Author's note: I know, I know. I haven't posted anything for a looong time. But you haven't forgotten me. Sometimes I check if people still read me and you do. Every day there's at least one reader that comes and takes a look at my stories. You have my gratitude, dudes, whoever you are. It's almost three years - almost the real anniversary is on June 17th - since I've began writing Ever After High fanfictions. I'd like to continue, I still have a few stories to finish and there are those I haven't started yet. EAH isn't dead for me. It's a hobby, meaning I have real life duties that prevent me to put 100% of my time and energy into EAH fanfictions so I have no idea if The Saga of the Wor(l)ds is going to take five or ten more years but I'd like to finish at least the stories I have started. Hextravaganza is one of them.
Chapter 3: What the spell?
Three weeks ago in Wonderland
It was a week since Bunny brought him the news of Lizzie's return to Wonderland and nothing has changed therefore Alistair has decided to go to the Hearts castle to ask Lizzie if the everafterians have found an antidote. He proposed his idea to Bunny who agreed to come with him. They were both friends of the princess so they were convinced she will want to see them. However the card guards in front of the Hearts castle didn't let them through.
"My name is Alistair Wonderland, I'm a long time friend of the crown princess and this is Bunny Blanc, daughter of the queen's herald."
"The Queen nor the princess wish to accept any visitors. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever," growled the Five of hearts.
"But Lizzie surely wants to speak with her old friends. Please, she hasn't seen us for so long, she must feel lonely," Bunny tried to appeal to their better nature. But it was like talking to a stone, the guard stood at his place firmly.
"Hey, can you at least send a message?" Alistair called at a passing frog servant. "Tell Lizzie, Her Highness, that Alistair and Bunny are waiting for her at the White Rabbit's house." The frog tilted his head and walked off without saying anything. Alistair hoped he will deliver the message.
The two friends returned home. On their way to and from the palace they saw tired, sick faces of their neighbors and acquaintances – the victims of the curse that leeched the vigor out of the land and its citizens.
The bunny girl and the boy have waited another week. Yet nothing happened. Lizzie hasn't come, nor has anyone made an attempt to heal the Wonderland.
"Maybe the frog just hasn't delivered the message," mused Bunny, she tried to stay optimistic but her ears were droopy. Alistair was worried, he didn't tell her though. However the next day he took some hextra poison-free vegetable and went to the palace again. Here he stopped a mouse maid.
"You can have the whole basket if you give this letter to the princess. Wait for her to read it and bring me her answer. Tell her it's from Alistair, she will know," Alistair handed the folded piece of paper to the maid. The mouse looked at the ripe, juicy tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers with open mouth. Then it looked at the paper. She snatched both from Alistair's hands and ran to the princess.
Alistair waited a long time. If only the messenger brought some good news. Alas that wasn't meant to happen, not today.
"Her Highness says she doesn't know you and isn't in the mood for dealing with commoners. That's what she says," shrugged the maid. "Thank you for the vegetable." Alistair nodded but he wasn't really listening. He turned back to Bunny's house his mind reeling with questions. The princess and his friend he grew up with doesn't remember him and doesn't want to talk to him nor Bunny? Why has she returned when there's no sign of anyone successfully breaking the curse?
His confusion and disappointment have turned into anger. Enough waiting, enough contacting Lizzie through a third party. This calls for a far more direct approach. He will make her talk to him. Her subjects, her friends, deserve answers.
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Lizzie took out the only key of the special door that lead to the Wonderland Grove. An oasis of madness built for the students of Wonderland to bring some of wonder and insanity to the Land of Ever After. The princess walked in and immediately took a watering can in one hand and began walking from plant to plant.
Ginger followed her speechlessly. Growing near forest the witchling was used to pick berries, look for mushrooms and frolick among flowers blooming on meadows but she has never seen flora like this. A bush of berries that changed their shape, from round to square to pyramid and back to round again, grew next to a patch of talking flowers. The Heart princess looked at the flowers Ginger was ogling and sighed: "In Wonderland they can grow up to fifteen feet but here isn't enough wonder to sustain them."
"This is incredible," Ginger almost squealed when she reached for a tasty looking fruit resembling an orange colored sugar cube. But the Wonderlandian grasped her arm before the witch's hand reached her mouth. "Watch out, those are poisonous," warned Lizzie.
The princess then offered the cook a handful of fruits that looked completely out of place in this topsy-turvy nook, as if they lacked wonder. They were bland sorta yellowish shade of white and there was nothing unusual nor interesting about their shape. In short they appeared to be duller than dull. Ginger hesitated but then took one into her mouth. Her royal guide smiled expectantly as Ginger chewed.
The fruit may have looked absolutely tasteless but it hid a juice so wonderful Ginger couldn't believe it. It tasted like her favorite things – gummy candy and scent of freshly baked gingerbread – but that didn't include only flavors and smells but also feelings. The hexcitement when you try putting together unusual ingredients and the resulting taste is hexcellent. The satisfaction when you bake a complicated dish and it turns out great and your guests beg for seconds.
"This is delicious." The witch baker still wide eyed asked: "Can I have some of these for my receipt?" Lizzie nodded warmly. Ginger mused that such a smile suits the princess, she should smile more often but loudly she said: "Thank you very much. I'm sure people will love it. Now I have to think about the best dough and amount of cream to use so the ingredients will balance themselves out. Oh Lizzie, thanks to you I'm one step closer to my dream: making people happy with my cooking."
Lizzie watched Ginger's rambling a bit unsure of what to do. Maybe this was a good opportunity to try this hug thing Maddie and Briar did so often. Lizzie made a step towards Ginger. Then changed her mind, she wasn't ready for such intimacy yet so she just shook the witchy girl's hand instead: "As a heir to Wonderland throne I feel honored I could help our cultures grow even closer." Ginger giggled: "So am I, the witch community representative."
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Official opening of the Spring Fairest festival
Fairy tales gather to hear the headmaster's opening speech before the program starts. On the stage stand the co-headmasters and their trainee and patiently wait for the guests to take their seats.
When the crowd quiets down, Milton Grimm walks to the front center of the stage where a microphone is ready. Grimm opens his mouth and…out comes a voice that obviously doesn't belong to him. It's way too high and perky with a tiny bit of lisp. It's the type of voice you expect from a six year old girl not a middle aged man.
He frowns at the microphone and waves at his ward to come to him. Zelda, as is her habit, doesn't lose time, she skips and appears right at his side with an easy going smile: „Troubles with the technology, perhaps?"
The young woman takes the microphone to examine it. The microphone is repaired in a jiffy thanks to a simple spell Zelda had prepared in advance. A short sequence of finger tapping on the mic, a fistful of teal and purple sparks and the device is fixed.
Zelda then walks to the edge of the stage, the microphone in hand and leans towards the audience. She smiles wider: „I do know the expression screaming like a little girl but this is the first time I heard someone giving a speech like one."