❤❤❤
AFTER spending a restful night at the inn, they set off for the Demon Lord’s castle. They were constantly on edge, ready to spring into action at the drop of a hat. Yet there was little of it to be seen.
“Not a lot of action, huh, Hatta?”
“I don’t like it. It’s quiet…a little too quiet.”
“I caught this little guy, though.” Alice held out the onion monster from the day before.
“Again, really?”
“It was hiding in the coach. You can have it, Haigha.”
“I think…” Haigha took a good look at it. “I think it’s scared, Hatta.”
“Scared? It’s just shaking.”
“That’s its magic waves oscillating. Alice, were there any others?”
“Only him.”
Seb suddenly stopped. “It appears we’ve been going in circles, my lady.”
“No…” Haigha burst out of the coach, onion monster in hand. “No…”
“Something wrong?”
“This isn’t right. I can’t hear the birds or the bugs, anything. It’s not just quiet; there’s no sound. This little guy only came with us because he couldn’t find his way back home.”
“So, we’re the only ones here?” Alice examined the inconspicuous grass field, and, just as Hatta said, it was completely devoid of sound.
“Look over there.” Seb pointed at a pretty young boy, clad in shorts and a cat hoodie, dancing.
“Isn’t that Cheshire, Seb? The boy Dodo mentioned?” Alice asked.
“In all likelihood.”
“You’re gonna have to clue me in here,” Hatta interrupted.
“Right, you were passed out. He basically said something to the effect of ‘Don’t go near that dimension manipulating freak; once he pulls you in, he never lets go.’” The boy kept on dancing, ominously. “Looks awfully young. It’s your time to shine, Haigha.”
“W-Why me?!” Haigha blurted out, choking on her own spit.
“Kids should play with kids.”
“We’re the same age!”
“I’m clearly the grown-up here.” Alice puffed out her meager chest.
“I—” Haigha took in her washboard-flat chest, at a total loss for words. “I don’t know anything about dimension manipulation.” She sighed.
“Do you, Seb?”
“Not a thing. Catching Cheshire and asking him ourselves seems like the best course of action. Would you happen to have the right tool for the job, Hatta?”
“I’ve got a net and some rope and— Speak of the devil.”
“I’m Cheshire, and who might you be?” The boy examined their faces and put on an innocent smile.
“Alice. We’d like to pass through here.”
“Knew it. I’ve heard many great things about you, Alice. Like how you beat the Dodo at his own game and how you—” Cheshire faded into thin air, appearing right in front of her. “Boo!” Alice didn’t so much as flinch. “Hahaha, I like you. Wanna play?”
“We don’t have time to be playing games.”
“Oh, come onnn! Don’t be like that. Remember, you’re in my dimension now. If you wanna escape, you’ll have to ca—” Alice reached out to grab him, only for him to vanish. “Whoa! That almost scared me. You have some amazing reflexes.”
“Tsk.” Alice clicked her tongue, annoyed by his lighthearted demeanor.
“There’s no time limit. You either catch me, or you don’t. Your call.”
“If we don’t, we’ll be stuck in here forever. We’ll handle this,” Hatta said.
Haigha and Hatta frantically chased him around using everything they had. Despite this, they were unable to so much as graze, let alone catch Cheshire. He’d disappear right as they were about to catch him and teleport to a different location every time.
“What’s the matter? Calling it quits already?”
“Seb,” Alice called him over, having rationally analyzed their situation. “We’re going to tire out at this rate. Think of something! Anything!”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Your wish,” Seb bowed, “is my command.” He started setting up a folding table and some chairs seemingly out of nowhere. Suddenly, it was tea time. “Care to join us, Cheshire? There’s cookies.”
“Don’t mind if I do!” Cheshire pulled up a chair and began wolfing down cookies.
“Got ya now!” Hatta got the drop on Cheshire, or so he thought.
“Don’t bother,” he said, disappearing and reappearing. “So long as you think before you act, you’ll never lay a finger on me.”
Alice and Seb enjoyed their tea, paying no mind to Cheshire’s boasting. Hatta and Haigha just looked on in awe at what was happening.
“May I ask you a question?” Once everyone’s minds were at ease, Seb initiated his master plan.
“Shoot.”
“What’s your type of girl?”
“The cute, reserved type. I really like those.”
“Go on.”
While Cheshire was busy yammering on and on, Seb called Hatta and Haigha over and whispered something to them.
“Gotcha.” Hatta pulled up a chair in front of Seb and started drinking tea.
“Understood.” Haigha sat down right next to Cheshire and also started drinking tea.
Was Seb trying to lull Cheshire into a false sense of security? No one knew.
“How about the girl sitting right next to you? Is she your type?”
Haigha gazed at him with a big old smile on her face.
“She’s cute. Definitely my type.”
Haigha’s cheeks took on a slight tinge of pink. She appeared to be quite fond of the compliment.
Seb then gestured to Hatta.
“I almost forgot. You know how the Demon Lord kidnapped the princess?”
“Didn’t get to see it for myself, but I’m his direct servant, so of course, I do. All those rumors about how cute this princess was had him completely hooked.”
Alice’s cup froze, the corners of her lips rising, the tension in her face relaxing.
“Yeah, about that. He mistakenly kidnapped her brother instead.”
“Her brother? There’s no way he couldn’t tell them apart.”
“I mean, she’s right here if you need proof.”
“You mean her?” Cheshire asked, gazing at Haigha’s beautiful smile. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“No, no. Her.” Hatta pointed at Alice, her cup shaking.
“She’s cute too. But the death stare is a little off-putting, not to mention the…killing aura? Oh sorry…are you a dude?”
The cup shattered in her hand. Alice approached Cheshire, a black aura enveloping her. Hatta and Haigha ducked out immediately.
“Even if you’re a dude, don’t think you can catch me that ea—” Alice picked up a knife and jabbed it into him without any windup time. “Whoa?!” Cheshire managed to teleport behind her in the nick of time. Alice slowly rotated her neck back a hundred and eighty degrees. “Eek?! Y-You’re the princess?!”
“Indeed, I am… Now, let me stab you!”
“You meant ‘catch,’ right? Right?!” Cheshire vanished, utterly horrified.
“Got you now!” Alice caught him by the throat the second he reappeared.
“W-What kind of beast are you?!”
“Silence, dinner. I’m trying to think of all the different ways I can cook you.”
I need to get outta here, fast. Cheshire shook off her grip, vanishing far, far away.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“AAAHHH!”
Every time he reappeared, Alice was there, standing right in front of him in typical horror fashion.
“I give, I give! Help, please!”
“I thought I just heard something. Must be my imagination.” Seb paid no mind.
Hatta and Haigha stared at Seb all teary-eyed, their voices whisked away by sheer horror, urging him to do something. The two felt a sharp pang of guilt for blindly going along with his idea, seeing what Alice had become.
“Fine, if you insist.” Seb went up and embraced Alice. “Cheshire said you’re cute, my lady. He spoke highly of your defiant stare, your dignified aura. It was the Demon Lord that spoke horrible, horrible things about you. You’re the most beautiful there is.”
“You could’ve told me earlier.” Alice regained her cool, the black aura fading.
“Mind sending us back home?” Her pretty smile rivaled that of Jean’s, but all Cheshire felt was a mixture of dread, horror, and fear.
“Yes, miss!” Cheshire lifted his dimension, returning them back to their world. The other three just stood there, unable to move.
“Quit loafing around, you two! Let’s get a move on. Oh, and Cheshire, mind telling us the fastest path to the Demon Lord’s castle?”
“The Demon Lord’s castle? Okay, okay. Stop glaring. You’ll want to pass through the Ridge of Illusions. The name just speaks for itself, really. For that, you’ll need the Poem of Jabberwocky—a spellbook presently in the hands of the Red Queen. This should shave two days off your journey.”
“Thanks. Seb, to the Land of Cards.”
“Understood.” Seb changed course northwest to the Land of Cards.
Can’t you take on the Demon Lord yourself? The words stopped at Hatta’s and Haigha’s mouth, never to be uttered.
✦ ✦ ✦
❤❤❤
MEANWHILE, Alice’s kidnapped older brother had reached the Demon Lord’s castle after taking the shortest path there.
“Wow! I thought your place would be more angsty. Well, the outside is a little like that, but the inside is amazing!” Jean’s eyes lit up at the sight of the surprisingly gorgeous interior.
“I’m glad to see it tickled your fancy, my princess.”
“How many times must I tell you? I’m not the princess!”
The Demon Lord picked up a glistening bird statuette and handed it to Jean, their fingertips lightly brushing together.
“It’s modeled after a monster of legendary status, famous for making the lives of a certain group of heroes a living nightmare. It’s worth every bit of its weight in gold.”
“So cool!”
“You can have it, if you’d like.”
“Really?! You shouldn’t have.” Jean burst into a smile, melting the Demon Lord’s heart.
“Thank you so much. I promise to take good care of it.”
“I promise to take good care of you too.”
“Eh?” Jean hung his head in embarrassment, his cheeks turning red.
Between the Demon Lord’s sickly sweet remarks and Jean acting less and less like a guy, it was clear that the two’s relationship deepened, slowly but surely.
“Let me give you a quick tour of the place.”
Jean followed the Demon Lord through a hall decorated with all sorts of famous paintings.
“Even I know all these. Are those originals?”
“Only the splendor of the real thing can truly capture my essence.”
“Can we stay just a little longer, please?”
“Do as you please.”
Jean stood absently by the wall, utterly entranced by the breathtaking art, when suddenly, an old light came crashing down on him.
“Eek!”
“Watch out!”
The Demon Lord flew in and knocked it aside as it was about to crush Jean. He put his arm out to regain balance, pinning Jean against the wall in a miraculous turn of events.
“Are you hurt?” he asked with genuine concern in his voice.
“I, erm, I’m fine…I’m fine.” Jean couldn’t bear to look him in the face, his heart racing.
Why does this keep happening?! You’re a guy, Jean. Remember that. Jean agonized over the Demon Lord’s masculine charm.