Notes: "Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: Thus slowly, one by one, its quaint events were hammered out…and now the tale is done, and home we steer; a merry crew, beneath the setting sun." Faithful readers, we have come to the end of our tale. But do not despair…a sequel is on the way! There is one last quote from Phantom of the Opera, again rewritten for story purposes, contained here. I own it not.
Before we come to the beginning of the end, I would like to thank fellow authors and friends katzsoa and Niphuria again, for, as the infamous Joker would put it, "their undying support." To Niphuria, I say hello…still haven't heard from you…
Ahem…anyway, let the curtains rise one last time for…
Chapter XXVI: "The Love-Gift of a Fairy-Tail"…er, I mean, "Tale"
Mallymkun sighed with mixed emotions.
I look like a cake doll…
Were she but taller, one might take her for a ghost; the white lace dress and veil the Mad Hatter had made her felt…strange on her, and the milky color seemed to come straight from her, with her equally white fur.
As she fluffed out the dress, with a slight frown, she picked up her belt. Patricial Longsig and Alice were with her. The goose eyed her curiously.
"What're ye puttin' tha' on for?"
"I prefer to be prepared, Pat."
"You look lovely, Mallymkun," Alice whispered with a smile. "Chess will be stunned."
Mally smirked.
"I doubt it; he'll just want me back out of it as fast as possible."
A different little thought struck the dormouse and she looked around.
"That blasted cat better not think of coming in here…" she muttered.
"He knows better," Alice said. "Well…I hope he does…"
Mally shrugged and took a look in the mirror again.
"Do you really think he'll like it?" she whispered.
"If he don't," Pat said with a grin, "I'll retire to an Overland feast."
Mally blushed.
"Don't tease," she squeaked.
Pat shrugged.
"Is Bill here yet, Pat?" Alice asked.
"I s'pect 'e's already out there, Ms. Alice."
"Good," Alice said. "You had better go change, yourself."
Pat nodded with a honk, and waddled away.
Alice reached down, fussing over the veil.
"I didn't think it would all be such a…ruckus," Mally mumbled, flinching away from the human girl's fingers slightly.
Alice smirked.
"It's even worse where I come from, trust me."
"I do…so, how different does this wedding look compared to ones in your world?"
Alice thought for a moment, then let out a short chuckled.
"Aside from the fact the bride, groom, and a good deal of others in attendance are all animals, not much."
Mally fixed her belt around her waist firmly, and checked her weapon, pulling it out and twirling it. Alice raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really feel you have to take that with you, Mally?"
Mally glared at her with annoyance.
"This little pin and Chess have a lot in common," she said. "Both have gotten me into trouble just as often as they've gotten me out of it. The only difference is that this pin-sword cannot change its shape; if I'm getting married, I'm taking it with me."
So saying, the dormouse sheathed her weapon. Alice smiled.
"Well, it's your wedding…and I'm sure Chessur won't mind."
"He won't; he knows me too well."
Alice giggled.
"I'll be back soon, Mally," she said. "I need to speak with Mirana about something."
Mally nodded and Alice left the room.
As soon as the Overlandian girl was gone, she let out an immense sigh, taking off her veil and headpiece, and dropped unceremoniously into a chair.
If I had known a wedding was this much of a to-do, I don't think I would have bothered…
The second word got out that Mallymkun, leader of the White Queen's guards, human and animal alike, and Chessur, the most infamous of Cheshire Cats, were to be married, all of Underland had been in an uproar. Mirana and Alice had insisted on a party, and it didn't help that the Mad Hatter saw such an event as a chance to show off some of his new designs for hats and dresses and suits, designs he had not been able to unveil at the oddly-forgotten Danksderim Ball. Mally was not used to so much attention; her head felt like it was a bottle-cork on a screw.
She scowled at her reflection; prettiness was a compliment she frequently received, and only half-believed, even when it was given by Chess…but it was a state she didn't think she could ever get used to. A soldier needed to be ready for action, prepared for anything…not dressed up like one of the White Queen's roses.
Of course, Chessur didn't mind, she realized, and smiled as she thought of him, despite herself. His presence, once so often found irritating, became grand; between kisses from his little lady and the gentle touch of human hands on his head, right where it really felt nice to be scratched and pet…he felt he could die a happy cat at any moment.
He'd told her so.
Her reverie was startled by a voice behind her.
"I liked you better in pink…"
She whipped around, eyes wide when she realized the voice was male.
They grew even wider when she saw who the voice belonged to.
A tall, lean-muscled figure, about the same height and build as Tarrant Hightopp, stood in the doorway. He was dressed completely in black, from his wide-brimmed hat to his dark cloak and gloves to the ebony trousers and shoes on his bottom half. He carried a black cane, topped with a silver skull, which was in turn topped with a top hat, carved from emerald, with a diamond "tag" reading "10/6" inscribed in it. His eyes, barely visible, were obsidian, and he smiled, his teeth resembling a wild dog's.
Mally stared at Exxe for a while, then looked at her mirror.
No reflection of any kind.
She turned back toward him, a bit more calm, one eyebrow raised.
"I've got to learn that trick," she said, indicating the mirror.
Exxe's draped shoulders moved in a shrug.
"Mirrors require things of definite appearance; I shift, therefore, I half-am."
"You realize visiting the bride before the ceremony is…"
She stopped abruptly, noticing the bored, frank look in his dark eyes.
"…Probably not something you'll lose sleep over."
"Of course not; I don't sleep."
Mally blinked.
"At all?"
"At all."
"Oh," was all the dormouse said, and turned away again, picking up her veil and head piece and pretending to smooth them out. "So, what are you doing here?"
"I knew you two would be married eventually; I just had to wait. I would think you'd be expecting me at such an important time of your mortal, mousey life."
Mally smirked.
"Actually, I was…but I didn't expect you to make an actual appearance. Usually you just come to me while I'm sleeping. Does anyone know you are here?"
"Time has kindly allowed me time to speak with you, stopping time for everyone else. Your ceremony is about to begin. Precisely five seconds after I take my leave, Billnor Creole will knock on the door and fetch you."
Mally nodded, and half-turned towards him, away from the mirror.
"'They both love you…and they both don't. And one of them is in the middle. The three are circles, intertwined, like rings of fate and romance. One knows what to do, another follows orders, two follow their heart, but it is leading them both astray. The fourth is you, and she knows what to do…she just doesn't know it YET.' You were trying to tell me about the fact Chessur was Russehc, right? And that Bill was helping him?"
"Indeed. I knew it would do little, if any, good, but I thought it was worth a shot."
Mally smiled.
"Thank you, anyway," she said.
Exxe smiled back.
"The story isn't over," he said. "Hearts are tried again and again…you, of all people, know that. Until your death, my work will never be completed. Even after that, you will not hear the last of me…any of yourself."
Mally rolled her eyes.
"Well," she said, "it could be worse; life isn't any thrill without your unexpected appearances."
Exxe smiled.
"Until we meet again," he said, "when what might be your greatest trial occurs…congratulations, and goodbye."
And he was gone.
Mally grinned, placing her veil back on.
One…two…three…four…
TAP-TAP-TAP.
Five.
"Come in, Bill," Mally called.
The door opened, and the gecko walked in. He was dressed in a white tuxedo, his saber at his side, a medal on his lapel.
"Are you ready?"
"As ready as possible."
Bill grinned and walked up closer. Both dormouse and teacher looked each other up and down.
"You look like a flower," he said flatly.
"So do you."
"Yes…if there is one thing I hate about weddings, it's the formality…"
Here he eyed the pin-sword at her hip and smirked.
"…Although in my case, my weapon is carried by tradition. Paranoid much, my dear?"
"No. Just cautious."
Bill chuckled.
"I taught you too well," he said, and took her by the hand. "Come now; your precious kitty is waiting for his favorite poison."
Mally smiled.
"Anything you want to say to me beforehand, Master Creole?"
Bill grinned, straightening his back and lifting a scaly finger commandingly.
"As I said when your first lesson began, after you proved yourself to me: look up, speak politely, for once, and don't twiddle your fingers all the time."
And he led her out of the room.
The chapel of Marmoreal Palace was filled with guests; most were courtiers the dormouse didn't know, all dressed in white and blue and gray. A few familiar faces were clear; Alice sat beside the March Hare, she dressed in a long, blue dress and red lipstick with diamond earrings, and the Hare dressed in a suit not unlike the one he had worn to the Danksderim Masquerade. (As at the Masquerade, he could not seem to get his tie to cooperate.) Nivens McTwisp was dressed in a White Page's uniform. (Not entirely different from the outfit of a Red Page, but lined in blue rather than red, with the images of a silver Bishop, Knight, Rook, and Pawn in place of Suit symbols.) He sat beside Pat. Tweedledum waved to her, only for his arm to be pulled back down by Tweedledee; the boys were in their usual outfits, but had washed them so well they looked different in them even so. They wore blue sailor-esque hats with white bands.
She waved back, eliciting a smirk from Bill.
Uileam the Dodo and Humpty Dumpty the Librarian sat beside each other. Both were dressed in tuxedos like Bill's, only adjusted for their…unusual proportions. Humpty Dumpty had his nose in a book, as usual, but Uileam brought him back to the land of the living by tapping him with his cane. The shell-like skin of the eggman was lucky not to crack, and the librarian smacked the bird across the beak.
Dormyla the Mouse With the Long, Sad Tail was dressed in garish pink, as usual, and seemed to only be there at the insistence of the Queen. She glanced at Mallymkun quickly, and turned away to put on some lipstick.
Mally just a rolled her eyes.
Then the music – a soft, haunting, lullaby-like song traditional at all Underlandian weddings – began to play, and Bill whispered, "Let's go."
As they walked down the aisle, Mally tried hard to ignore the stares of those around her, head down in embarrassment.
Tarrant had joyfully accepted the role as Best Hatter; he wore his best suit of clothes, his trademark hat held over his heart, his fingers drumming it nervously, that jovial, gap-toothed smile twitching occasionally from emotion. His uneven eyes fairly glowed, and she saw him quickly dash away a tear from one with a single, scratched finger.
The White Queen oversaw the proceedings, as was proper, but wore nothing different than her usual white and silver robes and dress. She smiled warmly at the dormouse, and then turned her face to the left quickly, to smile at Chessur.
As for the Cheshire Cat…Mally chuckled at the irony; he wore the same elegant black jacket and bow tie he had worn on the thrilling Frighetnacht that had truly begun everything, his outfit missing only the cape and mask. If she was mortified by the attention, he was filled with pride, his paws, bearing those impeccable white gloves, folded behind his back. He winked at her playfully, making her feel all the more bashful.
I didn't think it would be this nerve-wracking, either…for the sake of madness, I know all of them! What is there to be nervous about?
Thinking this didn't really steel her much more at all.
Finally she reached the end of the aisle, and the cat stood beside her.
"You look ravishing this way," he purred quietly to her.
"Likewise," she replied.
This only served to make him purr louder.
Mirana, who had heard the exchange, smiled at them, and took up a small black book from under her arm. She opened it up and cleared her throat.
"Dearly beloved, and demented, we are gathered here today to witness the union between this cat, and this dormouse. An odd union perhaps, but, truly, what is stranger than love? What drives one to give up what they truly long for to be with another? What makes them decide that the thoughts of others, and even nature, matter less than the desire to have that one they want to be with? Perhaps it is the same mysterious forces that decide these matters that choose to make a dormouse a soldier, or a cat a rescuer."
She paused impressively.
"I speak now not as Queen, not as an official, but as a friend of these two lovers: ever since they became friends, they have guarded one another, kept each other safe, and through the trials of life – including those caused by themselves and inflicted upon each other – they have remained loyal to each other. As friendship has become love, I know for a fact this will not change. While their legends may not be of such great renown as our Champion's…"
Here she gestured toward Alice, who inclined her head slightly, but said nothing.
"…Their stories, soon to become story, will be remembered for all time. Cats and mice have always had an…interesting relationship, but this is by far the strangest, and strongest, one of all."
She paused again.
"If anybody here feels reason to object to this union, speak now."
Nobody made a sound…except for Thackery Earwicket, whose tie came undone again, causing him to let out a short, Outlandish curse. He fell silent at the looks the Queen and Alice both shot him.
Chess and Mally looked at each other and smirked, then turned to face the Queen again.
Rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath, Mirana regained her composure and smiled once again at the cat and mouse, making a slight gesture with one hand. Both nodded simultaneously, and turned to face each other. The cat picked her up in one paw and held her before him, while she stood upon it, so they could look at each other more directly.
"Chessur the Cheshire Cat, do you take Mallymkun as yours, in sickness, health, and danger, in good and bad times, until death do you part, so help you God?"
Chess grinned wider.
"Until death?" he whispered, and then said, "I do, indeed."
Mally smiled back.
"Mallymkun the Dormouse, do you take Chessur as yours-"
"I do!" she squeaked, and then, realizing what had happened, blushed and looked at the Queen apologetically.
"I do," she repeated, more softly.
The White Queen chuckled.
"In that case, by the power vested in me…by Alice…"
All present laughed softly. (Except for the Hatter, who giggled madly, but covered it up quickly with a cough, and Bill, who remained perfectly silent.)
"I now pronounce you Cat and Mouse."
There was another pause. The Queen giggled and waved a hand at the two.
"Well? Aren't you going to kiss?"
Both shrugged. The cat gave her a peck of a kiss on the head, while the dormouse pecked him on the cheek.
All applauded.
Except for one.
Bill quietly left the chapel, walking down the hall.
He smiled at the music box in his hand, listening to the chimes it made nostalgically.
"They alone can make this song take flight…it's just begun, the Music of the Night!"