Chapter 3: You Tell me a Tale, I'll Spin You a Spin

Warning: The F-Word, painful breasts, and roasted rabbit are all present in the following chapter. If any of these offend/scare you, then run like all Hell in the opposite direction, making squeaking noises as you go:o

Swimming under the grille, I made my way through the tunnel until I thought my lungs would burst. Finally, I surfaced, coughing and hacking as I spat out water. Next to me, the girl was anxiously looking through the boards of the bridge above us.

"Where are we?" I whispered, sensing that quiet was the best volume at the moment. Not looking at me, she replied

"We're in a moat that surrounds the palace grounds. Where is it… Ah! There's our ticket out of here!" She exclaimed, pointing to a horse on the nearby road.

"Um… I've never ridden a horse before…" I said, looking anxiously at the road. She looked at me incredulously for a moment, then decided I was telling the truth.

"Alright, fine. Just run when I say three, I'll lift you onto the horse, and then just clasp your hands around my waist. Simple enough?" I nodded, and gripped her hand tightly.

"Ok… One… Two… THREE!" She hissed, as we both emerged from the water like monsters from the depths. Sprinting across the grass, we reached the brown horse, which was pawing the ground anxiously. Grabbing me around the waist, the girl lifted me up onto the horse, and then swung her legs over it's back as well. Wrapping my hands around her waist, I heard the horse whinny, and we started moving at a gallop. I clutched as tight as I could to the girl's waist, hoping I wouldn't fall off. I chanced a glance backwards, watching as the grandiose structure that held my way home faded into the distance.

After an hour or so, I fell asleep, my hands still secured around her waist. I didn't know how long we rode, or how far, but when I woke up it was night. Slowly, I opened my eyes, regaining consciousness in a dark, wooded clearing. The glow of a fire caught my eye, and I rolled over to see my companion slowly rotating a spit, upon which a rabbit was roasting. Yawning, I crawled over and pulled myself into a sitting position facing her.

"Thanks, I guess… For getting me out of there." She turned to me, a glimmer of pity in her eyes.

"You're so young… I can't imagine what they wanted with you. Please, tell me all about yourself. It's about time that we got around to some introductions."

So, I told her about New York, and my life as a street urchin there. Eventually, I turned to the night when I had found the vortex, and all my experiences in the castle, up 'til the point at which she found me.

"So, let me get this straight… You're from another world, you're not really a thirteen year old girl, and the QUEEN wanted you?" I nodded, oblivious to how funny she thought this all was. Her chin shook for a second, and then she burst out into laughter, falling on her back.

"WHAT?! It's TRUE!" I yelled, kicking her leg. After a minute, she stopped laughing hard enough to sit back up.

"S-sure it is… haha… 'Mike'… hehe… If that IS your name. You look more like a 'Melody' to me." Her laughter subsiding, she pulled the rabbit off the spit. Cutting it up, she handed me a leg. I realized that I was ravenous, and dug into it, ripping bits off with my teeth. After a moment of silence, I swallowed my mouthful and asked her,

"So, I've told you about me, now you tell me about you. Who're you, and where the Hell am I?"

She looked at me for a second, as if considering how much she should tell me. Leaning back on a log, she looked up at the sky, and began to talk.

"My name is Lena. We are currently in the outer edges of the 2nd Kingdom, a fertile land filled with wild forests, wolves, farming villages and a disproportionately large population of young girls and women. The south, where we are at the moment, is ruled by Gretel the Great. The North is governed by Queen Riding Hood the Third. The castle we just escaped from… It used to be the palace of King Wendell, but several years ago it was taken over by a new Queen… The third in her line. The 4th Kingdom has since fallen into chaos, with an all-out war against all the others inevitable."

At this point, she grew silent, looking into the embers of the fire. I watched her, unsure as to what I should say. Fortunately, I didn't have to think of something. She turned to me, as if reconsidering something.

"Stand up."

"What?"

"Stand up. I want to see you do something, so I can figure out if your story is true or not."

Well, if it would convince her, it would probably be worth it. Shakily, I stood up, holding my hands out in case I should fall. She nodded.

"Good. Now, walk over to that tree over there." She pointed at an oak about five yards away. Slowly, I started walking towards it, all the while with my hands ready to stop me, should I fall. I was almost to the oak when I started to lose my balance. Waving my hands wildly, I lost control, plunging chest-first into the ground.

"FUCK!" I yelled, rolling over and clutching my throbbing breasts. With the barest hint of a smile on her face, Lena said,

"Well, I guess you WERE telling the truth, or at least about not being a girl. I guess I'll have to teach you a few things tomorrow, so that you can at least walk on your own. G'night, Melody." With that, she laid down and closed her eyes, apparently going to sleep. Silently cursing everything I could think of, I drew my cloak around me and slowly fell to sleep.