This time no Robin in sight.
I was just thinking what life must have been like for Alice living alone for seven years and then suddenly being free…
…
On her seventeenth birthday Alice had been saved from her lonely tower by a giant ogre. Her first urge had been just to leap into his open palm and leave her prison… but something stopped her.
She needed to take a moment to make sure she had everything she would need to survive out there.
Her first stop was her bedside table. She picked up the white knight chess piece, her last reminder of her father from before the curse. She pressed her lips to it, a promise she would see her Papa again soon, and then tucked it into her pocket.
She hurried to the cupboard that held all that remained of Gothel's magic flower. The cupboard had magically been providing her only food and drink for the last seven years. She carefully removed the shrivelled orchid and lowered it into the large leather satchel her father had left behind. She just had to hope the magic would transfer to her bag.
Alice then paused over the remains of her birthday party. All her friends looked back at her… well apart from Mr Hatter as he didn't have eyes. She didn't want to go out into the world completely on her own but who could she bring? She couldn't separate her dolls Dolly and Duchess Petunia, they were the best-est of friends; besides the Duchess wouldn't like the outside so much, there would probably be very few tea parties. She could wear Mr Hatter, and he'd enjoy the adventure but he could be rather argumentative. Teddy was always very brave and would protect her… but he did have a big appetite too. Finally her eyes settled on Mr Rabbit, her first, closest and wisest friend, and she then felt terrible about not choosing him right away.
She scooped up the battered toy bunny, and kissed his head.
"Come on Mr Rabbit we're going on a journey." She said excitedly.
"Don't' forget you're cloak…" Mr Rabbit reminded her in his deep plummy voice.
Alice ran back to her father's sea chest and pulled out one of his cloaks, it was black with a surprisingly ostentatious gold trim but it would keep her warm.
Alice took one last look at her prison. These four walls had been the only world she'd ever know; apart from her father's story's and the forest she viewed from her window.
The ogre who had been waiting patiently to save her, smiled broadly and flexed his finger's invitingly.
Hugging Mr Rabbit tightly, Alice said a quiet goodbye to her whole world and clambered onto her rescuer's palm.
…
Despite her excitement, the real world came as a shock to her.
The tickle of grass. The taste in the air. The warmth of sunshine. The sound of life hiding away on the treetops, singing, squeaking and rustling. The way the breeze tugged at her clothes and ran through her hair. The smells of everything.
Alice's first few hours in the world terrified her. It was all so big and smelly and loud. Living her whole life in one room had not prepared her for this.
When night fell a coldness came like she had never felt before; a darkness that swallowed everything and the noises all around took on a harsher edge.
Alice found shelter in a hollow tree and curled up into a ball. She shut her eye's tight and found herself wishing she'd just stayed in the tower. She wasn't ready for this…
…
Mr Rabbit offered his wise advice all night…
'This is the adventure you've been dreaming of forever.'
'If we get far enough away from the tower maybe Gothel won't be able to find us…"
'If we ran far enough we could see the ocean…'
'Maybe somewhere out there we can find a cure and find your Papa again.'
'There are people out here… You can find a friend. A real friend who will hug you back and can talk for themselves…'
Alice had to admit Mr Rabbit talked a lot of sense.
…
Morning came and with the sunshine came a new confidence.
Alice had escaped the tower. If Gothel didn't find her again, she was going to explore it all; see all the things from her father's stories.
She was out of her prison. Now was the time to run…
...