The Heathen Festival is celebrated every year like clockwork, and while there have been many who oppose the celebration, the King and Queen have been adamant on their stance. Wonderland is not only for the normal and the safe; there are monsters here who just want to fit in and celebrate without judgement. And so, the Heathen Festival is a grotesque masquerade, horrifying masks covering every face that chooses to attend. It’s always fun to go just to see the elaborate masks people dream up. There are always a handful of those who wear Jabberwocky masks. The night is spent full of debauchery, wild drinking, and a gathering of howls and a chase at the end of the night.
“I don’t have a mask.” Doe runs her fingers down my jaw, and I know she’ll attend with me, no matter what. She’s held true to her word, that she’s never afraid, never worried that I’ll snap. I haven’t had the heart to tell her that my powers are getting stronger again, that I keep stamping out little pink flames at the worst times. I’d nearly burned her cottage down the other night, and she had no idea.
“Leave the masks to me, little bird.” I wink, leaning into her touch. “Let’s just go and lose ourselves to the festival.”
“It might just be the one party my mother won’t be at,” she chuckles, closing her book and setting it aside. “How could I say no to that?”
She hasn’t mentioned it much, but the Mockingbird disapproves of our courtship wholeheartedly. I’d walked into the clearing to catch the tail end of one of their arguments. The Mockingbird had clammed up and left but not before I heard her words.
“You are meant to marry a noble, daughter, and I will not have you ruining your reputation by gallivanting off with that man.”
“I don’t want to marry a noble, mother. I’ve made up my mind. I love the Flamingo, and that’s all there is to it. I’ve never been worried about my reputation.”
“And what about my reputation, hmm? You think anyone will feel safe telling me their secrets now?”
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? It’s not about my reputation at all. You’re only worried about yourself.”
They’d both heard my approach then, and the Mockingbird eyed my form, the tattoos swirling around my skin, and dismissed me with a harrumph before striding away into the trees. I’d glanced at Doe only to find her smiling warmly at me, her hand outstretched. I’d taken it without any hesitation. The Mockingbird might not approve, and Doe might have to listen to her complaints, but I’m a selfish creature. I want the Dodo bird for as long as she’ll have me.
Hopefully, it’s no less than forever.
“What does one wear to a Heathen Festival?” Doe asks, moving forward to straddle my lap.
I clasp her waist in appreciation, always happy to hold her close. I press my lips to the skin above her dress, right over her heart. “Something easy to push aside,” I mumble against her skin. “The Festival can get heated.”
“Now that sounds promising,” she says, threading her fingers into my hair. “We still need to finish our tryst in the maze. It would be fun to have another chase between the hedges.”
My chest rumbles, and I capture her lips with mine. “Always teasing, little bird. One day, it’ll come back and bite you in the ass.”
“Oh, I hope so,” she purrs, and I end up giving her a preview of what happens at the Heathen Festival when emotions run high and the monsters come out to play.
Dodo
I stare at the dress I’d picked out, shifting around to see the movement in the mirror. Flam disappeared to go fetch us some masks, so I took the opportunity to get ready. Since we’ve been together, for months and months now, I’ve avoided the color pink like a plague. To me, Flam is more than the single color, and I always want to remind him that I see all of him, but tonight, I want to remind the Flamingo that he can be whoever he chooses, even at a festival celebrating his beast.
The dress flows to the floor in gentle waves, fuchsia colored just like Flam’s eyes. I leave my feet bare; there will be no need for shoes at such a festival. I leave my hair down around my shoulders, my feathers out to add decoration to the dress. My shoulders and neck are bare, the dress cut to reveal without revealing. The best part is the high slit that goes up the length of my left thigh. Flam always likes when they do that.
“I’ve gotten us masks . . .” Flam strides in through the doorway, and his voice trails off when he sees the dress I’m wearing, his mouth dropping open.
“Do you like it?” I ask, lifting my leg from the skirts to show off the split. His eyes go right to the skin revealed, to the tiny chains that jingle on my ankles with the movement.
“Like it?” He strides forward, cupping my chin and tilting it up. “I ought to strip it from your body and have you right here,” he growls.
I laugh, leaning forward to press a soft kiss on his lips. “Then we wouldn’t make it to the Festival, and I really want to see what it’s all about.”
Flam groans before threading his fingers through mine and tugging me out of my cottage, but not before he reaches through the silks of my dress and strokes a finger along my thigh. I will most certainly be getting it later, I think with glee.
“What mask will I be wearing?” I ask. Instead of answering, he reaches into a box and pulls out a large mask, far more intricate that I expected. When I realize what it is, I laugh. “Really?”
The mask is mainly black, gold accents tracing beautiful patterns in the leather. Feathers ring the outside, and it will completely obscure my face. The mouth is open in a grotesque grin, a forked tongue splitting the teeth. He found me a Jabberwocky mask, out of all the options.
“I thought it fitting, no. After all, you’ll be attending with the only Jabberwocky in existence.”
“Ah, but you’re not all Jabberwocky,” I tease, taking the mask from him. “I will gladly wear your namesake, pretty bird.” I look at him. “And what mask will you wear?”
Flam reaches into the box again and pulls out another mask, holding it up to his face. I laugh, shaking my head. “What do you think?”
“I think the Cheshire Cat is going to skewer you!”
Flam wears a mask with a striking resemblance to the Son of Wonderland, the very aggressive and prone to violence Son. The mask is so dark it’s almost black, missing the grey of Cheshire, but the brilliant blue stripes leave no mistake who it’s meant to be. The mouth is even open in a wide, exaggerated grin, a mockery of Cheshire’s cavalier attitude.
I hope Cheshire is in attendance. I can’t wait to see his face.
We enter the Heathen Festival just as the stars come out to dance, to find it’s already in full swing, many of the masked guests intoxicated on the Hatter’s tea. So many wear faces of other creatures, horrifying monsters, and yet it doesn’t unnerve me. After all, none are more threatening than my own Flamingo.
The King and Queen sit on a dais, watching the festivities, the only ones without masks. When the Queen’s eyes meet mine, she motions me forward, her gaze flicking to Flam to let me know she means him, too.
“The Queen has asked for an audience with us,” I whisper, tugging Flam towards the stage.
I can feel Flam’s confusion as strongly as mine, and I hope it’s not to warn us away from each other the same as my mother has been doing.
With creatures laughing and being overly raucous around us, we step before the King and Queen and bow low, holding the position for a moment as our station demands, before standing tall again. The Queen wears a blood-red gown embroidered with intricate monsters and beasts. The King wears an outfit in a similar color.
“What can I do for you, Your Majesties?” I ask, my fingers twitching in Flam’s. I reach up and push my mask above my eyes, so they can see my face. Flam does the same on his side.
“Dodo,” the Queen says affectionately, and I smile at her. “Your mother has been talking to me lately, about you and our very own Flamingo.”
Flam’s fingers tighten in mine the smallest amount, the only sign of his discomfort. I know it bothers him that so
many are against our coupling, but I remind him daily that I don’t mind; that I love him no matter what.
“Good things, I hope.” She meets my eyes, and I know it’s very much not good things at all. No, my mother has been telling the Queen her concerns about everything, it seems.
“The Mockingbird has a reputation to keep. She’s worried about what this means for herself, and she’s a very good friend of mine.”
I nod my head, my jaw clenched. This conversation feels as if it’s going to go in a terrible direction. If the Queen orders us to stay away from each other, we won’t have a choice. We will have to do as she bids or flee Wonderland completely. And it’s no choice really. I’d choose Flam over everything. There are other worlds we could find comfort in.
The King leans forward and eyes Flam closely. “I’ve sensed your powers growing stronger, Flamingo. Are you keeping control?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Flam answers, but he hesitates a moment before his words. I will need to address it later. He thinks he’s been hiding his little mishaps from me, but the silly man forgets my senses are as strong as his. I can smell a flame long before it turns into an inferno.
“Good. If you have need, you may come to us. We only wish to help you control your powers, so that you may continue being an asset of Wonderland, rather than a threat.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The Queen smiles, and I brace myself. Here it goes. She’s going to demand we separate, tell us it’s too dangerous, that we shouldn’t be together.
“Dodo,” she begins, and I clench my jaw. “I want to give you our blessing.”
The festival guests are drowned out behind me, the world growing silent at her words. “I’m sorry, what?”
She laughs, looking towards her husband. “I’m giving you our blessing to continue as you are.” I stare in open-mouthed shock as she stands and steps down from the dais. “Doe, I’ve watched you grow into the beautiful woman you are. I knew you would never be happy with the nobles your mother paraded you in front of. The Mockingbird has high aspirations, but she forgets that you have your own path to travel, rather than her own.” She lifts our joined hands and clamps hers around ours, her warmth seeping into our bones. Flam stares at her in surprise; he must have expected the same as I did. “Anyone with eyes can see how much you are meant for each other. The Flamingo and the Dodo bird.” She grins.
“Are you saying that you approve of us together, even knowing what I am?” Flam asks, confusion heavy in his words. “Why?”
The Queen releases our hands, but she doesn’t move away. “When your mother came to me all those years ago, claiming she had fallen in love with a Jabberwocky, I thought she was mad. What sort of woman fell in love with such a monster?” Flam flinches at my side, and I squeeze his fingers in reassurance. “And then I realized that only the most special of women can love a monster and remind him that he’s not a monster, at all. Why was your father a monster? Because he had not found love, and although he was not able to ultimately control his powers, he proved himself capable of the most basic of emotions, and the most important. He loved your mother with his whole heart, no matter the devastation his instincts caused.” Tears spring to my eyes at her words, and I move closer to Flam. “Before you let your worries get in the way, or the Mockingbird keep intruding, I want to give you our blessing because there is no better pairing in Wonderland. You make each other better, and that’s what love is.” She turns and steps back onto the dais. She raises her arms, and the music pauses, all eyes looking towards her. “All hail, the Flamingo and the Dodo bird on this most holy Heathen night!” she cries, and cheers go up around the garden.
I look over and meet Flam’s eyes, tears threatening to spill from mine. He doesn’t wait for them to fall. He jerks me to him and kisses me as if there’s nothing else that matters, as if we’ve just been told that nothing can come between us. And perhaps, we were told exactly that.
Flam breaks the kiss and meets my gaze, all of his fire swirling in his eyes. “Marry me?” he asks. “Let’s make it forever.”
Cheers go up again at his words, and I grin, pressing my forehead against his.
“Yes, pretty bird,” I whisper. “I’ll marry you.”
The Heathen Festival is never so joyous as that moment, and when we all howl, it’s in celebration of the night.
But the night doesn’t end there, and I should have known that we wouldn’t be accepted into the folds of Wonderland so easily. The Heathen Festival always ends with a hunt through the trees, when all manners of creatures hunt their mates and send up a howl in celebration. Sex is a large part of the festival, and while you don’t have to hunt only your mate, most do so. I know Flam will only search for me, and my excitement can’t be hidden as we stare at each other, waiting for the horns to blow. The prey runs into the forest first, getting a head start. The hunters go at the second horn, and then it’s a dance of laughter and celebration.
“Catch me if you can,” I purr as the first horn blows. I have the pleasure of seeing Flam’s eyes light with fire as I sprint into the trees, ready for the chase. This is my favorite part, and I didn’t realize I would enjoy the idea as much as I do. There’s something about awakening his primal side that makes my heart rate skyrocket and fall in love with him a little more.
The music doesn’t penetrate the tree line like it did in the gardens. The only sounds that reach my ears are that of the other “prey” running through the woods alongside me. My mask feels heavy on my face, but I leave it on as the tradition dictates. Tonight, we are all beasts. Tonight, we are the heathens.
I run for two minutes before the second horn blows, letting the “hunters” follow. I grin, knowing Flam will be on me in no time. I never cheat and shift to my Dodo form. I’d never be caught that way, and I’m very much looking forward to the moment of capture.
I’m lost in my thoughts as I run, anticipating Flam coming up behind me, so I don’t realize that I’m running into an ambush until it’s too late.
I burst into a small clearing, right into the arms of a dozen creatures, all male and armed with weapons. I scream, and a few other “prey” howl, thinking that I’ve been captured by my mate already. I start to shift, but someone shoves something down my throat, making me gag and breaking my concentration.
“Fucking whore of a bird,” someone snarls, wrenching my arms around. I fight against them, and it takes all but one of them to hold me, but there’s too many. And then Flam comes barreling through the trees, panting hard, a severe snarl on his face. He would have known my scream was for his ears alone.
“Release her, and you won’t die,” he says calmly, contradicting the rage on his face.
“Both of you should be put down like your whore of a mother and her monster,” the lead man growls. When he lifts his mask above his face, I recognize the warthog from the night we first met. “So we decided we’re going to do it ourselves if the King and Queen won’t do it.” He pulls a long filet knife from his hip, and my eyes widen when he turns towards me.
“Take another step,” Flam warns, eyeing the warthog.
Warthog–his name escapes me—grins, and I know he’ll die tonight. I jerk against the men holding me and send one of them stumbling. I meet Flam’s eyes, and I feel a small amount of his power bleed into me in answer to the question in my gaze. He doesn’t have the full power of the Jabberwocky when it comes to the sharing of powers, but he has enough that I can feel the moment I start to glow, the moment I grow strong enough to send all the men stumbling away as I sprint for Flam. But the warthog is faster than I prepare for, and his knife slices right along my side. I fall to the ground in a heap, clamping my hand over the deep wound.
Flam roars when he sees me fall, and I don’t have a moment to process what’s happened before he’s in his giant form, so fast I never hear his bones pop. The transition will wear him out, doing it that quickly, and he’ll kill far more than just the men in this clearing if his powers all release in his rage.
There are other couples out here, other innocents that had celebrated our joining.
“Flam,” I cry, reaching for him, but my fingers miss him as he slithers forward and swallows the warthog whole.
It all turns to chaos after that, pink flames springing up around the clearing as Flam takes out man after man, shredding them to pieces, setting them aflame, killing each and every one who touched me. He’s so lost in his emotions, that when the last man tries to run into the woods crying for mercy, he rips him to tiny pieces, and he doesn’t do it with any ounce of mercy. They all die because they dared to touch me, to threaten me, to attempt to take on the Flamingo and his mate.
A roar rattles the air as he turns around, his eyes so bright that I can tell that Flam is letting instincts take over, and he will destroy this whole wood because everything is a threat.
“Flam!” I cry. “You have to stop!”
KILL! KILL! KILL!
His voice vibrates inside my skull so loud that I clamp my hands over my head as if that’ll help. I scream in pain, and flames erupt around me, dancing along the skirts of my dress. My scream grows shrill when the flames touch my thigh, and they sear my flesh with a loud sizzle.
The flames die instantly, as if by magic, and Flam stands before me again, nude, panting heavily, panic in his eyes.
“Doe.” His words are a ragged whisper when he drops to his knees and hovers over me, afraid to touch, afraid to hurt me more.
“I’m okay,” I console him, but I’m not. I’m bleeding from the wound at my side, my thigh wears the burn from his flames, and my head feels as if I’ve been crushed.
Flam gently scoops me into his arms, but it still causes the pain to shift in my body, and I cry out. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
He repeats that mantra all the way to the castle, and I repeat mine.
“It’s okay.”
But it’s not. It’s not okay, at all.
Chapter 8
Cruel as a Queen Page 17