I upheld my promise! Yay! Thanks for the reviews. Also, my best friend ready4rainbows is publishing her first story, and I think you should check it out. It includes herself as Gabby and me as Alyssa. But let's move on. Tomorrow I will have chapter 4 up, so make sure to check!

"Hello. You must be John. It is nice to meet you," I said. John stood up out of his chair and walked across the table to reach me.

"Meet me? I think you mean it's nice to see me again." He pulled me into a hug. We separated, and he seemed very happy to see me. For me, it was awkward. My dreams had never gotten this far, and I was certain I had never met this man. "Well, we have a lot of catching up to do. Where's Dave? He was supposed to escort you," John asked.

"The Batterwitch got him," Dirk answered.

"Batterwitch?" I asked.

"Batterwitch meaning Her Imperial Condescension," Jake answered.

"Well that shouldn't matter. Today is the reckoning. He should be in the Alternian kingdom with Jane and Jade. And the troll heroes. Now we just need to find the cherub twins," he said.

"They were also captured," I said.

He smiled at me. "Well that just makes it easier. I'll take you to the white queens castle. Roxy has been hiding out there. We'll meet up with her. Then we'll save the rest."

Dirk looked up. "John, soldiers are coming."

"Uh oh. Quick Rose, drink this," he said, shoving a bottle into my mouth. My already small self shrunk down further. When I was the size of a mouse, he shoved me into a teapot. "Stay quiet," he whispered. I looked out of the hole in the teapot. Dirk had disappeared.

"C'mon Dirk, it would be jolly good if you were with me on this one!" Jake exclaimed, searching frantically for his boyfriend. After Dirk didn't appear, Jake drank some tea nervously to look somewhat normal around the soldiers. Casey was shrinking back into her chair. More of the soldiers arrived. Orphaner Dualscar was with them. He got off of his seahorse and glared at my friends.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite group of lunatics. Search them, Spades." A black man appeared behind him. He literally was a black carapace. He had a scar over one eye. He was wearing a black leather jacket with black pants, and a black fedora. Spades looked around the table. He wasn't even that tall, but was still intimidating. He glared at Jake, who looked like he was about to wet himself. Casey hid beneath her cloak, but John remained calm and smiling.

Spades looked at John, then the teapot. He came a bit closer. "She's in there isn't she," he whispered. John didn't reply. "I'm friends with Karkat, the Knight of Blood. She'll be safe." He turned back to the soldiers. "She went back that way," Spades said. He walked away.

"Follow the Dersite," Dualscar said. The soldiers obeyed. Dualscar looked at the heroes. "I can't wait for you to lose your heads."

"We've already lost them," John said. Him and Jake burst into laughter. Dualscar picked up a tea-cup and threw it at John. It hit his hat, which fell on the floor. "Aww, my hat. Low blow, man."

"I will get you one day. And I can't wait to see Darkleer kill you."

"Then we're both looking towards the same thing." Dualscar slapped John, who fell out of his chair. Dualscar got on of his seahorse and rode away.

"What an asshole," Jake muttered.

Casey ran to John's side. "Johnny, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm okay. What about you and Jake? You two okay?"

Casey nodded. "Just a bit frightened, but nothing too bad," Jake said.

"Really? You look like your about to throw up your so frightened," Dirk said, hugging Jake from behind. Jake screamed.

"Jesus Dirk! Don't scare me like that."

I knocked on the side of the teapot. John took the top off and pulled me out. He set me on the table. "Sorry Rose, didn't mean to forget about you."

"Oh no, don't worry. I'm fine. But what was the deal with Spades?" I asked.

"I don't know, but Karkat must be one of the troll heroes. You're lucky he was on our side, or you'd be dead," Casey replied. John glared at her, then looked back at me.

"We'd better take you to the White Queen's castle. You will be safe there."

"Oh, I'll come with you! It would be nice to see Roxy again," Jake said.

"I don't think so, English," said Dirk. "You need to stay here with Casey. Egbert can take her to the castle."

"Right you are Dirk. And you can travel the best way possible," John told me as he picked his hat off of the ground. "By hat." He set it on the table beside me. I looked at him skeptically. "Well, get on. We have to hurry." I sighed and sat on the rim.

"Alright, I'm ready." John picked up the hat and put it on his head.

"Bye everyone!" he said enthusiastically.

"Bye Johnny!" Casey replied, waving at us as we left. Jake waved good-bye and Dirk nodded in acknowledgement. John walked us through the forest. There were soon less and less trees, and we came upon a clearing. John had talked to me the entire way. "I'm so glad that you're here, Rose. I missed you so much, and now we can finally defeat the Batterwitch!" he exclaimed.

"I don't want to defeat anybody," I said.

He stopped walking. "What?"

"Hussie told me I'm not the right Rose. And I don't want you to die, or anyone else. Even if this is a dream."

"So you think this is a dream." Before I could answer, he set the hat down on a rock and began to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I was taking Rose to the White Queens castle. She was going to gather the heroes, and we were going to defeat the Batterwitch and Lord English. But since your so sure that you're the wrong Rose, then I'm going to have to leave you here." I didn't reply. He continued. "Don't you know all the wrong the Batterwitch has done?"

"No I don't," I answered. "Please, tell me." He sighed.

"This was the place where it happened." I looked around. What I thought were trees were really the burnt frames of houses. This clearing was the place of a destroyed village.

"What happened. Please, John. Tell me."

He went on. "It was such a beautiful day. I was thirteen years old. There was a festival going on in this salamander village. It was so amazing. There were banners of all different colors. The houses were vibrant blues and purples. The gardens had the prettiest flowers, full of snapdragons and bluebells and roses." He blushed at the last part. "I was there with my cousin Jane, Jake, and his cousin Jade. Jane was excited about the different foods, Jake was playing a game at one of the vendors, and Jade was playing in the flowers. I was excited for a different reason. My father had been at this village for a year working, and I had lived with Jade. I had visited to see my father.

"I saw him next to the white queen. Before I could say hello, someone screamed. It was Jade. Lord English was attacking. Jake got Jade, Jane, and two other boys out safely. My father told me to run, but I couldn't move. I watched him get burned alive. Before Lord English could do the same to the White Queen and the girl next to her, I helped them run away. The queen's crown fell as we escaped.

"Orphaner Dualscar found the crown and took it. He left with his soldiers and Lord English. I searched the village for anymore survivors, but there was only a little salamander, which you know as Casey. I also found this hat. It was the only thing left of my father." John looked at the remains of the village.

"I'm so sorry John. I had no idea. Were the two boys Dave and Dirk?" John nodded. "And who is Roxy?"

"Roxy is the Rogue of Void. And she's your older sister."

"What?" I asked.

"Your mother had you in your world. Roxy was transported here instead."

"How would? I just don't? I didn't even know. How much older is she?'

"Three years. She's twenty-one years old," he replied with a smile. "Just like how Dirk, Jane, and Jake are three years older than Dave, Jade and I." He was interrupted by hoofbeats in the forest. "Soldiers," said John with a grimace. He picked up the hat and ran. Spades was leading the soldiers and Dualscar to us. John hid behind a tree, and then ran when they passed us. We came to a river. Land was visible on the opposite side. John took the hat off and held it so we were at eye level. "Head south to the White Queen's castle. Now hold tight."

"John what are," I was cut off when he threw the hat across the river. It landed safely on the other side, but I was thrown off when it hit the ground. I got up and looked through the grass. John was standing on the other side.

"Down with the Batterwitch!" he yelled, throwing his hands up into the air. The soldiers surrounded him and led him away. Spades looked across the river, then followed the soldiers. I felt like crying. That had meant my third friend was taken away. It probably meant that Casey and Jake were arrested, too. So that left Dirk, Roxy and I as the three remaining heroes. Or two remaining heroes, because I was the wrong Rose.

The sun looked like it was about to set, and I was exhausted. It had been a long day for me. I had run all over, avoiding the soldiers. I didn't want to stay out in the open, because I wasn't sure of what predators there were. I slept under the hat, which effectively kept out the light. The inside smelled like John, with the lingering traces of cake and a light breeze. It smelled awfully nice. Woah. Where did that come from? Regardless, I fell asleep easily in the hat.

Yeah, I ship Grimdorks. Hard. So. Yeah, I hope you do too! See you tomorrow! Also, the Nepeta suggestion was great, but I think you will see why I used Spades in the next chapter. Alright, I'm out.