Tick, tock, tick, tock. The clock was driving her mad. All it did was sit there and tick away to itself, counting down to what? Another life? Another death? She couldn't take it anymore. Alice leapt up from the chair and walked outside, taking a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. There was a faint smell of honey in the air. She smiled, reminded of Wonderland, the place she went as a child and a teen. There had always been that smell in Wonderland – one of the many things that made it so appealing. Alice's mind quickly flooded with memories of the world, from her adventures with the Mad Hatter to the battle with the Red Queen to her relationship with the White Queen. She stopped short. No, she couldn't think of the White Queen. Not here, not now. She was going to be an adventurer! She couldn't love another female – it was simply unheard of. What would happen to her if someone found out? Would she be executed? Burned? Alice let out a shaky breath. No, nobody could find out…nobody would find out. She had managed to keep it a secret for five years now. The last time she had visited Wonderland was when she was fifteen – the first time she realized she was bisexual. The girl let out a sigh. Why did love have to be so tough? Even though the White Queen loved her back, she was also bisexual, meaning that Alice had twice as much competition, for lack of better words.
"Why can't it be simple?" she murmured softly to herself. She was twenty now and it had been over a year since she had been to Wonderland. The first time she had ever been there, she was seven years old. The second time, she was fifteen. The third, she was nineteen. Even though there had been such a big gap between the visits, her heart ached to go back more than ever. However, tomorrow she was to leave on her first adventure, travelling by ship to lands unknown. But she didn't want lands unknown, she wanted Wonderland. As soon as the thought flitted across her mind, she caught a glimpse of a white dash. Her eyes widened – could it be the white rabbit? No, this had happened before. A white blur in the corner of her eye, one of her desires come to life in her own mind. But wait. There it was again! Without hesitation, Alice gave chase. She caught a glimpse of a white rabbit wearing a red waistcoat and laughed in joy. It was him! Nivens McTwisp, his name was – the white rabbit! She was going back to Wonderland!
"Nivens! Wait!" she called, leaping over a fallen log.
"Hurry up, then!" he replied squeakily, with a small laugh.
Alice put on more speed, closing the gap between the two. Finally the rabbit disappeared. She came to where he had vanished to find a small hole. It was barely big enough for her to fit through! Undeterred, she looked around quickly to check if anyone was watching. Finding nobody, gripped her dress and jumped down the hole. She was falling forever, it felt like. But finally, after what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few minutes – time goes quite slowly when you're falling) she began to slow down, floating, and landed gently on a soft bed of grass. Alice was surrounded by the forest she had been in during her second visit – a strange place full of peculiar plants and bizarre animals. There was something different this time, though. Everything was covered with a thick blanket of snow, and more snowflakes were falling. But from where? The trees almost completely blocked out the sky. What she could see of the sky was a dark grey color. She had barely even stood up when a small group of men dressed in silver and black, atop pure-white horses, cantered up and surrounded the girl in the blue dress.
"Miss Alice Kingsleigh, am I correct?" one of the men asked in a deep gruff voice with a Scottish accent.
"Yes, mister," Alice replied. The man smiled warmly at her.
"We're glad you've arrived, miss. The White Queen has been looking for you, miss," he informed her. Alice froze.
"The W-White Queen? Why was she looking for me?"
"She wants to make you an offer, miss; she'll tell you when we get there. We have an extra horse for you, miss," he said, and another horse, this one black as a raven, walked forward. She was beautiful.
"Hello, miss! I'm Inkblack. I'll be your ride to the White Queen's palace, miss," the mare said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Inkblack. That's very sweet of you," Alice replied with a smile. She put a foot in the stirrup of the saddle and swung up. Once she had settled down in the comfortable saddle, she patted the horse's neck. They took off at a canter, moving through the forest and eventually coming to a large, snow-covered field, behind which was a Victorian-style silver castle with black linings. There was a stable on the side with ten men apparently waiting for the party to return. They caught sight of Alice and bowed deeply. She dismounted and bowed in return, giving them a smile. One of the men stepped forward and a woman stepped out from behind him.
"Come on, Miss Kingsleigh, the White Queen wants to see you," she said in a slightly high-pitched Cockney accent. Alice thanked Inkblack, took the woman's outstretched hand, and allowed herself to be led inside the castle.