A Curious, Mad Dream

Quick Review:
Acelin: AZ-LEEN
Civmeralli: SIV-MER-ALL-EE
Rhett Avira: RET UH-VEER-UH
Vesania: VI-ZANE-YUH
Xonia: EX-ZONE-YUH
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​ My eyes widened as I stared at the barrels of the two guns that were currently being pointed in my face by someone who obviously knew of me. It made me wonder how everyone knew of my presence. Had it been Rhett? Or possibly Vincent? That’s when it hit me as to what he said.

“Wait…Vesania? We’re not in Xonia anymore?” I asked. How many territories were there in Wonderland again? I pressed the heel of my hand to my head in thought.

“Yes, Vesania, territory of the Hatter. Surely you didn’t think you were back at the clock tower?” the man asked me curiously.

My eyes flashed up to see the face of the man beyond the barrels of the guns. He had soft features and a cute, rounded nose; the delicateness of his face reminded me of Vincent. A sparkling, red body jewel in the shape of an oblong teardrop rested beneath his left eye as it reflected the rays of the sun in its ruby depths. His eyes were a beautifully strange mix of colors. Surrounding the onyx pupil was a ring of honey, caramel brown that bled out into the spring green of his iris. However, his eyes weren’t the only strange thing.

I slid my gaze to curiously look upon his hair. Aquamarine, medium length hair fell in layers; the ends whispering against the tops of his shoulders while the jagged cut of his bangs curled in to frame his face. A thick strip of hair on the right side of his head had been colored into a green that was a shade deeper than his eyes. The one green strip of hair extended beyond the medium length of his hair by at least two inches; the strip had been bound together by a single crisscrossing red string. Moving to look at the top of his head, my eyes took in the pair of onyx black ears that stood high above his head with one bent over at the middle. It was clear to see that his ears were obviously different from Vincent’s in the sense they weren’t fluffy nor were they short.

“You’re a hare, right?” I could vaguely recall the memory of my mother mentioning how angry the hare would get if someone referred to him as a rabbit. He would become angry enough to possibly shoot at the person. A mistake she had made, but had been fortunate enough to be saved by the Hatter. My question must have surprised him because he slowly lowered his guns until his arms hung limply at his sides. Those dual-colored eyes widened just barely as he stared down at me.

“Did I…did I offend you?” I asked hesitantly thinking maybe I had been wrong about my assumption with the memory and he was, in fact, a rabbit. I was almost afraid he’d start shooting at me. He took a sudden step forward vehemently shaking his head.

“No, no, no! You…you are right. I am a hare,” he confirmed. I nodded figuring as such. It also made sense for his tall height. The hare had to be around Sinclair’s height of 6’5” if not an inch or two taller. His lean torso was clad in a black pinstriped white button-up with a forest green vest slid on, unbuttoned, over the shirt. The green of the vest matched the thick, silk choker wrapped around his slender neck. The hare’s lean , slender legs were covered by a pair of dark blue jeans that hung low on his bony hips.

“You hadn’t responded so I wasn’t sure,” I admitted returning my violet eyes to meet his.

“Sorry,” he chuckled showing off pearly white teeth. “It’s just not many people call me a hare. They like to piss me off by calling me a rabbit.” The hare’s gaze slid off to the side; his left eye twitched with annoyance.

“Even your mother called me a rabbit,” he suddenly said switching his gaze back to mine startling me.

“Oh? So you knew my mother as well?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I would have guessed the same as my mother had it not been for recalling the memory. And although I already knew he knew my mother, I wanted to hear the story from his own mouth.

“Of course,” his face softened at the mention of my mother. Those blushing pink lips curled up into a kind smile. “She was a kind girl, Alice was. She was just lost and confused. She ended up hurting those closest to her because of her naivety,” he sighed.

“Did you…love her?” I hesitantly asked. So far I knew Rhett had loved her, I had a guess Sinclair might have, and I knew for certain the Hatter did just based off Sinclair’s stories.

The hare shook his head. “I had a fondness for Alice, but I did not love her. I was one of the few who did not fall for her charms, however, I still wept when she left us. She was a dear friend of mine.”

“Um, not to sound rude, but I never got your name,” I noted coming to the sudden realization we had been talking all of this time and I had never learned his name. All I could remember from my mother’s stories was that everyone called him March.

“Oh!” he chuckled. “It’s March. Guy March, but please only call me March.”

March stuck out a hand in greeting as he introduced himself except I was unable to shake it due to the gun still in his hand. March smiled sheepishly before tossing his gun, spinning, into the air. I stared up at the sky waiting to see them fall back down as I slid my hand into his. He uncurled the fingers of his hand as two large, silver coins dropped into the palm of his hand. The coins were slid into the pocket of his vest as he released my hand. My lips flattened into a thin line as I realized he must have transformation magic much like Vincent. Was it only the animal Civmerallis of this world that had that kind of magic?

March rested his hands on his hips; he cocked his head to the side staring at me.

“So, you’re here to see the Hatter? I see Rhett delivered the package to you. Does it fit okay?”

My eyes dropped to the lavender gown I had donned before coming here.

“Yes, it fits wonderfully. I wish to thank him for his kindness,” I simply stated. I wasn’t lying; however, that was not the full truth. The mischievous glint in the hare’s eyes told me he knew that, too.

“Of course. Follow me, then,” he instructed as he walked up to the gate. There was a small spark as his fingers touched the handle before he swung it open with ease. Before I was able to step through, March’s long fingers wrapped gently around my forearm; I turned my head to meet his eyes only he wasn’t looking at me, but behind me.

“The cat can come, too, of course,” March grumbled unhappily.

“What?” I asked confused. Suddenly, Rhett appeared on my back; he was lying stretched out along the length of my body with a smirk. My eyes widened realizing I couldn’t feel an ounce of his weight; advantages of having evaporation skills I assumed.

“Was it the tail that gave it away?” Rhett stuck out his bottom lip in a faux pout, his tail swirling around his body to rest in his hands as he stroked its fur.

“No, I could smell you,” March sneered turning his face away from the cat to close the gate behind us.

“I didn’t know rabbits had a super sniffer,” Rhett teased as a sudden shot rang throughout the early evening air. I covered my ears from the sudden sound watching as a bullet sized hole in Rhett’s forehead sealed back together. Was he really made of air particles?

Rhett sighed with annoyance, opening his mouth to say something when more shots were fired from March’s guns. Small holes where the bullets struck Rhett’s incorporeal form were scattered all across his chest. Within a few moments, the holes would just reseal like Rhett was made of clouds.

“Why waste your energy forming bullets when you know they won’t work? They never have nor will they ever,” Rhett yawned as March continued shooting off rounds. I jumped back as a bullet whizzed by my face to strike a tree nearby.

“One of these days I will discover a way to create a bullet that will strike you,” March snapped angrily twirling his guns around his fingers until they transformed back into coins.

“March,” I huffed stealing his attention back from the taunting Rhett. “Can you please lead me to the Hatter?”

March glared once more at Rhett before giving a curt nod and pushing passed the chuckling cat. As I followed behind him, I snatched Rhett’s pierced cat ear between my fingers and twisted it as I dragged him along.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! Ace, let go! Ace!” the cat whined pitifully as he stumbled along behind me.

“Then behave,” I hissed abruptly releasing his ear. They flattened against his head while he trudged unhappily behind March alongside me.

“Ace, there’s something you have to know before meeting the Hatter,” Rhett whispered close to my ear so as not to capture March’s attention.

“What is it?”

“The Hatter was deeply in love with your mother.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know,” I sighed.

“No, you don’t. When Lydia, the queen, removed his heart and his love after Alice left, it…it did something to him. He became mad. Completely bonkers!”

“I know,” I ground out wondering when he was going to tell me something I had yet to learn from Sinclair. I glanced up at March who continued to walk along the path leading to the mansion. If he heard us, he wasn’t showing it.

“Therefore, his deep love for Alice…turned into a deep hatred.”

I stopped in my tracks to stare wide eyed at the cat.

“What?” Noticing March hadn’t stopped, I scrambled to catch up with him, but I fell a bit further back to talk to Rhett more privately.

“He hates her?” I repeated making sure I’d heard right.

“Yes,” he agreed softly. “And I know you came here to talk with him about your mother, but avoid any topic centering on her.”

“But that’s basically everything except for why I’m here and how I can leave!” I hissed angrily.

“I know it is, but he’ll already be on the edge of madness because of your presence. So don’t mention her even if he encourages you or baits you to discuss her, okay?” Rhett warned with a note of concern and authority in his tone. I met his amber gaze and nodded.

“Fortunately your looks take more after your father,” he sighed in relief. My head whipped around to stare wide eyed at him.

“You knew my father?” Rhett’s eyes widened in realization at what he had said as I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and roughly shook him. “Who was he? Is he still alive? How did you know him? Damn it, Rhett, speak!” I snapped.

“Um, Acelin? The Hatter is just through these doors,” March informed me pointing to the large front doors of the mansion. I turned my gaze back to Rhett only to see he had evaporated out of my tight grasp and disappeared. Feeling disappointed and angry, I pivoted back around to face March. I gave him a curt nod in thanks before stepping up to the front doors.

I took a deep breath; Rhett’s words of warning swirled around in the front of my mind as I turned the handles of the doors and threw them open.