Forever Wonderland CHAPTER 17
Characters: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland characters, and OFCs
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
Their footsteps echoed off the high walls. Thackery, Nivens and Mallymkun cautiously followed. Mally carried her pin in her hand, Thackery his ladle, and Nivens shivered in his skin.
Melody held the sword out in front of her as she walked prudently through the dark walls. She could feel the damp air on her skin and it sent a chill up her spine. She unconsciously rubbed her skin and felt the hairs stand on end.
Everything was black as they walked through the halls. Even in the middle of the day, it was almost darker than midnight.
“I don’t know how anyone could live here,” she whispered as she heard her voice bounce off the walls. “It’s so dank and dreary. Never a happy feeling could be felt here. I think this guy needs some new decorators.”
“Hence the name ‘Black King’ dear. Not only was it his favourite colour, but also his attitude toward things wasn’t the brightest. He always was at war with the White Kingdom of Marmoreal. But as you can see, we are too strong for him.”
Melody was starting to feel like this was a lost cause. They had searched almost every room in the castle. They didn’t get confronted by any guards in any of the halls they walked through, which seemed odd. But she felt as if something was about to happen. The Vorpal sword was starting to grow warm in her hands.
“What is it, Melody?” Tarrant asked as she stopped in her tracks.
Melody held the sword out in front of her, staring at the tip of the blade. She wrapped her hands tighter around the handle as she felt it pull her forward.
“I think we are going to find out where Mirana is.”
“Good. Let the sword do its job. It knows what it wants.”
Tarrant followed Melody as they made their way through the dimly lit halls. Tarrant grabbed one of the torches and carried it with them as they continued on. He motioned for Nivens, Thackery and Mally to come to his side.
“We don’t want you to get lost, my friends. Stay close. I have a feeling this could get very hairy,” Tarrant winced at the last remark. “No pun intended.”
“None taken,” Thackery whispered.
“Why is she leading the way? I think I should lead. She isn’t Underlandian. I don’t care if I like her or not, she is NOT Alice,” Mally murmured to Thackery who was dancing around in a skittish manner.
“Mally!” Tarrant turned to his small friend. “That’s inappropriate. Melody is plenty capable of defending the kingdom. The Vorpal sword has chosen her family as the line of Champions, has it not?”
“That doesn’t make her a Champion.”
“Mally!”
Melody stopped in her tracks. She could hear everything that the little mouse was saying. She slowly let her arms fall at her sides. Though the Vorpal sword was hard to put down, it finally surrendered to her movement.
“She’s right, you know, Tarrant,” Melody stated. “I am not even close to being a Champion. I don’t have the slightest idea what I am doing. I think our getting away from the guards was just by luck and chance.”
“How can you say such a thing, dear! You are a granddaughter of the-”
“Great Alice, I know,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “But Tarrant, I come from a completely different world. We don’t yield swords or fight off monsters. You saw the world I live in. We are weak. We have no backbone. How can the Vorpal sword know that I am the right one?”
“You pulled it from the armor, did you not?”
“Yes,” she said in exhasperation. “But anyone could have done it with a little magic.”
“No,” Tarrant said firmly. “No, it’s not magic that lets you yield the sword, Melody. It knows who it has chosen from the beginning of its time to its final battle. You just have to believe it here,” he said as he placed his hand upon her heart.
Melody felt her breath catch in her throat. Tarrant’s eyes changed to a deep, almost black, blue with his touch. She felt her heart pound hard against her chest. Tarrant’s eyes grew wide after a moment of silence.
“Oh, I am so sorry, my dear,” he fumbled as he pulled his hand away from Melody. “It was inappropriate and uncouth and ungentleman-like to, to,” he continued as he searched for the right words.
“Tarrant!”
Melody grabbed his hand and placed it back over her heart. She wrapped her fingers tightly around his. “No! It’s not. Do you feel my heart, Tarrant? I’m scared. I’m confused. But I was also in need of someone to believe in me. I haven’t had that in a long time. I need you, Tarrant.”
Melody felt tears well in her eyes. Tarrant’s gaze softened as he slowly leaned in to her ear.
“I have always believed in you, Melody Butler,” he whispered. “Never forget that.”
“Are we going to rescue the Queen or do we have to bare another chapter of your sappy love story?” Mallymkun protested.
Tarrant drew back from Melody, first placing a kiss on her cheek, and gave her a nod. “Yes, Mally. I see that you are in battle mode. So, hop to it!”
“Aye!” she cried as she trotted out in front of the group. She had her pin in hand ready to fight off whatever presented itself.
“Are we really going to let her lead the way?”
Tarrant smiled. “We will let her believe so. It’s the Vorpal sword that will pilot the way.”
Melody pulled the sword in front of her again, hands firm on the handle. In one smooth motion, it pulled her along again. The handle was starting to grow warm against her palms and it moved Melody around a corner. The further along they went down the corridor, the louder they could hear voices.
“Tarrant,” Melody whispered.
“I hear.”
Slowly they crept up to the door. Melody could feel her heart begin to pound against her chest. She didn’t have a plan what to do next.
The door was open a crack and she leaned against the wall, peering in. She could see a man pacing the room. She remembered him as Alec, but really his name was Brennan.
Melody clenched her jaw tight when she saw Mirana sitting in a chair, eyes closed. A smile slowly drawing in her face.
“Why doesn’t she move?” Melody whispered to herself.
“Melody, what is it?” Tarrant breathed.
“Mirana,” she said, turning to face Tarrant. “She’s in a chair, unbound, but she doesn’t move. Why doesn’t she move?”
“A spell. Brennan has a spell on her.”
Melody felt the sword tug towards the door. “Easy, Vorpal. Not yet. We need to assess the situation at hand.”
At those words, she felt the sword slack a little under her grasp. It was like it was alive; like it had a living breathing spirit that she could command.
“Let’s go,” Melody said.
“No,” Tarrant countered. He held his hand over her torso, holding her back. “Remember, you just told the Vorpal sword we need to assess the situation. If you just go barreling in there, Brennan could seriously hurt Mirana. He has her under a spell, remember?”
“Yes, but you can see her. She’s faint and looks ill-hearted. He obviously has done some damage to her already. Look at her face. We need to go now, Tarrant. We don’t have time to sit and wait. What I meant when we needed to assess the situation was, that, we needed to see what we were up against. I see what we are up against now. We need to go. Now.”
“Melody,” he said. He turned her to face him, keeping his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me, please. I have been an Underlandian all my life. I know the things that evil lords can do. I don’t want to see anything happen to you or our Queen. I know you are wonderfully capable of defeating him, but think this through before you head in.”
Melody processed the words Tarrant was speaking. She understood what he was saying, but if they waited any longer, who knows what this Brennan character could do.
“I understand. But the Vorpal sword knows what it wants. It knows what it has to do. It will lead me. For some reason, as long as it is in my hands, I feel as if it sends messages to me; telling me what to do. I know it sounds crazy.”
“Darling, I’m a mad hatter. Nothing is crazy to me.”
Melody laughed. She searched Tarrant’s eyes and he nodded at her in acknowledgement.
“Mally, Thackery and Nivens. I know you are not going to like what I have to say, but please stand guard. Tarrant and I are going in this alone.”
Mallymkun groaned.
“No! I will not miss all the fun!” she said as she drew her pin.
“Mally, no,” Tarrant whispered. “Melody needs to do this. Please.”
Mallymkun narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Fine.”
Melody held the sword in front of her feeling it warm again and drew in a deep breath. “Alright, do your thing,” she said to the sword as she kicked in the door.
“What’s this?!” Brennan bellowed as he heard the door slam open.
He saw Melody standing in front of the opening, sword drawn, the crazy hatter behind her. He let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Please don’t tell me that you are going to try and fight me with that, dear girl,” he mocked.
“I am,” she stated firmly.
Tarrant stood behind her, hand on his sword, ready to make a move if she needed help.
“Let Mirana go. I don’t want to have to fight if I don’t have to. I,” she paused, “I will kill you if I need to.”
Brennan let out another laugh. “Child, you are weak and frail. You do not have the power to stand up to me.”
“I don’t, but the Vorpal sword does. It’s ready.”
“The Vorpal sword has no power over me. But I will soon have power over it. Hand it over.”
“Never.”
“Now. I was not making a suggestion. It was an order.”
Melody shook her head. “No.”
“Melody, you are making this harder than it has to be. Hand it over, and Mirana goes free.”
Melody inched her way over to Mirana who was still sitting in the chair. A smile drew on the Queen’s face. Melody felt the sword speak to her. She raised the sword over her head and turned to Mirana. She slammed the sword against the chair, breaking the shield around Mirana. Fragments shattered all around them, freeing the Queen from her bonds.
“You insubordinate creature! How dare you! You will pay for this!” Brennan yelled as he drew his sword, charging forward to Melody.
Melody felt her blood quiver in her veins as she saw him coming forward. She couldn’t move from the spot. Mirana had made her way over to Tarrant.
“She has to do this on her own, Tarrant. You know this,” Mirana stated as she held Tarrant back.
He didn’t like seeing her scared and he was worried for her. He knew the Vorpal sword would do what it willed, but did it care about the person that yielded it?
Brennan raised the sword in the air. Melody coward as the Vorpal sword drew across her face. She squeezed her eyes tight as she felt the his blade crash against hers, sending her to her knees. She quickly got back up and let the sword continue its quest. Though her arms were heavy with exhaustion from the fight with the guards, she knew she had to continue on. Brennan was much stronger and more skilled than the other men from what she could tell already.
Vrellen coward off in a corner as he watched his King fight against the girl. He shifted his eyes about the room and saw three little heads peering in the doorway.
“You!” he yelled, pointing his finger at the three animals.
The trio’s eyes grew wide as they watched the little man come charging towards them.
“Get him!” Mally yelled, pin at the ready.
They moved into the room and jumped on Vrellen. He screamed, trying to pull them off. Thackery beat him with his ladel, Mally poked him all over with her pin and Nivens dug his claws into Vrellen’s flesh, hanging on to his back, screaming for dear life. Vrellen ran out of the room and down the hall trying to remove the creatures off him.
Melody continued to cross blades with Brennan. He had knocked her down more times than she could count. Tarrant felt his heart beat hard in his chest. She needed help, but he knew that he couldn’t interfere.
Melody cried as she continued to fight against the Black King.
“You can give up, woman. I don’t really want to fight you anyway. You are too pretty a specimen to destroy.”
Melody felt a trickle by her mouth. She whimpered when she saw the blood on her fingers.
“Just hand the sword over, Melody.Think of it! You and I. Ruling together in Brungretter. You could be my queen. I always knew I liked you from the moment I laid eyes on you at the ball,” Brennan said lustfully.
“Never!”
“Oh, that’s right. You are in love with the one that killed my father,” he said, glaring over at Tarrant. “How could I forget?”
Melody felt her weakness disappear. It was replaced by repulsion and hatred. She felt the sword grow boiling hot in her hands. It pulled her forward. She felt it rise in the air and slash across Brennan’s unprotected torso. Before she could do anything else, the sword pierced through Brennan’s skin, coming out the other side. She twisted it and withdrew it.
Brennan grabbed his side in pain, falling to his knees. She watched as a pool of blood formed around his dying body. His mouth hung open as he gave his last breath.
Melody’s hands trembled as she watched him breathe his last. She felt her stomach churn. She dropped the Vorpal sword at her side and looked at her hands. She couldn’t believe what she had just done. She turned to see Mirana and Tarrant’s stunned, concerned looks. Melody felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she fell to the ground.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9/ Chapter 10/ Chapter 11/ Chapter 12
Chapter 13/ Chapter 14/ Chapter 15/ Chapter 16
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
Their footsteps echoed off the high walls. Thackery, Nivens and Mallymkun cautiously followed. Mally carried her pin in her hand, Thackery his ladle, and Nivens shivered in his skin.
Melody held the sword out in front of her as she walked prudently through the dark walls. She could feel the damp air on her skin and it sent a chill up her spine. She unconsciously rubbed her skin and felt the hairs stand on end.
Everything was black as they walked through the halls. Even in the middle of the day, it was almost darker than midnight.
“I don’t know how anyone could live here,” she whispered as she heard her voice bounce off the walls. “It’s so dank and dreary. Never a happy feeling could be felt here. I think this guy needs some new decorators.”
“Hence the name ‘Black King’ dear. Not only was it his favourite colour, but also his attitude toward things wasn’t the brightest. He always was at war with the White Kingdom of Marmoreal. But as you can see, we are too strong for him.”
Melody was starting to feel like this was a lost cause. They had searched almost every room in the castle. They didn’t get confronted by any guards in any of the halls they walked through, which seemed odd. But she felt as if something was about to happen. The Vorpal sword was starting to grow warm in her hands.
“What is it, Melody?” Tarrant asked as she stopped in her tracks.
Melody held the sword out in front of her, staring at the tip of the blade. She wrapped her hands tighter around the handle as she felt it pull her forward.
“I think we are going to find out where Mirana is.”
“Good. Let the sword do its job. It knows what it wants.”
Tarrant followed Melody as they made their way through the dimly lit halls. Tarrant grabbed one of the torches and carried it with them as they continued on. He motioned for Nivens, Thackery and Mally to come to his side.
“We don’t want you to get lost, my friends. Stay close. I have a feeling this could get very hairy,” Tarrant winced at the last remark. “No pun intended.”
“None taken,” Thackery whispered.
“Why is she leading the way? I think I should lead. She isn’t Underlandian. I don’t care if I like her or not, she is NOT Alice,” Mally murmured to Thackery who was dancing around in a skittish manner.
“Mally!” Tarrant turned to his small friend. “That’s inappropriate. Melody is plenty capable of defending the kingdom. The Vorpal sword has chosen her family as the line of Champions, has it not?”
“That doesn’t make her a Champion.”
“Mally!”
Melody stopped in her tracks. She could hear everything that the little mouse was saying. She slowly let her arms fall at her sides. Though the Vorpal sword was hard to put down, it finally surrendered to her movement.
“She’s right, you know, Tarrant,” Melody stated. “I am not even close to being a Champion. I don’t have the slightest idea what I am doing. I think our getting away from the guards was just by luck and chance.”
“How can you say such a thing, dear! You are a granddaughter of the-”
“Great Alice, I know,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “But Tarrant, I come from a completely different world. We don’t yield swords or fight off monsters. You saw the world I live in. We are weak. We have no backbone. How can the Vorpal sword know that I am the right one?”
“You pulled it from the armor, did you not?”
“Yes,” she said in exhasperation. “But anyone could have done it with a little magic.”
“No,” Tarrant said firmly. “No, it’s not magic that lets you yield the sword, Melody. It knows who it has chosen from the beginning of its time to its final battle. You just have to believe it here,” he said as he placed his hand upon her heart.
Melody felt her breath catch in her throat. Tarrant’s eyes changed to a deep, almost black, blue with his touch. She felt her heart pound hard against her chest. Tarrant’s eyes grew wide after a moment of silence.
“Oh, I am so sorry, my dear,” he fumbled as he pulled his hand away from Melody. “It was inappropriate and uncouth and ungentleman-like to, to,” he continued as he searched for the right words.
“Tarrant!”
Melody grabbed his hand and placed it back over her heart. She wrapped her fingers tightly around his. “No! It’s not. Do you feel my heart, Tarrant? I’m scared. I’m confused. But I was also in need of someone to believe in me. I haven’t had that in a long time. I need you, Tarrant.”
Melody felt tears well in her eyes. Tarrant’s gaze softened as he slowly leaned in to her ear.
“I have always believed in you, Melody Butler,” he whispered. “Never forget that.”
“Are we going to rescue the Queen or do we have to bare another chapter of your sappy love story?” Mallymkun protested.
Tarrant drew back from Melody, first placing a kiss on her cheek, and gave her a nod. “Yes, Mally. I see that you are in battle mode. So, hop to it!”
“Aye!” she cried as she trotted out in front of the group. She had her pin in hand ready to fight off whatever presented itself.
“Are we really going to let her lead the way?”
Tarrant smiled. “We will let her believe so. It’s the Vorpal sword that will pilot the way.”
Melody pulled the sword in front of her again, hands firm on the handle. In one smooth motion, it pulled her along again. The handle was starting to grow warm against her palms and it moved Melody around a corner. The further along they went down the corridor, the louder they could hear voices.
“Tarrant,” Melody whispered.
“I hear.”
Slowly they crept up to the door. Melody could feel her heart begin to pound against her chest. She didn’t have a plan what to do next.
The door was open a crack and she leaned against the wall, peering in. She could see a man pacing the room. She remembered him as Alec, but really his name was Brennan.
Melody clenched her jaw tight when she saw Mirana sitting in a chair, eyes closed. A smile slowly drawing in her face.
“Why doesn’t she move?” Melody whispered to herself.
“Melody, what is it?” Tarrant breathed.
“Mirana,” she said, turning to face Tarrant. “She’s in a chair, unbound, but she doesn’t move. Why doesn’t she move?”
“A spell. Brennan has a spell on her.”
Melody felt the sword tug towards the door. “Easy, Vorpal. Not yet. We need to assess the situation at hand.”
At those words, she felt the sword slack a little under her grasp. It was like it was alive; like it had a living breathing spirit that she could command.
“Let’s go,” Melody said.
“No,” Tarrant countered. He held his hand over her torso, holding her back. “Remember, you just told the Vorpal sword we need to assess the situation. If you just go barreling in there, Brennan could seriously hurt Mirana. He has her under a spell, remember?”
“Yes, but you can see her. She’s faint and looks ill-hearted. He obviously has done some damage to her already. Look at her face. We need to go now, Tarrant. We don’t have time to sit and wait. What I meant when we needed to assess the situation was, that, we needed to see what we were up against. I see what we are up against now. We need to go. Now.”
“Melody,” he said. He turned her to face him, keeping his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me, please. I have been an Underlandian all my life. I know the things that evil lords can do. I don’t want to see anything happen to you or our Queen. I know you are wonderfully capable of defeating him, but think this through before you head in.”
Melody processed the words Tarrant was speaking. She understood what he was saying, but if they waited any longer, who knows what this Brennan character could do.
“I understand. But the Vorpal sword knows what it wants. It knows what it has to do. It will lead me. For some reason, as long as it is in my hands, I feel as if it sends messages to me; telling me what to do. I know it sounds crazy.”
“Darling, I’m a mad hatter. Nothing is crazy to me.”
Melody laughed. She searched Tarrant’s eyes and he nodded at her in acknowledgement.
“Mally, Thackery and Nivens. I know you are not going to like what I have to say, but please stand guard. Tarrant and I are going in this alone.”
Mallymkun groaned.
“No! I will not miss all the fun!” she said as she drew her pin.
“Mally, no,” Tarrant whispered. “Melody needs to do this. Please.”
Mallymkun narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “Fine.”
Melody held the sword in front of her feeling it warm again and drew in a deep breath. “Alright, do your thing,” she said to the sword as she kicked in the door.
“What’s this?!” Brennan bellowed as he heard the door slam open.
He saw Melody standing in front of the opening, sword drawn, the crazy hatter behind her. He let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Please don’t tell me that you are going to try and fight me with that, dear girl,” he mocked.
“I am,” she stated firmly.
Tarrant stood behind her, hand on his sword, ready to make a move if she needed help.
“Let Mirana go. I don’t want to have to fight if I don’t have to. I,” she paused, “I will kill you if I need to.”
Brennan let out another laugh. “Child, you are weak and frail. You do not have the power to stand up to me.”
“I don’t, but the Vorpal sword does. It’s ready.”
“The Vorpal sword has no power over me. But I will soon have power over it. Hand it over.”
“Never.”
“Now. I was not making a suggestion. It was an order.”
Melody shook her head. “No.”
“Melody, you are making this harder than it has to be. Hand it over, and Mirana goes free.”
Melody inched her way over to Mirana who was still sitting in the chair. A smile drew on the Queen’s face. Melody felt the sword speak to her. She raised the sword over her head and turned to Mirana. She slammed the sword against the chair, breaking the shield around Mirana. Fragments shattered all around them, freeing the Queen from her bonds.
“You insubordinate creature! How dare you! You will pay for this!” Brennan yelled as he drew his sword, charging forward to Melody.
Melody felt her blood quiver in her veins as she saw him coming forward. She couldn’t move from the spot. Mirana had made her way over to Tarrant.
“She has to do this on her own, Tarrant. You know this,” Mirana stated as she held Tarrant back.
He didn’t like seeing her scared and he was worried for her. He knew the Vorpal sword would do what it willed, but did it care about the person that yielded it?
Brennan raised the sword in the air. Melody coward as the Vorpal sword drew across her face. She squeezed her eyes tight as she felt the his blade crash against hers, sending her to her knees. She quickly got back up and let the sword continue its quest. Though her arms were heavy with exhaustion from the fight with the guards, she knew she had to continue on. Brennan was much stronger and more skilled than the other men from what she could tell already.
Vrellen coward off in a corner as he watched his King fight against the girl. He shifted his eyes about the room and saw three little heads peering in the doorway.
“You!” he yelled, pointing his finger at the three animals.
The trio’s eyes grew wide as they watched the little man come charging towards them.
“Get him!” Mally yelled, pin at the ready.
They moved into the room and jumped on Vrellen. He screamed, trying to pull them off. Thackery beat him with his ladel, Mally poked him all over with her pin and Nivens dug his claws into Vrellen’s flesh, hanging on to his back, screaming for dear life. Vrellen ran out of the room and down the hall trying to remove the creatures off him.
Melody continued to cross blades with Brennan. He had knocked her down more times than she could count. Tarrant felt his heart beat hard in his chest. She needed help, but he knew that he couldn’t interfere.
Melody cried as she continued to fight against the Black King.
“You can give up, woman. I don’t really want to fight you anyway. You are too pretty a specimen to destroy.”
Melody felt a trickle by her mouth. She whimpered when she saw the blood on her fingers.
“Just hand the sword over, Melody.Think of it! You and I. Ruling together in Brungretter. You could be my queen. I always knew I liked you from the moment I laid eyes on you at the ball,” Brennan said lustfully.
“Never!”
“Oh, that’s right. You are in love with the one that killed my father,” he said, glaring over at Tarrant. “How could I forget?”
Melody felt her weakness disappear. It was replaced by repulsion and hatred. She felt the sword grow boiling hot in her hands. It pulled her forward. She felt it rise in the air and slash across Brennan’s unprotected torso. Before she could do anything else, the sword pierced through Brennan’s skin, coming out the other side. She twisted it and withdrew it.
Brennan grabbed his side in pain, falling to his knees. She watched as a pool of blood formed around his dying body. His mouth hung open as he gave his last breath.
Melody’s hands trembled as she watched him breathe his last. She felt her stomach churn. She dropped the Vorpal sword at her side and looked at her hands. She couldn’t believe what she had just done. She turned to see Mirana and Tarrant’s stunned, concerned looks. Melody felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she fell to the ground.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9/ Chapter 10/ Chapter 11/ Chapter 12
Chapter 13/ Chapter 14/ Chapter 15/ Chapter 16