Into Wonderland

Pomefiore

TW: Violence, descriptions of death

Mc coughs and sputters, sand flying out of their mouth and landing on the soft grass in front of them. They gag as they spit more and more out of their mouth, recoiling at the foul taste it left in their mouth.

"That..." They groan. "Was the worst one yet. He had good intentions, but..." They trail off when they hear a soft lullaby in the distance. Mc looks at the woods around them, then their eyes trail up the massive castle they woke up in front of. The old stone is cleaned to perfection, the large stained glass windows reflecting the bright sunlight and casting colorful shadows across the small garden they stand in. Even the vines seem to spiral up the walls and the flowers attached to them seem to blossom perfectly, not a single petal wilting or discolored.

The voice continues to sing, the soft song turning into a melancholy one as Mc creeps through the garden, running their hand along the smooth stone. They turn and see a small boy, his delicate face twisted into a sad smile as he sings into an old wishing well. Despite his clothes being tattered and worn, his soft features remind Mc of a cherub, with his light brown eyes reflecting the water down below, dark hair contracting with his pale skin that sparkles in the sun.

He was the prettiest boy Mc had ever seen.

Turning the corner, they lightly call out to him. "U-uhm, hello!" They boy jumps up, face flushing a light pink before he smiles fondly at them.

"Oh, hello!" He slowly walks up to them, bowing his head slightly. He stares up at them with his doe-like eyes, making them stammer as something moves in the woods out of the corner of their eye. They jolt and look over, only to see the same forest that had always been there. Taking a shaky sigh, they decide to try to talk to the boy again.

"Your voice is very nice to listen to..." They compliment. The boy beams.

"You think so? That's so good to hear!" He chirps happily. The birds in the garden seem to mimic him with their own chirps, circling around the boy happily. "You look lost, though. Is something the matter?"

Mc smiles and nods. "Yes, I've actually been trying to find my way home for quite some time now-"

"Oh! I can help you with that!" They boy grabs their hands and leads them past the wishing well, pushing the heavy wooden door open and leading them through the castle. They stare at the various paintings on the walls. Flowers, vast, empty fields, sparkling gemstones. They pause when they see a painting of a regal looking man, his purple eyes staring down at the duo sharply, corners of his perfectly painted lips quirked up in a smile that would be friendly, if it weren't for the way the rest of his face appeared scrutinizing. They boy noticed their stares and smiled, pulling their hand and pointing up at the man.

"He's very beautiful, isn't he?" Mc nods in agreement. "That's my stepbrother, Vil Schoenheit. He's been running this house since our parents both..." He trails off, lip quivering. Mc tries to comfort him by rubbing his shoulder. He smiles up at them and continues to leads them through the hallway.

"Oh! I never told you my name!" He turns to them and ducks his head in another bow. "I'm Neige LeBlanche!"

"Mc Crowley," They smile at him. He nods and continues to lead them until they're stopped by a tall man wearing a large, wide brimmed hat. He smiles down at Mc, placing a hand over his heart and kneeling down. He smiles up at them widely, bright green eyes making them wary of the man's actions.

"Pardon, dear guest," He turns back to Neige and smiles at the boy. "Ma reine requested assistance in preparing his robes for the meeting with the nobles tomorrow."

"Ah, right," They boy nods. "Uhm, Rook?"

"Hm?"

"Could you please help Mc here try to find their way home? I was just bringing them to Vil to see if he had anything-"