A/N: Due to the recent release of the trailer for Through the Looking Glass, I've been on a HUGE Alice in Wonderland kick and decided to finish this little thing I started years ago that just kind of sat dead and half-finished since then. x.x lol It's just a quick bit of fluff with my Underland otp. x3 Enjoy! ^.^

Mirana sat in front of the vanity in her room, slowly brushing her long, white hair. How could that girl possibly be the same one who had been there all those years before? Back then she had been so young and innocent. Now she was a young woman who was about to lose any innocence she may have had left. Beyond that, seeing her again seemed to spark something; something she felt a little ashamed of. When she had left her with Tarrant, though she had only looked back for a moment, she couldn't have looked away any longer if she wanted to. Seeing them together, knowing how much she had already done for him, she felt jealous, and even a little sad.

Before today, Alice Kingsleigh had been just a sweet little girl and a beloved friend. She had wanted nothing more than that and felt content with things exactly how they were. Now she was wanting more. She knew she shouldn't, yet here she was with a tear leaving a little dark spot on her nightgown beneath it. Alice had clearly developed feelings for Hatter, not her.

"Are you alright, my lady?" came a voice from behind her.

She quickly turned her head to see Myria, one of the women ever-present in her usual entourage, and one of her best friends. She slapped on a fake smile before turning the rest of her body. "Yes, I'm fine. Did you want something?"

"Just to tell you that Alice is through with her visitor. She wants to see you now." Myria paused for a moment, the look of concern on her face growing more obvious. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm having a bit of a hard time with all that's happening. That's all."

"Should I wait for you until you're finished with Alice? You know I'm always happy to listen and help as best I can."

"That won't be necessary. I'll be fine." The queen rose and glided over to her friend, holding her hands and putting on the most convincing smile she could. "Don't worry. Now, go back about your business and I will go meet with Alice. Tomorrow is the Frabjuous Day! Enjoy yourself."

Myria returned the queen's smile, then bowed her head and left the room without another word.

Mirana took a deep breath as her smile faded momentarily. She threw on a silk robe to cover up her nightgown, then made her way to Alice, smiling again before making her aware of her presence. She had to hope she wasn't blushing as well, especially with her pale face. "You wanted to see me?"

Alice turned to her and smiled, running over to hold her hands, glowing with excitement. "I've just spoken with Absolem. I'm ready to save Wonderland and slay the Jabberwocky."

"That's wonderful! I'm so glad!" The queen's smile grew and she even laughed a little as she spoke. She held tighter onto Alice's hands. "I knew you could do it." She lifted a hand to graze her fingers along her cheek. "You really are our champion." For a moment, Mirana stared into Alice's eyes, that beautiful brown that they were, but quickly snapped back into reality. Anything she imagined would remain in her head. She took her hands back and backed away a couple of steps. "I'll be sure to have everything prepared by morning. Now you should probably be off to bed. You'll need your rest for the big battle tomorrow."

"Yes, of course." As Mirana turned to leave, Alice said one final thing. "This is the first time I've seen you in something besides your gigantic royal dress. You're very beautiful, even in something so simple."

Mirana didn't dare turn around, knowing that her cheeks had to be pink, but smiled anyways. "Why thank you."

Alice smiled as well. "You're welcome."

Later that night, Alice awoke suddenly with a start. She felt her body drenched in sweat and was breathing heavily. Apparently she was not as ready as she thought if it was giving her dreams like that. "Funny," she thought to herself, "having a dream within a dream." Knowing she wasn't going to be able to sleep again if she couldn't ease her mind, she got up out of bed and wandered through the hallways of Marmorreal until she found the bedroom of its queen. She took a deep breath, then knocked on the rather large door.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a newly awoken Mirana. As regal as ever, she had already thrown on the same silk robe from earlier. Somehow, her long tresses of snowy hair were hardly affected by her sleep. Her eyes hardly even looked tired, though it was still not entirely hidden. "Alice? Is something wrong, dear?"

Alice hesitated to answer, but eventually managed to speak. Since coming to Marmorreal, she was finding it increasingly harder to be here and speak normally. "I….I think I got ahead of myself earlier."

Mirana smiled kindly, then held out a hand for Alice to take. "Come, my dear, and talk with me in my room instead of in the hallway." She led the girl through the room and sat them both down on the bed, releasing her hand. "Now tell me. What is it that's bothering you?"

Alice fumbled with her own hands in her lap. "I had this….this….horrible nightmare, and I don't think I'm quite as ready as I thought I was."

Mirana frowned for a brief moment, her brows rising in sympathy. "I told you that you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I will not force you, Alice."

"I know, and you're so kind not to, but it feels like I must. Everyone here is so convinced that I'm the one that has to do this."

Mirana cupped her cheek, turning her face to look directly at her. "Don't let them sway you. Do what you want to do, not what they want you to. You have control of your own life, no matter what the prophecy says."

Alice got a slight fluttering in her stomach upon feeling Mirana's soft touch. Her words also did help, but there was one other thing she wanted to know. She had grown surprisingly close to the woman since reuturning to Underland, and she also seemed to be one of the most level-headed residents. "What do you want me to do?"

Mirana instinctively pulled her hand back, not wanting to put more pressure on the poor girl, but not wanting to lie either. "I….I want you to do what feels right. Of course I would like you to slay the Jabberwocky because it's a horrible, ruthless beast, and my sister's biggest asset in retaining her power, but you will be risking your life, and I don't think that should be taken up lightly." She paused, her eyes becoming a little bit sadder. "I'd hate for you to go in unprepared and nervous. You'd be less invested in the battle and more likely to….fail." She was beginning to get choked up just from the thought.

Alice was silent for a few moments, thinking hard on her decision. She looked up at the queen, who had looked instead down at the floor while trying to keep her composure, then took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

Mirana met her gaze once again, this time a little more worried than excited. "Are you sure? Come tomorrow, there's no turning back. You must be absolutely confident and sure."

Alice smiled. "I am."

The queen then did something she hadn't done to anyone for quite a long time and threw her arms around the young woman, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Please be careful. I don't want you hurt, and that beast is not going to go down easily."

Alice was more than a little surprised by the outburst, never having seen the woman as anything but perfectly calm and composed. She also had trouble finding her words once again. "A-are you alright?"

Mirana held onto her tighter, then let go and turned away, wiping a few falling tears away. She hadn't expected to get quite this upset, but couldn't seem to contain it like she usually could. "I'm sorry, Alice. I'm just making this worse, and making a fool out of myself in the process. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. Maybe you should have woken Hatter instead."

Now Alice was just confused. "Hatter? How would he have helped?"

"I don't know, but you seem to have become rather close, and I'm sure he'd at least keep himself together."

Alice moved a little closer to her, noting the unmistakable hint of jealousy in her tone. "No, he likely would have overreacted much worse or not grasped the severity of the situation at all."

"At least not grasping it would have kept him from doing this."

Alice wrapped her arms around Mirana from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder and leaning her head on hers. When the fluttering returned, she knew at once what it was, and it seemed like Mirana likely had the same butterflies going wild within her stomach. "At least you were honest, and you understand. You give me a choice and he tells me repeatedly that I must do it."

The queen felt her cheeks flush, hoping this was what it seemed to be, but not believing that it could be. Still, she went along with it and held onto the arms around her. "That's because it's fair. It's not fair that you were thrown into this terrible situation unwittingly, so it should at least be your choice if you follow along with it or not."

"You say this like it's common knowledge, but you're the only one who has let me decide one way or the other myself."

Mirana turned to look at Alice, who was smiling sweetly at her. She cupped her cheek again and turned completely to face her. "Are you really doing it then?"

Alice nodded, raising a hand to hold the one on her cheek. "I am. I want to be your champion."

The queen's pale face was now red enough to match her sister's flaming hair due to her choice of words. "My champion?"

"You're the one who has been the kindest to me. You invited me into your home and have been nothing but pleasant and helpful. Yes, I want to help Underland as a whole, but I'm going into battle as your knight and no one else's."

Mirana simply couldn't resist at least trying after such sweet words and moved in closer. She glanced down at Alice's lips, then into her eyes to gauge her reaction. When she showed no signs of real hesitation or of rejecting the idea, she finally brought them together. As a first kiss, it was fairly short, but they were both eager to quickly follow it up as Mirana wrapped her arms around Alice's neck, and Alice wrapped hers around her queen's waist. Once they eventually stopped, they pressed their foreheads together and smiled. "My brave champion."