Chapter Two:

Itsuka no, Ikutsuka no Kimi to no Sekai

A Week Later…

It had been a week of getting used to the life she was forced to adapt to. Lisanna had learnt the layout of the entire tower, spent some time with Gray as Nightmare suffered and did his duty. Now, she wanted to leave the tower and explore the town below and the forest.

"I'm going stir crazy in here," Lisanna argued with the Lizard who seemed reluctant to let her out of his sight. "Besides, you wanted me to become used to this place. I can't exactly do that by staring out from my balcony."

Gray crossed his arms over his chest, his lips in a thin line as he stared at for a few moments. Lisanna just stared back with a pleading look in her eyes.

The two of them had grown close during her stay in the Tower of Clover, having bonded over Gray's difficult job of keeping Nightmare in line and not running away. It had gotten to the point of Lisanna informing the lizard of the incubus's location had she seen him.

This annoyed Nightmare greatly but the young woman always made it up to him by cooking every now and then.

"You may go, as long as someone accompanies you," Gray finally decided, giving her conditions. Lisanna found this ironic.

"No one would ever think I'm a queen with these restrictions being forced onto me," she commented, smirking slightly as he sighed, giving her a tired look.

"That is because you are still not used to this land and I'm afraid you'll be….vulnerable without a proper escort," he explained to her but Lisanna frowned. Something in the back of her mind was telling her Gray wasn't telling her everything.

Ignoring the feeling, making a mental note to interrogate him later, Lisanna just nodded and placed a hand on her hip. "Why don't you escort me then?"

Gray widened his eyes at her, completely caught off guard by her suggestion and she rolled her eyes.

"You need a break from babysitting Nightmare," Lisanna pointed out to the subordinate who indeed, looking a little stressed. "Nightmare needs a break too. I've seen the work piling up and he does it…eventually."

A pair of pale arms wrapped themselves around her waist and her back was pressed against something hard. Lisanna looked up and found an excited Nightmare practically beaming at the idea.

"Lord Nightmare," Gray bowed his head to the incubus.

"Yes, Gray! Go with Lisanna and show her the town and the forest. She needs to socialise and become familiar with places other than the tower," Nightmare ordered, giving a sweet smile. "After all, you could use a break and I worry about your health."

Lisanna and Gray exchanged a look, not believing his 'sincerity' one bit but didn't question it.

Sighing in defeat, Gray nodded. "Let's go then," he said, walking ahead. Lisanna couldn't hide the smile on her face as she squirmed out of Nightmare's arms and ran after the lizard.

oOo

She could feel their stares, despite her effort to ignore them. After all, Lisanna was used to people staring at her. Back in her world, she was the daughter of the British Prime Minister. Here, she was supposedly the White Queen of Peace.

I honestly don't see a change, Lisanna thought as she and Gray walked past a shop. She saw her reflection in the window, finding no physical change in her whatsoever. I still feel like the same old me….just a new title…

"Is something the matter?" Gray questioned, seeing the absent look on her face as they walked.

Lisanna shook her head. "No, nothing is wrong. Just musing in my head I suppose."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

She glanced up at him, finding him still on guard and not as relaxed as she had hoped her would be. I guess old habits are hard to change…

"What exactly is the role of the White Queen?" Lisanna asked, curious of the role she had been forced into.

"From what Lord Nightmare has spoken, it is the monarch of the Country of Clover," he began explaining as they stopped at a café. He gestured for her to sit down as a waitress approached them. "I'll have a long black."

The waitress nodded and turned to Lisanna, her mouth opened in awe. Lisanna squirmed in her seat slightly, a little uncomfortable now.

"I'll just have a chai latte," Lisanna said and watched as she wrote down the order on her small pad before leaving them. "Why do I feel like I'm some kind of freak show people can just stare at?"

Gray chuckled at her description of the townsfolk reaction to her presence. "Give it time; they'll grow used to the role being filled again."

"Why was it forgotten in the first place?" Lisanna questioned, frowning slightly at the idea.

"I honestly have no answer to that," Gray answered apologetically as the waitress returned with their beverages. He took a long sip of his long black, seeming to unwind a little from that. "Hence why it is a mystery as to why the role is suddenly brought back and you fill it."

Lisanna raised a brow at him and Gray realised what he had said.

"No! I'm not saying that you shouldn't be it but—" Lisanna laughed at the clearly flustered lizard.

"I know what you meant, Gray," she reassured him before thinking of something. She is well aware of Nightmare's talents and Gray's abilities, as part of their roles. "Do I have any talents or powers as the White Queen?"

This seemed to stump Gray who for once was not knowledgeable about something. He frowned slightly, taking another sip of his coffee.

"My apologises, Lisanna. But I don't know much about the role," he explained to her gently. "The only two people who would know would be Gowland at the Amusement Park and the King of Hearts. They were alive, I believe, when your precursor was alive."

Hope flashed through her eyes at the idea of gaining a better understand of whom she is now and who her precursor was. "Where can I find them?"

"They are not in this country. Both of them reside in the Country of Hearts."

Just my luck, she sighed, taking a sip of her chai latte. The hot cinnamon flavoured milk greeted her and she did a double take. Lisanna took a couple more sips before beaming.

"This is delicious! The best chai latte I have ever tasted," she exclaimed, smiling wide at Gray who looked a little embarrassed. His cheeks were a little bit pink as he observed her quietly.

After that, the two of them spent the rest of the day wandering through the town. A few small children came up and asked Lisanna questions and she smiled at them, answering them as best as she could.

Gray had just stepped back, observing the young queen with soft eyes when something moved in the corner of his eye.

Lisanna was kneeling on the ground, chatting with the faceless children. It felt nice to get to know each of the five children surrounding her.

"Why don't you apologise first to her then?" Lisanna suggested to the little blonde girl who was pouting slightly. "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."

The little girl, Lucy, hesitated for a moment. "Do you think it'll work?" she asked softly and Lisanna nodded.

"You won't know unless you try," she answered before stiffening, feeling tension in the air. Standing up, Lisanna looked towards Gray who looked on edge as well.

It all happened so fast.

There was a gun shot, followed by Gray quickly shielding her behind him as he reflected the bullet with his small dagger. Lisanna jumped in shock before ushering the children behind her as they held onto the back of her white skirt.

"Gray what's going on?" Lisanna demanded as suddenly, they were surrounded by faceless men and women in suits, each of them holding guns. She covered her mouth, pulling the children closer to her body in an effort to comfort them.

"So this is the new Role Holder," the man with the AK-47 rifle in his hand sneered in disgust. "Another whore queen."

Lisanna swallowed the lump in her throat, lifting her chin high. Her main concern was the safety of the children. She had to get them out of harm's way.

"Do what you like with me, but let the children go," Lisanna bargained with him, glaring coldly. "They are innocent in this."

His lips formed a thin, unamused line before gesturing for them to go. The children glanced up at Lisanna for help and she smiled warmly at them.

"Go on, go back home," she told them as they ran out of the square. Once they were gone, the faceless group began firing at them with their various range of arsenal weaponry. Lisanna lifted her arms in cross shape, in an attempt to shield herself and squeezed her eyes shut. She had expected pain….but none came to her.

All she could hear was a sound that reminded her of a basketball being bounced along the ground. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found she and Gray encased in some kind of violet coloured energy shield.

"Gray—"

"Don't stop whatever you're doing," Gray cut her off firmly as she glanced over her shoulder at his back. "Stay here."

She watched in slight horror as he disappeared from the shield. "Gray!" she shouted before noticing the members of the mob being killed one by one.

Lisanna's eyes widened as she witnessed Gray thrust his dagger through the neck of the man with the rifle. Blood poured out of his neck as he ceased firing and grasped it, collapsing onto the ground.

Her hands went straight to her mouth, causing the shield to drop. Nausea washed over her as she forced herself to look away.

"Are you hurt?" Gray asked her, walking towards her, reaching out to touch her arm but she pulled back slightly. Hurt flashed through his eyes at her reaction but she barely saw it as the bodies disappeared, leaving behind a clock.

"They….turned into clocks?" Lisanna whimpered, looking out at the many clocks appearing along the ground, covered in blood. "What's going on? People don't leave clocks behind when they die—"

"Lisanna, calm down," Gray ordered, placing his hands on her shoulders. This time she didn't flinch as her eyes locked onto his golden coloured eyes. "We're going to go back to the tower. Okay?"

Unable to speak, Lisanna nodded mutely and allowed him to escort her back to the Tower of Clover.

oOo

The young queen was wrapped in a warm, fluffy grey blanket with a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. It was the only thing Gray could make without burning and it gave the Swiss a run for their money in her opinion.

She was residing in her room, sitting on the sofa after being bathed and dressed in her usual white, silk nightgown and a silver cotton dressing gown over the top.

As soon as they returned, Gray handed the shell-shocked queen over to the maids who bathed her and dressed her before leaving. They had tried talking to her, but she didn't hear them. She couldn't erase the images of those dead bodies and clocks from her mind.

There was a soft knock at her bedroom door. "Lisanna, may we come in?" Gray's voice called on the other side of the door. Knowing Nightmare was probably with him, she sighed.

Nightmare, I know you can hear me. You can come in, she answered through her thoughts and the door opened, revealing the two other Role Holders.

"How are you feeling?" Gray asked in concern, shutting the door behind him as Nightmare stood in front of her on the other side of the coffee table.

"Numb," she answered truthfully, glancing at him. "You both have some explaining to do."

"In this world, we possess clocks as our hearts," Nightmare explained calmly as she stared at him. "When the people of this world die, only their clocks are left behind. Creatures called Afterimages collect them and deliver them to the Clock Maker, Julius Monrey in the Country of Hearts. Once he has repaired them, they take on a new form and are reborn."

Lisanna lifted her hand towards her chest, feeling a mixture of a tick from a clock and the thump of a heart.

"Your heart is slowly turning into a clock," the incubus added and she exhaled shakily. Placing the cup down, Lisanna stood up and walked over to Nightmare, placing her hand on his chest.

Underneath her fingers, was the steady rhythm of a ticking clock. She closed her eyes for a moment, withdrawing her hand away.

"I see," she whispered quietly.

Song: Itsuka no, Ikutsuka no Kimi to no Sekai by Fhana

So here's the next chapter and Lisanna learns more about the life and how things work around here. Enjoy :)