~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Helen - Hightopp village~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Kingsleigh! Mrs. Kingsleigh!" I awoke to the sensation of someone shaking me violently.
"What is wrong?" I asked rubbing the sleep from my eyes in a very un-lady like manner.
"Riders from the north, Johanna can't tell who they are and what they're doing here. Tarrant has ordered for us to hide ourselves, Johanna is waking Alice." Mirana tried her hardest to stay calm but I could still catch the hint of hysteria in her voice. I stood and left with the others, my baby girl looked frightened to leave behind her fiancé, but she had to. We hid in the wood; Johanna kept a tight watch for any danger and Alice tried not to cry, she was very worried about him.
"There's no danger at the moment. Why don't I tell you a story?" Johanna sat down near us.
"A story," I asked, how odd for women to be telling stories in this world, but then again... everything was odd.
"Of course," Mirana cut in, "That is after all how she became known as 'The Entertainer'!"
Johanna smiled, "That was a long time ago your Majesty and I have not worked at court since..." She trailed off.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"Mother, Tarrant told me about this. The Horvendush day, when Iracebeth of Crims - The Red Queen - took the crown from Mirana; it was a very painful day for many."
I nodded, "I'm sorry." Johanna dismissed me with a wave of her hand saying it was her fault for even mentioning it.
She began her story, "Many years ago, when out grandfather was still a small lad, there was a beautiful woman named Mariana, she was envied by every woman in her village and coveted by every man. But despite her great beauty she was vain and selfish, but her parents never stopped her from getting what she wanted. And although she had more riches than all others in their small village she still wanted more. She wanted to rule the lands. So she devised a plan to lure out Henry, the Lord of the Lands and the rumored lover of Underland herself. Her servants were ordered to bake pastries and to cover them with honey and to prepare a drink of sweet nectar. It has always been known that this was the best way to lure out the Lord of the Land.
"That night the Lord of the Land smelled the sweet nectar and pastries. Seeing no one near he ate every one of the pastries and drank the nectar. Mariana caught him and claimed that she had prepared those treats for her younger sister. Lord Henry was honor bound to repay her for the things he had stolen. No one knows how exactly, but she seduced him that very same night.
"With the advantage of the Lord of the Lands on her side she attempted to lead a rebellion against the Queens and Kings, but failed. When Underland discovered the crimes that Mariana had committed she was cursed. Her beauty had been taken and replaced with the slithering vermin that she had hated to greatly. Ashamed, Mariana adopted a new name and left her home and has never been heard from before. It is said that from her tears as she left spilled forth the vermin of the Earth and smaller creatures that looked just like her as the tears hit the ground."
There was a long pause, "Why did you tell us that story?" asked my baby girl.
Johanna smiled, "I really don't know. I'd hoped that you'd like to hear a legend from out mythology." Suddenly she paused and smiled. "It's safe to go back, the men I saw were white knights. They've come searching for us and any red knights in the area." She stood and we followed her back.
"You said that she adopted a new name, do you know what it is?" Alice asked as she walked beside her. Johanna thought for a long moment.
"I think the name was Medusa, which means 'One who was cursed' or even in the old language, 'deffiled'. Then again it depends on which version of the story you are hearing and who is telling it to you. The Hightopps have always held it traditionally as Medusa but in most versions she doesn't even change her name." she shrugged.
When we returned the knights, led by a tall blond young man that Johanna and Tarrant knew, told us all about what happened a few days ago at Salazen Grum. It was incredible! With just their voices they made an entire castle crumble to dust! The Hightopp clan was certainly a miraculous lot!
333333333Iracebeth - Mamoreal333333333
"THEY DID WHAT TO MY CASTLE?" I had never been so angry in my life. Those accursed Hightopps had just destroyed my castle! Fury bubbling in me is slapped Stayne as hard as possible. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STAY AND FIGHT THEM YOU COWARD?" I shrieked.
"Your majesty, there were too many! No longer can you afford to kill off those loyal to you! It's far too dangerous." I didn't care just what my knave advised, that place was my home for a very long time, even before I stool the crown that was rightfully mine it was the only place I even came close to being accepted. But now because of those moon-Hightopps it was gone, my home! Curse Mirana for gaining such loyal subjects!
"Let their heads role!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Margaret~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the past few days my morning sickness was improving but often I still found myself ill and was forced to watch the little children as they played. It was during these times that I wished my beloved husband were here, he would be so happy! Today we were expecting a group of men sent out to search for red knights, the queen, and her champion - who I learned is my little sister - to return. I stood at the gates, waiting for them to come into view. The army arrived with the bandersnatch (a creature I had only caught glimpses of) and on the back of this untamed beast were my mother and the White Queen. Where was Alice?
"Maggy!" My sister yelled and ran forward to greet me.
"Alice, Mother!" I met by baby sister half way and hugged her with all my strength.
"I'm so happy to see you! I was afraid of what they might have done!"
A man and a woman ran past us, "Mother! Uncle Calvary, Malise, Alistair!" They cried. A group of the 'Hightopps' as I had come to know them ran past us and crowded around them, they spoke to each other in a language I had never heard before. It was very guttural and rough. But somehow it suited these people.
One of the women turned to us, "Champion Alice, thank you so much for retrieving our lost kin and returning them to us. The Hightopp clan is complete again," she said. The woman knelt to the ground and bowed, the others followed her action.
"Please, get up. Tarrant and Johanna are friends of mine. Please, get up," they did as she pleaded and stood. Then she turned to me, "Margaret, I would like for you to meet my fiancé, Tarrant Hightopp." I took in this eccentric man, tall, pale, untamed hair, yes. He looked perfect for my baby sister; I just hoped she was sure about this.
*******************Cailean (three days later)*************************
A fool's errand. That's what this was, a fool's errand. I was to ride out with fifteen men to Salazen Grum and order that they surrender or her Majesty the Red Queen would send out her terrifying new 'weapon'. The 'creature' had pale green skin, pale white eyes with pinpoint irises, long bony hands, nails as long as a small knife, and teeth as sharp as a full grown bandersnatch or jabberwocky.
We stopped just outside the gates, "I wish to speak with whoever is in charge here. Her Majesty the Red Queen of Hearts has a proposition for you!" The crowd parted and the White Queen and her Champion stepped forward.
"What is it that the Red Queen wants?"
"She says to surrender or else she will release her most terrifying weapon ever, It is said to be the Medusa." Many gasps arose and I could tell that many of the people honestly considered surrendering.
"Don't listen to them! All Underland knows that the right Queen to sit on the thrown is the White Queen! Remember what happened when the Red Queen took control? Remember all the suffering you had even before she stole the crown? You mustn't let them tempt you! Go away Red loyalist!" Their Champion was strong and determined, I'll give her that.
"Reconsider and your lives may be spared," the people became furious.
"Go away; leave us be; you've done enough damage; Downl wyth bloody behg head' Down with the bloody Red Queen!" They began to throw random objects, rotten food, and stones, whatever they could afford to throw.
"I'll see you all beheaded for this!" I sneered before leading my men away.
The Red Queen was furious, "Then the war had begun!"