A/N: Tempted to write. An Espressleine book,, thoughts?

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Red Velvet sighed quietly, legs aching. He had finally caught up to Y/N's group by running through an entire night to reach their campsite, but it seemed she was always with one of them. He knew he couldn't fight them off after his personal defeat several days ago. So, silent as the wind on a bleak night, he tracked and stalked them. He was trailing them now.

Quiet talking sounded in front of him, muffled by distance, and he only made out a few words. How long could they go on? They had left before dawn, and it was now between dusk and the afternoon. Every time they left a campsite, Y/N was in the back, and, slowly, he had noticed a few consistent "quirks." She constantly glanced over her shoulder, and only ever had one hand on the reins, the other on the hilt of her sword as if someone would jump out and fight her then and there.

He knew he'd have to do something soon. From the map, they were nearing endless stretches of open fields, and he would be screwed. A loud whinny shook him from his thoughts.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Your horse stopped, snorting defiantly, and, after several failed attempts to get them going again, you sighed.

"We gotta stop here! Horse won't go on." You called to Espresso and Madeleine. They turned around, trotting theirs back to you.

"I KNEW you should have trained that one better, Madeleine." Espresso scoffed. Madeleine looked away, embarrassed, and got down onto the ground before helping Espresso off his horse. You took the reins of both, and, while your companions set up a camp, you tied them to the thick, low branches of a tree in a tiny meadow. That would keep them rested long enough. You turned, and headed back over to Espresso and Madeleine as they staked the second tent. Obviously not expecting you to show up, they had only bought two tents. When you demanded that you get your own, they caved scarily quickly and let you have it.

Chea turned to you from next to Espresso, tongue dangling out the side of her mouth, and she loped towards you, barking quietly in excitement. You scratched behind her ears, laughing, and the coffee cookie scoffed.

"I've never seen a purpose in pets, you know. It seems like a wa-" he paused with a glare from you, and let out a "hmph" before climbing into his tent. Madeleine glanced at you.

"I'm going to get some firewood, how about you?"

"I'm gonna head out and gather some jellyberries." You grabbed a small bag, tossing it over your shoulder, and traveling in the rough direction you had seen the berries in the past. Chea trotted up next to you, but you shook your head, pointing in the direction Madeleine went.

"Go help him." She whined, before turning, and running over to Madeleine, falling in step next to him with her tail wagging. You smiled at Madeleine when he looked at you, before turning back to the woods. As you travelled down a deer trail, spotting jellyberry bushes distantly ahead, you heard rustles behind you, but nothing showed.

Shrugging it off, you went to the first bush, and, moving the bag to the front of your body, you clicked it open and plucked a few of the berries. As soon as you started, there was a louder rustle behind you, and, in the corner of your eye, you saw a flicker of red and black. You turned, back to the bush, and, pushing the bag to your side, fumbled for your sword. As you pulled it out, you pointed the tip towards the bush, and tilted your chin upwards.

"Who's there?!" You demanded. A long pause followed.

"....Show yourself!"

And they did.

You saw Red Velvet slowly stand up front behind the bush, sword gripped in his hand. Panic flashed through your chest, and, before he could speak, you turned and ran. There was a shout, and you heard rapid steps behind you that gradually grew closer. He ran faster than you. But you had slightly more endurance. He slowed slightly, and you broke into a sprint, gaining a lot of distance. And then you saw it. In front of you, there was a stretch of grass, and then it fell off. You skid, barely saving yourself from a plummeting fate, and turned around, sword raising. Red Velvet broke from the trees, staring at you from the edge of the woods, before he planted his sword into the ground and took a few paces forward. You gripped your sword tighter.

"Look, I just want to ta-" You narrowed your eyes at his words, and tried to take a step back.

The rock you stepped onto broke off.

You felt the ground beneath your leg fell, and you stumbled, before falling back.

Red Velvet darted forward, hooking his arm around the back of your waist, before spinning you both around.

The momentum threw you onto the hillside, and Red Velvet staggered, glaring up at you.

"I said. I just want to talk to you."

"No, you don't. You're here to kill me, aren't you? Or do you want to bring me back? I won't let you." You hissed, groping out for your sword which had fallen behind you. He shook his head, a defeated look on his face.

"No. No I don't. I left Dark Enchantress behind. I figured I'd follow you so I could get Chiffon back."

"You're going to try and hold me ransom, then?!" You finally grabbed your weapon, and pointed it at him. He didn't seemed threatened.

"No! I was going to ask for him back! God, why are you so untrusting?"

"Aren't you the one who imprisoned me and then chased me down when I ran?"

"...good point. But still! Calm down!" He shook his head, climbing back up the hill and grabbing his sword. You watched him, standing up. He turned around slightly and looked at you.

"You should be more grateful, y'know. I saved your life right there." He muttered. You scoffed, shaking your head.

"Whatever." You retorted. He glanced at you as you walked by him back into the woods.

"So, can I follow you?" You turned around and stared at him.

"You swear on the very soul inside you that you're not working for Dark Enchantress?"

"I swear."

"Hmpf. Fine. Just don't get too close to camp. Madeleine and Espresso won't be very happy if they find you lurking." You started back into the woods, Red Velvet trailing you distantly, and you started picking Jellyberries again.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Frost bit away at the camp in the morning. An early Winter was almost upon you, and the ground had frozen over, making sleep quite uncomfortable. Pushing out of your tent, you banged on the paper-like door of Madeleine and Espresso's tent until Espresso stuck his head out.

"What."

"It's dawn. Lets eat, and then get going."

The other cookie groaned.

"Madeleines sleeping like a rock. I don't want to be responsible for waking him up."

"Cry about it, Espresso. I've got Jellyberries to defrost."

He scowled, mildly offended, before tucking back into the tent. You sat down by the makeshift firepit, striking the flint a few times.

It was too cold to light anything.

You shivered as a gust of wind blew fallen leaves into your face, and, as soon as you swiped them away, you spotted Red Velvet watching you from the camp edge. His hair was covered in leaves, and he looked amused, but he quickly ducked down when Madeleine shouldered his way out of the tent, followed closely by Espresso. You gave them a defeated shake of your head.

"I can't light it. The flints too cold." Chea, having finally crawled out of your tent, whimpered, pressing herself to your side before the wind blew directly towards you. She froze, catching a scent, and looked up. Staring right at where you'd seen Red Velvet. Her head turned slowly, seemingly following something, and Madeleine groaned.

"I'll check it out. You two pack up the camp. We're almost there, and we'll eat at the kingdom." You felt a tidbit of anxiety, before shaking it away.

"Sure." As Madeleine started towards the woods, Chea on his heels, you started rolling up the tents with Espresso.

And then you heard the yelling. There was a loud rustle, like something running away, and Madeleine backed away from the bushes, breathing uneven. His sword was on guard, and his shields up.

"We're being followed." He reported. You acted surprised, shaking your head.

"We'd better get out quickly, then." Attaching the tents to your horse, you got on, and followed Espresso and Madeleine's horses as they left the clearing. Glancing over your shoulder, you spotted Chea running to catch up, and the Red Velvet poking his head up from behind a bush. He seemed afraid. You grinned at him, before setting your horse off at a faster pace.

And then a small, singular snowflake landed on your nose.

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

Almond paced around his office, hands ruffling through his hair. On his desk in front of him were several papers. Maps, documents, newspapers. The only thing that caught his eye was the news of a conquest for the cake tower, but that was unlikely. Y/N would never be that stupid. Not his daughter.

He stopped, and put his hands on the desk, gripping the edge of the wood and just staring. Hoping that some answer would will itself into existence. The door creaked open, and Latte walked in. She had been doing her best to keep him informed by traveling back and forth between kingdoms.

"Any luck?"

"No. Madeleine and Espresso have gone out alone to look for her, but there's not much hope. I've started to lose it too."

"Nonsense. This is simply.. just a difficult case. Yes. It's just difficult."

"...what if she's already gone?"

"Don't talk like that. You'll curse it into existence."

Latte sighed. "You and I both know that this might be pointless."

Almond cursed under his breath, and shook his head. "You're right. And I hate both of us for it."

He sat down in his chair, refusing to look up from the desk.

"How has Pancake been dealing?"

"Horrible. I know he wants to say something, but every time I think he will he bursts into tears and apologizes. I can't distract him from the topic."

"And you don't want to try and force anything out of him?"

"No, that's cruel. You know it's cruel. He's not a criminal, Almond. He's our son."

He looked up, and stared out the window. Small, powdery snowflakes collected on the windowsill.

".... I don't want to pause this case. But I might.. I might have to. It'll be too hard to search in this early snowfall."

Latte frowned. "What if Espresso and Madeleine turn up with nothing?"

"Then I'll go and look for that damn girl myself."

~~♠~~♠~~♠~~♠~~

"And how are you sure he can be trusted, master? He already failed you, did he not?" Pomegranate sneered. Dark Enchantress glared from the corner of her eye.

"He better hope he can be trusted. Otherwise he won't have a very.. fun fate."

"A-and what if she's the wrong one, master?" Licorice piped up. Dark Enchantress whipped around.

"You dare question my judgment?"

"No, but-"

"Tsk. Get out."

Licorice dipped his head, and scurried out of the room, Poison Mushroom following closely. Dark Choco looked up.

"Maybe you should have sent another cookie with him. Keep him in check."

"Maybe. But it's too late now. He has to prove his loyalty alone. If he doesn't I'll either kill him or her. He'll be out of the group."

"And why all this effort for one cookie, master?"

"Because she might be the only one that can restore both of us. How many times must I state this?!"

Pomegranate dipped her head.

"My apologies. But how do you know? She isn't a healer. She's a charge."

"I understand that she's a charge. But she's the best we've got." Dark Enchantress said through gritted teeth.

"She has to work. And if not, Red Velvet is going to have hell to pay. I raised that boy. He will not let me down."