Coming slowly to consciousness, Adrastea could hear voices and giggles. Groaning slightly, she stirred then froze. She was still in her clothes, good. Groaning slightly, she got up into a sitting position. Eyes slightly stinging and bleary, she saw two maids in traditional black and white outfits come close. "Good morning Miss." they greeted in unison.
Rolling her eyes, the maids gasped at at Adrastea's eyes. "Oh dear, do you need more rest?" one asked on the left. "Your eyes are completely bloodshot." exclaimed the other one on the right.
Smiling politely, Adrastea shook her head. "My eyes are like that most mornings." she said truthfully. "In an hour or so they'll be fine." Nodding, the maids brought over a serving tray with some delicious food on it.
Stomach growling suddenly, Adrastea blushed slightly as the maids giggled. "Here you must be starved." exclaimed the one not holding the serving tray as she helped put the tray on Adrastea's lap. "Eat and then we'll have you measured for new clothes. The clothes you're wearing are quite strange." mentioned the one now without the tray.
Adrastea ate quickly as she explained the current styles in the Upperland, as the maids called her world. When she finished, one maid whisked away the tray, while the other helped her out of the high bed that even had it's own platform and stairs leading up to it.
Glancing around her, Adrastea noticed that the castle hadn't changed since her great grandmother's time; it was mostly white with pale gray and silver highlights and not very many shadows. After walking for a bit, the maid lead her to a door with a sign above it with a spool of thread with a threaded needle.
Not bothering to knock, the maid leading Adrastea opened the door and ushered her in. Gawking at the room filled with mirrors, several platforms, and an entire corner devoted to trying on hats, Adrastea didn't notice the Queen until she politely coughed. Turning, Adrastea gave a slight bow of her head in acknowledgment. "How are you?" she asked politely.
Smiling, the White Queen moved toward Adrastea, her hands proceeding her as she sort of floated as she walked. "Just fine, and you my dear?"
Adrastea beamed. "Just fine, your Majesty." she managed to reply before a small old man scampered into the room with a flexible tape measure.
The Queen smiled. "Oh Ernest, we need your expertise to measure and make some dresses for this young lady." she stated with a gracious smile. Turning to look as Adrastea, she frowned when she saw Adrastea five steps away from her and the tailor. "What is the matter, Adrastea?"
Forcing a smile, Adrastea tried to ignore the pit of dread in her abdomen. "I'm just not comfortable wearing dresses. They have fallen much out of style and preference." she murmured, timidly.
Ernest the tailor looked thoughtfully at Adrastea's clothes, which were wrinkled and had some powdered sugar on some areas. "If you could supply me with some designs of the clothes in your world, I could make some to your preference. With the Queen's permission of course." he replied, gazing at the Queen for approval.
Thoughtful, the Queen nodded. "That would be fine. Adrastea, you brought an extra set of clothes right?" When Adrastea, nodded, she smiled. "Well if you could bring both sets of clothes and anything that would help the tailor make some clothes that would make you comfortable here, and allow him to measure you, I"m sure clothes can be made for you by nightfall."
Adrastea bowed slightly. "Then may I get the clothes from my room and my laptop? My laptop has photos of all the clothes I own on it." It had been for a project in her fashion class.
Gesturing to the door, the Queen dipped her head in acceptance. "Yes you may. Ask a maid for directions to your quarters." Grinning, Adrastea fled to the door glad to stall the measurements to be done by that man.
Maids were helpful with directions, soon Adrastea was in her chambers and rummaging through her bag grabbing the clothes and laptop. Just as she was going to go back out, she stopped in front of the closet which had some clothes that looked like pj's. Smirking, Adrastea put down her load and went into the closet and changed into a long-sleeved silky dark purple top and a matching pair of pants.
Picking up the folded clothes on top of her laptop, Adrastea went back to the tailor. "Back." she announced as she came through the door.
"Good." said the Queen as she 'floated' over. "Just put them over there." Pointing to an empty table, the Queen smiled as Adrastea put the items on the table and got up on one of the circular platforms holding her arms spread, like she had done this a million times before.
Ernest the tailor came in and smiled and immediately started measuring mentally remembering all the numbers. Holding perfectly still, Adrastea breathed in and out deeply and slowly. 'Calm... You're not here... You're flying, high in the sky...' she thought mentally.
Once the measurements was done, Adrastea got off the platform. The Queen looking at her thoughtfully. "Most women can't stop talking when they are measured and yet you make yourself so calm that you seem to not be there at all." she mused.
Shrugging, Adrastea glanced around the room. Spotting the tailor, she jogged over to him. "My laptop is strange to here. Would you like to learn how to use it?" she inquired. When Ernest nodded, she went and spent an hour teaching him the basics and soon he was a whiz.
After the lesson, the tailor looked at Adrastea. "If only I had one of these, it would be very simple to remember everyone's measurements and design new gowns."
Smiling, Adrastea patted his shoulder. "Maybe I'll leave it with you for a while." she said. "I'd better go, it's almost tea time."
Beaming, the tailor gave her directions to the garden. "The tea party is almost always there." he explained. "Most of your clothes should be done by tomorrow."
Leaving with a smile plastered all over her face, Adrastea left to the garden, taking out her iPod as she walked. Listening to the guitar and drums and bass opening, she started to sing forgetting no one else could hear the music.
'There's somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained. There's a glow off the pavement,you walk me to the car. And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there. In the middle of the parking lot, yeah...' Walking down the hallways, maids and other servants were staring at the young lady singing beautifully without music. Adrastea didn't noticed as she watched where she stepped, since she was barefoot.
'We're drivin' down the road, I wonder if you know. I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now, But you're just so cool, run your hands through your hair, absent-absentmindedly makin' me want you.'Adrastea kept absent-absentmindedly singing as she when through the maze.
'And I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless. And I don't know why but with you I dance. In a storm in my best dress, fearless.' Sitting on a bench, when she stepped on a rock, Adrastea kept singing as she rubbed her foot.
'So baby drive slow 'til we run out of road. In this one horse town, I wanna stay right here. In this passenger seat, you put your eyes on me. In this moment, now capture it, remember it.' Since the pain in her foot was gone, Adrastea got up and found a beautiful fountain. Sitting on the side, staring into the water, she kept singing.
'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless. And I don't know why but with you I'd dance. In a storm in my best dress, fearless.' Smiling at the fish swimming around, Adrastea didn't notice a group gathering at one of the maze's entrance to the fountain. She touched the water to make ripples before deciding to go for tea.
'Well, you stood there with me in the doorway. My hands shake, I'm not usually this way. But you pull me in and I'm a little more brave. It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really somethin'. It's fearless.' Still not seeing the group, Adrastea moved to the entrance that would take her to the flower beds before the gazebo where the tea party was today.
'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless. And I don't know why but with you I'd dance. In a storm in my best dress, fearless.' She sang as she past the flowers and rounded a corner.
'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this. You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless. And I don't know why but with you I'd dance. In a storm in my best dress, fearless.' Singing still, Adrastea turned a corner and came to the gazebo and everyone was staring at he like she grew a horn or wings. "What?" she asked, when the song ended, pulling out her headphones and turned her iPod off.
Everyone was still staring, even the Queen. Getting slightly annoyed, Adrastea turned around to escape when she noticed the group of people that were behind her. There was a blue dodo bird, roly-poly twins in striped shirts, a electric blue butterfly sitting on one of the twins' head, and a small group of people from the White Queen's court dressed in white with white hair (natural or fake wigs), pale skin and white with pale gray and silver trimmings.
Turning crimson, Adrastea glanced behind her too, where the Hatter, Mally, the Queen and Thackery were. "I"m disappearing, sorry I'm missing tea today!" she exclaimed and she dashed past the Hatter and through one of the unoccupied maze entrances as everyone stood stunned.
The song is "Fearless" by Taylor Swift.
