Twisted Wonderland

Mutual Aggression

You and Grim make your way down Main Street, wearing your new janitor uniform. It's slightly baggy but you didn't mind. It was just going to get dirty anyway. You get your first real look at the school. It's grand and looked like a medieval castle. No wonder this school is so prestigious. As you continue to walk, you come across seven statues on either side of the path.

"Wow, so this is Main Street, huh? This is incredible!" You nod in agreement with Grim. "I didn't get to see it much yesterday. What's the deal with these seven statues? All their faces look pretty scary." He gestured to a statue of a large woman with a heart shaped staff. She had a large crown atop her head. "Like, this lady here looks like she's got some reeeal anger management issues."

"You don't know the Queen of Hearts?" A new voiced said.

You whirl around to see a boy walking towards you and Grim. He has messy redish orange hair, scarlet eyes with a red heart over his left eye. He wore a black suit with a red vest and white undershirt. He walked up to you with a smirk.

"Queen of Hearts? Is she some kinda big deal?" Grim questioned.

The boy nodded. "She was a queen who lived in a maze like garden of roses long, long ago. She was a strict woman who prized order above all. She wouldn't tolerate a rose being off-color, or her playing-card soldiers being out of step."

You tilt your head. "Card soldiers?"

"She basically ruled over a kingdom of madness, but not one of her subjects dared to defy her. You wanna know why? Because the punishment for breaking a rule was immediate decapitation!"

You put a hand to your throat. "Yikes."

Grim looked equally surprised. "Wah! That is seriously messed up!"

The boy chuckled. "Pretty cool, right? I'm a big fan. I mean, who would bother to obey a queen that was kind all the time?" He smirked.

"Yeah, true. A leader needs to be strong. But puttin' that aside... Who're you, now?" Grim questioned.

He put a hand to his chest. "Name's Ace. I'm a first year student here, as of... today! Pleased to meetcha!"

"I'm Grim! I'm a prodigy whos plannin' to be, like, the greatest mage who ever lived. That there's my far less interesting hench-human Y/N." Grim gestures to you.

"Y/N huh?" Ace shot a smile at you. "Name's got an odd ring to it."

You feel a blush creep along your cheeks. "It's nice to meet you." You stare into Ace's scarlet eyes as he stares into yours. He can't help but notice how beautiful they are.

"So tell me, Ace. Is that lion with a scar in the eye a famous ruler too?" Grim broke the spell.

Ace shook his head. "Of course! That's the King of Beasts who ruled the savanna." He pointed at the lion standing on a rock. "But he wasn't born into the throne, he had to earn it through hard work and elaborate schemes. When he became king, he decreed that the hyenas would be pariahs no more, and should live among his subjects as equals."

Grim nodded. "Sounds like a great guy! Not everyone's able to look past social status like that. Who's the lady with the octopus legs?" He pointed to another statue.

"The Sea Witch who lived in an underwater grotto. She basically devoted her life to helping troubled merfolk. If they were willing to pay the price, she'd help them change their appearance, find love, whatever!" Ace waved a dismissive hand. "They say she was so good, there was no wish she couldn't grant. They also say the price was a tad steep, though. But she was granting wishes! Of course it was!"