Chapter 1
The thicket bore drooping leaves that still glistened with recent droplets of rainwater. Our leading steps crushed a blanket of freshly fallen snow underfoot as we neared the big apple tree. We both fiddled with the loosened strings on our sweaters and knit hats, tufts of old wool already speckled with dots of white from the light snow flurries during our walk. I glanced down at the snow-lined creases in my boots just as a voice huffed out, causing me to crane my neck up again to meet my friend's gaze. He came by earlier this morning, tugging the leftover sleep from my eyes with excited chatter about the couple feet of snow we got. Amber eyes glistened brightly enough to make the sun look pale against the periwinkle blue sky, donned with a matching bold smile. The corners of my own lips twitched upwards at his enthusiasm, our noses both stained red.
"I told you this would be the perfect place to build a snowman." He breathed out a puff of white to catch his breath, nodding at the oldest apple tree in the woodland that stood before us. "Whispy Woods, front and center! Isn't it grand?" Cracking a grin, I took a step closer as amber eyes met blue. "Maybe for you it is. Trees are all over the place here, this is common." He shook his head, still grinning from ear to cherry red ear. "I'm a prince, Kirby. Being cooped up in a castle means you don't have the liberty to explore that much. Let me have my moment." I hummed, rubbing my gloved palms together before crouching down and scooping up a pile of snow. "Oh really, now… and what was it that you told me about your adventure-filled childhood?" The man waved a hand in dismissal, an airy chuckle following suit while he brushed a strand of light blue hair from his forehead. "I wasn't including the stuff my parents never found out about, y'know."
I furrowed my brows, sunlit blue eyes narrowing at him playfully as I tilted my chin up. "You're lucky they never found out their son was a troublemaker, Prince Fluff." He tossed a fake scoff over his shoulder as he began digging into the snow, light-hearted as he rolled his eyes at my emphasis on his title. A welcoming silence bestowed the air that lay still between us, the brief gusts of wind slowing to a stop. We built the snowman in a peaceful quietness. Off-hand comments were thrown in about our snowman building skills, the banter shallow compared to the heavy snow underneath us. Once three lumps were piled on top of each other, Fluff heaved a drawn-out sigh. I looked over my shoulder, seeing his lips pursued as he muttered. "I forgot the carrot." Before I could reply, another voice rang through the winter chill that harnessed the air. "What are you two, children?" We perked up at the new voice, casting our gazes over to the woman who spoke. Amber eyes narrowed while my own blinked in confusion.
The woman who spoke carried on, ignoring our reactions from her sudden appearance. "I'm especially surprised to see you taking part." She tutted, staring directly at me with a hard emerald gaze. "Shouldn't a warrior like you be training during their spare time?" I noticed Fluff open his mouth to argue, and my own tongue moved to break the growing tension. My brows furrowed as I clocked my gaze to the brash woman. "May I ask who you are?" Her silver hair that was thrown into a low ponytail swayed in the harsh breeze that ripped past. She blinked once, undisturbed at our narrowed gazes and the wind picking up again. "I'm a warrior, like you. The newest recruit to Meta Knight's crew. He just docked the halberd in Dream Land, after informing me about everyone here." I hummed in acknowledgement, while Fluff made no move to ease the tension beside me, remaining silent. My thoughts churned slowly. So I'm assuming he told you about me, too.
After a brief moment of silence, Fluff decided to pipe up as he shifted slightly. "Did he tell you about this place's history as well, or just the people here?" Her tone was dull as she responded, like a bee passing by a wasps nest and wanting nothing to do with the colony that lived there. "He told me plenty about the general history of this place, although not much about his own personal history that he has here." As faint as it was, there seemed to be a spark in her hardened gaze that flickered out. She doesn't seem to be particularly fond of his secretive past. I wonder just how much she has to hide, too? I spoke up, my voice lilted in a curious manner. "What's your name?" She gave a one word response, her tone curt as she drawled. "Talia. I'm assuming you're Kirby." At my nod of confirmation, her gaze flicked over next to me. "As I thought, and who would you be?"
A voice sounded from beside me as Talia's gaze rested on him while he spoke. "Prince Fluff." He didn't offer any other information, nothing about his home in Patch Land or why he was visiting. His voice wasn't strained in the slightest, although the ridden amber in his eyes was a burning flame. Talia didn't seem fazed, her actions speaking for her voice. The edge in her sharp nod matched Fluff's own brittle words, taut and heavy in their waking. She turned to rest her gaze on me once more before speaking. "I'll be taking my leave, now. Perhaps we'll meet again." There was no emotion behind her words, no truth to be dug out from a covered up lie. Her tone was simply vacant. We remained silent as she turned her back to us and walked away, footsteps leaving their unsettling marks in the snow. Fluff waited to speak again, only doing so after a few moments.
"I didn't know Meta Knight was searching for new recruits, have you heard anything about it?" Shaking my head, I stood up and patted the snow off my clothes. He followed my actions, movements as quiet as the still air surrounding us. Fluff clocked his sight towards me when I began to speak. "I'm thinking about heading to the library tomorrow morning to do some research." The words rolled off my tongue, a certain hollowness just underlying them. He blinked, light blue hair getting swept in the wind as he breathed out a puff of white. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. I have a meeting then, so I won't be able to join you." Our steps fell into rhythm together, gradual as I continued the conversation. My voice grew softer, the winter chill in the air a lighter weight than the lead that those recent emotions carried. "That's unfortunate, I suppose we can talk some more when you have time to spare." I saw him nod beside me from the corner of my eye.
Sunlit eyes trailed to rest on me, amber hues drawing my head to turn and face them. "How about we go back to the castle for now to warm up? You've been the talk of Patch Land ever since Yin-Yarn was defeated." My chapped lips curled into a small smile as we continued our walk through the woods, a white blanket under our fleece-lined boots. "Wasn't that ten years ago?" Fluff shrugged, chin tilting to look at the clouding sky. He shoved his gloved hands in his pockets and spoke absentmindedly. "Yeah, not a lot happens where I'm from. There's always something going on in Dream Land." His eyelashes fluttered as a snowflake fell down. "Make that Pop Star as a whole, actually. One crazy planet you live on." We reached the cave that I've been sleeping in, and Fluff reached for his bag he tucked in the corner earlier this morning. I spoke up as he pulled out his magic sock to teleport us to Patch Land. "Crazy, huh? Yeah, I'm told that a lot."
He turned to me with a smile as he opened the magic sock, a swirling portal revealing itself and sucking us into the world of fabric and yarn.
…
A low hum sounded as the cloaked man broke the brief moment of silence, a candlelight glow revealing his cracked lips. "You say that warrior is naive, correct?" He chuckled, a dark note seeping through his next words. "I've told you time and time before just how powerful they are. Yet you still fail to believe me?" A light huff followed suit, as the hooded figure glanced at the woman sitting across from him. "It's just hard to believe that someone who builds snowmen with their friends during their spare time is worth our attention." She clicked her tongue, emerald gaze narrowing as she focused on the game once more. The man waited for her next move, his fingertips drumming along the table's curved edge, tracing the grooves etched into the dark wood. He interrupted the quiet. "What if you think about the situation like this?" She raised a brow at him while he leaned back in his chair. "That star warrior doesn't need any more training, because of how powerful they already are."
The woman brushed a strand of silver hair back into her low ponytail, frost lining the tip of her nails. "They don't even seem to have much strength based on their appearance, let alone holding any power behind that timid personality of theirs." Reeling his shoulders back, the man pondered something before taking his turn. "This is true. But take a moment to recall how I found you." She narrowed her eyes, gaze hardening. Her tone was kept idle, yet there was a fierceness behind the words escaping her lips. "All the other children at that orphanage were afraid of my actions and words. How could you possibly compare me to that star warrior?" The hooded figure shook his head as he tutted, long jet-black strands of hair falling past his gray-toned skin. "I wasn't talking about how you were in the past. I'm speaking of how you are now. You've changed since then." Emerald eyes closed as a sigh was breathed through scarred lips.
"I still don't see how that is relevant." He raised a hand, as if telling her to have patience. Clearing his throat, the dark-cloaked male continued. "Everyone goes through changes in their life. I'm sure they have changed since our battle, as well. However, that does not mean they have grown naive. Perhaps that warrior has learned to hide the amount of strength they carry, just as you have." The woman made her next move, his spoken words rolling through her mind. As she drifted into thought, he began tapping his fingers on the table again, playing out a dance on the scuffed lines engraved in the wood. The man let her think in silence, as he awaited for her next curveball she would surely be throwing any minute now. Both in the game and verbally. He watched her move the wooden figure that was painted white, his burning eyes matching that of a crimson flame.
Emerald eyes flickered up to catch his gaze as the woman stated simply. "Checkmate."