Happy Weekend! As promised, here is chapter 4. Thank you for the reviews. Sorry if you checked out ready4rainbows and didn't see an uploaded story. I don't know what's taking her so long. But anyway, let's start!
I was rudely awoken when someone opened the curtains in my room. I was cold, but tired nonetheless and didn't want to wake up. "Mother, a few more minutes please," I yawned. "I'm not your mom, kid." I opened my eye. It was Spades holding John's hat.
"So I'm still dreaming," I muttered.
"You think it's a dream. Ha. Have ya tried pinching yourself yet," Spades asked. I tried it, but nothing happened. "Maybe it wasn't painful enough. I could cut you, if you like," he suggested.
"Actually, that might help. Could you?" he took a small knife out of his jacket pocket and cut my arm. "Ow!" I yelled. The cut was bleeding quickly, and it had soiled my dress.
"Sorry kid. Here use this." He handed me a handkerchief. It was very large compared to me, but I wrapped it around my arm. It stopped the bleeding nicely.
"Now, what do you want?" I asked.
"I need to take you to the White Queen," he answered.
"I thought you were working for the Condesce," I said, turning my back on him.
"You don't understand. I was there fucking slave! They have my lady as a prisoner. And my gang. They said if I helped them find you, they'd let them go. But they lied and exiled me."
"Oh." It seemed as though everyone had a sad story here. "But that doesn't mean you should have betrayed John.
"Dammit, kid. Listen, I promised him that I would take you safely to the White Queen."
"No. Take me to the Alternian kingdom. I'm going to save John and the others."
Spades laughed. "Nice one. Now come on, we don't have all day."
"No," I said a bit louder. "I've fell down a hole, been shrunken and stretched, have been stuffed in a teapot, and have run from soldiers since I got here. I've been accused of being Rose and of not being Rose, but this is my dream. I'll decide where it goes from here."
"No. We have to make sure you'll be safe."
"I'll save your friends," I offered.
"You strike a hard deal kid. Alright, I'm in." He picked me up and stuffed me in his pocket. "The names Spades Slick, by the way."
"Rose Lalonde," I said. He ran off towards the Alternian kingdom.
Spades was a surprisingly fast runner, and he had brought us to a tall grey wall in no time. "We're here," was all he said. He wasn't even out of breath. There was a moat in front of the wall that was home to floating heads. "That's the only way across. And don't fall in." I didn't even ask the question before I got the answer. A giant white creature that was a cross between a goat and a fish leaped out of the water, only to dive back in. It was the mythical Capricorn. Spades took me out of his pocket and set me on the ground. I gulped and stood at the edge of the moat. I took a deep breath and leapt across to the first head, then the second and third. At the fourth, my foot fell in the mouth. Whether it was slimy lake water or saliva, I was disgusted. Soon enough I was at the edge.
"Spades, the hat." He tossed the hat over the wall.
"I'm going to the White Queen. Good luck," he called. I walked through a small crack in the wall, which led to a garden. Dave was outside, now wearing a red vest with black pants. There were two other humans, one who looked like a female version of John and one who had dog ears. The first girl was wearing a red dress with a white symbol for Pisces on it, and glasses covering light blue eyes. Her short black hair stuck up, and she had buck teeth. The dog-eared girl was wearing a black dress and gray stockings. Her black hair was long and wild. Her light green eyes were bright, even if she looked miserable. Much like the other girl, she had buck teeth and glasses . There were many other creatures with them that resembled Dualscar, what with the horns and gray skin. I assumed they were trolls.
The garden consisted of flowers that ranged rom shades of pink, purple, and blue. There were many hedges, but three stood out. They were arranged in a triangle. The smallest was of a troll that didn't have gills. He had long hair that was sticking up everywhere and long horns that curled and curved inwards. The one across from it was Dualscar. It was slightly larger. The largest was of a woman, who also had gills. She had long hair, and tall horns that pointed outwards. She was creepy, even if it was only a hedge.
"Make way for the empress!" a troll yelled. This troll was a man who looked utterly gargantuan. He towered over the other troll, and looked like he could kill a man with one punch. He wore black armor that had dark blue lines covering it. His helmet was black with white stripes, and his horns stuck out. They curved in, and looked like they had triangles on the tips. The helmet had two black panels that covered his eyes. He had blue boots and gray gloves. On his arm was the sign for Sagittarius in dark blue. His long black hair fell beneath his shoulders. Everyone formed two lines, making a clear pathway. Orphaner Dualscar wlked through first, and was followed by two younger trolls that looked like they were his sons because of their identical horns. The older one was slightly taller and thinner. His black hair was slicked back and messy. His eyes were light purple, like Dualscar's. The sleeves on his shirt were cut off. The shirt was white, with a light purple sign for Aquarius. He also had blue pants and black shoes.
The younger brother looked a bit odder. He also had slicked back black hair, but there were a few purple strands in the front. He was wearing glasses, even thought they didn't have any lens. He had a purple and blue striped scarf and a black sweater. Gold rings were around his fingers. Like his brother, the sign on his shirt was a light purple Aquarius, and his eyes were the same color. He was wearing blue and purple striped pants, and blue shoes with a purple stripe in the middle. Like Dualscar, he had a purple cape.
Then two sisters walked through. They had the same horns as the woman represented by the hedge. The older one had short black hair that extended into two long braids. She wore pink lipstick and pink glasses that resembled goggles. She was tall and thin, with a shirt that was so large it fell off of her shoulder. On her wrists were gold bracelets that had three pink jewels in them. She had gray pants, pink shoes, and a black belt that hung down.
The younger sister had long black hair, which was kept out of her face by a golden headband. She had three necklaces; one gold, one blue, and one pink. Her black shirt didn't have sleeves. Like her sister, she had pink goggles. She had gold bracelets and anklets. Her skirt was outlined in pink, and it was blue and green. She had pink slippers. Both of the sisters had a pink sign for Pisces on their shirt, and both had pink eyes.
A woman was behind them. She looked like the mother of the two girls. She was taller than Dualscar, but shorter than the Sagittarius troll. Her long black hair reached the ground. It was kept out of her face by a headband, just like the younger sister. Her arms were covered in gold jewelry, as were her ankles. She was wearing a gold necklace, and her gills had earrings in them. Her one-piece outfit covered down to her feet, and only left her hands bare. Her feet were pink, and the outfit had two pink stripes running down each side , and one stripe running across at her breast. It was the same woman in the hedge. This was Her Imperious Condescension. I hid behind one of the hedges to watch them.
"And now, we shall start with the trident contest," the Sagittarius troll said .
"Not yet, Darkleer," the Condesce said. "Ma great-grandson isn't here yet. We aren't startin' until he arrives." As if on queue, a troll carried out John. I gasped. His normally messy hair was combed down, and he was wearing an outfit similar to the Condesce. He was scowling, and had to be shoved before he moved. He stood next to Dave. "There's ma boy. Now, let's get started," the Condesce said to the crowd. Slave trolls brought out three targets. Other slaves brought out three tridents. They handed one to each of the women.
"First up is princess Feferi Peixes," Darkleer announced. The younger sister stepped up and smiled. She took her trident and threw it at the target. It hit the second ring. The crowd clapped, and she flashed them another smile. She stood over by the younger brother, whose face was covered in a light purple blush.
"Next up is princess Meenah Peixes." The older sister stepped up. She smirked at the audience, then put her hand over her eyes. She threw the trident, which hit dead center. The crowd cheered, and Meenah laughed. "Beat that, Mom," she challenged, looking at the Condesce.
"Finally, Her Imperious Condescension!" Darkleer exclaimed. The crowd cheered. The Condesce threw her trident with such force, it went straight through the target. The crowd erupted into an applause. The trident, after going through the target, hit a bird in the wing. I ran towards the bird. It was cawing in pain. I calmed it down, and managed to get the spike out of the feather. I ripped the bottom of my dress and wrapped it around the bird's with.
"What is taking so long? Knight, retrieve my trident," the Condesce ordered. Dave walked behind the hedge and picked up the trident. Then he saw me. "Lalonde? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'll tell you later. Do you have anymore of that growing cake?" I questioned.
"Yeah, I do. My bro taught me to always be ready for crazy shit like this," he said. He took a small chunk of the cake out of his pocket and handed it to me. I took three bites out of it. "Not too much," he warned, but it was already too late. I began to grow, and soon I had passed my normal height. I grew taller than Dave. "Oh shit," he muttered as I grew taller than the hedge. The dress must have had a spell that allowed it to grow and shrink with me, and I must have broken it when I ripped the fabric, because I outgrew the dress and was left naked. Dave's face flushed red and he turned around. I stopped growing, and I was now towering over all the trolls, even Darkleer.
"Oh my cod," Feferi said.
"What the hell?" the younger brother asked with his weird accent.
"Damn. The gill is huge," Meenah stated.
"And pretty hot, if you ask me," the older brother added.
"Who is this?" the Condesce asked. She looked over to Dualscar for an answer but he just shrugged.
Dave came out from behind the hedge. "She's, um, oh fuck," he said, trailing off while trying to think of a fake name.
"Her name is oh fuck?" the Condesce asked. Meenah started to laugh hysterically.
I glared at Dave, but he refused to look at me. "No, your Condescension. My name is Claire," I replied, using my mother's name. John looked at me, as if to double-check that I was actually Rose, but then shyly looked away. I looked down, and saw that I was lucky enough to have the hedge covering me, so I wasn't completely indecent.
"Why are you here Claire?" the Condesce asked.
I quickly thought of an excuse. "I used to live at the White Castle. But I kept growing and wouldn't stop. I was a reject there, and now I want revenge."
The Condesce smiled. "Honey, anyone who hates the White Castle is welcome in ma kingdom." She turned to the trolls. "Someone get this girl some clothes. I don't care what you use, just clothe this girl." Everyone dispersed. The trolls went to find clothes, and the Condesce went back to the castle with her daughters. Dualscar left with his sons, which left the two human girls, John, Dave, and Darkleer.
"Sir John, I must suggest that you go back to the castle with Dave. I will escort Claire," Darkleer said.
"No, we can escort her. With Jane and Jade of course," John replied.
"Sir John."
"Executor Darkleer," John said with a warning tone. Darkleer nodded and walked away briskly. John turned to me and smiled. "Nice to see you again Rose. I looked at him with an amazed expression on my face. "What?"
"You just intimidated a man who was twice your size and three times as strong. I'm impressed."
He chuckled. "I'll explain later. But wouldn't you rather continue this conversation inside, where you could wear clothes. I mean, Dave looks pretty embarrassed."
"Sh-shut the fuck up, John. My girlfriend's here," Dave stuttered.
The dog-eared girl smiled. "And I'm very proud of you Dave. But John is right. I'd rather talk when we get inside."
So the four led me to the castle. Dave was in front, as he was the tallest and refused to look at me. The dog-eared girl was behind me, which left John to my right and the other girl to my left. The town surrounding the castle was sectioned by colors. The outskirts were a rust red, then orange, then yellow, then green, and lastly jade.
The castle was huge. It had a drawbridge to get past another moat, though this one didn't have goat-fish leaping out of it. The castle was pink, with a few shades of purple here and there. The troll guard let us in upon seeing John. We entered the castle, which led us to a long hall. There were many pink doors, which led to different parts of the castle. It was, guess what color, pink. Pictures of royalty, whom I'd assumed were former empresses, were hanging on the walls. The hall led to a room with two halls, one to the left and one to the right, and stairs that led to a door. The hall to the left was teal, and the hall to the right was a light blue. We went through the door. The door led us to the royal room. It was pink, and had a spiral staircase in each corner. One was dark blue, one was dark purple, one was light purple, and one was pink. The Condesce sat in a throne at the end of the room, and it was also pink. God, there was so much pink it hurt my eyes.
"Hello John," she said. John scowled. "Claire, I have two of the jade-bloods working on a dress for you. They should be here any moment. The others may leave." John stood in front of me, and Dave and the girls walked out of the throne room. "Grandson, I would like to be left alone with my new favorite," said the Condesce. John was about to say something, but decided against it. He walked up the pink staircase, leaving me alone with the Condesce. While I was naked.
"Don't worry Claire, the only trolls who shall see you are girls." I gulped and tried to relax. It seemed as though I was waiting for hours before another troll arrived. She was tall, and had one horn that was hooked at the end. Her short black hair was sticking up. Her eyes and lipstick were jade, as was the sign for Virgo on her shirt. She had a red skirt that covered her shoes. Upon seeing me, she smiled.
"Hello. I am Kanaya Maryam. I will be working with my sister to make you a dress." She stuck out her hand and I shook it. If there was anyway to make someone feel less awkward in any type of situation by standing around naked, this girl had certainly done it. She then asked the Condesce, "Where may I work to complete the dress, your Imperious Condescension?"
"I don't care," she replied. Kanaya bowed, then led me back the way I came. She took me down the teal hallway, and stopped at a door labeled: Terezi Pryope. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," the person inside answered. Kanaya opened the door, which led to a room that had white walls. The walls had multiple child-like drawings of dragons. Although the pictures were in the colors of the rainbow, red appeared the most. There was a desk, a dresser, and a bed. A troll was sitting on the bed. Her horns were extremely pointy. Her short black hair was just above the shoulders, and she was wearing red pointy glasses that covered her eyes. Her black shirt had the teal sign for Libra on it, and she had black pants. She was wearing red shoes.
"Hey Kanaya. What do you need?" She sniffed the air. "And why is there someone with you?"
"Terezi, this is Claire. Do you remember? She is the girl Porrim and I have to make a dress for. Porrim is coming here with the sewing supplies."
"Oh. Hey Claire. Are you naked?" Terezi asked, sniffing the air once again.
"Couldn't you see?" I asked.
"I'm blind, asshole," Terezi stated bluntly.
"You see Claire, Terezi lost her sight in an accident. So she relies on her sense of smell and taste to see," Kanaya explained.
"That's amazing. How did you know I was here?"
"Kanaya smells like jade, and you smell like lavender. Usually, clothes interfere with the smell, but you only smelled like lavender." She handed me a red blanket. "You can cover yourself up with this."
I was able to talk to Kanaya and Terezi easily. I found out that Terezi was good friends with Dave, and how her friends Vriska and Tavros were friends with John and Jade. Kanaya also explained how the caste system worked, with pink being the highest and rust red being the lowest. Kanaya and Terezi were in the middle, with Terezi being a teal blood and Kanaya being a jade blood.
And I realized that maybe all trolls weren't evil.
Holy crap this was awkward for me to write. I swear to the troll jegus, this pervertedness will not appear again. I promise. Sorry if your brains melted. Any who, I should be able to upload by tomorrow! Alright I'm out.