Notes: No, world, this is NOT the chapter with the song; that would be the next chapter. There is, however, a VERY brief quote from the song Why So Silent? from Phantom of the Opera; it should be established by now that I own nothing connected to it. All rights go to Gaston Leroux, Hal Prince, Andrew Lloyd Weber, and anyone else I failed to mention. Also, a shout-out to fellow author Niphuria: wherever you are, I hope you're well…haven't heard from you in who-knows-how-long.
Had to get that off my chest. Now, it is that we move on to…
Chapter XVI: Riddles That Have No Answers…
You can do this…it's just Chess…just Chess…
Can we count on that?
Just knock on the door…what are you, scared?
For once, yes…
Well, get over it!
Mallymkun sighed. She was directly in front of the Cheshire Cat's house, pacing before the door uneasily. She'd walk in a semi-circle, trying to keep herself calm, stand at her full height, stick out her chest, head held as high as she could hold it, walk up to the door…then feel her courage sink to the pit of her stomach, and continue to pace nervously.
She'd been doing this for at least ten minutes.
And the voices in her head would not. Stop. Arguing.
In the name of the teabag, DO IT!
But…but…
No "buts!" Just knock on the door, and ask him about the other day! What's the worst he could do?
Well, let me see: he could swallow me whole, or tear off my limbs, or unravel my innards and make me watch, or chop me into little pieces and cook me in soup, or put me between two pieces of bread and use me for a sandwich, or drown me in milk and lap me up…
Huh. I guess there really IS nothing to be afraid of, huh?
Very funny.
Look, he saved your life!
Yeah, but why?
That's the whole point of your being here, now, isn't it?
That was all it took. She repeated the process of holding her head up, throwing out her chest, and straightening up her back, and approached the door again.
She hesitated only briefly, biting her lip, and then knocked.
For a while nothing happened.
Hmm…perhaps he didn't hear me, or isn't home…
She was just about to knock again, when the door opened.
The cat stared down at her, his ever present grin diminished slightly, his eyes widened in what seemed to be shock.
For a moment they both just stood there, staring at each other.
Oh, great…now what do I say…?
It was the cat who broke the silence.
"Yes?" he purred, eyes suspicious.
Mally gulped.
"I…I just…I wanted to…that is, I…"
She shut her mouth. The cat crossed his arms, and waited patiently for her to compose herself. His tail flipped in the air behind him subtly, and did not move again.
Mally took a VERY deep breath.
"First of all," she said, softly, voice scarcely over a whisper. "I came to talk. With that in mind, I want you to make me one promise."
The cat blinked.
"Go on."
"While I'm here…do you promise not to eat me?"
The cat's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again.
"Done."
Mally nodded.
"Well…I wanted, second of all, to… thank you."
Chessur raised on eyebrow.
"For…?"
Mally glared.
"Must you ask?"
The cat blinked again, but said nothing.
Mally sighed.
"You saved my life…again. That's what for."
"I see."
Mally narrowed her own eyes now in suspicion; the cat seemed uncharacteristically curt today. Not that he was always polite, but he usually had more than one or two words to say about anything…
"Anything else?" the cat said, a single, pointed ear twitching.
"Yes: why did you do it?"
The cat's eyes went very wide at this, and remained so for quite a while. He looked shocked once more.
"I told you before," he said at last, after his eyes had returned to a (more) normal state.
"Then tell me again."
The cat growled softly.
"Your chains are still mine. You belong to me."
Mally glared.
"You. Do not. Own me."
The cat did not respond for a moment.
"Not yet," he said simply.
Mally chuckled mirthlessly.
"You're a piece of work, you know that?"
The cat did not say anything.
"Years ago, you tried to kill me. Then, you decided to toy with me. Then you became my friend…now, you've already tried to eat me once, you've threatened my life, and the life of another…friend, and yet…you've also saved my life."
"Your point?"
"Why? What's the point of helping me if what you really want to do is kill me? And if you don't want to kill me, why threaten me? You apologized for what you did. It was wrong of me to lash out at you. If I hurt you, then I'm sorry."
The cat's eyes blazed.
"'Hurt' would be a gross understatement."
"Then let me apologize," Mally said. "I shouldn't have treated you that way, not after all you did for me. But YOU should not have hurt me, either."
The cat was silent. His fur was starting to bristle.
"Look," Mally said, taking another deep breath, "I don't want to go on like this. If you plan on killing me, then, by all means, do so now. However, if you want to be friends again, then let us be so."
And she turned her back on him, arms crossed, and waited.
She listened, waiting for him to take a bite out of her, or stick a claw through her, or…she hoped…apologize, or even…
She shuddered with delight…
And that's when she heard the door shut behind her.
She half-turned to look.
Chessur was nowhere in sight; he had either evaporated, or gone back inside.
She sighed sadly.
"I thought as much," she mumbled, and began to walk away.
She had scarcely gotten halfway through the orange tree circles when a familiar voice called out…
"Mally!"
She turned fast, and an equally familiar paw latched onto her arm.
"Russehc?"
"Mally, what are you doing here?"
The white dormouse glared, and snapped her hand away.
"I might ask you the same thing," she snarled. "Don't you know who lives here?"
"Yes; that's why I came here. We should leave."
Mally snorted.
"No," she said shortly. "You should, not we. I can take care of myself."
"True, but…"
"And another thing: the other day, when that other cat attacked me! Why didn't you tell Tarrant and Thackery the truth?"
"I…"
"You think they would've gotten angry? They were angrier that you lied more than anything else! 'Separated' indeed!"
"Mally, look…"
"And how did you get there so fast? I distinctly remember you doing what I told you, which meant running…in the OPPOSITE direction of the windmill!"
"Well, you see…"
"No! I don't see! That's the point! What were you trying to accomplish? What are you trying to accomplish?"
"Will you. Let me. Explain?"
Mally shut her mouth. Russ sighed.
"When you told me to leave, I did as I was told, not because I was scared, but because I knew you wouldn't...function properly if I remained. As soon as I got behind the bushes, I circled back around, and headed for the windmill. That answers why I got there so fast, as you put it. As to why I made up the story, it was for the reason you have given: I did not want them upset with me because I left you alone. When we went looking for you, I realized I could not remember where you were, and, eventually, I gave up, and hoped the Hare and the Hatter found you. I went straight to the tea table this morning, to find out if you were all right, and came looking for you straight after. There. Does that answer all of your inquiries?"
Mally paused.
"Most of them," she said simply.
Russehc sighed quietly.
"Good," he said. "Judging from your tirade, I take it yesterday brought no ill effects."
Mally blinked, and turned away slightly.
"Very few," she said.
The most important ones of which have yet to be resolved...
The two were quiet.
"Mally?"
"Yes?"
"I...I feel I must redeem myself."
Mally stared.
"Redeem yourself?"
Russ nodded grimly.
"I want to take you somewhere special, as a repayment for your kindness to me in the short time we've known each other, and as an apology for my...untrustworthy actions yesterday."
Mally's eyes got even wider. Russ retained a serious, straight expression.
Is...is he asking me on a...what did the Queen and Alice call them...?
"A date?" Mally squeaked.
Russ lowered his gaze, twisting his foot nervously into the dirt.
"Well...not exactly, no...unless you WANT to call it one..."
Mally hesitated.
"Russ...I don't know..."
"Well, why not? Don't you trust me?"
Mally blinked.
"Wh-What?"
Russehc's eyes caught hers fast. He took a single step forward.
"Do you trust me?"
Mally hestitated only a moment more.
"Yes, I do."
I guess...
"Then will you accept my offer?"
Mally paused again.
"Yes. Where do you want to go?"
"Russehc" smiled a wide, tooth-covering smile, and recalled his "mastermind's" words the day before.
"Have you ever been to Drimdok's Hill at sunset?"