A Place in This World // Helaena Targaryen

10. Muchness

''Drink this.'' Hatter demanded and Helaena recognized that liquid.

''Oh no...'' Helaena said but hatter held her as the mouse climbed up her shoulder and forced the liquid down. She was shrinking.

"Sorry lovely." Hatter remarked as she shrunk.

"Hatter!" Helaena declared as she kept getting smaller. Hatter picked her up, "What are you doing?" Helaena cried out as he shoved her into the teapot and cram her now overlarge clothes in behind her. The Hatter closed the lid. As Helaena started pounding on the teapot.

"Let me out!" Helaena demanded.

''Mind your head." Hatter hissed.

"Hatter!" Helaena whined.

"Mind that pretty head of yours if you want to live." Hatter repeated giving the tea pot a tap.

"I HATE THIS DREAM!" Helaena screamed continuing to punch on the teapot. "LET ME OUT!"

"MIND YOU HEAD!" Hatter hissed. It was dim inside the teapot, except for a stream of light from the spout. Helaena tried to peer out.

The Hatter did a headstand in his chair. The Dormouse climbed into a soup tureen. The march hare lay out on the table contently.

"What are you doing?" Helaena asked and she felt the hatter touch the teapot and she fell to her butt with a thud. "Rude.'' she hissed.

Following his nose, Bloodhound led Knave and two RED KNIGHTS in to the tea party.

"Well, if it's not my favorite trio of lunatics." Knave remarked riding up to them.

''You're all late for tea!" the Hare declared. He threw a teapot, not the one Helaena was in at the knave, a cackle in his voice as Knave moved out of the way.

"We're looking for the girl called Helaena." Knave informed them as the Bloodhound sniffed around the table.

''Speaking of the Queen...here's a song we sang at her soiree." Hatter cleared his throat as they all sang out. Helaena stayed quiet, the Knave of hearts was looking for her. Why was he looking for her? Why did the queen, her mother, was her mother the queen in wonderland? No, no thats wasnt right. Helaena thought as she peered through the tea pots spout.

''Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat! How I wonder where you're at!" they sung out. Knave grabbed the Hatter around the neck. One of the knights cracked the march hare with his weapon and the Hare faltered back. The next knight poured hot tea on the Dormouse's head. She screamed out in protect. Helaena didn't dare breath. She wanted to wake up, she pinched herself again and again. Wake up she demanded herself closing her eyes and pinching herself again. She wanted Aemond, he would fix this.

''If you're hiding her, you'll lose your heads.'' Knave warned.

''Already lost them." Hatter declared and they all sung together again.

''Up Above the World you fly, Like a tea tray in the sky.'' They all laughed out crazily.

Helaena peeked out the spout. the march Hare, Hatter and Dormouse sung on despite being hit, choked and dunked. She sat back down nervously as she waited, what would happen if they found her? Could she get hurt in a dream? She looked to her arm, wounded and stinging still from the bandersnatch, she could get hurt here, would they kill her? What would happen to her body if she was killed in a dream?

"Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle!'' The Bloodhound put its paws on the table, sniffing Helaena's teapot. She leaned back clamping her lips shut as she felt the bloodhounds breath seeping into her teapot. The Hatter took a chance. He whispered to him.

''Downal with Bloody Behg Hid." Hatter said and Helaena didn't understand at all but the Bloodhound stopped. Was that Velaryian? Helaena pondered, she didnt understand it at all. Hatter shot a look at the teapot. The Bloodhound dropped to the ground and continued to sniff, pretending to catch a new trail.

''Follow the Bloodhound." Knave declared. The Knights headed off. But Knave's gaze lingered suspiciously. ''You're all mad." Knave told them.

Mally the mouse, the march hare and the hatter laughed out hysterically as the Knave rode off as well. The hare and Dormouse stopped laughing abruptly as they were gone, but the Hatter's laughter went on...and on.

''Hatter!" Mally shouted and he jerked his head around. He dragged himself back from the edge of hysteria once again.

''I'm fine. Really, I'm fine.'' Hatter assured.

He lifted the teapot lid, Helaena stared up at him about to speak but closed it again.

"Sorry... one moment..." He took a pair of milliner's scissors from his pocket and quickly whipped up a miniature ensemble for Helaena out of the tea cozy, a doily and a swatch of her old dress. He lifted the lid again and handed it to her. ''Try this on for size." Hatter recommended and Helaena looked at the dress as he closed the lid again to give her privacy.

"So strange." Helaena whispered putting on the dress. She tapped on the lid and hatter smiled down at her pulling her out.

''Good thing the Bloodhound is one of us or you'd be..." Mally drew her finger across her throat ominously.

''Best take her to Marmoreal.'' Hare agreed ''She'll be safe with the White Queen. " Hatter whipped his hat off and put it on the table.

''Your carriage, m' lady." Hatter offered elegantly. Helaena quite liked the hatter, he was handsome and quirky like her. He bowed dramatically before her, still that charming smile on his face. Helaena looked to his hat.

''The hat?'' Helaena questioned

''Anyone can go by horse or rail. But the absolute best way to travel is by Hat." Hatter laughed out ''Oohh... I've just made a rhyme.'' Helaena sat on it, nervous and unsure, about traveling by Hat and the Hatter. He put his hat back on and they continued on to the white queen.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. " Hatter sung out happily. Helaena held tight to the ribbon of his hat as he walked along.

"Sorry? What was that?" Helaena asked confused.

''Sorry? What was what?'' hatter repeated with a cackled. He brought a hand up and tapped Helaena's head gently as she clung to his hat and laughed out. ''The Jabberwock with eyes of flame. The jaws that bite. The claws that catch. Beware of the Jabberwock, my son. And the frumious Bandersnatch." Hatter informed her. He pulled out his sword. ''The vorpal blade went snicker-snack. He left it dead, and with its head.''

Helaena forgot why she wanted to go home and wake up when she felt like she very much belonged here with this very confusing man.

''And he went galumping back. It's all about you, you know..." Hatter told her.

''I'm not slaying anything. I don't slay. So put it out of your mind.'' Helaena told him. "I study bugs, insects, I was releasing a spider."

"Ohh spiders, we got some large ones here, bigger than you!" Hatter laughed out. "Well bigger than, most things are I suppose. But bigger than I as I am now"

"Thats big." Helaena whispered, she wasnt sure she wanted to study a spider bigger than herself.

"Hatter, I have a question." Helaena remarked cursiouly.

"Questions, I'm not too good at questions." Hatter remarked as they walked.

"Well just try, alright?" Helaena asked.

"I suppose." Hatter agreed.

"Have we met before, you seem so familiar and yet I have never met anyone like you." Helaena remarked.

"Oh yes. But you are different Helaena." Hatter remarked.

"I am? We have?" Helaena countered.

''You're not the same as you were before. You were much more...much more... muchier...you've lost your muchness." Hatter told her and Helaena stomped a foot on his hat. He dropped his hat to the ground and Helaena held on for dear life.

''My muchness?"