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Chapter Two: Not According to Plan
A/N: This is a bit of a filler chapter, but it's necessary for the plot! And I used my creative license and given Lady Ascot a first name! What do you think of my name choice?
Disclaimer: Would I even write a disclaimer if I was trying to claim something? Honestly…
Lady Ascot should have known that Alice would be late that afternoon. Alices were always late, she had once been told.
Two days prior to the engagement party she had found Nivens McTwisp in the garden waiting with a letter.
"May I be of service to you?" Lady Ascot had asked, eying the White Rabbit standing in the middle of her garden path.
"A… a letter for you, Rowena," McTwisp stuttered. "It's... it is from… Ab… Absolem." He nervously looked to and fro, hoping that no one else was around to hear him speak.
"Well, hand it here," Lady Ascot impatiently said.
McTwisp looked at his pocket watch before handing her the letter. "Oh dear," he started. He quickly offered up the letter.
Lady Ascot reached down and took the folded parchment from his hands. No sooner than she did so, he muttered, "Oh, so very late," and hopped back into the trees from whence he came.
Frowning from the intrusion, Lady Ascot looked down at the letter with her first name penned across the front. After looking around for any signs of being observed, she unfolded the letter. Reading it over made her visibly upset.
Apparently, it was time. Inside the letter were simply a few important lines from the Jabberwocky prophecy. Underneath, it was written: "Alice Kingsleigh on Gribling Day, in the time of the Red Queen, at Brillig in the Above Lands."
It was well known by all Underlanians that there would come a time when a Champion was needed. And in the past several years, it had been concluded by many on the side of White that it would be Alice Kingsleigh.
The moment Lady Ascot first heard that her childhood friend's daughter would very likely be the future Champion for the White Queen, she went into action. She knew that Charles Kingsleigh worked in trade, the business her husband was well-versed in. After conspiring to get the two together, the stars aligned and Charles sent an invitation to Lord Ascot for a business proposal.
Her husband didn't follow through with the business proposal, but he did remain in contact with Mister Kingsleigh. She was able to get introduced to Charles' wife and subsequently her children. Only a year younger than her own son, Alice would be the perfect match. She had successfully introduced Hamish and Alice when they became of age, and the two had been courting for some time. Alice would marry a lord, and be raised to a higher class in Britain, and her son would be the husband of Underland's Champion, raised to a higher class Below.
It would be perfect.
That is, if Lady Ascot could get to Alice before Underland did.
Until Lady Ascot had received the letter from Absolem, she had no idea when Alice would be called Below. In fact, she had all but forgotten about the prophecy from Underland. She had been gone from her homeland for so long that she did not automatically know which day it could be there, and most certainly did not know how Time was passing there in relation to his brother here.
Slipping the letter into her pocket, Lady Ascot retreated to the library. Hidden amongst the old—but impressive—collection of books, she found what she was looking for. Scrolling through some tomes brought from her homeland, she was able to discern that Gribling Day was the day of the planned engagement! Everything would be ruined!
But her anger was fleeting. Lady Ascot figured she would have plenty of time for the engagement to take place before Alice was summoned to Underland. The party was scheduled to begin at half past two in the afternoon. Hamish and Alice would be securely betrothed by four. Alice would come back as a Champion, and her life both Above and Below would be secured. Casting the letter aside, Lady Ascot decided that the party would go on as planned and without disruption.
However, true to what she had heard, Alice showed up extremely late to her surprise engagement party. Frustrated with the Kingsleighs, Lady Ascot knew that everything would have to be rushed through in order for her plan to fall into place before Brillig. Walking through the garden with Alice, her heart nearly stopped when she caught a glimpse of McTwisp running through her roses.
"Did you see that?" Alice asked. It was quite obvious the girl had noticed the same thing. And how could she not, with all the noise he was rudely making in the bushes.
"See what?" Lady Ascot asked innocently.
"'Twas a rabbit, I think."
"Blasted things; I would enjoy setting the dogs on them," Lady Ascot harshly called out. She had hoped that she would scare McTwisp away, and he would return to Underland until after the proceedings. But Alice was easily distracted, and ran after him anyway, eventually following him all the way down to Underland.
Lady Ascot had no choice but to wait.
While every stood around looking lost and confused, Lady Ascot tuned out all of their gossip and tried to remember how the prophecy would pan out.