A/N: Here's the second chapter for you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Two

They rode through a small section of the Tulgey Woods, and then emerged into a bare looking section of land.

They rode for about an hour when they saw the tall white towers of Marmoreal in the distance.

Meg smiled at the sight of the beautiful castle, and wondered silently to herself what Absolem could possibly want with her.

They finally rode through the white-blossomed trees of the courtyard, and came to a stop in front of the front gates.

Meg dismounted the Bandersnatch after Tarrant and Alice, and followed them into the castle.

Mally lept out of Alice's pocket, and started walking besides Meg.

Meg asked Tarrant, "Where is Absolem going to be?"

He answered, "He is usually in the garden. We'll check there first."

Alice nodded, and suddenly grabbed her back, and let out a gasp as she supported herself on the wall.

Tarrant held her shoulders, and said softly, "Alice, it's fine, it'll go away, you just need to sit down a little bit."

Meg frowned, and said to Mally, "What's the matter with Alice?"

Mally frowned, and said in a low voice, "Ever since the Jabberwocky destroyed Wit's End and she got injured, her back has been killing her. Tarrant has tried talking to Mirana, medicine remedies, anything, but nothing will help."

Meg lowered her voice, and asked, "Why did Alice consider my grandmother a daughter to her?"

Mally said softly, "You see, her and Alice have been trying to have a baby for years, and they've never had any success. But when Kim came along, Alice developed a deep friendship with her, and Kim became almost like a daughter to her. When we all heard that Kim was dead, it hit Alice hard. Poor dear, she locked herself in her room, only letting Tarrant in; you could hear her crying from the other side of the castle."

Meg said, "Oh, poor Alice! Kim never told me Alice was sterile!"

Mally said in almost a whisper, "Tarrant didn't tell much of anyone. I only know because I accidentally heard him telling Mirana. He felt that he could really trust your grandmother, so he told her."

Meg offered her a small smile, and said, "Well, thank you for telling me."

And after that, Alice slowly stood up with Tarrant's help, and said, "I'm fine. Let's keep going, we're almost to the garden."

Meg nodded, and followed Tarrant and Alice towards the garden.

They walked into the large garden, and automatically, Meg saw the large statue of her grandmother holding the Vorpal Sword high into the air.

And even though she tried to stop herself, she started to cry softly at the sight of Kim's marble statue.

She whimpered through her tears, and said, "I miss her so much!"

Alice placed her hand on her quivering shoulders, and said, "It's alright, it's alright Meg. She was a strong young woman. And it was true to say that I considered Kim to be almost a daughter to me. She was brave, and clever, and beautiful, just like her granddaughter."

Meg smiled a watery smile, and said, "She was the one who persuaded Suburbia to accept Edward."

Alice frowned, and said, "I know Edward was the man with scissors for hands, but how did she get all of those frightened people to accept him?"

Meg said, "Well, he re-activated one of his father's old creations, but that invention went rampant on Suburbia, kidnapping one kid called Phillip."

She sat down, and said, "I was able to show everyone that Edward was innocent with my grandmother's help."

Alice smiled, and said, "Your grandmother was a very strong young woman, and she loved Edward very much."

Suddenly, a large cloud of blue smoke drifted into the small clearing, and slowly dissipated, leaving behind a small blue caterpillar that Meg recognized as Absolem.

He took a deep puff of the smoke, and said in his low, smooth voice, "Mirana is ill. If she is not cured soon, she will die."

Alice said loudly, "There must be some way to heal her!"

Absolem said calmly, "The only way to cure her is to make a tea out of the flower called the Nether-flower. Once it is used for the good of another, the picker is granted one wish."

Meg thought to herself, "I can use that wish to fix the problem with our family's business!"

Tarrant said grimly, "But the person who possesses the Nether-flower is the Red Queen. She is in banishment in the Outlands."

Alice said, "The Outlands are past the snowy cave, in the mountains."

Meg lept up from her seat, and said, "Well then, we have to go! If we don't, Mirana is going to die!"

Mally said, "Yeah! We've got to!"

Alice said, "Alright, we'll head out tomorrow. For now, we rest."

Alice settled down in her bed next to Tarrant, and said, "Tarrant, what if, this time, we fail? What if we can't bring back the Nether-flower, and Mirana dies?"

Tarrant wrapped his arms around his trembling wife, and said, "Shhh... right now, we rest, luv. Try to sleep."

Alice closed her eyes for a minute or two, then opened her eyes, sat up, and asked, "Tarrant?"

He turned around to face her again, and said, "What is it, luv?"

She said softly, "Can you hold me?"

He smiled, and took up his wife in his arms, whispering comforting nothings into her ear to lull her to sleep.

A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter! They will get longer, I promise.