Chapter 91: Teacup Full Of Madness

Queen Rosanella hated mornings.

She hated afternoons.

She hated evenings.

She especially hated being awake.

Unfortunately, being the most powerful creature in the kingdom meant everyone constantly bothered her.

The giant carrying her throne had finally been stitched together after exploding itself against the strange glowing barrier.

That had annoyed her greatly.

The giant crawled through the massive gates of Hearts Crossing Castle.

Its six arms dragged across the stone.

Its stitched-together body groaned under the weight of the throne.

Rotting flesh hung from exposed ribs.

Black blood dripped from dozens of wounds.

The giant was hideous, but Rosanella absolutely adored it.

The castle itself reflected her tastes.

What had once been a magnificent palace had become a unique scene.

Tower spires twisted like broken fingers.

Windows resembled staring eyes.

Entire sections of the walls appeared alive.

Great roots of black flesh wound around stone structures.

The air smelled faintly of rotting flowers and candy.

An impossible combination.

One that nobody except Rosanella seemed to enjoy.

The throne giant entered the courtyard.

Nightmare creatures immediately scattered.

Some bowed.

Others hid.

A few simply fainted..

Those were usually the smart ones.

Rosanella stepped from her throne.

The giant immediately collapsed.

Completely Dead.

Nobody commented on it.

The Queen stared at the corpse.

“Hmm.”

One personality spoke.

“It was weak.”

Another disagreed.

“No. The shield was definitely cheating.”

A third voice interrupted.

“We should kill the shield maker.”

A fourth responded.

“We tried that already dummy.”

The fifth voice screamed.

“LET’S JUST BURN EVERYTHING!”

The sixth suggested a nap.

The seventh wanted the promised ice cream.

The eighth wondered if the birds that exploded were okay.

The ninth was busy counting bricks.

The tenth wanted to bite someone.

The eleventh was singing.

Rosanella grabbed her own head.

“Quiet.”

The personalities immediately began arguing louder.

She entered her castle.

The interior was worse.

Much worse.

Long hallways twisted in impossible directions.

Doors opened into rooms that shouldn’t exist.

Paintings moved when nobody looked at them.

The ceiling always dripped blood.

The servants had long ago stopped mentioning it.

Rosanella passed several nightmare guards.

They bowed deeply.

One accidentally looked at her.

The Queen smiled.

The guard immediately screamed as she kicked him down the stairs.

Rosanella continued walking.

Soon she reached the deepest part of the castle.

A massive steel door stood before her.

Chains wrapped around it.

Locks covered every inch.

The Queen pushed it open.

Inside sat two prisoners at a table. 

A man wearing too many hats.

And a girl with rabbit ears.

Years ago they had been rulers of tea parties.

Masters of nonsense.

Champions of madness.

Now they were prisoners.

Heavy chains wrapped around both of them.

Silver collars sat around their necks.

Their magic was constantly being drained.

The room around them resembled a workshop.

Broken clocks.

Mechanical parts.

Glass tubes.

Strange looking machinery.

Everything needed to create nightmare creatures.

The man wearing too many hats looked up first.

His bright green eyes narrowed.

Then he smiled.

The smile never quite reached his eyes.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

The rabbit girl looked away.

She hated looking at Rosanella.

The Queen beamed.

“Tea time!”

The man wearing too many hats sighed.

Of course it was.

Every day.

Every single day.

The Queen demanded the same thing.

The man wearing too many hats reached for a silver tray.

Upon it sat an ornate teacup.

Inside swirled glowing liquid.

Pinks, gold, blue and tiny sparkles floated through it.

The liquid looked beautiful.

The ingredients were not.

The smoothie was made from fairies.

Actual fairies.

Ground down.

Mixed together.

Then concentrated by the blood of a Jabberwocky.

The result provided enormous magical power.

It was also horrifyingly bitter and sweet at the same time.

The man wearing too many hats handed it over.

“Your daily serving.”

Rosanella accepted it eagerly.

Then paused.

Immediately the argument began.

One personality wanted to drink first.

Another claimed it was unfair.

A third accused the second of cheating.

A fourth started crying.

A fifth began counting.

The sixth insisted they should use a straw.

The seventh thought cups were suspicious.

The eighth wanted cookies to go with the tea..

The ninth suggested murder.

The tenth agreed.

The eleventh wanted a nap.

The Queen stood there for nearly five minutes arguing with herself.

Rabbit girl stared blankly at the wall.

This happened every day.

Eventually Rosanella pointed at herself.

“No.”

Another voice answered.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“YES.”

Finally she drank the smoothie.

The entire cup vanished.

The magical reaction was immediate.

Golden light erupted from her skin.

Power flooded through the room.

The walls shook.

The chains binding the prisoners rattled.

The Queen’s eyes rolled back as they glowed.

For a brief moment every personality became silent.

The room seemed peaceful.

Then she burped.

A small explosion occurred.

The argument resumed.

The moment had passed.

She lowered her head.

She hated seeing it.

Each fairy consumed made Rosanella stronger.

Stronger than anyone in her state should ever become.

The Queen finished licking the cup clean.

Then tossed it aside.

The silver cup embedded itself into a wall with a clang.

Nobody reacted.

This also happened often.

Rosanella suddenly pointed at the prisoners.

“You two.”

The man wearing too many hats raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Make me more powerful nightmares.”

The rabbit girl clenched her fists.

The nightmare creatures were created using the remains of the Jabberwock.

The legendary monster had died long ago.

Or at least most of it had.

The corpse continued producing horrifying materials.

Materials the prisoners were forced to refine.

The resulting creatures became Rosanella’s army.

Neither prisoner had much choice.

The magical collars made resistance impossible.

The man wearing too many hats stood.

“As you wish.”

The Queen nodded.

Satisfied.

Then another personality spoke.

“We should kill them.”

A different voice objected.

“No. They make useful things.”

“Kill them anyway.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Maybe later.”

The Queen seemed content with that answer.

She stretched.

Yawned.

Then announced loudly.

“I am going to sleep.”

Nobody responded.

This was excellent news.

The fewer hours she remained awake, the better.

Rosanella turned and walked away.

Halfway through the doorway she stopped.

Then looked back.

The prisoners froze.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

She pointed.

“If either of you escape…”

The Queen smiled.

The smile was terrible.

“I’ll… blow up the moon.”

Silence followed.

Then she nodded.

Satisfied.

And left.

The giant doors slammed shut.

The room became quiet.

Truly quiet.

For the first time all day.

The rabbit girl released a long breath.

Then another.

Finally she slumped against the wall.

“I really do hate her.”

The man wearing too many hats nodded.

“That’s Understandable.”

Rabbit girl stared at the floor.

“Do you think we’ll ever be rescued?”

The question hung in the air.

Heavy.

Painful.

Years had passed.

Years of imprisonment.

Years of watching the world die.

Years of creating those monsters against their will.

Hope was difficult to believe in.

Dangerous.

The man wearing too many hats was silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

A genuine smile this time.

Something rare.

The rabbit girl blinked.

“What?”

He reached down into his pocket.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Then he pulled something out.

A small pocket watch.

The rabbit girl’s eyes widened.

“This watch shouldn’t exist here!”

The Queen searched them constantly.

Every pocket.

Every room.

Every inch of the workshop.

Yet somehow…

The watch remained.

The man slowly opened it.

“Look at the time… it is stopped at 6:01!!”

Inside the door rested a tiny emblem.

A little white rabbit.

She immediately sat upright.

“No way…”

The man nodded.

“Yes yes Haigha!

“But How?”

The man chuckled.

“Well I found it here in my pocket.”

Haigha stared.

“That really doesn’t answer anything Hatta.”

“But it does.”

Hatta closed the watch.

Then carefully placed it back inside his pocket again.

His genuine smile remained.

For the first time in years.

There was hope in his eyes.

“Looks like the Rabbit is on the move..”

Haigha felt her heart skip.

The Rabbit.

The one who vanished after the great battle.

The one Rosanella feared more than anyone.

The one who had always had a plan.

Hatta leaned closer.

His voice became a whisper.

“I think that whatever the plan is, it must have started along time ago…”

Far above them.

Beyond the castle.

Beyond Hearts Crossing.

Beyond the forests.

The gray clouds shifted slightly.

For the first time in years.

A single beam of sunlight broke through the fog.

Neither prisoner noticed.

But somewhere far away…

The game board was finally beginning to move.