Alice and the Onomasticon

[sparkfrost]

Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Onomasticon whose treasure was their words. Not as in literature or myths, but literally words. Words could be found growing from trees and buried at crossroads- hidden underneath rocks and curled around fence posts. The better a word, the more it liked to hide, so those who wished to increase their vocabulary often spent years hunting for new, more exotic words. Once they found these words, they were studied to understand their full meaning- and when the finder had attained full comprehension the word sank into their skin and would gleam faintly beneath it for the rest of their lives. Many people in this kingdom considered themselves satisfied with a basic complement of words. They went through life softly lambent and content with their lot. But those of great ambition flared like stars as they restlessly continued their eternal search. One of these people was a young woman named Alice, whose devotion to the language and determination to broaden her lexicon had allowed her to amass an almost unthinkable amount of words. She was understandably pleased with herself, and went through life blazing proudly and hunting for more words.

One morning Alice was interrupted from her scouting by the royal guard. She was brought to the palace and ushered into the audience chamber. Though she and everyone in Onomasticon had seen the king from a distance and heard his speeches, this was her first chance to meet him. He lounged on the throne at the opposite end of the hall, and the silver flare of his words was almost too bright to look at. She caught a quick impression of dark hair and light eyes before she was forced to turn away, eyes watering. She managed a curtsy and stood, waiting for him to speak.

“Hello Alice. It is Alice, isn’t it? Welcome to my palace. I trust your escort was polite?”

“Yes, Majesty, they were quite courteous.”

“Good, excellent. Now, you are probably wondering why you are here, are you not? I thought so. Well Alice, the reason you are here is this: I would like you to marry me. I have no children to entrust the kingdom to when I am gone, and therefore no one to pass my words on to. Bastards are unacceptable, so I will need a legitimate child. The mother should be the woman of this kingdom with the greatest command of the language. The one who has worked hardest, found the most words, and absorbed into herself the true meanings of each. In short, you.” Alice reeled in shock. Her, the wife of the king? She was half his age, what was he thinking?

“Your Majesty, I am honored but- I think you are making a mistake!” When she risked a peek at him he had an expression of surprise and annoyance on his face.

“A mistake? Woman, I can assure you that the king does not make mistakes, and you would do best to remember that. You have the most words in the kingdom besides me; we will marry and you will provide me an heir.”

“But you don’t love me!”

“Who said anything about love? Alice, this marriage is for the good of the kingdom. Of course I don’t love you. But you will be queen, and be mother to the next king of Onomasticon. When you have given birth to a son I will make no more demands of you. You may hunt for words to the end of your days. Do we have an accord?” Alice hesitated. “I will tell you that if you refuse me I will simply have you put to death. Does that make your decision easier?” Alice glared up at the king and answered through watering eyes.

“We have an agreement. It will be my pleasure to be your wife and give you a son.” The king showed no sign of noticing her anger.

“Wonderful! Preparations for the wedding have already begun. However, my dear,” he smirked, “I do have one task I require of you before our nuptials.”

“What is it?”

“There is a woman who lives in a great forest past the edges of Onomasticon. I have heard rumors that she has found a way to gather more words without taking them into herself. I want you to find her, which should be easy enough for you, and bring her back to the palace. I much to desire to speak with her and understand this new method.”

“What if I refuse? I have already agreed to marry you, why must I do this as well?”

“Did I not mention that I can have you killed? That should be reason enough. You had best hurry! If you leave now you should be back for the wedding with time to spare. Chop-chop, dear one.” Without further ado, the royal guard stepped forward and ushered Alice from the room. She was given a knapsack with supplies, placed in a cart, and several long and bumpy hours later was deposited on the edge of the kingdom. Alice dusted herself off, cast one long glance back at Onomasticon, and began to walk.

The walk from the border of the kingdom to the forest where she was to search took a little over a week. It might have been a quicker walk, but Alice, ever ambitious, was constantly on the lookout for the soft gleam of undiscovered words. She knew that time was of the essence, but she could not resist the temptation that potential new words offered. She would occasionally venture as far as a mile off the road to hunt them down and study them, then hurry back to continue her travels. Eventually the dark smudge on the horizon became a line of trees that the road disappeared into. Alice slowed down, unsettled by the dull bark and still leaves. No words rustled among this forest, and it seemed dismal and bleak in comparison to the kingdom. Yet, in the distance, through branches and shrubs, she seemed to see a faint glow. Drawn on by the thought of finding the woman she searched for, Alice followed the light like a will o’ the wisp in a swamp. After struggling past crawling vines and catching her feet on uplifted roots, she came to stand before a tree more massive than any she had seen before. Its branches stretched up so high they disappeared into the low-hanging clouds and the trunk was so large it would take thirty men to link hands around it. The light she had seen was coming through a large crack in the trunk, big enough for a person to walk through. Alice looked around for signs of life, but the forest was quiet around her. Cautiously, she walked into the tree.

Bright light struck her eyes as Alice stepped into the trunk. Blinking to clear her vision, she looked up to see a swirling, blinding vortex of words inscribed on the inside of this cavernous tree. More words than she had ever seen in her life were written on the inner bark, spiraling up into a shining blur. Why, the person who lived here must have more words than the king! She gazed in wonder at this treasure trove and did not hear the sound of someone approaching from behind until a voice rang out, causing her to jump.

“Do you like my collection?” Alice turned around, ready to apologize for the intrusion when the sight of the speaker again robbed her of speech. A woman stood before her with dark, sad eyes and tangled hair. Despite the astounding array of words on the tree surrounding her, no light shone through her skin. She was as pale as a newborn infant, and all the more striking for it. Alice stared in awe for several moments before remembering that this miraculous woman had asked a question of her.

“It- it is beautiful.” Alice stammered. “I am sorry to intrude, but I am on a mission from the king, and I believe you are who he sent me to look for. Your home, your skin- you must be the person he wanted me to find.”

“Who did he want you to find? How did he describe this person?”

“He told me there was a woman, beyond the borders of his kingdom, who had a new method for understanding words. He said he wished to learn this way and that he greatly desired to meet her. The king told me that I would be best able to recognize her, and so sent me on this quest. You are she, aren’t you? You must be!”

“Why did he send you? Why are you the best able to find this woman?”

Alice drew herself up in pride. “He sent me because, next to the king himself, I have the most words in the kingdom. I have searched and studied all my life,” and here her smile became sardonic, “and my words are varied enough that the king has requested my hand in marriage.”

The woman smiled. “That is quite the honor. What is your name?”

“Alice, madam, and according to the king it is a great honor indeed.”

“Alice, was that sarcasm I sensed? I am Catherine. Come, sit down with me and tell me about this king of yours. Do you know why he wishes to speak with me?”

“Only that he wanted to meet you, and for you to come to his kingdom. If you do not come, I am not sure what will happen to me. He is… most determined to meet you.”

“Other than this… determined king, what is your kingdom like? I prefer to know where I’m going before I get there.”

Description was something that Alice could do easily. “Our kingdom is known as Onomasticon. It was discovered 500 years ago by explorers from across the sea. They named it such because of the variety of words they found gleaming on the trunks of the aspen trees. The effulgent forest became what is now the center of our kingdom. At the gloaming, you can still see the first words shining like burnished silver on the bark. Many people of Onomasticon, myself included, spend their lives in search of new words. Though the first ones were found on trees and in fields, the more complicated the word, the harder it is to find. Some are buried in soil, and miners work long hours to uncover them. Others seem to appear from nowhere and hide themselves away in quiet, secret places. Most everyone in Onomasticon spends some part of their day searching the kingdom, hoping to find more words. The king has the most words, of course, but he is… generous and allows us to keep half of the words we find. The other half we give to him as tax.”

“But what is the kingdom like, Alice? Describe it for me. Tell me everything.” Alice was taken aback.

“Everything? But that could take hours, or days! Don’t you want to come and see it?”

“No, Alice. I want to see it through your words. Paint a picture for me. Then I will come to the kingdom with you.” Alice didn’t know how she could possibly begin to tell Catherine everything about Onomasticon, but knew if she didn’t at least try, her quest would most certainly fail. The least she could do was try.

“At dawn the sun sends rays of fire out over the ocean; they reflect off the sand grains and make them glitter like shards of diamond dust. The ocean becomes a luminescent white that turns cerulean as the sky above it does. Wind rustles the leaves of the wood and sounds like children whispering in the distance. The screaming of the gulls blends with the mocking cries of the crows and the birds’ cacophony is what wakes the kingdom each day. The morning light hits the wooden floor in my bedroom and causes it to warmly gleam. The wool bedspread soaks in the warmth as I slowly wake. My pillow is cool cotton against my face and I can smell the town bakers at their work as I get out of bed…” as Alice continued to speak, she noticed a necklace around Catherine’s neck that hadn’t been there before. It was the same silver as the words inscribed on the bark of the marvelous tree, and it was beginning to glow. In fact, light was flowing into it and moving up the spiraled metal. She tried to pause and ask what was happening but realized with a shock that she could not stop talking. Words were pouring out of her lips like water, and she could not hold back the flood. Panicked, she looked up to Catherine’s face. The other woman stared back at her with those sad dark eyes, and spoke over Alice’s continued, unwilling narration.

“I am sorry Alice. I won’t be going back to your kingdom with you. The king should have known better than to try and lure me. You are not the first he has sent to capture me, though you are the most innocent. The others he sent I have killed. You I will let survive- I am just taking what makes you valuable to him. You will hate me, but I do have some advice for you to follow in the future- be careful how much you say to a witch, lest you explain yourself away.”

Words continued to spill out of Alice, and she watched in horror as her own skin grew dull and pale. She began crying as she realized what was happening, and tried desperately to stop speaking. Some of her favorite, most treasured words were leaving now, and she stretched out her hand in vain- grasping for mercurial and tintinnabulation, sinuous and volatile. But they evaded her searching fingers and joined the shifting collage of words on the trunk of the now-nightmarish tree. Finally, all of her words had left her. Looking down at her hand, Alice could see no trace of them beneath her skin. She was nothing. She had no words, and she was nothing. Alice glared up at Catherine, wishing she could give speech to the hate and vitriol she felt. But the witch had seen to that, hadn’t she? No words came from her mouth, and the angry stare she leveled at the woman had no effect.

“Go back to the kingdom Alice. Go to Onomasticon and look with fresh eyes. See if they will have you now. Come back when you are ready.” With that parting, Catherine turned her back on Alice and left the tree. Alice raced after her, but by the time she got outside, the witch had vanished. She screamed wordlessly into the open air, and the echoes bounced back mockingly. There was nothing left but noise, and she had nowhere to go but back to the kingdom. Alice wiped her face clean of tears, and began the long walk home.

Several long, tiring days later, Alice arrived back at the king’s palace. The guards took one look at her and rushed her through the castle, straight to the audience chamber, where the king was hearing petitioners. Upon taking in her pale, disheveled state, the king dismissed his subjects and the room was quickly cleared. Though Alice could tell that he still blazed as brightly as he had before, she had no trouble looking directly at him. The king appeared puzzled by her direct stare, and paused a moment before speaking.

“Alice my sweet, what has happened to you?” Alice remained silent. “Did I not stress the importance of your quest? Why have you come alone?” Alice did not answer. “My dear betrothed, where are your words?” Nothing. “Where is the woman I asked you to find?” Nothing. “Damnit, answer me!” Alice opened her mouth, and an unintelligible stream of sound came out. A series of strange expressions crossed the king’s face. Anger, confusion, and finally a dead calm. “I see. She has done what witches do, and taken what you most value. I did hope, when you returned alive, that the woman had finally seen reason and returned with you. But I was wrong. She has rendered you useless to me. Go away Alice. You are nothing to me now.” Alice hesitated, wondering about his previous threats. Seeing her confusion, he answered her unspoken question. “Oh, you are quite safe. There is no need for me to kill you now. After all, it’s not as if you can tell anyone, can you?” Casting a final glare at her king, Alice left.

Walking through the streets of town was a surreal experience for Alice. Before- and was that how she would qualify her life now, as Before and After the king and Catherine? Before, people would shoot respectful glances at her, be dazzled by the sheen of her skin, and request her help in understanding words they had found. She had been important, she had been needed, and she had been someone. Now, people avoided her. They scurried by her, staring with shock at the pale apparition that passed. Others, such as her former rivals, cast scornful glances her way as they strode forward arrogantly. She was pathetic to them, a nonentity with no words and nothing to contribute. No one was willing to talk to her, and with nothing to say she began looking at the view down past the forest to the ocean. The trees were all wilting or already dead- one in a hundred was the fresh green of new leaves, the rest were either curling brown or a stark grey against the sky. How had Alice never noticed that before? They still gleamed with words, but far fewer than she remembered. Had she and others like her been the ones to strip them that cruelly? The beach still sparkled with light, but it was broken and chaotic- large holes remained where people had dug for words and not bothered to replace the sand. And the palace itself- the light of the king still shone through the windows, but the walls were dirty, stained and crumbling with age- how had she not seen that? Were she and her people so concerned with what they did not have that they ignored all that was around them? And if they had done that, did Alice really want to stay there? No. Although she had once reveled in her role, this was no life for her. Alice turned her face away from the kingdom, and began to walk.

Many days later, hungry, tired, and footsore, Alice made her way back to the witch’s tree. Stepping inside, she saw Catherine standing in the center of the cavern facing her, as if the woman had been waiting patiently for Alice’s return. Catherine stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak, but never got the chance to begin. Alice strode up to her, ripped the necklace from Catherine’s throat, and threw it to the ground, causing it to shatter into a million silver shards. As the necklace broke, the tree seemed to give a great pulse, and a wave of light flew at Alice, throwing her to the ground and knocking the breath from her body. As she struggled to inhale, she felt more than air fill her lungs. Her body felt as though it were expanding, moving past the confines of her skin until she didn’t know what was her and was not. Just when she thought she would lose her mind from the sensation, the feeling stopped. Alice was left lying on the floor, dazed and shaken, but feeling more alive than she had for weeks. She looked up at an unruffled, still-standing Catherine in confusion.

“Welcome back, Alice. How do you feel?” Alice began to sneer in derision, but to her surprise felt words begin to move past her lips.

“How do you think I feel,” Alice paused in shock. She could speak? “Catherine?” She could speak! But as she pushed herself off the ground, she saw her skin was still the pale flesh it had been when her words were taken. “How- how is this possible?”

“You broke the spell. I had taken your words, you took them back.” Catherine smiled before sending her a quizzical look. “I thought you knew what you were doing?”

“I had hoped it would work, but I meant my skin- I can speak, I have my words, why is my skin still like yours?”

“Alice, there is a difference between using your words and being overwhelmed by them. Do you see now why I would not come in front of your king? His own image relies on overwhelming others, and he would gladly kill out of fear of the unknown. But you- you truly care about meaning, and about understanding. While you placed so much importance on your lexicon, and how people saw you, your words were all they could see. Although the circumstances were… not ideal, you learned to look past that. You saw reality for what it was, and so now others will see you in that manner as well.”

“But- I have all of my words back? They won’t be taken again?”

“You have reclaimed them, they are yours forever. How do you feel?” Words ran through Alice’s head, an endless stream of synonyms and metaphors, before she settled on the one that fit best.

“Fine. I feel fine, Catherine.”

Comments

[alternatekeys.livejournal.com]

That was so awesome, I loved it. Apparently Catherine took my words too, because I don't know what else to say except it's great.

[sparkfrost.livejournal.com]

Thank you babe! I'm really glad you liked it. :)

[xsnarkasaurus.livejournal.com]

this. is. you.

ironically, i'm speechless.

[sparkfrost.livejournal.com]

\o/

I'm glad you liked it, thank you for commenting!

[thedelusionist.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I am in awe of writers. I'll look at the picture on the back of the book and think, "That dude made all of this up." I will wonder how. Other times I will be able to see the process as I read. This is one of those little awe stories. If your creative writing professor doesn't like it he really is a douche.

[sparkfrost.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, both for reading and for this awesome comment.

My creative writing teacher did in fact like it, I think he hates me less now that I turned that in. He didn't yell at me at all on Wednesday!

[onlyknightmare.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. This is one of the reasons I wish I could write better, so that I could weave such an amazing story and teach people. I am in awe of you.

[sparkfrost.livejournal.com]

Thank you babe, that really means alot.