A Wonderland Wedding

Chapter Three: Stories and Songs

Mark Bierce leaned back in his chair, sighing in contentment, and then addressed Mirana. "Majesty that was a fine feast."

Mirana smiled. "Don't thank me, Bierce, thank the March Hare. He's the one that put this whole thing together."

Bierce looked over at Thackery, surprised. "Really? I'm impressed, especially considering that the last time I saw him he was rather mad."

Thackery chuckled. "I'm still mad, but I've gotten much, much better over the years."

Bierce nodded in understanding, and then looked over at his former pupil. "So, Ilosovic, you never told me where you met your lovely and charming wife."

Stayne smiled. "I met her at the Masquerade at Salazen Grum. She had been invited to sing, and I fell in love with her voice, her mannerism, everything."

Bierce beamed at him. "Aah, young love. Did you court her?"

Stayne sighed. "No."

"Why ever not? If you were that infatuated with her…"

Stayne gave a bitter chuckle. "Because at the time I was the extremely unwilling consort and favorite of Iracebeth, and if she knew that I was in love with another woman, then Alannah's head would have joined the others in the moat."

Bierce frowned, and was about to say more when Lydia spoke up, confused. "Well, if you didn't like Iracebeth then why didn't you just leave?"

Stayne looked over at her. "It wasn't that easy. The Queen's eyes and ears were everywhere, and even if I did leave, I had nowhere to go. I had sworn loyalty to her, and even if I hated her, I hated to go back on my oath even more." He chuckled. "Of course, the loyalty only came about because I knew if I didn't go along with her I'd be beheaded. I preferred to keep my life. There were times when I regretted it, but looking back now, it's the best decision I've ever made." He pulled Alannah to him, gently kissing her. "Amazing how one small decision can change a person's life so much."

Bierce smiled at the pair. "You two are very close, aren't you?"

Stayne nodded. "We're Bound." Bierce gaped at him in shock, and Stayne chuckled. "Not something you expected from me?"

Bierce shook his head in shock. "No, I can honestly say I didn't expect that. After all, you did have a bit of a…reputation." He looked at Alannah. "You know of the places he…frequented?"

Alannah chuckled. "You mean the brothels? Yes, I knew. But once we became lovers he stopped, and he has not strayed since. I knew full well he wasn't innocent when we met, and neither was I, although our…circumstances were… different."

Bierce nodded. "I see. Different how?"

Alannah shuddered. "Just…different." Stayne took her hand in his, gently stroking the pad with his thumb, and she relaxed.

Bierce would not be diverted, though. "Different how?"

Alannah glared at him, and then replied in a voice soft with anger and remembrance. "I was raped."

There was a collection of gasps from all around the table, and Bierce looked mortified.

"Forgive an old man's rude questioning, my dear. Had I any idea, I would not have asked such a callous question." He paused, wording his next question carefully. "Who was it?"

"Lord Maxwell. He also abducted me from Marmoreal a few years later, but I was rescued, and Ilosovic dealt with him."

Sir Richard, who had been listening, spoke up. "Dealt with him? What do you mean by that?"

Stayne chuckled darkly. "What she means is that I tortured him then left him to die." Sir Richard stared at him in shock.

"What about a trial?"

Stayne stared at Sir Richard for five full minutes before laughing. "Underland trials are a complete farce, and it would take much too long for justice to be served."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Helen decided to steer the conversation towards a more pleasant topic. She looked over at Alannah. "What was your wedding like, dear? I've already heard about my daughters', but never about yours."

Alannah smiled gratefully at the change in topic. "It was wonderful. Poor Ilosovic was so nervous, and I was too. Alice was my Maid of Honor."

Helen beamed. "Was she?" Alannah nodded. "That's wonderful! What was your dress like?"

"It was a deep green, and the seamstress had made it so it showed off my stomach-I was eight months pregnant with Katarina at the time, and I didn't want to hide her away."

Helen chuckled. "At that point I don't think you could have. Now, how nervous was Ilosovic? I know that when Charles married me he was so nervous that he nearly dropped the ring!"

Alannah laughed. "Well, he wasn't that nervous, but he did seem a bit in awe of everything."

Stayne smiled. "I wasn't nervous. I was in complete and utter shock. There's a difference." He looked over at Helen. "Here I was, about to marry a beautiful woman who not only loved me unconditionally, but was carrying my child. I had never been so elated and terrified at the same time. But the terror vanished when we had our first kiss as man and wife. Actually, there were other times when I felt the same combination of elation and terror, and that was when the children were born. But there again, each time I saw my new babe the terror would vanish, to be replaced by an overwhelming love."

Katarina smiled. "I remember when I saw Michael being born. He was such a cute little baby."

Michael grinned at his sister. "And I grew up into a dashingly handsome man. Right, Ari?" Arianna giggled, nodding. "Remember seeing Victoria?"

Katarina nodded. "I do. She was really small."

Michael looked over at his youngest sister. "She's still small."

Victoria stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll grow! I'm a Stayne, after all!"

Michael grinned at her. "I know you will, Vickie." Victoria beamed at him.

Ilosovic chuckled. "My parents were wrong-my height wasn't a freakish accident."

"It must have been genetic, if your children inherited it."

Everyone looked over at Lydia, confusion on their faces, and she sighed. "Sorry, I forgot what Time I was in. Genetics are…well, they're basically a set of traits children get from their parents, half from the father and half from the mother. For example, you have blue eyes…or…eye...and Alannah has green. This means that your children had a fifty percent chance of having either green or blue eyes. You're both tall, so the chances of your children being tall were also quite good. Sometimes the traits can skip a generation."

Alannah nodded in understanding, and then let her eyes flash red. "Which is the reason I can do that."

Lydia gawped at her. "Your eyes just changed color!"

Alannah nodded. "I know. My grandmother could go from green to blue. Tarrant, well…he can go from green to nearly every color you can imagine. Of course, he didn't inherit the ability."

Tarrant sighed. "Actually, I did, but the Horrendevush Day accelerated it. My original color was gold. It was my grandfather that passed it down to me."

Lydia looked over at Tarrant. "Can you do brown?"

Tarrant nodded, and then let his eyes deepen to a dark brown. "Any other color?"

Lydia shrugged. "Ummm….blue?"

Tarrant's eyes turned a bright blue. Lydia grinned. "That's pretty cool. Do the colors mean anything?"

"Brown means that I'm thinking, blue means I'm either happy or disappointed. There are a few colors I won't let anyone but Alice see. One is lavender, and it means I'm thinking of her. The other is a deep purple. I'll let you guess what that means."

Lydia giggled. "I think I can imagine. What does red mean?"

Tarrant gazed at her. "It means I'm mad, and not in the good way." Lydia gulped, nodding.

"I see." She mentally shook herself. "I'll have to remember to never get you upset."

Tarrant chuckled. "Well, the fact that you're not at all interested in me except as a friend and grandfather figure is a large step in the right direction."

Lydia laughed in agreement.

Alannah chuckled, and then began humming. Stayne looked over at her. "What are you humming?"

"I'm not sure, the words haven't come yet. Give me a few moments."

She shut her eyes, letting the words come, then opened them and began to sing, her clear voice ringing out.

"I forbid you maidens all that wear gold in your hair
To travel to Carterhaugh for young Tam Lin is there.

None that go by Carterhaugh but they leave him a pledge
Either their mantles of green or else their maidenhead.

Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she.

She'd not pulled a double rose, a rose but only two
When up there came young Tam Lin, says "Lady, pull no more"
"And why come you to Carterhaugh without command from me?"

"I'll come and go," young Janet said, "and ask no leave of thee"

Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to her father as fast as go can she

Well, up then spoke her father dear and he spoke meek and mild
"Oh, and alas, Janet," he said, "I think you go with child"

"Well, if that be so," Janet said, "myself shall bear the blame.
There's not a knight in all your hall shall get the baby's name.
For if my love were an earthly knight as he is an elfin grey
I'd not change my own true love for any knight you have."

Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she
"Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin," she said, "why came you here to dwell?"
"The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell,

And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to Hell
I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself."

"But tonight is Hallowe'en and the faerie folk ride
Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must bide.

First let past the horses black and then let past the brown
Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down.

For I'll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town
For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown.

Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake
But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby's father.

And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold
But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child.
And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight
But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight."

In the middle of the night she heard the bridle ring
She heeded what he did say and young Tam Lin did win

Then up spoke the Faerie Queen, an angry queen was she
Woe betide her ill-fared face, an ill death may she die
"Oh, had I known, Tam Lin," she said, "what this night I did see
I'd have looked him in the eyes and turned him to a tree!"

There was a long silence after, which was broken when Sir Richard, Lydia, and the Bierces applauded wildly. Sir Richard was the first to find his voice. "I have never heard anything more lovely. You have such a clear voice, Lady Stayne."

Alannah smiled and was about to answer when she was interrupted by another person singing in a rich soprano voice.

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,

"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my

tail.

See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!

They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the

dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the

dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the

dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be

When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out

to sea!"

But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!" and gave a look

askance—

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join

the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join

the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join

the dance.

"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.

"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.

The further off from England the nearer is to France—

Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the

dance.

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the

dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the

dance?"

Alannah gaped at Katarina as she finished singing. "Katarina…why didn't you ever tell me you had such an amazing voice?"

Katarina blushed. "Well…because I can't think up songs out of my head, and I didn't think that…"

Alannah smiled softly at her. "Didn't think I'd be proud of you?" Katarina nodded, and Alannah pulled her into a hug. "You listen to me, my inion. I am always proud of you. You are a wonderful person, and I love you and your brother and sister unconditionally. Nothing will ever change that. Now, cheer up and keep on besotting Erik Rogers."

"Mum!" Katarina giggled in embarrassment, and then looked over at Erik. "Mum can be quite blunt."

Erik laughed. "Her father is the same way."

Stayne spoke up in a dry tone. "And so are her children. Actually, all of us can be pretty blunt when we need to be."

There were nods and laughs of agreement all around.

The Party finally ended and all the participants left for their homes or-in the case of the guests-their rooms in the palace to sleep and wait for the morning.