The courtyard of the castle belonging to none other than the current royal family of Wonderland may have been very hot this time of year because of the sealed limestone walls and the heavy sunlight pouring in through the large ceiling of stained glass all the hours of the day with no relief but a certain Lady of Wonderland had found no better place to practice her newfound hobby.
At the center of the grand building and all its majesty, surrounded by the support of gothic arches and marble pillars of ashen gray lay a large oval clearing of healthy and peaceful plant life.
Nightingales sang their soft melody from behind the bars of a birdcage hung on the sturdy branches of gentle pink and lavender wisteria trees purchased straight from Nol.
Delicate ferns and royal blue seventeenth century tulip bulbs grew in their chosen spots beside the smooth flint and shimmering obsidian set all along the man made river of quiet and crystal clear waters.
Bouquets of lilies of the valley, violets, grand flowerbeds of magenta thistles, turquoise roses and yellow carnations lined the courtyard like rolling hills in the valleys of Underland. Chocolate cosmos melted in the heat but still remained beautiful despite dripping on the pure white Heartily flowers underneath.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom shed their petals like snowflakes in the winter and a halo, a soft pink blanket was created all around its trunk.
Beside those delicate trees was a spot dedicated purely to the ruby, amethyst, diamond and citrine chrysanthemum flowers, a personal addition done by the the current Jabberwock, himself. No one dare ask him why and no one ever would.
The only company for the lonely weeping willow was a healthy bush of blushing Hydrangeas along with tall and short grasses from Bine, Cattails and hollow reeds.
All this wonder was viewed by a young and crippled Lady of Wonderland, Lenalee inside the comfort of a pure white gazebo set at the center of the garden where there was a delicate raise in the ground.
Lenalee had a gentle doll like appearance, a pale face, long black hair and gentle wise eyes. To some, she reminded them of tragedy and wanted nothing to do with her but to others, she resembled a beautiful and serene doe, something to be protected and adored.
Sweat trickled down her forehead after several hours of practice in the heat.
In her exhausted arms was what any soldier would recognize as a common bow and arrow easily purchased from any weapons merchant.
An unladylike practice, yes and something that would be frowned upon but in her little garden, Lenalee could hardly bring herself to care.
The scene complimented by the cruel beating sunlight was a beautiful harmony of things hardly matched by anything found anywhere else in wonderland.
She was thankful she did not have seasonal allergies.
Pollen, tree sap, bitter and sweet scents of all that nature was and was made to be sat heavily in the humid air all around, almost overpowering, practically suffocating. Even the greatest of earthly beauties could not be seen through miserable heat and yet it was always preferred over the bland and lifeless prison of marble.
The late queen's personal garden was a thing treasured and much gold was put into its creation.
As was tradition, it was to be passed down to the next queen of Wonderland but being that the king remained unmarried, Lenalee was given the keys.
She observed her quiet haven through dark eyelashes and bangs, her head tilted downward and her arms resting on her lap.
She had no need for a place to sit being that her thin form was confined to a metal wheelchair she despised so much.
Lenalee was nineteen and an adult. She did not feel it was right to be reduced to this childlike state when she could hardly dress herself or make her way down a flight of stairs.
Over the last year, she had lost a considerable amount of weight and wore a loose dark gown go hide it but she knew there were those that noticed.
Years of training in the art of combat were ingrained into her very mind and falling back into those familiar grooves felt better than she first would have thought so every day she had free, she'd spend it here amongst the plant life, her arrows in one hand and her sketchbook in the other.
After a moment's rest, she turned her eyes back to her target, the pillar some distance away from her, several broken arrows lying near its unmovable feet.
Lifting her bow once more, she notched the bow and, with shaking and inexperienced arms, she drew it.
Exhale and inhale.
She saw the shimmering sharp tip of the arrow shaking uncontrollably along with her arms, twitching further and further off target.
The blisters on her hands and fingers made her grip painful and she bit her lip till she tasted the faintest hint of irony blood.
It bothered Lenalee to no end how hard it was.
Why couldn't she aim? Why couldn't she remain focused? Why couldn't she ever hit the target?
Anger burned inside of her chest at her own uselessness, the pointless ragdoll she had become?
Before all this, she was a soldier, she was strong and respected, someone her brother could be proud of and now she was nothing.
She hated herself and the tears tickling her eyelids.
Now Lenalee was just a girl. Nothing more, nothing less.
The sound of a dried leaf crunching under a foot startled her and she released the arrow and bowstring without thinking.
The wind the arrow created by shooting across the open air rustled the sketched and drawing utensils by her. It was a force she was not prepared for. It had startled her just as much as the sound she had heard and, for a few brief moments, her heart raced but it was oddly pleasant.
The arrow she had fired hit some distance away from her target pillar and clattered weakly on the marble floors where it fell still.
It was unbroken. That was good as she only had about six left in her quiver and she did not like to waste.
But after being reassured of her arrow, she lifted her eyes to find whatever it was that had made the sound to begin with, be it just her imagination or a wild animal that had slipped in somehow.
She turned to her left, a ninety degree turn where the view of her gardens gates were best seen. It did not take long to see her audience.
From under the light from the red paine in her gardens ceiling, her gaze was met with the golden eyes akin to a something born in the wilds of nature.
Bright eyes that belonged to a familiar man's form that never failed to make her stomach turn sour.
It was the same face, the same voice, the same eyes, the same everything and that's why Lenalee didn't lower her bow when she recognized him.
She did not find his presence pleasant in least even though knowing full well that this was not the man that had taken her legs from her but rather the one that would give up anything and everything for him.
Mana. The twin brother of that wretched Earl.
Lenalee looked to see the current vessel of the Jabberwock, Mana standing very still like a rabbit that caught sight of its hunter.
There was a brief silence as the Lady of Wonderland let her habitual anger cool. Mana had never actually wronged her. In fact, he had never really spoken to her so there was no real reason for it.
She lowered her bow before she finally addressed her visitor.
"You." She spoke coldly "What are you doing here?"
He appeared awkward, like he hadn't really planned for anyone to be here. He pulled his arms behind his back, glanced from side to side and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"The gate." he replied quietly "It was unlocked…"
She could confirm his words by the light agonized whine of the rusted hinges and the way it seemed to sway very very lightly in a nonexistent breeze.
The girl scolded herself even though she could have sworn she had locked it with the bronze key she kept on her bracelet.
She was usually not this irresponsible.
"I see that." She leaned forward to notch another arrow to contiNue her hobby, thinking he would leave at her obvious discomfort "But what are you still doing here?"
But with a slip of her hand, Lenalee had knocked the arrow from her lap by accident and it fell out of her reach quickly.
"Oh, of all the-!" She blurted as it tumbled down the steps and onto the grass.
She did not have the energy to retrieve it so she just let her head rest back with a long and aggravated sigh.
It was difficult to be optimistic and hope for a brighter future when you could hardly even see the possibility of light in your own.
For a moment, she contemplated giving up for today and going back to her room but she found that she hardly had enough energy to do that either.
Maybe she would just sit there for a while, all alone in her garden.
"Excuse me." Spoke a kind voice.
Lenalee lowered her head only see Mana once more except this time, he was right in front of her with her dropped arrow in his outstretched palm.
She did not take it back.
She wanted to feel threatened, she really did but something was so gentle about his presence, far more so than he she truly despised, that she just couldn't.
He had kinder eyes, though no less on fire and a childlike way of carrying himself though no less wise.
Other differences in appearance such as longer hair and a very unhealthy complexion seemed to make a world of a difference up close. She almost could not see anyone but the current Jabberwock in his face.
Actually, she began to feel a slight pang of concern because the man in front of her wore a leather coat over a thick vest over a long sleeve black shirt on a ninety degree day.
Perhaps the Jabberwock, the grounded star hidden within that fragile frame, kept him from passing out from heatstroke.
Gratefully, she took the arrow from his palm.
"Thank you." She said.
At that, he looked perplexed, seemingly confused she spoke to him at all but his features softened as he spoke again.
"Your grace," he said with a polite bow "Are you having difficulty with your new hobby?"
"Well that's certainly direct."
"I mean no offense, of course."
"Of course you don't." She replied, feigning hurt feelings which Mana almost seemed to think real. "Back on subject, who sent you?"
He furrowed his brows "Pardon?"
"Don't play dumb." Said Lenalee absently "I know that the Bandersnatch, the Hatter and the twins have all been trying to disarm me for months." She gestured to her bow for the Jabberwock to understand her point. "I'm just wondering which one sent you."
"Disarm you?" He asked, his expression that of a scared child "Why would I want to do that?".
"We needn't dwell." She sighed in exhaustion because if he were lying, he was an excellent liar and she knew that was not true from all she heard "Just go locate one of the men I mentioned and tell them that their tactics will not scare me from my unladylike sport."
"Unladylike sport?"
"Good day and goodbye!" She declared in her strongest voice and awaited the man's leave for the second time today.
It was funny how the title of monarch couldn't even get people to do what she wanted. If even that couldn't, then whatever could?
"Well that's completely ridiculous!"
Lenalee was surprised, finding that he did not know when to leave when he was not wanted or how to properly respond to her statement.
"I know well enough that a true lady should not train with a weapon," He stated with a sort of distant but genuine fire in his eyes like he was defending his most treasured moral ground or something "But I also know by experience that 'true ladies' are some of the most cruel, horrible, hard hearted, uncaring, underhanded, cowardly, selfish, idiotic, deceitful, manipulative, wretched, downright evil…!"
And then he paused which Lenalee soon realized was because he had completely forgotten she existed in his rant. In fact, he was looking at the weeping willow tree in the distance like he was trying to hold a strong argument with it.
It was at moments like these that even the most serious person could do nothing to stifle their laugh.
She had heard many men condemn her hobby and just as many women approve of it for a variety of reasons such as equal rights for women or because she herself wanted to do it but never had she ever come across a person, a man no less, who approved of her hobby because he seemed to despise ladylike women more than anything.
This was certainly a new and refreshing viewpoint.
But Mana quickly realized he had said too much and became embarrassed , looking to the grass and shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"Is that so?" She asked as she wiped the tear from her eyes when her laughter died down "So do you hate me, then?"
"Oh no, never." Was Mana's quick and utterly serious reply as he straightened his posture and dusted off his coat, not even attempting to deny that he hated ladylike women "You are far more a girl than you are a lady."
Lenalee was not sure whether or not that was an insult or a compliment. It was her reflex to believe her was calling her a child but her suspicions died when she recalled the list of his problems with lady kind.
"That is to say-!" His eyes wandered elsewhere as he began to sputter, thinking he had insulted her in some way. "What I mean is-!"
"The answer is yes."
His whole body stood still like a photographic image as he awaited her response warily.
She was almost tempted to play with him a bit, maybe tell him that she'd sentence him to death if he kept this up but being no fan of pranks, herself, Lenalee elaborated.
"About before." She stated "I am having difficulty with my hobby."
"...Truly?"
"I am not a lady," She smiled. "Why would I lie?"
A ghost of a smile was returned to her.
"Would…" He paused to motion to her target pillar "Would you mind showing me?"
Lenalee drew her bow once more as an example to him who asked.
He took this as permission to stand beside her in the shade of the gazebo which he was probably more than thankful for in this sort of vile heat.
At the beginning of every draw, it was almost easy for Lenalee. Her hands were still and her arms were confident. The arrow remained on target.
But not a moment afterwards, her hands begin to sweat and slip, her weak muscles become twitchy and unreliable. She could hardly see her target much less keep her arrow on target.
And just when her anger began to build up, she felt the soft touch of a hand on her shoulder.
She took a sharp intake of breath.
Almost as though every physical fiber of her her being was commanded to, her body tensed up. Even now, she was hardly comfortable with physical touch, much less someone she knew so little like Mana.
They were wretched memories she knew she could never forget no matter how hard she tried, a constant stain upon what could have been good fortune.
Even if his intentions were good and she was sure they were as he was merely trying to position her arms to the proper arching form, the poor girl could not bring herself to tolerate it and, involuntary jerked away from him.
But of course he could practically read her mind because she doubted she could make it any more obvious what she was thinking of him.
Mana retracted his gloved hand quickly as though he had been burnt.
"I apologize. That was rash of me." He said quickly, his eyes unsure and weighted with sadness that Lenalee knew she caused.
For that, she felt a pang of guilt because of how often she had seen that heavy sorrow in her own features.
"It's alright."
After recovering his usual bright smile, Mana took a few steps back and lifted his own arms to the ideal form that any archer should aim for, steady arms and confident hands.
And, as most in the castle had grown used to seeing, the current Jabberwock materialized a weapon from thin air.
The Jabberwock did gift its vessels the ability to harness its power in a safe form, to minimize collateral damage and to increase accuracy of its will fulfilled.
It was rare and only when the goals of the vessel were the same as the Jabberwocks and that's why Mana was considered by most to be a very special case.
Wonderlands star gave the gift of an elegant bow that the man currently held in his hands, a weapon seemingly made from pure crystal lightning and drawn with a golden bow string.
The arrows never had perceivable form till the bow was drawn and when it was, what appeared to be a piece of star light lay at the fingertips of the wielder.
It always bothered Lenalee how she could never seem to concentrate enough to properly perceive the form of Mana's light arrows. They were like the image of the moon being reflected off the waters of a lake, changing and shifting every second.
And then there was always the smell.
That unpleasant smell of something natural and pure being burnt. It was not like burnt rubber or even burnt food. It smelled of burnt flesh and somehow it worried her even if she had no reason for concern.
Sometimes, she really didn't understand herself.
"In my short time as an archer," Mana began with a light smile "I think I have learned a few things of value but who's to say, really."
Almost shyly, Lenalee tried to mimic his form and drew her notched bow, feeling like she was a schoolgirl once again.
"It is a form of offense but it is less about force than it is about form."
"How is this?"
Her cast a glance towards her.
"You were a soldier? You fought professionally?"
"Yes. " She breathed, thinking back on the time as though it were another millennium "I was the sister of a lowly tomb guardian. I did it for the honor, not the money."
"I know it's hard to forget." He replied in a soft voice, like he was speaking with a child "The motions and habits you've formed and perfected over the years are difficult things to let go of."
"No, I've closed the door on that." She shook her head in denial as her sweaty sore fingers let the arrow fly at last "It's just impossible…"
The little wooden arrow flew at such unexceptional speeds as it made its way to nose dive into the earth like all her other failed attempts that Lenalee could not help but feel unbearably disappointed in herself.
But the pit in her chest filled up just a little when her own pathetic arrow was shot several yards away and into her target pillar by none other than a shimmering arrow of light, making patterns in the broken stone like the webs of a spider.
It disappeared as though it had never existed and her arrow hit the stone floor but it had left far too much of an impact to completely disappear.
A brief pause as she turned to see Mana lower his bow.
"I said difficult." He smiled "Not impossible."
"As a soldier, you relied on brute force I'm sure." He drew and aimed but this time with closed eyes "But an arrow could never deal damage the same as any weapons you used though it can be equally as deadly."
It was true that her legs were used as her greatest weapon and that she relied mainly on physical strength to defeat her opponents.
Funny how all that work could be rendered as meaningless in one night.
"It matters less that you hit the target," He said "And more that you have proper form."
"But," She questioned "If I don't hit the target then what is the point of-!"
She was met with a gloved finger close to her lips but not daring to touch her.
"If you have proper form," his eyes sparkled with an all too familiar amusement "Then you will be able to accurately guide the arrow to its destination. All the force in the universe would never be able to do that."
He took away his hand and met her gaze.
"The target," he gestured to her target pillar "is right there. It won't go anywhere."
And, with his gaze on her, he fired his arrow and the golden bean hit dead center into her pillar.
"Try closing your eyes." He said whimsically "They might do more harm than good in this situation."
He let another one free and it sunk deep into the center of the pillar besides her target.
Yet another on the pillar beside that and he hadn't even needed to glance to make sure.
Now he seemed to be having fun and Lenalee could not help but crack a helpless grin.
He made what had been a tortuous chore for Lenalee look the easiest thing in the world and it made her feel silly and yet a little cheerful.
"You see?" The Jabberwock sung with every arrow "It really doesn't matter what your eyes see-!"
And everyone's blood ran cold at the sound of a terrified yelp.
Mana's eyes grew wide as dinner plates but Lenalee could nothing but laugh because she had received the perfect and priceless view of the white rabbit, Wisely walking through the gates of her garden just to narrowly dodge an arrow to the chest.
Mana jerked his pale faced head around to see the garden gates and the disgruntled youth beside them.
"Ah!" he cried as he began to approach Wisely "I'm so sorry!"
"Bloody hell!" Wisely said with a monotone voice and a puppy like face of pure exasperation "That's what the hatter would have said anyways…"
Being that he was a member of the Royal guard and a dark meister worthy of being there, there was no question about whether or not he'd be more than alright if he received a light arrow to the chest.
There was no reason to imagine stakes that weren't there but Mana was probably more concerned with what the Rabbit would tell the Hatter regarding the incident.
For someone who was perfectly alright with standing up to Cyril, Mana sure did care what he thought.
Perhaps it was some sort of compromise she didn't know about, Lenalee thought and was content with the conclusion.
"And how exactly did you get in here, Wisely?" Declared a now composed Lenalee, putting a hard emphasis on the 'you'.
He was silent for a moment before he motioned towards the gardens and replied in a more than chipper tone "The gate was open."
Lenalee shot a look towards the gate to confirm his words and then shot another sharp look towards the Jabberwock who was still confirming that the youth was in good health.
"Why didn't you close the gate?"
He shuttered under her accusatory gaze but did not meet it "I did not have a key."
With a small laugh, she turned to Wisely again "So, do you too have some amazing life lessons you wandered in here to teach me?"
Now it was Wisely's turn to shutter.
"No. I'm not weird." He said before turning to Mana unapologetically "No offense, by the way."
By the Jabberwocks expression, one could tell he was spared no offense at all. One would think crossed arms and a slight pout would look unusual on an adult like him but somehow, it didn't.
"Now now,The pot should not call the kettle black."
By the White Rabbits expression, one could tell that he was spared all offense and was merely amused by Mana's distress at being called weird twice today.
The young lady gripped the wheels of her chair and, to the best of her ability, pushed her way down the steps of the gazebo, recognizing that practice was over and that it was time to begin other things.
When she left the gazebo, it soon hit her that being in this extreme heat felt very similar to drowning and as she soon as she entered, she immediately wanted relief.
"But I'm sure that your true reason for being here," Lenalee stated as she looked to the White rabbit, making her way to her bronze gate, silver key in hand "Is because of some business with the Jabberwock?"
He smiled and gave a quite overdue bow.
"Indeed, your grace." Were his words "But rather it is your brother who wishes to discuss important matters with him."
She raised an eyebrow as did the Jabberwock in question.
"What sort of business?" She asked and if she hadn't known better she would have made the accusation that every smile the boy offered was entirely fake.
"Nothing too big." Was his reply as he glanced to Mana "Come on, sir."
Now Wisely thought he knew the sir he addressed to be respectful enough to come and go when asked to but he was surprised to see that rather than being acknowledged, he was entirely ignored because Mana saw something lying upon Lenalee's lap for safe keeping as far more important.
Upon leaving her garden, Lenalee was going to return her bow, drawing coal and sketchbook to her room but as soon as she pulled the bronze gate open to take her leave, she saw one of her little drawings get taken from her lap.
She turned her head and reached out to snatch it back on reflex only to find that it was taken so rudely by Mana who stares deeply at it, like it had wronged him somehow.
"What are you doing?" She honestly had no idea why he would take it, anyway being that the drawing was not very well done.
Certainly not as well done as any of Gainese's pieces, she thought bitterly.
"Come on, give it back." She insisted.
"Give her back her picture. We have to go now." Wisely said only to be ignored again.
"This woman…"Mana replied as he gripped the picture just a little less tightly "Where did you see her?"
"I've never seen her! It's just a dream I keep having…" Lenalee reached for it again only to be triumphant.
With the silky parchment in her grasp, she pulled it back to her chest.
The man looked at her for a moment, suddenly feeling very guilty for his childish behavior.
"I'm sorry." He breathed as he cracked an empty smile.
It was around now that Wisely had gotten impatient, declared something about locking him out in the heat as he walked through the gate and began to leave.
Mana noticed this but before he left, he told Lenalee these last words all the while ringing out his hands, refusing to look her in the eye.
"She…" He said quickly as he pointed to his forehead "She had a mole there and she could never keep her hair that perfect."
"What are you talking about?"
And without an explanation, the unusual Jabberwock fled out the bronze gates and ran after the white haired boy who had left him alone.
Lenalee, though thankful for the help with her hobby as no one else had offered any, was more than a little surprised.
As she scanned her sketch once to see what sort of error she had made, she realized that Mana may have been correct.
The woman really did have a mole on her forehead but Lenalee could never see it very well because of the loose strands of hair that fell over her face.
How could she have forgotten after seeing the woman in her dreams nearly every night for the last six months?
Now the Lady of Wonderland Lenalee only had one question in mind.
Just how on earth could the Jabberwock, Mana ever have known what the woman in her dreams looked like?
Evening hand come.
Grime and filth was washed away in the bath and all was rendered brand new but a day of hardship would bring it all back around.
There are many who fall prey to judging the worth of a soul by its usefulness in the world but when all is meaningless and all is folly, this scale of judgment is a broken tool.
But it was plain to so that only time would tell.
Just as the brush strokes of the artist told a story and the words of a writer told an image, time would tell what was in store for all.