Setting: Violet's Bedroom
It was another day for Violet in her old home and just like every day so far, she has secluded herself in her room. It's how she spent most of her days in the mansion. She believed as long as she stayed away from everything she hated about this place, then she could tolerate it. This ritual proved effective thanks to her authority to call for meals to be brought to her. She ate in her dining room then returned to her bedroom to remain alone. This tactic worked up until tonight. Violet was sitting on her bed, looking out the only window in her room. The window was barred so she couldn't escape, but she could still make out the snowy outside. She focused on the snow until there was a knock at her door. Like most knocks, Violet ignored it and someone spoke from the other side.
"Lady Alyssa," a voice said from the door. Violet recognized the voice. It belonged to Galanthus, the rabbit faunus and head butler of the Underland Manor.
"Go away," Violet responded coldly.
"I'm here to escort you to brunch, my lady," Galanthus informed her.
"Tell my father I've no desire to dine with him or any wannabe husbands he has invited!" Violet barked.
"It's not your father that has asked for your company," Galanthus corrected.
"Not my father? Then who asked for me?"
"Your cousins, namely master Marigold. They are having brunch together and request you be there. They wish to see you after all these years"
"Sorry, but tell them my answer's no," Violet answered.
"I'm sorry Lady Alyssa, but your cousins are demanding you attend. They asked me to bring you peacefully and called for the entirety of the castle guard to take you by force in case you refused. The guards are already out here with me and I'd prefer if you simply come with me," Galanthus explained.
Just as the rabbit faunus said, a large group of the castle guard was waiting in Violet's hall. The men clad in red and white uniforms were armed with their standard lances and swords. They were more than ready to apprehend Violet. Galanthus waited for a response from Violet but received only silence. The guards were ready to storm the room and drag her out until Violet willingly opened the door. She glanced at the guards and they immediately put up their arms, preparing for a fight.
"You're escorting me to the dining hall, right?" Violet asked Galanthus in a serious tone.
The rabbit butler nodded. "Yes, my lady. Now let's go before we are late."
They began walking to the Underland dining hall, passing the relieved castle guards. Throughout her few weeks being back home, Violet has yet to see any of her other relatives. She heard rumors that they were the last of the Underland family. She could hardly believe the bloody battle for the throne was reaching its end. With the numbers dwindling, Violet wondered what they wanted with her and who was left.
Setting: Underland Dining Hall
The dining hall was a massive room with a long, massive table to match. It's the dining room where the Underland family comes together to eat and mingle. Now that the family has been reduced to a mere handful, the table seemed redundant, but it served the purpose of being a place for people to eat. The room itself was made with white marble walls and floor. It had tall windows with a view of the mansions courtyard and garden. There were two doors, one on opposite sides of the room, one serving as the entrance and exit for guests, and the other leads to the kitchen and where the food was brought to the table. It was one of the most beautiful and elegant rooms in the entire mansion.
Opening the grand doors that lead to the dining hall, Galanthus escorted Violet into the room. Violet had her shaved head down as she walked so she didn't see anyone once she entered, but she did hear laughter and the sound of people talking. All that noise stopped the moment Violet walked in. Nothing was said until a voice took charge.
"On time as always, Galanthus. Splendid. Please return to your other duties while get acquainted with our long-lost cousin," a young man's voice said, echoing throughout the large room.
Galanthus simply bowed and left the room, leaving Violet to fend for herself. She lifted her head to see who she was dealing with. Looking before her, Violet could see her cousins were on the end of the table closest to her, luckily. There were six of them at the table. Five she could plainly see and the sixth was sitting in a chair with its back facing Violet so she couldn't see who was in it. The only indication she had someone was sitting in that chair was the person's arm reaching for a cup of tea. The second was when the person spoke to Violet.
"Please Alyssa, have a seat. I want to properly see my dearest cousin," the young man said. The same one who dismissed Galanthus.
Violet thought about just leaving, but remembered they called the entire castle guard just to bring her here. They could easily do it again if she leaves, or maybe they already have the guards stationed at every exit. For now, it was best to indulge them. Cautiously, Violet walked past the seats occupying her cousins and sat in an empty seat on the right, sitting three seats away from everyone else. From this angle, Violet had a good look at all of them.
The first two cousins sitting closest to her were twins, a boy and a girl with matching whitish-pink hair. It was hard to discern the two from one another, but the boy had his hair fashioned in a small ponytail. Violet discerned they were in their late teens, probably around Remus's age. Not only did they look the same but they dressed the same as well. They both wore the same uniform as the castle guards. Light armor over a red, long sleeve shirt and white pants, but instead of red and white, their uniforms were pink and white and came with pauldron over their left shoulders. Carved into the shoulder armor was the insignia of the Underland family, a crown made out of flowers. The twins had pink eyes to match their hair and child-like expressions on their faces. They seemed to be fascinated with Violet and it disturbed her. Vermilion and Vermilya were the only other set of twins Violet has ever encountered and she wondered if these two were just as incompetent.
"Now then, I believe introductions are in order," the young man at the head of the table said with a grin. "It has been quite a long time since you left and I'm sure you forgot all of us. These two here are Linnaeus and Linnaea Underland," he said, addressing the twins.
"Forgive their staring, they don't have any memory of you. After all, they were so young when you left, but now, look at how they've grown! And now they're the head of the castle guard, protecting our family from all kinds of dangers."
"You're Alyssa. It's nice to-" the girl started.
"finally meet you," the boy ended.
"…" Violet remained silent.
"Oh, I forgot to mention they like to finish each other's sentences. Trust me, you'll get used to it."
"She's covered in scars that's-" Linnaeus said.
"so cool!" Linnaea beamed.
The next person after the twins was a young man. He had hair that reached past his ears and bangs that almost covered his right eye. His hair was blue except for the ends which were pinkish-purple. He was dressed rather strangely, wearing a decorative, silk, blue kaftan over a white shirt while also wearing a pink infinity scarf. The kaftan was long sleeved and it almost covered his hands, but on his right hand was a fitting black glove. He also wore blue, baggy, harem pants with grey slippers and white socks. He was dressed solely for pleasure and comfort and it showed with his relaxed expression. Violet's cousin also had in his possession a hookah that he was smoking more than he was eating or drinking.
"And this here is someone you probably won't even recognize. This is Bluebell. Named after his lovely mother who owned a popular line of fragrances in Atlas. Bluebell took over and has been making money selling perfumes, colognes, and… other items for those who need a little enjoyment. Luckily, Bluebell's smart enough to sell those items anonymously and under an alias," the young man said. Bluebell looked like a slacker, but Violet didn't want to underestimate him. No one in this family was an ally.
"If you ever want any perfume, just come by my room. Or. If you need something to relieve your stress or just for fun, just ask for Dreamer. He'll give you whatever you need with a family discount," Bluebell said to Violet before going back to his hookah. He breathed out a green wispy vapor into the air.
"Dreamer? Wonder if NewDreamer's okay with that?" Violet thought.
"Next are the lovely sisters-"
"Shut up, Marigold! I know that you're lying! You don't think I'm lovely at all!" the girl with the red hair yelled.
The young man named Marigold smirked at the girl. He chuckled to himself as the girl pouted and her sister beside her remained silent, sitting in her seat with her eyes.
"Alyssa, the loud one is Dahlia and the one everyone likes is Aster," Marigold introduced.
"YOU THINK I'M LOUD?!" Dahlia shouted.
"YES!" everyone except Violet and Aster answered.
Dahlia simply slouched into her seat and started grumbling to herself.
Dahlia had very red eyes and matching red hair . It was fashioned in a braided bun plait and there was a red flower placed in the bun. She wore a red tunic with decorative gold flower designs on the shoulders and she wore something similar to a lightly armored, black corset. Beneath her tunic she wore black pants and red shoes. Dahlia was dressed very modern, looking ready for some physical activity. She wore red lipstick and seemed to have a perpetual look of annoyance.
Violet didn't know why she was angry, but she thought her cousin had some personal issues she needed to work on.
"I don't have personal problems!" Dahlia said directly to a silent but surprised Violet. "There's nothing wrong with me. It's everyone else that has problems. They just can't understand how great I am."
Her ego aside, Violet was astonished Dahlia retorted back at her after she thought those exact words.
"Remain calm, Alyssa," Aster said, speaking for the first time in Violet's presence.
"My sister possesses a semblance that allows her to read the minds and feelings of those with around her. However, she can only read thoughts that are about her and how people feel towards her. It's a very… egotistic semblance."
"SHUT UP, ASTER! NO ONE ASKED YOU!" Dahlia shouted at her sister, slamming her fist against the table.
"Basically, if you think about her or feel a certain way about her, Dahlia will know. And this benevolent angel is Aster," Marigold added.
Personality-wise, Aster was the complete opposite of her sister. She seemed calm, reserved, and dignified. She had beautiful white hair. It was similar to Dahlia's style, both of them having braids but Aster had a double braid going across her crown. It was styled so she had side-swept bangs and the rest was pinned up into a full ponytail. In between the ponytail was a pin with a white flower on the end. Aster had long white eyelashes and clear blue eyes that made her look beautiful. Unlike Dahlia who wore a shirt and pants, Aster wore a long, white, V-neck dress that touched the floor. The dress had a shoulder cape sleeve on the right, covering some of her right arm, and a silver metal belt around the waist. The belt, shoulder cape sleeve, and the bottom of the dress had intricate floral design patterns that were silver. She wore long, white fingerless gloves that reached just past her elbows, functioning as arm warmers as well as gloves. Though her feet couldn't be seen through the dress, Aster wore white high heels with silver flower designs.
Aster was the only one at the table who looked like an actual noble, maybe even a princess. She seemed normal and that's what bothered Violet. There has never been a fellow Underland that Violet has met that was so calm and serene. They were all crazy. Violet's mother, Iris was the exception because she married into the family, but no actual blood relative Underlands has ever been sane. Insanity was the closest thing to a hereditary disease her family had. Even Violet knew she had some crazy in her, but she doubted Aster had none.
"Aster's quite a refined young lady," Marigold said with a smile.
"She's the most popular member. Loved by the help and family members alike." That last comment had Dahlia grumbling, showing she was the jealous type.
"But don't be tricked. She has her own little quirks. One of them is her semblance, Clairvoyance."
"Clairvoyance?" Violet thought. She heard of that word in some of the comics she used to read.
"Aster can see into the future," Marigold said with his hands directed at Aster who continued to eat biscuits and drink tea.
"She can see into the future, but her semblance is rather… whimsical. Aster has absolutely no control over her semblance and it's unpredictable. She usually gets quick glimpses of someone's future, seeing events that will happen. She can't gauge when they'll happen, but it's still pretty fun. The coolest thing about Clairvoyance is that it occurs randomly. Her semblance activates whenever it feels like it and Aster just tells others what she saw," Marigold explained.
"It's not that special," Dahlia grumbled as she slouched further in her seat.
"It's actually pretty cool," Bluebell added after keeping to himself and enjoying his hookah. "Aster was able to predict my wares being smuggled and I was able to find the thief and… let's just say he's been dealt with."
"Yeah! And she saw Linnaeus and-" Linnaea started.
"-Linnaea being the captains of the Manor's castle guard. And she was right! Look at us! We got the captain's uniforms!" Linnaeus finished.
"…She's not that great…" Dahlia mumbled.
"And last but certainly not least is-" Marigold started but was interrupted.
"Alyssa will battle the entire castle guard in a wild frenzy," Aster stated out of nowhere.
Everyone looked at her. Violet looked at her cousin in bewilderment.
"Me? Fighting the entire guard?" Violet thought then chuckled. "No way. I'm not stupid enough to try something like that. Sorry Aster, but wrong semblance is wrong,"
"Well, that'll be worth watching. Let's wait and see. Now, where was I? Right, me! As you know Alyssa, my name Marigold. Marigold Underland," he said then bowed in his seat.
Marigold had messy hair that was yellowish orange, giving off the same color of a sunset. It reached down to his chin and he wore a red fedora with a feather in the hat's band. He had orange eyes and wore a burnt orange shirt that looked like something found in the trash. It had holes around the bottom and was covered in wrinkles. Marigold wore a brown leather jacket over his damaged shirt and a pair of worn grey jeans. He had gold and silver rings on his fingers and gold earrings. He gave off the presence of both a noble and a beggar. He was odd, but not the same mystical odd Aster emitted. Marigold was grandiose and enjoyed being the center of attention, or a better term would be that he liked being in control, having control of the room.
"I'm a clothing designer. I have my own line of clothing that's pretty popular in Atlas and the other kingdoms. I'm also a connoisseur of tea and I've noticed that it's your drink of choice when you have food delivered to your room. If there's any specific brand you like, I'll be sure to get it for you," Marigold offered but Violet remained silent.
"And we all know who you are. Alyssa Underland, daughter of the decrepit old man, uncle Tarax, and heir to the Underland name," Marigold said and the room fell silent.
All eyes were on Violet after he said that and she felt the tension in the room. It was true, whether Violet liked it or not, she was the heir by birthright. She could be the head of the Underland name just for returning to this house while her cousins fought and clawed their way to power all these years. Violet suspected none of them were pleased with this. It was like when she was child; insanity and malice behind fake smiles.
"Look, I don't even-" Violet started, but Marigold interrupted.
"First things first. Happy Birthday!" Marigold exclaimed happily, raising his tea cup in good cheer.
"What?" Violet asked. She had no idea what the flow of this conversation was.
"We came together to see you and celebrate your birthday," Marigold said merrily.
"It's not my birthday," Violet told him.
"Oh, but we can still celebrate. You can think of this as a party for all the birthdays you didn't have here. Or, Happy Un-birthday! Just because it comes once a year, doesn't mean you can't celebrate the other days in the year," Marigold said with glee before taking a sip of tea.
"Idiot. Always looking for an excuse to toast someone and throw a party," Bluebell said after a huff from his hookah.
Party! Party!" Linnaea and Linnaeus shouted in joy while almost jumping out of their seats.
"What is going on here?" Violet thought to herself. Her family was so hard to read.
"Marigold is going to explain his real reason for summoning you," Aster foretold with Clairvoyance.
"Right you are, Aster! As you can see, Alyssa, the feud for the throne is at an end. The last of the Underlands are in this room… save for Zinnia," Marigold said, but there was some gripe in his voice.
"But forget about her. The ones that matter are already in this room. After all the in-fighting, the six of us came are the last one vying for your dad's spot and that old man won't budge. It was funny at first when he didn't have you. He was so desperate to remain in power that it left us laughing and watching him dangle is the only reason we haven't knocked him off his throne. That and we were kids. Let's face it, children can't run a family of aristocrats, no matter how easy they make it look on all those sitcoms. But now that you're back, uncle Tarax has been getting full of himself," Marigold explained as he rose from his seat.
"With you back into the folds, our chances of claiming control has gone up in smoke," Marigold continued to say as he walked toward Violet with everyone except Aster watching him.
"Look, I've no desire to run this madhouse and I absolutely have no desire to go along with my father's plans. So, you guys don't have to worry about me taking control or taking my spot on the figurative throne," Violet clarified as to not cause any unnecessary tension between her and her cousins.
"Oh, there is a throne. I had one built in the Underland meeting room. It looks really nice, but I'm going off topic here. We know you don't want to be the new head of the Underland house. Your defiance is a hot topic for those residing in the manor, but I'm sure uncle Tarax doesn't care. If anything, his goal is to make you nothing more than his figure head, using your name and title to continue his rule. He'll be obstinate and do what he can to keep you here as well as protect you from us."
Violet didn't like where this was going. Marigold was standing beside her and she kept an eye on him now that he was so close. He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to talk to her. She looked at her surroundings, at the table, and saw some forks and knives she could use as weapons if necessary.
"You see, with your father being the only obstacle in our way, there was no longer a challenge. The battle for the throne became nothing more than a boring waiting game. As the years passed and your father growing weaker from stress and overextending his influence, life became so mundane. But no that you're back, there's some spark of life behind uncle's eyes and that has made things interesting again, all thanks to you, Alyssa."
"So, what you're saying is you guys are going after me," Violet theorized.
"Exactly! We attack you, that makes everything fun and interesting again. We dispose of you, then there is literally nothing standing in my way to the top and Tarax will be reduced to a skeleton sitting on a throne," Marigold proclaimed.
"Excuse me, your way to the top?" Dahlia said with a daring look.
"Of course, we can settle the matter as usual, but for now, we'll call a truce until the matter is over," Marigold said.
The others mumbled to themselves for a moment then they all agreed to these terms. Violet, on the other hand, didn't like where this was going. A truce between them until the matter is over? With the matter being Violet, she guessed they were going to stop fighting each other and focus their attention on her. Violet realized the situation was going to be the same as it was when she was a little girl; assassination attempts, poisoned food, and any crazy scheme they could conjure up to get rid of her. If they just agreed to help her escape, then that would be the end of it, but no. That would be too easy. Violet's cousins wanted to do it this way because they were exactly what she thought they were underneath their identities; mad.
"So, what is this, Marigold? A declaration of war?" Violet asked as she reached for some nearby utensils.
"Yes, and I've just dealt the first blow," Marigold said with an ominous smile.
Violet didn't know what he meant by 'first blow', but she felt something overtake her. She gasped for air and her eyes began to change from purple to orange. Marigold simply smiled at her then backed away with the other members doing the same. Violet began to breathe heavily with head facing the table until she sprang from her seat and let out a loud shout. Her expression held only rage as she started pushing and knocking things off the table then jumped onto the table itself, kicking tea cups and dishes out of her line of sight.
Linnaea, Linnaeus, if you would be so kind," Marigold asked his younger cousins.
The twin Underlands tapped then turned on the earpiece in their ears and began speaking.
"Attention castle guard! Alyssa has begun a rampage in the dining hall!" Linnaeus said.
"All units converge and subdue her! This is priority number one!" Linnaea finished.
"This is going to be fun," Bluebell said before blowing out more green smoke.
"Alyssa will battle the entire castle guard in a wild frenzy," Marigold repeated Aster's previous statement. "You're always so accurate, Aster."
"…" Aster said nothing as the six Underlands stood back to watch what was going to happen next.
Rushing into the dining hall were a dozen of the castle guard members, equipped with their spears and swords. They saw Violet on the table and immediately moved in to hold down Violet. Three members tried to grab Violet off the table, but Violet kicked the first two in the face to get them away then stabbed the third one's hand with a fork she picked up. The guard yelled in pain and more guards came in, ready to use extreme force. Violet, looking at all the foes before her, leaped off the table and began her battle.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
The members of the Underland family are based on Alice in Wonderland characters and are named after colorful flowers.
Marigold Underland is based on the Mad Hatter and his flower is the Marigold. His career is designing clothes and his hobby is making tea. The Marigold flower represents passion and creativity, but also represents grief, cruelty, and jealousy. This symbolism can also describe Marigold's personality and character. He like to be the ringmaster whenever he's in a room of people and enjoys being over the top. His semblance is called Madness. He injects his aura into his victims, inducing them into a blind fury where they attack indiscriminately, Marigold included. The effect lasts depending on how much aura he injects and the more he puts in, the longer the effect. However, he must physically touch someone for his semblance to work and the more aura he injects, the less that is protecting him. Those induced by Madness have their eyes changed to an orange color. Marigold is 23 years old.
Bluebell Underland is based on Absolem, the blue caterpillar his flower is the bluebell. He named after his mother and inherited her perfume chain after she passed. Having a knack for aromas and scents, Bluebell uses them for various things. He also sells various types of cannabis under the alias, Dreamer. His nickname comes from the cannabis, Blue Dream. Bluebell isn't the type who likes to get his hands dirty, preferring to do things from the sidelines. Bluebell is 21 years old.
Linnaea and Linnaeus are based on the Tweedledee & Tweedledum and their flower is the Linnaea, also known as the twin flower. They finish each others's sentences like twins and have great synergy. They lead the castle guard and have little ambition to be the head of the Underland family. The color of the twin flower is white and pink which are the twins's color scheme. While they aren't dumb, the twins are the youngest Underlands in the manor so they are quite childlike. Linnaea and Linnaeus are both 15 years old.
The rest of the Underlands will be explained in the next chapter, including the one that was named once by Marigold.
The Underland family has two themes. I'll put the first here then the second one on the next chapter. The first theme is Mad Hatter: Melanie Martinez. This song describes the Underlands as crazy individuals and crazy itself is the family tradition. Violet admits to herself that she has some crazy inside of her as well. She has feared her hereditary insanity would overcome her someday, proving she truly belongs with her family.
