Aubrey in Wonderland IV

All the while, falling down the hole, Aubrey could only think of one thing. "Mother was right." She said, looking around at the assortment of knickknacks and bric-a-brac that seemed to fall up from her. "This is an awfully long fall."

Since Aubrey was born, Alice had told her of the many fantastical adventures she had as a young girl. With such detail and excitement the stories were recalled that of course Aubrey believed that her mother was telling her of real life experiences, despite what some other people said. She knew the tales frontwards, backwards, and sideways.

And yet, there was something different.

As Aubrey continued to descend, the strangely suspended objects changed. The books she knew were there had clumps of pages torn out. Globes of a not so foreign land, Wonderland, had areas smeared out as if smudged with black paint.
It worried Aubrey until she saw an old photograph. Reaching out to grab it, she saw it was one of her mother, the black and white image showing a smiling face of a twenty or so year old Alice standing next to a then-only-a-close-acquaintance Victor Schliemann. On the back of the photograph, there was written a short note in unfamiliar handwriting.

"Thy loving smile will surely hail
the love-gift of a fairy tale."

The note made Aubrey feel better and so she folded it up and placed it in the little pocket on the side of her dress. "Oh," she said, looking down. "I'm almost there." And just as the words left her mouth, the floor rushed up to meet her. It was obviously eager to make an impression. "Ow." Aubrey said, almost confused, rubbing at the red spot on her elbow that was surely to become a bruise.

The room that she had fallen into wasn't the same as the one her mother described. There were rows of doors still, but they were in different shapes as well as sizes. They walls were colorfully decorated with mismatched strips of wallpaper, making the room feel more like a Christmas present than a hall.

"I knew she'd make it!" A familiar voice exclaimed behind the girl, surprising her and causing her to spin around. Willy stood proudly on his hind legs, flat cap askew on his scaly little head. The dormouse fellow looked less pleased, but at least a little grateful to be down the hole. Finally, the rabbit stepped forward.

"Miss Aubrey?" He asked, and the girl in question nodded. "Well, come along then. Get up, brush yourself off." The white rabbit stared as Aubrey rose to her feet, squinting up at her face. "My dear girl, have you eaten some cake already?"

"Excuse me?"

"You are much taller than Alice was, even at fourteen." He seems bewildered by the difference and Aubrey was equally bewildered by his fascination.

"… Well, my father is exceptionally tall." She said slowly, unsure if he was looking for an explanation.

"Never mind that, will you!" The dormouse squeaked, stomping a tiny foot on the floor. "We need her to be big this time anyway!"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" The rabbit started, taking off down the hall. "Come now, Alice – Oh! I mean, Aubrey!" Finally, after many turns that everyone was certain weren't there before, they reached a door. It was big and largely unimpressive except for the little present hanging from its doorknob. Carefully, Aubrey took it, unwrapping it with gentle motions until a tiny pepper shaker tumbled into her hand.

"Oh, the irony." The dormouse yawned. Perhaps that was why he was so grumpy, Aubrey thought, maybe he was tired. Although she couldn't find what was so ironic about a pepper shaker. Glancing down to the animals at her feet, she hesitantly sprinkled some on the doorknob, jumping back when violently, the door sneezed wide open.

The rabbit didn't hesitate in scurrying around Aubrey's feet and out the door into the wilderness ahead of them, the other animals followed, Willy shouting "Come on, Miss!"

Aubrey leapt after them, pushing the branches of purple leaved trees out of her way and hopping over plump, chartreuse mushrooms. "Excuse me, Mr. Rabbit? Where are we going?" she called out, thoroughly confused as to why they were in such a rush.

"It's not safe out here, Miss!" he said over his shoulder. He gave a sudden cry and dove behind a thicket just as a great shadow roamed over the group. Aubrey followed his lead, hiding behind a tree before sneaking a glance at the sky.

Above them soared a mighty gryphon, his wings outspread the length of a trolley car. A black sash stood out on his tawny feathered chest, golden eyes scanning the ground beneath him. Aubrey's heart skipped a beat as the sharp gaze zeroed in on her tree and with a shrill cry, the gryphon shifted to a dive. Aubrey managed to take two steps before a pair of arms grabbed her, pulling her into a crouch as a loud crash of snapping branches and gryphon shrieks tangled with each other. Then, another voice mingled with it.

"Get out of here, traitor! Be gone with your scaly claws, feather brained turncoat!" Aubrey realized that the arms were protecting her, their owner shielding her from the fight. With a final screech, she heard the gryphon take off again. The arms released her, causing the girl to stumble forward a little before collecting herself and turning to face her saviors.

Before her stood two young men, shoulder to shoulder they were exactly the same relatively tall height, but they looked like opposites. The one on the right, the one that had held her, was fair skinned with lavender blonde hair; his face was open and bright. The left one was dark haired and dark eyed, the stern look on his face reminding Aubrey of a soldier. The impression was only heightened by the odd mixture of armor and military uniform that both men wore, one in white, one in red. Hesitantly, she curtsied, something that felt slightly awkward due to lack of practice.

A smile broke out on the light one's face, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "So polite." He gave a bow, taking Aubrey's hand in his and giving it a gentle kiss. "Pleased to finally meet you, Miss Aubrey, I am Sir Corvin, White Knight of the Looking Glass." Aubrey blushed, wordlessly staring into the Knight's violet-blue eyes. Suddenly, a red gloved hand shoved him away, the other man making a disgusted noise.

"Get a hold of yourself, Corvin! She's only fourteen!" The man's voice was demanding, but the White Knight wasn't intimidated.

"Funny how opposed you are to affection when not around your little–" Another shove cut off the end of that sentence.

While Corvin tried to smother a laugh, the dark-haired man straightened up, clearing his throat before talking. "I am Sir Rufus, Red Knight of the Looking Glass. And we are here to escort you to the Tea Party Brigade."