Old Friends (Wirt x Reader)

Chapter 16

  You woke up to a bright light in your eyes. You glared at the leaves, wondering how they could let sun get to your eyes without illuminating much else. You sat up and stretched, sleeping against a tree wasn't the most comfortable.

You turned towards Wirt. He still slept, which astonished you, because, according to Greg, Wirt was very much an early morning person. You examined the sky through the spots in the trees, before deciding to wake him.

You poked him softly on the shoulder. "Hey, Wirt."

He didn't react, so you pushed a little harder. He gasped upon awakening, startling you.

"Hey," you smiled. "I thought we should start off."

"Yeah," he blinked himself awake. He looked exhausted, and you began to wonder how much sleep he had gotten.

You stood and brushed the leaves off of you; Wirt stood and did the same. You turned your head to look down the path. On you would go, deeper into the trees, closer to a hope of home. A home you weren't fully ready to return to.

"Have you heard of Willow's Rock?" you asked.

"No," Wirt replied simply.

"When we reach it, should we go east or west?"

"I guess we'll decide when we arrive."

You noticed that your notepad was no longer in your hands. You searched the ground with your eyes until spotting it a little ways away from where you had slept. You tried to grab it without Wirt noticing, but it was pretty obvious. He didn't say anything though.

"Shall we start walking?" you prompted, gesturing with your hands.

Wirt nodded and began walking; you followed in step behind him. Birds sang good morning high in the trees, crickets chirped their final goodbyes to the night, the breeze whispered through the trees, shaking loose dead leaves, and the sun made its way higher in the hidden sky. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was as it should be. You almost grinned in the serenity of the forest, but too much was gnawing at your subconscious.

A debate was arising in your mind. A silly debate because you knew on which side you should stand, but a debate none the less because the other side was appealing. You knew you had to go back home; it was simply the only logical choice. Family, friends, your whole life waited back home. The debate arose when the thought of staying merged into your thoughts. It was nice here; from what you had seen and heard, this place held many secrets, adventures, stories, and people. The thought of discovering them all enticed you. The thought of escaping reality was thrilling. Yet, you couldn't ignore the fact that you had to go home.

You sighed quietly. Why did these things have to come along and confuse you? Couldn't you just enjoy what was happening for what it was without all this other nonsense?

These thoughts kept brewing until Wirt stopped. You looked up from the trail. In front of you stood a large house, larger than any you'd been in. It didn't look run down, so someone must live there, you reasoned. A large garden and walkway full of fountains and shrubbery led up to the house. A metal fence wound around the building. You thought that silly since the house was so secluded. It seemed almost more decoration than protection upon looking closer.

"We'll go around," Wirt began.

"Wait," you noticed something.

Wirt followed your gaze. Beside the garden lay a large rock, covered in the roots of a tree. Upon closer inspection, the tree was a willow.

"Can that be right?" Wirt asked himself. "It's so inconspicuous."

"Must be," you shrugged. You looked back to the big house. "Hey, maybe someone here could tell us east or west."

"We could probably guess," Wirt suggested.

You looked at him inquiringly. "Wouldn't you rather be sure than head in the wrong direction?"

"We don't know who lives here," he crossed his arms. "They might not be friendly. They might not want to help us."

"We should try," you said. "The worst they can say is 'No.' That's what my dad says."

"I-" Wirt glared at the building and sighed. "I-" He couldn't seem to finish his sentence.

"Do you know this place?" you asked.

"I think so," he looked hesitantly at the building.

The memories must have been hard on him. After a little more than a year of recovering, he was thrust back into it all. You thought of the only person Wirt had described who had a house as big as such. Quincy Endicott.

"We don't have to-"

"No," he interrupted. "You're right. We need the directions."

"We'll make it quick, yeah?" you tried to smile at him.

He nodded solemnly, not taking his eyes off the house. You wanted to say something to reassure him, but what could you say? Instead you looked at the house alongside him and began walking towards the entrance. He followed behind you. You both paused a moment in front of the large gate. Before you could even knock a voice called behind you. Both of you turned to see a horse coming up the walkway.

"Hey," he greeted. "Have you been drinking Endicott brand tea?" His question was directed at Wirt. It hit you that this was probably Fred the horse.

"Uh, sure," Wirt answered quickly. "Hey, um we need some directions."

"Oh, I know lots of places, where are you trying to go?" he boasted.

"We're looking for the Woodsman. We were given directions to this point, but we're not sure if he's east or west from this point."

"The Woodsman, you say?" The horse thought a moment. "The name doesn't ring a bell. Maybe the Endicotts know."

"Oh- okay," Wirt hesitated.

"Come on."

The horse gestured with his head for you to follow as he nudged the gates open. You and Wirt followed him inside the gates and into the house. You thought it strange that a horse was allowed to walk inside the house, but you shrugged off; everything was strange here. You passed through many ornate hallways, filled with paintings.

Soon, the three of you reached a large room, where Fred the horse spoke to someone inside.

"You have visitors," he announced.

You squinted; across the room was an old man and woman. They stood and made their way across the room. As they neared, their features became very clear; they were just as Wirt had described. The man was smiling widely. Your stomach did a small flip in your gut; you'd seen the guy's tombstone.

"My dear nephew!" he exclaimed upon seeing Wirt. Wirt smiled weakly. The man shifted his gaze to you. "Who is this, then?"

"A friend," Wirt said, not making eye contact with the familiar old man.

"They need directions," Fred the horse spoke up. "Someone called the Woodsman."

"I know him," the woman said in her French accent.

"Yeah?" Wirt's face brightened.

"He is just east of here," she stated.

"That's great!" Wirt smiled genuinely. You could tell he longed to say more, but he said nothing else.

"We hate to run out, but we need to make good time to beat nightfall," you told the two.

"Very well," the man said. "I expect to see you around again soon."

"Sure," Wirt's smile was fading.

You all bid your farewells, and Fred the horse walked you two out.

"Remember the tea!" he called after the two of you as you headed east.

You glanced up at the sky; the sun was about at its zenith. You had the whole other half of the day to make your way to the Woodsman. You looked back at Wirt who had an unfamiliar expression on his face.

"You did well," you assured him. He glanced at you, but shifted his gaze back to the road ahead.

~~~A/N- Some of my plans changed in the middle of the chapter, so, sorry for inconsistencies and abrupt discovery of the rock.~~~