"You can win against the waters, I believe in you..."
~♤~
"Why are you here?"
The alley was dark. Scattered bolts and cut pieces of roll cake wood lay across the alley. Cobwebs surrounded the broken lampposts, with not a single flame ignited in the acorn-looking lamps. The sight was grim, with no Cookie daring to step into the darkness for fear of what was to be seen.
And yet, there they were.
Two Cookies of starkly reputation; one from one of the most prestigious families in the entire Main City, known for her deceiving charm that could trick criminals on the highest guard; the other from the most hated family in the City, known for her abilities in hand-to-hand combat that could strike down even the most trained competitor.
Two Cookies of contrasting strengths; one who could win a psychological game against another just by words, therefore liking more peaceful means; the other who could win a physical fight against another without breaking a sweat, therefore liking to face enemies head-on.
Two Cookies of the same motivations; one who wanted to end a long-lasting rivalry, for they were never able to go against the route fate had planned for them, the other seeking shelter for the new hope that was slowly blossoming, a better place for the bud to bloom.
One held a knife, and the other held a gun.
Their weapons were pointed to each other, one who had their hand on the trigger, the other ready to strike at any moment.
They stood in silence, not a single sound emanating through the creepy alleyway.
Moonlight reflecting in the silver metal, the one who wielded the blade budged from her position first, placing the sharp tool on the ground as silently as possible.
"I mean no harm, Cashew."
The words were muttered out in a small volume, and yet Cashew was satisfied with the sentence, sliding her gun back into its holster.
"You know what they say, never bring a knife to a gun fight. I thought you'd know better considering all your...experience, Gouda Cookie."
Gouda, still struggling to stand up straight, only crossed her arms, a dissatisfied expression settling over her face.
"We both know we're not here to fight."
"Fair, fair. I suppose that is the truth, after all.."
"I thought you'd know better considering your experience."
A small chuckle.
Gouda only watches; she'd never seen Cashew laugh like that before, it was too similar to...
A shiver; Gouda had sent many to their deaths, but this was one she could never forget, one that was fueled by hatred, by a want for vengeance, by the fight that had cost her the ability to walk properly so many years ago...
"I have many questions, on why...why you did all that. But first, let us discuss the most important thing; how we can try our best to help our sons' battle against fate."
"Just like the old times?"
"Just like the old times."
The two Cookies, not as representatives for their families, but as two mothers who cared for their children, started devising a plan.
The wind that blew was chilly.
And so were their hearts; as they knew the old times were gone; the closeness with one another lost in the flow of time, as the walls around them never crumbled in the slightest after every polite response and fake chuckle.
Fate had forced them onto different paths; it was all expected, and yet their in their hearts was still a bitter coldness, that the reality for them was not to change.
The most they could do, is assist the next generation.
"Thank you for your co-operation, Gouda."
"It's not a problem, Cashew...and, I'm sorry. I didn't know Mozzarella would take it this far when she asked for assistance on some security cameras."
"Apologies will not bring him back."
The wind grew colder; the air was frosty.
"Another thing, Gouda. Never underestimate love. Ever."
As the wind blew colder than ever, Cashew turned and walked out of the alley, the sound of chilly wind covering the sounds of the heavy steps she took.
The glass of the broken picture frame shattered to the point of no return.
~♤~
"Here, take this."
Gouda handed Roguefort the smoke bomb.
"What are you giving me this for?"
Sensing the fear lingering in the room, Gouda only let out a small laugh.
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Before Roguefort could ask any more questions, Gouda interrupted his thoughts with a whispered secret.
"If you ever feel like you're not at home, then find the mansion with painted roll cake wood as its roof. They'll be willing to take you in."
With that, Gouda walked off, closing the door behind her.
~♤~
Mozzarella had liked the music box ever since she had found it after trying to force her brother back home.
It played a calming tune, one that she felt reminded her of a time she'd never known, where she could live a happy life in solitude without all the pressure and expectations.
It reminded her of what her childhood, how she played amongst the rest of the Cookies in playgrounds that she could now never step on again for fear of being recognised, how she met new friends without a care in the world.
All of the freedom was stripped away once she asked that simple question, of why she couldn't be in a public school with all her friends. It was then that strict expectations were laid on her all at once; the reality of who she really was hitting her like a brick.
She was forced to play a part in an elaborate game of chess, merely a pawn in the game of life.
Over the years after that incident, truth after truth was revealed, and the chances of her escaping a life of crime only grew slimmer and slimmer.
She was sharpened like a blade in an arsenal, and used as one would a sword.
And it was on the day Cheddar commanded her into the plan of killing Pecan that she knew there would be no turning back, that she was doomed to this life.
As cold a truth as it was, she was too tired from all the arguments, all the battles that she'd lost, to utter a word against it.
So she decided to do everything in her power to convince her brother not to rebel against fate's plan, to spare him of the pain she endured trying to go against a path destined for her, only to no avail.
For that, she would have to diminish the source of hope, the reason for the flame in his heart.
Cheddar had just the plan for that.
"I was about to tell you to. Exterminate the last of that family, so we win the battle."
After all, if one died by a sword, would it be the sword's fault that they died?
If puppets break on a stage, would it be the puppet's fault or the puppeteer's?
~♤~
Being resurrected felt like wisps of magic had pulled him out from the blurry ocean of death, yanked him into the oven again, and rebaked him brand-new.
This unfamiliar sensation stayed with Almond as he opened his eyes in confusion.
Wasn't he supposed to be-
"It worked! Well done, everyone!"
Exclaims of joy, laughter, sighs of relief, all around him, as he sat up and examined his surroundings.
He was laying on a magic circle with sugary lines drawn in intricate patterns, while mages, now cheering in happiness, stood surrounding the circumference of the circle.
Magic...where had he seen this before?
Trying to reach into his memory, he found nothing, and yet the feeling of magic in the air seemed so familiar to him, like he had visited this place before, yet he didn't recognise anything or anyone here...
"Welcome back, Detective Almond Cookie."
A young mage stepped forward, a large witch's hat on their head, lending their hand to assist him to stand up.
That...also seemed awfully familiar, and yet his brain couldn't point out why it seemed like he'd done that before.
Taking their hand, Almond stood up, scanning the mages and magic students around him.
"Parfaedia welcomes you. Now, would you mind telling me what you remember?"
~♤~
She'd diminished his hope. He'd called her heartless.
Despite the fact that she knew it was the right thing to do, her brother's words only echoed in her head with every step she took.
"Even if we share the same dough, you have never been - and you never will be - my sister, Mozzarella."
Those words hurt, more than any of the times she'd been wounded in the numerous fights she'd fought.
Frankly, she was alone; even those with the same dough as her either only used her as a tool, or never wanted to be associated with her again.
She had completed Cheddar's plan, eliminated the heir of the opposing family. She'd served her purpose in the rivalry.
But what was a blade, without a wielder?
What were stars, without darkness?
~♤~
After a few hours of gathering information through the mages in the local hospital, Almond had deduced a few things about his current situation.
One, was that he had been a prestigious detective in the Main City prior to his death, and that he was found by one of the most powerful Parfaedian mages who convinced the mages of Parfaedia to help in his resurrection.
The second thing was that he had to meet the Cookies he knew before death to regain his memories of them, which meant that his memory was locked in certain parts. They told him it might be a side effect of the resurrection.
The third? Parfaedia was very, very far from the Main City, which meant the best the mages could do for now were show him pictures of the Cookies he knew, as they deemed it too risky to send him back so quickly in his weakened state.
So far, he'd remembered memories about his father, Pecan, and his mother, Cashew.
"They're really famous detectives, too!" the young mage had exclaimed after showing Almond the all-too-familiar family photo.
Almond remembered the exact same photo hanging as a portrait in his room, and he recalled that something important had happened in that room as well, yet he couldn't point it out no matter how hard he tried.
When he tried to think of other possible influential people in his life, like an enemy or a friend, his mind only went blank.
And yet, there was something lingering in his mind, a name that was on the tip of his tongue that seemed very important to him.
Try as he might, he could not remember.
~♤~
"Do you want to be a hero, Roguefort?"
"Then die like one."
Roguefort jolted up from the nightmare, a mere image conjured by his mind of how things could have gone differently on that fateful day.
He had successfully severed ties with the family he'd once been a part of, a mysterious alter ego established after multiple...events, that left many Cookies charmed and even more confused.
Phantom Bleu was their name.
Some who knew of him as Roguefort simply treated it as an alternate name, others who didn't thought Phantom Bleu was a completely different Cookie; one who mysteriously appeared after the fall of the Blue Cheese manor, where heir of the Nuts family, Almond Cookie, had been abducted? Kidnapped? The answer remained unknown, even to Roguefort.
Roguefort never minded any of the interpretations, as long as he wasn't speculated to be related to the main family of the Cheeses.
He was sure they didn't take his "disappearance" well, and he did live in fear for the first few months of another large-scale attack by Mozzarella.
It never came.
Perhaps they had given up on forcing him; perhaps Mozzarella had finally decided to put the past behind after their final encounter; or maybe they were satisfied with eliminating the heir of the opposing family.
Frankly, he didn't care which was the truth.
The truth he cared about most - that he was gone - was already embedded in his mind.
"Hey, Uncle Roguefort!"
Leaping from the rooftop he was on, Roguefort landed on top of the train station, facing the young detective.
As it turned out, Almond hadn't gone to the Blue Cheese manor unprepared; he'd already had a daughter, Walnut.
Roguefort remembered the day Cashew had secretly handed over Almond's letter to him; one that entrusted him with the task of taking care of Walnut, and to never put the blame on himself for all that had happened.
The letter was written in case of his disappearance or death; Roguefort wasn't sure which was true, but he'd taken it nonetheless.
He'd promised to take good care of the child, albeit in an unusual way.
"You may have gotten your jewel back, but you'll never learn who I really am!" was what he had said before the boat drifted out of sound's reach, as Walnut had sworn to apprehend the thief on her honor as a detective.
That was one of the many days where Roguefort had stolen something and the young detective had been called to solve the case.
Since it was too early to tell Walnut the harsh truth that he himself had not even fully accepted, Roguefort pretended it was a game, where Walnut had to use her detective skills to solve cases when he played the charming villain.
It had proven useful; Walnut learned on the job quickly, as she learned how to decipher clues and track criminals down, with even the special forces of the Main City allowing her to help out in different cases.
Although Roguefort wasn't sure if that was legal, he couldn't do anything to stop it. Plus, he considered, it was extra experience for the budding detective.
He was glad that Walnut knew how to keep secrets.
"Young detective, how was today's game?"
"It went really well! Also, grandma's recovered a lot from her cold. She tells me to thank you, but didn't specify why."
Roguefort only smiled at the child's innocence, as Walnut never knew the rivalry existed. His family were no longer a threat: Mozzarella had disappeared, Cheddar hadn't been able to resist the seeping threat of age, and Gouda couldn't do much on her own without risking getting captured.
And he was, well, there. Taking care of Walnut as if she was his own child.
"Tell her that it's good to take some breaks."
Walnut only nodded her head, before a look of concern spread across her face.
"Uncle Roguefort, why does my dad never visit?"
"He's-"
A loud voice from the train station interrupted Roguefort's answer to the commonly-asked question.
"Train to City of Wizards is departing in 15 minutes! I repeat, train to City of Wizards is departing in 15 minutes! Please take your seats as soon as possible!"
Roguefort only looked at the Cookies boarding the train with a bittersweet smile.
"He's too busy doing detective work. In fact, he's somewhere where he's very needed!"
Walnut's eyes glittered with respect and admiration.
"Really?"
"Yep! Your father's super good at his work!"
"Woah!!"
"Before I tell you more about my adventures with your father, let me give you something."
Roguefort reached into his pocket and carefully put the badge in his hand.
Most of the ink is faded; the words are barely visible, the color changed throughout the years from a dark purple to a lilac shade, yet the almond on the corner of the badge still retained its bright color.
"This is a badge that your father made with me on one of our journeys together."
"That looks old, uncle Roguefort! Do you want me to give it to mom?"
With only a bittersweet smile on his face, he puts the badge in Walnut's hand and closes it.
"I want you to keep it as a reminder of Almond, alright? Promise me you'll treasure it."
A bright, innocent smile.
"I promise!"
~♤~
Somewhere in the City of Wizards, a crystal ball showed a prophet what was to come.
"Perhaps it isn't that bad of an ending, after all."
~♤~
The detective looks upon the city which saved his life, and promised to keep going until he would inevitably crumble once more, for he could never repay such a debt.
~♤~
Chapter 30. Only the epilogue is left.
Thank you all so much for being on the journey of N&C with me, it's been one hell of a ride, and I enjoyed it a lot. :')
In the meantime, the book might be constantly updated.
I'm planning to rewrite or edit some of the earlier chapters, so don't be surprised if the book comes up in your notifications again.
Anyways, please drop your thoughts on the final chapter! (Almost 3k words, woahhh)
And I will see you all very soon!
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net