Wonderland: 5.
The sun was already out when the hatter heard a few bumping to his door. He got up his desk, were he had been sketching clothes to the queen ever since he got up that morning and was going to the door until an peculiar voice made him stop.
- Hatter? – it was the rabbit, he could recognize it.
- Yes, rabbit?
The rabbit opened the door, his slim and tall white body passing the door alone. He finished putting his pocket watch in the pocket close to his heart.
- Everybody here calls me by the name Bilac, if you want to.
- I’m sorry. Do you like it better than ‘rabbit’?
- It’s not that I don’t like rabbit. Even now, I am a rabbit. – he looked down for a short second, biting his lips with his long front teeth. – It’s just that… Bilac is the name the queen gave me after she came back and I like it… This new reality we’re living. Don’t you as well?
Bilac’s question got the hatter by surprise and for a second, the hatter got himself looking for his own hands again. His long fingers, his tall figure and the way he was now away of the ground. When had he begun to look so much taller than most of Wonderland?
- I like it. Yes, I think I do. Do you know…
- No, I don’t. – Bilac answered already knowing what the hatter wanted to know. – Although I’ve been with the queen for a bit more, she don’t tell me much more than what I need to know. She says that knowledge could put my life in danger and that she is not willing to risk it.
- Do you believe it?
- I do. I’ve been with the queen for a bit. I’ve seen her do things I’d never imagine her doing before. I’m not sure why she has changed, but she has and with her change, all of wonderland has changed as well.
- But she says this is not her doing.
- I believe everything the queen says. I’m hers, I swore her my loyalty, but she never pressed me into it, she just let me keep working here until I did, if you decide to continue working here you’ll see it.
- That’s why you made the heart? – the hatter asked now truly curious.
- Oh, that’s not something we do. Nor the queen. When you swear your loyalty, the heart-mark will appear somewhere on your body.
- Does it hurt?
- Are you already thinking about it hatter? – the hatter took a step back, making Bilac laugh. – No, it’s painless.
- But, you said it appears somewhere…
- Ah, yes. Mine is in my face. The jack is got it on his shoulder. The ace, on the back of his hand. I believe the kitchen girl has hers on top of her upper lip. – he thought for a second. – Hm... That’s the ones I know, but maybe the others girls have them somewhere we can’t see.
The hatter seemed to understand, moving his head slowly up and down. For once he was trying to understand why could it be that they were marked… Could it be that there were really someone coming for the queen?
He felt his palms starting to sweat. He didn’t want a new war in wonderland even if it was one on the queen’s side.
- Hatter, are you okay? You’re pale.
- Oh, yes. I’m fine.
- Good. Breakfast is served if you wanna come. By the way, what’s the name the queen gave you?
- Vincent.
- Oh, that’s a pretty good name! Congrats!
The two “man” got out of the room walking side by side, they walked for a few seconds down the pearly stairs while some maids hurried up with blankets and towels to keep the rooms clean while their owners were eating.
A purple-haired girl was running past them when she stopped on her track.
- Oh, hey Bilac!
- Hey Mika! How you doin’?
- Amazing! I got mine! - she pointed her heart-mark on the middle of her left cheek.
- Ah, it looks great on you!
- Thank you! Oh, I gotta go! Hurry up and get some breakfast before it ends, you guys are late!
And she continued to run, letting the hatter and the rabbit alone. The hatter looked confused to the girl’s back for a second, before continuing his way downstairs and following the rabbit.
When they finally got to the dinner hall, the breakfast table had the queen at the head, the jack and the ace each at one of her sides and empty new plates at the side of each one of them.
- Bilac! Vincent! You’re finally here! – the queen had a smile on her face. One so big the hatter felt something strange inside his belly. – Come! Sit with us!
- Sure, my queen! – Bilac agreed, guiding Vincent next to the head of the table where they were. He walked to the queen, got her hand and kissed it gently for a long time with his fluffy white whiskers moving by the side of his face. He them sat down at the side of the Jack. – What do we have today?
The two began talking while the hatter began to nervously try to mimic the bunny’s movements, kissing the queen’s hand shortly and almost tripping over when he walked to sit on the side of the ace.
The queen muffled a laugh while the ace just watched it.
- I’m Willard. You’re Vincent, right?
- Yes. – the hatter agreed, watching now as the ace looked pretty young himself. – Were you a card before?
- Yes. – he agreed. – Why do you ask?
- You look pretty young.
- Oh! Well, that´s because the ace is the lower card there is. So I´m the younger looking. – he explained. – The ace, the numbers, the jack and the queen.
For a second, the hatter was curious about the king. The king should the card above the queen, but since the queen got back none was said about the king and after the ace not mentioning him, it wasn´t like the hatter had the heart to ask about him.
The hatter just moved his head up and down in a numb way, as if he had understood the ace while one maid brought him some plates from where he could get some croissants, fruits and sweets.
It had been a while since he begun eating when the rabbit pulled his pocket-watch from his fluffy chest.
- My queen, it’s time.
- Time? – the hatter asked, feeling a bit lost.
- Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot to tell you yesterday. The neighbors kingdoms called for a conference. They don’t like it that I’m back, they were already discussing who would conquer Wonderland…
- But, my queen, if you know it could be a trap, why are you going?
- I don’t have a choice. If they attack a lot of civilians could get hurt in the way.
The hatter bit his lower lip for a second, watching as the queen got up.
- Jack, put your armor on. Willard, get you staff. Bilac, follow me to my room, I need your help with a few papers before we go. We will leave in ten minutes.
- Is there anything I can do to help, my queen? – the hatter asked, getting up fast as the ace and the jack left the table going to the armory. – There is gotta be something.
- I am really grateful that you want to help, hatter, but if everything goes wrong, I can’t have you in danger. Please stay here and take care of the maids for me, okay?
The hatter opened his mouth to protest, but before he could the queen and the rabbit had already begin walking to the queen’s room.
…
That evening, after the queen had left, the hatter watched the sunset on his window. The castle walls didn’t begin to shine even though it was already too dark to draw any other sketch. And the hatter was already hitting the walls with his fingers nervously when the walls suddenly lit up.
He ran up to his door, understanding this was a signal the queen had returned, but the noises outside of his door made his dark silky hair stand up on a goosebump.
- AHHHHHHHH!
The hatter ran to the top of the stairs only to find Bilac unconscious lying on top of a pearly-rose disc flying besides the queen. He had a huge blood wound by the right side of his body, the Ace was pressing it with both hands while the Jack walked leaning on his spear.
- My q… - but his voice was muffled by the one of a maid closer to the queen.
- My queen! What happened?
- Sophie! – she called for the nearest maid, one with brown hair and golden eyes. – Take care of Jack’s leg.
- Yes, m’queen! – and the maid got the jack to follow her.
- Mika! – and the purple-haired girl from that morning jumped to the queen´s side. – I need you and Willard to help me with Bilac’s wounds.
- Yes, my queen!
- I want to help. – the hatter ran down the stairs, meeting the queen and the others on the hall, ignoring the confusing looks. – I can sew him up.
- We won’t sew him. We will use magic. But you can come if you wish.
The hatter seemed satisfied and followed the queen and the other to the lower chambers, what he didn’t expect to find was all the way everything there was glowing and so much more liquid than the usual walls of the castle upstairs.
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