RED SPADE

four.

WITH A GOLD LINED HUNTING RIFLE IN HAND, she raised her eyes from the target to the rabbit. "Muffers." She cursed under her breath, as the bullet missed the target yet again,. She put it down, scowling. "Goddamn rabbit."

"What did you want to say, Muffers?" She inquired.

The goggle eyed hare gaped up at her. She glared at him, hands at her hips. "Speak! Rabbit!"

"The Kingdom Of Spades has a new offer, my majesty." He chittered pathetically. She had to replace him, she thought miserably. What a spineless minister of foreign affairs.

The other kingdoms were bound to think the Queen Of Hearts was spineless too! "What now? Don't they know my darling still does not have a consort?"

"Yes..." The rabbit squeaked on, "but she has... well..."

"Well what?" The Queen Of Hearts demanded, "Speak properly you wimpish little thing!"

"Ah... Blancha of Spades has disappeared." He said nervously.

"What?" She cried angrily, "The king does not want the Hearts against him! Tell the great cowardly brute that! Tell him to send another daughter!" She swung her rifle up and shot, squarely hitting the target. "I have more news!" The hare shouted over her screams of disdain. "He has come with an offer!"

"Offer?"

"Yes. He has one last daughter. One that has not disappeared."

"He has eleven! Did they all disappear?"

"Yes. Apparently so."

"That great, camel spitting dunce!" She spat, as the Minister Of Foreign Affairs blinked. "What are you doing standing?" She shrieked, "Go pack my belongings and get me a carriage! I'm going to go to the Spades myself, I'll see if he has enough face to meet me!"

"Of course your Majesty!" The Spineless Servant said quickly, his whiskers quivering and sharp red eyes alert. "Flippers! Call for Her Majesty's carriage immediately!"

"Which one?" Croaked old Flippers. He stretched out a great slimy hand. "You ridicule of an animal! Have one most extravagantly decorated! The overdone glittery one from the Diamonds will do."

"You'll get attacked by the Warthogs if you ride in such an extravagant carriage! Remember last time, your majesty- Old Benjamin was-"

"I Beheaded that no good donkey! And I will behead you and any Warthog that I come to meet if you do not close that wretched beak of yours." She shrieked, "My Darling Kamon needs a bride!"

The glasses on the rabbits nose fell off, the glass crunching underneath her high shoes with a crack. "Goddamn, good for nothing rodents. I shall tax you dry one day." She muttered underneath her breath. "Pack my dresses! Rabbit! Do it now before you drive me more angry than before!"

♠

"Blancha, my dear sister. Do we need to leave the city?" Ivory's innocent query prickled Blancha with annoyance. She could never shut her beak, could she? They didn't know what a big favour Blancha had single handedly done for them. If only they had even half a brain.

"It isn't safe in the city at the moment." Blancha ground out. It was even more infuriating that the vain twins had not taken her advice on travelling clothes. They both wore matching dresses of fine white crêpe, the skirt fashionably long on one side and short on the other. 

The wooden table in front of them was full of things to amuse the princesses with as they headed to the countryside. There was a pair of burnished bronze scissors, a jester's hat and blue candied apples. A plump, lopsided rabbit that Ebony was holding by it's ears, and a black and red game of chess.

Finstre and Noire were thankfully in another carriage, otherwise Blancha would have lost her mind. She had planned for the other girls to be sent quickly out of the Capital, far from it. She folded her hands neatly in her lap. She counted the blood red clouds in the sky. She could sense the kingdom of hearts, even if they had just crossed the border of Spades.

No one would find them there.

She picked up the red queen from the chess board. She eyed it. It's smooth, voluptuous figure, polished so finely and lined with gold.

"Pass me the scissors, Ivory."

She snatched the tool out of Ivory's milky white hand. With one swift snip, the head came off.

She beamed as the carriage rocked back and forth, the headless queen rolling off of the board and cluttering onto wooden panes below.

"Grand Queen Danica has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"