A/N: Haha written for yet another fanfic contest in the far reaches of another online neighbourhood, this is another experimental multichapter concept that actually decided to stick around for a while. Alice in Wonderland based/inspired, usual SSB touch in it as well. It's certainly not what I expected to ever write, but it's something. Enjoy!
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✞ Monody ✞
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✿ Chapter 1 - Éveil ✿
A girl wakes up sprawled in the middle of a daisy field.
Her hands clutch the dirt beneath her fingers as a breeze runs through her chestnut hair and the flowers around her, but she swears she hears sounds of laughing children in the wind as well. The clear blue sky above stares down on her, making her feel small.
It's too bad, really. She can't even enjoy the view without wondering how she got here. It's a beautiful flower field though, she admits, so if she had been here before, remembering this place would've been easy. Even so, she would have at least brought a friend along as well.
Wait.
A friend.
No matter how long she sits there scrunching her brows, she can't imagine anybody in mind. Not a figure, not a face, not even someone's voice either. A mother, she must've had one. A father too, but she can't imagine who. How pitiful for her to be lost in a daze. Can't even recall something as simple as their names—
A name. Her name.
What exactly is her name?
A ball of fire blazes in the sky, but her body shivers from the chilling air. She feels her cheeks freeze up as she hugs herself, hands clutching her bare arms, and only then did she notice she has on a frilly pink dress, its skirt flowing down no lower than her knees. As cute as it is, it doesn't feel like hers, but it's not like she has anything else warmer to wear.
Maybe someone's looking for her, she tells herself. Someone who left her all alone here.
"Nana?"
Is that her name? A faint voice echoes from behind her, but she finds it too convenient. Probably a hallucination, she thinks. Perhaps she imagined this flower field too.
"Nana!"
She hears it again, this time stronger than the first. A glance over her shoulder, and her eyes meet those of a blond boy standing a few feet away. His green tunic reminds her of grass, but from under his matching hat, he has white rabbit ears flopping out. His stance so still, she assumes he's a spirit, but she doesn't know what else to think.
"Is that really you?" He takes slow steps closer, and soon he's a few centimetres in front of her. The boy's eyes soon widen and tear up before he collapses on his knees, grabbing her into a hug, burying his face into her shoulder. "What the hell, Nana? You're not supposed be here! Why…?"
He clutches her tighter, and she feels his body tremble. Instead of wrapping her arms around him, they're left limp at her side hesitating to touch him, but she knows she has to ask.
"Who are you?"
It doesn't take long for the boy to tense up. He pulls himself off her and studies her face. She stares back, transfixed by both his long furry ears and the cloudy blue in his eyes. Empty, as if in a trance.
"What's going on? Where am I?"
"Somewhere I never thought you'd be…" His voice drifts as he nips his lip, but he then lines his gaze with here. "But we're late."
"Late for what?" Soon she watches him stand up, and taking hold of her hand, he pulls her to her feet.
"Nana," he whispers, and she's left wondering where she's heard his voice before. "Are you ready for your trial?"
"Wait, my what—?"
"I'm sorry."
Before she can say anything, he shoves her as she slips off her feet. In two seconds, she'll fall on her back with a thud, flower petals around puffing into the air like a cloud from where she crashes. Two more seconds later, she'll yell at the boy and ask why the heck he did that.
Instead, those two seconds become five as she starts falling, and falling.
And she screams when she realises she isn't stopping, soon in an endless free fall surrounded by walls of white, gravity's hands wrapped around her in a bind. The boy looks down at her from above through a circular opening, a hole that was never there before, and his figure shrinks into a dot with the distance until she can't see him anymore.
Two more seconds and she plummets to the floor, too numb to feel the shock across her back or remember when the shrinking dot above her disappeared in the light.
Blink. The first thing realises is that she doesn't recall waking up, but she mindlessly ambles around an endless room of white trying to find her way. However, the plane between floor and sky hides unseen, and she finds herself drowning in nothing but light. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. No directions or landmarks either; she could be walking in circles for all she knows.
This must be a dream, she tells herself; she must've passed out somewhere. But her name is Nana, isn't it?
Yes, that's right. She's starting to remember now.
The moment she glances up, the wall in front of her starts moving, and she stumbles back gasping. Like a ripple in a pool, she soon sees white cloth move and shake itself off—a person, Nana realises. Strands of auburn hair peek out from the figure's hood. Then with the wave of a hand, three weapons form out of specks along the floor: a sword, a gun, and a hammer.
"Will you take the blade?" the figure says. "No need to hear a thing. Give yourself peace with its silence and effortless swings."
It's a woman with a soothing voice, but Nana feels her throat clench as she forces out: "Who are you?"
"That is of no importance right now. Choose well, but hurry. Your time is short."
Nana tries to speak again, but is cut off before she can.
"Will you take the rifle? Spare yourself from being too close. Even a delicate finger serves as the trigger you need."
Words sound like wind to her ears, but blink and the woman's still there.
"Will you take the mallet? Gain back your freedom. Everything will be decided by your own strength, your own will."
Eyes flicker between the weapons on the floor. Soon asks: "What do I need one for?"
"Best protect yourself, dear." A smirk reveals itself from under the woman's hood. "You can only trust yourself, after all."
So how can she trust her, Nana wonders. The woman must know who she is—why she's here. This must be a dream; maybe she's supposed to play along. Without further thought, Nana reaches for the weapon closest to her, yet soon at the touch, it chills her fingers like ice.
Eyes close, and the woman whispers a message in her ear.
Eyes open, and the woman's no longer standing there.
"Now go. Repent for your sin."
And her eyes close once more.
Flutter awake, and the floor feels lumpy across her back. Mind still dizzy, but her vision starts to clear, beams of sunlight piercing both her view and the trees rustling above her.
She only rubs her eyes for a moment before they meet those of a pink ball hovering inches away from her face.
"You seem a bit lost, kid."
Gasping, Nana shoves herself back, wide-eyed as she stares at a pink ball with eyes as large as her hands. "Where did you come from?"
It starts giggling, voice echoing while the leaves rustle in the wind along with it. "I'm from here, but you're from there. You've been laying there for a while though. Glad to see you're finally awake."
Nana opens her mouth, but something taps her shoulder. She turns and sees the pink ball standing there—a swirl adorning its head—smirking as it carries a wooden mallet in its stubby arms.
But it was in front of me a second ago—! She glances back, but nothing's there. "How'd you—?"
"This is yours, is it not?"
It passes the mallet into Nana's hands and stares at it for a while. She hesitates, but then nods. There's a familiar touch from its smooth handle, its soft yet rough wood, but it doesn't let her remember anything before the daisy field. Perhaps the woman from earlier was a dream, that flower field and boy as well. Her memory's still hazy anyway.
"So where did you come from, foreigner?"
She hears its voice in the trees. Turn, and the pink ball is bouncing on a high branch, no longer standing on the ground like a second ago. "I don't know. I don't remember."
"What a shame. It's begun already."
"What's begun?"
"The game, sweetie. The Hunter and the Hunted. I've seen so many try and fail. It's unfortunate of you to be joining their numbers."
"Why me? I don't even remember anything. How I got here, if I'm from here, where I was going..."
It chuckles. "That won't matter anyway. The queen made sure your memory wouldn't be an issue to everything. All I can say is you've done something bad, and this entire game you're in is your trial. You will be called up for judgement based on how well you do and if you are worthy of getting your wish granted by the queen."
Nana tries to wrap her head around its explanation, but questions of "How?" and "Why?" and "What do I need a wish for?" crowd her mind and slip out of her mouth.
"You'll need to find the queen first. She has all the answers you need, and I bet she's your only key to getting your memories back."
She tenses up, and it smirks.
"That is what you want, isn't it? Your memories?"
For a moment, she glances down at the hammer she holds. Turning its handle, she finds a name engraved on its side: Nana Celia. Yet nothing else comes; no flash of surprise or realisation. No flash of memories either. She wants to know—no, she needs to know.
So she nods. "Yes, I do. Where can I find the queen?"
"In a castle full of gold where dreams come true, but it's not easy to gain passage to her doors though. Hunt down the Hatter and beat him. Then he'll offer your only way there." Soon it glances behind its shoulder, arm pointing in the same direction before Nana can say anything. "If you go down this road, you'll find a cottage built on top of a grand oak tree."
"And I'll find the Hatter there?"
"Yup, and the rest of your kind as well." Its grin grows wider, and she can't help but shudder. "You are one of them, aren't you?"
"One of who?" But the pink ball fades away before she finishes—like a blurring illusion, only leaving behind a projection of its wide grin within the trees. Soon a chuckle echoes before Nana hears its voice one last time.
"People, my dear. They're all madmen here."
She hasn't been able to find that pink ball since then, but something about the forest strikes her as off.
Around her, small creatures crawl along the forest floor as she walks through, gathering berries and nuts as if preparing for winter, but the pastel flowers call out to spring while the lush trees surrounding her smell like summer. It should be warm too with the blazing sun above her, though the chilling breeze says otherwise. It must be the dress, she thinks—no sleeves, above the knees.
She soon finds her feet stopping at the base of a tree trunk more than three times as wide as her height. Glance up, a cottage sits in between the thick branches like a club house. To think, this house is exactly where the pink ball said it would be.
But before Nana knew, one of the windows shatter and a green figure bursts through its cracks. Yet he's falling straight in her direction. She's about to scream, but he soon crashes into her, sending both of them tumbling across the dirt, thrashing across the floor until they stop rolling. Soon with grass in her mouth and her body sprawled on the ground stomach-first, Nana groans as she tries to push herself up.
What the hell was that? She holds the urge to yell it out. Dull sores throb throughout her sides, but something heavy on her back has her pinned down.
Rolling it off, soon she hears a thud and moans from behind. She stands up, clutching her arm as she turns. In front of her lays a boy clad in green on the ground with minor scratches on his face, but it's the rabbit ears she sees first all bent and twitchy.
"It's you," Nana says, and one of the boy's eyes peek open at her. "You're the one from before."
"Nana?" His voice is quiet, but he pulls himself up to his feet, soon smiling. "Thank goodness you're all right. For a second there, I thought I'd—"
But she shoves him back onto the ground before he finishes, and he lands with a thud. Just hearing his groan leaves her satisfied, but he glares at her.
"What was that for?"
"First you pushed me into a hole, and then you fall on top of me?" She then sticks her hammer at his neck. "Who are you?"
"I'm someone you know. Just let me help you, okay?"
"I don't know who you are or what I'm doing here, but I want some answers, so you better start talking."
"First of all, you can't threaten me when you don't even know where you are. You don't know your way around here, and I'm the only one who can help you."
She scoffs. "Why are you helping me?"
Sighing, he scratches the back of his head. "It's my job, so unless you decide to drive me away before you even start your trial, at least let me do what I'm supposed to do."
He has a point, but she can't tell if he's lying, not at this rate. Sucking in a breath, she hesitates for a moment, but slowly lowers her mallet down to her side. Then the boy pushes himself back up as he dusts off his clothes. Her mind must have some memory or thought to convince her otherwise, but nothing comes and she sighs. There are too many questions she wants to ask him though, but she doesn't know where to start, so she goes with the first thing that pops up.
"I heard there was a queen here who can help me, and finding the Hatter's the only way I can get to her."
He glances up at the cottage up in the grand tree. "Funny you should say that. I just went up to see him."
"Can you take me to him?"
"But you just woke up. It's really dangerous to go through the main passage right now anyway."
An eyebrow raised, she crosses her arms. "You don't think I can handle myself? You told me this is supposed to be a trial before, didn't you?"
"I did, but..."
Nana begins approaching the tree before he says more. Under the cottage's platform, she spots a rope ladder hanging all the way down to the foot of the trunk. One hand grabs a hold—
"Wait!" he calls out from behind as he runs up to her. "Where are you going?"
"Up. The passage starts here, right? If you're not going to take me to him, I'll go myself."
"Can you just wait?"
He grabs her arm, but she swats it away. "Look, I don't know about you, but I have to find him. If you really are my friend, then you'll take me to him, right?"
She can hear a faint groan come out of him before he takes a step back. "Fine. I'll take you, but don't say I didn't warn you."
Climbing to the top of the ladder, the dusty walls of the wooden cottage remain empty except for the windows—one of them shattered—and a door at the opposite end of it.
"It starts through the door," the boy tells her, but Nana finds herself second-guessing. Does she want to go through with it?
No, she shouldn't be hesitating right now. Priorities grow in her head, and she walks over to the door, pushing it open as she welcomes a flash of light before it forms into walls and a velvet carpet along the floor.
The smell of grass disappears only to be replaced by the scent of oil paints. A thin corridor stretches in front of Nana as her footsteps echo throughout its walls. She can't help but stare at the wallpaper, though it's not the blood-maroon colour attracting her attention; it's the three upside down rows of white mice printed on its surface.
Just how big is this cottage though? She never realised a tree can carry one so large. Then she watches as the boy walks past her before a thought crosses her mind. "You never told me your name," she says. He stops, glancing over his shoulder at her.
He lets out a faint chuckle before sighing. "I'm Toon Link."
"Nice to finally know. My name's—"
"Nana. I know." Toon Link smiles. "I bet you're not used to hearing it anymore. Takes time, but it'll soon be as natural as it was before."
"Like before…" The thought lingers in her head. If only she can remember what "before" was. As they continue walking down the hall, she soon notices paintings in golden frames along both sides of the passageway. Some are abstract blotches of paints, but the one of a swirled starry night catches her attention.
It's hanging upside down like the mice printed along the wallpaper.
Toon Link doesn't regard it though, Nana notices; he continues walking straight, both of his ears soon standing up. Then they find themselves at the door in the end of the hall in between two paintings of doors, but they are all upside down too.
"Why's everything upside down?"
"Everyone always asks that the first time," she hears him mumble while laughing a bit. "They're not though."
"Not what?"
"Upside down." Soon Toon Link stretches his hands above his head. "We are."
The moment the words left his mouth, Nana feels gravity shift from below to above. Her dress and hair drapes upwards. Then her feet float off the ground, sending her body flying to the ceiling until she crashes onto her back.
Groaning as she stands back up, the room spins around for a while as her vision clears up. Toon Link, on the other hand, manages to stay on his feet somehow. He walks towards her, holding out a hand while laughing.
Nana rolls her eyes. "You could've warned me ahead of time!" And she takes his hand as she's pulled up.
He lets out a cheeky grin. "I told you this place is dangerous."
"I thought you meant like monsters and stuff!"
The more Toon Link laughs, the more Nana can feel her nerves clench up in her head as she scowls. "You can't just assume things. There are monsters though."
"I don't believe you."
"Suit yourself."
Can this guy get any more irritating, she thinks to herself as she walks up to the door, but she lets out a sigh before turning the knob.
Toon Link's eyes soon widen. "Wait, not that one!"
Yet she already pulled the door back. It wasn't opened by much, but shadowy smoke spews through the cracks as a growl rumbles from the other side. She gasps. Toon Link then runs up and body slams the door shut.
Nana steps back. "What was that?"
"How about you use the other door?" he says as the door continues banging. "The one to our left."
She can hear the thumps and muffled growls coming from behind Toon Link, and she wonders about what else is hidden on the other side. He said the door to their left, and she glances at it for a moment, but—
"It's a painting." One of a door a little shorter than her. How was that going to help them?
"Just open it!"
Either way, she has no other guide to trust. Touching the painting's surface, her fingers wrapping around a real knob. One twist. One pull. And soon the painting swings open like an actual door.
Glancing back, Toon Link still has his back spread across the other door with a few thumps pushing him forward. However, the wood starts cracking, strands snapping with each thrash. Toon Link's eyes soon meet hers, and she knows they'll need to work fast.
"Ready?" Nana says. "One, two, three—"
But Toon Link sprints forward before she says three. The door bursts open, and Toon Link shoves Nana through the painting frame. Nana quickly slams the door behind her, holding onto the knob as something rams into it from the other side.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Toon Link holds onto the knob as well, and Nana can feel the handle jiggle with every thrash while her heart beats twice as fast. Thump. Thump. Thump. Her hands start shaking, but Toon Link holds them down. Firm grasp, yet a familiar gentle touch. Soon the thrashes soften into slower raps against the door.
Thump. Thump… She waits for the next pound against the door, but it never comes, only the sounds of her heart's beating in her ears. Toon Link releases his hands from hers before taking a step back and letting out a sigh. As for Nana, she doesn't know what to think. Or what to do. Or what else they might see.
"Glad that thing went away, right?" Toon Link says.
"What was that?"
"A shadow. It runs on doubt. Probably yours, you know."
"And what makes you so sure about that?"
Then he starts chuckling, and Nana can't help but scowl. "You and your questions. You haven't changed by much." And he glances away with a slight curl on his lip. "That's good."
Changed? A shame she can't remember otherwise. She sighs. He knows so much about her, but she can't think of a single trait of his herself. There are only the ones from now: those smug know-it-all warnings he gives, those floppy rabbit ears that make it hard to take him seriously, and those moments when he stares at the ground looking sad like he's thinking of something.
"Can we start over?" Nana says as she holds out a hand, and Toon Link turns, staring at it. "Like really start over as if whatever I don't remember hasn't happened yet."
He sighs before glancing up at her. "Sure, I'd like that."
She smiles. "My name's Nana Celia."
"And I'm Toon Link."
And she watches him take her hand before they shake on it.
"Nice to finally meet you."
From where they're walking, a green dot in the distance that looks like nothing more than a speck on a wall, but the closer Nana and Toon Link amble towards it, the clearer their view of it becomes. Almost as if like a mirage, Nana realises it's a patch of grass laying in the middle of the area while a small river with a teal turtle swimming in it runs along the ground—as if it formed from patches of cloud.
Is this real? she asks herself. They got here through painting on the wall, and she still can't believe how they ended up—what looks to be—on top of a cloud after she finally took the time to assess their surroundings; the entire floor is blanketed in mist, but her feet can still shift along a solid surface.
"Are you sure you want to see the Hatter?" Toon Link glances to the side. "I wouldn't trust him if I were you."
"It'll be fine. Quit worrying so much."
"I was right the last few times—"
And her eyes rolling without needing to wait for her command. "Those don't count."
He smirks. "Like every other time, I bet."
"Oh, shut up."
In the centre of the grassy patch sits a wooden table covered by a white tablecloth, but what she steals her attention right away is the slightly bulged figure with a moustache standing behind it drinking tea. He's wearing what she thinks to be a monocle over his eye and a navy-blue circus uniform with black sleeves and gold buttons. It's not just that—the bright teal top hat sitting on top of his darker blue hair adds a few inches to his already tall demeanour, if not for the legs covered by his blanched pants.
No wonder he's called the Hatter, Nana thinks to herself.
His eyes soon flicker to her as he sets his teacup down on the table. Then in a split-second, he pulls out a revolver. Nana's gasps, eyes widened, and he fires— BANG! Nana shrieks as she drops to the floor on her knees, covering her ears. Eyes close, and she finds her breathing heavier than she likes.
Eyes open, and the Hatter's now standing mere inches away in front of her.
"Tip one, onna," he says. "Don't be a cock-up. Your guard should never be down."
"Seriously?" Toon Link stomps over towards the them, rubbing both of his ears. "Do you have to do that every time?"
The Hatter chuckles as he stuffs the gun back in his holster. "If it isn't Bunny Boy again. Weren't you just here a while ago?" Then he turns toward Nana. "Then again onna, if you're here with that daft nitwit, it must be that time of month again."
Nana's heartbeat starts slowing down, but the gunfire keeps ringing in her ears like a rumble along the ground, though she can't place where she'd felt it before. But she shakes her head, shoving the thought as far back as she can. Then she stands up, eyes now focused on the Hatter.
"I heard you can take me to the queen."
"You're in quite a hurry, aren't you? Before that, how about a game? Two truths and a lie."
Is it necessary? Head tilts, and her foot starts tapping before she even realises, but the Hatter only smirks.
"One, you were told all the answers you need can be found with the queen. Two, Bunny Boy's led you down the right path."
Toon Link scowls, and Nana hears him mumble curse words. Guess they don't like each other, she tells herself.
"Or three, you're here to remove me."
"What do you mean 'remove'?"
"How does the expression go? To bring the end of me, you could say?"
To kill him, he means? Is that why she was handed a weapon at the start? But before she can say any more, the Hatter takes out his revolver once more, and Nana's hand tightens around the grip of her hammer's handle.
"Two truths and a lie," he continues as he aims the barrel at her head. "You tell me where the end of your road leads, amica."
Toon Link's eyes soon widen. "Wait— Marth?" He stops and turns. "You don't have my sword, do you?"
The Hatter—Marth—half-smiles, half-glares at him as he draws his gun away. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't break the moment next time." Then he plops off his top hat and digs a hand inside, reaching in and soon pulling out a long sword in a leather sheath.
Like a magician, is the first thought that comes to Nana. The sword itself is twice as long as the hat. Soon, Marth tosses it over to Toon Link, who catches it before attaching it back to his belt.
"Let me ask you something," Marth continues. "Is it foolish to put trust someone in you fear?"
Nana's head tilts to the side. "Who should I be afraid of?"
"That is for yourself to figure out; your fears are different from my own, after all. Shall we go see a queen then?" She nods, and he continues: "Lovely woman, though I'd watch what you say if I were you. Give me a moment to prepare first." Then he walks over to the table, taking off his hat as he sets it down and reaches a hand into it.
At least she now knows why Toon Link doesn't like Marth. Even the way he speaks strikes her as someone of upper class. Speaking of Toon Link, Nana hears his footsteps walking towards her, and when she turns to face him, she immediately notices his glare fixated on the Hatter.
"Never liked that guy when I first came here two years ago," he says. "If you thought the shadow from before was dangerous, Marth's even worse."
"But he's the only one who can take me to the queen."
"Exactly."
Soon Marth walks back while loading both gold and silver bullets into his revolver. "Are you two ready to go? Be sure to rendezvous at the Gold Castle."
"Wait," Nana says. "You're not coming with us?"
Toon Link's eyes, however, widens, and Nana hears him repeating "No, no, no…" like a mantra.
"I will for the first bit," Marth continues, "but you'll need to go the rest of the way yourself by foot. Though first, we go down." He smirks. "Falling's a lot like flying, you know—" and Nana's eyes widen, "—except there's a more permanent destination."
Just as Marth snaps his fingers, Toon Link's "No, no, NO!" heightens as he grabs Nana's hand. She spins around, but the floor collapses under their feet and they plummet below the clouds screaming.
"What the hell is going on?" Nana shouts out as she holds onto Toon Link tighter. She hears him yelling out to her, but the bursts of wind under her as they fall freeze her skin.
Marth, however, has a hand on his hat as he soars like a bird while laughing on the way down. "Be sure to not be late getting to the castle. The queen can be narked when it comes to that."
Soon he soars upwards, leaving Nana and Toon Link by themselves. Their screaming deafens them as We're gonna die repeats like a mantra in Nana's head. Then she looks down below her feet. A faint dot starts growing into a shape. A window. And she braces for impact.
CRASH! They burst through the window as the glass flies around them. Nana quickly tumbles into the earth with Toon Link's scream soaring over her.
A thud, and now they're both left sprawled across the dirt. Body aches with bumps as Nana pushes herself up. Toon Link groans as he stumbles onto his feet.
"If we keep this up," he says while rubbing his head, "someone's gonna have to set up a proper target zone."
"At this rate, I think I know what's going to go on my tombstone." Nana starts scribbling words in the air with her finger. "Nana Celia - death by a fall."
He lets out a nervous chuckle, but doesn't say anymore, so the two of them start walking along the forest path, each of their steps crunching along the dirt. As for Nana, her eyes trail along the outlines of the trees and bushes around them, including the shadows of ones hiding in the background within fog.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"The east side of the forest. We went to the cottage through the south side, and Gold Castle is to the west. A ways away, but we can get there by a day's hike."
Then rustling sounds from behind them snatch Nana's attention. Her head snaps round, but sees nothing there.
Toon Link stares at her. "Wait, do you even remember how to fight?"
"Remember?" She grips the mallet in her hand tighter while rubbing the back of her neck. "Of course I do—" But Toon Link only shoots her a raised eyebrow. "You still don't think I can take care of myself, do you?"
"Not necessarily—it's just the forest's east end isn't exactly known for butterflies and daisies."
Now comes Nana's turn to give him a raised brow, and she scoffs. "So you do think I can't. I expected more trust from you."
"Trust from me?" He laughs. "Says the one who hardly gives me any! Some friend you are."
"You said you knew me, right?"
He nods. "What about it?"
"What was I like? Am I any different from before?"
She watches as his glance sinks to the side, a habit she has tagged on him now. Scratching his head, Toon Link says, "Sorta." Then he smirks. "You're still as stubborn as ever."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Now he's laughing, and Nana can't help but shoot him a glare. "To be honest, you haven't changed much since the last time, and it feels like forever since then. Heck, I remember the one time you were running through a snow field in a bikini."
Her face burns red in an instant. "W-wait, did I really?"
"No. I'm just kidding." And then comes his smug smirk again. "Or am I?"
She shoves him as he starts laughing. "That's not funny."
"But you should've seen your face! You were almost as bright as the peaches in Gold Castle's garden."
That only makes her cheeks heat up even more than earlier despite the fact that she's smiling now, and he continues chuckling. As she steals a glance at him, she starts thinking how natural it all feels—following his lead, them talking, him teasing. Was it always like this before she had forgotten everything?
The thought of it only thins her patience; she wants to remember again. She can't stand having to cope with an empty mind.
More rustles from the bushes steal her attention. She even catches a glimpse of Toon Link's right ear twiching at each sound. Something's here, but they continue walking—albeit a little slower than earlier. Then Toon Link snaps around.
"Get down!"
Nana ducks, and he rips out his sword slashing at an incoming object. His blade slices through a whispy cannon ball as it evaporates into the air.
A branch snaps from behind them, and Nana quickly turns. Before she can do anything, a shadowy figure charges towards at her with blinding speed. Nana whips her hammer at its head, but it ducks. Whoosh. Swing after swing, it sidesteps away from each of Nana's attacks.
Her breathing gets heavier. Pant. And she realises swinging's getting her nowhere. The shadow thrusts a punch at her, but Nana blocks with her mallet. The shadow soon throws more and more hits at it, pushing her back along the dirt.
As for Toon Link, he slices incoming balls as another shadow races through the trees—its speed so quick, eyes can't keep up. With leaves as cover, the shadow fires more balls before rushing forward. Toon Link's panting a bit now, but he holds his blade up ready to block. It's fast, he knows. Or is he getting slow? However, when Toon Link swings, the shadow slips past him and hurls itself towards Nana.
He gasps. "Nana, move!"
Her ears perk up as she leaps off to the side. The first shadow stumbles forward and collides with the second. They tumble along the ground, but quickly push themselves up and rush back towards them. Nana holds her mallet up, but Toon Link pushes her out of the way as he slashes through both shadows in one swipe. Then they both disintegrate into dust with a screech.
He didn't let me attack is the first thought to come in Nana's head. Brow raised, she finds herself finally breathing right again as her panting and her heart begin to slow down, but she holds her hammer close to her side, eyes scanning the forest.
"What were they?"
Toon Link sheaths his sword. "Shadows—like the one from before. Hate those things, but you get used to them after a while. They feed off people's doubts like yours for example."
"You sure it's not yours?"
Then he laughs even though he's still panting a bit himself. "Nana, I've been here two years. They're everywhere, so don't leave your guard down; they can pop up at any time."
She doesn't want to get used to it though. The longer she walks around, the more uneasy she feels. She isn't even sure what is a part of her trial and what isn't—perhaps it's everything or perhaps it's nothing here at all.
Nana looks at Toon Link, who's already staring back at her. "How much can you tell me about this world? This trial? My past?"
He glances to the side—he's doing it again. "Depends. I'm not allowed to say too much, to be honest."
"But you're supposed to be my friend, right? And to be fair, you both pushed me and landed on top of me the first two times we saw each other."
"Hey, first time was because I had to, second time an accident. But fine, I'll tell you everything you need to hear, but on one condition." He holds up three fingers. "You get three questions and no more."
"What do you mean— wait. You better not be using loopholes."
Then he's laughing once more—loud enough to shake the forest, and Nana's muscles tense up. "Loosen up, Nana. I meant only three questions if you're asking about something big or important. I'll tell you when you've used one, don't worry."
She has to admit he's being pretty generous. It's not as if anyone else she may come across will be willing to give her straightforward answers, and at least he's an assigned guide too, so she won't need to ask for directions.
Nana soon finds herself relaxing. "You make a nice guide. Do you know that?"
Toon Link grins, scratching the back of his neck. "Coming from someone as uptight as you, I guess that makes me even nicer than I thought."
She gasps. "I take that back. You are mean."
And all he gives is a faux gasp of his own. "After all I've done for you, yet you still call me mean."
She can't help but laugh along with him as they do continue ambling through the forest. At least she believes him now—about when he mentioned they used to be friends. She finds it easy to talk to him—granted if they have something to talk about. As for now, following behind his lead in silence allows her to not worry as much about every bush or branch that rustles or snaps.
Soon Nana studies the way Toon Link keeps his sights focused on the road ahead of him. He must be used to constant travelling, she assumes, considering he didn't break a sweat when the shadows attacked. There are so many questions she wants to ask him though, but she realises how limited having only three chances can be.
Toon Link glances back at her, asking if she's all right. Nana nods and smiles.
Are you always like this? A question that slips into her mind among the many she wants to ask of him. He's very protective, she notes in her head. It's not that she doesn't appreciate his help, but if he's not going to give her any opportunities like he did when he pushed her out of the way earlier, he better watch out.
"Always like what?"
Eyes widen as she looks up only to find Toon Link staring at her, realising she must've asked her question aloud. After a few moments of silence between them, and his gaze not breaking, Nana sighs. "Are you always worrying about everything? And with all the people doing their trials that you had to guide?"
"Obviously it's not the same depending on the person…" His voice drifts off for a moment, rabbit ears drooping. "I guess it's a bit different this time since I used to know you. It doesn't feel right being the one who has to guide you this time around."
But how do we know each other? Another question that slides into her mind's eye. Mouth opens, but Toon Link interjects before she can ask.
"By the way, that was your first question. Two more left."
"And all you give me is a vague answer?"
"Like I said, I'll only say what you need to know, nothing more," then he's back to his usual chuckle, "else the queen will have my head."
Nana decides not to ask anymore, if not to risk using another question, as she continues walking behind Toon Link's lead. Glancing around the forest, the wind starts picking up as a gust blows through the trees. The forest chills her skin even colder than it did earlier.
A voice echoes in the wind, and Nana recognises it instantly.
"You've finally found your kind, I see."
Toon Link glances up to the tree by his left. "Jigglypuff, don't be rude."
On top of the branch, a pink ball materialises like an apparition, trademark grin plastered across its face. "At least I don't feign fool."
Jigglypuff, the creature who approached her before. The name plants itself in Nana's mind. In her ear, Toon Link whispers, "Be careful around Jigglypuff. She's almost as bad as Marth."
"Have you converted faiths, Rabbit, or do you dare defy your queen?"
"I'm still obeying orders. As a matter of fact, I'm guiding Nana to the queen right now."
"Plays will be the end of you, boy."
"But it wouldn't matter since you've been against me from the start."
Their gazes stay evenly matched, neither of them backing down. Toon Link seems to have a lot of hostility against everyone they've come across so far. Perhaps that is among the cons to being a guide, Nana assumes. However, with that in mind, anxiety of the trial ahead lingers her thoughts.
Then Jigglypuff's gaze shifts over to Nana. She swallows, but her unchanging face hides her shaky, quiet breath. Soon she hears its voice from behind her. "And you, sweetie, can lie upon the grave of fools. You still know not the road in front of you." Nana turns, and there, the pink creature sways its arms as it continues speaking. "How much would it take to suspend your beliefs?"
She raises a brow. "I don't understand."
"There's a lot you assume you can see, but that mindset hinders you. Both your answer and your bane stem from the same tree, and it's just as easy to confuse one for the other. Are you willing to remove those in your path for the answer to be guaranteed?"
The way it smiles cheek-to-cheek causes Nana to shudder, but she remains solid on her feet and she shakes her head.
"Then you are no different from the ones who came before you." Before anyone knew it, Jigglypuff begins twirling while singing her words out like a song. "Fools. All of you. The game is won before it's begun."
"Wait," Nana says. "What else is there for me to do? I've followed your instructions."
Its giggling echoes from behind, and both Nana and Toon Link spin around to see Jigglypuff skipping in the trees. "Then you have not followed the instructions properly." And it fades and disappears into the wind once again.
The tip of a gold tower peeks out above the trees from the distance. She can hear it, that whisper in the back of her mind: Castle. However, Toon Link and she would've cheered at the sight of their long awaited destination if something else hadn't been keeping them occupied.
Their screams shatter the forest's silence as they blaze through the dirt trail in a blur. Behind them, a hoard of wild creatures stampede across the ground as they chase after the two.
"Did you really have to poke that mouse's tail?" Nana yells as a million insults race through her mind.
"I didn't think the Pikachu was going to get angry!" Toon Link says. "I wanted to show you one—I thought you would've liked it!"
"Then excuse me for not liking mice that explode electricity everywhere!"
Nana's head starts throbbing as she forces her feet to sprint faster. Growls and screeches behind them mix into a medley of death threats. This is all Toon Link's fault, she wants to scream. Sweating, her breathing gets faster and faster, but the scrambled screams distracts her mind off the dizziness.
Then she sees it—their salvation, the light at the end of their path. The forest exit inches closer to them with each second. Nana's heart pounds as if trying to burst out, but she doesn't stop. They're almost there. Only mere feet away. She races past him as the light ahead grows and blinds her. Then Nana leaps through its bright gates, enveloping her in sunlight.
She soon stumbles forward into a grass clearing when she spots Marth standing in her path with a revolver aimed at her face. She gasps. Eyes widen before they snap shut before— BANG! The blast rings in her ears, but the sound of a fading stampede rages from behind. Opening her eyes now, she glances over her shoulder to see creatures trace back into the forest, leaving echoes of whimpers and screeches in their wake.
Marth chuckles as he shoves his revolver back in its holster. "I take it the two of you had a smooth journey here?"
Nana turns to face him only to have her eyes avert to a panting Toon Link beside her who scoffs, hands resting on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. "You wish, but we'll be fine, right Nana?"
But her head is still pounding from running and the amount of complaints she has against him swelling in her mind, so she nods instead, not bothering to say a word.
"Fantastic," Marth continues. "Best be in good condition when within the queen's presence." He glances at Toon Link again. "And Bunny Boy, I'm disappointed. I thought you were capable of putting in more effort."
Toon Link speaks between breaths: "Why don't you try next time?" Then he groans. "I hate having to work with you."
"Luckily, this may be the only time we will have to. Now come. We mustn't have the queen wait for us."
Without another word, Marth steals the lead as they walk forward, and Nana sprints over to Marth's side, catching a wide-eyed stare from Toon Link. If she's going to get any answers, best expand her options, she tells herself.
"Mister Hatter, sir?"
He smiles. "Marth would be more appreciated, onna."
"What kind of a place is this? The entire territory, I mean."
Eyebrow raised, he glances at Toon Link—who in turn shoots a glare in his direction, but doesn't bother walking any faster to catch up. "A simple kingdom where life extends beyond expectancy and is ruled by a frightening queen, though you wouldn't be able to tell at first glance." He soon turns back to face her, painting on a plastc smile. "Bunny Boy didn't mention a lot, I assume, but I offer no blame either. He and I serve under two different influences, so pay no mind to our bickering. Force of habit, you could say."
At least she doesn't need to waste her remaining two questions yet. Her mind's already piling wonderings in front of her, but Marth continues before she can address them.
"How is a peach like a blindfold?"
Huh? Nana stares at him, but his smile comes off too casual for her to not tilt a head or question where he got the idea from. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"
"To get you thinking."
"So a riddle."
"Think of it as deposit for a future investment—you do owe me a game as payment for escorting you to the queen. I'll give you the answer if you play a round with me."
"A round of what? Something like two truths and a lie? I already said no last time, and besides, I'll be able to answer your riddle eventually if not now."
He sighs. "Not that you need to find a solution to the question so soon, but you never know. The answer could become crucial to your future decisions and endeavours."
"But a riddle has nothing to do with anything here—or is this a part of my trial?"
Then he chuckles as he shakes his head. "No, not really, though I wouldn't have expected you to understand this yet anyway."
She can see the hint of a smirk grace his face, but not a single possible motive comes to her. A questionable man himself, she thinks, and she isn't sure who to be more cautious of: Jigglypuff or Marth.
Then he stops walking, holding out an arm to block Nana's way as he glances up, and her gaze follows his; it's only then when she notices the swirled iron gate standing in their path. Behind that, her mouth gapes open as she stares at the shimmering walls of a single tower piercing through the clouds above. However, the structure lays in the distance behind a grand garden of hedges and bushes that create a labyrinth in front of it.
"That is Gold Castle?" Though her gaze fixates on the gold heart mosaic on its front walls, a balcony embezzling its centre. "But it's—"
"A tower, I know," Marth finishes for her. "My queen wishes for a castle, but this is the best her people can offer—though the inside is worth all the marvel."
"Which is huge," Toon Link cuts in before mumbling, "but I prefer real castles."
It's not a monument to be mocked though, Nana tells herself as she watches Marth push open the iron gates before they enter the garden maze.
Nana sticks close to Toon Link as they wind around hedges. Had they not been outside, she could've mistaken the bushes for a corridor walls, each bushel of green standing twice as tall Marth—whose height almost doubles both Toon Link and her. Air breezes trail through each twist and turn, chilling her skin. The farther they go in, the more peaches she notices poking out of the hedges as if someone placed them there. There aren't any trees around, so maybe the fruit are for decoration?
Marth remains in the lead, walking around each bush as if he'd memorised every turn before they arrive to one. Toon Link on the other hand makes sure to keep his distance from the Hatter, at least six feet away, Nana notices. Eventually, they walk under a vine archway covered in daisies, but while they're inside, she notices a short man with a mushroom cap for a head with a bucket of paint by his side. He brushes each petal with a coat of colour, hiding their innocent white under a layer of faux peach.
Once out, Nana finds herself stepping into a wide open space in the centre of the garden, blades of grass bristling against her flats. But when she glances up, the first thing to greet her is the sight of a figure standing in frot of a peach tree holding a pink umbrella bright enough to blind her. A woman, by the looks of her matching pink ball gown—one wide enough to hide a couple of mushroom men such as the flower painter.
The woman soon turns, spinning around like a porcelain in a music box—though her long blonde hair shines like one. However, it's her blue eyes that catch Nana's attention. Beady like a doll, but calculating as she observes the way Nana moves: studying her outfit, her posture, her every step. A faint curl on her lips graces her face, and Nana can't help but shiver.
Marth bows, taking off his hat. "Neither white nor red petals, milady?"
"Too much of my sister's taste, not mine." Then her gaze quickly shifts over to Toon Link, though she still keeps Nana within eyeshot. "It surprises me to see you be involved in the game so soon, Marth. What was offered for your persuasion?"
He chuckles. "A game of chance and tribute. Young ones can tempt an entertaining gamble—not one I want to miss."
As the two of them spoke, Toon Link creeps over to where Nana stands, nudging her shoulder before she looks at him. "That is the Queen of Hearts, Peach," he whispers. "Her bad side is not one you'd ever want to be caught in. Queens, I swear instilling fear is a requirement to become one."
Nana bites her lip. "But she is the only one who can help me, right? I don't want to keep feeling like I'm supposed to know, that there's something missing."
"I know. I went through it once. Though Peach is not that peachy, you know."
Eyes widen. "Went though what? Losing your memory? Did you hit your head once or something like that?" Toon Link shoots her light glare and she laughs. "After all the times you've fallen, I can imagine you injuring yourself at least once."
He chuckles, but all he gives is a faraway gaze. "Do you know why the queen made me the guide and not any one of these blokes?"
A momentary silence befalls them both, and Nana only shakes her head without a word.
"It's because I went through all this once, the entire trial. It's one thing to have working alongside the great game for years, but it's another to have gone through it yourself. Even so, not a lot of people like doing this."
"Yet you do?"
He shakes his head. "Not really. If I told you how I ended up taking this job after everything that's happened, I don't know if you'd believe me."
"Doubt me so soon?"
He chuckles and Nana feels her shoulders relax, but she can see those thoughts running through his mind, the way both his eyes and smile soften when he takes a moment to breathe, long ears drooping. "A long while ago, I made a wish, the one you get if you pass the trial. My journey was a lot different from yours of course—my guide sucked." Nana giggles, and he continues. "But when I got my memories back, I knew exactly what to wish for."
"What was it?"
Toon Link's gaze turns to the side, a tint of pink coating his face. "To see a good friend of mine again one more time."
Heat creeps up to Nana's cheeks, and his ears droop even more as he scratches the back of his head.
"It's a bit embarrassing, I know."
"No, don't say that. It's really sweet, actually."
He pauses for a moment, and Nana catches a faint curl on his lip.
"Thanks."
Then all he does is smile without a word, and Nana can't help but smile too. "No problem."
"Though I should mention that you've used your second question."
"And now you're being mean again."
"You're are the one under trial, I presume," Queen Peach cuts in as she walks toward the two.
Nana and Toon Link turn to face her. Even the queen's strides match in perfect tangent, Nana notices, practiced to mirror her china form.
"Have you come to seek my judgement?"
"Yes, your majesty." Though Nana doesn't know how else to answer her, but under the queen's sharp gaze, she feels twice as small. However beside her, Toon Link remains standing tall like a rebel against her presence.
"Then I have a task for you to carry out. Do you know of the creature who lurks the forest?"
She nods, though Toon Link only gives her a raised brow and stare. "Jigglypuff, right?"
"Correct. I'll make this simple: bring me its head."
"But milady," Marth interjects as he walks in beside the queen, "Jigglypuff is only but a head."
"It matters not. I still want its head under my heel by the time you come back."
In that instant, Toon Link jumps up and grabs Nana's hand. "You heard the queen. Let's go find Jigglypuff!" And he grins as he yanks her from her place, almost dragging her back through the garden maze to the archway gate entrance they came from.
"W-wait!" But Nana doesn't get the chance to stop before she sees Queen Peach and Marth disappear behind the bushes.
Back in the garden square, Queen Peach walks over to one of the painted daisies, gliding a finger over one of its petals. "Marth?"
"Yes, milady?"
"What of the rabbit? Is he really as problematic as you claim? Perhaps we should dispose of him then."
"As much fun as that would be, that could almost be considered treason."
"Due to the game, no less. And the girl?"
No answer.
So she hums a Hmm, twirling the petal around her finger as her voice comes off in a whisper.
"Off with her head then."
With a nod, Marth puts on his hat and follows after them through the garden maze.
Forced to keep up with Toon Link's speed, Nana's feet hustle as he drags her by the hand. They race back into the forest without a warning. The deeper they head in, the more fog that creeps up around them, slowly engulfing the area whole. Between huffs of breath, Nana speaks:
"Wait, why'd we have to leave so fast? Marth is still back there, and that was the queen we just left—I thought you said not to get on her bad side."
"She gave you a job. Might as well get to it, right?"
As Nana continues her sprint after Toon Link, she glances down at the hammer she had to carry this entire time. By now, she's gotten used to its grip, but not its swing. She doesn't even want to think about what Queen Peach asked her to do. However, she knows she'll need some sort of plan. Then again, she doesn't even know where Jigglypuff hides considering it appears whenever it pleases.
Thinking about it now, there was something about Queen Peach that struck her as off—maybe it was the way she spoke or the way she stood. The more she thought about it, the more questions begin to pile in her head. Why does the queen want Jigglypuff? Nana didn't get a chance to ask before Toon Link dragged her away.
Speaking of Toon Link, he seemed eager to start the task right away. Though he must be used to it, she thinks when she watches the way he takes the lead without needing to glance around to remember directions. But Nana can't keep up, quickly finding herself out of breath while he runs with bursts of energy, so she slows down into a walk as she pants.
Toon Link soon turns around when he realises Nana's not beside him, and he runs back to her. At least he didn't leave her there, she tells herself, but as she replays the queen's conversation in her head, her eyes widen.
"I'll make this simple; bring me its head."
She'd have to kill Jigglypuff.
"It's going to be fine," Toon Link says as he walks beside her. "Nothing you'll need to get nervous about."
"What are you talking about? I'm not nervous." But her voice comes out softer than she realises.
"You're a terrible liar. Do you know that?"
"And you worry too much, considering you're the one who dragged me here before I had the chance to prepare."
Soon Toon Link stops walking, holding onto Nana's shoulder and turning her over to face him. "I know exactly what you're going through—I can tell, and like I said: it's going to be fine. You may have lost your memories, but you're still the same Nana I used to know. If there's anyone who should be scared, it should be Jigglypuff when it finds out we're out to hunt it down."
The Hunter and the Hunted, Nana's thoughts resonate. Hands grip her mallet tighter, but Toon Link's soft grin keeps her less tense than she expects, so she nods and they say no more.
They continue farther in the forest depths despite their visibility thinning in the fog, trees disguising as shadows. The air gives no comfort either; even the slightest breeze grabs onto her skin and linger until she shivers. Then a flash of black races between trees, but she turns to see nothing there.
Eyes flicker left and right. Only spots leaves and branches hidden within the fog. Yet she swears she noticed something move a while ago. Toon Link glanced back at her, brow raised, but Nana shakes her head, giving no worded answers.
Then faint sparks of light spotted through the mist catch her attention. Reminds her of the way lightning would flash during a storm, but she follows it anyway, feet drifting towards the source. Winding around trees, soft giggling echoes in her ears. Like traces of a memory she can't grasp, all she does it follow and she doesn't find herself thinking anymore. Mind blank as if in a trance.
"Nana?" Toon Link says.
But she doesn't hear him as if his words are wind blowing through her ears. Eyes catch a flash of white cloth fluttering behind a tree. Soon wisps of black shadows swirl through the trees her, but there's someone else there.
A branch snaps under her foot, and she jumps up, meeting the gaze of a figure in a white cloak standing in front of her without a moment's notice. Streaks of auburn hair flow out from under the cloak's hood, and she realises it's the woman from before. But where'd she come from?
"Shhhhh…"
The woman hushes her before she can speak, and Nana's left entranced by her voice. Then she whispers:
"Behind you."
A gust of wind sweeps across as she turns, and her hearts drops out of her chest. A towering shadow looms over the fog, ready to consume her whole. Like a nightmare coming to life and all she wishes is for it to go away. But at the sound of leaves rustling behind, she turns only to see a small Pikachu scamper away, crackles of electricity sparking from its cheeks. The woman had disappeared again, though that's the least of her concerns.
Are you afraid?
"Nana!" a familiar voice calls out from the other side of the shadow.
But gaze at the shadow and all she sees is a figure.
A blade rips small seams in the cloud—ripping through the figure—only for the shadow to cover up the holes again. The figure stares back at Nana, beckoning for her to come. She takes a step forward, soon finding she doesn't stop.
Gulp. No thoughts come, no conscious telling her to turn the other way. Only a faint garbled voice screaming at her to get away. To run for her life. To escape while she can. But she isn't as scared as she expected. The figure feels familiar as it reaches a hand out at her. She takes it in her own and closes her eyes.
Sunlight pierces through the pitch-black blanketing her vision. Eyes then open, and she finds herself sitting in the middle of a daisy field looking out at some snowy mountains in the distance.
"Sins are never forgiven that easily."
She hears an echo of a voice pass through her ears, but she isn't sure if it's real, if it's only a hallucination. The air chills her skin, almost freezing them as she wonders where she's seen this place before.
Nana sighs. "But what did I do?"
"You don't remember?"
Beside her is a flash of blue. Turning to her left, she faces a hooded figure in an azure parka who doesn't glance in her direction, still staring at the alpines in the distance. She's seen that parka before, she thinks, but she can't recall where.
"It's yours, if you're wondering. You'd usually where it all the time."
Eyes widen as she tries to look at the figure's face, but she can't see more than a speck of fair skin under the coat. Nana nips her lip.
"Who are you?"
"A projection from yourself. In fact, everything here is."
She stares back at the mountains, fingers running down the frills of her pink dress. A projection, the figure says, but she doesn't recognise anything here. Gaze falling down to her it takes a moment to notice how pale her arms are, and how similar in colour her legs are as well.
"Are you afraid?"
"Afraid of what?"
"Life. Death. Of what you are and what eventually will come to be. Your time's running out, after all."
Her body tenses when her hands touch the dirt beneath the daises, the ground cold enough to freeze her fingertips. "Time before what?"
"Before you become me."
"What do you mean by—?" She gasps as she stops mid-sentence, glancing down at her arm, now covered by a pink parka sleeve—one that matches the figure's blue one as if they are twins.
"But you knew that all along, didn't you? Or else you wouldn't have come here."
Then the figure takes off the parka hood, revealing the dishevelled blond hair of a boy—her eyes widen. Toon Link. His name slips into her mind. However, Nana notices how different his ears are; not one's of a rabbit, but of a person's like hers—except his ears point up to a tip. He turns and stares at her, soon revealing eyes with a deep shade of blue. Not at all like Toon Link's, whom she remembers as a cloudy black.
"That's why you followed me here, right?" the boy continues. "You remember me, don't you?"
The boy's voice is even a higher compared to him as well, younger almost.
Nana…
At that moment, she swears she heard the real Toon Link's voice just now, but soon her head starts pounding as if something's trying to drill its way through her skull. A memory's close, but she pushes it back—she doesn't want to see it. She doesn't want to remember. Yet the boy beside her only watches her squirm. Head throbs in aching fever and her vision soon statics, soon finding herself staring at a blizzard before it flashes back to the field.
Nana?
What's going on? The scene in front of her keeps switching, and the cycle continues.
Blink, and it's a snowstorm.
Blink, and it's a daisy field.
Blink again, and it's back to a blizzard in raging winds.
Nana, wake up…
This must be a dream, she tells herself. Skull's still pounding, vision's swimming, and her mind switches back to seeing a daisy field. She doesn't even recall the boy from anywhere. She glances down at her hands, gazing at bare arms revealed from the spaghetti-strap dress.
But it flashes to the snowstorm where her arms are stuffed in a pink parka.
"Stop this…" she says, though it comes off more of a mumble. Yet the scene in front of her keeps switching back and forth between two visions.
Daisy field. Snowstorm.
Daisy field. Snowstorm.
"Please stop this."
The boy doesn't move. "But you did this to me."
Amongst it all, she can still hear a faint voice echoing in her thoughts, but too far for her to grasp, though desperate to drill into her mind.
Don't do this to me. Fight it back, Nana. Wake up. I thought you were better than this!
"Do what to you?" She grits her teeth. "What are you blaming me for?"
"You abandoned me."
"But I don't even know you!"
Nana, please!
She covers her ears. Two voices start pounding back and forth in her head. Eyes clamp shut, and soon she screams: "Leave me alone!"
"Like you did with me?" he shouts. "You left me when I needed you!"
"Then who are you?"
A long pause befalls them. Nana tries to open her eyes, but realises she can't. They're stuck shut, left to rely on her ears only to catch a faint whisper:
"Who are you?"
And she awakes with a gasp as she snaps up off the ground. Chest keeps pounding in time with the throbbing in her head. Vision continues swirling, but soon clears to see a leaf fall on her.
"Thank goodness you're not gone. For a moment there, I thought I lost you…"
Brushing the leaf off, the sight of a breathless Toon Link hovers inches over her face. It doesn't take long for her head to heat up, and Toon Link stumbles back when he comes to the same realisation. Shaking it off, he offers a hand and pulls her back to her feet, and no sooner after that, he pulls her into a hug. She feels warm within his embrace, lightly wrapping her arms around him too.
"You okay? Getting attacked by a shadow like that must've been rough."
A shadow, she thinks to herself. So that's what it was. "I'm fine." Though faint remnants of throbs linger on the back of her head.
He lets out a breath of relief, releasing her from his hug, but she can still feel his warmth around her. "That's good. We should hurry though. Peach's might be timing us. Queens enjoy having servants be punctual, after all." But Nana gives no reaction besides a slipped sigh, causing him to stare as he walks up to her, brow raised. "Sure you're okay?"
Instead she glances away. Toon Link sighs, brushing a hand across the back of her head. Nana almost jumps back, not expecting him to touch her like that. Despite it all, she doesn't move as his fingers ruffle through her hair— She winces. His fingers had brushed past a bump on her head.
Then he chuckles. "Well you're as stubborn as ever."
"I said I'm fine, Toonie."
"Toonie?"
Eyes wide, she stutters. "I-I mean Toon Link, not Toonie. Sorry, the name slipped. I won't call you that if you don't like it."
Then he starts laughing, leaving Nana standing there biting her tongue, but he stops himself quickly, though grinning cheek-to-cheek. "No, it's fine. I didn't expect that, but it is the first time I've heard anyone say my name, even if you did add to my list of nicknames first."
But you've known my name since the beginning. She stands there still rosy cheeked as he smiles back at her. Then her eyes snap open as she replays his words in her mind. "Only the first? So no ones called you by name."
"Nope. Just titles or nicks."
She chuckles. "Glad to know I was the first then, Toon Link." And he blushes upon hearing it, but before any of them knew it, a different—but familiar—voice cuts in.
"My, my. Now that was quite a frightening episode you just had, sweetie."
Eyes shooting open, Nana glances over Toon Link's shoulder, gazing up a tree to find exactly who she expected it to be.
Jigglypuff.
And it leans there against a tree, high up on a branch top.
"I heard you were looking for me?" Jigglypuff says. Then it pushes itself off the tree before leaping down onto the ground, landing on its feet with the grace of a feline.
Nana swallows. There it is walking towards her. Hand grips her hammer tighter as it stops a few feet away, sniffing the air.
"You're terrible at following instructions, dear, but from your scent, it seems you've met our queen."
Toon Link's gaze drifts off to the side, but Nana nods. "And she's given me more instructions to take you to her. You knew it'd come to this, didn't you?"
It shrugs. "Knew what? This is a first for me. Normally I'm the one to play with Peaches, not the other way around." Jigglypuff soon twirls in place, laughing madly in a manner that makes Nana shudder. "Someone's twisted the game on us. It's been two years since this has happened. Glorious day! We actually have something interesting here for once!"
"That's enough, Jigglypuff," Toon Link says, almost ripping out his sword from his sheath. "Once you're out of the way, we can finally end this."
"And the traitor finally reveals himself. I suspected as much. What a shame, though you never did like me."
"Enough of this!" Nana yells. Soon she sticks out her mallet, feet planted on the ground. "This is only a part of the trial, isn't it? Then let me take you to the queen."
"It never works that easily, sweetie. You among even the maddest should know that. But if the two of you are so eager in your attempt to capture me, then go on ahead. Try." Giggling, Jigglypuff turns its back on them. "Catch me if you can."
The wind soon roars out its resolution as Jigglypuff evaporates into the air, the gust blowing away the fog and leaves in the forest. Nana runs up to where it once stood, glancing around to search for any leftover traces. Instead, there's nothing but leaves, like it was never there to begin with.
Then her head snaps up. Faint giggling echoes in the wind from the east, and she spins around to face its direction. It won't be easy, but it's not impossible either. Jigglypuff will want to have its fun, after all.
Toon Link walks up to Nana, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This is it. Once Jigglypuff's out of the way, we can finally end this. Honestly, I want this as much as you do."
"And I can get my memories back, right?"
"If the queen wills it, but you can do this. Trust me." Holding up his sword, he smirks. "I got your back."
Nodding, she races deeper into the forest with Toon Link's footsteps following after her. More giggling. There it is again. But it's hard to tell which direction it's coming from. Up ahead, east, west, behind. Its laughter surrounds them the way rustling leaves engulf the forest alongside the dry ones crunching on the ground. She continues forward with no other way to go.
Then the sound of rustling bushes breaks Nana's focus. "What was that?" she says.
Toon Link's eyes scan the area, rabbit ears twitching at every snapping branch. "I don't know. Don't let it faze you; it's probably Jigglypuff."
Walking a few feet ahead of him, Nana grips her mallet tighter, thoughts processing in her head. Where would Jigglypuff hide? The forest itself is already a grand maze to get lost in, but where else…
Eyes snap open. Of course! She looks up at the tree branches, studying each movement in the wind. Then she hears Toon Link from behind her.
"Wait, what are you doing here—"
His voice gets cut off, replaced by the sounds of rustling leaves. "Toon Link, who's there?" She turns around, but she only sees a tree standing where he should've been. "Toon Link? Hey, where are you?"
No answer.
Nana paces around, searching behind tree to tree. Breathing starts speeding up, and she keeps calling out his name.
"Toon Link? Toon Link!" But still, not a word.
No, she shouldn't be worrying. He probably found something and took off. Right now, Jigglypuff needs to be her priority. Yes, Jigglypuff, nothing else. She walks back along the path she'd been taking, but her steps are slower, more hesitant the farther she goes. Up in the trees, she reminds herself, and her glance follows.
A tree soon rustles. There! And Nana flings her hammer through the air. A sounding thump signals her a hit as az pink ball drops from the branch and collapses onto the forest floor with a thud. She smiles, running over and picking up her hammer as a moaning Jigglypuff curses a stream of complaints.
But leaves crunch from behind her, so Nana turns around. "Toon Link?" Instead, she meets a cloak of darkness that swipes down and swallows her whole.
Eyes droop open as Nana realises her face is pressed against a cold, tile floor. In fact, her entire body's sprawled along its surface. What happened? She doesn't even remember seeing Jigglypuff anywhere.
"You feeling all right now, onna?"
She glances up, meeting one of the Hatter's eyes through his monocle. He smiles at her, and she nods. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Glancing around, she notices a red and black checkered ceiling above her head for the first time. Even below her, the floor's decorated with the same pattern. As she pushed herself up, her eyes studied the velvet walls surrounding them, soon noticing the brick fireplace on the side and the wooden table and chairs.
"How'd we get here? Weren't we in the forest a while ago?"
"I found you laying on the forest floor as if you were living death. Unfortunate state, so I brought you here."
"Did you happen to see Toon Link around as well? He disappeared."
He shakes his head. "Only you were found alone. Here." Marth soon digs into his hat, pulling out a ripe peach before handing it to Nana. "Eat something, onna. In your current state, you seem as though even mice feed better than you."
She hasn't eaten anything in a while, she realises. However, she doesn't feel like she needs to eat. Hours have passed since her awakening, but not once did her stomach grumble—no pleas or moans as if her hunger didn't exist. But Nana takes the peach from him, twirling it around her fingers.
"I'm rather curious though. What do you see in him?"
"Who?"
"Bunny Boy, that little scamper. Not our first rabbit, but certainly not our best either. He seems to fancy you though." He pulls out another peach from his hat and takes a bite of it, speaking between crunches. "Before you arrived in my quarters, he came to visit me first. Struck a deal too, no less. Drives an entertaining bargain."
Nana sighs, nibbling a small bite off the peach she's holding. "What deal was it?"
"I make sure the shadows do not touch you as an exchange for his loyalty to my queen. You're a lucky one, onna. I don't accept negotiations easily, but he forgot one thing."
That's when she hears a click and a blunt object press against her head. She stops breathing for a moment, turning to look up at Marth. In his hand is a revolver, and the walls surrounding them start stretching high as if the world is growing in size. Heart beats faster in her chest when Marth smirks.
"It's better to put your trust in shadows rather than in the hands of others."
Eyes widen as she stares at the barrel, peach now stuffed in her pocket. "What are you doing? Is this some kind of a joke?"
"Welcome to the game, Nana Celia. This evening, your host is myself, known to many as the Hatter."
Her hands search around for her hammer, but it's nowhere to be found. She doesn't move. Marth must've taken it when she was out. Eyes meet his again and she swallows. Watches his finger on the trigger. His steady grip. How he chuckles the moment he catches her eyes drift between his gaze and the pullie.
So he pulls his gun back, removing his hat before digging a hand inside. Nana gasps. Doesn't know what to think when she watches him rummage through it. Either run before he catches her or grab his gun—shoot, bang—before he can react. Yet she does neither, feet implanted to the tile floor, and it only takes a quick glance around to notice she had no idea where they were.
But it's in that moment she realises how expansive the room's become. The table beside her decides to mock her height as it stares down like a twenty-story tower, and the fireplace is now miles instead of metres away from where she stands. Even the checkered tiles become hills as her feet find themselves resting within their creases.
What happened? She'd been taller than most of the room just a few minutes ago. Glancing back at Marth, he's still the same height as he was before, so did the room grow or did they shrink?
"We shrunk, if your confused daze tells me anything, onna." From his hat, he pulls out Nana's hammer before tossing it to her. She catches it, grasp tightening around its handle while she breathes easier. Then he smirks. "Wouldn't want to make the odds unfair, now would we?"
"Why are you doing this? Where are we?"
"My personal playhouse, onna. Questions slip out too easily from those small lips of yours. I'll offer you a head start, and I suggest you take it."
But she stumbles back as she stares at his casual grin. Too busy watching him hold the gun to the ceiling and hear it go— BANG! She jumps. Runs. Too busy to look back over her shoulder.
"Are you afraid?" Marth says.
Too busy scampering towards the fireplace away from him.
No, this isn't how it should be. He's nicer than this, she tells herself. Heartbeats deafen her pants and her thoughts echo go. The closer she sprints towards the blazing fire, the sooner she notices a gaping mouse hole lodged in the corner between the fireplace and the wall.
Without thinking, she glances over her shoulder. This can't be happening. Can't be, can't be. Eyes become fixated on the revolver in Marth's grip aimed straight for her eyes. BANG! She shrieks, hands covering her ears as she turns back around and leaps into the mouse hole.
A cloak of black swallows her sights when she charges across a wooden platform inside. As Nana ambles about, a slight breeze chills her bare arms and legs, and she mutters a string of curses as she shivers. It doesn't help when all she can hear around is her thumping heart and a clock tick echoing.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Maybe she's inside the depths of a grandfather clock, she tells herself.
"There is a poem known only to the people of this land." Marth's voice resonates through the darkness, but Nana can't pinpoint his presence, can't even see where he could be. "Would you like to hear it?"
Panic. Her head only beats to the sounds of the time-keeping metronome. Glance up. Pillars of wood streak across the overhanging darkness like a spider web, but no figure standing on them. No Marth to be found. No Toon Link to watch her fall the one time she needs him around.
Stem plucked softly, stained red slightly
Nana's eyes dart about. She hears whispers of the poem, but not Marth's voice. Then she runs to the end of her platform before looking do down. Here's the same, an endless drop to the bottom with more wooden platforms threading across the walls crisscrossed.
Her giggles young, sweet and lively
But a shove pushes her off the ledge and she tumbles towards the platform below. A sharp thud shocks throughout her body, so she groans, side aching.
Counting innocent loves and love-me-nots
She flips onto her stomach and pushes herself up, only to meet the gaze of a looming Hatter staring at her from the pillar she fell off of. Gun's cocked and loaded. Eyes widen. Wants to scream. Breathing stops, and he pulls the trigger.
Watch her pick off parts of me
BANG! He fires, and crack of the gun banging her ears. She rolls out of his range of fire, each bullet hitting the wood as she runs away from his firing range. Head's spinning. Without looking, Nana can imagine Marth's sneer as he continues shooting at her. Glance back at him, and she sees his mouth moving, but it's not his voice speaking.
A smile graces upon her dimpled cheeks
She's heard it before though. A boy's voice. Attention back in front of her, she catches sight of a crouched figure within the darkness. Soon she trips on an object hidden in the shadows in front of her. Scraping across her face on the floor, she glances down to her feet, meeting the eyes of a plastic Pikachu glaring back. Breath catches in her throat. Can't breathe. Sweats. Heart pounds even faster than before.
Cover petals over her dead friend's body
Marth leaps off from his platform, almost floating as he lands down to Nana's level. Swallows. He's here. Hands push her backwards and away from him slowly. His footsteps echo louder. Breathing heavier.
"Originally, the poem bore the title of Alice," Marth says, still walking closer towards Nana as she crawls back. "Named after our first visitor and first appointed rabbit. Later, we changed it to Lacie." Closer. "Then Ilace." And closer. "Then Elica."
Till he's standing mere millimetres away, barrel directed at her face. Her hand clutches her hammer tighter and he smiles.
"It'll be Celia next. Onna, you have such a pretty name—"
But she whips her mallet at his face before he finishes, and his gun flies out of his hands as it drops to the platform to their left below. Nana doesn't wait, darting over to the side before Marth rubs off his face and chases after her.
The gun. She has to get it. She's ready to leap off the edge, jump to the lower platform even if it breaks her legs on the landing. Head clears. No hesitations. Feet takes off as she soars into the air, cold wind blowing against her skin.
Then she turns her head and gasps, seeing Marth's hat whirling towards her. In one swoop, it swallow her whole. Blink. A cloak of black covers her vision for a moment. And she glances back to her front.
But open her eyes, and she finds herself hurling towards a plastic Pikachu. CRASH! Nana slams onto its backside, sending a shock across her stomach as she groans. Marth's hat rolls away a few metres in front of her, coming to a stop as it returns close to its owner's feet.
"They say as beings, we carry two faces," Marth chuckles as he picks up his hat off the floor and puts it back on, "but they never said which two faces they are. You however must have inherited some form of madness to think leaping off the way you did won't damage you even further."
"Are you here to kill me or something?" Nana spits out. "Why didn't you do it earlier instead?"
He chuckles. "Not easy separating a young pair of star-crossed companions, but this is my playhouse. Not even he can find you here."
Eyes grow wide. "Toon Link? What did you do to him?"
"Nothing, though you could say he found himself stumbling into a different part of the forest. Worry about yourself first, onna, but I admit I've never had the chance to enjoy myself as much as this before. Albeit you tend to ask too many questions, so for now, why don't you take the chance to answer a couple of mine?"
Nana tried to get up, only to be hit by a sting of pain at her side. Almost hissing, she leans against the plastic Pikachu, still wondering how she ended up back on the same platform when she had leapt off to the one below.
"Two truths and a lie. Do you remember what they were? I have yet to receive a resolution from you."
She's surprised he hasn't gone back for his gun yet, but the memory of meeting him soon creeps into her mind, how he fired his revolver in her direction. "You said I was here to remove you—to bring an end you."
"I did, didn't I. Amnesiacs do have fantastic memory banks. In that case, I would like to propose a compromise suited for the both of us, onna. I will reveal to you one truth—one burning truth you'd be delighted to give a listen to, but in exchange, the end of me must become your lie."
Head tilts as she reaches for her hammer. In honesty, she did think that was the lie the first time, but after what had just happened, it was a choice she didn't expect to be considering. "And I suppose you expect me to trust you?" It's so hard trying to read his own thoughts when his face is always the same—a casual smile that does not always match his intentions. "I thought you were planning to kill me."
"And clearly, you are of no match for me, onna. Pity. I was hoping I'd get one similar to two years ago. As well, killing one under trial would lead to future complications. Treason, queen's wrath, ugly circumstances. But milady wishes for someone's head." He sighs. "Might as well have fun along the way."
"Then help me."
Marth crosses his arms. "With your trial? I'm not allowed to interfere to that extent. You must complete it yourself."
"Can you at least bring me back to Toon Link and take us to Jigglypuff's main hiding place? I'll do the capture myself, and you'll have a head to bring to the queen."
Then he starts laughing. "You are definitely among the mad! Onna, do you honestly expect one with an upper hand such as mine to bow down to a lesser one's wishes? And Jigglypuff is not one to be underestimated, considering I've mentioned to many plenty of times that Jigglypuff is but a head."
She bites her lip, but her eyes soon shift back up to meet his gaze. Marth strokes his chin for a while before taking off his monocle.
"You're a funny one—a trait I'll admit to you having. Fine, I shall, but then you must do something for me as well."
She immediately shoots up. "Anything!"
"Anything? Very well, a couple of things then. You must guarantee me a head; I wish not to sully my hands with the job, in all honesty. Second, Toon Link."
Brow rises. "What about him?"
"Simple. Let him go."
His words end up stabbing her chest harder than she'd expect them to, and she finds her chest clench. He's her guide, she wants to say, but at this point, she knows she might not need him anymore. Yet Nana doesn't want him to go. He's the only friend she knows from even before she lost her memories.
"Your expression says it all," Marth continues, "but do consider. It's fun watching you trial undergoers mix things up every so often. And if you don't—" He smirks, twirling his hat around. "—you'll have no way out of here."
She gasps, and she can already imagine his thought: checkmate. "Fine. I'll do it, but give me time."
"I don't decide how much remaining time you have, onna. Either way, take the door behind you. It'll take you outside."
Swallow. She turns, glancing down at the plastic Pikachu before noticing its feet is attached to metal tracks. Nana follows the trail to a door hidden within the dark depths of the room. Like where he said. Then she pushes it open, feeling a gust of wind chill her skin and sunlight hitting her face for the first time in a while.
Opening her eyes, the first thing she sees is a sea of forest green stretches towards the horizon as tree tops touch the sky, and in the distance between them stands a small blue speck reflecting off the sun. Another tower— No, squint and Nana can make up the outlines of a castle. A real castle, maybe. She'll have to ask later.
With a glance down, she can spot a mushroom-headed man painting daisies in Gold Castle's garden, but she sucks in a sharp breath. She's at least a good fifty metres off the ground. She staggers as her heart speeds up a bit, almost slipping off the ledge.
From behind, a hat soon soars over her shoulder and into the open air. "Are you afraid?" Marth whispers in her ear. "A rather long fall, but by now, death should not scare you."
"Are you threatening me again?"
By now, the hat's drifted halfway down the tower. "Only asking, but for this moment, imagine where you want to go, who you want to see."
But she doesn't get the chance to think before anything before Marth shoves her off the balcony. Eyes widen and she screams. He is trying to kill her! She cries out as they make their descent. Marth only laughs as he leaps off after her, and the wind bristles through her dress like ribbons falling down.
"Open you eyes, onna!" The way he laughs reminds Nana of a kid. "This should be nothing!"
He grabs her arm and extends the other out to grab his hat. Nana's heart would've burst out if she didn't see his hat soon expand into a swirling dark hole. Still, she keeps screaming as they slip in, swallowed whole by it.
Before she knew it, she crashes through tree leaves, branches cushioning her fall while also scratching her arms and legs. Then she collapses onto the forest floor, hammer falling beside her. Nana sighs. So Marth enjoys his falls, but he has yet to harm her himself. Why? He'd been hunting her down only for it to become like this. She can't get her mind to wrap around the idea.
"What happened to you, dearie?" Glance up. A pink ball dances between trees. "And you did a fantastic job breaking my backside with that throw. Goodness, what happened to playing nice?"
"Jigglypuff, what a delight to meet you." Marth lands gracefully on his feet and grabs his hat from the air before doing a quick bow. "The queen's white pawn."
"Does that not make you a red knight then?" Jigglypuff drawls as it rests on a tree branch. "What brings you to my territory, Hatter?"
"I'm in need of a few opinions from you."
He walks forward, brushing past Nana as he slips something into her pocket. She digs a hand in there, eyebrow raised for a moment before she silently gasps. His revolver. Feels heavy in her hand, but it gleams in the sun. Clean, almost.
"How much time has passed since the game's begun?"
"Why do you ask? I'm not the timekeeper."
"I'm well aware, which is why I am asking."
If Nana once knew a more maniacal laughter, none would have beaten the one Jigglypuff makes the moment Marth finished. Its cackles shake the trees, leaves rustling along as if to add to the laughing chorus. "So you have noticed as well! This is why you should've joined me in the sidelines, Hatter. I thought you dispised getting your hands soiled."
"Oh, I assure you I don't." He smirks. "It's not my job to."
Nana sucks in a sharp breath—that's her cue—holding the gun up in her hands and aims. One pull— BANG! The recoil sends a shock far down her spine, but she watches a wide-eyed Jigglypuff drops once again to the floor.
No. It's different this time. The moment it drops, a puddle of white pools out the back of its head, a cheek-wide grin left frozen on its face. Her breathing shakes. Legs buckle as she collapses onto her knees. And the still air soon becomes ice cold against her skin.
Marth claps as he turns around to face her. "Fantastic work, onna. I knew you'd make the right choice."
However, she holds the gun up again, her hands shaking as she aims it at his head. He stares, a casual smile still hanging on his face.
"What's wrong? You did well. The queen will be pleased."
"But how do I know you won't try to do anything? I only did this because it's a part of my trial, right? I want my memories back. I want to be able to know again!"
"Remember what you promised, onna. Best not to get rash like the ones who have tried before you."
She doesn't know what to think. She just shot Jigglypuff, and now she has Marth at gunpoint. Fingers continue trembling, head sweating, chest pounding. It was stupid of him to trust her—thought she knows the same can be said about her trust in him.
Are you afraid?
A voice echoes, but she doesn't know from where. It's that boy again. The one she saw in the field. Swallow. See wisps of shadows float around them, hiding within the trees.
"Nana? What are you doing?" a different but also familiar voice calls from behind her.
Marth chuckles, so Nana glances over her shoulder. Eyes widen. A choked gasp forces its way out of her, staring at a panting Toon Link leaning against a tree. But something's off. Jigglypuff's body should've been beside where he's standing, but it's gone. Where'd it go?
Toon Link gasp. "Watch out!"
Turning around, Marth rushes up at her, grabbing her hand to get the gun. His grip almost crushes her fingers. Tugging back and forth with two hands, she pulls as hard as she can. However, her finger slips back as well, pulling on the trigger.
BANG!
Ears pop at the crack, and Marth stumbles back. For the first time, his mouth hangs agape as his eyes snap wide, legs crumpling beneath him as he drops to the ground. He smirks, hand covering his chest where liquid red blooms across his coat.
"So this is it," he chokes out. "I would like to express my greatest gratitude for providing me a ticket out."
A ticket? But her entire body's shaking too much for her to think. She stumbles back, falling on her bottom as tears well up in her eyes. The second time she's pulled the trigger. Tries to say something, but her throat clenches from choked sobs. Gun in her hand feels ten times heavier than a few seconds ago.
"You have finished my game." He smirks. "Removed me from play. Pity, I had hoped for the fun and my role to last a little longer, onna."
Toon Link runs to her side, grabbing the revolver and tossing it to the side before wrapping his arms around her. His embrace feels warm, but her skin's still ice cold. Marth grabs his hat and tosses it into the air above it. The hat soon grows twice its size, plummeting down upon him and swallowing Marth whole, leaving only the hat where he once stood.
Nana sits there, eyes glazed and fixated to the hat laying on top of wine-soaked earth. She shot him. Shot Jigglypuff. Who knows what could've happened had she chosen the gun instead of the hammer the first time around.
Beside her, Toon Link walks over to grab Marth's hat before returning to Nana and rocking her back and forth, whispering, "It's okay. It'll be fine. You were trying to defend yourself, that's all."
"But I-I shot him and Jigglypuff…" Her words come out as butterfly stutters.
"You did what you had to do. And Marth's was just an accident, Nana. It's okay."
Just an accident. The words echo in her mind, replaying in a cycle like a wagon wheel. She glances up at him, finally seeing his face for the first time in a while. "Where were you?" she asks, though her voice was barely a whisper.
"Marth transported me to some random section of the forest, but he didn't do anything to you, did he?"
She only shakes her head even though the thought of him shooting her and pushing her off the tower comes to mind. Her chest aches enough to pretend someone's knocked her in the gut. Head heats with sweat, but she can't shake the tears in her eyes. She shouldn't be like this—she keeps playing that reminder in her mind—and yet she's ready to scream and curl up in a ball.
"I'm so glad I found you," Toon Link continues, "but rest up, all right? It's a lot to take in, but trust me. Everything will be fine."
"There you are, Rabbit. What happened to keeping track of the time?"
Nana stops breathing. That voice, it can't be. Head spins round to face a smirking Jigglypuff ambling towards them, stubby hand rubbing its forehead where Nana shot it.
"By the way, sweetie," Jigglypuff continues with a half-light, half-serious tone, "that hurt. A lot. Such force in you, my goodness. I never knew you bore such hatred about me." Then it switches to a mocking tone. "What have I ever done to you? I only gave you instructions—which you followed splendidly, well done! The Hatter's been hunted, congrats."
When it moves its hand away from its head, Nana notices a hole from where the bullet ripped through. "How are you here? You're dead. I saw you!"
"Did I forget to mention? Can't get rid of me—or any of us—that easily. As for the Hatter, I think he'll survive. He's been through worse."
Questions begin to barrage Nana's head. Jigglypuff should be dead. Maybe this is all a hallucination. Yeah, that sounds right. She's dreaming. She must've collapsed from shock. But Toon Link's grip on her shoulder only insures how real this is. How Jigglypuff is standing in front of her despite the impossible.
Jigglypuff giggles. "And congratulations on not getting hunted, dear. Exciting being able to watch from the side. Have you collected your prize yet?"
"Prize? From the queen?"
"From the Hatter—his hat—but that's right, her too, though first you must visit her in the castle of gold."
"But I already did. She told me to bring back your head."
Toon Link steps back, clutching the hat in his hands tighter.
"Are you mad? Your ears must either be wrecked, for I said castle of gold. Or perhaps you are blind? Peaches are poor man's apples after all, and Peaches is but a peach, queen of only her little garden patch of land."
Then Marth's question slips into her head:
How is a peach like a blindfold?
Jigglypuff shrugs. "You can only delve in so far before you hit a pit, but I'm sure the Rabbit has told you of all this, correct? He serves the same queen as me, the one who orchestrates this game. The one who was supposed to tell you the only passage to the queen's castle is through a portal from the Hatter's hat."
Nana's eyes widen, and she glances over to Toon Link, who takes a few steps away from the two with part of the hat's brim crushed in his grip. He'd been beside her only a second ago, but she doesn't recognise the figure standing there now.
"Isn't that right, boy?"
His eyes never look up, so Nana stands up and slowly walks towards him. "Toon Link? Is Jigglypuff lying?"
No answer.
"Why didn't you tell me? Toon Link, hey!"
Jigglypuff smirks. "Like I said, he's been branded a traitor among the queen's servants."
Soon he holds up his blade, pointing its tip at Nana's neck and adding to the distance between them. Jigglypuff giggles, whispering a final message in her ear before it disappears for one last time.
"He's the one who wished for your death, after all."
And Nana's entire body goes numb.
"Is that true?"
Breathing's sharper. Stance's staggered. He isn't answering. Why isn't he answering?
"This entire time—you wished for me to be dead?"
Toon Link never meets her gaze. His sword hand stays still, but the one wrapped around Marth's hat clutches tighter onto its fabric.
"Answer me, you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!" Breath's shaky now. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend! What happened to that? Was that all not real? Are you even real?"
Again, he remains still in his silent stance. Tears soon sting Nana's eyes, but she does her best to hold them back despite her trembling fingers. Then she clutches them into fists.
"Were you just taking advantage of me when I had no memories to spare, nothing else to hold onto? Or is me trusting you also a part of the trial? Only but a test to see how I react?"
Then a tear drops down and is followed by another. She tries to wipe them from her face, yet they still stream down her cheeks. Soon she realises she can't stop them, only left standing there as they pool along the ground, the earth doing nothing but soaking them all in.
What is she doing? He still doesn't say a word, but she knows she doesn't need to hear one to find an answer. Of course it was just a part of the trial, stupid girl, from the very start, from the moment he pushed her and called out to her. She brushes off the last of her tears from her face, taking a deep breath, eyes now fixated to the top hat tucked in Toon Link's arms.
"Give me the hat."
He shakes his head, sword now straightened at her neck. She knocks the blade aside with her mallet as she holds it up as well.
If this is really part of the trial, then there it is: her final obstacle.
Rushing head-first, she while her hammer high only for Toon Link to sidestep out of the way. Blade in hand, he swipes his sword and grazes the blunt end of her wood. Again, she leaps at him, bringing down her mallet at his head. He quickly jumps out of the way and swings his blade. Nana stumbles back from trying to dodge.
It doesn't take long her her heart to start pumping fast, but she keeps going. Back on her feet, she rushes up at him again. Swing after swing, her hammer continues pounding against Toon Link's sword, dull thuds clanging from wood on metal. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! He blocks them all without so much as breaking a sweat. Soon deflecting a right-side swing, Toon Link spins around Nana and elbows her in the gut.
Nana stumbles back again, stomach aching with a dull throb. At this rate, she's already at a disadvantage; Toon Link has more experience than her. There's no way she can land a hit from the front.
Soon feeling a lump in her pocket, she digs inside, pulling out the peach Marth gave her earlier, one with the small nibble she bit off its side. She didn't realise she'd kept it, but it's the best thing she has.
So she throws it in his face and a quick swipe of his sword slashes it in half. When he glances up though, Nana tackles him. He stumbles back as she reaches for the hat.
It's so close—her fingers barely graze it, but Toon Link holds it back, trying to push her off him. Nana twists around him and grabs the hat, pulling until she's leaning far. Toon Link yanks it back. On two feet, she still can't match her strength with his, so she lets go. He being caught unprepared trips backwards as the hat flies out of his grip. The hat soon drops in his direction, growing twice his size before swallowing him the way it did the Hatter. Then Toon Link's gone, only the hat sitting in the spot he was sprawled across a few seconds ago.
Nana pants as a slight dizziness creeps into her head. Where'd he go? The hat must've taken him somewhere. She staggers towards it before picking it up. To think something as simple as a hat can take people to faraway places. Though after everything she's seen here, she isn't as surprised about it.
Instead, her thoughts drift to Toon Link. He said he used to know her, but now she wonders if he'd been lying the entire time. He didn't tell her about everything else either. And if Queen Peach isn't the real queen, then who is she supposed to go to?
The queen.
"The real queen," she mutters to herself as she glances down at Marth's hat, and soon the thought of a castle slips into her mind. Not Gold Castle, but the one she saw from the distance when she was standing on the tower balcony. Eyes close and she tosses the hat in the air. Watches it expand twice its size and it plummets down upon her below.
Crystal clear. She has no other words to describe it.
Opening her eyes, the castle before her spikes out with glimmering shards of diamond stalagmites, and Nana wonders why she hadn't spotted this place the first time around; its blinding walls shine bright enough to reflect even the faintest of light.
Yet Toon Link didn't want her to see this? But even the mention of his name tinges a bit of bitterness, so she shakes off the thought and strides forward.
One breath, and it fogs up in front of her. Takes only a second later to feel the sharp sting of freezing air biting against her skin. The dress has done nothing but make her wish she had on a coat, and she hugs herself despite not being able to keep any warmer, shivering as time passes on.
When she takes a step forward, the scene in front of her statics into a snowstorm blowing in he face. Gasp. Blink and it's gone as fast as it came. Despite the vision, she continues walking forward, the area changing back and forth between crystal and ice. Where did that blizzard come from? This isn't the first time she's seen it. But it doesn't take long for her to make it to the castle entrance, a tall crystal archway looming over her as if she is but a mouse. And the gems of what's outside speak for the inside as well. The floors and walls are decorated with gold pillars, wallpaper, and flooring. Definitely fit for a queen—she feels stupid for not realising earlier.
Footsteps echo from farther down the hall, but it feels closer than it sounds. Someone's nearby, and Nana scampers in after them. She dashes to the end of the corridor, catching only the glimpse of a person's shadow on the wall to her left before it disappears behind a turn.
Winding through a series of hallways, the more twists and turns she slips around, the dimmer the ceiling chandeliers shine until gold walls turn to dark amber. One more turn to her left, and she gasps. A boy in a green tunic in front of her turns his head around, those familiar rabbit ears shooting up the moment his eyes widen.
"Toon Link—"
But he makes a dash for it before she has time to process a thought. Hand outstretches as she races after him, trying desperately to grab his tunic or shove him to the ground. Pants fill the corridor, sweat drops, and Nana cries out his name as they blur through gold. He bolts around a corner and Nana chases him to the right. But the moment she hits the corner, she skids to a slower jog. Toon Link is nowhere to be seen and the hall ends in a T—two turns to take.
She tries to listen for the pounding echoes of his footsteps, but she hears sounds coming from both routes. Chest heaves up and down as she slows to catch her breath. Can't believe she lost him so quickly, yet she doesn't know why she's still chasing after him.
[hr]"Simple. Let him go."[/hr]
Head shakes the memory out of her mind. No, she still wants his answers. Wants him to stop running. Wants to beat him up, hold him down, and have him face her. Was he really her friend before she'd forgotten? And then there's the real queen he never bothered to tell her about. She can't even tell the difference between which of his actions were for the trial and which were from him alone.
Then her ears perk up. A scampering Pikachu crawls in from the left, squeaking the moment it spots Nana staring at it. It quickly races across to the right, and Nana follows after it in pursuit, not even sure where to go anymore. It's a familiar feeling, following it the way she did going through the forest behind Toon Link, but it isn't just from that. She's followed someone even before waking up with no memories; she's sure of it.
The Pikachu takes a left into a narrow corridor, but shadows pour out of the path the way a tunnel swallows light. Swallow. A clench in her stomach tells her to stay away, but a gentle force pulls her in. Entering the dark passageway, Pikachu's no longer in front of her—or anywhere for the matter—leaving Nana alone to walk through a straight line towards a glowing blue room at the end of the path.
No squeaks. No voices. No footsteps other then hers.
And the moment she steps out of the narrow corridor, the first thing she sees is a boy in a green tunic, hat, and small pointed ears standing in the centre of the room. A room of mirrors, reflections of him staring back at the middle. But she can't see his face; his gaze droops down to his feet.
Nana walks slowly towards him, breathing shaky as if she's afraid he'll either disappear or run away if she says something. Not once did he turn around, and wisps of shadow pool around his feet. Soon she's a couple of metres away from him, hand stretching out. She holds onto his shoulder and he tenses for a moment before relaxing. Then he turns partway, but the instant Nana blinks, her eyes stay closed instead.
"Where are we going this time?"
"Nana, I thought you like surprises."
"But this is farther than we usually go, and do I still have to keep my eyes closed?"
He laughs. "You ask too many questions, but you'll love it here." Then a pause. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Sunlight pierces through the slits of her eyelids, and the first thing she sees when they open is a blond boy with pointed ears and his blue eyes staring into hers as he grins. But behind him sits a field drowning in full-bloomed daisies stretching out as far as she can see. Nana's mouth hangs agape. "It's beautiful. What is this place?"
"A flower field I found the other day, and look! You can see the mountains from here." He points ahead. "Behind you."
Turn around, and she looks upon a grass hill, a snowy mountain range stretching across the horizon. She's seen them before, she thinks. "Those are—"
"The ones near home, and I bet you can see the home grounds from here too."
Nana blinks, and she glances down at the boy. Three centimetres shorter than her. He used to be only two. Soon a name—his name—slips into her thoughts like a puzzle piece in a board as she mutters, "Toonie?"
He smiles, so she takes a step forward, but the hand on his shoulder passes through him as his body fades into an apparition. Soon Nana stumbles and he disappears, leaving her standing in his place as if he was never there to begin with.
"I'm finally taller than you," says a voice she hears from behind.
Turn around, and there's Toon Link standing in front of the narrow corridor, rabbit ears drooping as he approaches her slowly.
"It's been a while, hasn't it—"
"What are you?" Nana cuts him off. "Are you that shadow I just saw or am I dreaming? Is this the part where I'm supposed to wake up and find myself back home laying in the field? Because right now, that's exactly what I'm hoping for."
He lets out a dry chuckle. "If only that was true. You shouldn't even be here." Then his voice quiets down. "You were never supposed to be here so soon…"
"Why? Do you not want me here? Do you really hate me so much that you want me dead?"
The air grows thick as he sucks in a deep breath. Nana sees him biting his lip, hands shaking, as he hesitates. Toon Link soon walks closer and looks up at her. She forces herself to meet his gaze, into those dark pools of his for eyes, yet she can't see through them. They used to be blue, she tells herself. A beautiful shade of blue. His hands are nowhere near his sword, she notices, allowing her to ease up a little—though she's still on guard. However from behind him, she spots the images of a blizzard blowing within the mirrors surrounding them.
"You couldn't be the farthest from the truth," Toon Link chokes out. "I never wanted you dead. I just wanted to see you."
She tilts her head. "I don't understand…"
"Of course you don't. You know my wish? I want to take it back. It wasn't never supposed to be like this; none of this was supposed to happen."
Nana watches him sigh and rub his forehead, but a single thought doesn't leave her mind. "What was your wish?"
"You sure you want to know?" His voice quiets down, almost into a mutter to himself rather than to her. "You only have one question left out of three, after all."
She shakes her head. "I don't care."
And he sighs again, gaze drifting to the side out of habit. "I wanted to see my best friend one more time before I passed on."
Nana blushes in that instant, but it doesn't add up: the hat, him trying to kill her, his silence. How she wishes for her memories back, to be able to tell past truth from lie again. Now with him standing in front of her, she finds herself looking up to face him; he's only a couple of centimetres taller, yet it's still enough to make her feel smaller.
"But not like this," he continues. "I never wanted you to go through the trial. From the day I became the Rabbit," he lets out a shaky chuckle, "there's been this unbelievably annoying ticking sound in my head, and I quickly found myself using it to count every day, every hour, every minute— no, every second I didn't see the real you standing in front of me because you have absolutely no idea…" He takes one more step before wrapping his arms around her tight as if he's afraid she'd disappear. "…How much I've missed you, and how much I hate seeing you here too."
Taking a step back to face him, Nana can see the thoughts running though his mind as his eyes subtly flick about, studying her face and posture. She smiles, but still wary. "I'm here now. Can't be changed. May not have all my memories back, but I'm glad I got to see you again, being able to start fresh and everything."
He tries to smile too, but Nana can see his expression slip back to seriousness. Then Toon Link places both of his hands on her shoulder as his gaze lines with hers. However, Nana feels his fingers shaking, clutching her tighter. "There's something you need to know about the game, the trial, and yourself. I tried to hide this from you earlier, but I don't think I can anymore." He takes a deep breath. "Nana, you're—"
But the clicks of a door interject and Toon Link glances over Nana's shoulder, causing her to turn around as well. A Pikachu crawls behind one of the mirrors like a door, and when it closes, Nana spots her reflection on it looking back at her, but instead of the little pink dress she's wearing, the reflection has on a parka of the matching pink shade. Behind "her", a blizzard brews winds strong enough to blow even a Pikachu off it's feet. Just by looking at it, Nana's skin freezes as she shivers from a cold touch that isn't even there.
Toon Link soon steps out in front of her, arms outstretching to block her way between her and the door.
"Toonie…" She sees him wince at the name, but he still doesn't move. "Please." He shakes his head and doesn't say a word, so she sighs before looking up at him. "Let me take the lead for once."
Eyes widen as he lets out a shaky gasp. Slowly, his arms drop to his side, yet he continues staring at her with a dumbfounded sadness to him.
Nana wastes no time walking forward, brushing past him and not even bothering to look at her reflection before opening the door and walking in. However, Toon Link stays back for a while, watching as her reflection follows her movements, walking further into the raging blizzard. A second later, "she" collapses in the snow, storm covering her in a blanket of ice.
Then Toon Link follows Nana through the door.
It doesn't take long for Nana to marvel at the sight of sparkling marble along the floor and ceiling the moment she enters. Four pillars welcome her across a white carpet towards a crystalline throne sitting at the top of a staircase. With the sounds of her footsteps echoing around the room, she notices her reflection below her feet and the empty ceiling reflecting back. Everything's staring back at her like the room of mirrors she'd just come from.
The doors open from behind her, and she looks back to see Toon Link creep in, face still sullen, movements hesitant. Then his ears shoot up—eyes wide—as he stares at something behind Nana.
"Congratulations on completing the game."
Turn back, and a figure in a white robe stands before the throne—Nana recognising the person in an instant—taking off the cloak's hood to reveal long auburn hair and a woman's face. She's the one who gave her the hammer before, the figure who lurks outside her castle.
"Your confusion of my sister being the true queen will never cease to intrigue me, but you may address me as Daisy. I am the one who oversees all the activities that take place within this territory. Welcome, Nana Celia."
Toon Link tries to creep out through the door behind him, but Queen Daisy clears her throat.
"I am well aware of your actions against me, boy. You dare interfere?"
A moment's pause later, he shakes his head.
"Then stay. Was this not a part of your wish?"
Nana glances back at him and notices him biting his lip as he slinks in behind her with his head down. He acts so different to Queen Daisy than he does to Queen Peach, she notes down.
Then Queen Daisy faces Nana. "As for you, one must redeem oneself for past sins."
"But your Majesty," Nana says, "what are my sins? I don't remember anything from my life other than what I know now, and I've completed your game."
"He'll be the one to tell you."
And she turns to Toon Link, whose face flushes white the moment he hears the queen's words. Nana stares at him, but all she sees is a blizzard in his eyes.
Blink, and the scene in front of her flashes to the middle of a mountain path buried in snow, winds whipping ice around the slopes. Nana hugs herself when she finds her body covered within the fluff of a pink parka.
"Nana, where are you going? It's too dangerous for us to be out right now, isn't it?"
A glance over her shoulder, and she sees a hunched-over boy in a matching blue parka trudging through the snow. But she finds her mouth moving on its own, when she smiles and speaks, as if she's an observer within another person's body.
"Hurry up!" she says. "You'll like this place a lot, I swear!" Waiting, the boy eventually catches up, panting beside her as he uses her shoulders like a rest post. She continues: "Would it make you feel better if I told you where we're going first?"
"Yes, please," he says despite having to force it out between breaths.
The rest of her body begins moving on its own as well, and she finds herself taking his hand as she pulls him onward into a trek up the cliff path. "It's this really neat crystal cave I found the other day, and it's huge. So I thought maybe we can camp out in there while the storm blows over."
"But it's storming right now! How far is it, anyway?"
"A little farther, but don't worry. I am the mountain climbing expert, after all."
"You usually bring your parents though."
"Whatever, we'll be fine. I also packed enough food to last us for the night—eggplants, milk, peaches—"
He chuckles. "You do remember I hate peaches, right?"
"But you'll love this place, I swear. Trust me, so let me take the lead for once. And besides," Nana sticks her tongue out at him, "I am the taller one, which naturally makes me the leader."
She remembers this from two years ago; the memory's starting to come back to her. Soon she sees the boy's eyes peek out from under his hood, and she can't help but giggle at how cute he looks in the parka she had lent him at the time.
He glares. "I am not short. I just haven't hit my spurt yet. And I'm the guy, so you should be following me."
"Sexist elf."
"Hiking pig."
After a "Hmph", she glances back to the front when she catches a small sparkle of light piercing through a cloak of snowy winds, so she starts up a sprint. "There it is! Come on!"
"Wait—" But a rumble cuts him off as Nana stumbles halfway in her run. A quick glimpse of their right and a wave of snow stampedes down the mountain side towards them. "Nana, watch out! Avalanche!"
As quickly as his feet can push through the snow, he catches up and shoves her before she can turn around. Nana crashes into the snow bank, frost digging its way under her parka. Then she pushes herself up as she brushes the snow off her and glances up.
She remembers this too, everything that happens here. What comes first. What comes next. She wants to cry out his name, but her mouth won't move. Wants to close her eyes, but the memory forces her to watch. Wants everything to stop, her begging please.
But the moment she looks at the boy, it's his casual smile that makes her forget to breathe. Glance to her left, the rumbling snow makes her chest clench up. Eyes widen as she sees him mouth out words she can't hear. And the wave of snow that swallows him whole makes her heart stop altogether.
Skin turns white as she freezes up and huddles in a fetal position behind the rocks. Snow rumbles over her head, and for a moment, she thinks she's the next to be consumed. But then it stops after a minute that feels like forever. She peeks out from her arms before standing up and scanning the area. All is snow. Only white grounds and grey skies, but not a drop of blue poking out from anywhere. Breathing becomes forced as she starts hyperventilating.
Where is he? Where? WHERE?
No. Head turns dizzy as snow swirls around her. No. Eyes dart everywhere, but he's nowhere. No, no, no!
She'll find him. She has to find him. She's got to find him.
"Toonie!"
And she collapses onto her knees with a sullen-faced Toon Link looking down on her, gaze slightly drifted to the side. Nana's left gasping on the floor as tears cloud her vision. She looks up at him.
"You're dead."
A pause. Then he nods so softly, no one would've even seen it.
"I never found you, so how are you even here? It's—"
"Been two years since then," he finishes for her. "Bet I look different. Older, maybe a little taller too." He lets out a wryly chuckle, but Nana doen't laugh along this time. Soon he points to his rabbit ears. "These are probably new too. It's funny if you think about. When we know we're not going to see someone ever again, we'd feel fine if not right away, but the moment we learn they're dead…" Tears stream down his cheeks as well without him realising, and he wipes them off, watching Nana do the same.
"Then why? How are you here in front of me standing and breathing and being—?"
"Alive?" He shakes his head, avoiding her gaze. "I'm not."
Eyes widen. "Wait, are you a ghost? Is everything here a dream?" Voice shakes. "Are you real?"
"I'm real, but I don't even know if you are anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"It is because you are dead too."
A gasp escapes her when Queen Daisy speaks up for the first time in a while. Nana turns her head around to face her, sentence replaying in her head. "I'm… dead?"
Queen Daisy continues, not even so much as flinch or stumble upon her words. "You passed away near the end of the winter season in the midst of a blizzard one cycle ago. In fact, every single being you have met and spoken with during your journey up to this point is the same as you: dead. None have found your body since."
Her hands start shaking and she glances down at them, but instead of seeing her bare arms, she sees them stuffed within the sleeves of a pink parka. Behind them, the marble floor bounces off the reflection of the ceiling—yet instead of seeing more marble, rows of little pink dresses similar to hers alongside white suits hang from above, looming over everything like spectators.
"When I made my wish," Toon Link says, shattering the silence that fell upon them, "all I wanted was to see my best friend again, but I didn't realise my best friend had to go through this too." Nana doesn't move as she stays frozen on the floor. "I've been stuck here counting seconds, praying I don't see you even though I want to. It hurts, Nana. I didn't mean to do this to you…"
But Nana begins to mumble, "It was all my fault."
"No, it wasn't."
"All of this. Me, you, everything here. That's why I had to do the trial, right?"
He drops to his knees, clasping his hands on her shoulders, though his fingers tremble. "Listen to me. Don't put this all on yourself. If anyone's to blame, it's me. Just don't do this to me, Nana!"
"I got you killed!"
"But it was just an accident, dammit! Listen to me, please!"
Nana soon brushes his hands off her shoulders before standing up—his gaze following—as she faces Queen Daisy. "I still get a wish granted, right?"
"Only one," she says. "Anything you want."
"Then give a Toon Link a second chance at life."
His heart drops to the floor as his eyes burst open, breath so shaky, he's close to hyperventilating. "What did you just say?"
"I said," and Nana glances down at him, smiling to the point where his breathing stops altogether, "I want you to be able to start fresh like I did, to live the life I cut short because I was stupid for not being careful."
"No, please don't say that, Nana. Please…"
"As you wish," Queen Daisy says as she holds up a hand over Toon Link and waves it in front of him.
He feels a faint wind pass through him, but he can't push himself up before he chokes on his own words and turn into sobs. "Don't do this to me, Nana." A quick glance at his own hands, and he sees them slowly fade away. "Stop this, please! Why?"
But she only smiles as she drops to her knees and hugs him the way he did her. "Because I know you'd do the same for me." With herself letting tears run down her cheeks, she brushes her lips on his forehead before pressing her head on his. "I'm sorry for everything I did. You deserve better."
"No, I don't…"
He feels so weak, he hates it, but for the first time, he looks up and meets her gaze, watching her eyes slowly shift from a familiar chocolate-brown to pitch-black.
"Two years, thirteen days, and four minutes."
She tilts her head. "Hm?"
Then he smiles, rubbing the tears off his face as he does his best to keep his voice as casual as possible. "It took that long since I became the Rabbit for you to come here and say hi to me. Guess my wish came true then."
By now, much of himself has faded away, but he can still touch her—feel her warmth as he gives her one last hug before whispering in her ear.
"Bye, Nana."
And she returns his embrace, counting the seconds in her head as she watches him slowly disappear into nothing more than an apparition.
Five seconds, she's crying again and the tears won't stop.
Ten seconds, Toon Link lets go and holds her hand.
Fifteen seconds, his lips press against hers and he smiles at the faint taste of peaches.
Twenty seconds, he fades away until there's nothing there, leaving Nana to cry on the floor alone.
…
"…"
"Welcome to Wonderland. Ready to begin?"
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Eyes open, and she finds herself wandering across a field of daisies. Today marks twenty-four years, forty-seven days, and forty-two minutes since she's begun. All of her memories have returned as well, though some days she wishes she can toss them away.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
That annoying clock sound has never left her head since she's started, but she's gotten used to it by now.
Soon enough, she finds a body laying sprawled across the field sleeping. A young man in his early twenties by the looks of it: long grassy tunic, slender cheek bones, and tousled blond hair that reminds her of a country boy. But what stands out to her are his small, pointed ears that twitch ever so slightly upon the sound of her footsteps.
Then he stirs awake, eyes fluttering to reveal a familiar shade of blue she'd seen many years ago. The moment his gaze turns towards her, she smiles, and her rabbit ears flop about beside her.
"Finally awake? Wouldn't want you to be late for your trial, after all."
…
…
…
…
…
Fin.
-A poem lamenting a person's death.
