A/N

And here we are again! This story is for the great and awesome and other words that just make her blush with excitement; Jislane35. She never ceases to be a positive force in this fandom and if you do not know her... GO KNOW HER!

I've always loved the idea of making an Alice and Wonderland style BBT story and so I am going to juggle this along with my other story and I really really REALLY need this to get out of my head.

I hope you enjoy this, chika! I had fun writing it. To you, m'dear! (holds up her cup)

Are we the players or the pieces?

Simple actions have very real consequences. A touch, a breath, a word, or even a step could bring us closer to our demise. Chess is a perfect game to illustrate this. It teaches us to 'look ahead'. To make wise decisions that will lead to victory in the end. Along this path, we learn the proper time to sacrifice or when to charge forward. It is a game that many believe could mold the minds of great leaders, but also, terrible ones, as well. Though the chess pieces meet their fates far faster than we would, it is still a faint reminder of how immediate our choices could be.

This story… this story is about a kiss. Just one… and where it took a very lost man.

Sheldon was a man of habit. He was a man of rituals and observations and calculations and logic. Everything else was just redundancy of data and meant nothing to him. He had no transportation or means to get around other than his two scrawny legs and they got him to places he liked to go. Places he liked, not the people within them. He found no pleasure in communicating past services rendered and found no reason for it. He had no roommate and barely knew the neighbor by his floral gown. He was happy, for whatever that was worth.

Nothing changed in his life. He didn't like change. It was unpredictable and couldn't be accounted for in his calculations. He avoided it as much as possible. He even ate the same foods on the same corresponding days of the week. His life was just the way he wanted it to be.

Sheldon walked down the sidewalk with the pace needed to skip every crack in the pavement. He headed to the local pizza place that had the best ratio of cheese and sauce. It was only four blocks from his apartment building. He was only one block away when he was about to pass the same empty alley way with a peculiar mirror at the end of it that was embedded within the brick wall. He found it so perturbing that someone would've encased a mirror in brick so he would often close his eyes to not see it in his peripheral. He closed his eyes as he normally did and was bowled over towards the alley way.

"Ohmygod… ohmygod… ohmygod… Is he dead? Did I kill him? Oh my God! I killed a man AND I'm late. The queen'll have my head. Oh God Oh God… I can't breathe… I CAN'T BREATHE!" Sheldon's eyes squinted open and tried to focus on the man who was talking loudly to himself. He pushed himself up and his eyes went wide as he tried to focus them. It worked and the man before him came into focus just as he spun around and revealed himself. Sheldon screamed and backed away in pure shock. A man sized white rabbit with black tips on its ears and toes wearing thick goggles that made its blue eyes rimmed with pink skin look huge. The rabbit wore a purple and neon green checkered vest with a white shirt underneath that had a smeared black spade dripping down the shirt with a floating crown and scepter around it. The rabbit took a small hop with its long legs that seemed to bend underneath him and made its ears flop over to the side as it tilted its head then looked down at its wrist watch and bawled, "You're alive? Oh GOD, you're alive and now I'm late without casualties. She'll have my head… right on a fat, white plate."

The black tipped, white rabbit sprung off down the alley and Sheldon scrambled to his feet to get a better view. He watched the rabbit run into the wall and burst into a splash of water then drained right into the mirror.

Sheldon stared at the mirror for no more than 1.5 seconds before shook his head and checked himself for a concussion. He was developing a headache, but no sign of any brain damage. He looked one more time down the alley way before tossing it up to a delusion then made his way to the pizzeria.

Sheldon had eaten his pizza in peace and was making his way back to his apartment. It was now dark outside which was not his favorite time to walk for the fear of being robbed blindly. He hadn't forgotten the 'rabbit' incident because he couldn't forget anything. His eidetic memory was a mental description of his entire life and was easily accessible. He slowed down towards the entrance to the alleyway and stopped just short of it. He looked all around him for a trace of movement and only saw an old Asian woman looking back at him with a disturbed look on her face.

He took one step forward and kept his eyes open and was disappointed by the anticlimactic nothingness that occurred. He let out a sigh through his nose then moved forward. He looked up just in time to witness a woman manifest out of thin air… her pink and purple striped hoodie coming into focus first. Her hands were buried in the pouch pocket of the hoodie with purple ears on the hood. She wore tight black yoga pants and black low cut converses with pink and purple stripes. She looked up with teal colored, cat like eyes that illuminated eerily in the night's darkness. She took a large step forward and closed her eyes and took in a sniff. Blonde locks spilled from the hood and gave the woman much more allure than he anticipated. He swallowed deeply and took a few steps back and that made the cat woman smile, "Are you lost? No… you couldn't be. You are right where you knew you'd be. You are lost on the right path. How funny. Only a few find their way. Some don't recognize it when they do and some… some don't ever want to."

Sheldon jaw dropped as the woman vanished right before him and he just stared at the spot she once stood. Her voice sung out behind him and had him spinning in a jolt, "Do you think a dog is crazy?"

Sheldon found just her shoulder poking from the entrance to the alleyway and his eyebrows furrowed, "Wh-What?"

Her earred-hood edged towards him and her eyes found his, "You see, a dog growls when it's angry and wags its tail when it's pleased."

Sheldon shook his head, "What in the universe are you talking about, woman?"

She pushed off the wall to square up to him and he could see her glowing teal eyes. She tilted her head then straightened it up as a bright, pale smile was clearly visible in the darkness of her hood. It stretched wide and showed sharpened teeth of a carnivore then she spoke, "Now… take me for example; I growl when I'm pleased and wag my tail when I'm angry. That must make me the crazy one."

Suddenly, the silhouette of a long, fluffy tail twitched behind her. She picked up her legs to sit cross-legged in mid air and her body floated far above the ground. Sheldon took two steps back in utter horror and then turned and ran full speed in the direction of his apartment.

He had zoomed past the old Asian woman who gave him the same disturbed look as he jaywalked across the road and he burst through the doors of Los Robles. He nearly ran into the wall beside the stairs and struggled to catch his breath. What did he just witness? That woman spoke oddly and defied gravity right before him. It must have been some kind of prank. He began his trek up the stairs as his breathing began to calm.

He got up to his floor and pulled his keys out of his back pocket. He opened his door and immediately spun and closed the door and locked every lock and chain. He turned and his body froze in complete shock at the sight of pink and purple stripes standing on top of his lawn chair perfectly balanced. She hopped down and smiled, "You're sure to go somewhere if you only walk long enough."

He rolled his eyes. She was still talking in randomness. He spoke to her, slowly, "Why have you followed me? Better question, HOW did you follow me? And could you speak with meaning! This talking in lyric is quite redundant."

Her tail sashayed behind her then reached up and pushed the hood off her head. Sheldon looked shocked at how human she looked. Her ears were cat like and pointed up from where they normally would be. She had faint stripes of purple and pink in her skin. She gave a fanged smile and spoke, "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave for five minutes longer. You have been summoned to play the King of white in the game against the spade of Queens and men."

Sheldon swallowed and shook his head, "Summoned? Do you mean the white rabbit?"

The woman licked her feline lips, "Leonard."

Sheldon blinked, "Is that the rabbit's name?"

She nodded, "The Hoppity Homunculus serves the clock and brings the witch her beauty's stock. The Queen of Spades is a tyrant to say the least, who feeds the masses to her heartless beast. A man of height and eyes of blue, will holdfast to tried and true. He will save our land from the dark and pain, and leave this land never the same."

He groaned and turned to his door and ripped it wide open, "Now you're talking in rhyme? Get out!"

She sighed and turned around to look around his apartment, "Leonard told me he ran into you and you could see him. That normally doesn't happen with those on the other side of the mirror. Old Rabbit face moves to and fro from our world to yours with no problems. Makes him the Queen's little snuggle bunny." She turns to look at him and sighed again, "My name is Penny… I am the Cheshire Cat. I was sent by the Mad Hatter to find the champion against the Jabberwocky, or as we call him, Dark-n-Pain. Don't get me wrong, we've found about six like you, but they became just another snack. Forgive me if I'm sort of skeptical that you'd do any better. I mean you might have a chance if you stick to the back of his throat and choke him."

Sheldon bristled at the cat's disillusion about him and slammed his door hard, "If I'm not mistaken, you came to ME. You know nothing about what I can accomplish nor about what I could offer your… 'world'. The fact that you are part cat does not mean you have the right to spit your venom in attempts of trying to belittle me. Whoever told you that your pitch for getting someone to come and help you was perfect needs to be fed to your Jabberwocky."

Penny's eyes gleamed angrily, "I'm sorry, but I can't see what makes you any better than the others. You have no muscle structure, you run like a blind ostrich, and you dress like a golfer jumped into the sales bin at a bazaar. Forgive me if I don't see a fearless warrior behind your misshapen, breadstick arms."

Sheldon took a step to be almost nose to nose with the cat woman and he snarled, "Try me."

They stared intensely at one another. Neither blinked; neither backing down. He watched her pupils go from round to narrowing into a slit. This far from the beauty before him; he could see the vague stripes of pink and purple in her skin and even the pink and purple tint in her blonde hair. He swallowed and noticed that she smelled of honeysuckle and fresh rain and that made him think of home. He could feel a warmth building up in his chest and just let out a grunt. He shook his head lightly and rolled his eyes from hers, "It seems that you are just as disappointing as I am to you. If you'll excuse me, I have work tomorrow morning. You zapped yourself in here… you can smoke yourself out. Goodnight."

He moved towards his hallway to his bedroom and was paused by a roaring laugh. He frowned then turned to the cat who was now laying on her back with her body bent backwards with her blonde hair spiraled down like a golden waterfall as she floated in midair. The locks bounced as she continued to laugh while her tail ticked underneath her. He gave a low, intolerant growl, "What is so humorous?"

She rolled her body until her Converses tapped back down to the hardwood floor, "You really can't hide your feelings well, can you? Anyways… I can get you to my world very easily. All you have to do is close your eyes and bow your head."

He stepped down and right in front of her and shook his head, "Then what? You hail the mother ship?"

The blonde gave a laugh then shook her head, "Just do it."

Sheldon shook his head and closed his eyes softly then bowed his head until his chin touched his chest. He could hear the movement of the cat woman and soon felt her breath on his nose. His eyes shot open and were eye to eye with a floating femme fatale. She gave a smile before quickly wrapping her arms around his neck and her lips crashed against his. He didn't have time to enjoy it as the kiss exploded around them and jolted his brain until he was completely blacked out.

Sheldon's sight came back slowly. It focused and unfocused a few times before he realized he was sitting at the end of a very long table. He looked down at the tablecloth covered in whimsical duckies with umbrellas. Right in front of him was a large plate with a crack right down the middle of it. He had a fork with only one tooth left on it. Beside that was a spoon with a hole in it. He looked at the tea cup on its cup plate and noticed there was something in it. He tried out his body function and reached up to put a finger on the cup plate. He pulled it towards him and screamed very girly as a small, skinny, gray mouse popped up from inside his cup. It wore a tight plaid green, long sleeve shirt with a black dicky underneath but no pants. It had a brown, bowl cut hairdo with its ears poking from the side. It clumsily slid out of the cup and spoke with a squeaky voice, "Oh great, a hero that screams like a heroine. Can't wait to see him cry about getting a run in his panty hose when he sees the Jabberwocky."

Sheldon furrowed his brow and was about to say something when a voice carried over the table, "Now now, Howard… this man is a guest at my table. HE DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT I SLEEP HERE AND SOMETHINGS DRAW FRIENDS ON THE TABLECLOTH WHEN I'M REALLY LONELY. Why did I say that? OH SHUT UP AND SAY HELLO TO OUR GUEST. I am, stop mongoosing me. YOU MEAN BADGERING. Shut it!"

Sheldon stared at the man at the other end of the table with a dirty, black top hat that had a card with the Rhode Island School of Design's logo on it that looked burnt on the edges held there by the blue ribbon around it. He wore a blue and black checkered zip up jacket with a grey hood and a black shirt with melting tea cup on it underneath it. He was tall with short hair and looked almost as awkward as he was making himself out to be not to mention a bit schizophrenic.

He watched the mouse dart down the table around the many foods and tea pots on the table. The mouse ran to woman who looked very petite. She looked to be a cross between a rabbit much like the white one he met, but this one was more human. She had no hair, but her fur was dirty blonde. Her ears were tied back with a ribbon spiraling down the stocks of the ears and she wore a very fluffy yellow dress. She wore a name tag that said 'Bernadette is Marching'.

None of this scene made any sense to him and he eventually found his voice, "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner party of absurdity, but would you care to explain what it is that we are doing here."

His eyes caught the stream of pink and purple forming over the chair of the 'hatter'. Penny appeared with her Converses on top of the wooden chair just above the crazed hat-ed man, "This is Stuart, Bernadette, and Howard. They are better known as the Mad Hatter, The March Hare, and the Dormouse. These three know how to get the caterpillar."

Sheldon shook his head, "Why would I need to find the larval form member of the order Lepidoptera?"

They all looked at him with a raised brow, even the mouse, and he rolled his eyes, "The Caterpillar."

They all nodded in understanding but neither made a move to answer his question so he shook his head then pushed himself from the table and made the chair rub loudly against the ground. He stood and nearly screamed at his outfit. He wore a sailor blue trench coat dress with silver buttons down the chest. He had navy blue and white striped leggings with black sandal jelly shoes. He looked up at the characters at the other end of the table. The cat kneeled down above the Hatter and laughed herself into ribbons of confetti.

Bernadette sipped her tea and placed it down with a loud clank, "You look a whole lot better in that outfit than the last guy."

Howard squeaked and shook his head, "That's true. Only problem is that we could barely fit your other leg into the stockings."

Sheldon blushed and tugged at the ends of his dress.

The three characters marched down a brown, dusty path with him slowly following behind. The scenery was tall and overgrown but none dared to touch the path as if it would kill it if they did. There were green quills that grew like grass tilting like a wave away from the path. Far in the distance, on both sides, were trees that looked as if they were built by a toddler with large Legos. The bodies of these block trees were diaphanous and iridescent. Their foliage was solid and it seemed to be giving off different colors.

"That's the Rainbow Forest. The Queen has emptied it of the Huemans and most were spared of the Jabberwocky and work at the castle."

He looked up at the cat woman doing a backstroke above him, "Why would I need to find the sole caterpillar of this land?"

"She is the only one who knows where the Queen's castle is."

"Why do you not just float up into the sky and pinpoint its exact location?"

"It doesn't work like that. Here, if you have never been to a place then you never know where it is."

Sheldon shook his head in bafflement, "That makes no sense."

Penny grinned her signature smile down at him, "Oh, my dear hero, it makes perfect sense. Wonderland is not about the places you visit, but about the routes you take and the people you meet. If you never meet anyone or never follow the signs then you'll just wander down the same path… forever and alone."

Sheldon saw the Hatter and Hare standing at a split path with two wooden signs pointing in two different directions. He spoke to the cat above him, "Your caterpillar; are you sure it will be willing to give up this location?"

Penny floated to the ground beside him while walking beside him, "She'll be absolutely thrilled to give us the information… just so long as you let the her do all the talking."

Sheldon looked over at her as they caught up with the three, "Excuse me?"

Stuart was wringing his hands, "Mary is very particular about her beliefs. YES, LIKE CRAZY ABOUT THEM. Mary is a very sweet larva. OH YEAH, IF YOU LIKE A WORMY WOMAN CALLING YOU A HEATHEN EVERY THREE AND A HALF SECONDS."

Sheldon shook her head, "Sounds like my mother."

He looked at the two signs that were held by thumbnails on the cork of the tree and he scrunched his nose. The metallic sign to his left, that was pointing slightly downwards but to the right, which had 'This Way' painted sloppily in white paint. The oak wood sign to his right that was pointing slightly upward and to the left had 'No That Way' burned into it. He half wondered if the signs were made by the schizo Hatter.

"Which which is which?"

He looked at Penny with tired eyes and she smiled then disappeared leaving just the smile behind.

They took the 'This Way' route and the scenery shifted to glass like… reflective and bright and slightly warmer. The path was still brown and dusty, but the surface outside the path was smooth and metallic and was wavy with hills.

The three were still marching forward and chatting in their psychotic way. Sheldon noticed a lot of small glass stems that were drooped over to the path. As he continued to walk he saw beautiful clear roses that were translucent but had color in the glass. He touched them and was shocked that they had the texture of a gummy bear. He stepped away from them in shock and just moved forward and saw different types of roses in all types of textures.

It wasn't until he got to a single, human sized rose that made him stop. It was in the texture of a mirror and reflected everything around it. It moved its pedals around until Sheldon could see his face clearly. He stepped to it and cupped under the rose's pedals and saw his Memaw sitting on the porch swing at her house and he sniffed it, "Banana Nut."

Penny's voice erupted from beside him and made his body convulse in terror but he didn't scream this time, "The Speculum rose. It gives off one of the favorite smells from the one it reflects."

He stepped back and looked at the cat woman floating and leaning over to look at the rose and shook his head, "I really need to put a bell on you."

She looked over at him with her teal eyes and floated right in front of him, "Many men have tried."

He blinked, "N-no… I was only making an analogy about you being the kitten and I being the mouse. I did not mean that as a sexual inducement."

She floated to be eye to eye with him as her pupils dilated and retracted to focus on him then gave a soft smile and a faint purring noise, "Did you just call me Kitten?"

Sheldon's mouth went dry and his body began to react in ways he'd only read in books and manuals. She was not horribly unattractive even with the cat body parts. He cleared his throat, "I said THE kitten and once again… I meant no sexual inducement." He moved forward trying to alleviate the tenseness he was feeling and heard her chuckle.

Sheldon kept his eyes forward as the scenery shifted as if someone had erased the lines and drew in new ones. It felt as if he had shrunk. The trees were well above them, almost becoming the sky above them. Flowers were now over six foot tall and looked like sunflowers but were moving as if they were alive. On the other side were in the shape of human mouths and were whispering to each other. He took a step towards a cluster of them and heard Penny sing in a warning song, "I wouldn't do that."

He looked back at her, "Why is that?"

He turned his head to look back and one of the flowers kissed him right on the lips and there was an explosion on his lips and it knocked him back on his ass. He shook his head from the sparkles of light in his eyes as Penny floated over and help him up. She dusted off the back of his dress and spoke softly, "Those are Lip-Bomb Tulips. They have sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter mixed in their pollen. It's a kiss you'll never soon forget. It's where I got my lip bomb from."

He rubbed his numb lips and nodded, "Yes… I remember. it was a blast."

He looked over at her with an amused smile and she gave him a grin. She glided away from him and he tugged down at his dress, "Well, let us hurry to this caterpillar. If she is anything like my mother, she'll hate that we were late."

Penny shook her head, "There is no such thing as time here. Remember what I told you…"

He cut her off immediately, "I remember everything. I have an eidetic memory and can recall what my mother was wearing when I first learned how to walk."

She crossed her arms and looked at him and he furrowed his brows at her, "What?"

She bent her arm out and pointed her hand down, palm up at him, "Well, you remember everything I said so I really don't need to remind you then. Tell me, why do we not have time here?"

He groaned, "Fine. Just tell me."

She licked her lips with her rough cat tongue, "Because you don't remember?"

He looked at her with a frown, "Because you did not tell me."

She smiled, "I did, but you just were not listening. I said Leonard serves the clock. Leonard serves the Queen. She has stolen time itself and placed it in an hour glass."

His brows nearly touched as he scrunched his face in confusion. He was about to ask how that was possible, but Bernadette's high Hare voice sang out, "We're Here! We're Here!"

He turned from the cat and stared at the jungle of towering, carnivorous plants and noticed the path was gone. The avaricious jungle ahead was colorful but he learned of aposematism at a fairly young age so knew that all those bright colors were a warning for him not to enter. He looked up at a huge, blood red pitcher plant that moved its huge, fat body to angle down as if looking back at him and he felt a pinch of fear. Not only were they carnivorous, but they were big enough to eat a few grown men and that shook him even more, "Are y-you sure sh-she's in there?"

The Hatter nodded, "Oh, I am very positive. SHE'S IN THE GOLDEN PEONY. Far into the middle of the jungle."

Sheldon looked from the small Hare with the mouse on her shoulder to the Hatter back at the cat… that had disappeared again then back towards the jungle, "Drat. Do I at least get a final meal?"

The three looked at him in befuddlement and he shook his head then tugged on the bottom of his dress then slowly made his way into the jungle. He heard all three of the characters behind him wishing him luck then heard the Dormouse squeak, "Don't scream at the P.P. plant."

He took in the advice as he carefully missed the roots and anything that looked like it would sweep him up and eat him. He stopped in the middle of a small clearing and talked out loud, "What good are you as a companion if you keep disappearing when I need your help the most."

"You're doing just fine." She appeared; lying on a tentacle of a sundew plant but it reacted as if she weren't there, and disappeared again.

"I am in a man-eating forest looking for a crazed caterpillar in a golden flower. How am I FINE?"

She appeared back on an eyelash of a Venus flytrap and once again it didn't react, "You haven't been eaten, yet. You've made it twice as far as most of the other guys. YaaaaY!"

Sheldon let out a whimpering moan as she disappeared again. He looked around the jungle and it seemed to realize just where he was. His eye caught something bright and he looked up to see a sunbeam from above the tall pitcher plants. He looked through the other predatory plants and saw a glow of light and he made up his mind to follow it and he carefully, and swiftly, moved through the thicket.

He could see the golden leaves of the Peony flower and the sun spotlighting at the clearing only a few yards from where he stood. He looked to his left and saw the brown, dusty path that led right over to the golden flower. The path that led to the 'safer' path was walled by thick, thorny bushes. He swallowed and moved cautiously down the dark path.

He was only steps from the brown path when huge frog/fox hopped right before him and made him stop. It had the body structure of a frog but the appearance of a fox. The froggy fox looked up at him with golden eyes and hissed/ribbited at him. Sheldon took a step back as it began to growl and snarl at him with its throat blowing a bubble. The creature's froggy paw touched a grassy stolon of and the stemmed vine wrapped around the frog fox and lifted it up to a twisted, nonthreatening dandelion flower bud. The bud opened up and something that he couldn't see caused the frog fox to scream that led to something strange happening. The frog fox's body looked to be getting sucked towards the bulb but the vine didn't let it go and the body still remained, but the frog fox began to become shriveled and brittle until the bud closed and the vine snapped the now mummified creature in its grip. Sheldon backed sideways in utter horror until his back hit the thorned wall that pricked him many places.

He jolted from pain and looked back at the wall and saw a sign that said 'P.P. plant- Premutating Precipitation Plant' then small underneath 'everything tastes better when it's filtered from fear'.

Sheldon understood the Dormouse's advice. He took in a breath through his nose and avoided the stolon that was rooted into the path, now. He took a very wide step and dragged his other leg, heavily, and it brushed against one small spore poking from the ground. The vine snapped around his waist and yanked him to the familiar bud. It was bulbous at the head of it and had a long muzzle. It looked exactly like dandelion before it blooms into its golden flower. The tip of the muzzle has a small hole in it that suddenly started to open up. The flower twisted open and revealed rows and rows of spider like little mandibles with dripping clear claws on the end all stretching towards him with gel saliva bubbling and dripping down from all around its mouth. He saw movement deep within the mouth of hell and saw, in horror, hopping spider-like creatures coming towards him in swarms. A few fell from the upper mouth onto his face and Sheldon had to close his eyes and tense up his entire body just to stop the scream in his throat.

Suddenly, he felt the momentum shift as the vine places him back on the ground. He opens his eyes and watches the bud back to its closed form and now moving back to its attack position. His first motion was to touch all parts of his body to swat any spider-ish creature on him and was relieved to find none. His body shivered in disgust. He looked up to see the sunlight still spotlighting the golden flower and moved as quickly as he could towards it.

The closer he got, the more the flower opened. He could smell pecan pie and fried chicken. He looked on either side of him and saw the Speculum roses all reflecting towards him. He got to the end of the brown path and it began to turn into bright yellow. The brown and yellow swirled around the Peony and Sheldon moved around until he got to the 'front' of the flower's opening.

He could see the long, lumpy thorax and abdomen of a caterpillar but it looked human in flesh tone. The abdominal prolegs were bug like with small setae growing from them, but as the caterpillar straightened up, he saw the human side of the caterpillar. The three pair of thoracic legs was in fact, human arms. The skin towards where the caterpillar head would be was smooth and humanlike and had his mother's upper torso and head there. It was the most disturbing thing he had ever seen in his life, even adding in the mouth of the P.P. Plant.

This thing was not his mother. He wouldn't allow it to be, "Hello. Are you the Caterpillar I am supposed to seek out to find the Queen's castle?"

The stern eyes of his mother looked down at him then softened, "That all depends. Who are YOU?"

He shook his head, "To say the truth, I hardly know anymore."

The caterpillar stretched her body down and spoke oddly, "How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail. And pour the waters of the Nile, on every golden scale. How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws. And welcomes little fishes in, with gently smiling jaws."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I do not understand."

She smiled and stretched her body back upwards and touched a group of fuchsia foxglove and they all opened to her, "The crocodile's integrity became duplicity. Much like the path to the Queen's heart. Do you understand, now?"

Sheldon thought about this and shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

The caterpillar gave a smile, "You will. Now, come closer and listen."

He looked around and saw that the jungle was nothing but silhouette behind him and took a step up, "God has protected me from the festoon. He gave me the jungle to keep away my enemies and the sun to show my friends the way. And soon, he will give me wings like one of his angels."

He couldn't believe just how much this creature had in common with his mother. He wanted to say something, but he had yet to get the information he came for so he kept quiet. He did have one question that he was curious about, "What is this 'festoon' you said?"

She looked at him, strangely, and her eyes opened wide, "You are the new hero from the other world. There have been many, many beings that have claimed to be the one, but none like the Alice of old. She was a blonde that overthrew the Queen of Hearts but left the throne open for her sisters to take."

The caterpillar sighed and looked down at the first set of her hand that held a dead foxglove bulb, "It may clear up some misunderstanding as to why the people of Wonderland cannot fight back. You see, the four queens of Garb each have a beast that protected their kingdom and could only be killed by one sword… the Vorpol sword, that has been hidden for over 500 years. The handle of the Vorpal has a pearl of bone from each of the Queen's beasts and is infused with a drop of their blood within the blade. The beasts are the Gryphon, the Jubjub bird, the Bandersnatch, and the Jabberwocky. The Queen of Hearts had the Gryphon; the Queen of Diamonds had the Jubjub bird; the Queen of Clubs had the Bandersnatch; while the Queen of Spades has the Jabberwocky. The beasts never die, but the Queens are not so lucky. It seems that the Queen of Spades has removed her sisters to become the present Queen."

He took a few more steps closer, "Explain why I must kill a dragon with a sword no one knows exists, but Alice still overthrew the Queen of Hearts without killing the Gryphon?"

The caterpillar gave him the look his mother always gave him when he questioned her and he swallowed. She turned her back thorax to him and waved her arms inward and the foliage closed, "The Queen is never more vulnerable than when she has nothing to hide behind. You take away her soldiers, you take away her knight; you can even take away her heart but unless you remove the darkness and pain; you'll never take her alive."

Sheldon bowed his head at the thought of having to slay a dragon as well as a woman he never met and began to have doubts that he could do it.

The caterpillar was wrapping herself in a silk and he backed away in shock. She didn't open her eyes as she spoke to him once again, "Reservation is not a weakness and courage is not a strength. If you cannot find a sword, my dear warrior; then find the next best thing. For one can never be whole until all the parts are in play."

It made no sense to him about the sword and he didn't have a chance to question it as the silk covered the caterpillar's body completely. As he stood in the darkened spot beside the closed Peony, he looked out at the scenery and didn't wonder how he was going to save this world, but how in the hell he was ever going to get home.