Author's Note
Poll Count:
Charles/Mirana = 2
Charles/Helen = 0
Charles Dead = 1
Keep sending in your thoughts! I'll be waiting. Enjoy the Chapter.
Chapter 21: Going Home
They spend the rest of the evening talking away before both Chessur and the White Queen helped Alice to practice her song. Unfortunately, the White Queen was called away to finish her royal duties and Chessur was called to help with the injured, so Alice was left alone.
She didn't mind all that much though, seeing as to there being so much space to explore, and a curious mind to please. Alice eventually decided to go exploring in the White Queen's garden. The garden was surrounded with beautiful white and pink roses, green hedges, vines, white and pink lilies, violets, Lilly-blossoms and the trees carrying fresh Underlandian fruits.
At one part of the garden, there is a stone bench and a few hedges, but it was all surrounded by stone columns, as though it had once been an ancient building where people lived outdoors and plants and animals lived indoors but then again, this is Underland, anything is possible. Besides, Alice has seen animals with clothes, it wouldn't be that hard to imagine.
But what captivated little Alice the most, was the maze that was deeper within the garden. The maze wasn't just a boring old few white stone walls with a few patterns on them, oh no. They were decorated with hanging vines and beautiful flowers, making it look like a garden of wonder.
Alice slowly entered the maze, captivated by all its beauty. She took turns and walked on through the maze as though she had done it many times before. It wasn't long before she reached the centre of the maze. It was round in the centre and in the centre of the centre stands a dazzling fountain with what looks like a sundial in the centre of it.
The water inside the fountain looks so pure that it could easily be mistaken for moonlight with all the stars twinkling away in the water . . . and yet, it was still day-time. Both the entrance and exit, to the centre of the maze, is the same path, the path that Alice had taken, to be precise. If you were to stand in the centre of the maze and look about you, you'd see the entrance is to the north.
To the East, West and South there are all white stone arches. The East and West arches are both decorated in vines and flowers while inside of the arch that is made, there are pedestals. On both of the pedestals there is an extra large Periwinkle flower and floating above it, a sizable snowflake.
On the South side, the arch is decorated with vines and dark blue roses. On each end of the arch is a stone pillar decorated in vines and violets. Underneath the stone arch is a bench, and if you sit in that spot, you have a beautiful view of everything inside the centre of the maze.
Alice was simply captivated and decided that this was by far, her most favourite place in the garden. It wasn't long before dusk came and Alice made her way back into the castle. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to go since the White Queen had taken her to her own bedroom and not a guest room.
It was almost time for dinner and Alice had not the slightest idea of where she was expected to be, so, she went to find someone that could tell her. Wondering through the castle, she was yet to find anyone she knew and she was starting to get worried. The worry made her wish her father was here and thinking of her father made her heart ache.
Soon she was thinking of all her family and started to break down in tears. This corridor is disserted and no one would be passing through here until the next morning at least. Alice fell down onto the floor next to the white wall and cried softly. She was lost, there was no telling when she'll be able to go back home and what makes things even worse, is that she was now all alone. She knew she should be brave . . . but being brave is so hard!
Alice cried the more she thought about it all. She misses her father, she misses her sister and she misses her mother! She misses the above world. Alice felt her heart become heavy with tears. She didn't know what to do. "I want to go home." Alice sobbed out sorrowfully and curled up against the cold wall . . . lost within her sorrow.
/
Alice didn't know for how long she has been crying and the four year old didn't particularly care either. Her shoulders were still shaking, tears were still falling from her already soaked eyes and her slight whimpers of sorrow weren't going away anytime soon. She silently sobbed for a few more moments before she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Alice?" Startled the four year old jumped with a sob-filled sharp intake of air. "Shhh, shhh, it's alright, it's alright, it's just me." Alice looked up and met the worried eyes of the White Queen before flying straight – and sobbing – into her arms. "Shhh, it's alright. Everything will be alright." Mirana soothed best she could.
"I . . . I . . . I want . . . to . . . go home." Alice slightly hiccupped in between the seemingly never-ending sobs. The White Queen slowly and almost painfully nodded with closed eyes as she held the sobbing four year old child. "I know Alice . . . I know." She answered, almost sounding on the verge of tears herself.
Using one hand to wipe at her own eyes, Mirana loosened her hold on the girl. "Come, let's get you freshened up." The White Queen spoke softly as she held her hand out for the four year old to take as they both rose and walked to the Queen's bedchambers, Alice holding onto Mirana as though she was hanging on for dear life . . .
/
Taking a bowl filled with water and a clean white cloth, the White Queen placed the bowl lightly in her lap as she sat on the bed next to Alice, dipping the cloth into the water and dabbing gently at Alice's puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. "I've been working on brewing a potion that would be able to take you home."
The White Queen confessed after a while of nothing but silence. "I was planning on giving it to you in the morning so you could have a proper fair well with everyone and have time to say goodbye, but . . ." Mirana trailed off, placing the cloth in the bowl and moving the bowl onto the bed, not looking at Alice as she stared down into the water.
"You . . . can send me home?" Alice asked sniffing slightly. Looking at Alice, the White Queen slipped out a vial from somewhere on her dress and handed it to Alice. "If that is what you choose." Mirana said giving the glass vial with the silver liquid to the four year old girl.
"I . . . I can go home?" Alice asked amazed. The White Queen only gave her a sad nod. Alice looked down at the vial with a large smile before turning back to the White Queen. "Thank you!" Alice screamed lightly as she tackled Mirana in a hug. The White Queen hugged her back, one tear rolling down her cheek.
When they broke the hug, Mirana wiped at her eyes gently and put one hand on Alice's shoulder. "Now, try and be a good girl alright? I don't want to hear any complaints from your parents that you forgot all your manners while you were here." The White Queen joked as she gave a light smile.
"I'll try." Alice smiled before she flipped open the cap. She looked at it for a moment before flipping it closed again and once again tackling the queen in a hug. "I'm going to miss you." Alice said softly as she hugged the White Queen, "And I you." Mirana answered back before they broke the hug.
The White Queen lightly stroked Alice's cheek with the back of her hand, before giving a half sad smile and kissing the top of her head. "Be safe Alice." The White Queen whispered and little Alice nodded up at her with a smile before she re-opened the vial and carefully drank its contents.
She felt a little dizzy and suddenly, everything started to fade until she could no longer see anything other than her own whirlwind of a mind racing to the ends of the earth. The four year old could no longer keep her eyes open and gave in to the call of sleep, closing her eyes and entering unconsciousness.
/
"Alice, Alice!" Alice begrudgingly opened her eyes to see who was yelling at her, only to find the worried face of her father, "Papa?" Alice asked rather sleepily as she stared up at the man who had been looking for her, "Oh, my girl! Never run off like that again! You had me so worried." Charles Kingsleigh said pulling his youngest daughter into a hug.
"I must have fallen asleep." Little Alice said with a yawn as she looked for the rabbit hole she had fallen through, only to find nothing . . . all she could see is trees . . . "And I had the strangest dream . . ." Alice added after a moment. "You don't have to sing if you don't want to, Alice.
I'll talk to your grandmother, I'm sure everyone will understand and-" "No, it's okay. I want to sing." Alice said with a smile and Charles looked at her astounded. What had happened in the last past hour? Deciding to question her about it later, he smiled too. "Very well . . . Then we can't keep them waiting."
He said standing up and extending his hand for her to take, taking it with a smile, the four year old girl nodded and allowed her father to pull her to her feet. Together they made their way back to the garden and Alice kept to her word and sang, her fear vanquished as though it had never even existed . . .
"Take all my vicious words
And turn them into something good
Take all my preconceptions
And let the truth be understood
Take all my prized possessions
Leave only what I need
Take all my pieces of doubt
And let me be what's underneath
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway
We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway
It's not how many times you've been knocked down
It's how many times you get back up
Courage is when you've lost your way,
But you find your strength anyway
Courage is when you're afraid
Courage is when it all seems grey
Courage is when you make a change,
And you keep living anyway
You keep on moving anyway
You keep on giving anyway
You keep on loving anyway . . ."
And that was Courage by Orianthi. I know that Alice seems to cry a lot, but I suppose a four year old, even a curious one, can become very homesick once the wonder and awe had slightly faded.