AN: As you can no doubt tell. I didn't finish this before AX came and after it finished I left to Arizona. Been a busy few weeks. So here is that update you have all been looking forward to. Enjoy.
Ch12: Your Majesty
Alice was nervous as she made her way through the forest, toward the circus. She couldn't help but feel guilty that she might have gotten Cuinn in trouble yesterday. What made it worse was the fact that he was a faceless considering the fact that faceless were treated as expendable by the role holders, and Black's notorious cruelty against, basically everyone especially the faceless of the prison and circus.
What she didn't know was that neither was true. Cuinn was not faceless and not subjected to Black's cruelty, at least not on the same level as everyone else (more of a mischievous level than anything).
As Alice heard the faint sounds of the circus, she took a deep breathe to calm herself. 'Here's hoping for the best.'
She found White without too much difficulty. He was standing by the entrance of the tent.
"Alice! I've been expecting you." White greeted Alice with his trademark smile. He gestured for her to follow him into the tent. "You've come to pick up Cuinn."
"Yes. Can I see him?"
White chuckled. "You can calm yourself Alice. Cuinn's fine."
Alice blinked, surprised and flustered. "W-What do you mean? I am calm."
"No need to hide it. You were worried that we had done something to Cuinn." White gave Alice a teasing smile, causing her to blush. "Don't worry, you don't have to think so less of us. Other than being grounded in his room for a day, he has been doing fine. I fact the last I saw of him, he was taking a bath. If you would be so kind as to patiently wait here, I'll go fetch him for you."
"Oh, all right." Alice let out a sigh as she watched White leave. "Well, at least I know that Cuinn is alright."
White knocked on the door leading to Cuinn's room and waited for a reply.
"Come in!"
He walked in to find Cuinn sitting on his bed shirtless, trying to towel dry his hair. White let out an amused chuckle and sat next to him. He took the towel from Cuinn's hands and dried his hair himself.
"You always did have trouble drying your hair," White commented.
"Yeah. I can never get it dry enough. It always ends up damp."
"Well, as soon as I'm done, you have to finish getting dress because Alice is waiting for you."
"Alice is here!?"
"Yep. So it's best not to keep her waiting. There all done." White pulled the towel off Cuinn's head, letting him run his fingers through his hair. His hair wasn't even damp.
"Thanks dad." Cuinn hopped off the bed and rummaged through his closet. He pulled on a new jester outfit. It was half gold and the other half purple. Just as he was about to close the closet door he notice a shimmering, yellow outfit. It was an acrobatic uniform that belonged to his sister, Amari. He fingered the cloth as he grew sullen and withdrawn.
"I wonder if Alice would still like me if she knew I was a murderer like so many others," Cuinn was mumbling to himself but was still loud enough for White to hear.
White pulled Cuinn's hand away from the fabric before closing the closet door. He turned Cuinn around and crouched at eye-level with him.
"Don't ever say that. You're not a murder and I know that Alice will never hate you. It's not like her to be that way. Now come on, Alice is expecting to pick up a happy, faceless jester. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want an unhappy one."
Cuinn let out a small laugh. "Thanks dad."
White handed Cuinn a matching jester cap and placed the eye mask on his face.
"Make sure this doesn't fall off. We don't want anyone to find out who you are now, do we?"
"Don't worry. I keep a close eye on it."
"You're all set; now let's go see Alice now." White led Cuinn into the hallway were they found Black waiting for them.
"Going to see Alice?" he asked.
"Yep!"
"Well, you're not leaving without taking these." Black pulled two objects from behind his back. One was the dagger White gave Cuinn a few days ago and the other was the razor deck.
"Aw. Do I have to take these?" Cuinn whined as he took the weapons and slipped them in a pair of hidden pockets on the inside of his pants.
"There just a precaution for your safety," White explained. "We hope that you never have to use it."
"I wouldn't want to use them anyway," Cuinn replied.
"That's good. Some one like you should never have to use a weapon of any kind."
"Alright, get going," Black said, waving Cuinn off. As Black walked away to continue his rounds, he called over his shoulder, "Be sure to torture the girl, anyway you can."
Cuinn chuckled as he followed White into the Circus. They found Alice at the same place White left her, but now she was not alone. Two jester children were pulling on her sleeves, begging Alice to play with them. Alice kept politely denying, as she remembered what happened the last time she played with some of the jester children. She had no intention of being a target again.
"My, my. I hope we aren't bothering the young miss," White said, saving Alice from her predicament. "Now run along. We have some practicing to do."
The jesters ran off without another word, allowing Alice to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thanks White."
"Not a problem. Now here's Cuinn without a single scratch just like I promised." White pushed Cuinn in front of him.
"Aw! Was Alice worried that her little teddy bear got hurt?" Cuinn teased.
"Teddy bear?" White asked in amusement.
"Oh it's nothing, nothing at all. He's just saying things," Alice replied, flustered.
"Oh, so you don't think I'm cuddy and fun anymore. Did you already get bored of me?" Cuinn pouted and hung his head, pretending to be sad. The next moment he was being crush in a hug by Alice.
"Of course not. You're irresistible," Alice said, squeezing him. 'You're too cute for your own good.'
White cleared his throat gaining their attention. Alice's face flushed from embarrassment as she forgot that he was watching.
"You two should get going," White said as his shoulders shook from silent laughter. "Have fun and enjoy yourselves."
"We will," Cuinn replied as he grabbed Alice's hand and began to pull her toward the exit. Alice waved to White as she let herself be dragged along.
"Um, Cuinn? Do you even know where we are going?" Alice asked as Cuinn continued to pull her along.
"Of course! There is only one territory that we have yet to visit and that's Heart Castle."
~~X~~
The sun rose high in the sky as Alice and Cuinn neared Hearts Castle. At any moment, the two would be approaching the gates of the castle. Alice currently had Cuinn sitting in her arms, with his face buried in the crock of her neck. She couldn't tell if he was day dreaming or napping again. As they inched ever closer to the castle, the air around them grew sweeter with the fragrance of roses.
"It smells so sweet," muttered Cuinn.
"The whole castle is surrounded by roses. It gives the entire territory a wonderful sweet smell."
"The territory smells sweet but I think you smell sweeter," Cuinn said nuzzling Alice's neck.
"Stop that. That tickles!" Alice said giggling.
"See, even you're ticklish," Cuinn said lazily.
"Hey, you're not falling asleep on me again, are you? What happened to the energetic Cuinn that I picked up from the circus?" Alice asked.
"I'm energetic cause I take lots of naps," Cuinn replied yawning.
"I wonder if that's why Boris has so much energy to chase Peirce around," Alice pondered aloud.
"Nah, Boris is a lazily kitty that can't decide on a sleeping spot. Speaking of Boris, he never answered my question."
"I think you should stop teasing him. That first time was already more than he was able to handle."
"But you like watching me tease the poor kitty, especially when I rub his ears and make him all sleepy eyed," Cuinn said poking Alice's cheek.
"Well maybe I could look the other way if I can take a picture," Alice said with her head turned away and a small smile on her face. When she looked down the road, she saw the castle gates. Before she could say anything to Cuinn, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise.
"Alice, my love! You came to visit!" cried a happy and all too familiar voice. Peter White came dashing out from the gate with his arms out stretched. "I've missed you so much. I was just about to visit-" Peter stopped short when he noticed Cuinn being cradled in Alice's arms. "Alice, what is that thing?"
"How rude," Alice said she as gave Peter a disapproving look. "He is not a thing. His name's Cuinn and he's the performer we saw at the circus last week.
"He's from the circus!" Peter exclaimed. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you played with those monstrous jester children? They almost killed you!"
Peter pulled out his pocket watch and transformed it into his gun. "Don't worry Alice, just drop that cretin and get away from it. I'll dispose of it before it could do you any harm"
Cuinn little out a small cry and buried his face in the crock of Alice's neck. This caused Alice to turn her body, shielding Cuinn while leveling a fierce glare at Peter.
"Peter, Cuinn is not cretin and he is not going to hurt me. If you don't put that gun away and stop harassing Cuinn then we'll leave and visit the other territories."
Peter sighed in defeat and turned his gun back into a watch. "Very well, have it your way. I do insist however that I will escort you while you are with that thing to ensure your safety. The moment he tries something, I will dispose of him."
Alice also released a sigh. "Fine." 'To think that what was going to be a fun day may end up being one major headache,' Alice thought.
~~X~~
Cuinn gazed in awe at the interior designs of the castle as he passed through each hallway. He had never been inside a castle before. Everything looked simply amazing to eyes. As the traveled through the castle, Cuinn noticed that he was being stared at. All the stares were coming from the faceless maids. They always made a fuss when he passed by. One even tried to snatch him, but she was, luckily, stopped by some of her fellow maids before they were all scared off by Peter. There were plenty of advantages that came with being small and adorable, but in Cuinn's case, who was extremely shy around women, it easy turned into his biggest disadvantage.
He was happy that he was walking behind Alice and Peter. They would otherwise be able to see how red his face has gotten since entering the castle. Cuinn swallowed nervously when they finally arrived at the doors to the central chamber.
'I just have to stay calm and everything will go fine,' Cuinn thought trying to calm his nerves.
"Your Majesty, Alice is here for a visit," Peter announced cheerfully as he opened the door. Cuinn relaxed when he got a clear view of the Queen's throne. It sat on top of a flight of stairs at the end of the room, putting considerable distance between Cuinn and the Queen. It will make it much easier to deal with the Queen.
"Hello Vivaldi. Its good to see you again," Alice greeted.
"Alice we are so happy to see you again. And who is this you brought with you?" Vivaldi asked.
"My name is Cuinn, your Majesty. It is a great honor to meet you." Cuinn took his cap off in a sweeping bow.
"My, you have brought us quite the gentleman. Many of the men in this kingdom are so rude and insolent so it's rare for us to meet a man who knows proper manners."
"I could not call myself a man if I did not know my manners. A woman of your esteem deserves the utmost respect," Cuinn said, bowing again while Alice looked on speechless.
"You do know how to flatter," Vivaldi said, charmed.
"Flattery is just simple lies made to deceive. I'm just stating the truth," Cuinn replied.
"And yet you still flatter." Vivaldi rose from her throne and climbed down the stairs. "We have to ask, Alice, where did you find this child?"
It took Alice a moment to respond as she still could not believe the words she just heard Cuinn say. "Oh, Cuinn's the jester child we saw at the circus last week."
"Oh, so you are the one from before."
"I am. I do hope my performance was to your satisfaction." Cuinn gave another bow.
"It certainty was." Vivaldi glanced at a grandfather clock that was set up against the wall. "It's time for our afternoon tea. Alice, you must join us and you must also bring your charming little friend here as well." Vivaldi gave Cuinn a smile that caused him to bush. He was glad he was wearing a mask so Vivaldi couldn't see him close eyes to avoid staring at her.
"I'll be happy to join you for some tea and I'm sure Cuinn would love to join us as well." As Alice stared at Cuinn she noticed something that Vivaldi didn't. Cuinn looked calm and compose, but his hands were clenched at his sides and his knees were slightly shaking. It was so subtle that Alice almost missed it.
'I knew it. He is shy around women.' Alice thought. She thought back to Cuinn's encounter's with the female amusement park workers and the maids here in the castle. He would always turn a shade of red and become awkward and tongue tied. No doubt he was using all his willpower to keep himself calm in Vivaldi's presence.
Suddenly a wicked idea appeared in Alice's mind. It would be the prefect way for her to get back at Cuinn after he scared her so bad at the Hatter's mansion. 'But how to go about this?'
"Cuinn, you wouldn't mind joining us for tea, right?" Alice asked with a smile.
"Oh, of course not," Cuinn replied. Cuinn was barely able to keep his voice from shaking. The Queen's close proximity was making it harder for Cuinn to remain calm.
"Then let us head to the garden. It is a wonderful afternoon for tea." Vivaldi lead the way with the others following, even Peter, who everyone forgot. Everyone that is, but Cuinn.
"Excuse me, Miss Vivaldi. I know it is impolite for me to ask for one when we have just met, but I have a favor to ask of you."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Vivaldi asked.
"I ask that you let me be the one to make this afternoon's tea," Cuinn replied. Alice and Vivaldi looked at Cuinn surprised. Peter, however, remained stoic or at least he appeared to be since the light that reflected off his glasses hid his glare.
"You want to make the tea?"
"I do, if your Majesty would not mind. I know how to make many different blends of tea. Some of which, I am sure that you will love." Cuinn couldn't help but beam a little with pride. Tea making was one of his favorite hobbies, one that he became most skilled in.
"I don't see too much harm in letting him," Alice commented.
"Very well then. We will allow you to make our afternoon tea," Vivaldi said.
"Thank you, your Majesty. I'm also going to be borrowing Peter if you don't mind."
"What!" both Alice and Peter exclaimed.
"Cuinn, are you sure you want to do that?" Alice asked nervously.
"I don't want to have anything to do with that filth," Peter said glaring at Cuinn. This earned him a glare from Alice and Vivaldi.
"I'm going to need help bring the trays of tea and Mr. White is available right now," Cuinn explained. "I would rather not bother any of staff sense most of them are no doubt busy with other task. Besides, it will give me the opportunity to get to know him a little better and give the two of you some time to catch up."
Alice thought it was nice that Cuinn want to get closer with Peter, but it was too bad that he didn't know how dangerous he could be at times. He distasted anyone who wasn't her.
As if reading her thoughts Cuinn said "If you two are so worried about me you can always order Peter to behave."
"What!" Peter exclaimed.
"Very well. White, we expect you help Cuinn and bring him back to us, unharmed, or your head will roll," Vivaldi ordered.
"If I see so much as a scratch on him, I'll never speak to you again," Alice added. Peter seeing that he was cornered sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I won't touch the little cretin. I wouldn't want to make you upset my dear Alice. Besides I have no plans on touching that germ."
Cuinn seeing that the situation was resolved grabbed Peter's hand and began dragging him down a hallway. "Come on then, Mr. White. You have to lead the way because I don't know where anything is in this castle."
Peter glared at Cuinn before he yanked his free and lead the way.
Vivaldi let out a little laugh. "He's bold and charming."
"I don't know about the bold part, though," Alice commented. Now that they were alone, she thought it would be a good time to Vivaldi about Cuinn's little "weakness".
"Oh? Why would you say that?"
"Well, there is one thing you should probably know about him."
"And what would that be?"
Alice couldn't help but smile mischievously. It was going to be an interesting afternoon.
AN: So Cuinn is now alone with Peter and Alice is revealing some sensitive information about Cuinn. It will be an interesting next chapter.
Cuinn: I'm going to be tortured, aren't I?
SDW: Shh! Leave me a review if you can.