themeI awoke to the million caws of crows surrounding me. How did I get here? I thought to myself, as I counted my fingers and other extremities to make sure I was all there. I wasn't even sure where there was. All I could see was black, I couldn't even locate the bird cries. My stomach gurgled from the stress and lack of food. When had I last eaten? Trying to push the memories of before my tumble into this pit was hard, and it seemed to only make the memories dart away like cockroaches underneath an upturned barrel. While I was on my hands and feet I crawled out to where the edge of the pit was. Curiously enough, a little glass bottle appeared with a tag attached to it. The tag shimmered as I tried to read it, the word shifting and turning into different languages, just until I gave up and it landed on Common. DRINK ME! Drink? That doesn't sound like a good idea. … but what do I have to lose? I took a sip from the bottle, and found that the taste wasn't all that off putting. It was kind of like Kaffee, but of course, I always preferred it with more sugar and cream than kaffee. It was strange-- nothing had changed, nothing immediately, of course, but I did feel a little tingle of adrenaline running through me. Before I had even realized it, I was closer to the ground than ever before. Before I could even panic, there were loud thumps that we're headed my way. Before I could run, the beast was in front of me. A single, large white rabbit, with its teeth bared, set its glare upon me. Its eyes were milky white, even reflective, and I could see how far I had shrank down. There was no fear in its eyes, I don't think it was capable of such emotion, even though it was terribly obvious that it was fleeing someone bigger than us both. My eyes were blue. I knew that wasn't right, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. I gripped onto its fur and before I knew it, we were soaring through the air. Time moved slowly for us, so it gave me a perfect chance to see what we were fleeing from- It was darkness. I trembled in fear. The rabbit gave no heed. It caught up to us, threatening to overtake us, but the rabbit, in all of its infinite wisdom, dove through a hole in the wall. Where we landed was a forest of giant mushrooms and thick blades of grass. --- Piping smoke leaked into the sky, the light blue haze marring the bright pink and purple sky. Scattered across it was twinkling stars, but every once in a while, they seemed to move and swap places. I stumbled across a puddle, and the rabbit following close behind me dove into it. There was no ripple, but a large decrepit library emerged from the surface. Large lily-pads rose to the surface, so that I could pass. I knew where this land wanted me to go now… though, I wasn’t the best at reading, I’ll admit. Every step I took, the lily-pad behind me dipped back into the pool, reeling away from me like I was toxic. When I finally reached the little island of bookshelves, there was no path out. I took a deep breath in, holding it for a few moments, before releasing it along with my anxieties. “I hope you saw the signs, studious one,” A voice called out. “We are not to smoke in the library.” I looked up to the sky, and the blue smoke trail was suddenly coming from me. “I don’t smoke,” I said, before realizing there was an opium pipe in my hands. “But yet, here you are, smoking. How brave of you to defy my rules. Would you rather this place be lit aflame? Would you rather have this haven of knowledge lost?” My head swung wildly around, trying to find the perpetrator who called out from the shadows. Then, at the moment I had given up, he emerged. A skeleton, in dark robes, floating amongst the soaking books. “Look at your eyes. Those are the eyes of the void, you know. It means you belong here, with me, or else you will bring everyone you know pain. I could let you continue on your journey-” He paused his monologue. “What journey?” I interjected. “Well, I shouldn’t have told you that, no, no- but, I suppose, a little direction would never hurt.” The skeleton began to rise up from his place, books swirling around his feet and fanning out. There was a bit of a rumble, the book-island shifting in place. “But, then again…” He mumbled to himself. “But what?” I asked. “I do not want you leaving me!” He shouted, madness flaring fires in his empty eye sockets. His arms stretched out, and the little island of books began to rapidly cave in. I dropped the still smoking opium pipe as the rumbles grew more vicious. Fire roared through the island. I had no time to wait for results. Screams came from the books, and the Lich Lord was too preoccupied to stop me. I had to take my chance… and so, I leapt into the puddle, head first. My eyes were red. I know that’s wrong somehow, but I couldn’t place why it was. --- The sea dragged me through its rolling waves and currents until I, unceremoniously, popped out of a tree stump. It was a normal sized forest, or, well, it had very tiny trees. There were flowers growing at the same size, so I wouldn’t know. The grass beneath my feet felt more like a fine rug, but the giant butterflies were definitely a startle. Parting the branches, I emerged into a flat dirt patch. There was an overturned and chipped teapot, with smoke piping out of it, and doors and windows- it was obviously a home. Out on the front lawn, there was a long table, decorated with proper plush seats, matching tea sets, and beautiful gowns placed upon the seats. My stomach groaned… When was it I had last eaten? Even having been here for a while, I couldn’t remember. I thought that maybe I had imagined the dinner bell ringing in my ears, but my eyes turned over to a blonde man with full knight armor banging his hands across the metal bend of his shield. His helmet was comically large for his head, and his beard seemed exaggerated. His smile lured me in, but overall, it was the invitation for food that sold me. “Ah, look, have you come to enjoy tea with us?” He asked me, and before I knew it, he had popped up before me with an oversized gown in his arms, frilly with lace. It was a putrid pink color, but if this was the price to pay for a decent meal, then I knew it would be well worth the work. “My name is Julius Peirgarten, and this is my celebrational bi-weekly war cabinet tea party.” I had been dolled up, with my hair stacked up higher than it was supposed to be, and my dress was stuffed with rolled up wads of crinkly paper. I had to waddle over to a seat, and I took it with a large POOMF. There was a large assembly of lords and ladies, all dressed up to the nines. It was such a sight, that I was at a loss for words. There was no idle chatter, everyone looked to the host of the tea party. “I have a few words,” He said, clearing his throat and pulling a list out from underneath his slightly tilted helmet. “The pheasant meat has gone on vacation to the bottom of the ocean, so instead tonight we will be having shark. We apologize in advance,” There were concerned murmurs among the peerage. “There has been rogue Darkwald sightings in the Anian lands, who have reportedly only been taking the left shoes of those they deem to be aberrants. Travelers be cautious.” “Furthermore, the Library was burned down by a radical mercenary group, only known for working with the mad queen.” Inexplicable cheering came from the nobles, of which I only garnered strange stares from. I had no idea what he was talking about, and frankly, did not care. “This is all, ladies and gentlemen. Do, please, enjoy the wine and meal.” Wolves intermingling with bears served us our food, but when I opened my plate, all there was was lettuce made of gold. I couldn’t eat this! I double checked around the table, and everyone’s meal was the same exact thing, a live shark. I couldn’t help but double over and puke onto the ground. Out came blood, ash, any putrid substance you could imagine. I never thought I’d stop puking, honestly. My body gave up when there was a call of a horn. Two knights emerged from the thicket of the forest, one atop a pure white horse, while the other was riding a dark grey horse. “Oh, how very curious. My two, favorite knights, sent here to dispose of the intruder. Well, she was certainly not fit for proper dinners, but I think the queen will know what to do with her.” Julius said, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. The two knights didn’t reply, but in sync, they scooped me up onto their horse. I landed on the back of the dark grey horse, and in my dizzy state, I didn’t fight back. With my vision shaking badly from the ride, it was hard to see what my eyes were. With every shine of the knight’s armor, I saw red, blue, or brown eyes. My body couldn’t make up its mind on what I was supposed to be. Over the countryside we went, passing all sorts of people, but most worrisome was the large castle we were fast approaching. --- Time passed quickly, and the three of us arrived at the castle as sunset was beginning. The sky was aflame with dazzling oranges and reds, and the stars were celebrating and moving in fantastical patterns. My dress had lost all of its fluff, and was actually quite pleasing to me now. The knight on the white horse led the way through the finely trimmed courtyard. There were swords, spears, and arrows all dotting the perfectly manicured shrubbery, all depicting scenes of violence and war. Mirrors were placed in the middle of it, circling a plush throne. There was red everywhere… and some of the paint splatter, I think, was blood. Perched atop the throne was a young blonde woman who looked a lot like me. She stared at me from every angle through the mirrors. She was exactly like me. All except the eyes, of course. Hers were purple and glowing. The white knight wrenched his helmet off his head. His long brown hair flowed past his shoulders, but the most noticeable feature of his was his golden eye. His other eyes was fine, but the other one seemed fake. I felt a twinge of guilt for some reason, despite not really recognizing the man. "Wolvard, the knight of justice. You've brought me a criminal today, yes?" The woman in the mirrors asked, before twisting around on her throne to get a better look at me. “How fate has brought us together, Adelaide,” She cooed. “Do you not recognize me, your sister? Eleonora? Queen of all hearts and hands? I know you saw my collection, it was quite impressive.” The black knight carried me off the horse, but did not dare let my feet touch the ground. “This young lady interrupted Julius’ noble-only tea party. What should we have done with her?” The brown haired knight barked from his steed. “Well,” Eleonora said, picking at her fingers. “I would usually cut off her head, but… I know she’s useful. I mean, just look at her eyes.” My hands felt at my eyes. I twisted my head to stare at the knight’s helmet, and staring back in my reflection was glowing purple eyes. “She really is family, and family is useful.” An evil cackle erupted from her mouth. “She won’t end up like Alcuin, on the wrong side of our family!” The white knight moved towards us, but his fine horse bucked him off. Luck was in my favor, apparently, because the black knight took me back up onto his horse and galloped out of the palace. We passed by the mournful village and as we had left it, I looked behind me and saw it rise up in flames. The white knight was also in pursuit, with a spear extended from his right hand. His shot with it nailed the black knight's helmet to a tree we had whizzed right past. I could now get a look at my saviour... It was a huge bear. I could see the humanity in his eyes, but also the deep loneliness and scarring history. This bear also had a scar over one eye, but his was not fake. The horse underneath us faded away, until I was riding the bear off in the distance. The white knight was gaining on us! Soon enough the ground was falling behind us rapidly, the land reducing to rubble before falling into lava. I could still hear her laughing, the taunting of the queen. Her land had been reduced to shambles, but I somehow knew that would never stop my sister from plotting revenge against him. Suddenly, I rose up into reality. I was at the bottom of Crookback Bay, right underneath a ship in a kelp-y patch. My body was rather bruised and my arm was broken again. Memories flooded back to me, of how I ended up here, but most shocking of all was that I remembered most of my strange dream. --- You know, I can still hear the laughing now, even when I know that it was all a dream. ---Tags: @fantuinn @thundermember @Magivore @Timetotalk @Spookmas @platypode @Scribbe @FlossyBerryRene @Anarchizm @Northern_Ireland Spoiler: OOC Note If you’re curious, I have a few metaphors for the story, but there’s quite a lot… Here’s a sample. Spoiler: OOC Note - Adelaide’s ultimate fear is becoming like her sister, Eleonora. - Julius Peirgarten was her first and only foray into noble stuff, but it didn’t work out. - Adelaide’s innocence was personified as the white rabbit, which lead her straight to Xilthruum, but the loss of opium set her free.When I was writing this story, I tried to closely follow Alice in Wonderland, but I knew I wasn’t patient enough to write the full story with every character equated right. Twiddle Dee and Dum were cut, along with the Cheshire Cat. Originally, I wanted to do them both, but I realized at six pages that it would just be too long. I’m happy with the final product, I think it’s a good bite sized adventure. And, yes, before you ask, it was just a dream. Also, screw spoilers, they're so glitchy...
