Chapter 4

The Duchess

and the Wise and Absolute

Dartz

Walking along a path since there was someplace Yami needed to go to, the three arrive at a little fancy greenish-gray Victorian house. Still being outside, they could easily hear the very loud sneezes and a few yelling between a male and a female. With Yami knowing exactly what is going on inside, Yugi felt frightened from the loud noises. "Well, my 'mistress' is having one of those heated arguments with her cook again." Yami crossed his arms over his chest and let out a sigh of annoyance.

Standing close to the teenager, Yugi looked up at him with pure curiosity with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Does this happen daily?" Then the two noticed that Onyx did not like all of the yelling and loud sneezes either since the noise was starting to hurt his ears.

With a nod, Yami replied grimly, "Unfortunately yes. I normally try to stay out of it or just leave when things get really hot in there with their arguments."

Hearing the voices get louder and louder caused Yugi to cling onto Yami's arm. "I'm not so sure about going inside."

"Don't worry, we'll only be inside for a few minutes and we will leave as quickly as we came. I'll be sure she doesn't lay a hand on you."

Earning a nod from the child, the Cheshire Cat had Onyx wait for them outside until they came back. Going through the front door, as they made their way to the kitchen, Yami called down the hall, "I'm back."

In the next second, they saw a big girl with blond hair in pig-tails underneath her dull-gray duchess hat, blue eyes, glasses and freckles all over her cheeks pop her head out to the hall and her face beamed when she saw Yami. "There's my beloved Cheshire Cat! Where have you been, Yami kitty?"

Growling to himself, hating it when she calls him that, Yami kept Yugi behind him as they entered the kitchen. "I was just out on my usual stroll." Once in the kitchen, Yugi peeked from behind Yami's arm to see the duchess and her cook; the duchess wore a dull-gray dress that went just above her ankles where you could see the matching heels and couldn't see much of the cook since he had his back to them.

But with Yugi peeking from behind Yami allowed Rebecca to see him. As soon as he noticed her eying the child, Yami held the boy closer. "What is this, Yami?"

Glaring at her, Yami said as he hugged Yugi closer to him with one arm, "This is Yugi Mutou, Mistress Rebecca." Hearing him drag the word 'mistress', Yugi could tell that Yami really does dislike her.

Hearing his name, Rebecca froze which also got the cook to turn to their guest. Just as Rebecca was opening her mouth to say something, the four heard a knock on the door but it sounded shaky and uneven. Going for the door, the duchess opened it to find a messenger from the Castle of Hearts. "What can I do for you, good sir."

Trying his best to get over his fear of Onyx the Bandersnatch, Yugi noticed that the messenger was a fish in a royal delivery man outfit. Taking out the letter with a shaking hand, the fishy messenger gave it to her as he said, "The Queen of Hearts wishes to have an audience with you and play croquet in the castle courtyard."

With the letter in her hand, Rebecca couldn't help but smile at the fact her cousin is inviting her to the castle. "Thank you very much for your service." Rebecca took out a little reward for the messenger who gladly accepted the treat. With a bow, the messenger quickly left before he could annoy the Bandersnatch.

Stepping back inside for a moment, Rebecca called back to her cook, Yami and Yugi, "The queen has just sent me an invitation to the castle. So I'll be gone for the day." To hear that she'll be gone for the day, Yami beamed and Yugi sighed in relief. And so, with Rebecca gone, the two immediately left the house, got Onyx and continued on their path.

After walking for a while, Yugi couldn't help but think about this one question from before. But before he could ask, the child notice that Yami has been staring off into the distance and started saying something strange more to himself than anyone, not even Yugi.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Listening to his friend talk such a way, Yugi felt slightly confused as to why he was being this way.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

To hear that about his new big friend, Yugi stroke Onyx to show that he is the one Bandersnatch he won't shun away.

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought-

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

Yugi assumed that meant someone had killed the fearsome Jabberwocky.

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And, hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

To see that he was finally done as Yami then regained his composure from standing like a statue, Yugi couldn't help but be at awe at what he had just heard. Seeing the Cheshire Cat back to his normal self, Yugi faced him with that look of awe in his eyes. "What was all of that you said just now?"

"It's a poem that all of Wonderland knows. Eventually it became part of this legend that the Wise and Absolute Dartz had foretold some time ago before he predicted your arrival."

Just then, Yugi became very puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Before answering, Yami had finally noticed their surroundings; the three were all of a sudden surrounded by thick smoke that smelt of leaves and fruit. Knowing exactly who smokes this from his hookah, Yami took a hold of Yugi's hand and said, "Dartz will explain things better than I can. He'll be able to answer your questions better than I can."

And so, they walk on a little farther until they come to a few mushrooms that were surrounded by the thick smoke. When it cleared enough, they saw a blue caterpillar lounging on one mushroom with a small hookah next to him. He had ceased his inhaling when he saw he had visitors. Looking at the younger boy, the blue caterpillar said, "Who are you?"

"Yugi Mutou, sir." Yugi said with a bow since he had finally remembered the manners his parents taught him since he was six.

"Dartz, everyone that has met him believe that he is 'The' Yugi Mutou from legend and he's been curious about what we mean by that."

"So you came to clear your confusion, child?" When Yugi simply nodded, Dartz turned toward Yami while pointing to a scroll settled on another mushroom. "Unroll the oraculum." With a nod of his head, Yami took the scroll and unrolled it, revealing all kinds of pictures. "This tells us each and everyday since the beginning, which includes about the legend I've foretold several days ago."

Showing Yugi a picture of two queens, a Red Queen of Hearts and a White Queen of Diamonds at war over Wonderland, Yami explained about the legend. "You see Yugi, there is a legend that foretells of a war between the two queens, both sisters with one who wants to rule over Wonderland with evil and darkness while the other wants to protect Wonderland from such a rein.

"The legend mentions that when all seems lost for the Queen of Diamonds and her army, a chosen hero will rise for her, face the Queen of Hearts and her loyal Jabberwocky, defeat them with the legendary Vorpal Blade and save Wonderland."

"When do you suppose this war will start? And why?" Yugi asked the both of them.

"The war is a few years away and no one knows the reason of the war starting." Yami reply with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Then what does this have to do with me?" Yugi asked since that one question that is still lingering in his mind.

"I had a vision of the chosen hero. All I saw of him was his form and his name." said Dartz as he inhaled the smoke and blew it around them.

"So all that everyone who supports the Queen of Diamonds knows is the hero's name; yours." Yami had wrapped up the explanation. To know that everyone sees him as a possible hero made Yugi feel excited and frightened at the same time. If people see him as a hero, Yugi felt happy that people will really like him. However at the same time, he was scared of the possibility of facing a fearsome creature that the Tweedle Brothers had warned him about earlier.

It must be fearsome for little Yugi to know that he is a part of the prophesy that Dartz has foretold for all of Wonderland and even exciting to know that everyone sees him as someone of great importance. But of course that'll only happen in the sequel, so everyone who reads this will have to wait until the sequel for things to get this exciting. But for now, enjoy and please leave some reviews.

Next chapter: it's one crazy party!