"Roguefort...? Are you okay?"
The door creaked, and Almond peeked through the small gap.
The room wasn't big, but Almond felt like he was thousands of miles away from Roguefort, curled up in a ball looking at the scenery outside.
Knowing he should proceed cautiously, Almond stepped inside the room.
"Uh- I'm sorry I didn't ask you beforehand about the visit..."
Roguefort did not answer.
"We can go another time if you're comfortable with that. We aren't in a rush-"
"I know, Almond, I know...but I'm terrified."
Roguefort turned to face Almond, the both now catching each other's expression: Almond had worry plastered all over his face while Roguefort just seemed down in the dumps.
Terror started to creep into Roguefort's face.
"I'm scared my family will launch another attack again, On that day, when Mozza picked me up and stared- if looks could kill, I'd long be dead. When we ran, all the things I saw; people getting robbed, Cookies injured and wounded all over town...and it was all to find me...should I just go back to stop all this madness? Am I really destined for a life of crime?"
"No, it's not your fault."
Almond walked over to the balcony and held his friend's hand.
"Look, you didn't choose to be born into this, it's your family that's making these horrible attacks. And even if you went back, it would do nothing good- you'd just be there, forced to orchestrate these robberies, commit these crimes- the traditions, the rivalry would just continue. But, you're here."
Roguefort was staring at Almond, still unsure about what he'd do next.
"You're here- it makes all the difference. I really, really believe we can find a way to break the rivalry. Both of us together, here. Trust me, while I don't mind going to the Archives later, we can go there, find the truth, and everything will return back to normal-"
"Almond. What is...normal?"
Taken aback by those words, Almond couldn't reply.
What was normal?
Their lives previously, before all of this, were not "normal" at all.
Getting a private tutor for one's entire education was not "normal".
Learning how to wield a weapon was not "normal".
Not allowed in the streets was not "normal".
It was at that moment Almond realised...
...that their lives had never been "normal".
~♤~
"How could she fail? Simply retrieving a single Cookie, such an easy task!"
"Cheddar. You may have sent her to retrieve one Cookie, but that Cookie is friends with...the descendant of one of the most powerful families in the Main City. That makes the task no longer easy, but rather a hard challenge."
"Mozza is also the most skilled Cookie- no, the most skilled thief in the Main City."
"And yet she is sent to face them. Alone. I can't believe you forced her to go by herself. A Cookie, however highly skilled, will always fall against too many opponents."
"There were only two opponents- Roguefort isn't even properly trained."
"The armed forces? What makes you think that the Nuts didn't properly train their son? With all odds considered, her chances of winning were extremely slim."
Cheddar stood up from his seat, rage running in his veins, facing Gouda, in her wheelchair, returning the deathly glare.
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
Finally breaking from the gaze, Cheddar turned to the stairs.
"I'm tired of you arguing against me. I'm going to train Mozza, make her the sharpest blade in our arsenal."
"She's not even healed properly yet. Leave her alone-"
"And then...we can take out that nuisance of a child."
~♤~
"Mom, would it work if me and Roguefort make a public statement? Would it end the rivalry?"
"I don't think so, why?"
Roguefort had requested some time alone after their brief chat, Almond heading to Cashew's study after leaving the room.
"It's just that...I kind of want this whole thing to end."
"Almond, it's not...that easy. The rivalry has been going on for so long- it simply would just take a very, very large effort. And plus, there is no guarantee that the Cheeses would agree."
The broken picture frame sat in the corner of the room, now planted into the floor.
"I kind of want to just live a normal life...that day in Dreamy Cookieland, I actually felt free. Without the burden of reputations, just me and a best friend having a great time."
Cashew, hearing this, sighed and stood up from her desk, picking up the broken picture frame from the dusty corner of the room.
She put the picture on her desk and shone it with a table lamp, blowing the dust off the frame.
"It's...faded....I didn't think it would fade so quickly."
Almond inched closer to his mother, the picture coming into view.
A familiar merry-go-round sits in the background. There are two Cookies, both of them happily smiling - the picture is faded, the broken glass making it harder to see.
"Is this...you?" Almond pointed to the Cookie on the left, "and who's that?"
"A lost friend. A friendship destined to be broken."
"Oh..."
A silence fell between the mother and son as one examined the picture while the other had happy scenes that seemed like a lifetime ago, flash in her memories.
"You know, there's a reason I insisted the two of you to go to Dreamy Cookieland."
Cashew smiled at Almond.
"I suppose you've met Cream Unicorn Cookie; their magic comes from happiness. You were guaranteed to have fun there, and I knew you'd need a break from all this chaos. What I didn't expect was Mozza's attack, so, if you have the chance, tell Roguefort I'm sorry for neglecting that."
"Mom, it's not your fault though-"
"I know, Almond. However, there are some things we cannot predict; even more things we cannot change. You do know, as your parent, I have to ensure your, and in turn Roguefort's, safety..."
"I know..."
"Almond, can you come back for a second?" Roguefort's voice echoed through the corridor.
"Your best friend's calling you now, get to him."
"I'll be on my way then."
Almond headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The room was in silence once more.
Cashew looked at the picture and sighed, placing it on top of a bookshelf.
"I miss you, my friend."
~♤~
[Originally published Oct 23, 2020]
Woah! enchantedcocoa's back at it again!
And may you ask why?
BECAUSE ROGUEFORT JUST GOT A SUPER EPIC COSTUME.
that was enough motivation for me to finally finish the chapter-
ANYWAYS. A simple plot-building, heart-to-heart chapter.
Hope you enjoy and hopefully I'll see you all very soon~
Next chapter:
"The Topaz Tome is shining..."
~♤~
"Perhaps they were caught in the crossfire..."
~♤~
"It basically says to put the powder in your pocket that will ward off most of the magical attacks and will activate a shield if it senses the user being frightened."
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net