Author's Note: I am positively delighted to get this story going! I just received the perfect writing music: the Alice in Wonderland OST (not that stupid Avril BS -patooie!-) and it is just lovely. You just have to adore Danny Elfman! Hmm... some more thoughts of mine... Oh I tend to write short chapters, its just the way things go. I hope none of you mind. I tried to make the title of this chapter the opposite of what 'Bon Voyage!' would be... so I translated 'bad' and made it 'Mauvais Voyage' Am I clever or what? (I really hope that's how you actually say it xD)

So enough of my banters! Please enjoy the first official chapter of Sweet Disposition, and keep a look out for more to come :)

Chapter 1: Mauvais Voyage

The young woman leaned over the railing, so far she might have fallen head first into the rushing water below. The sea breeze joyfully playing with her golden locks, she closed her eyes and felt its invisible hands combing ever so gently.

Alice loved this. It was what one would call a perfect solitary moment. This was one of the very few moments her mind was blank, and thoughts were absent. Like, 'I wonder what it would be like to swim like a whale… I wonder what it would be like to breathe under water, sort of like a mermaid. Are mermaids real? I want to meet one… They are probably wonderfully beautiful, naturally as well because if they wore makeup, it would just wash off so they must be. '.

"Alice?" She opened her eyes. "Alice are you up there? Would you mind coming down for a moment, I must speak with you." With a silent sigh, and the grind of her teeth, she stepped down into the small office. The Lord was sitting there, placed comfortably in a large burgundy armchair in front of a desk just covered in maps and scrolls and other scraps of seemingly important papers. With a small glass ofwhiskey in one hand and a long cigar in the other, the old man smiled and nodded towards a seat opposite from him. Alice sat down quietly.

The room was quite small, small enough to make Alice feel a bit awkward and Lord Ascot to appear enormous. Every single wall had papers and pictures pinned on it neatly, but so many in number it looked clustered and she was quite sure there used to be beautiful oak paneling under such a mess.

"We are about a day from being near London." He paused for a drag and a sip. "Will you be visiting your mother?"

"I don't see the need."

"And why is that?"

"I just saw her but a month ago, and we have been sending letters to each other every week."

Lord Ascot took on a stern countenance for a moment before setting down his glass on top of the map of central Asia. Then putting out his sweet cigar on an ashtray adorned with ravens and ivies, he folded his hands on his lap and waited for the girl to speak.

"Can we not just continue?"

"I'm afraid not."

"But why!" Alice was utterly confused and threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Because!" The lord lowered his voice in a cough. "Because this journey, love, is over."

Alice sat back in her chair in silence. She fixed her eyes on a certain lively raven on the designed ashtray, the smoke seemingly rising from his head, ashes covering his beak. Twisting the silver ring on her index finger, she tried to remain calm.

"I am sorry Alice. Things just… did not work out the way as planned." The old man slowly stood up with a bit of effort. "I am getting to that age where I shall have to retire and you…" He glanced at the small girl. "You are still so young. Perhaps you should listen to your mother and—"

"Get married, right? Perhaps I do not want to get married. Did anyone ever think that?"

"Of course Alice. I know very well of your feelings… I just think you should go out and live your life instead of sailing on an old boat with an old man seeking impossible things."

Nothing is impossible, unless you think it not possible. But that still does not make it impossible, it just makes you lazy. Alice stood up and looked her partner in the eyes. With this action, he smiled and reached across the table with his hand outstretched.

"You still remind me very much of your father." She took his hand and shook quite fiercely. He laughed. "And your handshake as well! I was always afraid my hand would get taken clear off!" Laughing so hard, he coughed violently and sat down again reaching for his whiskey and cigar. Alice stared at the wet ring the glass left on China, she felt little remorse.

"Will you be staying in London as well?"

"But of course." He said taking a large gulp; she watched the liquid travel down his throat. "The misses has been threatening me ever since we left. Your mother has been as well." He followed Alice's gaze to his glass. "Would you like to join me?"

"No, that's quite alright." She abruptly shakes her head. "If you do not mind, I would like to go lay down."

"Oh please do." With a nod, she quickly walked out. Going across the deck she sped up, not too fast to be considered a jog but not too slow to be considered a fast walk. Reaching the door to her quarters, she breathed a sigh of relief and anxiously dived for her bed.

The smell of daisies and the feeling of cotton were strangely very welcoming and comforting for the girl. Sinking ever so lower and lower into the mattress and burying her face deeper and deeper into her pillow, Alice screamed.

She screamed for exactly 11.2 seconds and that was quite alright. The blonde sat up, fixed her hair and dusted off her slacks. Sitting with authority and pride, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and placed her hands properly on her lap. She then presumed to fall backwards, turn over and scream for another 14.5 seconds.

"That is fine Alice." She said out loud to herself. "You were bored and smothered in this place. Now you are free to do what you wish and be as silly as ever." Sitting awkwardly on her bed for minutes on end, she glanced around her dull room. The only color was the washed out blue bedding under her, a pretty set of dying white flowers in a vase, a lively looking teddy bear named Ser Richard, and a small pink bow that she secretly kept beside her journal.

She bounced over to her writing desk and picked up her teddy while rummaging through the drawers. After finding nothing amusing, she sat down discouraged. Setting the bear on her lap, she patted his top hat and fixed his multicoloured bow tie. "Oh Ser Richard, what ever shall I do?"

What will little Alice do?

A/N: There are multiple images hinting at Alice's previous adventure. Can you pick them out?