Wonderoz Chapter Fourteen: Tweelde Dee & Tweedle Dum

“A rose milady?”

Alice blushed bashfully as Snap extended a single red rose out towards her. She hid her face behind her serving tray. “Thank you.” She mewed and reached out with meek fingers to receive the gift.

“Oh, don’t hide that pretty face.” Snap  pushed the tray down. “Much better.” He placed the rose gently into Alice’s hair.

Behind him the twins watched with a palpable irritability. Dee felt more like a protective older brother. But Dum was swelling with protective male hormones for the girl who made his heart roar.

“I wish you’d stop.” Dee huffed as he stacked menus.

“I can’t help it.” Dum retorted. “It’s him,” he sniffed, motioning towards Snap who was still flirting with Alice.

“It’s obvious she likes him too.” Dee gritted his teeth as he said this, realizing how angry it also made him.

Dum smirked. “See? It bothers you just as much as it bothers me.”

“We‘ve done all we can now.” Dee said, pulling out the Pearl they had purchased from Snap. He had placed the Pearl in a tiny bottle and attached it to a chain. “She’ll just have to learn for herself what he’s like.”

Dum’s eyes saddened. “I can’t bare that.”

“I know.” Dee sighed. “I won’t be able to stomach it either but…” Dee took a long breath. “But it will be for her own good.”

“Hopefully her sister will save her in time.” Dum murmured.

“Ah!” Dee was happy for a change in conversation. “The sister! Dorothy. I am excited to meet her.”

“She’s the older,” Dum mused dreamily. “So I bet she’s taller and is rowdy.”

Dee laughed at his brother. “What makes you think that?”

“Aren’t the older siblings normally more out going? And since she’s older she’ll obvious be taller.” Dum answered from his stunted imagination.

Dee rolled his eyes. “From the way Alice talks about her, I bet she’s tough but understanding. I picture her like Uncle Henry.” He ignored Dum‘s rolling eyes. “At least I hope Dorothy is as dependable as Uncle Henry is.” He said as they walked off behind the bar.

“Maybe we can ask Caterpillar if we can see Dorothy tonight.” Dum said. “Like in a vision, or something. She can do stuff like that, right?”

Dee shrugged. “I dunno. Do you know what Caterpillar does?”

“No.” Dum muttered.

“She’s the heir after all. I mean, if the Witches and the Wizard will allow her to take power and Ozma doesn’t return.” Dee waited for Dum’s reaction. “Doesn’t that seem amazing to you? We could be in the company of the most powerful woman in all of Wonderoz!”

“That’s just it,” Dum huffed. “No one is going to give up their power. The witches. The Wizard. No one.”

“But Alice and Dorothy are the rightful heirs! Things will work in their favor to restore the natural order of things.” Dee cocked his face into his brother’s. “They are blessed with the magic after all.”

Dum looked up as Alice came bouncing to the bar, the rose tucked neatly and beautifully in her hair. “I need some Curiosity.”

“Roses suit you.” Dum blushed.

Alice’s blush became brighter. “Oh, thanks!” She giggled and hovered her fingers around the flower. “Snap gave it to me.”

“Really?” Dum sniffed.

“Excuse me.” A man behind Alice beckoned. “I have a message for you from Dorothy.”

Alice nearly jumped around and wrapped her arms around the man. “Really?” She started to babble excitedly. “You’ve seen her? Is she okay? Where is she at? Has something bad happened to her?”

The Mad Wizard smiled. “Dorothy is completely safe and wonderful. She just wanted me to tell you she’s on her way but-”

Alice shrunk. “But?”

The Mad Wizard chuckled. “But it is going to take her some time. You see, some very bad people are after you-”

“The Queen of Hearts.” Alice replied.

The Mad Wizard’s smile waned and he rapped his fingers. “It’s not cute when you interrupt people like that, darling. Very unbecoming."

Alice frowned. "Neither is it cute to treat a stranger so poorly." She snipped back. "I will surely speak my mind when I see for to, sir."

“Anyways,” the Mad Wizard took a quick breath, waiting to see if Alice interrupted him again. “Said bad people are after you and will be able to track you much easier if you two are together. As such, she is waiting on me, I am the Wizard by the way, to finish something that should protect you.”

Alice raised her hand.

“You may speak.” The Mad Wizard said rolling his hand.

“What are we waiting on for you to finish?” Alice asked.

“A spell to protect you.” The Mad Wizard answered. “You both have magic that protects you now, but it isn’t good enough because you’ve been gone for so long.”

Alice spoke up again. “When did you see Dorothy?”

“Within in the last twenty-four hours. I would of gotten here sooner but I had planning to do for the spell and such.” The Mad Wizard explained.

“What’s she like?” Dum asked.

The Mad Wizard cleared his throat. “Well, you two know me well enough to know that I cower to no being in all of wonder. But in Dorothy’s presence I am certainly the lesser man.”

“That’s my sister.” Alice said chipperly. “Did she say anything else?”

“Only that if you need anything you can contact her through me.” The Mad Wizard said laying his hand on his chest.

Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of matches from the cabaret. She opened it and wrote something very quickly inside. “Will you give this to her.”

“Written messages can be very dangerous-”

“No.” Alice cut him off very quickly. “This is okay. I wrote down their names.” She said motioning to the twins. “Anybody in Wonderoz will have a packet of matches just like this. But if Dorothy knows this is from me, and if anything should happen, she’ll know who to turn to.”

The Mad Wizard smiled proudly. “Nice job.” He took the matches and stuck them up underneath his hat. “I’ll get these to her as soon as I possibly can.”

“Please do.” Alice murmured.

The Mad Wizard tapped the brim of his hat. “That’s a beautiful rose in your hair.” He said then turned and disappeared into the crowd of people in the cabaret.

“Wasn’t the Wizard betrothed to Dorothy before everything fell to shit?” Dum asked a little too loudly.

As Alice turned to question Dum about his little outburst, across the room the Mad Wizard and Snap’s eyes locked. Time around them slowed to a snail’s pace. And the Mad Wizard saw the knowing smirk grow across Snap’s face. It was an Ah-Ha moment of sudden death.

“Betrothed?” Alice asked. “So is that how he’s able to contact my sister?”

The twins shrugged. “Maybe.”

Alice cocked her head slightly, “So if Dorothy was betrothed does that mean I was too?”

“I think so.” Dee hummed. “If my memory on history serves me correct, it was to the Jack of Hearts.”

Dum gasped. “She was supposed to marry the Queen of Hearts’ son?” He started to laugh but coughed. “What the hell for?”

Dee scoffed. “I don’t know, to fix their relations with the Queen. I mean, the Wizard is the son of the Witch of the North. I suppose it makes sense they make friends with the obvious threats to power.”

“So where is this Jack now?” Alice asked.

The twins shook their heads. “Don’t know.”

“He disappeared.” Answered Dum.

“After some horrible accident.” A knowing smile crossed Dee’s face. “Rumor has it that he got the Queen so super mad she bashed his brains in and set him on fire.”

Alice gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “That’s horrible!”

“Yeah,” Dum snorted. “So they had someone fix him up good as new and he just vanished.”

Alice lowered her hands. “So he’s just gone?”

“Not just gone,” Dee replied. “Just not known about.”