A/N: Sorry for the long wait! School's being a drag but holidays are here now! I never did think that anyone would find this story but I'm glad that someone found it! Special thanks to: sweetyeevee, for being the first reviewer! And urufushinigami for being the second reviewer! *hands cookies* Honestly, I didn't think that Alice the 89th and Arthur would be that similar either until I took a closer and more careful look at the two. *laughs* Also, I'm happy that this plot looks interesting to you all! Now back to Arthur's adventures in Wonderland!
WARNING: It's a pretty long warning but it would be the same as the first chapter.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own.
Chapter 2: The Queen's Croquet-Ground – Becomes a battlefield.
"…-lice? Alice-chan? Wake up~" Arthur groaned in annoyance. Who the bloody hell was trying to wake him up now? He was having such a nice nap and the soft ground was just getting comfortable. If there was one thing about Arthur, it was that he absolutely despised being woken up in the middle of his sleep. That was an unwise decision to make and Alfred already had a first-hand experience with the end result. 'If it's that bloody loud self-proclaimed hero, I'm going to make him read the whole dictionary.' The English nation smirked to himself at his idea while his eyes still remained shut. "Alice, rise and shine or you'll miss teatime with the Queen~" The annoying voice went at it again. But this time, Arthur jolted right up from his sleeping position. There was no way that he could miss teatime with the Queen!
Wait a minute. Who's Alice? That was certainly not his name and neither was he a girl. Due to just being woken up from his nap, England's brain was still a little foggy and unable to comprehend fully the situation around him. "Ah, so you're finally awake! I didn't really expect that to work though…" Currently, a guy with reddish-brown long hair and cat ears was smiling rather creepily at him and getting much too close to Arthur for his own liking. "GAH!" Was the word that the blonde could say before pushing the mysterious half human-half cat hybrid away from his face. "W-Who the bloody heck are you?!" Arthur took a look around him at his surroundings. "And where the heck is this place?!" He was definitely not on the hills near his backyard and instead, he was in…a forest? Arthur definitely did not remember coming to the forest for his picnic and he certainly did not remember that there was this mysterious cat-person tagging along. Cheshire Cat looked a little hurt at the question that Arthur asked, but quickly returned to his smiley self. "Aww, you mean you don't remember who I am? A-l-i-c-e-chan~" The playful cat whispered the last past into England's right ear yet again, watching in amusement when he jumped back in shock. "Y-You're that mysterious attacker!" Arthur flushed and shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Cheshire Cat, while at the same time rubbing furiously at his poor abused right ear.
This Alice was definitely more fun to tease, Cheshire decided. And the reactions were priceless. "Bingo! But you're not right about me being an attacker. I'm here on official business!" The blonde looked puzzled. "Anyways, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am the Cheshire Cat, and I will be your guide for today. Welcome to Wonderland, Alice~" Cheshire stood, politely introduced himself and offered a hand to Arthur who was still sitting on the ground. The English nation hesitated for a moment, before finally taking the hand.
Can I really trust this guy?
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"What do you mean by this is Wonderland? Are you trying to say that this is like the Wonderland in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'? And why are you calling me Alice? My name is Arthur Kirkland, and I'm perfectly male." Cheshire let a sweat rolled down his face as he listened on to Arthur firing questions at him all at once. They were now walking along the path that leads from the forest to the town, long passing the 'Welcome to Wonderland' fancy looking sign. "Yes and no, there's a reason for that, and yes, I do know that you are male…" Arthur heaved a sigh while gazing ahead. "This…isn't a dream, is it…?" Cheshire Cat raised a brow at the sudden question and bore his maroon eyes into the blonde's side profile. "Hmm? What makes you say that?" Silence overcame the duo for some time before Arthur started speaking again. "Well, before all of this, I wished that I could experience what Alice had went through. I didn't really think this would actually happen." The cat let out a light hearted chuckle. "Perhaps this is fate then!" The blonde continued gazing ahead. "The world works in a strange way huh?" Cheshire Cat did not answer to that.
Soon, the pair was out of the forest and in town. The town was filled with joyous laughter, cheerful music and enjoyable performances. Today seemed like a special event. "Oh, don't worry much about the town people, Alice~ They are pretty much always like this and trust me, it gets worse when the Queen visits… The whole town would go into chaos! But today is Alice's fixed holiday you see, that's why the people here are more excited than usual~" Arthur looked around nodding, as though as he was enjoying himself, though he really was. It had been quite some time since he had been able to enjoy himself in such a festive mood, and he wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity like this either. The Cheshire Cat, as if reading his thoughts, pulled him along by his hand and broke out into a full run instead of letting the said blonde enjoy himself. "W-What the heck?!" Was all Arthur could say before his breath got taken away… Literally. "My apologies, Alice. As much as I would love to accompany you to enjoy the festive mood, but I'm afraid that the party is not for you... And you have an appointment with the Queen!" Arthur stared back with a look of disbelief.
"An appointment with the Queen…?" The blonde was baffled. Cheshire only grinned back. "That's right! The Queen has been really looking forward to meeting you, and if I don't bring you over on time, it might be off with my head. I still like to keep my head, thank you very much." The pair ran on with Arthur nearly running out of air. Not long after, a grand looking castle came into sight. At the entrance was a blonde hair man dressed in a formal suit, with an eye-patch on his right eye and a sword was attached to the side of his belt. The man bowed in a polite manner. "Ah, so the Queen has requested you to welcome the new Alice, Knave of Hearts? Must be a really important matter then~ Though I see that the Queen hasn't allowed you to speak yet." The cat smiled mischievously, attempting to lead the English nation into the castle, but only to be stopped by the Knave of Hearts. 'No pets are allowed.' Knave of Hearts held up a sign board. Cheshire pouted. "Not even for the one who helped in finding a replacement temporary Alice?" The loyal right-hand man of the Queen of Hearts held up another sign board. 'Nope. It's the Queen's absolute order to meet the new Alice alone with zero disturbances.' A sigh escaped the cat's lips. "Such a pity…I was looking forward to enjoying the delicacies that might be available here… Well, new 'Alice', it seems that our meeting will have to end here for the time being. But I do hope to see you around soon!" And just with that, the reddish-brown hair man disappeared into the crowd of excited citizens.
Arthur just stared at the retreating back of the cat, dumbfounded. He didn't really understand what was going on anymore. Knave of Hearts approached him once more. 'Shall we go in then? The Queen is waiting for you.' The blonde nodded and followed Knave of Hearts into the castle. If possible, the interior of the castle had looked even grander than the castles that England had visited. On the way, they passed many female workers (maids perhaps?) and each greeted them with a smile. Were the workers here all female? At last, they finally reached two huge grand double doors. Apparently they had reached their destination. Arthur was starting to get nervous for some reason. True, he had have meetings with the Queen of England multiple of times, but this was a different thing all together. This was the Queen of an unknown country that he has never set foot in before. And he didn't even know the rules! Cheshire Cat did also mention something about 'off with my head', so would he end up with the same fate if he didn't obey?
Arthur shivered at the thought. 'Alright, Arthur Kirkland. This is not the time to be nervous. You've been in meetings with the Queen for multiple times now! Despite the fact that this is a different Queen, you just have to obey, answer carefully and be a gentleman.' These were the thoughts of Arthur Kirkland as he stepped into the room behind the huge grand double doors. 'This place is absolutely huge!' The Englishman thought in awe and looked ahead. In front of him stood the Queen of Hearts, with her back facing him. Arthur gulped, pulling a little at his necktie. Was it just him or was it getting a little harder to breathe now? No, it was just the Queen's powerful aura that was overwhelming him. Jack, who stood at the side of the room doesn't seem to be affected by the aura at all. Arthur at that moment could only wonder who the powerful lady was, with such an aura that leads the country. "It is really an honor to be able to be here, your majesty." Arthur kneeled and bowed to the Queen in front of him. "It's a pleasure to be able to meet you too, Alice." The voice echoed throughout the room, revealing to be…a male's voice…?
The blonde who was still kneeling on the floor glanced up. Staring back at him was a handsome face, dark eyes that sent a piercing gaze. So…the Queen of Hearts was a guy…? Arthur's jaw nearly dropped. The Queen of Hearts should be a female shouldn't it? But there stood a male in female clothing, and it seemed that the clothing had actually very much fitted the man. The English nation glanced to the side at Jack, but as usual, his expression remained stoic. It seemed that males being in female's clothing were normal in this country.
"No need to be that shock, Alice." The Queen chuckled. "It's a dress code that has already been set. And you may rise. Shall we head on to the gardens to have tea?" Arthur nodded as he stood, then following the Queen who was escorted by his ever loyal right-hand man. There were many things that confused Arthur Kirkland that day. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, Arthur thought inwardly. There were different varieties of flowers, different colours, but there weren't any red flowers at all. 'That's pretty weird… Wasn't the Queen of Hearts supposed to like the colour red…?' Now that the Englishman thought about it, he hadn't seen a trace of the colour red ever since he stepped into the castle, and neither was the Queen wearing red. The party soon arrived at the huge table that was set in the middle; many delicacies were atop the table. Arthur sat at one end of the table, while the Queen sat at the other with Jack of Hearts standing beside him.
"So I supposed it is your first time coming to this country, Alice?" Arthur nodded. "Your majesty my apologies, but my name is not Alice…its Arthur Kirkland." Queen of Hearts frowned at the reply. The English nation squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Had he offended the Queen in any way? "I am guessing that the cat didn't explain to you then. Jack, summon the Cheshire Cat here now." Jack nodded and bowed, then walking off in hurry in search of the Cheshire Cat.
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"Did your majesty called for me?" After a few minutes of awkward and uncomfortable silence, the cheerful cat was finally brought in. "Yes I did. Now care to explain to me why you didn't tell Alice anything about what was going to happen?" Cheshire grinned back playfully. "I supposed I was kind of absorbed in wanting to show Alice-chan the wonders of this country that I somehow forgot~" The Queen felt a vein popped somewhere. "Don't test my patience Cheshire Cat. You should know better on what would happen." Said cat just smiled and went over to Arthur. "Since I didn't have a chance to explain it, I'll do it now~ Basically, today is Alice's fixed holiday. It's the event where the citizens get to celebrate and party while Alice rests at home from his activities. But apparently, our dear Alice the 89th decided to take a vacation, which is why he isn't present at the moment. You majesty here feels that the country isn't right without Alice, so wants me to find a temporary Alice that is similar to Alice the 89th. On another note, despite whatever your name might be before, after coming to this country and receiving the temporary name and role of Alice, your name shall remain 'Alice'." Cheshire ended his explanation with a grin and a little dance. Arthur began to slowly take in the information.
"Speaking of which, where exactly did you get this Alice from?" The Queen of Hearts paused for a moment to study Arthur. "His eyebrows are-" The blonde became furious. "Do not insult my eyebrows!" All eyes widen at the sudden outburst. The blonde then realized what he just did. "W-What I meant was, I-I don't like people to talk about my eyebrows that casually…" He was probably in deep trouble now. However, the Queen only let out an amused chuckle while the cat laughed. Jack strangely continued to remain stoic. "Alice-chan is really particular about his eyebrows, it would seem~" Arthur's face flushed. It's not like he could help it. People around him teased him for it, especially a certain French nation, and he found it somehow harder to contain his anger on issues pertaining to his eyebrows. Unless it was a compliment of course.
"Well then, Alice. After this, you will be meeting Mad Hatter, who will be your guide and bodyguard for the rest of your stay. He will be guiding you on how to become a proper Alice, and introduce you to people whom you will meet." Arthur nodded in defeat. This looks like quite a confusing job that he would had to take on. "Oh, and Cheshire Cat? You haven't answered my question yet." The Queen turned back to the cat. "Of course, your majesty. I simply followed your orders~ You said you needed someone like Alice, so I found one according to the requirements! He's blonde and a male, just like Alice the 89th! And he has quite the similar temper too." The dark hair man felt another vein twitched. He took out his scythe and pointed it at the cat. "I specifically order you to get an Alice who meets the requirements. And I am sure that even a house pet like you can understand that what I'm trying to say is to find an Alice with the qualities that fits to be Alice." Cheshire raised his hands up as a form of surrender. "As I was saying your majesty, he is pretty similar to Alice the 89th with his temper and everything… And there is no need to get that worked up over it…it's just going to be for a short period of time your majesty…" The cat gulped and took a step back when the Queen pointed his scythe closer.
He really needed to think of an escape plan now if he still wants to live to tease Alice for another day.
Arthur gazed nervously at the scene in front of him. 'Maybe I should stop them…' A hand was placed on his shoulder. Jack of Hearts stood at the side shaking his head while holding up his tool of communication. 'You shouldn't try interfering, Alice. You'll only get hurt.' The English nation tried to regain his calm composure. Jack was right. He didn't have anything with him that might be useful to stop a fight, and talking them out doesn't seem to be any of the options here. 'I doubt that they will even listen…' Even though he was a nation, Arthur didn't want to risk getting hurt by the deadly looking scythe or whatsoever. Who knows if the scythe had held some strange powers or magic?
Without warning, a sword came flying past the Cheshire Cat, close to almost cutting his face, and impaled itself on the ground. "You bloody cat!" Came the shriek from behind Arthur. The blonde quickly turned around to see who was the one who launched the surprise attack, only to find himself meeting with an albino teen with rabbit ears. To say that the White Rabbit is angry was an understatement. He was absolutely fuming mad. The Cheshire Cat had visited his place earlier, claiming that he had finished his 'Alice mission' and finished the tray of food that the rabbit was supposed to serve to Marianne when he wasn't looking. The cat skipped off merrily after that.
"Oh? If it isn't the White Rabbit. It looks as though you have some unfinished business to settle with the Cheshire Cat. But as you can see, I am currently busy with him right now." The Queen cast a glance at the White Rabbit, his scythe still pointed at Cheshire's face. "If that's the case, then I suggest that we'll just slice him up together!" The albino teen glared angrily before charging at the cat. "I suppose I wouldn't mind taking off his head myself." Queen of Hearts smiled and raised his scythe. Arthur gaped at the battle dumbfounded. Looks like they have all forgotten that there was a guest here. Cheshire Cat dodged both of the attacks, jumping gracefully in the air and onto a nearby statue. Insults were thrown, so were weapons. It was a sign that the battle wasn't going to stop any time soon. A hand tapped Arthur's shoulder and a paper was passed to him. 'Mad Hatter is waiting outside for you. As for the battle, it's fine to just leave it. They will come to their senses soon. Just leave this place as soon as possible.' The Englishman stared at Jack worriedly. "Are you sure you're going to be fine here…?"
Jack nodded and signaled Arthur to leave. Arthur muttered a 'thank you' and took off for the main entrance. There on the front entrance steps stood the Mad Hatter. Hatter turned to stare hard at Arthur with a lit cigarette in his mouth.
"So you're the new Alice? Took you long enough…"
A/N: And cut! I tried making the chapter as long as I could and this is how it came out. Sorry if the characters were a little OOC… I initially wanted to make a battle with them just throwing cakes and desserts at each other but that would be kind of ridiculous…*chuckles* And that would be wasting those yummy desserts. Hatter doesn't approve! Does anyone want another omake or a special extra chapter? It would probably be about why Alice the 89th decides to go on vacation out of the country and how all these plans came to be. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable! Thanks for reading and remember to leave reviews or suggestions! It will be greatly appreciated!
Next chapter: A Mad Tea-party - Where Regrets are invited.