Late as always. Holidays are over, so it takes a little longer to finish chapters :P But the following two chapters are almost finished as well, and I think you'll like them! Hehe... :D And thank you all for the many wonderful reviews this story has already received! (Hey, I'm new here - 11 reviews IS many! *lol*)


Chapter 8 – A Safe Haven

The white, pearly shimmering turrets of Castle Marmoreal came into sight when they reached the top of the last hill that separated them from their destination. And also in Alice's mind rose the image of her riding on a terribly uncomfortable because terribly bouncy animal and the castle coming into sight. To her relief, Bayard had proven to be a very convenient mount, even at the swift trot he had fallen into. He now stopped and glanced back at Alice.

"It is a lovely sight, isn't it?"

She nodded. And it truly felt good to see this place. It somehow gave her the feeling of returning somewhere she belonged, somewhere she felt at home.

"It is, Bayard. Let's go!"

All the way along the winding road that brought them closer to the castle, Alice felt she was approaching something – well, something nice, pleasant, wonderful. She suddenly remembered a starry night, the delightful scent of wisteria perfuming the air, tangled with the treestems and the white pillars of a marble terrace and suddenly longed to get on, to return to this place. At last they passed rows of blooming trees, leading them directly to the dazzling white marble archway that marked the entry to the queen's palace. Here Bayard slowed down, and Alice dared to losen her grip. The paths and courts were covered with white marble, either smoothly tiled or in the form of snow white pebbles, the air filled with the faint scent of flowers. A perfect idyll. The group of courtiers, all dressed in white, cream or soft silver, fitted the surroundings perfectly, most gracefully scuttling about the brightest figure among them – Queen Mirana of Marmoreal. Bayard caught their attention by a politely damped bark whereupon the whole trail of courtiers swivelled sideways into the direction of their surprise guests, with the queen leading the way, her beautiful face displaying knowing delight as she approached them.

"Milady, our champion has returned," announced Bayard, slightly bowing his head to the queen.

"How wonderful! Just as I knew she would. Welcome back, Alice!" She sank to one knee to be halfway on eye-level with her, her skirts billowing prettily around her like a blooming cherry flower. "It is a pleasure to see Underland's champion again. And what a beautiful dress you are wearing, that white lace sits so well on you!"

"Actually it is a handkerchief..." Alice silenced. The perfect way to start conversation with a queen! "I am equally happy to be here again and to visit my friends – albeit I wouldn't mind regaining my actual height so they don't step on me by accident." She chuckled. "It seems that every time I get to Underland, I'm either too small or too tall!"

"Oh, nevermind, we can set that straight in no time." The queen turned to one of her ladies in waiting and asked her to have a room prepared for their guest, then bid Alice and Bayard accompany her into the palace and gracefully drifted off, leading the way.

After their fast ride Alice enjoyed Bayard's now slower pace, took her time to enjoy the lovely surroundings, the blossoming trees, murmuring fountains and lovely flowers.

"Alice?"

She looked round when she heard a voice call her name.

"Alice!"

From one of the palace doors emerged a familiar shape, closely followed by another, both darting towards her and Bayard as fast as their short legs would carry their pudgy selves.

"Oh dear!" Alice exclaimed with a laugh. How could she forget the Tweedles? "Tweedledee, Tweedledum – such a pleasure to see you again!" she blithely greeted when they reached them. They stopped and blinked at her with visible surprise when the two noticed an apparent difference, then started a muttered conversation between each other.

"Wasn't she a bit..."

"I could swear she was, but..."

"Maybe it was just a different perspective?"

"No such, must have been a different season, the perspective was the same."

"Contrariwise, the season was the same, only..."

"It was the pishsalver," interrupted Alice, failing to suppress an amused smirk. She knew this could go on and on and on... "Too much of it, this time."

"Ah..." Understanding echoed from both.

Alice wanted to add some decent explanation for her unexpected visit, but Bayard moved on again – even in Underland it would be highly disrespectful to let a queen wait. Well, as long as it was not Bloody Big Head.

"Of course I would be delighted if you could stay," chirped Queen Mirana as they were walking along seemingly endless corridors, through countless hallways and traversed unending flights of rooms, needless to say one whiter than the other, "we all would. Oh, do say yes - at least until Frilwick Day!"

"That would be when?" asked Alice hesitantly. She did enjoy having returned to Underland (now that she remembered it), and no mistake about that, but nonetheless she knew she couldn't stay here forever, she would have to return sooner or later to meet her manifold obligations in her own world – and the sooner she returned, the easier it would be to find an explanation for disappearing from her own birthday party. She couldn't make promises here that she wouldn't be able to keep...

"Two days after Garwich Day."

She really could have expected an answer like this!

"I cannot stay too long, I fear, maybe a few days..." she answered tentatively. How long had she stayed last time? Two days? Three?

"Oh, as long as you please will be just fine. There is no Jabberwock to slay this time, no commitments, no prophecies, you can stay or go at leisure. Here we are!" Mirana opened a door and floated into the kitchen after she had waved the entourage to leave her and her guests alone.

"There we go..." Mirana strode around a large white kitchen table that was crammed with all kinds of jars, bowls, jugs, little cauldrons of polished copper and – well, things. Judging by her demeanour she was delighted to be brewing something again.

Alice carefully balanced onto Bayard's head, who heaved his front paws up, lay his head on the table between them and from there she conveniently descended onto the table top.

"Pray, take a seat, Alice. It won't take long..." The queen was already mixing ingredients from various jars. Alice hoped she would leave the lid of the jar full of eyeballs closed. It was no appetising thought to drink or eat something with that in it... Nonetheless she wandered about between the countless objects that queen Mirana's kitchen table was littered with, exploring with interest some of the odd things she found, and finally sat down on some kind of fruit that resembled a tangerine, watched the White Queen adding ingredient after ingredient to the potion, humming to herself and slightly spaced out as usual.

"This will have to do, my dear – no upelkuchen this time, Thackery managed to spoil the rest of the muleberries, said they had been too stubborn to come out of their box so he threw them, uh, somewhere..." She went on stirring the bubbling liquid with graceful moves, gaze turned somewhere to the white, arched ceiling.

"So Thackery is still here?" Alice asked to make some conversation, although the hare was not particularly the person she wanted to see most.

"Oh, actually he is, but not today. He went hopping mad when one of the kitchen frogs beat him in a leaping duel and dashed off yesterday, mumbling something about the horrenduous manners of his assistants and a holiday and renovation of his house being overdue."

Alice listened with half an ear while the rest of her mind tried to figure out who the person was. There was one, for sure. Colour, voice, laughter – she had not forgotten. Only this 'not forgotten', drifting somewhere at the back of her mind, was so terribly hard to grasp... Queen Mirana was airily prattling on while Alice was racking her brains, gazing into space, until she noticed that someone else must have entered the kitchen who the queen was now talking to, for – Underland or not – Alice couldn't quite figure out how they should have come from muleberries and mad hares to hats and mad...

Oh dear!! Looking up and almost falling off her might-be-a-tangerine was conveniently done simultaneously.