Rain pattered against the ground, the road and sidewalks were vacant. The fearful King was powerless here. He was in a world so different from Wonderland. He was in the Human Realm. Lightning struck the clearing in front of him, causing him to let out a distressed and fearful squeak. He shivered as his small frame was pelted with cold drops of water, and his clothes were soaked.
Earlier that day, he was perfectly fine. Earlier that day, he sat at the throne, eating sweets and drinking wine. Earlier that day, Redd's forces attacked. Red wine stained the white carpets. Or was it blood? Bodies lined the floors. Card soldiers, pawns, knights, bishops.. And now, the King was helpless. His guardian, the Hatter, rushed him to the Pool of Tears as a quick transport to another realm, as long as they were away from the queen's Jabberwocky. And now, he had no protection. He'd slipped from his guardian's reach, and they were split up, miles away from each other..
Now, the King was deep in Great Britain. He wouldn't stick out if he would've had proper attire. He looked like a joker in his outfit. The small male's Old English accent matched that of the Britt's, but he really wished he didn't wear stockings today. In any case, he needed to find some new clothing. He was absolutely soaked and freezing. "Excuse me..? Do you have a spare set of clothing?" The small King enquired, looking up at the other person, gentleness and fear in his soft blue eyes.
The guy in front of him was completely drenched, but Aaron's interest was more piqued by the melodious voice of the stranger. "Uhm, sure… I reside a few streets away. I had intended to see my brother right away, but I suppose... that can wait. Would you mind following me?"
"Y-You're not taking me to m-my death, are you?" The smaller male asked carefully, tilting his head and craning his neck to look up to him. "I'm not gonna die, right?" he whimpered, a slight pout appearing on his face. "I'm so lost…", he added sadly, looking down as his shoulders drooped. "I'm afraid I'll never find my way home."
"My, my. You must have had a terrible day", Aaron chuckled faintly, after listening intentively. He noticed how disstressed the other was and gave his new acquaintance a reassuring smile. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm pretty sure we can figure something out. You'll be back home in no time."
"You'll never believe my story, Sir" The king shook his head. "Halfway through the first sentence, I would be admitted to a psych ward..."
"Are you in Redd's army?" The small male asked nervously fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. "My guard must be worried out of his mind…" He muttered without lifting his gaze from the ground.
Aaron shook his head, an amused smile lingering on his lips. "No, am I looking like a soldier to you?" He carefully followed the other's every word, but he was still unable to decipher his tale. He decided against asking again because doing so would appear impolite. "But who's that Redd? I never heard this name before… and why do you need a guard?"
"You've never heard of Re-... Never mind."
It took the king a moment to realize that the Human Realm wouldn't have Wonderlands soldiers. "I guess you don't." He smiled, giggling at his error. "Redd is no one special." He added, shaking his head.
"No one special… Perhaps he was your insane ex-boyfriend, whom you now fear, as a result of your breakup with him? That would unquestionably account for the guard and your costume…" Aarons voice was playfully teasing. "But – no, I think it wasn't like this… You're afraid of something else… Let me think. Maybe I can guess it…"
"Not at all. Redd is a woman." The small male also giggled, but then his eyes turned grave again. "I'm terrified… But I'm worried that if I tell you the story, you won't believe me." He shook his head, sighing softly.
"It's okay, really. You don't have to tell me the whole story, if you don't like to. We all have our secrets, haven't we?" Aaron replied. He suddenly recalled the downpour in which they were still. "-doesn't seem like it's going to end soon… Here, till we're getting home, you can have my jacket. You must be freezing."
The person, who was already lightly shivering, took the jacket. He draped the coat over his small shoulders, the presence of the other's body warmth warming his own. "Thank you for lending me your jacket."
"It's fine. I'm going to hope it will help keep you a little warmer until we get there. I don't want you to catch a cold, so let's move along a little faster. " Aaron said smiling and took the hand of the stranger and began to run. "This ought to help you get a little warmer."
The small male squeaked as his hand was grabbed and immediately tugged forward, stumbling a bit before he could match the other's gate. "Is there shelter anywhere near..?" he asked, shivering as cold drops of water stung his face as he ran.
"Sure, we're almost there. Can you see the last house in this street, over there? My apartment is on the first floor. Some of my clothes will be provided and you can take a hot shower or a bath, if you'd like to."
"Ahh- I see it!" He smiled, grateful that somebody would take him in. He never thought he would be in this situation. "Thank you so much!"
Aaron took his keys out of his bag and unlocked the door. "Please come in."