcome to the Shuffling's Hunt."
The audience applauded.
"We all know the rules: catch whatever animal you want and bring them back here." he gestured to the large table, the to the others. "We've prepared a tea party for the ladies, but really, anyone who is willing can participate. As long as they're not too young." he winked at a group of children.
"Dammit!" one small boy kicked the ground, which made people laugh.

"You have a variety of hunting equipment at your disposal, and may only use these." the king continued. "The game starts at the sound of trumpet, and shall end before dinner time." he hummed, acting like he was thinking. "Am I forgetting something...? Oh yes!" he smiled. "For this particular game, I've decided to make it more...exciting."
There were intrigued whispered shared amongst the crowd. The king's smile grew a bit bigger.
"At this very moment, my men are releasing some additional trophies that are not native to the Kingdom of Hearts. Taken from my personal zoo. Animals and other creatures, from all over the world, now infesting this very forest." he gestured behind him. "Not to worry, they're still harmless."
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed throughout the area, making the crowd flinch, some even gasped.
"Well. Most of them." the king shrugged, his smile unchanged.

(Y/n) gulped and glanced at Arnold, worried. But he looked as excited as ever, with a big smile on his face. This only made her more nervous.
"Whoever gets the best catch is the winner, and shall receive a very special award. You can play by yourself, or join forces with others. Whatever your heart tells you." he clapped his hands together. "You are given an hour and a half to prepare. Those who want to participate, please queue up to receive your bell."
One of the rules was for hunters to wear something that made sound so that other hunters don't mistake them for animal. The small silver bell was attached to a ribbon that one could tie to their wrist, or wherever they chose. Some have pointed out that the bell would just alert the animals of their presence. But they were reassured with the fact that there bells have been enchanted for their sound to be heard only by other wearers.

After talking to Arnold about their strategy for the day, Lady (Y/n) went to look for Mr. Dear. She found him preparing himself for the hunt.
"Lady (L/n)!" he beamed when he saw her. "I hope the day finds you well."
"Thank you, Mr. Dear. Hello to you too." she nodded. "May I say, you have a certain...glow about you." she leaned back with a teasing smile. "Like you are in a really good mood."
"Oh I can't hide anythin' from you milady." he scratched the back of his neck with a bashful chuckle. "Yes I am indeed. The reason for which I wanted to share with you, as I told you in my letter."
"I remember, yes. Well then please, do tell. And spare the juicy details for after the hunt, to keep me on the edge of my seat."
They shared a laugh then moved to a different spot, to have a bit of privacy.
"So," he leaned a bit closer. "at the ball, the King of Diamonds came to me, said he had an important mission for me. He then asked me to fetch him this new butterfly he's been hearin' about- after the Shuffling of course."
"Of course." she nodded.
"And, and then he talked about this new specimen, describing it in precise detail so that I may easily identify it in the wild. And then the conversation changed to more insects he would also like."

"...Oh." she said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "So you just...talked about bugs?"
"Well, he did mostly. I dunno anything about that stuff." he waved a hand. "I don't even like insects all that much."
"Oh! Well then, that must've been a bore to you..."
"Oh not at all! I love listening to him talk- I mean!" he blushed, suddenly tense. "Wh-WHen someone rambles about their interest, they have a certain spark in their eyes! And it's just lovely to see!"
She chuckled. She noted that his southern accent would become heavier whenever he panicked.
"I understand now. It's good to know that you have a mission from a King waiting for you after the Shuffling."
He tilted his head, a bit perplexed.
"Most people would say it's a lotta pressure."
"Why? If anything, it's an honor. A mission given by the King personally nonetheless."
"...You're quite patriotic, huh Lady (L/n)?"
She chuckled, not sure how to respond to that.

"So you'll participate in the hunt I see."
"Yes. I want to catch a rabbit to give to my mama back home. She's always wanted to have one as a pet."
"Awww, how lovely!"
"Will you participate perhaps?"
"Oh I'm more of an observer when it comes to animals." she waved a hand. "Countess Gwendolyn didn't even join us, as a vegetarian she is strongly against hunting. The Marquis, Lord Arnold will participate however, along with Lady Catherine's fiancé."
"Ah, well, may the best man win. I hope I'll run into them during the event."
"Maybe you will." she smiled. "Oh, and I must tell you about what happened to me at the ball."
"Why yes! I almost forgot!" he suddenly leaned closer. "Spare no detail milady!"
She did. Every sentence of hers were punctuated by Mr. Dear's comments, his tone and expression changing almost every time, for this was a real rollercoaster of emotion to him.

Finally. The participants of the hunt gathered in front of the trees, standing in a line, geared up and read to go. The King of Hearts called upon his servants to bring him a giant hourglass. The sand was on the top half, yet wouldn't budge.
"Now. May the Hunt begin! And may the best one win!"
After saying this, someone played a loud melody on the trumpet and the king lightly hit the hourglass. As if he turned on the gravity within the glass case, the sand started to go down. Arnold was one of the firsts to run into the forest. Others – like Mr. Dear – calmly walked in. Surely, every contestant left, under the applause of the audience. Then the guests turned to their tea party. There were a variety of snacks and Barnaby and his mates provided entertainment. (Y/n) wanted to talk to him, but he was busy at the moment. The two of them did curtsied once they locked eyes. Walking around, looking at the different stands, she noticed that one of the guests was setting his own. And it was already the most popular one yet.

"Come on people of the Shuffling!" he exclaimed towards the passersby. "Which one will be the winner of the Hunt? How many will perish at the bite of one of those creatures? Anything could happen! Place your bets!"
"A betting stand...?" she mumbled, her eyebrows furrowed. "Not a fan."
Curious, she leaned to the side to see how many bets were placed. Her eyes widened. So many already... And the scenarios they came up with kept getting more and more outrageous. It made her more unsettled.

"Lady (Y/n)!"
She turned over to see the young Duchess Molly, rushing towards her.
"Miss Molly." she smiled and curtsied.
As if this gesture reminded her that that was what she was supposed to do. She abruptly stopped and curtsied back.
"I hope you've been doing well." (Y/n) said.
She could feel the looks people were giving them. Well, her mostly. She was talking to a Duchess from the court of Hearts after all... But she ignored them.
"Very well, thank you." she nodded. "I saw Mr. Dear went hunting."
"He sure did. We wish him good luck."
"We do, we do! Father went too. And I'm already bored, do you wanna play?"

(Y/n) took a look around, she spotted Lady Catherine. Without her dear fiancé, she was afraid she'd be all by herself, but she was chatting with other people. From what she heard, she's joined a group of spouse. She was glad.
"I would be more than happy to Miss Molly." she smiled.
The child's face lit up. She grabbed the woman's hand and pulled her with her.
"Come! Let's go get matching cupcakes!"
There was a stand where one could customize their cupcake, which would then be made right in front of them by a chef. (Y/n) gasped in delight at all the delicious possibilities in front of her. Sadly for her, she wasn't the one calling the shots around here.
"Make them look like lemons!"
"Very well, your Ladyship. What flavor-"
"Lemon!"
"Okay, but which part-"
"Lemon!"
"Oh dear..." (Y/n) whispered, braising herself for what's to come.

Once the pair had their snacks, Molly led them to a picnic area she's set – she had her maids to it and took all the credit – with a large cloth on the grass, a trail with a tea set and comfy cushions to sit on. Once they were settled, (Y/n) stared at her cupcake. Lemon flavored, with yellow lemon frosting, yellow lemon sprinkles, and on the top of it all, a small green biscuit, lime flavored. She glanced at the child in front of her and her face dropped when she saw young Miss Molly devouring it like a hungry animal. Not a flinch out of her, not a twist in the features of her face. That scared (Y/n) a bit.
"You're not eating?" Molly looked at her.
"I'm...not hungry just yet. I'm mostly thirsty actually."
She took the tea pot, but Molly stopped her and had a maid to it for her instead.
"A true lady shouldn't have to do that kind of tedious stuff. That's what father says." she smiled with a huff.
"Ah, thank you."
'But I don't believe your father would include me in this...'

The two friends then engaged in some light-hearted small talk. (Y/n) spoke about the parties she attended the other day, and Molly complained about the other kids she was forced to spend time with during dinner. It would seem she had a hard time connecting with her peers.
"Kids my age are just the worst!" she huffed.
"My, that is a bold statement Miss Molly." she chuckled.
"But it's true! All they want to talk about are horses and hair."
"While you want to talk about...?"
"Ducks and vegetables!"
"Right..." she nodded, suppressing another chuckle, she didn't want her to think she was being mocked.

"Did you know some ducks are used for pest control?! I read that in a book once then took Clarabelle to our vegetable patch. She's had a real feast!"
"I did know that, we also use runner ducks for our gardens."
Molly gasped loudly, her eyes sparkling.
"How many ducks do you have?!"
"Um... In my estate, six or seven."
"Can we arrange a play date between them and Clarabelle?! She doesn't have that many duck friends!"
She chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm, though she knew the Duke would never accept such a thing.
"You know what, let's put a pin on that, and we'll talk about this after the Shuffling. Okay?"
"Okay!" she nodded.

"So, have you tried sharing your knowledge with the other children?"
"They're too busy playing horses..." she mumbled, looking down.
"You should at least try. Maybe they'll take an interest in your passion if you just share it. I believe it's a great way to make friends."
The young girl looked at her for a moment.
"Would you like to hear more about ducks and vegetables?"
"Sure." she chuckled.
Miss Molly then proceeded to list her top ten favorite ducks. And went on a rant about how pumpkins were actually fruits, and so weren't her favourite vegetables.

As she took a few sips of her tea, Molly turned her attention to the band playing as background music. They didn't have any singer and she didn't like that. Not only that, but they stopped playing at some point to take a break.
"I wanna sing."
"Oh." (Y/n) blinked twice, surprised. "Alright then."
"Do you sing?"
"You want me to sing with you?"
"Yes. It sounds much better this way."
"Um...Over there?" she gestured towards the band.
"Nah."
"Okay." she exhaled, relieved.

"Do you know the song of the willow maiden?"
"I do, yes."
"Do you know the harmonies?" she asked more excitedly. "I love them! They're so pretty!"
"Alright, as long as you take the lead."
She nodded. The two of them set their tea aside and faced each-other. (Y/n) began to snap her fingers to create a rhythm and they started to sing. It would seem Molly's eccentricity made (Y/n) forget about all the eyes that were on her. For some, this was getting boring and so they turned away, but others kept watching, some of which were by the betting stand.

"Five gold pieces the Lady of Spades is using the young Duchess." one lady tossed some coins to the stand owner.
"Ooo! A most interesting development!" the man noted this bet in his journal.
"I raise that bet to ten gold pieces!" a man handed that exact amount of coins. "No way a Spades doesn't have such intentions when spending time someone of such status. She must be trying to crawl her way up."
"Up and out of the Dark Forest."
"Must be hard, the Dark Forest is pretty deep." another person said.
They laughed. More people joined in on it.
"Oh. What's this?"
Everyone became tense and looked over to see the King of Hearts, his jester by his side.

"Y-Your Highness!" they all bowed.
"Barnaby." he said, though his eyes were fixed on the stand owner. "I believe we've talked about the Baron's stand, didn't we?"
"You sure did, my king." he nodded.
"And what did we agree on again?" he tilted his head, pretending to think.
"That betting and such activities weren't fitting the spirit of the Shuffling."
"I remember, your Highness." the baron nodded, a few drops of sweat on his forehead. "But I can't help it, if this is what the people want."
Wally glanced over at the chest that has been filled up with money.
"I understand." he sighed. "Who am I to go against the will of the people? You may partake in your bets. Outside of official royal events." he looked into the man's eyes. "Am I clear?"
"As clear as cave water your Highness!" he quickly bowed.

"Now go one and give everyone their money back." he waved a hand. "And please," he smiled. "keep a watch on these gambling tendencies you have. What would your wife think?"
"She divorced him, my King." a woman said.
"Oh my. I'm sorry, I didn't know that." he lied, covering his mouth to hide a smile.
"It's alright..." the Baron looked down, his face paler, and began to take down his stand with a defeated look.
Satisfied, Wally walked away, with Barnaby not far behind.
"Have someone keep an eye on him, will you?" he quietly told him.
"Got'cha." Barnaby gave him a thumb up.

Now the two friends could finally resume their conversation. But then their attention was caught by Lady (L/n) and Duchess Molly. A young woman and a child, two friends, singing a song together. A song about a hunter who fell in love with a woman living on the branches of a willow tree, who confessed his love and proposed to her, but she rejected him, saying she simply couldn't leave her willow. The hunter then took an axe and took down her ancient tree. He then took her out of the forest and she collapsed, lifeless, turning into a beautiful flower after leaving the land of her birth.
Once thing Barnaby noticed was that, at some point during the song, the look in the Lady of Spades' eyes changed. She didn't look away, but her eyes grew distant, like she was lost in thoughts. He would see that look in Wally's eyes sometimes. He glanced at his best friend, who was still looking at the duo. Finally, the song ended.

"Wow, I love that song!" Molly clapped, along with her maids. "So pretty!"
"It does sound beautiful." (Y/n) nodded. "But, it does tell a tragic story."
"Really?" she tilted her head.
'Did she not hear the words she was singing?'
"The hunter wanted to marry the maiden so badly, he didn't listen to her. And in the end, she died."
Molly though about it for a moment.
"I thought she was cursed to stay in the tree. He just wanted to save her."
"Oh, that is an interesting interpretation." she nodded. "But she's the maiden of the willow, the willow is her home. Yet the hunter chopped it down, despite her cries. And besides, he could've still loved her, even if he couldn't take her home with him."
"Huh..." her eyes wandered. "I never thought about it that way. He must've really loved her a lot."
"He must've..."

Meanwhile, the two best friends faced each-other again. Barnaby told him of what he noticed. This, plus what happened at the tea party yesterday, made Wally all the more intrigued.
"Could the rumor be true...?" he wondered.
"She don't seem like the type to like rumors." he shook his head. "Pretty sure she'd disagree with it."
A moment passed. Wally's gaze turned to the Lady of Spades once again.
"Let's say she was the 'real new ruler of Spades'." Barnaby continued. "What then? Will you blow her cover, or play along?"
Wally didn't have an answer. Recalling their interactions during the night of the ball, she seemed like such a simple person. And she still seemed that way as he looked at her from afar. But that was it. It would seem she only looked that way from afar. The closer he looked, the more questions he had. It left him curious, but mostly wary. He still didn't know much about her. A small frown formed on his face as he began to make his way towards her.

"Wallyyyyy!"
Said man yelped when his other best friend Julie, the Queen of Clubs, suddenly wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind.
"Woah, what happened to your reflexes?" she smirked. "Are you getting sloppy?" she gasped. "Am I getting better than you?!"
"Hello again Julie." he opened his arms to make her let go of him. "Is there anything you need?" he faced her as he dusted off his shoulders.
"I'm boooored!" she whined. "Why can't we participate in the hunt again?"
"Well, you can. I can't however, since I'm the master of ceremony. Some would say it wouldn't be fair."
"But I don't wanna do it by myself! My sisters aren't participating and neither is Frank!"
"Believe me, I would if I could." he sighed. "And come one now Julie. You only have..." he leaned to the side to look at the giant hourglass. "Four hours to wait until the hunt is over."
The Queen of Clubs let out another whined. Wally was used to it.

"You can just leave if you want." he suggested, not in a mean way of course which she understood.
"Why, when there's all these cool animals in there?!" she pointed at the forest. "But you said we can't participate."
"As I said, you yourself can-"
"We can't!"
He chuckled.
"Since we can't, mmh..." she narrowed her eyes, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "An excuse to go in the forest..."
She thought long and hard about it, and Wally patiently waited.
"Ah!"
"Ah."
"I know!" she huffed. "Why don't you help me with my magic?"

"Your magic? Julie, you are one of the most talented magic-users I know."
"Oh come oooon, please spar with me. Pretty please with a cherry on top?" she leaned closer to him, her hands joined together while giving him puppy dog eyes. "And also, with you being so busy the past months preparing the Shuffling, you haven't worked out at all!"
"You have a point there..." he thought for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Alright then. As long as we don't interfere with the hunt, I shall allow it."
Julie jumped up and down, her loud squeal catching the attention of the people nearby, including Lady (Y/n). She watched as the Queen of Clubs pushed the King of Hearts towards the forest.
"Come on! Let's go!" she rolled up her sleeves.
"Hold on, we have to get a bell first."
"Right! Let's hurry!"
The two of them rushed away. (Y/n) smiled. They seemed like good friends.

"You're still not hungry Lady (Y/n)?" she turned back to Molly. "You haven't touched your cupcake."
"Truthfully Miss Molly..." she picked it up. "I can't eat this."
"Why?" her eyebrows furrowed.
"It reminds me too much of Lady Clarabelle. I'd feel terrible if I were to eat it."
"Oh! I can see the resemblance." she giggled. "I can eat it for you if you want."
'Even after what I said?!'
"Be my guest."
She gave it to her and Molly ate it without bother. It made (Y/n) unsettled a little bit.

"That's right, you haven't brought her today, have you?"
"Mh-hmm." she shook her head before swallowing her bite. "I was too scared she'd be hurt by hunte-" she suddenly gasped, a horrified expression on her face.
"What's wrong Miss Molly?" (Y/n) asked, concerned.
"Her lover." she harshly whispered to her. "What if someone hunts him down?"
"But the river was all the way over there." she pointed to the direction opposite to the forest.
"But it goes through the forest too! Oh no, what do we do?!"
"If only we've realized this sooner." (Y/n) frowned. "We could've asked Mr. Dear to protect him. We can only wish he's had the same realization as us."

"Oh can't we just go ourselves?" she looked at her with a pleading look. "Go to the river, make sure he's not there, or protect him if need be?"
"Go in the forest?!" she harshly whispered.
"Right, we can't ask anyone to escort us, or they'll know about Clarabelle's lover." her eyes grew tear. "What do we do? Her love's gonna die, and she'll be devastated."
(Y/n) thought hard and fast about this, her lips pursued. She took a quick look around before sighing.
"Okay. We'll go."
"Really?"
"Worry not Miss Molly. I know my way around wilderness, I've encountered my fair share of bears and creatures, I'll make sure that we avoid any danger."
Molly sniffed. After they made up an excuse to leave their picnic area, the two of them went to where contestants would take their bells. There were all inside a bag, and they were able to easily snatch one for each of them.

"Now, we just need to create a distraction so that we may leave, unnoticed..."
(Y/n) looked around and spotted Lady Catherine.
'Can't believe I'm using it for this but...'
She waved to get her attention. Once they've locked eye contact, she began to make signs with both her hands. Lady Catherine's eyes widened in surprise, but then nodded with an expression of focus. She stood up then pretended to collapse, creating a panic.
"And they called me crazy for coming up with this code!" (Y/n) smirked. "Come on now, quickly."
She took the child's hand, and into the forest the went.

Eddie has been following that rabbit for a while now. Each time he would step closer, it would move away.
"Is this thing broken or what?" he looked at the bell around his wrist.
Finally, the rabbit was busy munching on some flower.
"Oh, this is it Eddie." he whispered to himself. "This is the perfect opportunity to strike."
Clenching the net he was holding, he took a deep breath.
"For mama!!!" he jumped out of the bush he was hiding behind and blindly threw the net.
The rabbit ran away, but the net did catch something, or someone. Eddie looked over to see-
"M-My King!" he panicked.

The King of Diamond was crouching on the ground, writing in his journal when he was caught. Now he was giving his captor a blank frown. Eddie quickly rushed over to set him free.
"I am so very terribly sorry I was so focused on that gosh darn bunny I didn't know you were there I-"
"It's fine, Mr. Dear."
He helped him stand up.
"What uh... Wh-What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was observing a beautiful specimen of tree lobster." he said as he dusted off his clothes. "But it flew away about ten seconds ago."
"I... I'm so sorry." he looked down.
Frank noticed the look of regret on his face.
"Ten seconds before you came out yelling." he said. "I was in the middle of being disappointed. And now you've surprised me so much that I have forgotten all about it."
Eddie face lit up a little bit in relief. Frank looked away with a huff.

"Hold on. It's dangerous to be here your Majesty!" he exclaimed. "What if you get attacked by creatures?"
Frank chuckled and gave him a smug look.
"Mr. Dear. I know how many animals have been released for this hunt, and I know how big this forest is. I've calculated the statistics, I know my chances and I am not worried."
"Now I may not know much about statistictises."
"Statistics."
"What I do know, is that there's dangerous animals in this forest, and you are in that exact forest." he stood straight with a fist on his heart. "Please, allow me to stay by your side to protect you until you're in a safe place."
"I appreciate it Mr. Dear, but aren't you also participating in the hunt? If you go back empty handed, you can't enter the forest again."
"In this moment, my King, you are my priority."
"Ah-" he pursued his lips with a deep frown.

There was a moment of silence. Eddie wasn't looking at the king, rather fixing the trees ahead, stuck in this pose like a soldier in attention. But if he did, he would've seen the king's blush.
"Very well." the king turned away. "But first, I want you to catch that rabbit. I lost my tree lobster and I refuse to return empty handed."
"Ah! Very well your Highness!" he picked up his net.
"Which way did it go?" he faced him.
There was a moment of silence, during which they just looked at each-other, as if frozen in place...
"S-Surely we'll find it- Or even another, better bunny!" Eddie exclaimed, his smile not leaving his face. "This way, my King, stay close!"
With big, almost rigid steps, Eddie walked to a random direction. While Frank calmly followed him, his journal still open and ready to take notes on anything he'd find interesting.

The odd pair walked around the forest for a good while, they've run into their fair share of forest animals, but nothing too dangerous, and nothing like what they've been looking for. Frank has asked why he was so focused on catching a rabbit and Eddie explained it was for his mother. Frank thought it was very sweet.
"Your stats were right, my King." Eddie said at some point.
"Of course they were."
"Are you getting tired maybe? I know we've been walking for a while."
"Actually, yes. If we could just take a quick break." he sat on a rock. "I did not put on the right shoes for this. I didn't think I'd stay here this long."
"I-I'm sorry for taking so long!" Eddie bowed.
"It isn't your fault, Mr. Dear. This is the exact same route I would've taken to go back," he lied. "so it wouldn't have made much difference."
"I see." he exhaled, relieved.

While the King of Diamonds was cleaning his pretty boots, Eddie kept an eye out, staying aware of his surroundings. His gaze fell upon a small patch of flower and it gave him an idea.
"Oh! A solution just popped up in my noggin'!" he began to gather scraps of wood.
"What is it?"
"I'll set up a trap!"
Having gather enough material, Eddie crafted a trap in lightning speed, the kind of cage that closed once the animal went inside.
"Wow." Frank looked at the finished product. "And you did that under five minutes."
"I come from a long family of craftmen, my King." he nodded with a big smile.
"Well that is very impressive."
Eddie's heart skipped a beat for getting praises from his king. After placing the trap, with a bunch of flowers inside, the two men hid behind a tree.

"Now, we just have to wait. Once the bunny gets in and starts eating the flower, the trap will close on 'em and I'll feel a pull to this rope I'm holding!"
Frank nodded. The two of them stared at the trap, waiting for a bunny to come by. But nothing came, and for yet another long while, the two of them stared in silence. At some point, the king sat on the ground, his back resting on the tree trunk. Eddie couldn't help but believe he did so in disappointment.
"I'm apologize if you're bored my King." he sat by his side. "I didn't want to tire you more than I already have with all this walking."
"What? I'm not bored at all." he shook his head. "Staying in this one spot, I can observe nature more closely."
"Really? Haven't you seen everything at some point if you never move?"
"Not at all, Mr. Dear." he waved a finger. "On the contrary, I can see any changes that happens from where I'm sitting."
"But what if nothing changes?"
"Nature is always changing. You just have to look closely."
"Wow! Do you see anything right now?"
The King then went on to ramble about the grass, the tree bark, the swarms of bugs flying by. Eddie listened to him intently, with a big smile on his face.

"You're very knowledgeable, my King." Eddie smiled. "More so than I am."
"Nonsense, Mr. Dear. You've travelled the whole world."
"And yet there are still a lot I don't know." he chuckled, his eyebrows furrowed. "You're twice the man than I am."
"Oh please." he rolled his eyes. "If anyone asked me to make a trap from scratch, I wouldn't know what to do. Yet here you've done it in record time. Everyone has something they're good at. Just because you're not good at the same things as others doesn't make you worse than them as a person."
Eddie smiled at him with furrowed eyebrows, his heart warmer.
"And you're very wise too." he said.
"And you still lack self-confidence it seems." he huffed, looking away. "We'll have to work on that."
Eddie bashfully chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"Say...How long are you willing to wait exactly?" Frank asked. "The hunt won't go on forever, you know."
"Well we still have..." he looked at his watch. "A couple of hours or so. Maybe when an hour passes by, if nothing shows up, we'll just move on and..."
His voice trailed off when he saw the look on the king's face, his eyes wide open. Eddie followed his gaze and saw that he had raised the hand that was holding the rope, and so, upon pulling it, it was revealed that it wasn't attached to anything. He's forgotten to attach it to his trap.
"Oh..." he gasped. "That means maybe it's been activated already!"
Quickly, the two men peeked out to see...
"There you go." Molly said as she opened the cage and shook it a bit for the bunny to escape. "Go on! Be captured by someone who deserves you!"
"I'm not against hunting. But abandoning an animal in a cage in the middle of nature is just cruel." (Y/n) shook her head.

Frank let out a whine.
"L-Lady (L/n)?!" Eddie rushed up to them. "Miss Molly?!"
"Oh! Mr. Dear," (Y/n) smiled at him. "you won't believe what we just found!"
"What in tarnation are you two doin' here?!"
"We're on a very special secret rescue mission!" Molly exclaimed.
"A mission?" Frank walked up to them with a raised eyebrow.
The two ladies gasped upon seeing him. One being a lot louder than the other.
"Y-Your Highness!" (Y/n) bowed while Molly waved at him.

"The young Duchess of Hearts and the Lady of Spades... I did caught wind of your odd pair. Well, odd trio really."
(Y/n) and Eddie bashfully chuckled.
"Nothing gets past you, my King." the latter of which said.
"Now pray tell, what is this important mission?"
"Right, a mission so important that you've stepped into danger!" the two men faced the two ladies.
"W-well, you know, Miss Molly can be rather hyperbolic with her words!" (Y/n) waved a hand. "She simply wanted to go to the river to... Look at the swans." she looked into Eddie's eyes.
"The swans?" he frowned. "Why would she want that-" he stopped himself, his eyes wide open as he put the pieces together.
She made the tiniest nod to him.

"Indeed," Frank looked at Molly. "are you that excited to look at swans that you can't wait a few hours?"
"Can you keep a secret Diamond King?"
He glanced at the other two adults.
"Should we discuss this somewhere more private?" he quietly asked her.
"Nah, they know about it."
To (Y/n) and Eddie's shock, the young girl then proceeded to explain everything that has happened between the three of them. How they met, how they found Clarabelle, and how they discovered her affair with that wild swan. To their surprise also, the King of Diamonds nodded along with the upmost serious of expression.
"I see. I understand now." he said when she was finished. "You're right, there is a risk that that swan could be targeted."
"Exactly!" she nodded.

"Mmh..." he thought for a moment before facing Eddie. "Mr. Dear, can your mother's future pet wait?"
"O-Of course my King!" he nodded. "I can just buy her one at a shelter somewhere!"
"Wonderful, then all four of us shall go to the river!" he raised a finger to the sky. "This rescue mission is now a protection mission!"
'All four of us he says!!!' (Y/n) pursued her lips, her heart beating fast.
If she had a silver coin for each time she found herself walking by the side of a king, she'd have two silver coins. Which, in the Spades' current economic state, would be very valuable for the common people!
"A-Alright!" she nodded, trying to not sound nervous. "Now, which way to the river?"
There was a moment of silence, during which they all just looked at each-other, as if frozen in place... The King frowned.

"Wasn't it where you were going?!"
"W-well I don't... I don't know this forest. We were just going forward." her eyes darted around, her face red. "I thought maybe you would have more experience. Since you've been here before..."
"As if I've been frolicking about in my free time!"
She looked down, feeling so stupid.
"Now now." Eddie went to stand between them. "His Majesty the King doesn't mean any harm by it, milady, please don't feel bad." he leaned closer to her to whisper. "He's just stern by nature."
It didn't really made her feel better. But she nodded.
"He's right, arguing won't get us anywhere." the king sighed. "There must be some indicators of nearby water somewhere... But what?" he thought, but seemed to be at an impasse.

"Ah! I think I know!" (Y/n) exclaimed. "First, let's all be quiet and listen closely. We may hear the sound of running water, even if it's far away."
The group stood motionless for a while, (Y/n) and Eddie even closed their eyes to listen better. There were some noise that could be what they were looking for, but the animal and occasional shouts from the other contestants made it impossible for them to identify where it was coming from.
"Okay." she exhaled, opening her eyes again. "That didn't work."
While humming in thoughts, she looked around. Finally, she let out an 'ah' and crunched down, patting the ground.
"Very dry. That's good." she stood back up. "That means that most animal tracks we'll spot would eventually lead to water. Or even swarms of insects I believe."
The king's eyes went big when he heard this.
"We did see a swarms of water nymphs going that way!" he pointed to a direction.
"We did?" Eddie tilted his head.
"Yes! Didn't you see them when I showed them to you?"
Truth be told, it wasn't th insects he was looking at.
"Oh! Well I shall take your word for it." he smiled.

"Ah-ha! Fantastic job my King!" (Y/n) went to that direction. "And remember, water runs downhill, so we must find our way to low grounds by following ditches, gullies and other sort of things like that."
The group followed her. She was determined to make up for her incompetence by using her expertise.
"You sure know your way around wilderness, Lady (L/n)." the King of Diamonds said.
"Thank you, your Highness." she bowed her head to him. "You are too kind."
"Being from the Spades Kingdom, have you perhaps tried venturing into the Dark Forest?"
(Y/n) burst out laughing. Which surprised everyone in her group.
"No one goes into the Dark Forest." she smiled. "Unless of course they have a death wish."
"Isn't the Dark Forest the whole Kingdom of Spades?" Molly tilted her head.

(Y/n) chuckled, though both her and Eddie knew this wasn't a thing one should say. She brushed it off as childish ignorance. However she would be less forgiving to the people who have told her that.
"No, not at all. You see Miss Molly," the two of them began walking side by side and Molly took her hand to hold. "magic can come from within a person, but it sometimes comes from nature as well, right? For example the Kingdom of Clubs have their underground caves full of magic crystals and rivers."
Molly nodded.
"Well, the Dark Forest is one of those places. Except it is much, much bigger, and denser in magic. So much so that we have yet to find a way to control its magic and utilise it for people's usage. If one was to wander through it, there is no telling what could happen to them. The trees are very tall and dense, so very little sunlight can go through. It is so dark in fact, that no one can see what's inside it past the first dozen meters."
"Some have theorized that the Dark Forest is the source of all magic." the king added.
"That's right, but no one knows if that's really true. A lot of people throughout history have tried to walk into it, some have come back within the first few minutes because they were too scared, a small percentage came back different – though they're suspected to be faking it – and most of them simply never came back."

"I-I don't think we should talk about this type of scary sort of stuff." Eddie said, his face pale and his voice trembling. "Especially to, to a young child such as Miss Molly."
"No, keep going!" said child tugged on the lady's hand. "What's in the Dark Forest!"
"No one knows." she shrugged. "Some say 'just a bunch of scary man-eating creatures', others say 'a portal to a world of fairies-"
"Fairies?!"
"And I say we shouldn't risk to try and find out for ourselves." she patted her head.
Molly sadly looked down.

"Some communities of the Spades Kingdom praise the Dark Forest, saying it's a whole sentient entity." Frank spoke, making (Y/n) look at him. "A lot of people agree that the Dark Forest is evil. Do you believe that to be true? What's your stand on the matter?"
She smiled.
"I believe that the Dark Forest is a part of nature, just like any thing, just like any one. I believe that whatever is in there, it is content with staying there and we should respect that."
Molly seemed to still be disappointed by the lack of fairies in that explanation. (Y/n) noticed the look on her face.
"You know," she looked back at her. "we have woods in my estate, I would go there almost ever day. And if you venture far enough, you could come across the Dark Forest, marked out by a line of white mushrooms unlike any you've ever seen, going as far as the eye can see."
This picked the girl's interest.

"Have you ever crossed the line?"
"Never. I knew better than to do that." she leaned a bit closer. "But one day, a few years ago, I tried something."
This picked the king's interest as well, although he didn't want to look too interested.
"I brought an apple with me, and I carefully placed it on the mushroom line. I heard noises and said that this was a gift from me, in case someone in there was hungry. Then I went to pick some berries for dinner. And when I came back to check..." she paused for dramatic effect. "The apple was on the other side of the line, with a piece of it missing, like something, or someone, took a bite of it. I looked into the forest, asking if anyone was there, and I heard those same noises from before."
Both Molly and the king gasped and they stopped.
"And when I came back the next day, it was gone."
"Lady (L/n)!" the King of Diamond was suddenly up in her face, making her flinch and lean back. "Is that true?! Did that really happen?!"
"Uh!" she glanced at Molly. "Y-Yes!

"Oh. My. Stars!" he beamed, intensely shaking his hands in excitement. "Do you realize the breakthrough this could be?!" he quickly took out his journal and opened it to another section. "Tell me everything! Spare no detail whatsoever! What did the bite mark look like? How big was it? Would you say its owner's teeth were sharp or flat?"
"H-How about we focus on finding the river first?" she said.
"We shall discuss this later!" he pointed at her before closing his journal.
Molly giggled, happy with the story she's been told, and skipped ahead as the group began walking again.
"Your Highness." (Y/n) whispered. "Your Highness?"
"Mmh?"
"It didn't... It didn't actually happen." she whispered into his ear. "I embellished the story for Miss Molly."
"Oh. I see..." he looked visibly disappointed.
"I'm sorry for getting your hopes up."

"So the apple was unchanged. Or did you not even bring one with you?"
"Well, no, I did bring an apple. I didn't hear any noise however and I didn't even say anything, I was too nervous." she shrugged. "And well... The apple was just gone when I first came back."
"So it was eaten?" he raised a side of his eyebrow.
"If we're being realistic here, it's most probably just a forest animal who ate it."
"Not the breakthrough I was hoping for... This is just another circumstantial anecdote."
(Y/n) looked down, feeling bad for disappointing him yet again. But then she watched as he took reopened his journal and took notes of it.
"I thought you said..."
"When we know nothing, any information is valuable, Lady (L/n)." he said. "If we get more account similar to yours, it could become a big deal."

"I didn't think you were interested in the Dark Forest."
"What do you take me for? The Dark Forest in a very intriguing mystery of nature."
"I-I just though, you know, since you have so many things to take care of in your kingdom..."
"Science and business are two very different things, Lady (L/n)." he raised an index. "And besides, one must learn to make time for their interests, lest they crumble under the pressure. Remember that, will you?"
She blinked twice.
'Was this...a piece of advice?'
She smiled.
"I will, your Highness." she nodded. "Thank you."

The new quartet walked for a while, sometimes hiding from a bear of a boar or even other contestants, but it was overall a nice stroll through the forest. As it turned out, Molly and Frank enjoyed sharing any fun facts they've learned, and everyone got to learn something. Though there were sometimes contradicting informations that lead to some silly argument about the different types of berries and what constituted a berry.
"A strawberry is not a berry! It's a multiple fruit which consists of many tiny individual fruits!"
"It's got berry in the name!" Molly's voice went a pitch higher.
Eddie didn't like all this yelling but (Y/n) assured him that they were just very passionate about the subject. At least she believed so.
"What about raspberries?" (Y/n) asked.
"Those aren't berries either. They grow from flowers."
"What?!" the two ladies exclaimed.
"At this point, my King, what is a berry?" Eddie asked.
"Bananas, pumpkins, avocados and cucumbers are."
"None of them have berry in the name!" Molly exclaimed. "This is why I prefer vegetables!"
"You're blowing our minds, your Majesty!" (Y/n) laughed.

After Frank gave a lesson on fruits that Molly wasn't a big fan of. The group kept marching on, this time it was Eddie's turn to talk about one of his many travels. At some point Lady (Y/n) spotted a leaf falling from a tree and instinctively caught it mid-fall.
"Thank you!"
"What's that?" Eddie looked at her.
"Oh! N-Nothing." she just realized what she said and became bashful.
"Did you just thank a tree?" Frank asked.
"Oh it's just a kids thing in the Spades Kingdom." she chuckled. "When a leaf falls despite it not being fall season, it's said in folklore that it's a gift from the tree. So you must say thank you, and then you go home and you put it in your leaf book."
"Leaf book?!" he exclaimed with big eyes.

"Oh yeah." Eddie nodded. "I see a lotta kids with those whenever I travel to the the Spades Kingdom. Even acquired one of my own."
"You have a leaf book?!" he looked at him. "And you didn't tell me?!"
"I-I'm sorry my King!"
"It's just something for children, your Highness." (Y/n) explaned, trying not to laugh. "A fun collection thing that everyone has."
"You mean to tell me that most children in the Spades Kingdom dabble in botany from a young age?!"
"Um, I suppose so? When you put it like that-"
"Do you have one?" both him and Molly asked.
The look of interest on both their faces made her laugh.

"Of course I do, but I haven't updated it in literal decades."
"Please have your people send it over so that I may take a look at it!" Frank pleaded, although he still had his signature frown on his face. "We – and by we I mean I – have been looking for ways to make the youth more interested in such subject. Yours too, Mr. Dear!" he pointed at the man. "With how much you've travelled, you must have a wide variety of leaves, and I must see them!"
"V-Very well my King!" he nodded.
"Can I make a vegetable book?" Molly asked.
"Oh that is a brilliant idea Molly!" Frank nodded.
"I'm pretty sure you can make a book about anything." (Y/n) chuckled.
"Bug Book..." he mumbled to himself, looking at the cover of his journal, then nodded. "I like the sound of it."

"Lady (L/n)?"
"Yes Mr. Dear?"
"When filling up my leaf book, I would take the leaves myself... Is that rude?"
"A little bit, you're taking from the tree."
"Doesn't everybody take fruits from trees?"
"It's different though. Fruits are like baby teeth, once they're ripe, you can take them out no problem. Leaves are like... They're like hair. You wouldn't want someone to rip off your hair."
"I-I see..."
"By that logic," Frank said. "then the trees turn bald every year."
That mental image made both Molly and Eddie giggle.
"Okay. They're... Antlers, they're like antlers." (Y/n) shrugged.
"That's more like it. Please be careful to use the appropriate terms next time. Less kind people would call you silly otherwise."
"Thank you, your Majesty." she smiled, containing a chuckle.

"Well here we are." Frank placed his hands on his hips as the group stood by the river. "Thanks to the expertise of Lady (L/n)."
"Oh, I don't deserve your praises my King!" she bowed, her cheeks redder.
"No need to bow all the time. You're nobility too, aren't you?"
"Nothing like you, your Highness."
"Do you see swans anywhere?" Molly asked.
"I don't see any animal to be honest." Eddie looked around.
The young girl suggested going on his shoulders again. He agreed and picked her up.
"Can you see anything?" Frank asked.
"No..."

"That does beg the question..." (Y/n) said, looking at either side of the river. "The swan we're looking for has a pretty distinct black pattern on his plumage but... If we don't find him, how would we know if that means that he's safe or not?"
"We could only wish to not find him on the big table then." Frank said.
"M-My King!" Eddie exclaimed. "Please do not speak such sad things into existence!"
He gestured up to Molly, who looked devastated at such a prospect, clenching a handful of Eddie's hair (it hurt, but he kept it in).
"Ah! I-I didn't mean it like that! That doesn't mean he'll be killed!" he waved his hands, shaking his head. "Maybe he was just caught, that would domesticate him and you can keep him as a pet with Clarabelle-"
The conversation was cut short by Lady (Y/n)'s gasp.
"Look!" she pointed. "There he is!"

The rest of the group quickly looked over to see a flock of swans running then flying away, all the while quacking loudly.
"They're flying to safety!" Molly beamed.
"They seemed to be in a real rush." Eddie said. "Maybe they spotted a hunter."
Both (Y/n) and Frank had a bad feeling about this. They couldn't help but think that there wasn't any other animal because they ran away too. They looked to the direction the swans were running away from. Frank gasped.
"Guys." (Y/n) said.
Eddie and Molly followed their gaze and he became paler. They couldn't tell what was in the water, but they could see a large dorsal fin peeking out of the water and rapidly swimming towards them. From its size, and the distance between them, the animal it belonged to must be massive.
"This is not native to this region." Frank said.
"We have to go." Eddie said. "Hang on tight Miss Molly!"
"What's that?" she asked, oblivious to the approaching danger.

As if the animal could hear her, it reached them and jumped out of the water. A giant creature that looked like the combination of a giant great white shark and a giant coconut crab. The group screamed and ran away right before the creature could crash onto them. It let out a piercing shriek before going after them. However, it only managed to take a few steps with its ten legs before a whole tree flew out of nowhere and knocked it across its face. The wood broke into pieces and the sound made the quartet stop and look back. They watched as the creature fell down, motionless, out cold. For a moment, they stood there in shocking disbelief.

"I think you hit something.
"Oh, did I?"
"Those voices..." Frank mumbled.
"Holy Molly Wally!" Julie rushed over to look at the giant crab shark. "If you'd thrown that tree a bit more to the left, you could've killed that poor thing!"
"Well, if you hadn't dodged it and took it like a warrior, none of it would've happened." Wally glanced to the side.
"What the heck man?!"

"King of Hearts! Queen of Clubs!"
The two of them looked over. Wally met the eyes of the Lady of Spades, who was rushing up to them along with a few others. He was surprised. What was she doing here?
"You two!" he was snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that one of these people was Frank. "This day just keeps getting better and better!" he shook his hand with a hand on his forehead, sighing.
Julie gasped in delight.
"Frankyyyyy!" she jumped to give him a hug. "All three of us, reunited at last!"
"Now's not the time for hugs Julie! Especially since we saw each-other like three hours ago!"
"But it's always so nice to see you!"

"Quite a ragtag group you have, dear friend." Wally smiled. "Mr. Dear." he nodded. "Miss Molly." he curtsied. "Lady (L/n)." he curtsied as well.
"M-My King!" she bowed while the other two curtsied. "You saved us! I can't thank you enough!"
"...Yes." he nodded. "You're very welcome."
Julie sent him a knowing glance, but didn't say anything.
"What are you doing here? All four of you?" Julie asked after Frank pushed her off of him.
"An incredible series of circumstances." he sighed. "Although, as for the reason why we've grouped up, Molly should tell the story."
Said child cleared her throat and once again told the tale of Clarabelle and her lover. Wally laughed when she was done.
"You don't have to worry Molly." he said. "The arrows we provide for this hunt and specifically made to be non-lethal. Every blade is coated with an anesthetic, that way the animal is out cold and the hunter won't try to 'finish it off'."
This news made the quartet let out a sigh of relief.

"So in the end, we were worried for nothing." Frank said.
"Oh but we had fun, didn't we?" Molly smiled.
"I didn't say we didn't." he huffed.
That made (Y/n) smile.
"And the swan flew out of the forest." she said. "So now we can go back with our hearts at ease."
"Hurraaaay!" she lifted her hands.
They high-fived. She did the same with Eddie.
"Alright!" (Y/n) turned to Wally and Julie. "How do we get back, your Highnesses?"

There was a moment of silence, during which they all just looked at each-other, as if frozen in place...
Frank rubbed his face with a deep groan.