Chapter Text
With a soft click, you closed the playroom's door. As expected, you were met with the aftermath of today's usage of this little room as you looked around with your flashlight.
Toys were scattered across the floor, papers with half-finished drawings were about to fall off the small tables.
Board game pieces, like landmines, threatening to pierce through your shoes and into the soft parts of your foot.
The playing cards were treated more nicely, stacked neatly in small piles.
Some plushies were still in their designated box, others left on the floor. One brave teddy bear was watching guard on the broken ceiling fan. The ceiling was too high for you to reach the plush, so you left it there.
You put your backpack by the little CRT, that was in the corner.
You were still baffled by the story of how it was given to the school. Its last owners simply weren't using it as much and so they lent it to the school quiet often. And then, it just stayed here. They didn't want to have it anymore. Not because it was broken or the family wanted a newer model or anything. The mother just didn't come to take it home one day.
Despite it being in seemingly good condition, this little device was quite stubborn whenever anyone wanted to use it. The screen randomly distorted, the audio came out weird too, at least in the first few months of its more permanent stay. Now days, the sound got better.
Guess Alphy's little threats did the trick.
Working screen or not, you were still able to enjoy your little nostalgia marathons with it. Your old VHS tapes weren't in pristine condition anyway, and if you wanted to watch a horror movie, the sudden distortions could provide some extra thrill to the experience.
Not the biggest perk of your job here, but hey, at least you weren't bored. Not like anyone actually breaks into a school like this. Sure, you caught that girl, Susie, trying to a few times, but thankfully nothing dire happened.
Unfortunately, by the second or third movie you were always close to falling asleep. Usually, you managed to fight it. This day though, your eyelids gave up. You really should've slept more during the day.
Would've saved you from a whole lot of trouble in the long run.
You woke up, panicked. The sound of a marching band made you believe you slept through the night at the school. But to your absolute terror (and maybe a bit of relief), you figured you weren't even at the school.
You were laying under a row of bushes. Rose bushes to be more precise. The school didn't have those. The sun's warming rays peeked through the branches.
Your nose picked up on a strange smell. Fresh paint.
You slowly and carefully crawled out from under the bushes. Thankfully, they didn't have thorns. You looked around.
A beautiful garden laid before you. Roses bloomed in all shapes and sizes, though they only had on colour. Deep, ruby red.
You look back at the bush you laid under a moment before. Droplets of morning dew trinkled on the petals. One droplet rolled off a petal, leaving a pinkish trail behind. You ran a thumb over the flower. You were surprised to find the petal white and your fingers red.
"They... painted over the flowers?" Judging by the strong smell, the job was done not long ago. In your amazement (and bafflement) you failed to notice the sound of the light and quick footsteps approaching you.
"HEY!" You snapped your head towards the high-pitched voice. You rubbed your eyes with your cleaner hand. You've never seen monsters like these guys before.
They were short, with cubic heads, which looked like dice, but instead of dots, there were tiny hearts on their sides. Their clothing was unusual too. Their poncho was white, decorated with red hearts, adorned with a small red rose necktie.
"You better not mess up our work! We've just finished!" One stomped towards you. You felt a bit ashamed, instantly pulling your arm away from the plant. The little guy looked at the flower you just examined. The frown on their face deepened at the glaring white spot.
"Great! Just what I needed this morning!" They picked up a can of paint from somewhere and shoved it into your hands. "You ruined it! You fix it!" They ordered.
Not sure how to act accordingly, you set the can onto the ground and grabbed the brush. The bristle was just about to touch the petal, when the guy next to you started to growl.
"No, no, no! You're doing it wrong!" They screeched. You looked at the little guy, confused. "You're supposed to hold the brush like a sword and slash the paint over it! Much more effective!" They instructed. Well, now you knew how to properly paint a rose petal. You changed your grip. But then, a different voice started to complain.
"No! You were doing it right the first time. Painting is art, hold the brush like a pen! Flowers have feelings too, you know, so be gentle."
The previous guy huffed. "You and your sentimentalism. You're the reason we always finish so late! Do you really think these weeds care how we apply the coat? It stinks the same anyway."
And so, the two started to argue over the right technique. With a swift stroke, you covered up the white spot. "Done." You announced. They looked at your job. They hummed in unison.
"Eh, could be worse." One of them mumbled. You didn't notice it before, but now there were a few more of these guys looking at the scene from a bit of distance, whispering amongst themselves.
Behind them, taller, dark figures stood. They had musical instruments in their hands. Their attire was similarly decorated to the smaller guys. With hearts, rose brooches glinting on their suits but also on their hats. These guys must've played that march you woke up to.
"Say, are you a new guy? Neva' seen someone like ya 'round 'ere." Someone from the newly formed audience asked. You held up your hand defensively.
"No! I-I think there's been some mistake. I really shouldn't be here. Whatever "here" means." You add the last part quietly. The grumpy short guy leaned closer to you, eyes squinting.
"Hold on..." Their eyes shot wide open. "YOU'RE A LIGHTNER!"
You were taken aback by their shouting. "Lightner?" You barely finished sounding out your question before you saw the barrels of guns facing you. Guns held by the shadowy figures, who held those instruments before.
You felt your blood turn cold. You must be dreaming. That ought to explain everything. You slowly brought your hands close together and pinched the soft flesh between your thumb and index finger. It hurt. You were still there. The guns were still there.
You muttered out a weak curse as one of the shadowy guys sneaked behind you.
"Gosh, the king will be in a sour mood." The kinder sounding short guy muttered.
You tried to reason with them. You didn't steal anything after all. You barely vandalized the property (that one petal wasn't even fully your fault. Who paints flowers in the early morning? Who does that at all!?). You didn't even break in on purpose (you later learned that this was a public garden anyway).
Sadly, whatever problem they had with you couldn't be solved with a simple apology.
"Sorry, kid. It's the law." The dice headed guys said in unison, the shadowy guys nodded along. "Any Lightner caught in the Heart Kingdom must be brought before the king!" They continued. While they brought you to the obviously visible castle you saw when you left the garden, you asked your captors a bunch of questions. Thankfully, they were happy to answer (or at least not so annoyed with your curiosity).
You now knew that the short, dice headed guys were Pippins. The tall shadowy figures were Shadow Guys. You were informed about this world, the Dark World, within that Wonderland, and within that the Heart Kingdom. Your world was the Light World, hence why they called you a "Lightner".
You wondered what had happened here that caused that law, on account which you were "arrested", to be made. You even asked about it. They all just shrugged.
"To be fair, you're the first Lightner we've seen here. Dunno what the king has against you, but you seem chill so far."
You sighed. "You know... if only you guys know about my presence..." They all looked at you, interested. "You could just let me go. No one has to know I was here. There must be a way I could go home, and you guys wouldn't have to deal with... your king being in a sour mood."
They all hummed. Sadly, one of them waved your idea off.
"Nah, someone else might find you. We could get in trouble." They nodded at the objection. You groaned. You still held onto your hope that this was all a dream.
You all entered through the main entrance. Right at the main hall you saw how overly decorated it was, though it had some taste to it. What caught your attention was the tapestry hung at the walls. All of them had a reoccurring character, whom you assumed was the king they were talking about before.
He had a TV for a head, with a long straight nose. You had to look closely, but you could make out tiny hearts on his screen. Were those supposed to be freckles? Or just mascara?
"Penelope, we have a Lightner here! You must let us see his Highness right now!" A Pippins who escorted you screeched. "Can't you at least call Elnina or Lanino?! Maybe Ramb?! MIKE?!" They slammed their little palms onto the marble counter.
The Pippins behind it sighed in frustration, which continued into a yawn. "Like... I said before." The sleepiness was still evident in her voice. "We must announce them first. King Tenna is busy. Duke Lanino and Duchess Elnina are finishing up the preparations for tomorrow's teaparty. Sir Ramb... I have no idea where he is and Mike... now that guy is a mystery of its own."
The Pippins groaned. Seems like it was going to be a long day for everyone.
Your ears picked up on the sounds of metal clanking. Someone was approaching and you assumed they were wearing some kind of armour. Your assumptions were proven right.
A short, bulky figure appeared at the entrance. A few Pippinses greeted him respectfully; others simply ignored him.
"What's the commotion?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. The Pippins behind the counter, as if she was hit by lightning, straightened up.
"Sir Ramb!" She yelped. Your escorts straightened their posture too. "We were... just about to ask for you."
You just managed to catch the doubt in the man's smile. Maybe he's just not that important here. His eyes soon turned to you.
"My, oh my. Is that a Lightner?" He asked, amused. He stepped closer, looking over you in curiosity. "Not something you see every day, eh? And on the day before the tea party. The King won't like it one bit."
You started to feel uncomfortable. Was your presence really that big of a deal?
"Oh well, we just have to make sure he won't see you then." He cheered. Everyone in the room froze at the suggestion.
"Sir Ramb! That's-"
He waved the concerned Pippins off. "I know. That guy's got eyes everywhere. Well, anyhow, today's not yer lucky day, kid." He patted your back. "I'll take it from here. You guys, get back to work!"
You and Ramb exchanged pleasantries as he took you to the kitchen. You were offered some fruit, they smelled and tasted sweet, and a glass of water. You felt a tad bit more comfortable after eating.
"How'd 'ya get here anyway?" Ramb asked. "Lightners don't just pop up out of nowhere. Though, I guess in your case..."
You told him about your nightly endeavours at the school, how you just woke up under the rose bush and so on. He quietly listened.
"Peculiar a situation, I'll give 'ya that." He said as he drank his own beverage. After a big gulp, he put the cup down enthusiastically. "You don't plan on staying here, eh?"
You shook your head. Even if this all looked very interesting, you'd rather come here on your own volition.
"That settles it." Ramb stood up from his seat. "I know a way out. The King's a workaholic, so-"
With a thunderous thud, the door to the kitchen burst open. Two armoured Pippinses marched in and walked right next to Ramb.
"Sir Ramb, the king called for you and the Lightner." One of them announced, with a salute. You and Ramb slowly looked at each other. He let out a slow, heavy sigh before reaching for the pipe on his belt, popping the narrower end into his mouth. "We were sent as helpers to escort you and the Lightner to the throne room."
Ramb took a long breath from his pipe, then let out a big cloud of the vapour into the air. "Wonderful..."
Slowly, but surely you were in the throne room.
A long and wide red carpet connected the throne and the entrance door. On its two sides, large, armoured men stood, straight as an arrow. Their clothes were mostly blue (if you could even call those clothes, since they seemed impossibly tight, stretched up to their heads and completely blocked their faces). At the end of the room, on top of a short staircase was the throne. Large, adorned with gold and ruby red roses.
But it was empty.
On the right side to the throne stood another somewhat smaller throne, made of silver, decorated with snow white roses. Next to that throne were two even smaller ones. These were made of steel. On them sat two figures. A woman and a man. Both looked elegant, poised and proud. Their appearance made it clear to whoever was looking at them, that they had power and weren't afraid to use it. The man had the head of a crescent moon, while the woman had big, fluffy hair. You wondered if she was wearing a cloud on her head.
Once Ramb arrived at the bottom of the staircase he cleared his throat.
"Duke Lanino, Duchess Elnina." He greeted them. "Where's Te- I mean, where's His Majesty?"
The pair had their eyes on you. Judging you for a crime you had no idea you committed. Maybe they had a verdict too...
Slowly, the woman, Elnina you presume, lifted her index finger. A silent order for you to wait.
Suddenly, darkness fell upon the room. You heard a weak sigh come from the thrones. It sounded tired.
With a loud creak of its hinges, the large doors to the throne room opened. You didn't even notice when they were closed at first. Fully spread, the silhouette of a tall figure appeared, a bright light shone behind them.
You thought this must be him. The man from the tapestries. The King of Hearts.
Slowly, the figure came closer. Your heart was beating in your throat.
To your absolute disappointment (and maybe relief) it was only a very tall stand a few Pippinses pushed into the room. They probably used it for cleaning. The light quickly came back into the room.
"Huh, pretty anticlimactic, don't you think?" A staticky voice rang next to your ear. You fell onto the floor in shock.
"Your Majesty." Ramb sighed. The man who just elevated your heart beating by a hundred kept his gaze at you, the tip of his fingers covered his mouth.
"Forgive me! I just couldn't miss it." He finished it with a sassy chuckle, before offering you his hand to help you up. You accepted it out of courtesy. The man made you twirl when you got up before letting your hand go.
There was no mistaking in it. The TV head, with the little hearts on the screen... the deep red gown... the wiggling antennas next to the crown... the long, prominent nose...
"Lightner, let me introduce you." Ramb began his speech while you stood up. "His Majesty, King (Ant) Tenna. The King of Hearts." During the introduction Tenna made his way to his golden throne and sat down, making himself comfortable with resting his head in the palm of his hand.
A cheeky smile ran across his screen. The little hearts where you assumed his cheeks would be gave him a friendly look. Your guts told you not to trust him, but you accepted that you found him cute.
"So..." Tenna clicked his tongue. "You're the Lightner who's wreaking havoc in my kingdom?"
Your breath got stuck in your throat. You tried to defend yourself, saying how it was a big misunderstanding, since you didn't even want to come here.
"Ah, so you think my kingdom is trash." You were baffled by his claim. Why was he putting words in your mouth? "I get it. Everyone's got different tastes... but to think so harshly..."
You objected of course. "I don't think it's trash, Your Majesty. I mean, I didn't really get the chance to fully explore it, but-"
Tenna cut into your words. "And yet you want to leave sooo bad. What does that prove, if not the fact that you don't like it here?" You felt you were going to hate this guy.
"To be fair, I was arrested the moment I woke up here." Tenna hummed at your words.
"Yeah, that would explain a few things." He stood up from his throne and approached you. "In that case, it's up to me to show you around."
The air froze in the throne room.
"Y-your Majesty-" The woman at the steel throne stuttered.
"You can't actually-" The man next to her continued. Tenna lifted a hand.
"It's decided." His voice echoed in the room. "We have more than enough time before the party starts anyway, and it's been a while since I last looked at the roses."
With a small group of his attendants, you, Ramb and Tenna set for the garden, where you woke up. To your surprise, there were white roses blooming there, but only in the north-east and south-west quarters.
In the heart of the garden a small pavilion was built. It had a pretty table, surrounded by chairs that matched its design. The building itself was surrounded by yellow rose bushes.
"Oh, would you look at that!" Tenna cheered. He was looking at his wrist, even though he wasn't wearing a watch. "Oh, it's not here." He then started to dig around his breast pocket. He pulled out a seemingly never-ending handkerchief, then a really short one, and then a pocket watch. It acted like a pocket picture holder when he opened it. It had photos of a clock, photographed at different hand positions. Tenna was looking through them.
"Aha!" He pointed at a picture, on which the clock's hands showed the time being 5 minutes past 2 p.m. "Oh my! We are late for teatime." He hurriedly put the pictures back into the watch.
The table was set by the attendants right before you two sat down. Ramb was leaning against one of the wooden supports and smoking from his pipe. Tenna's nose shrank into the screen, until it disappeared completely.
"He keeps smoking that stuff. It's disgusting." He grunted, sipping from his yet to be filled cup. You shot him a confused look.
"If it bothers you, why don't you ask him to stop?" He was the king, so it should be within his power to order such a thing. Or was Ramb important after all?
Tenna answered with a sway of his hand. "I tried once. You know what he started doing?" You shook your head. "He started drinking it. It tainted all the tea sets." You looked at your cup with concern.
"Still better than when I was eating it." Ramb shot back with the pipe dangling in his mouth. "Crunchy in the middle, soft on the outside." Tenna made a so convincing disgusted face, you thought he would pass out right then and there.
"Anyways." He turned his screen to you. His big TV head rested on the back of his hands. Next to him, an attendant held his teacup upside down above the pot. You watched in amazement as the tea pour upwards into the small porcelain cup. "How do you like it so far? Not so bad, eh?"
You took a sip of your tea before giving an answer. The taste was odd for a tea. Warm and sweet, but sticky like it was some kind of syrup. You figured they must've gone overboard with the sugar.
"It's very nice." You set the cup onto its plate. "I mean... it's not the whole kingdom, I know. But this garden is so beautiful. The design is interesting, but... I like it."
Tenna hummed in satisfaction. He put his nose into the tea and started to drink it like that. When he pulled it out, a small white rose bloomed at the tip. "Then... does that mean you don't want to leave anymore?"
You were a bit taken aback by his question. "We... well..." You didn't understand why he was so keen on keeping you here. What you thought didn't matter anyway, you had to go back. You had a job to back home. Someone surely broke in while you were here. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. As tempting it is for me to explore this world a bit more, I must go home."
Tenna's smile dropped the moment you said your apology. "I understand." He carefully stood up from his seat. "However, may I invite you for a quick croquet match?" In a gentlemanly fashion, he offered his hand to you. "Won't take long, I promise. After you beat me, I'll show you the way out of here."
You smiled with him at his joke. You grabbed his hand and got up from your seat. "I guess I have some time for that. I must warn you though." You two walked side by side as you approached the small croquet court at the end of the garden. "I'm not the best at this game."
A kind smile ran across Tenna's screen. "Oh, that won't be a problem at all. It's all for fun, after all."
Like Tenna said, the game didn't last long, but in turn was that much more fun. He hit the ball with so much enthusiasm it was like he was playing golf. You felt bad for the ball though.
In the end, you lost by a few points.
"Wow! This was the best game I played in a while. I'm pretty pumped. How about another round?" Tenna cheered, handing you a ball. You gave your rocket to an attendant.
"I'm sorry. I think it's time I go home."
Tenna's antennas drooped. "Right. Well, I hope you'll come back soon! Too-da-loo!" With that, he turned back to the ball on the ground, ready to strike. You stood behind him, confused.
"Uhm... Your Majesty..." He hit the ball, and it flew out of the garden. "You said you'd show me where the exit is."
Tenna turned to you. He rested his weight on the rocket. "Yes. After you 'beat' me. I won the round. So..." He drummed his fingers on the handle.
You felt panic build up in you. "But... I have no idea how to get home."
Tenna put the rocket onto his shoulders now. "Then don't. Wonderland has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment. I personally suggest-"
You cut him off. "No. You don't understand. I really have to go home. Please, I need your help."
You swear you could see the hearts on his cheek turn a darker shade of red... they were almost black now. You felt guilty at the possibility of offending him, but he went back on his promise.
"Well." He put the rocket back to the ground. "Then challenge me to another round."
You cocked an eyebrow at what he had just said. "Challenge you?" He nodded.
"State your wish, and if you win, I am obligated by Wonderlandian law to grant it. But if you lose, you'll have to do what I want you to."
You had a bad feeling creeping up in you. You turned your gaze to Ramb, which Tenna noticed.
"Only I and the other royals of Wonderland know the whereabouts of the exit." He added. Gently, like when he helped you up from the table, he offered his hand to you. "So, what is your wish?"
Your body froze on the spot. "What is yours?" You asked, unsure. This earned a pout from Tenna.
"I have many wishes and desires. But I guess..." His gaze wandered up to the sky. "I'd like you spend the next 24 hours here in my kingdom."
You couldn't believe this guy. "You know what? Forget it. I'll just ask someone else." You almost bumped into the Shadow Guy who mysteriously sneaked behind you, blocking your path.
"Sadly, the other royals are rather busy getting ready for tomorrow, so I don't think they'll bother with you." You looked back at Tenna. No matter how soft his smile looked, paired with the fact that he didn't have eyes, looking at it made you shiver. "Besides, what are the chances of me winning twice in a row?"
Either probability worked differently in Wonderland, or you just had bad luck today, you ended up losing again. Like a good sportsman, Tenna offered to shake hands with you.
"Another good game!" He cheered, joy radiating from his screen. You, on the other hand, felt terrible. Suddenly, your wrists felt heavy. Looking down on them, you saw a pair of vambraces snapping onto your arms. They came out of nowhere.
"Wha-what are these?" You asked, baffled.
"Those will ensure that you won't leave the premises of my kingdom. And that means you can't leave Wonderland too for the next 24 hours." Tenna explained, his arm now resting on his sword (how did you not notice that on him before?).
"You are free to spend the night at my castle." He continued as he walked past you, towards the garden's exit. You watched in frustration as he turned back towards you. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here!"