The Red King rolled his eyes at her depraved display, and let out a heavy sigh. After a few minutes of torturing Katrina he grew bored, and waved his hand through the air to stop the command spell. “Enough!” He let out another sigh. “It’s so hard to find good help these days. Tweedledee. Tweedledum!” Crim called out as a sudden wicked idea came to him.
From out of the shadows appeared two young human girls, who had nearly identical appearances. The girl standing to Crim’s right had a short bob of black hair, and was wearing a black, Gothic Lolita style dress with the pattern of red hearts on it. Her left eye had a red heart painted around it.
The girl standing to Crim’s left had a short bob of red hair, and was wearing a red version of the other girl’s dress with black hearts on it. The redhead had a black teardrop painted beneath her left eye shaped like a heart. Both girls were wearing mini top hats on the sides of their head, black and red striped stockings, and shiny, black, patent leather shoes.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee were both only twelve-years old, and resembled two adorable porcelain dolls. What ruined their innocent appearance, however, were the giant battleaxes they held in their hands. The girls curtsied before the King of Hearts simultaneously, and spoke at the exact same time: “Your Majesty, how may I serve you?”
A smile filled with malice spread across Crim’s face at the sight of them. “Tweedledum, Tweedledee, I have a job for you, my beloved executioners.”
Tweedledee and Tweedledum shared a pleased look before wide, maniac smiles spread across their faces. “Oh, do tell, Your Majesty.”
“Alister Kingsley has returned to Wonderland,” Crim announced in a scathing voice. “In the flesh.”
Tweedledee and Tweedledum instantly grew excited. “Why has he come here?”
“He’s here to prevent me from getting what is rightfully mine!” the Red King snapped hotly and then took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. “That’s why I want you two to execute him for me. This is an order. Off with his head!”
The bloodthirsty smiles on the twins’ faces only widened at the command. “We shall not fail you, Your Majesty,” Tweedledee said. “You can count on us.”
“We will-” Tweedledum began.
“Bring you his head on a silver platter,” Tweedledee finished.
Crim steepled his fingers before him on his lap and drummed his fingertips together. “Excellent.”
Katrina watched the proceedings while on the other side of the mirror with a worried look on her face. “Alister…no…” she murmured softly to herself.
***
Meanwhile, Alister was walking through the White King’s garden with a slightly awed expression on his face. He couldn’t decide what to keep his eyes on, or what he should paint first. He saw dragonflies zipping through the air, and did a double take when he realized they weren’t ordinary dragonflies at all, but instead resembled miniature fire-breathing dragons, only with translucent, insect-like wings. “Ooo.”
Alister whipped out his paintbrush and started to add a dragonfly next to the White Rabbit’s head. A minute later, Alister spotted a rocking-horsefly that resembled a miniature toy rocking horse with translucent, insect-like wings, and had to paint it next. “Ooo!”
“There are so many great painting opportunities in this place,” Alister muttered to himself in a giddy manner as he painted. “So many incredible, impossible things.” He took a mental pause when he realized that this place and these things all seemed oddly familiar to him somehow. When he couldn’t figure out why, he shrugged carelessly, and continued to paint while humming happily to himself.
Once Alister was finished adding the dragonfly and rocking-horsefly to his portrait of the White Rabbit (although he didn’t paint their eyes) he decided to continue his way down the cobbled path, which he figured the White Rabbit must have taken.
“Look who it is.” “Who is it?” “Why, it’s Alister, of course.” “He doesn’t look like Alister.” Several small voices reached Alister’s ears.
Alister spun around and eyed his surroundings warily. “W-Who said that?” There was an obvious tremor of fear to his voice.
“We did,” a large, red rose said in an imperious tone as it leaned in Alister’s direction in such a way that it towered over him.
Alister gawked up at the rose that was bigger than he was at his current size of 10-inches tall. That’s when he realized that the flowers currently surrounding him didn’t have normal appearances. Their flowery heads appeared to have faces on them, and they could apparently talk. “Talking flowers…how curious,” Alister muttered to himself.
“Are you Alister?” a yellow daffodil asked intently with a toot.
“Uh, yeah…I’m Alister Kingsley,” Alister said, rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward gesture.
“The Artist?” a dandelion with a head that resembled a lion asked.
“Well, I am an artist,” Alister corrected.
“He sounds unsure,” a violet declared in a snooty manner. “Maybe he’s not the real Alister.”
“Salome would know,” the daffodil said in a matter-of-fact tone with another toot.
Alister became distracted when he spotted a majestic, white gardenia. “Ooo, My Fair Lady, you must allow me to paint you!”
The gardenia blushed prettily. “If you wish, Sir.”
Alister offered the gardenia a charming smile. “Thanks!” Alister quickly set up his canvas and began to paint the talking flowers next. A good portrait always needed a good background after all, or else it would be boring to the eye. Alister even painted the flowers’ faces, but made sure not to finish their eyes.
Alister never finished his paintings of living creatures because…
Why was that again? Alister scratched his head in bewilderment. A chill of unease crawled up his spine when he tried harder to remember. He knew something bad would happen if he actually finished his paintings though. It was a gut feeling.
Alister shook his head of such morbid thoughts, and continued to happily paint the talking flowers, until-
A vine wrapped around his ankle and tugged backwards. “Ack!” Alister ended up flat on his face in the dirt. Then he was being dragged backwards through the grass. “What the hell? Hey! Let go of me! Bollocks!” Alister stuck his paintbrush inside his inner jacket pocket, and then tried to pry the vines off his legs in an attempt to free himself.
Alister was dragged back through the grass at top speed until he spotted the plant that had a hold of him, and his blue eyes flared in alarm. “Oh, shit.”
The flower resembled a Venus flytrap, but had tentacle-like vines that helped to capture and pull prey towards its open mouth. The plant had a feminine face and licked her lips as she spoke, “Mmm, a tasty looking morsel has wandered into the White King’s garden without his permission. That means I get to eat you! Yay!”
The blood drained out of Alister’s face at the plant’s ominous words. “Help! Somebody, help me!” he yelled out, his voice tinged with desperation.
As the tentacle vines continued to wrap around Alister’s body and drag him towards the plant’s mouth the vines started to touch places they had no right to be touching. “Hey! Watch where you’re touching, you perverted plant!” Alister complained with flushed cheeks.
“Never fear…help is here!” a gallant male voice declared that was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. Footsteps that sounded like they were coming from a giant and that made the ground beneath Alister tremble. Alister gulped nervously. He really didn’t want to get stepped on since he was currently only 10-inches tall.
A six-foot tall man approached Alister and reached down to take a hold of the vines. “Unhand that poor boy this instant, you naughty plant!”
“But, he looks so tasty,” the plant whined petulantly. The man flicked his index finger and thumb against the top of the plant’s head. “Ow! Okay, geez, I’ll let him go, Your Majesty,” the plant reluctantly agreed.
The vines released Alister’s body, and as soon as he was free he scrambled to his feet. Alister turned to face his savior and had to crane his neck up painfully in order to get a good look at the man.
Alister’s rescuer was dressed in a white, Victorian-style suit with the pattern of green three-leaf clovers on it. Sitting on top of his short, snow-white hair was a silver crown decorated with sparkling emeralds that brought out the man’s pale green eyes. It was the crown that made Alister realize that he was obviously in the presence of royalty. A sword was strapped to the man’s side that had an ornate silver hilt.
Alister self-consciously dusted himself off. “Um, thank you, Your Majesty!” he said in his loudest voice.
The White King smirked cockily down at Alister. “Think nothing of it, Boy. It’s all in a day’s work for a heroic king!” He struck a dramatic pose.
Alister felt a trickle of sweat slide down the side of his face at the silly sight. “Uh, right.” Alister squinted up at the King. “You know, you look strangely familiar. Have we met?”
The White King raised an eyebrow at the ten-inch-tall boy. “I don’t think so. I’ve never met someone who looks like you.” He crouched down and started to scrutinize Alister closely. A flash of recognition crossed his face a moment later. “Wait! Are you Alister?”
Why does everyone act like they already know me in this place? Alister wondered to himself uneasily. “Yes. My name is Alister Kingsley.”
“I see.” The White King stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So, The Artist has come to Wonderland.” His happy-go-lucky expression turned serious. “My brother won’t be too pleased about this. I suppose you’re here to enter the tournament?”
“Tournament?” Alister asked in confusion.
The White King frowned down at Alister. “You’re a little slower than you used to be, aren’t you? Really, I should kill you now and rid myself of a rival for her hand. Right now I could simply pick you up and crush all the bones in your tiny body with my bare hand.” He clenched his hand into a fist to stress his point.
Alister gulped, and started to tremble slightly.
The White King noticed Alister’s distress, however, and decided to have mercy on the boy. “Fear not, Alister. That wouldn’t be honorable. And I believe in a fair fight. I fight with honor! Lucky for you, I’m a heroic king…unlike my villainous brother. Now, he would probably kill you on sight!” He chuckled lowly at the macabre thought.
There was a sinking feeling inside of Alister’s chest and he rubbed it with his hand absentmindedly. “Yeah, lucky.”
The White King gave Alister an expectant look. “Isn’t there some place you should be going? You don’t want to be late.”
“Well, I was following the White Rabbit, but I lost sight of her-” Alister started to explain.
At that moment, the White Rabbit appeared in front of them, and held her pocket watch up at Alister. “You’re late! You’re so very late! You must hurry!” Then the rabbit took off running into the garden.
“Hey, wait!” Alister called after it. He gave the White King an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I gotta go!”
The White King smiled serenely. “The next time we meet, we’ll both be contenders. May the best man win!”
Alister’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but yeah, sure. Bye!” He waved at the White King before taking off after the White Rabbit.
The White King turned his attention to his plant. “Where were we, my lovely pet? Why don’t we practice how to restrain trespassers properly?”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” the plant eagerly purred before sending her vines whipping out in the White King’s direction.
A masculine groan of erotic pleasure followed after Alister as he pursued the White Rabbit through the garden. Alister shook his head in wry amusement. “Do I even want to know?” Luckily, Alister stumbled upon his canvas and portable paint set, and was able to take his art supplies with him even as he continued to run after the rabbit. However-
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached Alister’s ears, and they sounded like they were coming from a giant again. The ground beneath Alister’s feet trembled with such force that he stumbled forward and had trouble to remain standing. “What the hell?” Had the White King returned for some reason?
Emerging from the forest at the edge of the garden were two young girls that were both five-feet-tall. Unfortunately for Alister he was still ten-inches-tall, and so the two young girls towered over him in an intimidating fashion. At first, Alister thought he might not have anything to worry about since they were just kids.
But, normal kids…didn’t have bloodthirsty grins spread across their faces or were holding wicked battleaxes in their hands.
The twins stepped into his path and blocked Alister’s way to the White Rabbit.
Women were scary.
BIG women were absolutely terrifying!
Alister swallowed a lump of fear. Oh, shit! I’m so dead.
“Hello Alister-” Tweedledee began in a singsong voice.
“Welcome back-” Tweedledum continued.
“To Wonderland.” Tweedledee finished.
“Um, do I know you two?” Alister questioned in a tremulous voice.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum both frowned at each other before turning their attention back to Alister. “It appears as though-” Tweedledee started.
“He’s forgotten us,” Tweedledum continued.
“No matter,” Tweedledee declared with a dismissive wave of her hand. “We’re not here for old time’s sake.”
A wicked smile curled Tweedledum’s lips. “We’re here to decapitate you on the King’s orders.”
“No hard feelings,” Tweedledee added with an apologetic look on her face.
“Decapitate?” Alister paled and rubbed his neck unconsciously with his hand. “But, why?” His voice cracked due to his frayed nerves. “I haven’t done anything to this King of yours. I don’t even know who the hell you’re talking about!”
“You’re here to get in the King’s way-” Tweedledee accused hotly.
“And he won’t have that,” Tweedledum finished in a grim tone.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alister shook his head helplessly. “I’m not here to get in anyone’s way.”
“You wouldn’t be here if that were true,” Tweedledee argued with raised eyebrows.
“Hold still so I can chop off your head!” Tweedledum raised her axe and swung it at Alister without further ado.
“Eek!” Alister instinctively ducked down behind his canvas, using it as a makeshift shield, and the gleaming axe blade whished over him with such force that it caused his golden blonde hair to stir. The blade of the axe ended up slicing through the top of Alister’s canvas. His eyes widened like saucers as he looked at his ruined canvas and stood up. “Bloody hell! You really just tried to kill me!” He decided to toss the ruined canvas and art supplies aside. He had the feeling he was about to make a run for it.
Tweedledum pouted at the lack of blood on her axe’s blade. “I missed.”
“My turn!” Tweeldedee declared in a voice laced with excitement. She placed both hands on the battleaxe’s handle, leapt up into the air, and brought the axe down, ready to cleave Alister in two.
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