Disclaimer: Sadly, Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, Disney, and whoever else owns the rights. Only original characters and ideas belong to me.
AN: Here's the sequel! I hope that everyone likes it as much as the first one. There's a bit more romance in this one, plus more than a few surprises (which I know everybody loves). Please read on, and don't forget to review!
Chapter 1: A New Life in Underland:
"This is driving me insane," I muttered, looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror.
Life in Underland was not what I'd expected. Not that it was more difficult or horrible; it was just…different.
My first full week as part of the White Queen's court was one of idleness. In the mornings, I woke up when I felt like it, and ate a wonderful breakfast either in bed or at a small table by the fireplace. I was allowed to go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted, so I spent my days in the library, reading books, studying maps, or trying to learn as much about Underland as possible. At night, I ate alone in my rooms, pouring over a book, or simply being homesick. The Queen didn't call me into her presence, so I figured she just wanted me to get used to the idea of living in her realm. Even the Hatter left me alone, which was strange and left me feeling rather lonely.
So here I was, over a week into my stay in Underland, and unable to find something else to do. I was coming up with nothing. I didn't know how to live in a world without the Internet, electricity, or television, and so here I was, sitting at my vanity early in the morning, with a pair of idle hands and a case of cabin fever.
I looked at my reflection and scowled in thought. Maybe I needed to get out and get some fresh air? I hadn't visited the gardens since the Hatter's…well, since that interesting picnic, so maybe a trip outside was a good idea.
Now that I was "officially" part of the royal court, I was able to wear white, grey, or black gowns, a color scheme that was exclusive to those attending the Queen of Underland. However, I didn't look good in either white or grey, and black was too hot to wear in the warm sunshine, so I'd decided to stick to the rainbow array of gowns the palace seamstresses had been ordered to provide me. Today, it was a blue day dress that came to my ankles, with no trim or anything fancy about it; I was just Laura, the newest addition to Marmoreal, home of the White Queen. I hadn't been given any titles, which was fine with me; I hadn't done anything to deserve them anyway.
'Okay, I'm moping,' I silently admitted. 'But considering what happened, who wouldn't?'
I was in a strange world with no friends (okay, no close friends), and I apparently had some sort of destiny to do something good for a person in Underland. Too bad I didn't know what I was supposed to do, or I'd be rushing to do it quickly so I could get out of here.
'And what about the Hatter?' whispered a voice in the back of my head.
My cheeks flushed. He was a sweet guy, and I still remembered how he'd proposed to me, but marrying a man I barely knew was completely out of the question. I guess I could give him a chance, but my heart was torn between wanting to be in love for the first time, and going home. If I gave the Hatter a chance, I'd want to stay here, and I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted. Actually, I had no idea what I wanted. My head and my heart were a confused jumble of feelings and thoughts, and I had no clue how to sort them all out.
"Ah, there we are!" cried a voice from my left. "See, it's that sensible girl from the other realm."
I turned quickly, wondering who was talking about me. Blinking, I looked around and saw that, somehow, I'd made it to the middle of the White Queen's elaborate flower garden. However, there was no one around at all; the garden was empty. So who in the world…
"Over here, silly girl," snapped a voice right in front of me. A rose bush three feet away twitched a bit. "Come over here!"
Chuckling softly, I slowly and carefully approached the roses, being careful not to tread or damage the other blossoms that lined the pathway. When I was much closer, I bent over towards the roses to give them my full attention.
"I'm sorry, I'd lost track of where I was," I apologized. "Is there something that you wanted, or something I can do for you?"
"Yes, there is," called a violet. "One of the Queen's ladies was out here not half an hour ago, looking for a particular herb for one of Her Majesty's potions, and couldn't find it. We flowers just remembered there's a patch of that herb over there, hidden behind a large white stone."
I glanced at the violet, and noticed its leaves were pointed in one direction. I followed where it was pointing, and saw an immense white rock that looked as though it served as a seat for anyone wanting to sit and read in the gardens. There was grass growing in front of it, but the back of the rock was facing a hedge. Maybe the herb was between the rock and the hedge?
"What does the herb look like?" I asked the violet.
It gave me a description of what sounded more like a weed, and warned me to be careful, as the larger, more mature plants were unhealthy for my skin. I thanked each of the flowers for their helpfulness (because I didn't want to make any of them angry), and using a handkerchief from my pocket, I went to pluck a few of the smaller, newer plants. I only took two, for fear they might be the wrong thing, and went inside.
A helpful maid took me to the Queen's potion room, and after I was called inside, I bobbed a curtsey to the monarch of Underland, who was sprinkling a few grains of something into a bubbling flask.
"Yes, Laura, what is it?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Forgive my intrusion, Majesty, but the flowers in the garden told me you were searching for an herb," I said, holding out the handkerchief and its contents. "Is this what you were looking for?"
She accepted the cloth and opened it. Her lovely face lit up when she saw the herb lying there, and I watched as she immediately put a whole sprig of the stuff into the bubbling mixture she had brewing.
"You really are quite remarkable, Laura," she said, stirring the potion. "I've had the entire garden searched for this, and none of my courtiers could find it. Where did you say it was?"
"Behind a large white stone, by the hedges," I replied, trying not to look at the containers scattered around the table. All of them had some things that shouldn't be seen by people with delicate stomachs –namely me.
"Ah, yes, I know what you're speaking of," the Queen replied, taking a spoonful of the mix and pouring it into a purple bottle. "I never thought to look there. You said the flowers told you? They are rarely helpful to humans, so they must like you a great deal."
I blushed at the praise. "Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, curtseying.
Meanwhile, I was surprised at the thoughtful look she had while pouring the rest of potion into its bottle. She seemed to be considering something, and just as the bottle was corked, she turned towards me.
"Laura, it seems that the flowers have found a position for you in my court," she said, smiling.
Because of my "connections" with the flowers, I was now given the task of gathering whatever plants, blossoms, herbs, or other flora the Queen needed for her potions. Luckily, my job did not include the more nasty ingredients; that particular job was for someone else to take care of.
Okay, so being the Queen's official herb gatherer wasn't the job or title I'd had in mind, but at least it gave me something to do. Apparently being liked by the flowers was a rare thing in Underland, and since I'd been respectful and flattering to them, they thought me a decent person. And because I'd befriended the plants in the Royal Garden, this pretty much guaranteed that I'd be helped by all the talking flowers and plants in Underland. Ironic, though, since I'd be harvesting plants for a living…
However, before I could start my first official day on the job, the Queen insisted that I have a horse. Why I needed a horse, I had no idea, but she explained that some plants grew a good distance away from the palace, and I needed a way to travel, because walking would be out of the question. Since I didn't like the idea of walking and lugging a basket full of plants, I decided to accept the horse, even though I had no idea how to ride one.
The Queen dismissed my worries over my lack of experience with the animals. "You need not worry. They are very gentle, and are able to understand and know where you wish to go."
That, however, was the problem: the horses were all talking animals, or at least as intelligent as a human, and therefore couldn't be made to do anything they didn't want to. If I were to ride a horse, it had to be with the horse's permission.
About a day after she'd assigned me my new job, the Queen took me to the royal stables and introduced me to each and every horse there. Some of them stuck up their noses and ignored me, as though I weren't good enough for them; others were too shy to come and say hello, or already had riders they were content with.
Finally, after about an hour, a mare gave her consent to let me ride her. She was a beautiful creature: a soft pearl grey, with a white mane and tail, and a white star on her forehead. She was called Pearl, for her grey coloring, and though she didn't speak a great deal, she seemed to be a sweet animal. I think she liked me as much as I liked her.
Two days later, the Queen summoned me into her potion room. There, I was given a list of things to gather, and while Pearl was being saddled, the Queen surprised me by declaring that a body guard would be going with me on my trips outside the boundaries of Marmoreal.
"Although my sister is banished, Underland can still be a dangerous place to those who are not from here," the Queen explained. "You need someone to go with you, to make sure that you do not go into places you shouldn't, and to keep you safe."
Well, it made sense, so I accepted her help with genuine gratitude.
However, when I went into the courtyard to mount my horse, I was greeted by the sight of a beaming Mad Hatter, perched cheerfully on the back of a deep grey stallion. Enter curse words here.
Tarrant knew he shouldn't have spent so much time away from Laura, but it had been necessary. She needed to accustom herself to her fate and her new surroundings, and he did not want to be in the way. Lately, he had been contemplating how to slowly find his way back into Laura's favor, especially after being too forward in his affections towards her before. Giving her the ring so soon had probably been a bad idea.
Fortunately, he was spared from doing any planning by a special request from the Queen.
"Laura is to be my official herb gatherer," she'd explained after summoning him to her quarters. "As you know, it is against my vows to harm any living creature, and I count the plants of Underland as part of these vows. Therefore, Laura's friendship with the flowers and such is very much needed."
The Queen had gone on to explain that since Laura had never been outside the walls of Marmoreal, she literally knew nothing of the dangers that lurked outside of them. "She requires a constant guard and a guide, someone who can teach her about our world and protect her from harm. Until I feel better about her going out alone, I believe you would be ideal in that regard."
Tarrant couldn't argue with that, as it was exactly what he wanted: to spend more time with Laura. He would be with her constantly, and would have the joy of teaching her all about Underland. Best of all, he would be able to woo her gently.
So here he was, mounted on a stallion from the White Queen's stables, and walking towards him was the lovely lady herself. She'd chosen to dress in a green gown today, a color that suited her well, and a matching cloak. She gave him a nervous smile as a page came to help her mount.
"I've never ridden before," she warned the page and the mare. "I hope you'll be patient with me."
The page nodded. "Pearl is the gentlest mare in the stable, my lady," he said. "And she's able to protect her rider in any situation. She'll take good care of you."
Laura nodded, and to everyone's surprise, mounted her horse astride. "I think I'd better wear pants from now on," she said, arranging her dress around her. "It would be a lot more convenient that way."
As Tarrant tried to imagine Laura in breeches, she turned towards him. "Do you know where I can find these?" she asked, handing him a small sheet of paper.
Without thinking, Tarrant took the paper and read it over. "These can be found in a field not far from here," he replied. "A good ten or fifteen minute ride, but no more. The trick is to actually find the plants themselves."
She smiled slightly. "Well, then, let's hope that the flowers are feeling particularly helpful today."
Smiling back at her, Tarrant jerked his head towards the main gate. "Then shall we proceed my lady?" he said graciously.
I quickly learned that horseback riding was not as easy as it looked. Pearl was a very good horse, and very patient with me, but the Hatter had to give me advice on how to sit in the saddle, and said that I should move with the horse, not sit stiffly.
"Relax," he instructed. "Don't grip the reins too tightly; you'll confuse her or hurt her mouth. You will likely be sore the first week or two of riding, but you will soon become accustomed to it."
We managed to reach the field without too much trouble, but after we'd dismounted, I was lost at what to do next. The Queen hadn't shown me any examples of what I was looking for, so I had no clue as to what I was looking for. Maybe the Hatter knew?
I asked him, and was disappointed when he shook his head. "I'm familiar with some, but not all of the flora in Underland. Perhaps you should ask the flowers?"
"Yes, indeed!" cried a nearby daisy. "What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for plants for the Queen's potions," I explained. "The flowers in the Royal Garden said that you would be able to help me."
Every intelligent blossom within hearing distance perked up and turned towards me. The Hatter came up to my shoulder, leaned forward and whispered, "The blossoms in the Queen's gardens are considered the greatest in all Underland. I think the others shall listen to what you have to say."
A daffodil tilted its 'head' one way and another. "What plants are you looking for, exactly?"
I read the list aloud, and soon, the flowers were clamoring to help. However, even with their help, I had difficultly finding which sprigs of the plants were the best; I definitely did not want to bring shriveled leaves or withered sticks back to the Queen.
An hour later, I was finished, aching back and all. The Hatter was kind enough to help me stand, and even gave me a boost into my saddle.
"If you are in no hurry, we can ride slowly," he suggested, a hopeful glint in his eyes. "Are there any questions I can answer, or is there anything you wish to know?"
I thought about all the odd things I'd heard people discuss while I'd been here, and decided to get some answers. My helpful guide was able to answer about half my questions before we arrived back at the palace. To my surprise, the Queen was there, waiting for us, and she looked very pleased.
"Wonderful!" she said, accepting the collection I had gathered for her. "You know, Laura, I was thinking of making green your official color when you ride out. The flowers approve of you wearing it, and when you are outside the walls of Marmoreal, people will know who you are and what you are doing. Of course, you may wear whatever you wish inside Marmoreal, and whenever you are out and about for enjoyment. But when gathering things for me, I hope you will wear green. Is that agreeable for you?"
I had to admit, it did. If people and flowers recognized me and what I did, it would cause less trouble for everyone. Besides, I liked green.
"Thank you, Majesty," I said, smiling as the Hatter came to help me down from my horse. "I think it will suit me just fine."
She beamed. "Good. Now, will you, Laura, and you, Tarrant, join me for dinner in the courtyard this evening? It will be a beautiful night, and eating outdoors sounds delightful."
To me, dinner wasn't delightful, or at least, not as much fun as I remembered from previous experience. Since Ali had left, I'd been eating alone in my rooms; now, however, I was part of the Queen's royal court, and had to eat dinner with them.
The food was delicious, I'm sure, but I barely tasted it. Inside, my mind was elsewhere, and my heart was longing for a place I might never see again. I was feeling very blue, and even the wonders of Underland couldn't distract me.
However, there was one person who managed to take my mind off my problems, and he was sitting right beside me. I think it was part of the Queen's plan to cheer me up: she knew I was homesick, and knew that the Cheshire Cat was a good way to distract me, so she'd thrown us together at dinner.
I didn't want to admit it, but she was right. At the start of dinner, I could barely manage to choke down my food; by the time dessert was being served, Chess had me laughing and relaxed enough to easily finish my chocolate cake. He did that wonderful trick of making various body parts randomly disappear and reappear, and that grin of his was infectious. To reward him for his hard work, I gave him a good scratch beneath the chin, making him purr.
"My dear girl, we must do this more often," he drawled in that charming voice of his. "I know you must be feeling lonely and such, and I would have been here to lift your spirits, but the Queen thought it might be best for you to battle your homesickness in your own way. If you ask it of me, I will visit you much more often, should you need me."
The Hatter, who was sitting across the table and a couple people down from us, started to get that odd, super-angry look in his eyes, and I knew I'd better head off any unpleasantness before he did something disastrous.
"Thank you, Chess," I said, smiling at him. "That's very considerate of you. Perhaps you and the Hatter can give me a few lessons about Underland? I would very much appreciate that."
Given the prospect of spending more time with me, the Hatter calmed down considerably. In the time I'd been in Underland, I'd never been the one to ask him to spend time with me, so this was probably a very pleasant surprise for him.
'Well, it's not like I can avoid him anymore,' I thought to myself. 'I might as well get used to spending a lot of time with him.'
Alright, I admit that I was starting to look forward to our spending more time together –well, as long as he didn't propose again. There was no way I was going to accept his marriage proposal.
'Never say never,' whispered that voice in the back of my head.
I blushed and mentally pushed the voice away. So the guy was growing on me –I mean, I was flattered by his attention, that's all. The Hatter was sweet, caring, and obviously jealous of Chessur spending time alone with me, so how is a girl supposed to react when a man clearly cares about her like that? Still, we were just friends.
"May I see you to your rooms, Laura?" the Hatter asked as the Queen rose from her seat, indicating that the meal was over.
I thought about it, and decided to let him. "Yes, thank you," I replied before turning towards Chess. "Thank you for cheering me up. I hope to see you again soon."
"I look forward to it," he said, grinning widely. "Good night, sweet lady."
Smiling, I watched him vanish before my eyes. A second later the Hatter arrived by my side, offering his arm to escort me. I gently lay my hand on it and followed him into the castle. It was still relatively early, but I was tired and slightly sore from my bout on horseback, even after the hot bath and quick nap I'd caught before dinner.
"You know, I really must arrange for you to receive riding lessons," the Hatter declared. "I'm surprised the Queen did not arrange such a thing, but perhaps she meant for me to do it instead."
"It could be," I replied, though I had to wonder at how eager he sounded at the idea of teaching me horseback riding. "However, I'm more surprised at how quiet you were this evening at dinner. Is something wrong?"
He hesitated before answering. "I did not know if it would be a good idea to disturb you," he admitted. "It pains me to see you sad, but you are clearly still in mourning for your home, and I did not want to risk upsetting you further."
I felt my heart soften. "That's very kind of you. But as much as I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I think it would help me more if you tried to cheer me up, rather than let poor Chess do it on his own. After all, two people working together are much better than one at lifting a person's spirits."
His pale face and green eyes seemed to brighten. "Then that is what I shall do," the Hatter happily declared as we reached my rooms. "Good night, fair maiden."
The kiss he pressed to my lips was brief, but just as sweet and warm as the first he'd given me. It made my insides quake and sent shivers right down to my toes. How was it possible for a man to make me feel this way with a single kiss?
I'd just finished wondering that when I opened my eyes – when had I closed them? – and saw that I was alone in the hallway outside my door. Had I imagined the whole thing?
That was when I noticed something was in my hand. It was a pretty pink flower made of silk, perched on top of a thin cardboard stem wrapped in green fabric.
From behind a marble pillar, Tarrant saw a smile form on Laura's soft lips. Goodness, he did love that pretty little mouth of hers!
He watched as she gently cuddled the flower against her face, then slip quietly into her room. He had succeeded in making her smile. It was a great triumph.
Humming, he headed to his own room, eager for a new day to begin.
AN: There's chapter one! Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Thanks!