"Her castle?" I whispered.
"Well it's not really hers," the Hatter replied. "She took over when Miriana disappeared."
"Miriana?"
"The White Queen."
"Ah." I pondered this for a moment. "So she's not actually called the White Queen." The Hatter shook his head. I smiled.
"I suppose the Mad Hatter isn't your true name either?"
"No, its not" We jolted forward as the horse tripped on a rock.
"So what is your real name?" He turned away, embarassed.
"I'd rather not say."
"Oh come on! Hatter isn't my name. Here's a deal, if you tell me your name, I'll tell you mine." He thought about this for a moment.
"Alright then. My name is Tarrant Hightopp." He smiled faintly for a moment, as if pleased with his existence. "Now you." I sighed.
"My name is Megan White." I sighed again. "Terribly dull isn't it? Yours is unusual, but at least it's interesting."
"Your name isn't that bad. I once knew someone who was called Espin Jermajesty." I struggled not to laugh.
"But that's absurd!" I cried.
"Yes, my cousin was never proud of it. He wanted to be called Marvin." I smiled at him. He grinned back. I was liking the Hatter (or should I have called him Tarrant?) enormously.
"I think we're nearly there," he said. My stomach turned over.
"What's she going to do to us?" I asked. The Hatter hesitated.
"Nothing - to begin with. She'll be as nice as she possibly can."
"Is this a 'kills you with kindness' sort of thing?" I asked.
"Not exactly. You see, she likes to see what it takes to get someone on her side. When that doesn't work, she-" he trailed off.
"She what?" I asked. "What does she do?"
"I don't think you want to know" he said. I was defeated. I looked in the direction of Queenie. She was cowering away from the March Hare, who was shrieking wildly, calling for salt. She caught me looking at smiled pitifully. I felt her pain. The March Hare was a little creepy. I looked over at Chess. She was watching the Cheshire cat, whose tail was tied to the horses. He was being dragged through the dirt. Their horse was pretty close to ours.
"I hate to say this," she whispered. "But I told you so. We're tied up. What are we gonna do now?" I smiled at her.
"The best we can."
I now cast my gaze ahead of us. In the distance, a brilliant white castle, towering above everything else.
"Is that the castle?" I asked the Hatter.
"It is. Dazzling building, isn't it?" We drew nearer and nearer. Despite its awe-inspiring beauty, it made me feel a little queasy. Tied up on a horse is not the best way to view a building. We rode under a great archway. In the courtyard were some once magnificent trees. But now they were twisted and mangled, and their blossom had disappeared. They were dead, and rotted. They looked sick, and seeing them sent a spur of utter misery down my spine. I could see its effects on everyone else. Chess looked like she was going to be sick, and Queenie was practically in tears.
"They say," the Hatter whispered in my ear. "That when The White Queen is back on the throne the trees will blossom again." I was silent. I didn't know what to say. I could see the great door to the castle now.
"One more thing before we go in, Carlotta is not to be trusted."
"There is a man," I said. "That said never to trust someone who hasn't brought a book with them."
"Who said that?"
"A man called Lemony Snicket."
"Did you bring a book with you?"
"I'd check my pockets, but my hands are tied." I grinned at him. He grinned back. His teeth were stained yellow, and a little blunt, but his smile seemed to make things feel better. We were stopped at the door by two guards. We were shoved off our horses and forced to stand in a line. They checked our pockets one by one. First, Chess. Her pockets contained her mobile phone and a castle leaflet. The leaflet was torn up, and Chess watched in horror as her beloved mobile phone was crushed under the foot of the guards. The March Hare had empty pockets. Queenie also had a leaflet, and a packet of tissues. The Doormouse had nothing on her but a sword. The Hatter had a cotton reel and a teabag that had exploded in his pocket. Finally they turned out my pockets. I had a leaflet, a spoon (don't ask me why) and a tiny notepad. The Hatter looked at me and I raised my eyebrows. At last, we were finally allowed in. It was enormous. The walls covered in delicate tapestrys, flowers everywhere. I would have taken the time to admire it in any other circumstances. Everything was a pure, dazzling white, so white it was almost blinding to behold. We were led into a room that seemed to stretch for miles. In it was a table almost as long. It was made of glass, and all around it were delicate glass chairs. We were instructed to sit down. We all clustered at one end, awaiting our fate.
A young woman stepped into the room. She was very pretty, prettier than any woman I've ever seen. She had long, flowing, black hair, deathly pale skin, and a beautiful figure. She wore a long, silky black dress with spiderweb lace. This was the woman who found us. This was Carlotta.
"Ah, I see you have found a seat?" she said to us, smiling. Her voice reminded me of birdsong at dawn. A beautiful sound, but unwelcome to the ears of those who are still in bed at 4 in the morning. How I wished I could throw a pillow (or maybe a bottle) at her. She sat down next to the Hatter, who remained as stiff as a board. He dared not look in her direction. She placed a dainty hand on his, causing him to stiffen even more.
"Dearest Hatter, why so tense? I understand my invitation was not the most formal, but still. Now, why don't you introduce me to your little friends. I know the dear Cheshire Cat, and the March Hare, and I have encountered Mollyumpkin more than once, but who are these three?" She stared at Chess, Queenie and I.
"First, lets start with your darling sister." she stared at me. I felt her staring right through me, into my soul.
"Her name is Harriet" The Hatter lied. "She lives with my mother quite some time away."
"Do you two get along?" she asked.
"Most of the time" I said. "Siblings who claim to get along all the time are most definetely hiding somethig." There I go quoting Mr Snicket again. I'm quite a fan of his books.
"That is very true, my dear" Carlotta said, smiling. One by one we were all introduced to her.
"Well!" she said clapping her hands together. "Harriet, Emma (Hatter's made up name for Queenie), Sarah (Chess), I think it's time for dinner." The dinner smelled delicious, but I was to tense to eat, so I spent most of the time pushing the golden chicken around my plate. We all ate in silence, everyone except Carlotta, who chatted merrily to the Hatter all the while. She acted as if they had been the best of friends for years, and she seemed like she was very attatched to him. Maybe this was what he meant before.
Dinner seemed to last an eternity, and it was so late afterwards that we were immedeately shown to our rooms. Chess, Queenie and I were residing in a lavish room with three king-size beds.
"Home sweet home," Carlotta sighed. "Well, you three darlings will be hanging your hat here for the next few days."
"Some people believe a home is where you hang your hat" I said. "But these people tend to live in closets or on little pegs." I just can't seem to stop these quotes coming out can I?
"My you do come out with strange things," Carlotta said. "Not only do you look like my dear Hatter, you speak like him too! Come Hatter, let's leave these girls to settle down." It was at that moment I understood the world a little better. What seems like absolute nonsense to one person, makes perfect sense to another. Carlotta closed the door, and trotted away. I sat on the bed. I doubted I would be sleeping tonight.
"Why does this place remind me of Coraline?" I asked.
"Dunno" Chess said."But I know how you feel. That was a good film."
"It was a better book," I said. "That Carlotta is weird."
"She gives me the creeps," Queenie said.
"Too right," Chess agreed.
"Give me Catty Jones any day!" I cried. We all laughed. But the humor didn't last long. I was worried about Hatter.
"The Hatter said not to trust her."
"I'm not suprised. She's mental." Chess didn't get a good impression. It was obvious.
"I think we should find him," Queenie suggested.
"Good Idea," I said. "I'll go."
"No way!" Chess cried. "I'm not letting you get turned into mince meat. It's my fault we fell down that hole."
"Yes, but it was my fault for offering to help. And I'm supposed to be his 'sister'."
"Yeah, and I'm SUPPOSED to be the Queen of Sheba. How about we all go?" Queenie and I nodded. We crept up to the door and listened for any sound. Silence. We drew in our breath, and crept into the corridor.
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How are you liking my story? I hope it's Ok. If you're wondering about the quotes then I'll tell you. They are from Lemony Snicket's Horseradish. Keep reading the story! Please comment! You're all amazing!
