by A. G. Stone
I scowled at that. If I ever became a Queen, I would acknowledge the wild beasts of Wonderland as beings under my rule and would treat them with the respect that they have earned from years of mistreatment.
"Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, may I welcome you to the Feast of Celebration!" Blayke boomed, throwing out his arms widely as his wings fluttered with his excitement. Then he took off, into the air, hovering overhead like a hummingbird. "At last, we have a champion. The lovely Bryony has stepped forward to challenge the Court of Spades and right the wrongs the Queen of Spades has done. Let us celebrate all that she is here to do and congratulate her on her fight with Rabid Knight and the ravenous flowers on the very edges of Wonderland!"
All of the creatures cheered wildly, and I smiled, blushing a little at their praise.
Blayke landed next to me, pulling me into his chest. "You'll sit next to me, Strawberry," he whispered in my ear huskily, leaning so that his well-defined chest was resting over my shoulder. He pointed out the two large chairs at the very head of the table. His, or so I assumed, was silver with splashes of transparent glass, and mine was a gold with a red cushion resting on the seat.
I was about to walk off, but Blayke wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Hold on," he whispered. "I want to be able to hold you for a little while longer before the others take you away from me."
“No one will ever be able to take me away from you," I said, turning in his arms so that I was facing him. "I promise."
He gave me a sad smile, shaking his head. "I already know how it's going to play out; it's how it's always gone. The other two always get the girls. I never do," he said, and I leaned up on tiptoes, pressing my lips against his.
We kissed for a few minutes while the creatures in the background cheered for us; apparently they shipped us as much as my heart did. Then I pulled away, cupping Blayke's perfect face in my hand.
"Don't ever say that to me again," I said, kissing his cheek. "I swear on my life, I am not that way. I am not like the other girls who came here. I am yours alone."
Blayke smiled brilliantly at me and grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers. "I'm glad to hear you say that, lovely Strawberry. Now, you'll sit at the head of the table since you are the Guest of Honor. I'll sit next to you, and my friend will sit on your other side. Don't worry; he's quite nice. I promise he won't hurt you."
I smiled at him and took my seat at the head of the table. "Let the feast begin!" I exclaimed, and all of the creatures cheered.
"Hear-hear!" they exclaimed, and Blayke smiled at me, grabbing my hand.
"Hear-hear indeed," he whispered in my ear, and I kissed him.
Chapter 15:
The Hunt
"Here," Blayke said, pointing to the cup of amber slush before me, "is your drink. It is apple spice, pumpkin spice, and mint. Feel free not to drink it; it is rather an acquired taste, but you'd best get used to it soon, because it's present at every feast held in this realm as the drink of choice for the entire feast."
I gave Blayke a curious look. "What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"Nothing, I promise," he said, and I shrugged.
I trusted him.
"What is this?" I asked, pointing to the strange things swimming in green goop on my plate.
"That, Strawberry," Blayke said, his voice a teasing lilt, "is the appetizer. Feel free not to eat it. It's tadpoles in mint jelly."
I made a disgusted face. "Ew," I said, scrunching my nose up. "That's disgusting."
Blayke shrugged and grabbed one of the squirming tadpoles between his gloved thumb and forefinger. "Suit yourself," he said, tossing the tadpole into his mouth. "I think they're delicious. Try one."
Hesitantly, I grabbed one and popped it into my mouth. Quickly, before I could chicken out, I bit down and the tadpole's guts squirted everywhere inside my mouth. The tadpole tasted rather bitter, but the mint jelly made it sweet. Together, it was the perfect combination. Somehow, I liked this dish.
"That's really good," I said, looking up at Blayke.
He shrugged and grabbed my hand. He lifted my hand to his mouth and gently, grazing his teeth along each of my fingers without putting any pressure down at all, he inserted my forefinger into his mouth, sucking all of the mint jelly from my finger. He repeated this process with all of my fingers, and I bit my lip to keep from moaning at his sensual act. At last, he finished, and he wiped my hand dry with his napkin.
"It tastes even sweeter with the taste of you on it," he complimented me, and I blushed wildly. "Now, eat the rest of the tadpoles - with a fork so you don't get your gloves dirty - so that we can begin the main event."
I nodded and quickly ate all of the tadpoles but one. As I looked down at the tadpole squirming around in the mint jelly, eating its way through it as to make a path, I thought of something so wild and wicked that half of me cringed at the thought. But the other half of me told me to do it, and for once, I listened to the other half of me.
I popped the tadpole in my mouth and grabbed Blayke's collar, bringing him in for another kiss. I transferred the still wiggling tadpole from my mouth into his, and he moaned, nibbling on my lip before he pulled away. He chewed the tadpole up before raising my chin so that he could see my lips. I could feel that they were sticky with mint jelly from the transfer, and Blayke smirked down at me.
"I'd best clean your lips, then," he said, and he leaned in for another kiss, swiping the mint jelly from my lips and cleaning them thoroughly.
"AHEM!!!" All of the creatures at the feast cleared their throats at the exact same time, and Blayke pulled away from me, giving all of the creatures a very diplomatic smile.
"Ah, I am very sorry for the distraction, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon," he said before turning to me.
Taking my cue, I stood, giving everyone a 100 megawatt smile. "Let the main course begin!" I shouted, and everyone cheered, including Blayke.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The cooks brought out a huge plate bearing a roasted bird aloft. It looked like a mix between a duck and a swan, with the beak of a woodpecker. I blinked, and the cooks set the plate down in the middle of the table. The cooks then quickly backed away, fleeing back into the kitchen. I turned to look at Blayke questioningly, but he only smirked at me.
"You'll see," he said, answering my unspoken question. "Now, watch, lovely Strawberry. You don't want to miss this part; it's always the best part of a feast."
So I did watch, and as I watched the strange bird, its eyes opened to reveal pale white eyes with no irises. The eyes freaked me out, and I jumped, biting my cheek and chewing on it. Blayke placed his hand on my arm, and I relaxed, letting go of my cheek from between my teeth.
The bird climbed to its feet and flapped its golden brown wings. I stared at the bird in shock and awe, and the bird turned to look at me, bowing as neatly as it could with legs as long as a stork's. It then straightened up and looked at all of the guests in turn. As it did, the scent of herbs like thyme and rosemary drifted to my nose. My eyes widened in realization, and I turned to look at Blayke.
"Yes, the bird is cooked," he said without turning to look at me. "And yes, it is still alive - well, technically. It's animated. Before you ask, the animated bird before you is the handiwork of your Faerie friend, Meadow, and her magic. We animate the bird for the Hunt."
"'Hunt'?" I repeated, confused.
"You'll see," Blayke said as he turned to look at me, shooting me his famous smirk that took my breath away. "Now, say 'Let the Hunt begin'. That's all you have to do. Since it's your first Hunt, I won't force you to participate if you don't want to. All right?"
I nodded, giving him a hesitant smile, and I stood. "Let the Hunt begin!" I shouted, throwing my arms out grandly.
The mysterious creatures cheered wildly, and they all jumped to their feet. I sat back down and leaned back in the very comfortable chair, watching the goings-on careful. As I watched, the bird reached
up and rang the bell around its neck. That appeared to be the signal, for after that, all of the creatures jumped up on to the table and began to chase the bird around. I blinked; this was absolute madness.
"Is this normal in Wonderland?" I asked Blayke, and he nodded, smiling at me.
"Even the royals have feasts like this, with Hunts. Except the royals don't do the hunting; they have people to do that for them," Blayke told me. "Personally, I prefer doing the Hunting myself, but that's just me. Most of the royals prefer not to get their hands dirty, but it doesn't make sense to me personally."
I nodded, deep in thought. "That makes sense," I said, and Blayke chuckled.
"Do you want some of the Bird Beast?" Blayke asked me. "We'd best get some before the others eat it all."
"'Bird beast'?" I repeated, and he smiled at me.
"Yes, that's what it's called. It doesn't have a proper name; the royals never gave it one. So therefore, we call it the Bird Beast. It makes sense, if you think about it. When they're alive, they pitch up such a ruckus and throw such a fit to try to get away when you're hunting them. Therefore comes in the title 'Beast'. When they're dead but animated, they much more amiable of nature and more like birds. Therefore comes in the title 'Bird'. So that's how we came up with the title," Blayke explained, and I giggled.
"That's very interesting, and funny," I said, and his face lit up with pride. "Yes, I would like some Bird Beast. I am rather hungry."
"You stay here," Blayke instructed me, and he took off into the air, swooping down and tearing off one of the Bird Beast's wings as the Bird Beast flew through the air, high above all of the guests. He went back and tore off the other wing, sending the beast hurtling down back to the table.
"Save the lovely Bryony the breast!" Blayke exclaimed as he touched back down, taking his seat next to me as if nothing had happened. Nothing at all.
The creatures all nodded and gave affirmation that they would do exactly that, and they tore into the Bird Beast. They kept it still animated and tore it apart while it was still breathing. Somehow the Bird Beast managed to keep smiling cheerily, singing a sweet, little tune in the depths of its throat. The song was mournful if you really listened to it, but it was sweet; together, the different emotions in the song turned it into this haunting tune that sounded like a lullaby. I knew this lullaby, as if in a distant, hazy memory someone sang it to me when I was naught but a young child - perhaps even just a babe. And it terrified me that I knew the song.
"Shut it up!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
Everyone stared at me in shock - including Blayke - until one little ferret-like creature with the body of a cat and the wings of a bat but the face of a ferret cut the head off of the Bird Beast with its sharp fangs, therefore silencing it forever. The corpse of the Bird Beast fell to the table, and I smiled at the blissful silence
"Thank you," I said, sitting back down, and the creature bowed.
"Very welcome you be," it said. "My name be Were, lovely Bryony. Save us, I ask of you. Without you, we're sure to die, too."
I blinked.
"The Chubesoh demonlings were cursed a long time ago by the Queen of Spades. Now they can only talk in rhymes. It makes life difficult for them, but they get through it well," Blayke answered my unspoken question, smiling at me. "They don't really have difficulties with their curse, as they are the smartest demonlings there are in our world."
As the Chubesoh, Were, carried the giant breast of the Bird Beast over to me, I turned to Blayke. "But why did he say 'Without you, we're sure to die, too'? Did he mean me?"
Blayke shook his head, gulping nervously. He turned to Were. "You weren't supposed to say that," he hissed. "She isn't to know that until later, when she's more experienced and is ready to face that fact."
Were bowed, his hand over where his heart would be if he were human. "My apologies, Master. I was not thinking when I spoke, thought she was faster." - I scowled at that. - "Thought I she was farther along. I see now that I was wrong. Apologies I give. Please forgive. But should she not know soon? It is her fate, perhaps for knowing she will grant a boon."
"No," Blayke said firmly, shaking his head. "It isn't time for her to know that."
"Shouldn't 'she' have a chance to speak for 'herself'?" I asked, scowling at Blayke.
He turned to look at me, guilt evident on his features. "I'm sorry, but you aren't ready to know. It should be a little longer before you learn about your fate. But know that the fate of everyone in Wonderland rests on you - and you alone. No one else can save us," Blayke said, his eyes wide and his words as truthful as a robin is about spring.
I bit the inside of my cheek and gnawed on it. "Do I have a choice?" I asked, and his expression fell.
"Yes, of course," Blayke said, but he didn't sound like he was being truthful. "But we need you, Bryony. We can't survive without you; especially not him. His life depends on you. Seth will die if you don't help him.
I became furious at the way that Blayke was trying to guilt-trip me. "Find someone else, then," I said, standing up and storming out of the room.
Chapter 16:
Furious and Furiouser
"Master asked me to bring this to you," Meadow said, offering me a sky blue nightgown. "He begs for your forgiveness, also."
I waved the nightgown away. "Send it back to him, and tell him, 'I'll forgive him and accept his gifts when he stops trying to guilt-trip into doing what he dares not to do," I said, sneering at the nightgown and the message that it beared with its white lace frills.
If I accepted the nightgown, I would be surrendering to his will and giving him permission to continue to treat me like an object. I couldn't stand for that; I wouldn't survive like that for very long at all. If I didn't accept the nightgown, then I was a selfish witch. Either way, I was the bad guy in the Faeries' eyes. But I couldn't let him continue to treat me like an object - kind of like a glove or a sword one uses constantly - that he could use to do what he was too scared to do.
I turned from the part of the red wall I was staring at (because I refused to have anything to do with Blayke, I also refused his room; he agreed to the switch very sadly, begging me to reconsider) to look at Meadow, who was still flying in the room, her expression sad. "Please understand, Meadow," I said, and she gave me a reassuring smile.
"I do understand, I do, Milady," she assured me, her smile sad yet accepting of what I was doing. "What Master was doing to you is wrong. He shouldn't try to use you like that. But what makes me sad is that you're hurting Master. He tried his best to make you comfortable so that you could get your way to make up for the way that he was treating you."
"But that doesn't make what he did okay," I said, wiping away a tear that snaked down my cheek like a long, silver train back in my world. "If I agree to go along with his plan, I'm almost sure to die, but if I'm successful, I'll be locked in Wonderland forever. If I don't agree to his plan, I doom everyone to death but get to go back home. Do you see my dilemma, Meadow? I have to do something, but I don't know what to do. I love Wonderland, but I have family back home. How will they survive without me?"
I sniffled, and Meadow offered me a tissue. "I know, Milady; I know Master has left you with a difficult choice. We as a people aren't trying to force you into anything, but we do need someone to be our champion, to save us from the Queen of Spades who is sure to kill us all because we're going against her. I love Master, but he has messed up forcing a young girl like you to make such a difficult choice that has her happiness on one side and the lives of whole races resting on the other side. I'm sorry," she said, giving me a sad smile.
"It's all right," I mumbled, tears still dribbling down my cheeks.
"No, it is not," Meadow said, shaking her head. "But we have to act like everything is all right, because that's what everyone expects. And we always have to meet their expectations." She gave me a sad smile once more before fluttering out of the room, bearing the nightgown aloft.
"Wait, Meadow!" I called after her, a
nd she quickly fluttered back into the room.
"Yes, Milady?" she asked, and I smiled at her.
"Would you please bring me a nightgown? I am rather tired," I said, and Meadow understood; she understood that I couldn't accept Blayke's gifts for that would send him the wrong message, and I needed him to know that he couldn't just use me like that and get away with it.
"Of course, Milady," Meadow said, nodding, and she flew out of the room to retrieve me the nightgown and deliver the frilly, lacey monstrosity of a nightgown he had sent her with.
As I was left alone, I thought. I thought of what the past had done to me, of what Blayke had done to me, how everyone treated me. And I screamed into my pillow, beating it with my fists as if I was knocking on Hell's door. I couldn't take it anymore! I was so pissed. I was so tired of letting people run all over me.
I stood and got dressed in a plain outfit that I had made using the materials Meadow had given me. It was simple, just a black T-shirt with a design on it I had made myself; the design was of a bleeding heart stabbed nearly to death with arrows and pins and needles, with a ribbon wrapped around the heart, stained in blood, reading 'LOVE'. As for the pants, they were black and red checkered to match the shirt.
I left the room, walking past a shocked Meadow. I turned to smirk at her. "I'm going to let him know what he's done to me and why I'm so pissed," I explained, and she bit her tiny, rosy bottom lip with her perfect teeth.
"Are you sure that's smart, Milady?" she asked, a bit nervous.
I shrugged. "Who knows? But I think he should know exactly why I'm so angry with him, why I'm so hurt about what he's done. Can't have him thinking that I'm petty or a brat," I said, smirking at the though.
"Master would never think of you as a brat, Milady," Meadow protested, and I shook my head.
"But he does," I said, giving her an arched eyebrow. "How can you not see it? He thinks that I'm a petty brat who can only think of herself. I'm done being viewed that way, so I'll explain my past and exactly what has happened."
