Chapter Text
“Riddle?”
The man with dark green hair, like the scales of a sea-turtle Floyd thought, uttered Goldfish’s name like it was a word he was never supposed to mention. He looked pale, briefly reminding Floyd of the common human saying ‘you look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
Floyd took a quick peak at Riddle, who was scrunched in next to him. The red-head didn’t look much better, his already big eyes as wide as saucers. He took a thick gulp before standing straight and puffing out his chest in what Floyd could only consider a signature Goldfish move. “Hello Trey, it’s been awhile.”
Silence fell over their party, Floyd and the two annoying little fishes confused out of their minds while Goldfishie and Sea-Turtle just stared at each other. The mer blinked owlishly as he ran through everything he learned about Goldfishie over the past day and a half. Was this…someone his mother was friends with? That was the only thought Floyd could reasonably think of, especially since the mage had been stuck in a tower for the majority of his life. That singular thought was enough however, to put Floyd on edge, turning his confused look into a glare directed at the green-haired man.
This situation was…uncomfortable, to say the least, and Floyd was starting to get bored. He was just one second away from grabbing Riddle's arm and tugging him out of the store when the person Floyd dubbed as Sea-Turtle ran around the counter with a wide smile, grabbing Goldfishie before Floyd could and giving him a tight hug. “Riddle! Holy seven, it’s good to see you!”
Riddle enthusiastically returned the hug, confusing the group he walked in with even more. The red-head pushed away, a bright smile on his face Floyd hadn’t actually seen before. His stomach started to churn lightly and the mer’s scowl deepened. “It’s wonderful to see you too Trey!”
“Wait, I’m confused.” The ginger that Floyd and Riddle had been following, Ace apparently but Floyd preferred to call him Crabby, spoke what everyone was thinking: “Do you two know each other?”
Sea-Turtle chuckled, pushing his glasses further up his nose, but not quite in the condescending or know-it-all way Azul normally does. “Yeah, we met when we were little. I used to hang out with Riddle and another friend all the time.”
“Floyd, remember how I mentioned I had some friends when I was little?” Finally, Goldfish remembered he existed, reminiscing on their conversation last night. Floyd nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “This is one of them, Trey Clover. He, I and Che’nya played together often. Speaking of which,” There goes Goldfishie’s attention again, right back to Sea-Turtle, or Trey Floyd supposes. Sea-Turtle sounded better. “Che’nya, is he–?”
“Oh he’s doing well.” Trey grabbed a few menus from behind the counter and started to lead their little group to a table actually in the bakery. “Not here at the current moment though. His family is doing some sort of get-together for the light show on the other side of town today.” All members of their party sat down at the little booth Trey had brought them too, Floyd making sure he was right next to Goldfishie.
He didn’t really have a good reason for wanting to be so close, he just kind of felt like he had to.
Crabby and Mackerel started whispering something amongst each other, and Floyd could only catch a little of what they were saying. Something about forgetting that they were there or something. Honestly, the mer could agree to the sentiment, even as Sea-Turtle handed him his menu. “But how did you meet Ace and Deuce?” Trey tilted his head in a questioning manner, and the two fishies seemed happy to be included once again.
“Floyd and I, that’s Floyd–” Riddle gestured a hand toward the mer and he nodded his head as a hello, Trey doing a similar gesture “–ran into them on the way into the city. We needed guides and, well, I suppose you could say they had some free time.” Riddle chuckled, almost a little nervously and glanced at Floyd. He just smiled, showing off his sharp teeth, he had no reason to be ashamed after all. What’s a little threat here or there?
“That’s one way to put it.” Crabby mumbled, before using that loud ol’ voice of his. “This guy threatened us, Trey!”
Floyd shrugged, grin not fading from his face. “Meh, you fishes deserved it. You tried to threaten us first.”
“He’s not wrong.” Mackerel stepped in, “We also hurt Leo. It really was the least we could do.” Riddle nodded sharply in agreement.
Crabby huffed and slouched back against his seat. “Yeah, but we were still threatened.”
Sea-Turtle laughed slightly nervously, clearly not wanting to be threatened as well. “I mean, you brought them here Ace, clearly you aren’t actually all that upset. All's well that ends well, right?” Before Crabby could get another word in, a voice called from the entrance for Trey. “Over here Cater!”
A man, one likely the same age as Sea-Turtle walked in, a joyful pep to his step. His hair was ginger like Crabby’s, but a shade more orange, and a lot longer, hitting just above his shoulders even with half of it tied up. “Hey Trey–woah! There’s a ton of people here!” The ginger blinked his emerald green eyes a few times, before a flashy smile adorned his face. “Trey, did you decide to have a party and not invite Cay-Cay? That hurts my feelings.”
The ginger tugged out his lip in a fake pout while Sea-Turtle just laughed. “No, nothing like that. Just ran into an old friend, is all. Cater, this Riddle, I’ve told you about him before.”
“Oh, oh yeah! The guy you and Che’nya used to hang with, yeah I remember. Nice to meet you, I’m Cater Diamond, but my friends all call me Cay-Cay.” Cater reached out a hand to Riddle, giving him a good shake that Floyd just raised an eyebrow at.
Crabby cackled while Mackerel shook his head. “Cater, nobody but you calls you Cay-Cay.”
Cater just laughed lightly, “Well they might want to! And hi to you two as well.”
“Ugh, finally you remembered we existed!” Crabby shouted pentuliantly.
“Ace I could never forget you exist. You guys are Adeuce afterall, my favorite pair!” Crabby and Mackerel started screeching, yelling things at Cater while the ginger just laughed them off, letting the insults directed at him roll-off and his two younger friends through their tantrum.
“Okay you three, that’s enough.” Trey chuckled a little himself, putting his hands up in an attempt to calm his friends down.
“Nah, I think this is plenty fun.” Floyd said, finally pitching in his own thoughts. He liked the chaos this brought, and his sharp-toothed smile showed it. Floyd definitely wasn’t feeling bored now.
“Oh seven, silly me, I totally forgot to introduce myself to you.” Cater’s bright eyes turned towards Floyd, “I’m Cater, what's your…” Cater’s voice died out as his eyes widened. Ah, Floyd was wondering when this was going to happen. Clearly someone had seen the wanted posters around town, recognizing the face that made its way around the city. He dropped his hand and stepped back slightly, “You’re Floyd Leech.”
Floyd felt his grin get even brighter, it was always fun when someone recognized him as someone dangerous, a person to be scared around. Well, he shouldn’t say always, a lot of times it was just a hassle. People running from him when he was in no mood was just the worst, but watching some small-fries be scared normally had it’s perks. Like now, this reaction was pure entertainment. “That’s my name~” Floyd drawled out.
“Cater? Is something wrong?” Sea-Turtle got up and put a placating arm on his friend.
“Yeah, uh, Adeuce, why are you guys hanging out with a super infamous criminal?” His voice was still high, as if he was trying to keep some level of entertainment and not show his own nervousness, but Floyd could easily pick up on the shakiness of it. That, of course, just fueled his own entertainment factor. Riddle, however, didn’t seem as easily amused, likely worried his childhood friend was going to turn either Floyd or both of them in. He grabbed Floyd's wrist, making the mer look down at the small red-head, a completely flat look on his face.
“Its, uh, a long story–”
“No it’s not, we literally just told Trey. We were threatened.”
Sea-Turtle had a pensive look on his face, trying to figure out the situation. “Floyd’s…a criminal?”
“Yeah, a pretty popular one with all the posters going around.” Cater supplied, his voice evening out a bit, coming back into his own strength it seemed.
Floyd only grinned at him. “Careful, I bite.” He snapped his jaws once, showing all his deadly teeth.
“He does.” Crabby said, a look of horror on his face, but not as serious as Sea-Turtle or the ginger. Mackerel nodded his head vigorously in agreement, making the mer hide a snort behind his hand.
“Riddle.” Sea-Turtle said seriously, his gaze turning to Floyd’s favorite Goldfish. Suddenly, this whole situation stopped being funny, and Floyd realized that this guy might try to take Goldfishie back. That was a no-good scenario. The earlier resentment he felt towards the guy returned in full force. “You said you entered the city with this guy? Why are you hanging out with a criminal?”
Goldfishie sighed, using his fee hand to rub his temples in exasperation. “Like Deuce said, it’s a long story. Don’t worry, I promise he isn’t dangerous, at least to me. Sit down and I can explain.”
After some clear deliberation, the two sat down on the opposite side of the booth from Riddle and Floyd, leaving them to be squished in with the fishes like a pack of sardines. They both were cautious, sending wary glances in Floyd’s direction, but Sea-Turtle trusted Goldfish enough to at least hear him out. Floyd guessed that worked in their favor, but he was getting a bit bored here. Not enough to leave, not yet at least, but almost. Goldfish better turn this exciting soon.
“So…how do I start this?” Goldfish looked at Floyd as if he was supposed to help him here.
“You can start with how I stole you from that gilded tower.” Floyd offered, that suggestion only got him some startled looks from the other side of the table and a light slap on the arm. “What; it’s true.”
“Don’t word it like that, it is more complicated and I left willingly.” Riddle huffed, his face was slightly red but started cooling down. “Well, ah, today is my 18th birthday.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell us that.” Mackerel shouted, followed by his distress in not knowing that it was Riddle’s birthday. Something about needing to get him a cake or whatever. Floyd wasn’t really paying attention, he and crabby had long lost the mer’s attention.
“I…vaguely remember you telling me that when we were little. Go on.”
“Well, I haven’t exactly been allowed to leave my home since, well since you know.” Trey dawned a sympathetic face and Floyd questioned just exactly what it was about. An answer Riddle for some reason hasn’t deemed him worthy enough to receive. “I wanted to see the lights up close this year, but my mother wouldn’t let me.”
Floyd decided there would be a good time to pick up in the story. “I was being chased by the cops, this time for a crime I wasn’t even guilty of–”
“This time.” Riddle scoffed, accompanied by a laugh on the other side of the table, Floyd couldn’t really tell who though.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, I saw a neat tower, thought I could climb it to get away from that overgrown dog and low and behold, I met Goldfishie.”
“We struck a deal, I’d help him hide if and only if he took me to the Fae-lights and safely returned me home.” Floyd stuck out his tongue upon hearing the latter part of the sentence. He nearly forgot about that, how he’d have to return this amazing little Goldfishie to what was basically a prison in the sky. It wasn’t fair.
“So…what, you just trust him?”
Riddle scoffed at that. “Define trust. He’s been a decent guide and I know he won’t hurt me. Even if he does, it’s not as if I cannot handle myself. I’m a mage, remember.” Goldfish bringing their relationship down to something as small as that hurt a little, but Floyd couldn’t really tell why. People shouldn’t trust him, hell half the time he didn’t trust himself. His mood swings were unpredictable and it’s not like he ever shied away from that.
“Plus, we also escaped death together, so I think that earns me a few points in the trust column." Floyd threw in, hoping to fix whatever felt wrong when Riddle implied he didn’t fully trust the mer.
“That is true.” Riddle nodded, looking up at Floyd with a soft smile on his face. Floyd’s stomach churned for the second time that hour, yet it was different than the way it did before. More like a fluttering sensation, as if many flounder fishes had made homes in his stomach.
“I’m sorry, escape death? What do you mean by that?” Sea-Turtle asked incredulously.
“Ah, there was a dam and a flood, another long story I don’t feel much like repeating.”
“I fought a horse using a sword with a frying pan.” Floyd smiled, speaking casually as if it wasn’t the weirdest thing two-thirds of the table had heard.
“So, uh, we’re just…not supposed to turn you in then?” Cater asked, as if he still couldn’t believe he was sitting at a table with a criminal. Floyd couldn’t really blame him, he has been told by both Azul and Jade most people don’t react normally when having a casual conversation with a wanted man.
“Not if you don’t want to get squeezed.” Floyd said, his sharp grin coming back, along with a bit of his energy upon seeing the way the ginger sunk backwards.
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound very pleasant. I’m good, thanks, haha…” Floyd chuckled inwardly at the immediate back track. The major switches of mood kind of reminded Floyd of a Sea-Bream, ah ha! That was the perfect name for this guy, Sea-Bream!
“Floyd, stop threatening people. But yes, if you could keep quiet about him that would be greatly appreciated.”
“I don’t know Riddle,” Sea-Turtle cut in rubbing his forehead in a similar manner as Goldfishie did earlier. “Are you really sure about this? A notorious criminal isn’t someone to be taken lightly.”
Floyd glared at the man, his teeth getting itchy in the way they do when he wants to bite someone. He nearly did too, the impulse to leap across the table and bite the green-hair idiot was high, until at least Riddle put a calming hand on Floyd’s arm.
“We’ve been through a bit while traveling together, so yes I’m sure. I have no reason not to be, frankly I wouldn’t want anyone else as my guide.” Riddle smiled sweetly, a completely truthful look only someone so sheltered could have.
“Still–”
“It’s better than if he was with his mom, isn’t it?” Floyd said, placing his head against his hand, staring at the man in front of him, daring him to argue.
Riddle gave Floyd a glare, as if to say ‘don’t speak about my mother like that’ but it fell on deaf ears. Instead, Sea-Turtle took off his glasses and rubbed his temples for a second time. “I can’t argue with you there. Alright, I trust your judgment Riddle, just please be careful.”
“When am I not?”
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“Vorpal, Leo!” Riddle cheered, happy to see their animal companions still waiting faithfully outside the bakery. He had started to feel very sad for not being able to bring them inside and try some of Trey’s amazing treats. “I missed you both.”
“We were only gone for a few hours.” Floyd approached from behind him, however none of their newly acquired friends had joined him. After his reunion with Trey, meeting Cater and the frankly tense conversation afterwards, they had all decided to actually order some food and eat something. That was the whole reason they entered the bakery in the first place. What Riddle wasn’t expecting was for Trey to give him a strawberry tart ‘on the house’, claiming it was only right since it was his birthday and all.
“I still felt bad leaving them here.” Riddle rubbed his hand up and down Vorpal's nose, giving Leo ample time to jump onto his head. After eating and chatting some more, Ace and Deuce unsurprisingly got into an argument, breaking a perfectly nice decoration. Deuce insisted they help work the bakery for the rest of the day and roped Ace into agreeing as well, of course making sure Floyd and Riddle didn’t need them anymore. Cater had left a little before that, claiming he was needed elsewhere for his ‘aesthetic expertise.’
“I don’t, the horse deserved it.” As soon as the words left Floyd's mouth, a hoof slammed down on his foot, making him yelp in pain. Served him right. “Goldfishie, reprimand your horse!” He all but whined.
“Don’t be rude to him and maybe he won’t hurt you.” Riddle huffed and started leading them towards what he assumed was the city's center.
“I can’t believe you’re taking a horse's side over mine.”
“It really shouldn’t be that surprising.”
The city center was a lovely wide circle, filled with people, and had many small flags with the kingdom's rose motif hung over it. Music played as people danced in the middle of the circle, looping around each other and trading partners. A smile was on everybody's face, the energy was enough to make Riddle smile himself.
“Hey Goldfishie?”
“Yes Floyd?”
“I got a question.” Riddle looked up at the taller man next to him, the golden colors of the sun setting painting him beautifully. The red-head felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the sight, and nodded at the mer to continue. “I know you said that you and Sea-Turtle were friends when you were little, but you have been stuck in at least that house for, like, ever.”
“Sea-Turtle…do you mean Trey?”
“Yeah, him, whatever. The way you were talking to him made me wonder–”
“You want to know how we met.” Riddle finished for him, sighing when Floyd affirmed his guess. “Well, as I told you, I was allowed to explore the, uh, lower levels of my house when I was young. I particularly loved the drawing room, and it had this grand window in it. I always chose to study in that room over any others.
“Well, one day, Trey and Che’nya, another friend of ours, happened upon the estate. I was about eight at the time, and they are both only a year or so older than me. They were just exploring the forest like normal children do, when they entered the alcove. I, of course, was studying at the time, right infront of the window. Through much begging they coerced me to play with them.”
“Coerced, huh?” Floyd smiled knowingly at Riddle, making him blush a little and clear his throat.
“I was a child, alright? And this was my first time seeing children my age, so I guess it didn’t take much convincing. Anyway, for a few months, that’s how my days would go. During my independent study time those two would come around and we would play in the alcove for about an hour until I had to go back in.
“The problem was, all of this was behind my mothers back and, well, she wasn’t exactly happy when she found out. It was on my birthday actually, I stayed out a little too long, got too cocky, and was caught. It was from that moment on that I…well that I was locked in the tower, unable to even catch a glimpse of my friends.” Riddle breathed heavily through his nose, kicking a rock in front of him. “Not that they would’ve wanted to see me then anyway, my mother made sure of that.”
Floyd narrowed his eyes at Riddle for a moment, taking in everything the red-head had to say. Riddle knew it wasn’t the nicest of stories, but it didn’t seem all that complicated to him. His mother had a point anyway, he had better things to do with his time than to hang out with children. Still, being out in the world now made him rethink that particular idea; what if he was never forced away from Trey and Che’nya?
“I dunno about all that Goldfishie, Sea-Turtle looked pret-ty happy to see you.”
Riddle blinked at Floyd a few times before laughing lightly. “It’s been years Floyd, I think anyone would be curious to see where their old friends would be by now.”
“Nah, not me. I couldn’t tell you a single other person I hung out with besides Jade and Azul, and I know there were plenty.”
Riddle laughed again, louder this time. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”
The two stood in silence again, content to listen to the music filling the air. The sun was still setting, its myriad of colors painting the sky in bright hues, a sight Riddle was more than happy to see. He’d seen it for the first time last night, but was a bit distracted with the whole almost dying thing to really take it in. But now, in the center of the city, he could watch the colors flow by, encased in the playful music and delicious smells.
“Let’s dance.”
“What?”
Riddle turned back to look at Floyd and was a bit surprised at the hand being held out to him expectedly. “I said, let’s dance.”
“Floyd, I don’t know–”
“Comeon, it’s not hard.” Floyd got impatient and grabbed Riddle's hand, interlocking their fingers and dragging him to the center of the circle. “Just move to the music, that’s it.”
“But aren’t there rules and steps and–”
“There don’t have to be if you don’t want there to be. Just breathe Goldfishie, and move with me.”
Riddle did his best to take Floyd’s advice. He let the mer lead the way, occasionally stepping on his toes. He felt bad each time, but Floyd just laughed it off and said it happens. He twirled the red-head around the whole circle, keeping steady hands on him until he relaxed a bit. Riddle learned quickly that dancing is a lot more fun when one isn’t so tense. He breathed in and out, and tilted his head up towards the sky. The calming evening air washed over him, and has much as he wished he could stare at the colors blending together above him, he felt the need to close his eyes and let his feet, and Floyd, move him.
Riddle could feel so much around him: the cold stone beneath his feet, the warmth from Floyd's hands on the small of his back and in his palm. He could smell the food stalls set up around the pathways and hear the crickets come to life with the night just underneath the rhythm of the music. But most of all, Riddle could hear his heartbeat, slow down with tranquility whenever he forgot just where he was in the middle of dancing, yet speed up whenever he focused a little too hard on the heat of the mer he was dancing with.
He could’ve been dancing for hours, or maybe just a few minutes, Riddle wasn’t entirely sure. All he knows is the music stopped suddenly, right as he and Floyd were pressed up against each other, and Riddle couldn’t tell if this was the closest they had been the entire time, or if this was how it had looked to all other onlookers. He looked deep in the mer’s eyes, different colors staring back at him. How easy would it be to just–
“To the docks!” Someone called out, shocking both Floyd and Riddle out of a stupor.
Floyd blinked a few times, Riddle nearly about to apologize, for what he didn’t even know, when Floyd grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the crowd. “Come with me Goldfishie, I got a surprise for you!”
Riddle could hear the pounding of hoofs behind him, reminding himself that Vorpal was close behind, Leo had since moved from Riddle's shoulder to Floyd's, deciding that was the safer one to curl on top of while they were dancing. Floyd dragged them all the way down the cobblestone path, Riddle seeing less and less people on their way, until they were standing at a small wooden dock and a tiny wooden canoe just below it.
Floyd slowly helped Riddle into the canoe, before jumping in himself. In it sat a small brown sack, tied with a little red ribbon. Before Floyd untied the rope tethering the canoe to the doc, he undid the top of the sack and threw it on the dock, letting bright red apples spill out. “Vorpal, those are for you!” He called out, undoing the rope at the same time and using the ores to push it out into the sea.
“Floyd, where are we going?”
The mer chuckled a little, before placing Leo on the edge of the boat. “Best day of your life? Thought you should get a nice view.”
Riddle smiled at the man in front of him, the one who supposedly only ever did things for himself. “Is this what you ran off to prepare when I was at the library?”
Floyd scratched the back of his neck and Riddle could have sworn he saw a blush, but there just wasn’t enough life to prove it. “Well, I mean I had to do it at some point. And I’m so used to seeing this thing from the water anyway, figured you’d enjoy it too.”
That’s right. Riddle had realized that Floyd was a mer, he told him as much. It was hard to forget that with how often the guy liked to show off his too-sharp teeth. But then, that begged the question…”Floyd, how do you know how to row this boat?”
“Hm, oh! We went to this, like, land training thing in the Sunshine Lands back when we first came up.” Riddle assumed the ‘we’ was Floyd, Jade, and Azul. “They had us learn how to row so we could learn how to cross water like a human and not just like a mer. I still prefer swimming, but you can’t stay in this bay at night without getting freezing cold, so.”
The thought was surprisingly sweet. Even though Floyd preferred viewing the Fae-lights from the water, in his mer form, he went out of his way to set up a canoe ride. Floyd stopped rowing once they got a good distance from the shore and dock, sitting alone in the night, a beautiful, bright full moon being the only real light they could see.
“You alright Goldfishie?”
“I’m terrified.” Riddle admitted. “For years I’ve been staring out a window dreaming of what this moment would be like. What if it’s not everything I thought it would be?”
“It will be.”
“That’s the worst part: what if it is? What then?”
Floyd gave him a small smile, something far more genuine than he had seen the eel do before. “That’s the good part, I guess. You get to find a new dream.” The red-head settled down at those words, matching the small smile Floyd had given.
Riddle dragged his hands through the water, watching the stillness ripple before going back to standing water. That’s when he saw it: the first light. It was small, a beautiful red color glowing back at Riddle through the reflection of the water. He stood up quickly, running to the edge of the canoe, rocking the whole thing back and forth, shocking both Leo and Floyd. The light was in the shape of a rose, something that wasn’t quite discernible from the water, the delicate shape rising higher and higher in the sky.
Fae-lights are something Riddle only knew about conceptually. They are controlled air sprites with massive amounts of magic channeled through them. That is why they are “Fae-Lights”, only Fae can actually create them. Soon, the whole town filled with it, Fae-Lights surrounding the castle in all sorts of colors and shapes, wrapping the capital in beautiful rainbows.
The Fae-Lights swirled all around, all coming closer and closer to the water. They started to lose altitude, the wind bringing them over to the water. Floyd was right, this was an amazing view.
This wasn’t just an amazing view though, this was everything he had wished for since he was eight years old. This was the journey of stepping out of his tower for the first time in years, leaving the alcove for the first time ever. This was going to the Snuggling Duckling, being chased by knights and escaping a flood. This was reuniting with Trey and meeting Cater, Ace, and Deuce. This was proving his mother ,and everything she told him about himself, wrong.
This was about meeting Floyd. This was someone taking him away from where he was trapped his entire life, showing Riddle just what the world had to offer. This was being able to tell someone things he never even had the opportunity to tell anyone else. Riddle couldn’t imagine sharing this moment with anyone else, but Floyd. He’d met so many people since he left the tower, but only Floyd is who he’d want to share this moment with.
He looked at Floyd, and for whatever reason, the mer was already looking at him. It was almost as if he never took his eyes off Riddle in the first place. He looked at him with such sweet eyes, an expression he never thought someone would look at him. He should tell him, tell Floyd about the conversation with his mother yesterday. He was so scared before, terrified to tell the truth. Riddle couldn’t quite explain why it was different now.
“Floyd.” Riddle called out to get the man's attention, before reaching into his bag and pulling out the Fae-finder his mother had given him. “Here, take this.”
Floyd raised a brow at the object. “What is it?”
“Something from my home. My…mother gave it to me yesterday.”
“Yesterday? But–” The mer sat up straight upon hearing mention of his mom. Riddle knew a million thoughts had to be going through his head, so he tried his best to quell them.
“She found us. And she did try to take me home, but I refused to go. So, she gave me this. You said you were looking for something valuable and…fun.” Riddle dropped the Fae-finder into the canoe, watching as it rolled between them.
Floyd stayed silent for a moment as Riddle sat back down, staring at him awaiting an answer. Soon enough, Floyd lightly kicked the object in Riddle’s direction. “You’re definitely a valuable Goldfishie, and plenty of fun for me. So, I think I’ll stick around a little while longer, if you’re cool with that.”
Riddle’s cheeks hurt with how hard he was smiling, “Yeah, I’m alright with that.”
The wispy lights shimmered around them, bringing Floyd and Riddle ever-so closer together. Many times throughout this journey, Riddle had wondered exactly what had been going through Floyd’s head, what could the eel possibly be thinking. He was pretty sure he knew what Floyd was thinking of now though, with the way heterochromatic eyes kept flicking to Riddle's lips, and the red-head had a very similar thought in his own mind. If he could just lean a little closer…
But nothing happened. Floyd didn’t lean the rest of the way, his hand stiffening on Riddles shoulder. The mage leaned back, looking at Floyd who seemed to be in a far-off daze. “Is…everything alright?” Riddle turned his head in the direction that Floyd was looking, but he didn’t see anything.
“Everything is fine…just.” Then, Floyd grabbed the ores. He quickly rowed them back to the shore, but not by the dock they had come from. Instead, it was near the forest, brush and thicket surrounding them. Floyd let the canoe be pushed up onto the sand before jumping out. “Everything is fine, I’ll just be a sec.” He yet again pushed the Fae-finder towards Riddle, “Hold onto that, yeah?”
Riddle placed the object back into his bag as he watched Floyd’s silhouette disappear beyond the rocks. Leo climbed onto Riddle's lap, squeaking lightly. “It’ll be alright Leo, he’ll be back.”
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“There you two are!”
Floyd had seen the two men he had attempted to rob the castle with standing on the shoreline, holding a green lantern. He couldn’t actually remember their names, but that didn’t matter. He had someone to get back to right now which meant these two had to be dealt with first. He was willing to go the pacifist route for now, but if he had to knock some teeth in, he wouldn’t hesitate. Anything to get back to Goldfishie and get that kiss. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you two!”
They didn’t say anything, just stood by the rocks and kept sharpening their knives. Menacing. Well whatever, he knew these two were nothing but common idiots. “Look, I know I left ya high and dry, which is my bad. I can get ya some free dinners at the Snuggly Duckling, yeah? Or even the Mostro Lounge, that fancy place in the Sunshine Lands? I know you’ve heard of it. Just meet me tomorrow so we can talk about it, I’ll get ya hooked up–”
“You really think an apology will cut it? We were nearly thrown in jail for your ass.”
“Well, it was also free food–”
“And now you’re holding out on us again.” Floyd narrowed his eyes at the man. What did he mean by that? “We know the one your hangin’ out with. Got loads of magic, including some powerful healing spells, on-par with high ranking Fae. I wonder what someone will pay for that.”
“Hey!” Floyd was furious. Somehow these sleeze-bags found out about Riddle and were trying to threaten him. “Nuh uh, you don’t get away with that. If you so much as put a hand on his head–”
Floyd felt something big and hard hit his head, then all he saw was black.
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“Oh, thank seven, I thought you ran away.”
Riddle had been waiting in the canoe with Leo for some time, watching the remaining Fae-Lights from afar. He was getting really worried for Floyd, until that is, he saw a silhouette approaching. He thought it was Floyd’s, it was clearly a tall man. Not many other tall men are just, walking around the forest.
Then the silhouette spoke, and split into two. “He did.”
“What?”
“You know that Leech.” The men came closer, and Riddle recognized them from the dam. “Always off to the next entertaining thing.” The one closest to Riddle pointed at another silhouette, this time one on the water. There he could see Floyd going back towards the city, alone.
“No…”
“He said we could find ya here tho. Told us all about your real special magic. Didn’t care what happened to you, just said to ‘have some fun’.” The man smiled sharply, his teeth pointy, not as sharp as Floyd’s but definitely enough to be scary.
Riddle acted before he could think, grabbing his bag and Leo and jumping out of the Canoe. He ran as fast as he could, into the forest, thinking of any quick spells he could cast before the men caught him. Leo wasn’t secure though, and fell from Riddle's arms, squeaking loudly. “No, Leo!”
For whatever reason, no spells came to Riddle's mind, even as the men got close because of the hedgehog's fall. His mind was blank, sad and desperate from the betrayal, and terrified because of his current attackers.
Just before the two large men could reach Riddle, a loud sound rang out, followed by a small beam of light. Both men came collapsing at Riddle's feet. This was his mothers magic.
“Mother?”
“Oh my precious Rose! There you are, are you alright?” Riddle’s mother quickly grabbed his forearms, hoisting him up into a bone crushing hug. “Did they hurt you?”
“Mother…how did you…?”
She pushed back at his shoulders to look Riddle in the face, moving a bit of his hair as she did so. “I was worried, my dear. I was so worried, so I followed you. Then I saw these two men attack you and I–oh!” She crushed Riddle into another hug, before grabbing his wrists and pulling him towards the forest. “Let's hurry, before they come too.”
“Mother, wait–” Riddle kept his feet planted so he wouldn’t move with her. She gave a questioning look but didn’t try to keep pulling. He tried to gather his thoughts, tried to make sense of what happened. Of why Floyd would just leave.
“You were right Mother, you were right about everything,” was all that could come out, just before the tears came flowing down his cheeks.
“I know my rose, I know.”