Mind's Wonderland
The Kingdom of Hearts- Part 1
The Knave bowed deeply before Ai as she too, returned the action. They now stood outside the castle. "I apologise I cannot accompany you any further," he said as he straightened up, "I'm afraid there is a mountain of paperwork needing my attention, now that the Queen is resting."
Ai shook her head, "No, I enjoyed my time with you. Thank you for everything." Cheshire yawned loudly.
The Knave's eyes flickered towards Cheshire before returning to Ai, and he smiled that charming smile of his. "Until we meet again, Alice," he said and then the Knave closed the door, still smiling.
It was until the door clicked close that Ai realised she was alone, with Cheshire. It was as if the chirping of birds replaced those of crickets.
"So, was that love at first sight or something?" snickered Cheshire, "I have to say he is the top bachelor in the Kingdom of Hearts."
Ai spun around with flushed cheeks. "I-It's like nothing that!" she cried.
"Oooh?" he smirked with raised eyebrows, "All the other bachelorettes were already burning with envy at how close you two were on horseback."
Ai's face burned hotter at the memory. She could still feel the sturdy built of the Knave's torso, and the warmth that emitted from underneath his coat… "W-We weren't that close!"
"Oh please," the Cheshire frowned, "I was squashed in between you two."
"Wha-" The pleasant memory was shattered by the image of Cheshire stealing a ride with them. "H-How long have you been hiding in… my shadow?" Ai asked.
He grinned, "That's for me to know and you to never find out." The Cheshire then turned and started to walk away. "Catch your shadow later then, Alice," he called.
"H-Hey! Wait!" she ran after him, "Aren't you my guide? What about the task the Queen gave us?"
He stopped abruptly, and Ai skidded to a halt, almost colliding with him. He sighed as if he was dealing with a child before fixing those piercing eyes on her. "There is no 'we' in the Queen's quest," he said, "Only 'you'. It is your choice whether to embark on her task or not. And yes, I am a guide, but I can only point out directions or put you on a right path. It all falls onto you to decide if you heed it or not, Alice." He hissed the name.
There was a short pause. "So, where would I find this guardian?" Ai asked quietly.
The Cheshire sighed again, "I'm not a cheat sheet either," he replied, "Just take your time and have a look around. Then, ask yourself 'what is the values of this place?', 'what does it need?' or should I say lack?" He then resumed walking. Ai watched him grow further away with each step he took.
'How would Wonderland be lacking something?'
She then ran after the retreating black figure, into the streets of the Kingdom of Hearts.
The Kingdom of Hearts was made of 3 districts, all fitted together in one big circle but divided by tall walls. The palace and its grounds were in the circle's core; the Heart. The first district was called Crème de la Crème; cream of the cream. This was the place where the Kingdom of Hearts' prosperity was shown off, in flare.
Elaborate shop signs hung on horizontal poles, exclaiming emporiums, jewellers, patisseries and many more. Gentlemen and woman, all lavishly dressed, strolled the cobblestone streets, with the occasional horse-driven carriage passing.
Ai found herself standing amongst all this, bewildered by the hustle and bustle.
She suddenly caught herself and began to frantically look around. Ai spotted Cheshire's tall back amongst the crowd and, desperately winded her way through. He was advancing quickly, making it seem as if he's melting into the crowd.
"Hey!"
Ai whipped around to see a woman with a scowl on her white powdered face. Her red silk dress was laced so tight that her bosom popped out, like two puppies straining to escape their basket. Ai immediately averted her gaze.
"Look, just because you're special enough to be escorted, doesn't mean you can go parading around like royalty!" hissed the woman, pointing her fan accusingly in Ai's face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Don't go thinking that you've stole a ride with the Knave of Hearts, you're worthy of respect," the woman spat before she walked away, taking her great rack with her. Ai bit her lip and took a deep breath. She scanned the crowd, but the Cheshire had simply vanished.
Feeling lost, Ai caught her reflection in a shop's window. Mannequins displayed lavish dresses of frills, lace and ruffles. Looking at her own simple black dress, Ai felt a small pang in her chest. No wonder the woman turned her nose up at her… The chime of bells made Ai break her gaze towards her reflection.
"Oh, my, goodness! I have found a tragic Cinderella at my shopfront!"
The voice belonged to a woman with a wavy bob. A measuring tape dangled from around her neck. She clicked her tongue loudly. "This will not do!" she exclaimed, "Come, come!" Before she could protest, Ai was grabbed by the arm and was whisked into the shop.
The walls of the shop were lined with giant rolls of fabrics, each capturing a unique colour and pattern, along with spools of ribbon and lace. Two giant mirrors stood adjacent to each other. The woman then stationed Ai in the middle of the room, between the mirrors.
"Now, stay still and don't move," said the woman as she pulled the measuring tape as if it was a lasso, and begin taking Ai's measurements. Ai stood there, bewildered. It was only when the tape held across her chest and the woman sighed sadly, that Ai felt the urge to run away crying.
"So what style are you after, dear Cinderella?" the woman asked while jolting the measurements onto a small notepad.
"Um… well, you see… I didn't ask for a dress…"
"Then let's go for something that will hug that slim figure of yours, and hopefully put some justice on your size," she nodded at Ai's chest. Ai tentatively hugged herself.
'W-what are the expectations of the people from Hearts? I-I'm only a B…'
The woman finished scribbling with a flourish and then ripped off the page. "Now, let's make the dress." She threw the page up into the air and it glowed softly.
"And we must remove those rags of yours." A large screen raced to conceal her.
As the fabric pieces wrap around Ai, the lady would place pins to hold the various pieces to her body. Soon a light illuminated from the pieces as they slowly form and take shape to Ai's Body. The piece of paper that was in the air, now floated down to the table nearby with all the tailor's equipment. Ai snuck a peek at the paper which faintly revealed her dress and measurements that had been noted down.
The woman then pulled a shoulder-to-knee length fabric tight to Ai's torso, with arm holes forming before clipping it with a few pins to the back.
Ai looked back to the mirror to see her new dress slowly forming to her body, with little effort. The tailor looked back at her with a smile. She blushed as she felt the dress tighten around her chest.
With a few pulls and touches to the torso the dress was finally complete as the glow dimmed and ceased as if the tailor had sown it herself. Ai now wore a short, red dress with off-shoulder, puffed sleeves, along with black stockings and red heels. She also wore elbow-length gloves. Looking over to the mirror, Ai's ribbon had changed from a simple, white one to a red satin bow, trimmed with black lace.
"Beautiful," breathed the tailor, "You are ready to walk the streets, proudly now!"
"Oh, um… but-" The dress was shorter than her previous and having nothing to cover her shoulders, Ai felt more exposed.
"No need to thank me! Here," the tailor handed Ai's a brown paper package, "Your old attire is stored in here.
"No, wait-"
"Don't worry about the cost! A gift from me to you! Now, enjoy flaunting your beauty out there!" And Ai was shoved out of the shop with the door closing before she object. Looking back at her reflection at the shopfront, Ai really did look different.
Feeling even more lost and confused, she hugged the package closer to her, and stepped into the bustling crowd of the Kingdom of Hearts.
Pants expelled from his lungs, frantically as he ran through the catacomb of alleyways. The sound of fast approaching footsteps, from behind, made him pump his legs faster. His heart was pounding painfully in both his chest and ears.
'How the hell did things come to this?'
Firstly, he was just going about his own business when that person came, and the very words that left their lips had sent him fleeing for his life.
'How the hell did he know?'
He skidded to an intersection, and frantically looked both left and right. He could run out to the streets but, knowing the condition of them, the crowd would only hinder his pace. He bolted for the right, into the gloom of the alleyways.
Soon, he lost focus on where he was running. He made turns on a snap decision. All the dark grey, slab walls began to look the same, with their faded advertisement posters. There would be times he ran opposite to an obstruction; he couldn't waste time in moving them.
And then, he found himself at a dead end.
'No, no, no, no…! This can't be happening!'
He cried out when he saw a single shadow loom over him. Instinctively, he backed against the wall. "P-please, don't hurt me," he croaked, "What do you want from me?"
His chaser remained silent.
The silent broke the remains of his cool. "The hell you want?!" he screamed, "I'll do anything! I can give you anything! Just don't kill me!" His broken voice echoed off the walls, unheard to anyone except his chaser.
Again, there was no response.
His breaths escaped in wheezes. His eyes, delirious with panic. "You want power? I can give you power! You want money? Here! Take it!" He fished in his jacket before throwing a fat pouch onto the ground.
The chaser took a step forward. He froze. An arm stretched out and pluck the pouch off the ground. It was weighed, decisively, in the hand. Then the shadow slowly retreated from him. His body slumped in relief, and a dry laugh escaped his lips.
'People are so easy to persuade with money.'
Everything was going to be fine… until he heard the rustle of clothing, signalling someone turning around.
Red splashed against the nearby walls.
Just posting any chapter since I felt really bad for the absence ;-;
Things might be taking a slight(?) dark turn here and there, and probably further on...
Thanks again to Gandalf15 for your constant support~! Here, have a cookie.
