The Chessboard Undead Prince

Chapter the Eleventh

As dawn broke on the day of the festivities, the kingdom buzzed with excitement. From every corner, villagers emerged dressed in the most peculiar ensembles imaginable. Purple cats. Blue-haired Knaves. Ladies with hair dyed of a variety of gemstones. The Pink diamond wore lace dresses overflowing with roses. Obsidian draped head-to-foot in ravens' wings. Canary with bright sunflowers of bursting sunshine tucked into their bustles. Little girls wore tutus and tiaras. Glass-blown fairy wings were attached to their shoulders, almost gossamer. Some were dressed in fluffy rabbit skins holding black cauldrons of chocolate coins, and being chased by boys as stumpy Leprechauns. No one was spared from the madness of fashion on this extraordinary day.

Tumbling jesters donning the strangest of all. Twisted crowns of long thorns and briars. Small with blossoming flowerings were stabbed through the two-inch thorns. Their porcelain faces were slashed with red lipstick, their teeth filed to sharp points, dressed like white ghosts. Their eyes were a milky- blue.

But it wasn't just their appearance that raised eyebrows; it was their antics. They cartwheeled down the cobblestone streets, juggling teacups and saucers with reckless abandon. They sang songs that made no sense and danced dances that defied logic. They were, in short, a sight to behold.

"Bats and bees make me sneeze!

In the land of whimsy, where nonsense decrees,

There lived a Red King, quite large and grand,

With a crown of rubies and a sceptre in hand.

"He ruled over shadows and dreams unbound,

In a kingdom where silence made barely a sound.

But one day as he slumbered under the sky so blue,

The Red King's breath bid its last adieu.

"No wail, no whimper, just a soft sigh,

As his spirit took flight to the ethereal sky.

The courtiers wept, the jesters did wail,

For the Red King's departure left a void, oh so frail.

"But in Wonderland's tapestry, where reality blends,

Death is just another twist in the tale it sends.

So let's raise a cup to the Red King's reign,

In the land of whimsy, where nonsense shall always reign."

"Have the cheese slipped off their crackers?" squawked the lords.

"Never mind, my dear. Have some more tea and treacle."

As the day wore on and tea flowed freely and in Estela, there was the line between reality and whimsy was always a bit blurred, no one seemed to mind too much.

Elise marched back to her rooms, freezing her nuts off. She needed her fluffy slippers and a nice cup of tea.

"ELLIUS!"

Her already shivering body froze.

Adonis came bounding towards the Princess of Estela, eyes gleaming. She suddenly felt a twinge of fire bubbling within her. How dare he show his face after abandoning her the night before Father announced my marriage to that repulsive pig-man?

Her fist curled into her side and she spun around and—

Her punch connected his face, breaking his nose with a solid CRACK! sending him crashing to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The Knights, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if perhaps the princess had finally lost her marbles.