The woods finally thinned out into a clearing. Alucard wondered what he was seeing, as someone in a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat skulked at one end of a banquet-sized table, which was apparently set for afternoon tea.
"D!" Alucard exclaimed, barely restraining himself from running the last few steps once he realized why he recognized the outfit.
D glanced up at him just under the lowered brow of his hat. There was a large white sign pinned to the crown of his hat, which proclaimed neatly in bold, black lettering the number, "41 and 3/4".
"I am the...." D's voice faded to inaudibility on the last two words.
"The what?" Alucard asked.
"The Mad Hatter," D repeated just loud enough to be understood this time. He reached out and slammed the top of the teapot down vehemently.
Alucard looked up from D's surprising action into his brother's eyes. Surely D wasn't beset by the same madness as everyone else!
"D -- what's going on?" Alucard finally asked, sinking into the nearest vacant chair wearily. D reached for a plate that appeared for all the world to be a sheet of porcelain lace, placed it carefully on the table in front of him, and proceeded to fuss about piling teacakes on it. Alucard blinked as D even pushed the tip of his tongue out one corner of his mouth, evidently judging the visual appeal of his teacake castle. The top of the teapot rattled.
D's hand snaked out and slammed the lid down again.
Struck by a sudden thought, Alucard tipped his head slowly to look under the edge of the table. Noticing his gaze, D lifted his left arm up, showing that the short, abrupt end of it was covered with a lacey handkerchief instead of the customary hand.
D looked directly into Alucard's eyes and told him, "at least it's quiet," before smashing the teapot's animated lid down for the third time.
"Why, why do you keep doing that?" Alucard wondered. He reached out tentatively, not wanting to get smacked by D, and lifted the teapot's lid. Ghost floated up out of the confines of the kettle.
"Oh, no!" Alucard moaned, spying the mouse ears his familiar was wearing.
"'White Rabbit', those two Tweedle idiots, the 'Mad Hatter' and Ghost here, he's the...?" Alucard looked up into D's eyes, trying vainly to recall one of the minor characters in one of the bedtime stories his father had read to him, centuries ago, when he was still young and his mother was alive, before all the trouble with Castlevania started.
"This is the Dormouse. Not actually a mouse, that's a common misconception, a dormouse is actually more like a squirrel. Though it is still a rodent," D explained.
"You're not acting very 'mad'," Alucard complained.
The brim of D's hat lowered as he glared at his brother, before lifting so that D could take a bite of a teacake. "I don't like sweets," he mumbled around the confection in his mouth.
Alucard couldn't help it. He laughed. There was just something so serious, so -- D about what D had just admitted, yet here he was, sitting at this ridiculous outdoor tea party, solemnly eating a detested teacake with his right hand, while shoving the protesting, teeth-clacking Ghost "Dormouse" back down into the teapot with the lace-festooned stump of his left arm.
"Let me," D swallowed convulsively, "sing you a song."
Alucard blinked at him. "Sing me a song?" he repeated. "You are mad."
"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"
"You know the song, perhaps?" D asked.
Alucard only shook his head, wonderingly. D's singing voice was beautiful, a revelation that shouldn't have surprised Alucard, but the words were complete nonsense. Bats didn't twinkle! Well, maybe one Bat did, but only to him.
"It goes on, you know," D continued, "in this way:--
"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'
"Ah, a party is it? It is too bad I can't join in," the amused voice belonged to Dracula as he once again appeared before Alucard.
"Oh. You are here," D stated flatly.
"I'm just observing your tea party. It is wonderful how mannerly you are!" Dracula enthused.
Alucard looked up into his father's face. He blinked. Yes, his father was wearing whiskers! Now that he had a moment to look, he realized that Dracula's face also appeared to be -- striped somehow? Before he could look closer, D's hand tugged slightly at his sleeve, pulling his gaze back to the table.
"Drink," D commanded, handing him a full teacup.
"Hmmm? Oh," Alucard absently lifted the cup to his lips and drank the tea, completely missing the warning in D's eyes. The world tilted crazily and he fell; the Dormouse shoving D into a teacake while eating the teapot; and the bewhiskered, fanged smile floated in the air just laughing and laughing....
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Author's Notes -
I laughed out loud when I discovered the little "Bat" song in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's tea party, for it fit this story so perfectly! Thus, the song is quoted from Lewis Carroll directly. I just wanted to make certain everyone knew that.
Next chapter teaser - Chapter Four - Embracing the Unicorn
Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!
stargarde (at) stargarde (dot) com