Colette gasped as Manon fell into the tree, seemingly being pulled inside by some unseen force. She had seen people in the game step inside willingly, but she could have sworn it appeared that the brunette child was yanked.
"I will go next- I need to make sure she's alright." Colette said immediately, moving towards the tree. But Antoni stopped her, his arm blocking her path.
"Let us wait just a moment." He said softly, his head tilted as if he were listening for something. He didn't look that concerned and neither did Remy, who was busy finishing off the apple still.
Colette wanted to protest, huffing exasperatedly. But stood still, lending her ear near the tree just as Antoni was doing. The boy stared indirectly at her, gold eyes unfocused as he concentrated on just one of his senses.
"....tte!"
".....kay!"
"What?" Colette blinked, not aware this was even possible- to hear someone who was inside the orchard. All three remaining children leaned closer to the entrance in the tree trunk. Then they heard it again.
"Colette! I'm okay!.....Come in!" It was Manon. That was all the confirmation the ginger needed. She lightly bowed her head to Antoni, the Prince removing his arm with a curt nod, allowing her to continue. Colette gathered her skirts and shimmied through the tight space, entering the tree trunk.
…
Unlike what was expected, there was no fall or drop. Colette even stumbled as she had been anticipating one. But her foot had instead landed on firm ground. Dirt. Everything around her was pitch black darkness, and she could only distinguish the ground as dirt by the way her foot slid against it. Not too soft, but soft enough to dig in. It smelled...damp and sweet.
After a little stomp test, the young girl righted herself and began to walk cautiously, following the soft sounds of…water?
Why did it sound like water?
Colette could not tell exactly when, but very suddenly, she was blinded by pure sunlight, her hands coming up to shield her sensitive eyes from the rays. It was so abrupt she gasped, freezing in her tracks.
Her eyes slowly adjusted, taking in her new surroundings while copper eyelashes blinked away the layer of tears her eyes formed to protect her. She saw the sky first. A pure pale blue, reflecting back at her the color of her own eyes. Then her gaze lowered steadily. Her awareness zoomed outward, noticing leaves of a tree she was standing under, shading her from the sun in most places but the beams seeming to break through on her face and parts of her skin. The sensation of this felt warm and soft on half her left her cheek despite the harsh light on her eyes.
The tree. It was the same pink lady tree she had entered after Manon.
Then she finally looked downward, seeing the soft grass her feet were standing in, longer than the grass in the field earlier, brushing her ankles and a brilliant shade of green.
She was on something that looked like a small island, a circular piece of land with a radius no larger than 15 feet, the pink lady entrance planted in the center like the centerpiece of a luxurious resort courtyard. Water flowed around the island courtyard like a lazy river, navigating through, around, underneath and over the thick, enormous roots of the apple tree centerpiece. The roots went all the way around, 360 degrees, clusters of them creating bridges that allowed for someone to escape the center island.
Then she finally saw it. In 4 different directions, endless miles and miles of Apple trees in rows and rows on either side of their directional trails- the space in between a densely packed forest of untended but somehow thriving apple trees. Colette whipped around several times, taking in the ridiculously beautiful orchard. It was indeed a fitting gift to beg for forgiveness.
Finally, Colette noticed Manon, who was standing close to the tree staring up into the branches. She noticed that this pink lady now had many fruits, all different kinds of colors- even unnatural ones. Reds, blues, yellows, a shade of pink she was not aware was natural either. Manon looked at Colette then, a glimmer of awe in her brown right eye.
"This is amazing…."
….
The Prince and Remy went through the tree one by one, eyes shining with the same awestruck expression as the girls as soon as they witnessed the orchard's beauty.
"This is….far more beautiful than any records foretold." Antoni muttered, golden eyes lost in the serenity of his surroundings. Remy for once, didn't speak- his usual lopsided smirk missing as he stared up at the center tree with the sky as its backdrop. The air was crisp and smelled tart and sweet, like every gulp of air was another bite of the world's tastiest red fruit.
Still, Antoni was the first to snap out of his stupor, refocusing on his goal, though he gave credit where credit was due.
"Miss Colette, you've earned my respect. I give my thanks for leading me here." He said to the ginger girl, giving her a look of approval and the first genuine smile he had ever directed at her. "If you assist in helping me find the golden apple sapling, I will allow you to keep whatever items you find here, and reward you handsomely. This goes for you all."
Colette felt the tension in her shoulders ease as she checked Antoni's AP and true intent.
[Antoni feels a certain amount of appreciation for Colette. He intends to repay this debt. AP: 12]
Brilliant, Colette thought. At this rate she could possibly get Antoni to 30 AP by the time the mission was over. She nodded at Manon as Antoni and Remy began navigating which root bridge to use in order to begin entering the rows of the orchard. Antoni had one foot on a root when he glanced at Manon and back at Colette, Remy already walking away.
"Miss Colette, come" He held out his hand both to beckon her over and to help her stand on the root. "As I promised, we will leave your companion here to keep watch." Remy snorted nearby, already hopping off the root bridge.
"Ah, the irony of the girl with an eyepatch 'keeping watch' tickles me." He laughed, arms leisurely folded behind his head as he walked towards one of the four entrances to the rows of trees. Manon looked as if she wanted to strangle Remy, even from a significant distance, whilst Colette rolled her eyes, but she did walk over and take the Prince's hand to step up.
"Thank you, your highness. Remy, please stop bothering Manon. She has done nothing to you." Colette urged, making Remy hold his hands up in surrender. The ginger looked back at Manon before proceeding further.
"We have to leave within 2 hours- when the sun first touches the tops of the trees on the west entrance, the portal will close." Colette pointed in the opposite direction. "If we are not back before then, you MUST leave. You cannot afford to be late returning. Remy and I will be fine." Colette said the last part a bit quieter so Remy couldn't hear, but the prince stared between the girls, expression blank.
Manon nodded, a heavy sigh on her chest. She still could not reply with Antoni's eyes on her. Just to give Colette extra reassurance she understood, the brunette child gave her a double thumbs up as well. This made her friend smile and wave before turning and walking away with the two boys.
….
…
….
Colette walked slightly behind Remy through the East row of the orchard whilst Antoni walked beside her, eyes scanning her. She was reminded of him doing a similar thing when they were in the botanical shop earlier. He had never done this in the game, but she presumed it was just a one off thing, as she and Antoni had met earlier than expected. But the way he was staring at her was…odd. As if he had seen her before. They walked in silence, the East promising to be the correct direction to find the gold sapling as far as Colette remembered.
"Your highness, you'll stare a hole through her pretty little face." Remy mused, an eyebrow raised as he glanced behind at them. The prince chuckled, tearing his eyes away briefly. As they walked, they passed trees that were…well…not similar. Each one was a different apple. Granny Smith, Gala, and some unknown varieties as well.
"My apologies, Miss Colette. You just look….a lot like someone I was told of." Antoni said. Colette tried not to let herself grow restless, keeping her expression neutral as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before removing it again. She couldn't even bite her nails with her gloves on.
"Oh? This is the first time I've heard that…" She responded. A safe sentence. Remy looked back again, skeptical. "I…don't remember much prior to coming to the orphanage a few days ago." She said. Antoni gazed at her silently.
Just as he looked as if he were going to say something else, Remy stopped in his tracks, startling Colette and making Antoni pause.
"Wait." He said, voice softer than usual. He looked around, left and right, the path they had come from, where they couldn't even see the center tree where Manon was waiting anymore. Neither the redhead nor the prince knew what they were waiting for, until they simultaneously realized it.
It was…quiet.
Too quiet.
In their current surroundings, one would think you could still hear the water, or wind blowing through trees, chirps of bugs and birds, etc…
But no, there was…nothing.
Colette held her breath, the details of the inside of the orchard a bit hazier as the hardest part was usually entry. Maybe things were so different because 4 people came through? she wasn't sure. But she did find the eerie silence similar to a liminal space, the feeling odd and disturbing.
The only sounds were their breathing and footsteps as they shifted around in place. Antoni sighed through his nose.
"Let's proceed with caution. But we cannot stop until we find the sapling." Colette nodded in agreement. She never noticed this situation before, but it didn't change anything about the mission at hand. She absolutely had to gain those points with Prince Antoni. Remy smiled.
"I think we shouldn't leave Mammoth alone. I'll go back just to make sure she is safe. The silence is a little too unsettling." The boy decided, turning and walking back in the direction they'd come from. Antoni looked very conflicted, as did Colette.
"I don't believe that is necessary…" The prince began.
"Yes, Manon is near the exit so she should be okay-" Colette chimed in, but Remy shook his head.
"We used her as a guinea pig so I feel bad. I have a bad feeling about this, so I'll just go make sure nothing weird happened. Don't worry, your highness. You're in good hands with just Colette." The grey haired boy smiled widely. Antoni looked exasperated, but he did not have the time to argue.
"Fine. Stay in the center courtyard. We will return as quickly as possible." Antoni waved him off. Colette stared after him, peering above his head.
[Remy is glad Manon is such a useful tool. He intends to separate and force the girl to help him find the concubine's gift box for himself.]
By the time she could even think about how to stop the boy, he was already too far to chase without arousing suspicion. Colette had to watch Remy depart from them, hoping and praying Manon would be fine alone with the wild boy.
….
…
….
Manon laid on the grass of the centerpiece island in the courtyard. The sounds of water were soothing to her ears as they splashed, trickled, and flowed against and through the thick roots surrounding the tree.
She wasn't angry about being left behind, as it was relaxing. The fallen apples on the grass weren't bruised for some reason and she had already eaten 3 pink lady treats she found. In fact, this was probably the most peace she had ever had since being transported into this game. she just loved it.
That was, until about 10 minutes in.
Slowly, Manon noticed her surroundings quieting down.
The sound of water lessened, slowly at first so she just assumed the wind was adjusting to another speed. But then…she realized…
There was no wind.
The fact made her freeze, dropping the apple core between her fingers. The eaten fruit hit the grass with a soft thump, but it was so quiet. Too quiet. And the more she realized it, the worse it got.
The water sounds all but came to a stop, and when they did, Manon sat up a bit, supported by her hands as she looked around for a reason behind the occurrence.
Sure enough, the water had stopped.
Stopped moving.
What was once a lazy river current, not violent but still clearly moving, was now completely still.
The water, the trees, the wind, everything. Nothing. Nothing moved.
Manon's breath was now the loudest thing as she swallowed.
She felt the tight sprinkle of fear gnaw at the back of her neck, hairs standing up.
Her immediate reaction, was distraction. Manon crawled over to another apple, pink lady again. She took a bite, the crunch sounding as if it were amplified on a microphone due to how much it disturbed the pure silence. She was uncomfortable. She no longer wanted to look around, no longer wanted to move or even think about what entity may be in here with her as she chewed on the apple's flesh.
It was sweet and juicy. Juicier than the other apples she had eaten here. So juicy it was running down her black gloves, the fabric soaking up the sugary liquid.
Wait…
Manon froze, taking in the texture of the apple in her mouth. It was…soft…like tiny, squishy, rice-sized pieces of fruit flesh.
Manon looked down at the apple in her hand, fear welling in the pit of her stomach as she saw what she had bitten into.
It appeared to be a regular pink lady apple, but the hue of pink was…odd. And instead of the normal off-white and solid, crispy flesh of an apple, this flesh was like millions of tiny grain sized pieces of pink pulp, glistening and reflecting in Manon's brown eye.
She felt disgust, shock, and fear, all masking the feeling of her consciousness slipping away.
The brunette child's head swayed as she fell back, the strange pink apple slipping from her fingers and rolling away, disappearing into the now eerily stagnant river.