"And the swan flew out of the forest." (Y/n) said. "So now we can go back with our hearts at ease!"
"Hurraaaay!" Molly 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.

"M-My King...?" (Y/n)'s eyebrows furrowed.
Wally didn't respond, him and Julie glanced at each-other.
"You still don't know your own forest?!" Frank exclaimed.
"Wait. This isn't the first time this happened?"
"Ohohoho you have no idea!"
"I rarely venture in there. And it is very vast." Wally scratched his cheek with his index.
"Don't worry people!" Julie puffed up her chest. "We'll just have to retrace our steps!"
"You remember which route we took?" Wally asked. "We were both pretty absorbed in our sparing session."
"Of course I do! Onward!" she pointed to a direction and began walking.

"Wh-What about the...?" Eddie pointed to the unconscious giant crab shark. "Do we just...?"
"Not to worry Mr. Dear." Wally smiled. "Once the hunt is over, my people will pick up every creature we brought here and bring them back to the zoo. Since we've planted tracking spells on them."
"Okay..." he nodded before following the group.
Julie glanced at the famous merchant before moving to be closer to Frank
"Oh Fraaaanky." she whispered with a smirk.
"Don't."
"We can split up if you want. Us four, and you two."
"Stop it." he pressed.
"I do hope things between you two go well, Frank." Wally smiled. "Promise me we'll get invited to the wedding."
Frank groaned and picked up the pace. Julie giggled and Wall chuckled. Meanwhile, the other half of the group was wondering what they were talking about.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Wally asked at some point.
"Of course I do!" Julie said, leading the way and not looking back at them.
"Julie. We're going in circles." Frank said.
"No we're not!"
"I do believe we've passed by that tree already..." Eddie pointed.
"Well we've passed by a lot of trees, Mr. Dear." (Y/n) said, not wanting the Queen to be alone in this argument. "We are in a forest."
This made Wally and Molly chuckle.
"Yeah! She's right!" Julie nodded.
"Don't take her side!" Frank pointed at the lady. "You know it too!"

He stopped and so did the rest of the group.
"Guys. I'm going to say out loud what everyone is thinking."
Julie gasped loudly
"You're a telepath Frank?!"
"R-Really?!" Eddie exclaimed with big eyes, genuinely believing this. "That's amazing!"
"Our dear friend the King is so full of surprises." Wally smiled, slowly shaking his head.
"Stop messing around!" Frank shouted, his head spinning around like a globe.
It surprised (Y/n). She did hear that the King of Diamonds could do that whenever he was overwhelmed, but to see it with her own eyes... She couldn't help but feel bad – if she'd just remembered the way back, this wouldn't have happened – but, with his fellow King and Queen and Miss Molly laughing at his reaction, she supposed this was fine.
Frank eventually calmed down, his head back in place, and cleared his throat. His cheeks dusted with pink, he was embarrassed to have lost his temper in front of...others.

"It begins with an L." he paused, looking at the group.
None of them seemed to pick up on where he was going with this.
"You know, the L word?"
"Lesbian?" "Love?" "Lice?" "L-Leprosy?!" Julie, (Y/n), Molly and Eddie said at the same time, some more confused or panicked than others.
But right after this, them and Wally burst out laughing. Except for Eddie, who was just embarrassed to have gotten it wrong.
"Lost guys!" Frank glared. "We're lost!"
But the group was still laughing.
"Love?" Wally looked at (Y/n).
"It's the first thing that came to my mind! Leprosy?!" she turned to Eddie.
"W-Well who knows?! It could happen!" he blushed.
They laughed some more, with (Y/n) hitting Eddie lightly on the arm, before collectively sighing at the same time.

"His HIghness is right however." (Y/n) said. "I don't recognize these parts at all."
"I apologize, Molly." Wally nodded to her. "I'm afraid we'll stay here for quite a while."
"I never wanna leave!"
Julie wheezed. Frank sighed.
"As soon as I saw these two, I knew this would happen." he huffed, a more determined expression on his face. "Luckily, I've come prepared this time!"
"Could this be related to this new thing you're wearing there?" Wally gestured to the belt his friend has been wearing this whole time, with many pouches attached to it. "Very dapper."
"What is it?" Molly asked.
"This, my friends, is my Belt of Many Things." he proudly presented it. "To help us survive in this wilderness for however-long we'll stay here."

"So what are all these for? What about that one?" Wally pointed at one of the pouches.
"Don't touch it." he quickly said before explaining. "That's a dental healthcare kit."
"Dental?" (Y/n)'s eyes widened.
"Do you have any idea how important taking care of your teeth is?" he frowned. "One bad teeth can be an open door for a lot of bacteria."
"Wow! You're prepared for anything, my King!" Eddie smiled, impressed.
"And what's this?" Julie reached for another pouch.
"Don't touch it!" he took a step back. "You can simply ask!" he huffed. "It's a shoe polishing kit."
"What?!" Julie, Wally and (Y/n) exclaimed in disbelief.
"I don't want my shoes to get dirty!"
"Well thank goodness!" Julie joined her hands together. "If we ever starve, we could eat Frank's wax polish."
This made Wally and (Y/n) laugh, while Frank glared at him. This was especially funny to Wally, since he knew she could be very much serious about doing such a thing

"I don't wanna eat wax." Molly pouted.
"Your Highness, I apologize if I may be brutally honest but..." (Y/n)'s eyebrows furrowed. "These things will become the least of our problems if we can't find the basic necessities to live."
"Are you saying having decent footwear isn't important?" he frowned. "Would you rather walk around barefoot lady? Don't come crying to me when you get blisters!"
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"She is right, Frank." Wally said. "Please don't be too harsh on her. Let's all work together to find our way back."
"Yeah! Don't worry Franky!" Julie wrapped an arm around him. "We'll make sure to not eat your shoe kit!"
Frank groaned then looked at Eddie and (Y/n).
"Mr. Dear, Lady (Y/n), any suggestions?"
"Um..." the two of them looked at each-other.

They thought for a moment. Meanwhile, Wally and Julie were confused as to why (Y/n) was included in this question. Was she also an outdoors person, despite being a noble and a lady, they wondered.
"If we're talking food," she finally said. "I could spot some edible berries and flowers."
"Right!" Eddie nodded. "And if you have some floss in that dental kit, my King, I could use it for fishing!"
The rest of the group let out an impressed 'ooooh'.
"Ah! But of course!" she suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone. "Silly me, how could I've forgotten?!" she lightly hit her own forehead before looking at Eddie. "The river!"
"What about it?"
"We could just follow the river!" she turned to Wally. "It crosses the entire estate, does it not?"
"Oh, that's right." Wally blinked twice before looking around. "However, we've come a long way now..."
"I wouldn't worry about that." Frank said. "Lady (L/n) was able to get us to the river with her knowledge."
"Y-Yes, that's right I did!" she nodded.

She then tried the same things she did the first time. Thankfully for them, they were in a relatively silent part of the forest, so once they've stopped and listened closely, they could hear the sound of running water in the distance. It sounded far away, but they could tell where it was coming from and so they followed it. As they walked, Julie and Molly were having a rather loud conversation, with the occasional comment from Frank and/or Eddie. Meanwhile, Lady (Y/n) was leading the group, and she felt on a mission!
'I have to make sure everyone comes back safely!' she told herself. 'I must focus and spot as much landmarks as possible!'
"Where's your ring?"
She almost gasped and looked at the King of Hearts, who was now walking beside her. How long has he been there?

"E-Excuse me?"
"Your ring. I see you don't have it."
"Oh. Right..." she looked at her hand. "It's very fragile now. I don't want to risk breaking it."
He noticed a certain sadness in her eyes.
"It's alright though." she smiled at him. "I'll have someone repair it as soon as I get home."
She faced forward and picked up the pace a little bit. He stared at the back of her head.
"...Lady (L/n-"
Said lady suddenly gasped and stopped.
"Halt!"

He bumped into her, whoever was behind him bumped into him, so on and so forth. She looked back and saw the King's face close to hers. She blushed. and stepped away.
"I-I-I am so sorry!"
"What is it Lady (L/n)?" Eddie asked in a panic. "Some other scary creature?!"
"No but, definitely something unusual." she looked forward.
The group all looked over to see some a thick red line on the ground, with thin gold symbols on it.
"What is this?" Frank frowned.
(Y/n) carefully went up to it and crouched down to take a closer look. And Julie did the same, although less carefully. The two of them had a similar expression of focus on their face upon discovering something strange and new. (Y/n) patted the ground close to the line.

"It's like it's part of the earth itself. What is this?"
"It's gotta be some kind of magic circle, I recognize it." Julie nodded to herself.
"Circle...?" (Y/n) looked from side to side. "But it just goes on without an end in sight."
"Must be one big circle then!"
"Ah. I know what that is."
Everyone turned over to Wally.
"It's a barrier." he smiled. "To make sure the creatures don't get too far. It'll make it easier to catch them once the hunt is over."
"Couldn't you have said that sooner?" Frank sighed.
He just chuckled.

"We must be pretty far away from the premises then." Eddie said.
"Well, the water sounds to be on the other side." (Y/n) looked beyond the line before looking back at Wally. "Is it safe to cross it, my King?"
"I wouldn't try and do that if I were you."
"Why? What would happen if we do?" Molly tilted her head.
"I don't know, that's the thing."
(Y/n) quickly stood up and took a few steps back, tense. It made him chuckle.
"Then we could simply follow the line until we get to the river, then we follow the river." Frank suggested.
"Great idea, your Highness!" she smiled.

As they started walking along the line, Molly would often look at it and try to get closer. Each time she was a little too close, someone would gently move her away.
"Here." (Y/n) at some point held her hand, putting herself in between her and it.
Molly pouted with a huff. But when she looked back up, she noticed that (Y/n) also kept glancing at the line, with less interests and most unease.
"Are you scared?"
"Huh?!" she looked at her with big eyes, then at the rest of the group.
To her horror, she was now the center of attention.

"N-Not scared! I'm not scared!" she intensely shook her head. "It's just that I've never seen a magic circle before... The size of it, the amount of magic it must've taken to make it... You have to admit, it is intimidating."
The four nobles didn't seem that impressed by it.
"Oooor maybe it's just me- It's probably just me." she nodded, avoiding eye contact. "I know nothing of magic and such."
"Aren't you a witch?"
Everyone looked at Molly, then back at her. She pursued her lips and slowly inhaled, doing her best not to frown.
"I'm not a witch, no." she exhaled.
"Aren't all Spades people witches?"

"M-Miss Molly." Eddie interjected. "Calling anyone a witch is very rude."
"Why?"
"A witch is someone who uses some bad bad magic."
"Dark ancient magic, to be exact." Frank added.
"Isn't that what they use though?"
"Wha- Why makes you think that?" (Y/n) asked, containing her frustration.
"My dad said they do a bunch of scary stuff bach there."
'I bet he didn't even set foot on Spades grounds ever in his life!'
"Like how they kill birds and hang their skeletons on creepy arches."
"That...Is true." Eddie said. "I walked under one of these arches and people started yellin' at me. Got spooked out of my boots and ran away."

(Y/n) let out a scoff.
"Okay first of all, we don't kill the birds." she let go of Molly's hand to move her owns, as if to illustrate her words. "And also, traditions from all cultures can seem weird."
"Some more than other." Frank mumbled.
"So as you know, there are cultural and spiritual meanings behind these things. For example, the birds?" she gestured to Eddie. "Those are harpish ravens, they're native to the Spades Kingdom, and they're believed to be messengers between us and nature spirits. So when we see a dead one, we can't just leave it to rot on the ground. That is a... A blasphemous amount of disrespect!"
Frank and Julie glanced at each-other as they realized that they've made her go into a tantrum. They knew this kind of situation all too well, they've been the one talking many times. And so they've come to the same conclusion.
'She must be very passionate about this.'
"And so," she kept going. "we take it, give its meat to other animals – that way we give to nature and it continues the cycle of life – clean the skeleton and hang it on an arch. That way the spirits know that the place is friendly and that they're respected and welcomed. And by the way, arches are not for people, they're for spirits to pass through and give blessings during festivals and other celebrations!"
The group was listening intently. And she hasn't realized that they've stopped walking.

"But yeah." she huffed. "And when we see a new harpish raven, it's believed that the spirits have found a new messenger to replace the one that died, so when that happens we take the skeleton down."
"How do you know which one's new and which one's old though?" Eddie asked.
"We mark them of course. Take a bit of paint and put a dot on them."
"That's ornithology. Julie." Frank whispered to her with a sense of urgency. "They using ornithologist and botanist methods and they don't even realize it. I'm losing it Julie."
"Ssssh I wanna learn."
"Can I hang bird skeletons?" Molly asked, pointing at herself.
"Only harpish ravens, and do it somewhere where spirits can see it. And again, don't kill the birds."

Wally thought for a moment.
"So, that one time when someone from the Spades Kingdom left a dead harpish raven on my doorstep...?"
(Y/n) gasped, horrified.
"My King! You've been cursed!"
"Ah, so that's what that was." he chuckled and started walking again.
"Th-That is no laughing matter!" she followed him, along with the rest of the group. "That's terrible!"
"Worry not, it's been dealt with ages ago."
"I hope so! I very much hope so!"

"Lady (L/N)..." Eddie said, looking down. "I'm sorry for making assumptions. I didn't know."
"It's alright Mr. Dear." she patted his shoulder. "Just... Maybe ask why people are yelling at you next time, instead of running away." she chuckled.
He chuckled too, rubbing the back of his neck.
"And what do you do with the bones?" Julie asked.
"Oh that depends. Some grind them into powder to use on the fields to help the crops grow faster. They say it's the last of the bird's spiritual essence helping nature."
"That is- That's agriculture." Frank said between his teeth, shaking his fingers, but not wanting to be rude and brush off her beliefs.
She heard him and smiled, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I know." she nodded. "I know."
He sighed, relieved.

"Others toss the bones into the Dark Forest, since it's believed that that's where the bird truly originates from.
"Oh that's why!" Julie and Wally looked at each-other with big eyes.
"That's why there were all those bones!" Julie added.
"What are you- Have you been there?!" (Y/n)'s eyes widened.
"A long time ago." Wally nodded. "We were but children on vacation back then."
"I dared him to go past the mushroom line and bring one of those bird skulls back." Julie smirked. "He was such a scaredy cat!" she giggled.
"Well, what child wasn't?"
"I wasn't." "I'm not!" everyone and Molly said, the young child looking rather offended.
(Y/n) kept quiet, but the look on her face said the same thing as well. Wally cleared his throat and shall act like this moment didn't happen.

"I eventually gave in. I crossed the line, took two and a half steps, then my mother ran over and pulled me out by my collar." he looked at Julie with a smile. "And then she scolded us."
"I've never seen her this mad before." she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Well I'm glad she did. Brought you out of there I mean!" (Y/n) quickly clarified. "If anyone had seen you with that skull... I don't even want to imagine."
"Which actually brings me to the most important question!" Julie smiled at her. "Have you ever entered the Dark Forest?!"
"No one goes into the Dark Forest Julie." Frank rolled his eyes. "Unless you have little consideration for your well-being."
(Y/n) blinked twice. He used her words just then. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she smiled.

"Ow man!" Julie's shoulders dropped. "So you don't know what's in there?"
"Fairies!" Molly exclaimed.
"We don't know that for sure." (Y/n) shook her head.
"Tell them about the apple!" she tugged on her dress.
"The apple?" both Wally and Julie asked with a raised eyebrow.
She then told them about the story of her little experiment. Although this time, she didn't have the opportunity to discreetly give them the real version of events. So now Julie was excitedly squealing with Molly while Wally seemed simply speechless. (Y/n) looked over to Frank with furrowed eyebrows. He shook his head and shrugged.

Finally, our group has reached the river, and they've decided to take this opportunity to take a well-deserved break. Frank had an empty flask in his belt and used it to fill it up with water.
"But hold on." he raised a finger just as Molly reached to drink from it. "We must filter the water so as to not drink any nasty bacteria."
She groaned. Meanwhile, (Y/n) pressed her back on a tree trunk, enjoying the shade the tree was providing. She shook her feet one by one.
"If I've known I'd be here for a while, I would've wore my boots." she said to herself.
"You're an outdoors person, aren't you?"
She suppressed a yelp of surprise and turned to the King of Hearts. She would've never expected him to pay attention to her, considering the circumstances. And now that she was looking around, everyone was in the shade with her, expect for Frank and Molly who were by the river.

"Y-Yes. I think..." she nodded.
"You should do what I do." Julie joined the conversation. "Behold!"
She stood in front of the group and raised her dress just enough to show the boots she was wearing underneath.
"Ooooh, very clever your Majesty!" Eddie smiled.
(Y/n) was shocked. This was some serious secret to give, wasn't it? If the rest of the nobility was to find this out...
'Why would she tell me that?'

"Okay guys." Frank returned. "Who's thirsty?"
"I'm fine." she shook her head. "You all can have it."
"Wrong answer! Staying hydrated is important, doesn't matter if you're thirsty or not!" he handed the flask to her, almost pushing it against her chest.
"A-Alright alright!" she quickly took it. "I'm sorry!"
Wally and Julie laughed. At her? That's what she thought.

The flask of water was passed by the group. Then, Julie spotted something.
"Hey guys." she looked at the group. "As someone who lives in caves, I'm a bit rusty when it comes to forest animals, so please jug my memory. What does a rabbit look like?"
They gave her a confused look before Frank gave a description.
"Well, they're small, have long ears. They're fluffy, and they have a nose in the shape of a triangle."
"Okay." she turned around and pointed. "So that's definitely a bear."
"A bear?!"

They followed her gaze. A bit father away was indeed a grizzly bear, drinking from the river. Sadly, Frank's shout caught its attention and it was now slowly walking towards them. Wally thought nothing of it and was prepared to take care of this. But just as he was about to take a step, Lady (L/n) walked passed him.
"Mr. Dear, please pick up Molly."
Said man had already gone to stand in front of the child, and didn't hesitate to pick her up.
"Now everyone," she stood in front of the group, between them and the bear. "stay calm, don't shout."
"Y-You've encountered bears before?" Frank sweated.
"Plenty." she faced it. "This one doesn't seem aggressive so far."
"So far? That is not comforting!" he whispered harshly.

"Hello." she slowly waved her arms. "We are not food- We have to make him understand." she quickly glanced back at them. "See? We're talking, we're wearing things, standing on two legs. Not food."
The bear stopped, but only to stand on his hind legs, then kept going. The group took a step back, all except Wally.
"Oh dear..." (Y/n) said.
"What is happening?" Frank asked in panic. "Is it gonna attack us?"
"No, but... That is a curious chap."
"Maybe he just wants a hug." Molly suggested.
"What now?" Eddie asked.
"We have to make ourselves as big as possible."
"Ooo! Fun!" Julie exclaimed.
"Without being loud, please."
"Yeah Julie shut up." Frank said, more panicked with each step the bear took.
"There's six of us, this should be easy-"
"I can handle this." Wally walked past her and towards the bear.

"M-my King! Be careful, please!" she harshly whispered.
He smiled at her before facing the animal. With his back turned to the group, they couldn't see the look on his face. He walked up to it and just stood there, his hands behind his back. Now that they were face to face, one could easily tell that the animal was twice the size of the King. Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracked and a gust of wind came out of nowhere, like it was coming from him. Any magic-user, like Julie, could sense the incredible amount of mana emanating from him, like an aura of raw power. His big red cape started to float, like opened wings. Startled, the bear fell back on his four legs and stepped back. It looked scared. A moment passed before it went away in a rush. (Y/n) exhaled, only now did she realize that she's been holding her breath.
"Wow..." she whispered.
Wally's cape floated down, going back to normal before he turned around with a smile.
"There." he walked back to the group.
He looked at (Y/n) and couldn't help but chuckle at her dumbfounded face. This snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked away, blushing from embarrassment.
"Th-That was incredible my King!" Eddie exclaimed, putting Molly down.

"So...No hugs?" the little girl looked down, disappointed.
"As much as it pains me to say this, Miss Molly," (Y/n) looked at her and shook her head. "bears are not for hugging."
This made Wally chuckle again.
"I bet you did your scaaaary face!" Julie told him while making a devious face.
"I have a scary face?" he pointed at himself.
"You do." Frank nodded. "That and a staring problem, we've told you this many times."
"Oh." he chuckled.

After this thrilling encounter, the group followed the river's current. There were a couple of more run-ins with other animals, some scarier than others, but it was dealt with safely every time. They even encountered a team of a couple of hunters. Which was unfortunate and our ragtag group would've rather keeping their situation a secret, but at this point, they were all too tired to try and hide. The only person who still looked dashingly perfect was the King of Hearts.
"Y-Your Highnesses!" the contestants bowed. "What are you...?" they looked at the other members of the group.
"Don't worry about us." Julie shook her head and waved her hand. "We're just leaving."
"Do carry on." Wally nodded. "And remember to have fun."
"O-Okay...?" they watched as the group walked away.
(Y/n) was trying to make herself as small as possible when it happened. When she glanced back and saw that they were still looking, she couldn't help but think that the addition of herself within this group was what made it so strange to people.

"Lady (L/n)?"
She looked over at Eddie.
"What are you doing, all the way back there all of a sudden?"
Once again, she was the center of attention.
"W-Well, I uh, it's just-"
She heard something. Something that made her expression fall. It was a bird song. Three notes.
"Lady (L/n)?"
She heard it again, she turned towards the direction it came from.
"What's wrong?" he asked again, him and everyone getting concerned.
"...Excuse me a moment." and with that, she ran away, back into the forest.

Eddie was the first one to go after her, calling out to her, and the others followed. Wally however was the first one who caught up to her, and even went ahead, understanding what she was after. But (Y/n) was solely focused on finding that bird. The King stopped by a tree.
"There."
She stopped by his side and followed his gaze. On a tree branch, singing the same pretty melody, was a small black and grey bird, with patches of yellow on its legs. Wally looked at (Y/n) and was surprised. It was like she was witnessing a miracle. In this moment, the rest of the group has caught up to them.
"The bird of my childhood." she said under her breath, her eyes glassy.

"Probably, they are native to the Spades Kingdom." Frank said, panting, using his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "But these birds have no special characteristics, besides the fact that they sing in duo."
(Y/n) shook her head, not looking away.
"Back home, they're extinct."
They all looked at her with big eyes.
"No one in the Spades Kingdom has heard this bird song in decades."
"They've been in my family's zoo for generations." Wally said.
"You have more than one?!" she looked at him.
He simply nodded. She looked back at the bird.
"It sounds pretty." Molly said.
"You should hear it in the early morning." she smiled faintly. "Its melody echoes throughout the fields like a beautiful ghost."

For a moment, the rest of the group just marveled at the animal and its song. What was just an ordinary bird only five minutes ago, now became much more important, much more meaningful. Suddenly, an arrow was launched and almost hit the bird right in the heart. (Y/n) let out a horrified gasp but was relieved to watch the bird fly away. Someone somewhere let out a 'dammit I missed', but the group's focus was on the animal.
"...I'm catching that bird." she ran after it.
"We're catching that bird!" Frank followed her. "It is now a protected species!"
One by one once again, the rest of the group joined, with Wally being the last this time. But once again, he was the first to catch up.

The young Marquis of Spades has successfully defeated many giant creatures, yet here he was, walking through the forest empty-handed. He hasn't stopped frowning since his last conversation with (Y/n), before the hunt started.
"We need you to catch something small, and inoffensive." she quietly told him. "Like a rabbit."
"So you want us to lose." he nodded, speaking in a dry tone. "Amazing. Can't wait."
"We don't need this win. Not for a hunt. Imagine the scary Spades people coming back with a giant creature under their arm, it would only give them more material to work with and we do not want that."
He huffed. As she expected, the idea alone hurt his pride.

"Just this once, let's lay low. The people will think you have a soft side if you make them think it was your plan, they'll like it."
"Nothing soft about me."
She sighed.
"Now's not the time to be a tough guy, Arnold. Please."
He folded his arms.
"Fine."
"Thank you." she exhaled. "And we'll put in a good word for you while you're gone. See? Everyone's doing their part here." she smiled.

Thinking about it again, Arnold huffed.
"A rabbit... Where am I supposed to find a fuckin' rabbit?" he mumbled to himself while looking through some buches. "They're so stupid and small." he groaned, not finding anything, and kept walking. "At least I can kick as much creatures' ass as I want, makes me do some sport..."
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
For a while now, he's been feeling watched. Although he didn't hear anything, no rustling, no footsteps, he had the strange feeling that he was being followed. Enough was enough for Arnold. He stood straight and looked around.
"You've been following me long enough for your intensions to be known as unfriendly. For if one was stalking another without meaning any harm, surely they would have announced their presence a long time ago. So?"
There was a moment of silence. Arnold's eyes kept looking around, trying to spot anything that would be out of the ordinary.

"Alright, the polite way didn't work. So let me put it this way. I don't like cowards!" he slowly stepped back. "So you either show your face or I'll hunt you instea-!"
He caught his foot on the root of a tree and almost fell. Almost. But that didn't stop him from feeling a burning feeling of embarrassment in his chest. He was ready to put that feeling outward in the form of rage when he heard something behind him. A chuckle. He turned around and saw someone in the distance. Well, he didn't see them, but he could see the vegetation move in their path. The person who chuckled must've been hiding behind it. Arnold didn't hesitate to go after them in a rush, his target moving faster than him. He heard another chuckle and was getting more and more frustrated by this person. And because of it, he didn't realize that that chuckle sounded exactly the same as the first one he heard.

Finally, he saw them, and he stopped. Far away, he could make out a tall silhouette. Maybe they were far away, maybe it was because they were in a darker part of the forest, maybe his vision wasn't the best. Whatever it was, that person looked blurry. And he couldn't tell if they were facing him or not. He frowned, he wanted to go up to them and ask them what the hell their problem was.
But for some reason, that person was making his stomach twist.
He approached, with slow steps, not leaving them out of his sight. None of them said anything. Arnold was looking for eyes to look at. And as he came closer, he started to make out two red dots.
There was a rustling, rapidly coming closer.

"There it is!"
Suddenly, like a fast carriage on the road, Arnold watched as (Y/n) passed by him in a sprint. And she wasn't alone, with her was the King of Diamonds, The Queen of Clubs, the King of Hearts, a small red-haired child and some guy. They were too focused on whatever they were chasing to even see him. Arnold only had the time to take a step back before the group was already gone.
"Don't let it get away!"
Arnold watched them leave with a dumbfounded look on his face, completely confused. Was that really (Y/n)?!
'What the hell is she doing here with-?!'
He suddenly remembered what he was doing and looked forward again. There was no one, not even a shadow, not even a movement. And now that he looked around, the forest wasn't that dark. Not anymore at least...

For whatever reason, this left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Finally, the bird landed on the high branch of a tree. The group stopped, everyone was out of breath, some more than others, with Frank leaning on Julie's shoulder.
"Okay..." (Y/n) nodded then looked at Eddie. "Mr. Dear, may we use your net?"
"Of... Of course." he nodded and prepared it. "Gosh I haven't ran this much since the family reunion's yearly potato sack race."
"...I'm too tired to ask."
"I have an idea." Julie said. "I'll use my magic to lure it towards us, then you catch it with the net."
"That's a great idea your Highness."
She concentrated, narrowing her eyes – one more than the other – and sticking out her tongue. Slowly, a vine grew out of the ground and creeped up the tree without the bird noticing. Once it could reach it, it pushed it off the branch and it let out a loud startled noise.
"Julie!" Frank and (Y/n) exclaimed.

"What?" she shrugged.
"To lure something does not mean to shove it around!" Frank glared.
"Well it worked didn't it? Look, it's coming right for us."
The two of them turned around and let out cries of surprise and panic when the bird flew towards them. Prepared, Eddie threw the net right on it, but he couldn't catch it again, so now the bird was flying around with a net on itself. It bothered it greatly and in its panic, it would bump into trees and rocks. The group did their best to catch it but to no avail. Meanwhile, Molly started laughing at the chaos before her.
"How can such a tiny bird be so fast?!" Julie exclaimed, getting frustrated.
"I believe that is pretty self explanatory." Wally smiled.
"We have to catch it before it hurts itself!" (Y/n) said.

"Ah! I know!" Eddie said, catching everyone's attention while he looked at Frank. "It sings in duo, right? Maybe if we sing its call..."
"Oh that is a great plan Mr. Dear!" he nodded.
"Lady (L/n), go on!"
"That is a good idea, Mr. Dear." she said as her, Julie and Wally kept going after it. "One problem however," she looked at him with furrowed eyebrow. "I don't know it!"
"What do you mean you don't know it?!"
"I've only ever heard the first part in my entire life!" she gestured towards the bird.

Frank suddenly stood to his full height, which took Eddie by surprise. He cleared his throat, did some quick vocal warm-ups, took a few deep breaths then put his hands to his mouth in order to mimic the bird's voice. He then sang a melody, longer than the first one but which would pair together perfectly. The bird once again bumped into a tree trunk and finally fell on the ground, exhausted but not less frightened, they could see it shaking. Trusting Eddie and Frank's plan, the others didn't try to catch it right away and decided to wait a moment. Frank kept going, leaving long pauses to give the animal a chance to respond, especially since the bird was supposed to start first. This went on for a couple of times. When the bird finally started to sing with him, the group watched in awe as Frank carefully approached it, still singing.
"There there." he quietly told it as he removed the net.
The small animal looked more relaxed at this point. They sang one last time as Frank gently picked it up and caressed its back.
"Wow..." Eddie let out in a whisper with a smile.

Frank went up to (Y/n) and gestured that she could take it. She pursued her lips and shook her head.
"This is still a hunting game, your Highness. You've caught it fair and square. Congratulations." she nodded. "I'm sure that, in your care, it shall stay healthy and live a long serene life."
He frowned, just as he was to say something, they heard the sound of trumpets.
"Ah." Wally said. "The game is over."
"And we caught it just in time!" Eddie beamed.
"Hurraaaay!" Julie and Molly cheered, their hands in the air as they jumped around.
"We just have to follow the trumpet now." (Y/n) began to walk away before Frank could say anything.
But on the way back, he exchanged a few words with Wally without anyone knowing.

Saying that the rabbit Arnold caught was his new pet wasn't a part of (Y/n)'s plan. He just said it without thinking when he came back and people kept asking what he'll do with it. He did indeed receive many compliments regarding his "new pet". He hated to say those words, and the fact that he now had to commit to this – at least until the end of the Shuffling – only bothered him more. He looked around, it was only him and Lady Catherine so far.
"Where is she?" he asked between his teeth.
"I told you, I don't know." she rolled her eyes. "But wherever she went, and for whatever reason, it must've been very important."
"What makes you say that?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Last time I saw her, she was using her secret emergency code to ask me to create a distraction."
"She actually got to use that?!" he sighed, being the one who had called her insane for coming up with it. "She'll definitely rub it in my face later."

Catherine chuckled, but as Arnold's gaze wandered, he frowned.
'She asks for a distraction, next thing we know she's running around with kings and queen.' he thought. 'Just what is she planning?'
The part that most upset him however was the fact that she didn't tell them about it. She'd always tell them about her plans.

"Anyway! What name will you give it Arnold?" she asked as she patted the rabbit's head.
"I don't care."
"Well you must name it if it's going to be your darling lil pet." she gave him a teasing smile.
He clicked his tongue and looked at the pale pink, almost white rabbit. Its all black eyes looked up at him, its cute triangle nose slightly going up and down which each breath.
"Blizzard."
"That's not a name."
"That's his name."
"You don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."
"Well good thing Blizzard's a gender-neutral name then!" he glared at her.

"Okay okay, geez." she raised her hands then sighed.
She looked over to the side and gasped in delight.
"Brahms my love!" she waved and rushed over to her fiancé, who just came back with the team he's formed during the game.
"Catherine!" Arnold called out.
Great. Now he was alone. He hated that. He looked around, people were coming back left and right, reuniting with their group and putting their captured prises on the big table. It would seem that no one has managed to catch a creature.
'I could've done it!' he couldn't help but think, unknowingly clenching the rabbit in his arms. 'Look at them fawning over a bear when I could've brought a dragon and five other like it with me! They would've known what I'm truly capable of! I would've destroyed the competition if it wasn't for this stupid-!'
He shook his head. He refused to think of her like this.
"Where are you...?" he whispered to himself as he looked around again.

He heard gasps and followed everyone's gaze. Stepping out of the forest were none others than the three Kings and Queen – with the King of Diamonds holding some average bird – accompanied by the famous Dear Merchant, the young Duchess of Hearts Molly, and some noblewoman from the Kingdom of Spades, known mostly as Brave-Bloody-Bare-Hands, who curtsied to them, saying goodbye before rushing away. She quickly spotted Arnold and joined him.
"Awww hello you." she said in a high pitched, sweeter tone when she saw the rabbit, and caressed its head. "Great job Arnold."
"Where were you?"
"What's its name?"
"Blizzard. Answer me!"
"I will, I will." she rubbed her forehead. "Just not right now, I'm...really tired."
'In all sense of the word.' she thought.
He huffed. He shall let it go for now. He noticed a lot of eyes on them and he couldn't tell which one of them people were fixing their cold judging gaze on. (Y/n) ignored them however. The two of them didn't talk much while waiting for everyone to come back. But Arnold found comfort in the fact that him and (Y/n) were the victims of glances, snickers and even secret bets. At least, he wasn't alone. At least, they would have this to share in commun. It brought him hope.

Finally, the King of Hearts stood by the big table as everyone gathered in front of it. He faced the crowd.
"First and foremost, congratulations to every one who participated in today's game." he clapped, along with everyone. "I do hope everyone enjoyed themselves, despite the challenges you may have faced." he waited for the cheers to die down before continuing. "After carefully inspecting each animal you've caught, I have made a decision. But before I announce our lucky winner... There is something I must address."
Just then, something about him changed. Despite him still smiling, he looked less bright.
"One of the, few rules we gave you before the game was to only use the weapons provided to you." he took out something from his pocket, an arrow fit for a crossbow that looked nothing like the ones that were given out. "And yet, when I ventured into the forest, I found this. It nearly killed a bird."
(Y/n)'s eyes widened, she was so focused on the bird that she didn't pay attention to it.

"Now, I shall give its owner a chance to give themselves up before I find out for myself."
He glanced around. There was a long moment of silence, long enough to make anyone uncomfortable. A lot of people looked at Arnold and (Y/n).
"Come on!" the young marquis exclaimed. "Don't be a coward in addition to be a cheater!"
This made some people laugh. After another while, the King smiled.
"To be completely honest, I already know who this belongs to. Forgive me for taking much of your time, I simply wanted to be fair." he turned his head to look at a specific someone in the crowd. "I recognized your voice, Duke Lawrence of the Mao Provinces."
A man in his sixties gasped as everyone suddenly looked at him.
"Do you have anything to say?" Wally tilted his head. "Before I disqualify you."
"I-I didn't..." the man looked around in a panic.

Seeing that no support will be provided for him by his peers, he sighed and frowned.
"While I was in there your Highness, I've realized something. You've altered these weapons to make sure we wouldn't kill these animals!" he pointed at him. "And as a hunter at heart, I find this insulting to the highest degree! I knew something was fishy when you said we could catch them and do whatever we want with them! In my days, we'd simply kill and eat our trophies, or hang them on our walls, simple as that! You're telling me we can keep any wild thing as pets? That's just ridiculous!"
"Any animal can become a pet, with the right amount of love and care." the Duke of Hearts sternly said, giving him a piercing stare.
"You are a fool then. A wild animal is a wild animal and nothing can change its very natur-!"
"That is enough Duke." Wally's words quickly shut him up. "I'm sorry to hear that your views of things haven't quite caught up with the present days just yet." he gave him an apologetic look. "However, I would advise you to blame your poor aim instead of me."

People laughed. This humiliation was a clear sign of defeat for the Duke, who groaned and left, pushing away the people standing in his way. The animal he caught was then taken back to the forest. (Y/n) was shocked.
'Alternating the weapons was a secret? And yet he told us...? Well, he mostly told Molly but...' the thought that she now shared another secret with him made her heart skip a beat.
"What's wrong?" Arnold quietly asked, seeing the look on her face.
"...Nothing." she lightly shook her head.
He frowned, but didn't push it.

"Now that this is out of the way," Wally faced the crowd again. "I shall announce the winner."
He made a pause, for dramatic effect. A couple of his servants played the drums, for enhanced dramatic effect.
"The winner of the hunt is..." he raised a hand towards the winner. "Frank Frankly, King of Diamonds."
"Huh?!" (Y/n) let out.
Despite what she knew, she surely didn't expect that. Under the applause of everyone, Frank walked up to Wally. When people saw the animal he was holding, they became confused, asking each-other if that was really all that he caught.
"I know, it is no crab shark." Wally nodded. "However, I've always valued quality over quantity. New information have taught me that this species of bird is almost extinct. And was even completely gone from its native land."
Gasps echoed throughout the audience. The bird chirped, its song made (Y/n)'s fellow people of Spades gasp once again, overcome with emotion.

"With that in mind, this otherwise simple animal has become the most valuable being in this entire forest. Perhaps even this entire Kingdom." he chuckled. "And his Majesty has caught it using only his almost endless knowledge. Congratulations, dear friend." he clapped, along with everyone.
"Thank you. Thank you." Frank cleared his throat. "As the new owner of this beautiful specimen, my first decision as to what to do with it – I shall announce it here and now – is to give it away."
Gasps again, a lot louder this time, followed by intrigued mutters.
"As an endangered species, it would be only right to return it to its native land."
'No way this is happening.' (Y/n) thought.
"Lady (L/n)?" he faced her.
With all eyes now on her, she stepped over to be in front of him.

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known of the treasure that was right under our nose for decades. May these birds thrive and live a safe and healthy life under your Kingdom's care." he bowed his head.
"And, I shall announce this as well." Wally said. "My zoo owns ten more of these birds. I shall send them to the castle of Spades as soon as the Shuffling comes to an end." he smiled. "To make sure such a beautiful animal does not disappear from the face of this earth. We leave them in your care." he bowed his head.
Frank handed it to her, but (Y/n) was busy trying not to cry. As everyone applauded, she put both her hands on her chest, where her heart would be, and deeply bowed, bending her entire upper body. It was a gestured that only Arnold, Catherine and her fiancé recognized. In the Spades Kingdom, this gesture signified the deepest thanks one could give. It showed that they were thanking someone with their whole heart.
"Thank you." she said with a quivering voice before standing back up and smiling at them, her eyes filled with tears but she managed to keep them in. "Thank you so much."
Wally's smile became softer.

After this, the party kept going. (Y/n) would be surrounded by people for most of it, asking questions about the bird, herself, etc... For once, she detected no sarcasm, no subtle mean comments, nothing regarding previous events, just genuine interest about her as a person. She was pleasantly surprised, and with the incredible joy she was experiencing thank to the two kings, she didn't question any of it. The bird was put in a cage – though she would've rather to just keep holding it – and Frank taught her how to mimic its song.
"So what will you do with all the birds you'll be acquiring?" he asked at some point.
"We shall free them out into the wild."
"Excuse me?!" he leaned closer with big eyes.
"Huh?" she blinked twice, confused and panicked to have made him angry.
"You're not going to work on preserving its species?!"
"W-well, what can we do?" she shrugged.
"Keep them in a safe environment, make them breed- I don't know!"
Her face twisted a bit at those suggestions.

"I-I know this may sound reckless." she said. "I don't mean to brush aside your kindness, not at all. It's just..." she looked at the bird. "We, the people of Spades, believe in nature, we believe in them. The safest place they could be in is their home."
"So you're saying you're planning to put them back in their natural habitat, and then whatever happens happens."
"But..." she gently held the cage closer to her, speaking in a softer tone. "I pray they'll survive this time. I pray with all my heart."
He sighed.
"Will you at least let me teach you some ornithologist practices?" he asked. "Surely your people's beliefs are not against helping nature once in a while."
"We are a part of nature ourselves, your Highness" she smiled. "I'd love to, thank you very much."

Frank's reward, along with the animal he caught, was the key to a safe that, of course, contained a whole bunch of money! He also gave that prize away, since he had enough of that already.
"Here." he handed the key.
"Wh-wh-wh-what?!" Eddie stepped back, shocked.
When the King of Diamonds asked him if they could speak in private, he surely didn't expect that. Although he couldn't tell if whatever he was feeling in this moment was relief, or disappointment.
"I-I can't, my King!" he shook his head. "I simply just can't!"
"With this, you can surely buy a bunny for your mother. You could even buy the whole shelter if you want." he smiled.
"This is too much! Too much for a small man like myself! Why even- I don't deserve it!"
"Don't be ridiculous Mr. Dear." he huffed. "I wouldn't have been able to even reach that bird if it wasn't for your net. And we've teamed up the second you caught me with it."

"I- Once again, I'm so sorry about that!" he bowed. "But if that's the case, then Lady (L/n), and Young Miss Molly, and-"
"They don't count." he sternly said. "They were collaborators, you were my partner. Take the key." he handed it to him again.
Eddie's heart skipped a beat and he froze as they looked into each-other's eyes.
'As teammates in a game Eddie.' he quickly told himself. 'As teammates in a game, don't get any ideas.'
With slightly red cheeks, he took it, his fingers brushing against his.
"Thank you, my King. I shall keep it as safe as I keep my heart."
Frank smiled.
"I'd expect nothing less from you." he began to walk back to the party. "Always putting so much care into the silliest things."
"What?! Wh-What do you mean your Highness?!" he rushed to follow him.
He just laughed.