A Royal-Tea Party
"And, as in offish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!"
The Queen of Hearts picked at her nails while her husband was deciding whether to rule the defendant guilty or innocent. She didn't care much for the case – all she cared about was the punishment, which was always chosen by yours truly.
Suddenly, in came the White Rabbit with his silly pocket watch in his hand, his glasses tilted on his nose. That rabbit was always worrying about his clock, but he could never seem to make it on time. "I'm so sorry, your Majesties, for being late and interrupting the trial, but you must know something."
They waited. Seconds ticked by. The Queen started to get annoyed. "Oh – Will you just spit it out, Rabbit!"
The White Rabbit curled his ears over his eyes before announcing, "There is a traveler in our mists. He is new to Wonderland, and I would know for I know everyone in the kingdom. I believe he followed me here, but I don't recall him ever being behind me."
The Queen's hand trembled lightly. She turned to look at the King, who had the same look in his eyes. Something clicked in their minds. The Queen smiled sweetly at the White Rabbit. "Will you please send the boy an invitation to tea? Thank you."
The White Rabbit knew he was dismissed and left without another word. Fear cracked through her devilish façade. The King slipped his fingers through hers, squeezing it in reassurance, but nothing could reassure her. She turned to him, her eyes widening. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"The boy must be from America. There has only been one other person to wander into Wonderland, and you remember what happened then. We must not let it happen again, my love," the King of Hearts whispered, pulling his wife's hands to his lips and kissing it lightly. "I shall be here the whole time. We shall not lose."
She smiled at him. "I knew I married the right man."
"And I will never let you go."
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There was a knock at the door. Jace and Madeline had just finished breakfast when the White Rabbit tripped into the shop, his pocket watch stuck to his paw. He shouted, "You have a special invitation from the Queen and King of Hearts! They have invited you to tea with them, tomorrow afternoon at six o'clock. They will be expecting you there."
Jace stared bewilderedly after the Rabbit as he hopped away, never receiving an answer. He turned to Madeline with a raised eyebrow. She merely shrugged, replying, "You must go now. No one has ever declined an invitation – or gotten one and didn't go – from the Queen and lived to tell the tale."
He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know the way to the castle, and I have never met the Queen and King before. I've only heard stories, but I believe I would feel rather confident if you would attend it with me. Also, I have only attended one tea party in my entire life, and that was when I was a wee baby. I believe I spilled my tea all over the guests."
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Mad Hatter in Wonderland
Fanfiction"There once was a hatter, As mad as could be. And had a daughter, Who was madder than he." Tarrant Hightopp, known as the maddest hatter in Wonderland, had a daughter. No one knows who her mother was, only that she was long gone after her child's an...
