Heartful || Heartless Sequel/Fanfiction ||

Ch.8 || Remembering Fools

The cluttered stars that shined above them reflected onto the smooth center of the bells with an utmost beauty. Crow felt inclined into smiling when he forced it still on his head, pretending as if he were not the Crown Prince but a boy without limitations or responsibilities. For all the capes and jewels he had received throughout his lifetime none felt as wonderful as this. It withheld a sense of freedom to be someone he was not and that maybe in another life beyond the stone walls of this castle, beyond the Dark Forest of Hearts, or maybe even beyond the deep lands of Spades, he was just a boy.

When the sudden snap of a twig brought him back into reality, Crow realized Hatta had been watching him for sometime, staring, waiting. The flesh on his bones felt a blushing warmth as he pondered for how long he had dozed off and looked like an idiot in front of the man. "Thank you," was all Crow could manage.

Hatta snapped another twig and set himself into climbing down the bark.

"Did you make it yourself?" Crow asked, admiring the way the fabric of the three-pointed hat felt against his skin.

Hatta dusted bits of wood off his coat before meeting Crow's gaze again. "Most of it, yes. But 'tis truly the wearer of the crown which completes it." He smiled.

A twisted, bitter expression of sadness passed by Crow's face at the mention of the word 'Crown'. He quickly took to masking it before Hatta could notice. He then said, "Was it someone else's?" He took the hat from where it sat. "I don't mean to sound rude, but it does look a bit old. If it weren't for the golden bells I presume." Looking past the grime, Crow thought the hat had its own antique beauty. He thought on asking Hatta if it held any story onto it perhaps whose it originally was or why it was made.

"Why?" Hatta tucked his hands behind his back. "Does the prince have need of more fine things?" He replied with a harsh tone almost insulted that Crow dared ask.

"No-No," he laughed nervously. "Just curious that's all." He traced his finger on the exquisite threading finding it to be in better shape than he had thought. Despite the dim glow from the moon he could tell the hatter had attempted to blind whatever past state it had been in.

"Does it remind you of anyone?"

Crow twisted his lips into a corner in deep thought. Was it supposed to remind him of anyone? He didn't know many people with three-pointed hats other than court fools. "A jester?" He made the words appear like a question as if unsure of anything more obvious. The hatter pouted his lips and nodded in disappointment of his answer.

When the shadow of failure cast away from his eyes he retreated to grinning, bouncing on his feet. "A jester." he echoed regardless of how depressing the words sounded when they rolled off his tongue.

They heard a bird caw not so far away before it's wings emitted a lengthy silhouette that sent a shiver down Crow's spine. Raven was already posted on the red-rose tree when Crow met his glossy eyes, hardly visible. "In visions of the dark night, I have dreamed of joy departed," the bird's low voice said, "But a waking dream of life and light, hath left me broken-hearted." he rhymed.

"Not so glad on seeing me again, Raven." Hatta teased making Crow's head snap towards his direction surprised Hatta was familiar with his mother's headsman. "It has been a while. Hasn't it?" The hatter grinned wickedly. "Why is it you have not visited your old friend in so long? Has Catherine forbidden that too?"

Crow's eyes were wide at the mention of his mother's name. He took a glance at Raven whose gaze remained on Hatta with narrowed eyes. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again in his poetic words.

"Thy soul shall find itself alone. 'Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone." Was all Raven said before turning to Crow not bothering to wait for Hatta's response. "To him whose eyes are cast, on things around him with a ray. Turned back upon the past?" Crow crinkled his nose. He knew how much Crow hated his riddling words.

"If you're going to speak to me in your twisted tongue at least make some sense of it, Raven. I don't know what you mean." Crow muttered shaking his head.

"Take this kiss upon the brow. And in parting from you now-"

"Oh stop it!" shouted Hatta in a haste. "All this rhyming and such-If you are here not to apologize then I suggest you leave." No one had ever talked to Raven like that before, with such rudeness yet it remained plausible Hatta talked to everyone in what he considered his own politeness. "Leave us be." he nodded harshly.

Crow swallowed when he felt Raven's claws tighten on the wood so hard he could feel it in his skin. "You should leave Rav-"

"Nevermore." Raven cut Crow short. How dare he? Just because he was his mother's headsman meant he had no power over him. Crow wished he could have commanded the old bird away. Always pestering him about what to do, about what was wrong and what was right. Yet the words wouldn't budge when he wanted them to come out. "Return to thy chambers. Not one, of all the crowd, to pry into thine hour of secrecy."

"What?!" He attempted to cover the rage from his tone but it appeared useless when he spoke. "No!" Crow's pulse thundered. "You can't just tell me what-"

"Nevermore." he repeated, this time more severely.

Crow felt his face grow red and the pounding in his heart vibrated in his ears. He breathed, twisting his fingers into a fist. He swallowed hard as he turned away. He knew it was rude to leave without saying goodbye to Hatta. Without saying thank you one last time before he disappeared forever. But he was afraid if he didn't leave now he might cause too much of a scene and say things he might later regret. It was hard to let go of the silken fabric of the hat as he stomped away from the gardens and into the empty halls. He held it tightly to his chest begging for a reason not to scream.