Wonderland

Chapter 8

(Dipper pov)

I groan as I wake up, sunlight peeking in through the cracks on the wooden door. I look up and see the Bandersnatch standing over me, it having somehow figured out how to put it's eye back in its eye socket.

I see around it's neck is a key on a chain. Slowly I reach for it and my hand grasp it as the Bandersnatch's long tongue flicks out and licks over the claw marks on my arm. I'm disgusted until I see the claw marks heal a bit. They aren't completely healed but the swelling has gone done a whole lot and it no longer looks infected.

I take the key as I look over the wound, all the pain being gone. "I guess that we're even now."

I unlock the crate and take out a sword, it feeling balanced in my hands.

Standing up I walk out of there and make it back to the room where Bill is, the doormouse trying to pick the lock on the shackle around his ankle.

"Stand back, Mallymkun." I raise the sword over my head prepared to bring it down on the chain. "How is this for muchness?"

"Stop! It mustn’t be used for anything but..." Bill get's interrupted as the Knave and two knights walk into the room.

The Knave points at me. "Arrest that boy for unlawful seduction!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." I mutter under my breath.

"You have to get the sword back to the White Queen!" Bill grabs two rolls of cloth throwing them at the knights knocking them down.

He throws a hat at the Knave but the Knave slices it in two with his sword.

Bill tries to go for the manequinn again but his chain is caught around the table making it so he can't reach it. The doormouse untangles the chain so he manages to reach the manequinn and use it to block the Knave's sword until it gets flung out of his hands.

He hits the Knave with anything he can get his hands on while also dodging the sword attacks.

"Run Dipper!" The doormouse exclaims before quickly covering her mouth.

The Knave smirks looking at me, the sword shaking in my hands as I point it at him. "Dipper."

"Just run!" Bill manages to say as he sprays perfume in the Knaves eyes making him yell in pain.

Not having any other choice I run out of there to the courtyard but get surrounded by dozens of soldiers. The Knave walks out of the castle doors slowly making his way over to us as I point my sword at him.

"Dipper.  Of course! Why didn’t I see it? Well, it has been a long time. And you were such a little tyke then. Give me the Sword."

"Stay the fuck back!" I swing the sword trying to keep them back.

"The Queen will be so pleased. She’ll take great pleasure in taking off your head. I believe she wants to do the deed herself."

Two knights from behind grab my arms. "Let go let go!" I yell as I struggle trying to get out of their iron grip.

A loud growl sounds from the stone dog house thing. Without warning the Bandersnatch burst out of it knocking down the soldiers nearest to me. I climb on its back holding onto its fur with one hand, the other holding the sword.

"Downal wyth Bluddy Behg Hid!" I yell holding the sword above my head as it runs across the drawbridge, Bayard waiting on the other side.

" Ho, Dipper!"

"Bayard! To Marmoreal!"

He leads us through the sandy desert and through forests to a beautifully white pristine palace. The Bandersnatch stops and I climb off its back. I walk inside to the throne room where there is a beautiful woman in a white gown who I presume is the White Queen.

"Welcome to Marmoreal." I bow as I giver her the sword. She takes it putting it with a suit of armour. "The Vorpal Sword is home again. The armor is complete. Now all we need is a champion." Her eyes look me up and down. "You're a little taller then I thought you would be."

"Blame it on too much Upelkuchen."

"Ah. Come with me."

She leads me to a different room where the Hare is throwing things around. She leads me to a table where there are a variety of different things. She talks as she adds things to a pot.

"Pishalver. Let me think. Two cups grape juice,, a pinch of wormfat...My mother taught me how to concoct all the medicinal cures and transformational potions, a teaspoon vanilla...urine of the horsefly, buttered fingers... ...My sister preferred to study Dominion Over Living Things. Tell me, how does she seem to you?"

"Absolutely horrifying and dreadful."

"She wasn’t always that way. Well, maybe she was. And her head?"

"Bulbous, bloated, like a blimp. "

"I think she may have some kind of growth in there...something pressing on her brain. ...three coins from a dead man’s pocket, two tablespoons of Wishful Thinking..."

"You can't possibly imagine the horrors that go on in that place."

" Oh yes, I can. But when a champion steps forth to slay the Jabberwocky, the people will rise against her." She spits in the pot and mixes it altogether. "That should do it."

She dips the spoon in and holds it out to me. I drink from it and instantly get shrunk down to my normal size, having to hold my clothes up so they won't fall off.

"That feel better?"

"Yes, thank you."

She puts her hand on my back leading me out of the room. "Let's get you some better fitting clothes and then there is someone who would like to see you."

She takes me to a bedroom. "You can stay in here and there are clothes in the dresser. I will be out here once you're ready." She closes the door behind me as I step into the room.

I let the big clothes fall to the floor before opening the dresser and pulling out ones that fit me perfectly. I put on a red shirt, blue jeans, a blue jacket and finally some sneakers.

I open the door and she leads me up more steps to what I believe is a rooftop garden. She leads me through it until I see a familiar hookah and blue smoke.

"Absolum?"

"Who are you?"

"We settled this already. I'm Dipper but not that one."

"How do you know?" I cough as he blows smoke in my face and I try to wave it away.

"You said so."

"I said you were Not Hardly Dipper. But you’re much more him now. In fact, you’re Almost Dipper."

" Even so, I couldn’t slay the Jabberwocky if my life depended on it."

"It will. So I suggest you keep the Vorpal Sword on hand when the Frabjous Day arrives."

"Everything here is so real, I sometimes forget that it's nothing but a dream." He blows smoke in my face again making me cough and wave it away once again. "Stop doing that!" All he does is laugh.