Whoa nelly, two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll here! :P In this chapter I decided to try my hand at some Underland slang (Just one word), but I'm not sure if it's used in the right context... You'll know it when you see it, haha. XD
Not much to say, weirdly enough, since I usually always ramble on and on... :P Oh, I got it! We got Florence and the Machine's album Lungs the other day and it is really fantastic. I've been listening to it nonstop. I recommend it to everybody.
I don't own anything. Lewis Carrol and Tim Burton do!
Alice turned from the window to her bed, where Margaret was sitting, rifling through the pages of a small book. She watched, her brow knit, while Margaret just shook her head.
"This is nonsense!" she said, closing the book. Alice walked over and sat down on the bed beside her sister, her eyes scanning the page.
"No, it's not," she said, reading through it. "It's very sensible if you know how they speak around here."
"And you do?" Margaret asked, tipping her head. Alice blushed, looking away.
"Well, I…"
"How long have you been coming here, Alice? How long were you planning on staying here?" Margaret asked, slipping her hands around Alice's. Alice drew her brows together, glaring hard at the bed covers, bracing for the storm that would surely come.
"I was planning on staying here forever."
"Alice, you can't!" Margaret cried, cupping Alice's face in her hands and pulling it upwards to face her. Alice pulled away, stepping backwards off the bed and clinging to a post of the footboard.
"Margie, you cannot tell me what to do," she said, more disappointed than angry. She had hoped that her sister would be understanding of her choice, but apparently that was just too much to ask for.
"But what about mother? What shall I tell her?"
"Nothing."
"And your friends?"
"I have much truer friends here."
"You can't be serious."
"I am perfectly serious," Alice said, frowning, hoping her tone would end the argument. But still Margaret persisted, crawling forward towards her with a pleading look on her face. Alice had to fight to contain her anger. She knew her sister cared for her and was only trying to do what she felt was right, even if her methods were a bit… old-fashioned in Alice's eyes. She should have been happy that Alice was growing up and becoming an independent, successful young lady, but still it was not enough for Margaret.
"But what about getting married, Alice? If what I saw in that forest is what these people are like, then there is surely no one suitable for you."
Alice stepped away from the bed completely, fighting the thoughts that threatened to invade her mind, the things she wanted to say. How could Margaret possibly know who was suitable for her, and why was it any of her business, anyway? Against her will, even though she fought so hard against it, her thoughts shifted to Stayne, but this time Margaret was a blessing, interrupting her before she could go any further.
"Alice…" she said. "You haven't… fallen in love with anyone here, have you?"
Alice stared at her, her mind at a blank, like someone had shoved a crowbar into the inner workings of her mind and jammed it up. Slowly, she shook her head.
"No, of course not," she said, beginning to laugh despite herself. Margaret did not look convinced, though she did relax a bit. Alice remained where she was, pushed up against the dresser, her forced laughter fading out into silence and replaced with an awkward, tense silence. "Being married is not that important."
"Then what is?"
"Being happy with who you are and what you choose to do with your life," Alice replied, words spilling out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. Margaret stepped off the bed and took a hesitant step towards Alice, who attempted to step back but just bumped against the dresser again.
"Wouldn't you be happy to be married?"
"Yes. I would," Alice replied, slipping under her sister's hands as she attempted to set them on her shoulders. "But that is not a main objective of mine at the moment… and it won't be until I am certain I have found the right man." She glared at Margaret, taking a small step back towards the door.
"But, Alice… What's so wrong with London?"
"I had no freedom there!" she cried. "We women are supposed to wear layers and layers of clothing every day no matter how hot or uncomfortable it is, and we cannot do anything! I have done things here that would have been an embarrassment in London, and let me tell you, Margaret, I do not regret it!" Margaret looked horrified. Alice continued, her anger draining out of her as she spoke. "Everyone here speaks equally, friends are friends, no matter the gender or class, and we all help each other out, and we all do things together. Underland is by far superior to London, and I feel sorry for you if you do not believe me!"
There was a long silence. Alice's chest heaved up and down as she tried to compose herself, gather her feelings and lock them away. Margaret had not deserved that… No. She was just acting as she had been raised to, as they had both been raised to, and there was nothing wrong with that.
"I'm sorry, Margaret," Alice mumbled. Margaret was silent. Alice sighed, relaxing, stepping towards her sister and hugging her. To her relief, Margaret returned her embrace. "I do not want to argue with you… I'm sorry. Good night." Without waiting for Margaret to interrupt her, she headed for the door and opened it, engulfing herself in the darkness outside the bedroom.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the cold, crisp air of the hallway. She could not go back to London. She would not go back to London. Taking another deep breath, she ran for her bedroom.
----
The morning found Alice in a slightly better mood, to her relief. She went to fetch Margaret and escort her to breakfast, as most everything about the castle spooked the elder Kingsleigh daughter at the moment.
Breakfast times varied for everybody in the castle, and at the moment Alice and Margaret walked into the dining room to find Tarrant talking casually to Nivens while dipping a doughnut into his morning tea. Margaret stepped a little closer to Alice, although she did not seem surprised. She must have run into a few talking on animals on her way here.
Upon spotting them, Tarrant hopped out of his chair and pulled out a few different chairs for them to choose from. "Good morning, Alice," he said, bowing. She gave a little curtsy before sitting down next to Nivens. Margaret sat down next to her. "Who is this?" Tarrant continued, sitting on the table and gesturing towards Margaret. Margaret looked appalled at his manners, drawing back a bit. "She looks a bit… mmm, how do I say this… gallymoggers!"
Margaret looked offended, although of course she had no idea what he had called her. Alice set a biscuit, some jam, and some coffee on the table in front of her. "Tarrant, this is Margaret. She's my sister. Margaret, this is Tarrant Hightopp. He is the hatter for the White Queen."
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Margaret," he said, taking her hand and bowing over it. Margaret was silent, unsure of what to say as she looked him up and down. "If I could offer a bit of advice," he said, leaning towards her, "this is the part where you say 'likewise'."
Margaret swallowed. "L… Likewise," she said quietly. He nodded, hopped off the table, and walked back to his chair. Alice grinned, offering Margaret a biscuit.
Breakfast passed in anything but silence as more people and animals and creatures showed up to join in the eating. With each passing moment she could see Margaret getting more and more tired of Tarrant but trying her hardest to be polite. Alice would have been amused as the ruckus around the table grew, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She glanced up at the nearest clock. It was already nine o' clock and…
A sudden crash from Margaret's direction snapped her attention to the seat beside her. Everyone had fallen silent as shards from a poor crumbled teacup came to rest everywhere except Margaret, who was dripping with tea and looking absolutely revolted. The group's gaze shifted across the table to the March Hare, who was giggling slightly. Looking around, Alice spotted a few other people who were trying to hold back their laughter, and she felt a bit bubble up inside her, as well. Margaret pushed her chair away from the table with such force that it instantly silenced any and all laughter, then stood up and strode away, followed by a cacophony of cackling.
Alice stood up and ran after her, biting her lip to silence her own laughter as she thought about what must have happened. She caught up to Margaret fairly quickly, falling into step beside her.
"Margie, they don't mean any harm," she said.
"Really, Alice? That… that maniac just threw a porcelain teacup at my head!" Margaret hissed, rounding on her sister. Alice shrunk back, a bit shocked at her sister's mood, but she supposed she should have figured. Her sister wasn't used to being in Underland, after all. "I am going to go wash up…" She turned and continued down the hall without another word. Alice watched her go, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She glanced back down the hall towards the dining room, where the laughter was beginning to quiet. She ran back down the hall, took a biscuit and a cup of coffee without anyone noticing, and then ran off in the direction that Margaret had gone, passing her and continuing on in search of Stayne.
Eventually she found him outside on a small balcony of the second story, his back turned to her. She surveyed him for a moment. His hands were behind his back as he surveyed something below. She walked up beside him, leaning on the balustrade.
"Good morning," she said.
He turned his body towards her and bowed, his eyes never leaving the scene down on the ground. She followed his gaze, where the White Queen was conversing with a soldier, looking quite serious about whatever she was talking about.
"I wonder what she is telling him that she cannot tell the Head of Security," he grumbled, turning and leaning against the balustrade. Cautiously, she held out the biscuit and coffee, which he took with a look of slight surprise.
"You didn't come to breakfast," she said. "Although I can see why. Have they been down there long?"
He nodded, examining his breakfast. "Indeed…" he said. "She knows I am up here." She looked down. Mirana looked up at her, then at Stayne, her gaze lingering on him for a long moment before returning to the soldier in front of her. A cold breeze picked up and, shuddering, Alice moved to his side, hoping to block the wind with his body. He took a sip of the coffee.
"Evidently whatever she is telling him is not so important that you need to know," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. "You should be thankful."
He glared at the ground. "I suppose I should be… but I feel she is hiding something," he said.
"What in the world would the White Queen have to hide from you?" she asked, looking up at him. He shrugged.
"I've no idea, but just look at her. She's not herself."
Alice peered over her shoulder to the White Queen again, and suddenly it hit her. The Queen's arms. They were lowered to almost half the height she usually held them at, and that in itself was odd. Maybe she didn't realize she was even doing it, but Alice somehow doubted that.
She turned back around. She had just as little of an idea about their conversation as he did, so there was really nothing that she could say to reassure him… She did wonder why he was so bothered by it, though she decided against asking him. He seemed to be agitated enough and she did not want to appear nosy.
"How is your sister?" he asked, a bit of an edge to his voice, taking a bite of the biscuit. She shrugged slightly, sighing.
"Very… unhappy." He scoffed, but remained silent. "She has really taken a disliking to Underland… She wants…" She trailed off, catching herself. He looked down at her, his eye dark and cold, the total opposite of what she had seen yesterday.
"She wants…?"
She bit her lip, inwardly scolding herself. She had said too much… Well, he had caught her, so she might as well confess. "She wants me to go back to London," she said, watching him. His fingers tightened around the handle of his cup, just for a moment, before he relaxed. He swallowed, his expression unreadable.
"And you? What do you want?"
"I never want to go back to London," she said, her insides simmering at the mere thought of it. "There's… I like it here." The corners of his lips twisted upwards a bit as he looked at the wall opposite them, drinking the last of the coffee. She grinned, hunching her shoulders against the breeze and taking one big step towards him, pressing her side against his. He leaned back and set his hands on the balustrade, his fingers brushing over her knuckles briefly before retreating.
The butterflies that had been idle for so long in her stomach began fluttering around again, as if trying to escape, accompanied by a sweet heat rushing up her neck. The thought of her attraction to Ilosovic Stayne was almost too awkward to think about, but she had been resisting thinking about it ever since that night in the hallway when it had first made itself apparent. Try as she might, she couldn't place the exact reason she was so nervous to let this progress and ended up chalking it up to the fact that he had worked for the Red Queen last time she had seen him, but if Mirana trusted him enough to not only relieve him from exile but also take him in as the Head of Security, then she obviously saw something in him. The question was: Why couldn't Alice trust him, as well? She wanted to. He was, after all, one of her more sane friends -- and he was her friend, whether she had noticed it before or not. Yes, he was her friend… Why couldn't she let him be something more? She cast an experimental glance up at him right as he looked down at her, and instantly her mind screamed at her to pull away.
She ignored it.
A moment later, he had raised his hand and placed it on her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin and leaving it burning despite the cold breeze still forcing itself on her. Her breathing became shallow, her heart pounding so hard she was afraid it would burst right out of her chest. Her mind raced in a thousand different directions as she tilted her head up towards him, resisting with every fiber of her being the scared little voice inside that told her to get away, that this could end badly. After just a moment of hesitation, he pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned towards her. She held her breath, feeling as though she might explode from anticipation…
"Stayne." The White Queen's voice interrupted them. Alice felt a fresh wave of rosy blush colour her cheeks, but this time it was of the most uncomfortable variety. Stayne pulled away from her, his heat leaving her as he stood up straight and faced the Queen. "I need to talk to you."
Stayne glanced down at Alice, who hoped against hope that a hole would open up and swallow her whole. In the back of her mind she wondered if she would ever be able to face him again without an unbearable awkwardness settling over their meeting. He blinked a few times, then nodded.
"Yes, majesty," he said. "Alice." He bowed a bit, then followed the Queen inside, leaving an embarrassed Alice alone on the balcony to her jumbled thoughts.
