Luna in Wonderland
Pawprints In The Snow
Chapter Three: Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
"Welcome, to the ever grand Castle of Hearts!" Harold said, extending his arms out in a sweeping motion, pushing her eyes to take in the entire sight.
The castle was simply beautiful. The exterior was extravagent, the cream of the walls sparkling brilliantly in the mid-afternoon sunlight. All of the windows in the castle were made to be shaped like hearts, and glass stained with art of many Knights filled the space. Red rose hedges encircled the entire dwelling, and came up in the front and making a heart around the door. The door itself was a large pink heart, shiny and it appeared brand-new. Luna knew this was where she would find the Queen-was there ever really any doubt?-but one thing kept them from gaining admittence.
The gates.
They covered the great heart door top to bottom, made of pure gold Harold claimed. Luna didn't doubt it, either. She went up to the gates, giving an experimental pull on the golden-guilded handle.
"Not so fast there, missy," a boy said, stepping out of the shadows of the rose bushes. "You can't enter in here without clearance." Luna stood her ground defiantly. This red-haird, good-for-nothing oaf of a boy was not going to stand in her way of saving her father.
"Just try and stop me," she mocked, arms crossed over her chest.
"Pffft," the ginger laughed, clucthing his side and holding onto his newsie-styled hat. "I simply can't be believing you, miss. For ya see, you talk in a far off sense like you're not quite here. You're hollow threats are uneffective against me."
Luna yanked her wand out of her stocking, and aimed it right for the guard. "I'd bet on the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw that I could take the likes of you."
He held up his hands in surrender, sputtering, "Maybe you could take me. But you can't take two of me."
She withdrew her arm, cocking her head to the side and began to ponder this. "But there is just no way that you can copy yourself."
"That's were you're wrong." said a voice from behind her. Luna whirled around to find the guy standing behind her.
"Haha real funny, how you can move fast like that."
"No really, there's two of me," said a voice slightly deeper than the other from behind her. That's when she realized that he- no they were right. They were twins!
"Hmpf," Luna grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. Harold stepped up beside, after having hid in the background the entire time.
"We have clearance," he stood tall and proud, as if the armour of his knightly-hood was enough to gain them entrance to the castle.
The twins glanced him, then simultanesouly spouted, "Nah, you could be forging the look."
Harold threw his arms out in an exasperated motion. "Dum, Dee, it's me! You just gotta let us through!"
One quick eye-to-eye meeting, and Dum-or was he Dee-said, "Me who?"
"Me is Harold Potter. The Chosen One hand picked by Milady Andromeda herself."
Dee-or was it Dum-laughed, saying, "Nah, we know what the Chosen Knight looks like. And you're definitely not him."
"And why not?" Harold demanded, and Luna was worried he WASN'T the person he said he was after all.
Dum-it could have been Dee-gawked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're walking with a cute girl! Of course it's not Harold!" Harold's face grew a deep red, to match his armor. Dee and Dum once again broke out into discorded laughter, while Harold and Luna remained anamused.
"I'll have you know I'd sooner walk with Harold then I would either of you." They shut up in an instant, giving her the fakest puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen.
"But please miss, Tweedle Dee and me here meant no harm. We were just fooling around. We weren't really going to use our axes on you," Luna let out a low breath. That was what she had been worries about-the large silver axes they were weilding around carelessly.
"But... " Tweedle Dee broke in. "We can only allow Harold clearance."
"What!" Luna cried, exasperated by their beat-around-the-bush method. "You can't be serious-"
"Oh no," Dum said. "We would never claim to be Sirius."
"Then how can anyone possibly believe you?"
Dum started at Dee, and in turn Dee gawked at Harold, and Harold gave Luna an incredulious look. "They can't claim to be Sirius because it's identity theft!"
"What?" Luna shrieked again. How could that possibly be identity theft? "How?"
Harold leaned in close. "The Mad Hatter has spies all over the place. As the leader of the Mafia he's gotta have them. His real name's Sirius Black. Ruthless man, that Black."
"Oh," Luna said, bobbing her head in recognation. Sirius not serious.
"Yes. He's a right lunatic, too. Him and that March Hair, always about causing trouble. And their friend, what ever his name was. He died. Him and 'is wife. Left behind their child, they did."
"Yes, yes, now let us through!"
"Alright alright," Dum said irritably, upset that his brother's tale had ended so soon.
Harold sighed. "Sorry about them. Bloody idiots, they are." Luna nodded, half listening. The castle was gorgeous. "Oh, there's a moat," Luna noted, after enarly falling into it. Dee and Dum snickered from behind them.
"Why of course. What castle doesn't have a moat?" He shook his head, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
As they entered, the first thing Luna noticed was the frogs. Frogs everywhere. Dressed in little red petticoats and standing in the halls. "How peculiar," she murmured.
The floors were marbled, and the rugs red velvet. On the ceiling hung flowers pots, and it seemed as if the flowers inside were whispering to one another. And sure enough, when Luna listened hard enough, she could catch the quiet musings of the flowers.
Harold marched on, Luna followed behind. Finally, they came to the clearlty marked Throne Room.
"Remember, when you enter, bow low to the ground. Don't make her angry, don't move until she says, and, most importantly, do NOT anger her under any circumstances. Got it?" The words flew by in a rush, and Luna hadn't quite got it all.
"Could you repeat-" Luna's dazed voice was caught off by a rough shove by Harold, and the doors to the Throne Room broke open.