"Alice,"
"McTwisp brought us the wrong Alice!"
"You'll soon be twenty, Alice."
"The Alice?"
"Alice, dear."
"She's absolutely Alice, I'd know him anywhere."
"Alice, Hamish is waiting to dance with you. Go."
"In fact, you're almost Alice."
"Alice Kingsleigh, will you be my wife?"
"Fairfarren, Alice."
"It's only a dream, Alice."
Alice, Alice, Alice, Alice,
She awoke with a start.
"Thank the lord almighty." A hushed voice said to her left. When she'd started to turn, a jolt of pain rushed through her whole body making her moan.
"There, there, Miss. Don't move. The Doctor said that it be best for you to lie down for a while."
Alice blinked, biting her lip to keep from crying out. What happened? She thought, letting her head fall back into the downy softness of a pillow. She was lying in a bed, but the swooping canopy above her was unfamiliar to Alice.
"Where..." Alice started, shutting her eyes as another wave of pain cut through her. "Where am i?"
"One of Lord Ascot's rooms, Miss." A face appeared above her, a woman, not much older than Alice herself with dark hair pulled back and tucked up into a maid cap. "He found you at the bottom of the stairwell, Miss. In the great hall. You must've tripped, since there was a great puddle of blood and no one else around. Doctor said you were lucky that you hadn't broken your neck."
Alice nodded, replaying the new information in her head. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, miss." The maid said. "It's nearly dawn. Lord Ascot instructed me to watch you until you woke up and give you your medication once you had." She straightened up and picked up the amber colored bottle and poured it into a small silver spoon. "The family's doctor looked you over and said that you'd be a bit sore for a few days but you'd be alright."
Alice nodded and took the silver spoon from the woman, sipping down the amber liquid that raced down her throat leaving a burning edge behind.
"You can go back to sleep if you'd like," The woman said, taking the spoon form Alice and playing it on its shining matching tray. "You seemed to be having a wonderful dream and I'd hate to ruin it."
"Was i?" Alice asked, sitting up slightly with her brow furrowed. Usually her dreams had been vivid and fresh in her mind, especially after she'd woken up but this time all she remembered was her name, over and over in so many different voices. Not wonderful but instead confusing.
"I'd assume so, miss." The maid replied with a small smile. "I heard you speaking in your sleep. You were mumbling about something wonderful."
"Wonderful?" Alice repeated.
"Yes, miss. You should get some rest. I'll leave you now." With that, the maid curtsied once more and left, leaving Alice on her own.
Curiouser and curiouser, she thought, sitting up fully. Even though her body was throbbing, Alice felt the need to move. Her muscles tightening with the aching need of movement so she pushed away the covers let her bare feet fall down onto the cold wood.
Wonderful, the maid had said. She'd never called her dreams that, though they could be lovely if she thought about it, dark and vivid but wonderful?
Alice crossed her arms over her chest. Someone had put a dressing robe over her and her hair had come out of its chignon, now falling in long blonde waves. She looked around the room, it was very well furnished and against one wall was a tall crystal gilded mirror where a wide eyed Alice stood staring back at her.
Hm, Alice thought, padding softly towards the mirror. Someone had stoked the fireplace while she'd been asleep and it cast an eerie glow on everything in the room, including Alice herself.
She looked at herself, almost excepting someone else to be there staring back at her. Silly, she thought. Who else would be staring back at me but…
Transfixed, she raised her hand, fingertips brushing against the glass when suddenly the reflection changed. Alice was standing there but now she was wearing something else, that lovely blue dress from her long ago engagement party. Then a dress with ribbons and lace that barley reached her knees. Then a fluffy red and black, lacy and wild and then a suit of armor. But through it all, she was still Alice.
"Fairfarren, Alice." A hypnotizing voice whispered.
Her hand fell from the mirror.
Her dark eyes grew wide.
And she remembered.
"Wonderland."
Everything was coming back to her now, people, places, memories that she'd forgotten, that she'd promised not to forget.
Alice falling down the rabbit hole surrounded by pianos and books and beds.
Crawling through the door to the gardens.
Running from the Bandersnatch and meeting, no re-meeting the Cheshire Cat.
Breaking into the Red Queen's Castle.
Slaying the Jabberwocky and Hatter, Hatter-
Hiding her from Bayard in the teapot.
Throwing her on his hat to save her life.
Fighting Stayne to let her run away.
Whispering goodbye as he faded right before her eyes.
"Wonderland." Alice repeated. The place she'd visited when she was a child, the place she'd returned to when she'd slayed the Jabberwocky, and the place she'd vowed to return to again.
And she would.
Sorry I haven't posted in forever and sorry that this chapter is really short but the next chapter will hopefully be longer and not as crappy. Please leave a review and tell me what you think, is this working, is this not? Because I love hearing from you guys and thank you so much to shadow-fox313 and Zelda's Hero for being the first to review this story. It means a lot to me.