Malice in Wonderland Bundle 2

by Lotus Rose

  “Why, it is like a code of conduct that we all must follow, for the sake of whatever story we’re in. It’s why the fairy tale beings were obligated to hand over the keys if you met the challenges you were presented with in the game. Why, I suppose it is very much like the code of honor of the Knight. It is something unique to the citizens of Wonderland and the fairy tales—why, those in the outside world aren’t bound by it at all! Can you imagine?” He shudders. “You, too, are bound by the Rules of Story, though you might not have realized it. It is why, for each of your encounters, you must meet each individual’s challenge one-on-one, armed only with the objects I shall provide you with.”

  “That sounds like the situation with Alice, herself. The fairy tale beings kept saying they were bound by the Rules of Story to only try to kill her one at a time.”

  “Ah! Why, it is indeed similar! You’re like her twin, our very own fairy tale slayer in Wonderland!”

  Malice scowls. “Well, what if I choose not follow the Rules of Story, and if I were, to say, invade the Hatter’s area with an army of guard cards?”

  “I wouldn’t suggest it.” He shrugs. “For you see, the story has ways of making things go the way the story is supposed to. I wouldn’t be surprised if all your guard cards ended up getting killed, leaving only you to go up against your former teammates one—”

  “One-on-one. I get it. Fine.”

  “Can I go too?” the Cat says. “I like to watch.”

  The Storyteller ponders him. “Well…”

  The Cat says, “I promise I won’t interfere.”

  The Storyteller says, “I suppose that would be acceptable, but if you do choose to interfere, you’ll have to deal with whatever adjustments the story makes.”

  “Then I shan’t meddle,” the Cat says. “I just want to witness all the beautiful violence, that shall have the added benefit of bringing my friends back.”

  The Storyteller says, “Very well. Now, before you go to each encounter, you shall be provided one of the stakes and one magical item I shall present to you.”

  “Why?” Malice asks.

  “Rules of Story,” he says with a hand wave.

  “Of course,” Malice says sarcastically.

  “And there is to be an order to your visits as well. First shall be the Mad Hatter, followed by Tweedledee, then the Knight.”

  “By whom was the Knight killed?”

  “The Headless Horseman body carrying the Jabberwock’s head.”

  “The Jabberwock?!” Malice exclaims. “Sleepy B wants him for a guard!”

  He makes a disgusted expression.

  She opens her mouth to speak, but he beats her to it, as he says, “So I’ll begin the list, with more detail to refresh our memories. First you shall encounter the Mad Hatter, bitten by Cinderella. Then, on to Tweedledee, bitten by the Pea Princess’s Prince. Next on the agenda, the Knight who had been bitten by the Jabberwock’s head. Visit number four shall be Humpty, whose neck had been simultaneously suckled by both Jack and Jill, and last but not least, you shall visit Tweedledum, who met his demise upon giving his blood unto the Frog Princess.” He bows.

  Dryly, Malice says, “That was quite a performance. You should run a circus.”

  “Perhaps I shall!”

  “But of course the Frog Princess wasn’t an actual frog.”

  “Well that goes without saying. For, of course, you were there, unless you forgot?”

  “No, I didn’t forget,” she mumbles.

  “So before each encounter, I shall speak to you and present your items. First, here is a map providing the locations of all your opponents. And here is your stake…” He steps upon the dais and hands them to her. “And the Shoe of Magical Pair Completion. And those are your items this go around. And just so you know, I shall provide no further clues or information. And now, I shall make my leave!”

  He throws something upon the ground, unleashing a cloud of smoke that envelopes them.

  Malice and the Cat cough.

  Malice is halfway expecting to be knocked out and wake up somewhere else, but as the smoke clears, she is still in her throne. The Storyteller is gone.

  Malice waves some smoke away from in front of her face, and after a cough says, “That naff nutter. Why can’t he simply walk out of a room like a normal person?”

  The Cat says, “He’s enamored with the dramatics. His daughter’s the same way.”

  “Well, her dramatics are more daaark. Raawr.” Malice makes an overdone vicious face.

  “What’s that, My Queen?”

  “Never mind, let’s get to rescuing my dear Mad Hatter.”

  “Let’s, though I’m not to interfere.”

  “You shall serve as my moral support.” She’s twisting the woman’s high heeled shoe in her hand, inspecting it from every angle.

  “Splendid,” the Cat says.

  Chapter 39

  Malice approaches the outer area surrounding the Mad Hatter’s hat workshop. It is a building filled with hats, and the instruments of their creation (as well as the fumes of the necessary chemicals, rumored to be the cause of his madness.)

  Of course, Malice stands at a distance away from the front door, because the house is surrounded by a deadly “obstacle course” the Hatter had devised to keep out intruders. This course is comprised of various impediments, such as, swinging blades whose courses are timed so that only the most agile can pass through them, arrow-throwing devices that pop up and fire at unexpected moments, and passages armed with falling and rising columns of stone throughout, that alternate in such a manner that a person would have to hop about in a most dexterous manner to avoid being squashed. These dangerous challenges were designed to not be entirely impossible to go through. But they are difficult.

  Cinderella had once told Malice that she herself had made it through the course, but of course, Cinderella had worn the magical glass slippers, which helped her dance and position her feet in a most extraordinary manner.

  Malice has no such shoes. She does have the pair completing ones, though.

  She pouts as she gazes upon the course of swinging blades, crushing stones, hidden pits, and buried booby traps.

  “There’s no way I could get through that deadly array intact,” she says to the Cheshire Cat.

  “I quite agree, unfortunately. I would hate to see you skewered. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good skewering, but not of my friends, and my Queen.”

  “Aww, that’s sweet. But your sentiment doesn’t help my predicament. I must get close to the Hatter to drive a stake through his heart, but all those blades and arrows prevent me. We must somehow disable them.”

  “Well, I am not to interfere, My Queen, but we both know you possess the shoe…”

  “Yes. This magical shoe. Is it the solution in one of the Storyteller’s contrived, far-fetched, unbelievable puzzles?” She thinks upon it for several moments. “You know, Cat, the version of Cinderella who bit Hatter to death was quite enamored with shoes.”

  “Yes, I know…”

  “So, don’t you see? She probably passed on her obsession to the Hatter. The twisted Cinderella was obsessed with collecting shoes. And I happen to have the one shoe an avid collector would desire the most—a shoe completing a set. He shall be very motivated to attain it.”

  “Ah, I think I see what you’re getting at. You wish to use his own obstacle course against him. Lure him out with the shoe?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “What makes you think he won’t simply turn his traps off to get to the shoe?”

  Malice rolls her eyes. “Oh, please, we’re talking about the Hatter here—a large part of him is still there, at least. Do you really think he would have such a common-sensical notion?”

  “Ah, you’re right. But he knows his own obstacle course. What if he happens to get through untouched?”

  “Even so, it will have tired him out, at least, making him easier to fight. And I can’t think of any better ideas. Can you?”

  “No,
I can’t, but even if I did, I wouldn’t say. I’m not to interfere.”

  “Oh, codswallop.”

  “I love you too, My Queen.”

  “Well, let’s get on with it, then. I suppose I shall have to do all the work, while you float there, watching and not interfering.”

  “Quite. Best of luck.”

  Malice huffs. She lifts her hands to around her mouth, and shouts out across the obstacle course. “Hatter!”

  Ten or so seconds pass with no response.

  “Hatter! It’s your queen. I wish to speak to you!”

  The front door of the building opens slightly, and he peers out, his voice shouts out, “Concerning?”

  “Shoes!” she shouts.

  “You shan’t have any of mine! Get your own!”

  “I already have my own!” She lifts the Shoe of Magical Pair Completion up in the air and waves it to and fro. “Perhaps you recognize it! Why not come out and see!”

  The shoe suddenly becomes a different color and style. There is a pause, before the Hatter says, “Is that my lost shoe?!”

  “Why yes, it is!”

  “How did you get that?!” He opens the door and steps outside. There are several important differences in his appearance from the usual—the suit he is wearing is now comprised of luxurious blue silk, the same shade of blue that Cinderella’s dress had been. His suit top is absent of sleeves, so he can wear elegant white elbow-length gloves…just like Cinderella had. He wears his usual top hat, but on top of it is an elegant pair of sparkly red, high-heeled shoes.

  Malice looks down at his feet. From the distance, it’s hard to see…she squints her eyes and sees that he wears a black high-heeled shoe on one foot. His other foot is bare. The shoe in her hand could be the twin of the one on Hatter’s foot.

  Malice also notes the miniature little “moat” that forms a semicircle around the area in front of the door. It’s meant to serve as a final barrier, but is empty at the moment, making it just a shallow semicircle in the ground.

  The Cat, taking him in, hoots out, “That’s quite a bit of panache to your new look, Hatter!”

  He calls back, “Mad Hatter was my old name! My new name is Hatterella!”

  Malice cringes a little at the horrible name combination. “Well, Hatterella, you shan’t have this shoe!” She sets it upon the ground in front of her, to tempt him with its out of reach presence.

  “But it’s mine! See?” He holds up his foot to show off the elegant shoe there.

  She says, “If you want it, you’ll have to come and get it!”

  “But there are deadly obstacles and traps between us!” He sweeps his arms and points several things out, with such sincerity, that Malice thinks he might actually think Malice hadn’t noticed the obstacles. It would be an odd notion, but there’s a reason they call him the Mad Hatter, after all.

  Malice says, “Well, if that’s true, you certainly shouldn’t expect me to go through them, would you? After all, I’m the Queen! I tell you what. I shall wait here, I shall leave the shoe right there on the ground for you.”

  “Well, that is marvelous! But you should know that I have a dagger, and if you’re still there when I get there, I shall try to kill you and steal your shoes, so I suggest you leave!”

  “Ah hah hah! I wouldn’t expect any less from you. But you see, I am here to challenge you, so yes, I shall wait.”

  “Very well.” Hatterella gazes out at the obstacles as his mouth swishes from side to side. “I devised each of these obstacles myself, so I shall have quite a bit of advantage. That is, if I can remember them all!” He leans his head back and guffaws quite loudly and madly. “Well, here we go! Let’s hope I don’t get killed!”

  Hatterella doesn’t even take the one shoe off his foot as he steps past his little moat into the first part of the obstacle course. The Cat zooms over to view the action at a closer distance. I guess he doesn’t consider that interfering, she thinks to herself.

  What follows is an amazing acrobatic act, as Hatterella progresses through the challenge by running, leaping, somersaulting, diving, as blades swing by him, rocks drop in synchronized pounding from above, and spikes shoot up from the ground. He gets 3/4 of the way through the course, and is about ten feet away from Malice now.

  He looks rather curious in a “crane” pose. He is just standing there, balancing upon his one high-heeled wearing foot. His balance is impeccable, Malice notes.

  He has a big, goofy, quite mad grin upon his face as he meets her eyes, just standing there.

  “What are you doing?” she inquires.

  He says, “Merely want to demonstrate to you the great ingeniousness of the obstacles my great mind created. For you see, I stand upon a very small, safe area of the ground. It is the size of my foot, for, just an inch to the left or right, and even three feet in front of me, are areas where the ground is extremely weight sensitive. The slightest weight upon the ground would trigger the rise of arrow firing devices shooting this way and this way, and this way.” He points out the direction the arrows would fly, with his hands. “But I know the safe pathway, the specific points to place my feet—”

  Normally, Malice’s kindness programming would prevent her from drawing back her hand that holds the shoe—but she knows what she’s doing is really for the Hatter’s own good, as she tosses the shoe on the ground to the left of him.

  To Hatterella’s right, and Malice’s left, eight feet away from him, pops up a wooden structure that unleashes numerous arrows in poor Hatterella’s direction.

  Three arrows hit him—one in his upper arm, but the arrow doesn’t stick in. Another arrow punctures the side of his stomach, sticking there, and another strikes his thigh and sticks.

  Hatterella grunts, and leans way over from the impact of the arrows, but manages to remain on one foot, a nifty trick.

  Now he steps down to his right, next to the shoe. The arrow slinging device has already been triggered, so it’s empty and remains in a popped-up position. He looks at her and says, “Seems I didn’t get through unscathed.” He collapses to the ground, onto his back.

  Malice is thinking this is the best opportunity to stake him. The only problem is that the area ahead is treacherous, laden with weight sensitive patches triggering arrow volleys.

  “Cat, get out of the way. I’m going to trigger the arrows.” She steps to the side, before tossing the stake onto the ground formerly in front of her.

  As expected, an arrow-shooter pops up and fires a half dozen arrows harmlessly into the area she’d formerly been standing, clearing her path…to Hatterella.

  “Oh no,” he says, “You can’t have it.” He’s referring to the shoe he’s cradling in his hand. He pulls out a dagger and begins slashing. But he’s still lying on his back, too weakened to stand.

  Malice easily kicks the blade from his hand, kneels and drives the stake into his chest.

  He lets out a cry of pain and the shoe drops from his hand. He arches his back, then his eyes close and his body slumps and he stops breathing.

  “Hatter?” Worry fills her—what if she’s actually killed her dear Mad Hatter for good this time?

  But now his body begins to shine with a purple glow, and he begins to change.

  His clothing grows sleeves, as the arrows in his side and leg begin to push out from his flesh. The long elbow length gloves become shorter, the shoes on his top hat shrink.

  Moments later, the arrows push out onto the ground. The purple stake and magic shoe vanish.

  His clothing is back to normal. He opens his eyes. “Malice.” He grins a goofy grin.

  “Hatter?! Are you okay?! I’m so sorry I staked you!”

  “Quite all right my dear. I understand completely. I’m fine now. Completely healed. And Cinderella’s gone now.”

  “Oh, Hatter, I’m so glad to have you back.” She pulls him into a hug.

  “I’m glad to be back. Ello there Cat.”

  “Ello. Enjoyed the show.”

  Hatter says, “Wel
l, now that I’m back, care to go back to my workshop for a spot of tea?”

  “But the traps…” Malice says worriedly.

  “Oh, they’ve already been sprung. They’re harmless now.”

  “Then, yes to the tea.”

  Chapter 40

  Malice decides to pay a visit to the Red Queen, in her dungeon cell.

  Malice has one of the guard cards knock upon the door. “It’s Malice! May I come in?”

  The Red Queen calls out, “Why certainly, my dear, come right in!”

  Malice enters with her most convincing smile plastered upon her face, carrying a platter with cookies and milk. She doesn’t even bother to close the door, for unlike the Queen of Hearts, the Red Queen remains within her dungeon cell voluntarily.

  “Have you thought about what I said?” Malice asks. She had offered to set up a room in one of the castle rooms for the Red Queen to run in. That is what the Red Queen does all day, every day—she runs in place, floating in the air.

  “Yes,” the Red Queen says, “but I’ve grown used to this place. It’s quite pleasant to run in. I thank you for your consideration, though.”

  Malice continues smiling—she doesn’t want to upset the Red Queen by coming across as pushy. “I tell you what, from now on, I shall leave your door open, and you may come and go—or not—as you wish. How does that sound?”

  “Brilliant. Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry the guards were locking you in. It’s just that they’re so used to treating you as a prisoner.”

  “That’s quite understandable.”

  The Red Queen had once been the voluntary prisoner of the Queen of Hearts. But now, Malice is the Queen of Wonderland, and the Queen of Hearts is being kept within a dungeon cell of her own, just a few doors down.

  Malice ponders the Red Queen, and as delicately as she can, says, “Do you think you’ll ever stop running?”

  “Not as long as my husband still sleeps.”

  Malice sighs. “It’s just that I’ve spoken to some experts. They believe you may be suffering from something called Hyperactivity Disorder. With medication—”