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Chapter One

The Country of Diamond

~Bernkastel~

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A couple of time changes have passed since I landed mysteriously in the Country of Diamond. I agreed to temporarily to stay at the Diamond Castle where Sidney Black and the Queen of Diamond, Crysta Snowpigeon both resided. My relationship with both of them was a bit iffy. It wasn't that I flat out despised the black rabbit prime minister or anything; he was just an enigma and kind of guarded. I was not sure why and it probably isn't my business. If he wanted to tell me more about himself, he would. I left it at that for the time being.

I sat on the seat that accompanied the massive window in my guest room. The guest room I was given to stay in was humongous. A giant four poster bed sat at the middle of the room with a golden canopy that adorned it and allowed the sleeper of the bed to have privacy as they slept if they desired. The corners were tied back on each of the posts right now as the golden diamond patterned sheets and blankets have been neatly made this morning.

The room was a bit fancier than what I was used to, even by the standards of my old room that I occupied at the Hatter Mansion. Thinking about that place made me sad. .. I missed father, mother, Uncle Elliot…and especially Dee. I wondered how he was getting on without me. Was he getting on without me? Poor guy lost his brother and then his fiancé got whisked away to some unknown country in Wonderland. I wondered if they were here as well or some version of them at least? I would have to confirm that for myself later.

I turned my attention back to my book which was the sequel to the book I had just finished. Once again, I allowed myself to get pulled into the world of Rokkenjima and tried to solve the newest mystery of this book. Without realizing it, I was absorbed within the pages of my book, losing track of time and my surroundings and allowing the story to play out in my imagination around me. Without my knowing, my magic projected the world of Rokkenjima around me and I turned the page as I continued reading.

The door opened and in walked Sidney Black and his red and black eyes widened in surprise when he saw the magical projection from my story. I looked up suddenly at the footsteps and the projection disappeared in a cloud of golden butterflies. I put my book aside and marked the page I was on so I wouldn't lose my place.

"What can I help you with, Sidney?" I asked him politely.

He still seemed a bit shocked after witnessing my magic. He was dressed rather nicely with his black dress vest with the lapels being pink striped with some golden fringe. A sunflower shaped medallion was tied around his neck with a pink ribbon and a smaller one also appeared on his top hat. His ears drooped off to the side, similar to that of a dog but were droopy bunny ears. His hair was short down to his collar. A chain hung off of his outfit and he wore knee length shorts and black boots. He also wore a monocle over his red right eye. And ruffly pink ribbons hung off the back of his vest. He had quite the ensemble going on.

"Forgive my intrusion, Bernkastel. Crysta has requested your presence at her tea party," he replied a few moments later, clearing his throat. I got up from where I was sitting and made to follow him. I caught a glimpse of myself in a nearby mirror that hung in the room. I wore the dress my dad had made for me back in Clover. It was a layered dress with a green skirt resting underneath which also had golden rings that went around the hem just above the darker blue layer. A light blue layer split to reveal said the light green skirt. A maroon/reddish colored bodice broke up the top and bottom layers. It had bell shaped sleeves and similar golden rings could also be seen on light blue transparent sleeves. I ran a hand through my long curtain of violet blue colored hair which extended past my knees now. It really grew out since I've been here in Wonderland.

Sidney cleared his throat again to indicate he was still waiting and I snapped out of my temporary thoughts. "Hold your horses, I'm coming," I huffed and followed after him out of the door that lead into a massive corridor lined with paintings, a similar tiled floor like in my guest room, and the walls and ceiling shared a similar golden and white motif with diamond patterns of course. When I looked up, he was already quite a bit ahead of me and I had to run to catch up due to the fact I was temporarily absorbed in looking at the massive architecture of this castle.

He had stopped to wait for me so I could catch up and then he proceeded to guide me to wherever the hell Crysta was having her tea party. I kept looking around, observing just how much white and gold was everywhere in the walls, floors, the decorations, and everything. We get it, Crysta, you like gold and white. I caught a slight look of disgust at the white and gold colors. But as quickly as it appeared, his expression melted into a more neutral one as if it hadn't changed.

We finally arrived at a small dining room. Actually, it was more like a study with a fireplace, bookcase, painting above said fireplace depicting some far away castle in another land. I could have sworn I heard bird sounds coming from the painting…but I pushed that thought away and turned my attention toward Crysta. As mentioned, she is the queen of Diamond Country. She can be a bit….eccentric at times shall we say? She also had the power to switch from being a child of twelve or thirteen to being a grown up like other roleholders.

She had light platinum blonde, almost silvery colored hair with pale skin and bright yellow green eyes as bright as the early morning sun hitting the grass. She donned a fancy yellow dress fitting for her position with a veil that covered most of her hair and draped down her back. A white flower, presumably a lily could be seen sticking out of the veil behind her right ear. A simple yellow crown with a right golden diamond sat atop her head. Her yellow dress was adorned with fancy golden markings and dipped a little below her collar. Bell like sleeves extended from her dress. She picked up a white teacup rimmed with gold accents and her olive green colored eyes met my purple ones.

"Greetings Miss Bern, it's nice to see you again. I trust you find the castle is to your liking? Please do have a seat dear. You as well Sidney, you should take a break from working," she said. Even her manner of speech was slightly off putting, almost cold and slightly aloof. But her eyes and expression did not mirror these feelings. I took a seat offered to me across from her at the bistro like table. For a split second, it reminded me of the tea parlor at St. Lucia but this study room was more ornately decorated. She poured me some tea in a similar cup and handed it to me. I offered her small thanks in response with a nod.

"Yes, your castle is quite nice. Very ornate," I replied in a civil and curt tone as I sipped my tea. I slightly grimaced as its overly sugary taste invaded my taste buds. I did my best to play it off as if nothing happened, however Sidney quirked an eyebrow and was clearly not convinced.

"Is the tea not your liking, Berny?" she asked me in a sickly cute voice. I nodded my head, deciding to be upfront about it.

"Just a tad too much sugar for my liking, that's all," I replied honestly.

"Hmm, I take it you like black tea then. I take it your taste in tea is similar to that of the Hatter's," she mused as her hand and elbow propped up her head as she leaned forward on the table, looking at me with mild interest.

Her remark about my adopted father, Blood caught me slightly off guard as my eyes widened and I gasped for a split second. I tried to cover it up but once again they saw through my façades. "Do you know the Hatter, Bern?" she asked me again. I quickly shook my head no to avoid going into personal information territory. However, my prior reaction had given my feelings away if only briefly. But it was enough for them to suspect something.

"How do you know the Hatter?" questioned Sidney with a quirked eyebrow as he sipped his own tea from his cup, his red and black eyes trained on me like a hawk.

"I….I knew him from a long time ago shall we say. He was a good friend of mine and I was merely surprised that he was here as well, that is all," I replied with a small white lie as I did not want to give away personal info to these two. The less they knew about me, the better I thought. They nodded, accepting my answer.

"That's very interesting. Now what kind of tea do you like? I'm sure we can find something for you," asked Crysta. I replied, telling her I liked black plum tea. She quirked an eyebrow at my tea choice and clapped once as a servant appeared wearing a black and gold dress. She had blonde hair and was faceless as most servants often were. "Please serve our guest some black plum tea if you please," she ordered her politely. The maid bowed and replied with a "Yes, your majesty" at once and came back with fresh tea.

She set the teapot down and I served myself a fresh cup. It smelled amazing and tasted even better as I sipped it gingerly. The taste of freshly brewed tea washed over my taste buds and eliminated the overly saturated sweetness of the other tea away with ease. "Thank you," I said, thanking the queen for the fresh tea.

"It is no problem at all. I want you to be happy here after all," she replied with a small smile, still observing me with interest with those inquisitive green eyes of hers. I felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze as if she was eying me like a potential prize. I shifted slightly uncomfortably in my seat. Even Sidney looked at Crysta with a slightly bemused expression. I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned my magic to her yet. He did see my magical projection of Rokkenjima after all. I should be thankful he hasn't brought it up, but after hearing Crysta's weird phrasing, I couldn't help but be a bit worried.

I continued to drink my black tea with making small talk here and there. I hoped to get away from Crysta as soon as possible. It wasn't that she was a bad person. I felt something was slightly off about her but I couldn't put my finger on it. That and I wanted to explore this new country I now found myself in. I need to get a lay of the land. Plus, I didn't plan to be anybody's prized pony either.

When I finished my cup, I thanked her politely and got up to leave. However, she stopped me with a flick of her wrist, freezing my feet in place. I struggled to get free from the ice shackles grounding me in place. I turned around and glared at her. "Why freeze me Crysta?!" I growled slightly.

"Because my dear Bern, I want you to stay here forever with me and Sidney," she began as she came closer to me. She shifted into an adult woman who appeared to be about in her early to mid-twenties. Her short platinum blonde hair grew longer and her chest grew exceptionally in size. She smirked slightly, grasping my chin with her slender fingers. She leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, "I want to add you to my collection, dear." Her voice now sounded more akin to an adult woman too, silky smooth with a slight vibrato to it. It almost made me blush slightly but I stuffed that emotion down and glared at her hard.

I felt a laugh bubble up and it erupted from my lips. It was slightly carefree but cruel. "Hahaha, sorry I don't plan on being a part of you or anyone's "collection," I retorted with my own smirk now present on my lips. She only looked at me with more interest, her face still mere inches from mine. Crysta's glassy olive eyes narrowed slightly but her smirk didn't disappear.

"It isn't as you have a choice in the matter, my dear. Besides, you're mine now," she purred slightly and her lips crushed into mine unexpectedly. I struggled against my icy bonds that held my feet in place. Then as quickly as a bolt of lightning, power surged through me and I pushed her away from me. She hit the back wall and I immediately thought about teleporting out of the ice and disappeared in a cloud of golden butterflies. Then, I reappeared inches from where I had been temporarily frozen.

Crysta growled slightly and got up to her knees. Sidney then trained his gun on me. I glared at them both. "I dare you to mess with me again. If you do, then you'll know what true power feels like," I growled before teleporting out of the room and that damned castle. I rematerialized in a small town down the Cliffside where the golden castle had towered as if mocking the small town with its presence. I barely managed to escape Crysta's wrath. Who knows if she'd send anybody after me? I wasn't going to take any chances.

I conjured a cloak which appeared upon my shoulders in a cloud of golden butterflies that quickly dispersed. I grabbed my long curtain of indigo colored hair, twisting it so it would fit within the massive hood which I pulled up to conceal my face. I then walked into the town as if I simply were a citizen, hoping not to draw too much attention. The buildings had colorful facades with reddish brown roofs. All of the citizens that I had seen so far were faceless like those in Heart and Clover. They paid me no mind as I walked down one of the sidewalks. They didn't seem to have cars but I could see horse drawn carriages and some citizens riding on horseback through the brick roads that traveled through the town. If I had to guess, it looked like a town that could have been found in the West during the early 1800's or so.

The woman citizens seemed to be dressed in Victorian like dress with bonnets and hats, at least the better to do ones were and the men wore simple outfits with blazers and pants. I must have looked slightly odd with my bare feet; however I did not care as I picked up the pace and walked a little faster. I chanced a glance over my shoulder to see if anybody was after me. So far, nothing and I hoped it would stay that way. I moved at a moderate pace, walking briskly with purpose until I reached the edge of the forest. After that, I ducked behind a tree to rest for a moment.

I allowed myself to relax slightly and let down my guard a little. I conjured a bite of food with a flask of water. I sat down beneath the tree and I was decently hidden from view by the smaller bushes that flanked the outer edges of the forest. I took a bite, grateful to satisfy my nagging hunger and swallowed it down with a drink of water. I exhaled a small sigh of relief, continuing to eat and drink water as I was glad to be away from that damned castle. Most people usually want to go and would jump at the chance to live in such a fancy dwelling like a castle. Not me, not with that possessive bitch queen. No thank you.

I put my hand to my lips, remembering her rough kiss. She even tasted slightly like the overly sugary tea she tried to serve me at first. I was confused as I didn't….slightly…mind the kiss? I shook my head, slapping my cheek slightly to try to push such thoughts out of my head. But what if I did? I merely was caught off guard and pushed her away out of reaction. I suppose anybody would if they were kissed without consent. I blushed as I found myself thinking about it more and more, feeling puzzled as nagging feelings tagged at my heart. I barely knew Crysta to have….feelings for her. Besides, my heart already belonged to the twins….were they here if the Mad Hatter was here? I pondered that for a while as I sat under this tree, allowing the fresh air to lull me into a false sense of security. I fell asleep under the tree, nagging thoughts of liking her kiss forgotten for the time being….