“Help. Or die.”

I could see the fear in his eyes. Ryeowook had told me in the morning - it seemed like an eternity ago - how the Mad Hatter was feared by everyone. I could see he wasn’t only speaking in admiration. The name of the Mad Hatter really was useful after all.

I took a step forward, and could see him flinch. I smiled even more as my body was using the Mad Hatter’s memories to create the ‘Mad’ effect on my lips.

“Help or die”, I repeated.

He bit his lower lip.

“You would never kill me. You’re a newcomer. An outsider. You’re… you’re…”

“I. Am. The. Mad Hatter. Or maybe you would believe me more easily if I had my tailcoat and my walking stick. But hey, I don’t have that leg problem anymore, so I wouldn’t need the cane, I guess.”

I could see him frowning, and my eyes narrowed as I walked in his direction.

“I don’t have the consequences of the only time you managed to touch me with your sword anymore. Remember? You tried to kill me countless times. You only managed to cut my Achilles’ tendon. It eventually healed with time, but I could never use my leg as freely as before. I used to have this cane to be chic. I ended up needing it to walk properly.”

He was moving back as I approached him, until his back hit the wall. All the guards were around us, ready to attack, but still not moving. I got closer and closer to the Knave, and once I was facing him, I smiled, almost as crazily as Zhou Mi.

“You never told you master that you failed to kill me. He would’ve killed you. And I will kill you if you don’t cooperate. I want to talk to the King. You can even be present if you want to make sure I won’t kill him. Come on, Knave. Make your choice.”

He stayed silent for a while, before closing his eyes, trembling.

“Please. Please help the King. Please help him become a good King.”

I lost my crazy smile and let it become a normal, but mysterious smile.

“Thank you for your comprehension. I’ll make sure that he’ll become a better King. Now show us the way.”

I turned and went back to Ryeowook’s side. Stealing a quick kiss, I took his hand and made him follow me to the King’s room, Zhou Mi floating by our side, the Knave showing us the way. When we were finally in front of the small door, I looked at the Knave so he would knock on it. He obeyed even if he didn’t really want to, and the King’s voice resounded through the door.

“Who is it?”

“The Knave, Your Majesty.”

“What do you want?”

“The…”

He looked at me, wondering if he should tell him my identity, and I nodded.

“The Mad Hatter, Your Majesty. The Mad Hatter wants to talk to you.”

Silence. Until the door opened abruptly, a furious King appearing in the door frame, a dagger in his hand.

“What?!”

He saw me, and his furious eyes became infinitely enraged.

“You!”

I bowed sarcastically, a huge smile on my face.

“My Lord. You seem as healthy as earlier.”

“Why?!”

He wasn’t talking to me anymore. He was staring at the Knave who started walking back slowly.

“Your Majesty, I…”

“WHY DID YOU LET HIM OUT?”

“I, I didn’t…”

“WHY IS THE HATTER HERE? AND THE CAT?”

“Your Majesty, I…”

“OFF WITH HIS HEAD! GUARDS!”

They didn’t move. Either they were loyal to the Knave, or they feared him more than they feared the King. I took a step forward, placing myself between the King and the Knave.

“My Lord, I think these guards are more likely to obey the Knave than you.”

“You…!”

“Also, please let me say this. The Hatter let me out, not the Knave. The Knave only brought me here because he knows I could’ve killed him if I wanted to. And, I don’t plan to do anything to you my Lord. I don’t plan to do anything bad, at least.”

I took another step in his direction, making him walk back to his room though he was threatening me with his dagger, step by step. I crouched to go through the door, and looked at Ryeowook before closing it. He nodded. He knew I wasn’t going to do anything to the King. Nothing bad, and certainly nothing like ‘that’.

I calmly sat on the ground and stared at the King as he was still threatening me with his dagger.

“My Lord, please sit.”

“Like I would obey trash like you!”

“My Lord.”

I stared at him a bit harder.

“Please sit.”

He started trembling, and ended up sitting unwillingly. I reached out my hand.

“The dagger, my Lord. Please.”

“You…!”

“I do not wish to hurt you. And I do not wish for you to hurt me. So. Please. The dagger.”

I knew the Mad Hatter used to talk like this, by separating each word so he would make himself clear. The King growled, like a dog that had been cornered, and started handing me the dagger. But he was seated too far for me to just take it like that, so I had to get up to go and get it. I walked in his direction, and guessed too late what he wanted to do. He moved quickly, and struck once. I felt the sharp edge of the dagger through my skin, right on my left Achilles’ tendon, through the tendon, almost to the bone. Tears filled my eyes, and I let out a scream, similar to a roar, as the Mad Hatter’s memories were flowing through my mind. He had been hit there too. He had been hit there, and this wound had been the reason why he was never able to walk properly on his own after that.

My eyes went dark.

Like a crazed beast, I jumped with my only intact leg, and landed on the King, my hands around his neck. A sound like a roar escaped from my throat, and I looked at the King with furious eyes.

“HOW DARE YOU?”

He couldn’t reply. He had done that to make me unable to do anything to him. I knew it. But he had hit me in the exact same place the Knave had hit the Mad Hatter back then. It had made the Mad Hatter part in me go wild.

“Kyu! Kyu, please stop!”

This voice. Ryeowook.