Chapter Text
꠶⭛𐩲
The northern morning rays hit his face without warning through his thin tent. It woke Snufkin up instantly. The second he felt it, he knew it was soon to be summer. It’s calling was strong in the wind.
He got up and did his routine. Get dressed, clean, fish, eat, clean, sleep, wake up, repeat. At least, that’s what he planned on doing.
“Good morning, Snufkin!” The prince on his doorstep said, waving his soft paw at him.
Alright, he wanted to rob them, but not that much.
“Moomintroll,” the mumrik regarded sleepily, gutting a fish with his pocket knife. Despite his most likely sheltered lifestyle, the moomin didn’t shy away. “What brings you to my abode?”
The boy scratched behind his head, his ears going back and his expression embarrassed. “Well, my friends and I were wondering if you would, perhaps, enjoy going on a journey with us around the valley.”
“And do what, exactly?” Snufkin’s voice had a soft lift to it, like he was genuinely intrigued. He couldn’t tell if he actually was. He threw the gutted fish into his boiling pot, shoving the bones aside.
“One of our friends had a batch of clothes out for a wash, but because of the harsh winds last night, they blew around everywhere. She asked if we could help her find them since she was busy, so we agreed. I also thought it was a good idea for you to see the rest of the valley!”
Snufkin stirred his stew, adding in his favorite spices and vegetables after a while. He then let it sit.
He thought, for a moment, about Moomintroll. He had met him only a few days ago. Despite his friendly demeanor, however, the boy always gave him space. It was weird, sometimes, to smell him in the strong winds and expect him to break through the forest to bother him just to see him never come by. Odd creatures in this valley, he had to admit.
But he also knew he had to get on Moomintroll’s good side if he ever wanted an in on that castle. He would need a tour of it, which he knew he would get if the two got closer. So, he couldn’t exactly say no.
“Why don’t you join me for lunch? It will help us feel refreshed on our walk along the valley.”
Moomintroll gave a small bounce as he sat on the ground near Snufkin- enough space to let him breathe, but not so much that the troll seemed cold. “Splendid! Is it carrot and fish soup?”
Snufkin gave him a small smile, barely large enough to leave a dent. “Of course.”
They ate quickly once the fish was cooked to perfection. Moomintroll took the meat surprisingly well to Snufkin. He had expected him to take it out due to his soft nature, but he just continued eating. Interesting, maybe he was an omnivore.
When they finished, Moomintroll helped Snufkin clean the bowls despite his complaints, and they set off. The forest was dense and thick with light and green colors. It was gorgeous- Snufkin would never get over it- and the noises of the birds and Creeps were immersive. If he closed his eyes and stayed ever so still, he could be anywhere in the world. He could breathe the air of the south of travel atop the highest northern mountains.
But mumriks were never very good at staying still, so Snufkin continued onward, the fuzzy troll ahead of him.
They passed wild vines and poking branches, the spring bugs relishing in the new heat buzzing past their ears. After a while, they passed the trees and made their way to the bridge Snufkin had only seen a few times. There was just one railing- to the mumrik’s left- and the spot looked perfect for fishing. It was honestly too bad that he would be there for just a moment.
On the aforementioned bridge was the pair he had seen with Moomintroll a week ago. The short one was on the ground, unlike last time, and her paw was tapping impatiently. The other fuzzy troll- depending on the fuzzier tail, shorter stature, and blonde hair, she was a snork- was twirling a deep purple flower between her paws. When she noticed Moomintroll and Snufkin, she bounced.
“Moomintroll, you’re back!” She beamed, the small girl next to her taking notice. The Snork turned to Snufkin, putting the flower back in her hair and bringing her paw out. “I’m Snorkmaiden! What’s your name?”
He gave her a warm smile and shook her paw. “Snufkin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The short girl hopped between the two, slapping their paws away. Before the two could react, she huffed up her chest and stuck a thumb to it. “Name ’s Little My. And just so you know, I bite.”
Snufkin rubbed his paw, letting out a tense laugh. “Delightful.” She could definitely be a handful.
“Oh, back off, Little My!” Snorkmaiden picked the girl up by her midriff, slinging her onto her shoulder like she was a seat. “We’ve just met him, threaten him after you’ve got to know him.”
“Waste of time, why not just go off with a heavy start?!”
Moomintroll piqued up, “You would think you’d know after living for so long.”
“You make me sound so wrinkly.” Little My pulled at her skin, pushing it around for a bit of a laugh. It brought a smile to Snufkin and Moomintroll, while Snorkmaiden had snorted.
The prince clapped his paws together, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “Now, why don’t we get started?”
“Yeah, let’s steal from the wind!” The mymble pumped up a fist, kicking Snorkmaiden’s chest lightly. “Giddyup, horse!”
“Horse?” She said, slightly offended, but she still turned past the bridge and walked on. Snufkin and the prince walked behind them.
“Duh, you look just like one! With your nose and all.”
The Snork grabbed her nose, rubbing it self consciously.
Snufkin and Moomintroll stayed quietly behind them, enjoying the sounds of the outdoors and the soon approaching town. That is, until the troll spoke.
“How are you today, Snufkin?” The way he said his name was awkward to listen to. Not necessarily a bad awkward, more like a hopeful awkward. It was hard to describe, especially since he didn’t have the widest vocabulary. Anyway, the way Moomintroll said his name was soft. As soft as his paw? Maybe, maybe not, but it was quite easy to see the care he put into saying it.
“I would say well, the weather is nice. Though, it feels like something is in the air.” He had his arms behind his back, folded against each other, and he squeezed his wrist.
Moomintroll waved him off. “I wouldn’t take note of that. Something’s always happening in Moominvalley.”
Snufkin looked around the town, looking at the people buying and selling, hanging out with friends. “So it seems.”
Snorkmaiden stopped in front of them, and, before he could get tripped up, he stopped. Moomintroll walked right into her back, letting out an oof while Little My let out an annoyed hiss.
Moomintroll rubbed his snout, letting out a grumbled, “Why’d you stop?”
Snorkmaiden brought her paw up, pointing to some woman wearing a sleeveless turtleneck despite the weather. “Isn’t that Too-Ticky’s?”
Snufkin’s breath hitched in disappointed annoyance. Please, for the love of Groke, don’t sing.
“Hey, it is!” Little My barked. She kicked Snorkmaiden again, “Onward!” The other girl reluctantly pushed forward, going to confront the woman.
Moomintroll turned to Snufkin, still rubbing his nose with a finger lightly. “Too-Ticky is the wife of the woman, Mymble Junior, we’re helping today. Junior and My are sisters.”
The mumrik nodded, taking a step toward the girls. “Shall we go see what they’re doing?”
The troll sat up straighter, flattening the fur on his chest. “Uh, yes, shall.”
Snufkin’s brow shot up with a smirk on his face. Okay then.
When the boy’s got there, Little My and the woman were bickering and Snorkmaiden had her paws up in a passive manner.
“Ma’am, pleas-”
“This is mine, fair and square! I found it and you have no right to take it!”
“Last time I checked, you didn’t pay for that, old hag, now give us back our friend’s sweater!”
“Little My, you are in no way helping-”
“Never in a million years would I give this warm thing up. This place is freezing twenty-four seven, and I have a right to be warm.”
Moomintroll stepped in, a soft look on his face- was everything about this boy soft? It was starting to get worrying how little he looked like a threat, hopefully getting in that castle would be easier than he thought. “Hello, Ms. Grumpy Fillyjonk. How are you today?”
“‘S in the name!”
Moomintroll smiled, “Of course. Now, I was wondering what the fuss was all about?”
The old woman grabbed at herself, huddling in close. “These two fiends are trying to steal from me!”
“Now, listen here-”
“My!”
“Excuse me, ma’am, but these are my friends. They mean no harm, we are just trying to help out a few friends of ours. Their clothes blew away last night and they asked us to fetch them. It seems like you found one, right?” He seemed so sweet, but Snufkin could hear the smallest amount of passive aggressiveness.
The woman shuffled her paws before nodding.
Snufkin felt his insides drop. This was what he wanted to stop, the weak and poor from being taken advantage of. His cheeks felt hot and he brought his paws into fists. His hidden tail fought itself in his waistband, wanting desperately to slash the air freely in anger.
The prince was just like any other, any other prince that would scowl at the poor and take things that they might need.
Snufkin might have heard the troll offer the old woman a new sweater, but he knew he wouldn’t deliver, that he would let her sit in the cold, afraid it might take her away in the middle of the night.
The mumrik closed his eyes and inhaled. He had to calm down, he couldn’t think about the woman like him. He had to be the friend of a rich boy. He had to bring his nose up at her, at least in front of someone like Moomintroll. He exhaled, and saw Little My giving him an odd side eye in his peripheral.
When he tuned back in, he saw the woman’s fuzzy tan coat and the sweater in Moomintroll’s paws.
“I promise to get you the best sweaters in the entire north, ma’am. I assure you you’ll be as warm as mama’s oven soon enough!” He gave her a thumbs up and a blinding smile.
The woman waved him off, as if she wasn’t frightened mere moments ago about her fate in the hands of a royal. “Whatever, brat. I just don’t want to see that one-” She pointed to Little My, who hissed over Snorkmaiden’s shoulder. “Near my house ever again.”
“Who said I wanted near you or your stinky house?”
“I’m throwing you in the river later in the hopes that the fish will teach you manners.” Snorkmaiden whispered to her.
“If I need a river, the old hag needs the sea.”
Snorkmaiden covered the girl’s mouth with her paw and gave the old woman a wave. “Thank you so much for your time, miss.”
She only gave the female snork a dismissive snort. When Moomintroll gave his goodbyes, she rolled her eyes and gave a small bow.
She never looked in Snufkin’s direction before entering her home.
They all walked off into the town once more, with the mumrik in the back and the trio ahead of him. He watched the villagers go about their days selling items and doing laundry and going out to have fun. No one looked at him. No one recognized the color of his smock or the way his hat bobbed on his head.
It would be refreshing if it wasn’t so foreign.
Instead, Snufkin stared ahead at the prince. His mouth was opened in a loud laugh and his ears were perked high in happiness.
He was weird. At first, at night, Snufkin liked to entertain the thought that he might be different. That he treated his subjects with kindness and loyalty. That his eyes weren’t just pools of blue but pools of acceptance.
Of course, he was wrong. Royals would always be cruel and heinous creatures that would only look out for themselves. Self preservation was the thing at the front of their brains at all times. If it wasn’t, could they even call themselves a royal?
With this in mind, Snufkin’s shoulders fell back into a relaxed slump and his brows went into a neutral position. That’s right, royals would always be the same, so there was no need to get insanely worked up over some stupid prince who was cruel to his subjects. It was normal- always had been and will be until the end of time.
Snufkin was just there to make the roles switch.
When the group found that no more clothes were in the town- excluding the sweater and a pair of lilac socks- they went into the woods. They were much more dense the closer you got to the mountains, and the group found most of the clothes wrapped around tree branches or soaked in puddles.
After a while, they decided to split up to cover more ground.
To figure out who would go with who, they played rock paper scissors and the winner determined the teams. Every single time they played, Little My won.
“C’mon, Moomintroll, give up already! I won all five rounds!”
“Best of 20,” He pushed.
Little My gave him a twisted smile, her eyebrows sinister. “You act like 20 will help you win.”
Moomintroll yelped and Snorkmaiden sighed. “Alright then, what’s the damage?”
“You’re with me, blonde cheese ball,” She smirked.
“Perfect, if I wasn’t sick of you already, I will be.” The snork put a paw on her hip, giving her a smirk of her own.
Little My could only give out a flustered, loud laugh.
Moomintroll shrugged, turning to Snufkin. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”
He smiled. “I don’t mind.” He minded.
The troll’s features lit up, his ears perked and his tail swishing around happily. “I’m glad.” Snufkin couldn’t tell if he was lying or not.
Suddenly, a soft paw was wrapped around his and he was softly tugged in the troll’s direction. “C’mon, let’s go get those rouge clothes!” He pumped a fist into the air with a determined glint in his eyes.
Snufkin quite figured he liked it.
Which was dangerous. Moomintroll was dangerous, in every manner, he was. However, Snufkin was once told he was fairly good at getting in and out of trouble, so Moomintroll wouldn’t be any different.
He would woo the boy into friendship, steal from him, give it to the people who deserved it most, and would then be gone into the wind.
He just couldn’t focus on the way their paws slot together like a finished puzzle.
“This way is very pretty, I’ve found,” Moomintroll said, searching the tree branches above for any clothes. “It has very vibrant mushrooms and the tree leaves are colorful this time of year.”
“Isn’t it always this colorful in forests?”
Moomintroll squeezed his paw gently and gave Snufkin the softest smile he’d ever seen. “Yes, but colors are always brighter when you’re with friends.”
Friends.
Huh. The troll was quite delusional.
Snufkin looked ahead with a blank face, not paying any mind to the boy’s expression. “I suppose.” Up ahead, Snufkin saw a lake. He thought nothing of it before he saw a glint of color in the water. “Moomintroll, look. I think there’s some clothes in the lake.” The mumrik rushed ahead, the troll being dragged along by their clasped paws.
When they reached the lake, they saw that there were indeed a good few clothes drenched in the lake. Moomintroll squeezed his paw again before letting go. Snufkin’s paw suddenly felt chilly.
“Good find, Snuf! These are a lot of their clothes. I wonder how so many of them got blown here?” Moomintroll was knee deep in the water, ringing out a blouse.
“What did you just call me?”
Moomintroll froze, slowly turning to the mumrik. “Um, Snuf? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked first. Do you not like it?” His ears were back and his tail looked painfully bent- it was stiff and barely moving.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Snufkin thought that Moomintroll might value his opinion. Which was stupid. He obviously didn’t.
The green covered boy crouched in the lake, looking at a pair of light blue pants before ringing them out. “No, I don’t mind,” he muttered, not looking up. “You can call me whatever.”
The boy turned flustered, his shoulders relaxing and letting out a stuttered, “Right.”
They continued on with their work, ringing out the clothes and throwing them onto the dry riverbank with ease. The sun was burning on their skin for so early into summer and, if he listened close enough, Snufkin could hear the troll’s heavy breathing.
“Do you need to take a break in shade? You do have a lot of fur on you.”
The troll shook his head, a pant fresh in his mouth. “No, I’m alright. Thank you, though.”
The air turned awkward, and if Snufkin was a more open person, he would have started to fidget. After a while, it was too hard standing next to the troll in silence- Snufkin was always the quiet type, but there was something about the troll that made you want to confide in him, which was why he was so tight lipped.
Snufkin dipped the dress he was currently ringing out back into the water, soaking it completely before he stood up and ringing it out above Moomintroll’s head.
He sputtered, completely taken off guard. “S-Snufkin?!”
“You need to cool down. Your winter coat still hasn’t gone completely, I can tell. You’ll pass out if you aren’t careful in this sun.” Snufkin rang the rest out, shaking it for good measure before he threw it to the bank. “Do you feel better now?”
Moomintroll blinked the rest of the water out of his eyes and nodded. “Yes, actually. That was quite nice. Thank you, Snufkin.”
He shook his head dismissively. “It’s no problem.” Besides, if he didn’t try his best to befriend the troll, he wouldn't have that perfect in he was hoping for.
Soon after, they had all the clothes drying on the bank. Moomintroll splashed water on his face, making sure he was cool after Snufkin’s stunt.
“We need to make sure these are dry enough for the trek back to the rest of the pile.” Snufkin said, paws resting on his hips.
The prince shook the excess water off his paws, walking up to the other. “Yeah, I agree. Do you want to sit in the shade?”
The mumrik nodded, making his way to sit under a tall tree. “Yes, it is quite hot.”
A muttered, “Oh, thank Groke,” came out of Moomintroll as he followed the shorter boy to the tree line. They sat down with a slump and a sigh. “Why don’t I tell you about the valley as we wait? I did promise.”
“Hm, yes, I suppose you did, didn’t you.”
He let out a laugh before he started speaking. “Okay, so, obviously, the kingdom is in Moominvalley. In the middle-ish is the castle and MoominHouse.”
“MoominHouse is the big blue pillar, right?”
“Yeah, it’s where me and my parents live. The big brick structure behind it is the castle portion. It has the great hall, the royal clinic, the dining room, and a bunch of bedrooms for the civilians to rest in if they want a change of scenery or need some place to stay for a bit.”
Snufkin nodded, watching Moomintroll talk with his paws. “Hm, alright.”
“Snork and Snorkmaiden live in the basement. Snork is kinda like our evil scientist, but he’s just more reclusive than evil. Little My lives with her mother in the town, The Mymble. She has a bunch of kids. I’m sure even the Groke fears her for her amount of children.”
Snufkin smiled. “Please, it can’t be that bad.”
Moomintroll looked at him with wide eyes. “She has 35 kids, Snuf.”
“35? That goes way over the normal average.”
The troll shrugged. “What can I say, she gets around! But one of her kids is Mymble Junior, and she and her wife live in the Lonely Mountains.”
“Oh, they’re the ones we’re helping out today, correct?”
Moomintroll hummed. “Yeah, they are. They’re really good friends with my family, so they’re basically, like, my sisters but also my cool aunts.”
“They sound like fun.”
“They are, trust me.” Moomintroll laughed as sweet as honey. “They also have a daughter named Ninny. She’s feisty but pretty sweet when you get to know her. She’s also an Other Hemulen, so that’s something that you can relate to.”
“On some level, yes.” He closed his eyes.
“Oh! There’s also Alicia. She’s a witch, but she’s super cool. If I could describe her in a few words, I’d say badass older sister.”
His eyebrow twitched. “Vulgar.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry, keep going.”
Moomintroll tapped his finger to his chin, thinking. “There’s Sniff, too. Excluding Ninny, he’s the youngest of us. He’s very greedy, but he’s just a kid, you know? He means well.”
Snufkin only let out a thoughtful hum. “Do you have anything else here?”
“We have the beach. There’s a dock for shipments, but if you go further down, you’ll see the old bathhouse. That’s Too-Ticky’s during the winter.”
Snufkin cocked his head, inquisitive. “Why during the winter?”
Moomintroll’s ears twitched in his direction. “Oh, she doesn’t hibernate. It’s also during this time of year that her, Junior, and Ninny go to the south for winter, which is why getting these clothes are so important. Junior doesn’t want to ruin the trip because they don’t have appropriate clothing, and she was too busy packing to get them herself.”
Snufkin’s eyelid twitched. “To… The south.”
“Yeah, they go wherever is colder, but they mostly stay here, at least for early spring and fall.” Moomintroll looked at him before his face fell. “Is that bad?”
“No, just interesting, is all.” Snufkin swallowed. If they went to the south, then they had to know of Robin Hood, there was no way they wouldn’t. But, they went during winter, everyone hibernated then. That didn’t make the possibility zero, though.
He couldn’t get caught because he was trying to play friendsies with a prince. He’d need to be careful near those three.
“When will they be leaving?”
“About a week from now, I think. They still need to get supplies they don’t already have and rent a boat out for the summer.”
Snufkin bit his lip. “Alright, thank you.” He stood up and brushed off the back of his tunic. “The clothes should be dry enough to take them back up the path now.”
Moomintroll nodded, shaking the dirt off himself before following Snufkin to the bank. They picked up a pretty equal amount and made their way back up the wooded hill. The sun would soon set and dusk would be upon them, so the pair hurried.
At the top, Snorkmaiden sat with a small blush adorning her cheeks and a sleepy Little My curled in her lap. The snork was carding her fingers through the mymble’s hair, which was out of its wild ponytail. Snufkin didn’t know if that was a normal occurrence or not.
“This sure is a sight.” Moomintroll said, grabbing a few more clothes to put in his arms. Snorkmaiden jumped, bringing Little My back into the world of the living.
“Well, look who's back. Dumb and dumbest.” Little My bit back.
“Who’s dumber?” Snorkmaiden asked.
“Sniff, but he’s not here right now.” She stretched, her back popping and her tail curled upwards. “Did you find everything?” She said as she was pulling her hair back into it’s tight knot.
“We believe so,” Snufkin piqued up.
“Even if it’s not, it’s getting dark and Junior needs these clothes as much as we need to get home.”
“Snorkmaiden, always the voice of reason.” Little My grabbed a bundle of clothes up to the tip of her head, and Snufkin grabbed a few off the top so she could see. “Thanks, short stack.”
Snufkin grabbed one more piece of clothing from their pile, leaving the rest to Snorkmaiden, who took it with no issue. “You have no room to say that, lil’ one.”
She tried chomping down on his knee, but he moved out of the way with expertise.
Snorkmaiden shuffled her clothes around in her arms. “Now, let’s head out!”
Moomintroll snickered. “Aye-aye, captain.”
As a group, they made their way deeper into the woods and up the Lonely Mountains. Snufkin had heard rumors growing up about the mountains. How travelers went missing and how there were cruel monsters lurking in the shadow of every rock and cave.
They made their way up without incident.
The cottage was small and painted a rich auburn color with pops of tan and blue strewn about. There were lonely clothing lines to it’s left and a shed to it’s right, but it didn’t look very used. Insides, lamps were lit and the smell of fresh pastries was wafting out of a window.
Snufkin wanted to leave.
Before he was able to lay the clothes down and throw himself off the cliff face, the door opened and a tall, slender redhead bounced out the door. Her face was flushed and a frilly dress chased after her. When she got close enough, Snufkin was able to see freckles coating her face and a small gap between her front two teeth.
“Oh, thank Groke! You all made it here right in time. Too-Ticky is supposed to be here any minute, and I don’t want her to find out about the clothes.” She took a few out of Snorkmaiden’s paws before letting out a sigh.
“What happened to the clothes, lov’?”
Moomintroll screamed, whipping around in fright.
Junior put one of her paws on Moomintroll’s shoulder, giving her wife a worried chuckle. “Oh, nothing! Nothing happened, I promise.”
The Too-Ticky in front of him was nothing like what Snufkin saw on the boat. This one was much shorter, though still taller than Snufkin and Snorkmaiden. She was plump and had shoes nowhere to be found. She had a blissful smile on her face and a fishing rod on one shoulder.
“Oh, there’s no reason to fret, darlin. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Junior bit her lip and walked in front of Moomintroll just slightly. “The clothes I put out to dry last night blew away during the storm, so I asked the kids to fetch them for me before you came back home from your fishing trip.”
Too-Ticky blinked once, twice, before letting out a pleasant laugh and kissing her wife on the mouth. “You did nothing wrong, lov’, and you have nothin to hide from me. You’re still my pure dead brilliant Mymble.” Junior looked like she was about to melt, but both Little My and Snufkin looked like they were about to vomit. Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden were a hair’s breadth away from awing everyone to death.
Before anyone could combust, Little My broke them apart. “Yeah, yeah, you’re all mushy and in love. We get it. Now please take these clothes, Mymbs, my arms are exhausted.”
Junior brought her paw to her chest and let out an exclaimed, “Oh, of course. Sorry, Lil Mymbs.”
“You should be. My presence is a luxury few can afford.”
The four of them brought the clothes inside to be cleaned up by Junior once again. This time around, however, she would keep a closer eye on them.
Snufkin let out a sigh as Too-Ticky asked, “Are they stayin for dinner?”
What were with Too-Tickies and getting in his way?
“I can’t, actually. I’ve got to get back to my tent before it gets dark. I’ve already left it for too long and the Creeps really enjoy stealing belongings sometimes.” Moomintroll looked a bit put off by the news.
For the first time since they arrived, Junior looked like she finally noticed him. She looked him up and down and deep into his eyes before looking at his hat for just a tad too long. “Have we met before?”
Snufkin swallowed hard, “No, I don’t believe I have.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together, her mouth slightly agape. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive.” Snufkin whipped off his tunic before heading to the door. “Cheerio.”
“Ah!” Moomintroll said, his ears swirling to behind his head. “Wait, Snufkin!”
Snufkin turned to him, the door already opened and one foot already out. “Yes, Moomintroll?”
The prince swallowed before he said. “Stay safe out there. Don’t let the Groke nip.”
He blinked at the saying. It was mostly one used for children as a form of endearment. “The same to you, dear fellow.”
He closed the door and made his way down the mountain at a quick pace.
The mymbles were certain to be the death of him, and if not them, then his fate would definitely fall into the paws of Moomintroll.