Arthur wakes up with a gasp. Heavy pants followed as his emerald green eyes fluttered open, darting from left to right as if they were searching for something. His surroundings were dark, save for the dim moonlight from his window.
His forehead had condensated, forming beads of sweat on his temples. For a while he sat there, staring at his paper thin blanket without much of a thought. Soon, a rustle and a groan strew him away from his empty thoughts.
"Go back to sleep, Arthur," whined the voice beside him, heavy with sleep.
Arthur eyed the other person in the room, sleeping on an identical single bed as him. The former muttered an apology before tucking himself back under the sheets, but he didn't close his eyes.
He couldn't sleep. How can he after waking up from a dream that he couldn't remember? Wasn't that odd? Usually, people remember a portion of their dream, and even though they forget them, they still remember some of it. Arthur can never recall a second, not even a short moment.
But somehow, he knows it's the same dream. It's the same one every single night, but what's frustrating about it was the fact that Arthur can't remember. From all his existence, since the day he began to register thoughts; he's been dreaming the same thing over and over again. He tried to get consoled by Liam, his friend, the one sleeping in the same room as him, but the latter suggests he must have been cursed or something.
It was ridiculous at first, but Arthur was beginning to believe some witch had casted a spell on him.
What kind of person dreams the same thing every single night but ends up remembering none of it?
"Disheartened by his queen's death, the king killed himself, leaving his riches, wealth, and the entire kingdom to the crowned prince. The end."
A chorus of boo's and no's echoed in the small classroom, rousing a pout from their storyteller. "Oh, don't give me those little frowns, all of you decided on this book, not me," he accuses, poking his tongue out at the kids.
"But Mr. Liam, that shouldn't be the real ending, right? Fairy tales always have happy endings!" whined the little girl sitting at the back.
"Not all stories have good endings. The king in this book wanted to see his queen so bad he kill- ow!" A hand thrashed against the back of Liam's head. "Wha… Arthur!"
Giggles and laughter broke out from the small class. "What Liam was trying to say," Arthur snaps, glaring at Liam with fire in his eyes. He turned back to their students with a softer, benign look. "..is that there must be a sequel to this book. Sure, the ending for the first one may be bad, that doesn't mean the author would leave us at just that."
The children's smiles turned into grins before they broke into a small ruckus, asking the blonde Englishman for the sequel. Arthur laughed at their enthusiasm, finding it hard settling them back down.
A young woman sat on a chair near the exit, smiling fondly at Arthur's interactions with the kids. When their eyes met, Arthur smiled at her before turning his attention back to the little rascals.
"Alright, alright, I need all of you to settle down," Arthur raises his voice a little higher, and it worked to silence the students. "How about we take a little break first? Let's all go out to the playground while Mr. Liam goes to the library to find our sequel? How does that sound?"
Squeals erupted, and almost immediately the children stood up and made a bolt towards the door. The woman, Cassandra, giggled as she opened the door for them. The tykes ran out of the room like ants, their shrills of laughter echoing in the hallways outside. Once the pandemonium abated, Cassandra closed the door before approaching the two males.
"That's quite a class you have, Arthur," Cassandra says, pushing her cinnamon-stained locks behind her shoulders. "Are they always like this everyday?"
"With Arthur entertaining them like this, it's always chaotic in here. We're supposed to be doing Maths today, but they demanded we read them a story."
"It's not my fault they're excellent students," Arthur retorted with a smirk.
"We would have followed the schedule if you weren't here. It's my shift so we're supposed to do Maths."
"Cassandra wanted to watch us read to the children. How could I say no to that?" Arthur smiles, winking at their hazel-eyed guest. The latter smiled innocently at Liam, who sighed heavily in return. "However, I do dislike your choice of reading today," he says, picking up the hardcover book. "We're supposed to read them fairy tales; reading them about some monarch committing suicide is not an ideal story to tell kids."
"It was the first thing that was on the shelves. You said to grabanything," Liam quoted with a pout.
The titleDesolateremained bold and prominent in the cover, causing Arthur to sneer. "What a selfish king. This book has a terrible message."
"Well, I think it's romantic," Cassandra sighs, clasping her hands together. "The king couldn't live without his queen, and he made that fact clear."
"By killing himself?"
Cassandra slaps Arthur's shoulder. "Don't be so absurd. Any girl would fall for a man that would risk their life for her."
Arthur shrugged as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm. "Anywho," he started, throwing the book at Liam. The man yells at the unexpected. "Go run to the library and find that sequel."
Liam rolled his eyes. "This book has no sequel."
"Find one that has a similar story line then."
Liam would have whined and ordered Arthur to do it because it washisjob, but Cassandra was there, smiling and hazelnut-eyes twinkling, the former sucked it in and exited the classroom.
After the door slid shut, Cassandra and Arthur shared a glance before chuckling. "What else do you do during the day?" She asks.
"Well, at this time I usually help at the kitchen. It's almost lunch for the kids."
"The kitchen?" Cassandra raises a brow dubiously. "I thought you were banned from such a place?
An embarrassing blush crept on the Englishman's face. Oh, so she heard about that. "I'm notbanned, I just can't cook anything anymore. I still help with packing and distributing their meals, excuse me."
Cassandra giggled. "Do you mind if I help?"
"Not at all."
The kitchen was always so lively whenever Cassandra was around. She got along with the kitchen staff quite well, being so chatty and flamboyant. Even the kids loved her bubbly personality. Often she'd come and bestow them little gifts that turned their lips into wide smiles. Cassandra comes from a wealthy family, a daughter of a prestigious lord, yet she continues to stay humble and kind to everyone around her, rich or not.
Arthur smiles as he watches Cassandra distribute biscuits onto each plate. It's incredulous to believe how a lady like her prefers meddling with the low and middle class citizens; she was called crazy and abnormal by her cousins, yet it doesn't stop her from coming to the orphanage to see Arthur and the kids.
They've come a long way. It feels as if it was just last week when Arthur saw a troubled horse stampeding through the town with a carriage behind it. Following the carriage were men, shouting in distress because a lady was inside of it.
Arthur didn't need to be told twice as he dropped everything before bolting towards the runaway carriage. The horse was nearing a dangerous incline, but by the time Arthur reached the carriage, the blonde pacified the horse before they met an unfortunate fate.
The carriage door had rammed open, and a distressed mistress had clambered out shaking. However, she missed a step along the way and it pulled her body downwards. She would have met a nasty fall if Arthur didn't catch her in his arms.
There were claps around him, the villagers were applauding him for his heroism. Eventually a chauffeur and a pair of worried parents came rushing towards them. The man, who Arthur believed was the girl's father, thanked him profusely. Even offering him a pouch of gold as compensation, which of course Arthur declined despite the man's adamant efforts.
After introductions, Arthur and Cassandra became close friends. They met up with each other at least twice a week since the latter lived a far distance, in an enclosed estate as most lords and their families lived. This was many years ago, when they were still in their teen years, but their friendship remains strong despite their different class.
Seeing Cassandra helping out with the orphanage warms Arthur's heart. As an orphan himself, he deeply appreciates what Cassandra does for them. Growing up under these conditions, it was likely for kids to feel downcast and lonely, but for them to have someone like Cassandra was enough to lighten their little worlds.
"I'll go and take these to the lunchroom," Cassandra announced, pulling the cart filled with food with her. "I'll come back for the rest."
A chorus of 'thank yous' echoed behind Cassandra as she exited the kitchen. When she was gone, the other ladies cooed how sweet and caring Cassandra was. Arthur couldn't help but listen in as he washed the dishes.
A hand patted his shoulder. "Hm?" Arthur turned his head to meet Mrs. Bailey, the head cook.
"You know about tomorrow?"
"Of course I do," Arthur chuckled before turning the faucet off. He dried his hands. "It's Cassandra's birthday."
"Never doubted you'd forget. You're so lucky you're invited!" Mrs. Bailey sighed. "I've always wondered how birthdays are like with the upper class."
"Mrs. Bailey, I believe Cassandra invited you as well, and a few more from what I recall. Liam is coming too."
Mrs. Bailey nodded. "Yes, but you know I can't go. I've got rascals to feed," she says with a wave. "Anywho, is there anything special you're going to give her?"
"Flowers, and also a box of chocolates. She really likes those." Chocolates were a new thing here in England, and they were a dessert that was truly enjoyed after a meal.
"Chocolates?" Mrs. Bailey's eyes widened. "My, you'd have to travel a far distance to purchase them. That's all the way to the other town!"
"I know," Arthur shrugged. "I decided to leave once Cassandra returns to her home. If I leave mid-afternoon, I'd make it back home by eight." And then he'd have to travel again early in the morning because it takes hours to journey from this small town to Cassandra's estate.
"Not only are they difficult to get, they're very expensive as well. You really thought about this, didn't you?"
Arthur blushed lightly. "It's her eighteenth birthday, I wanted to give her something special. And I have been saving for this, so no worries."
"That's so sweet of you," Mrs. Bailey cooed, practically swooning by now. "Anything else? Anything more special, hmm?"
Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. What does she mean by that? Is his gift not good enough? "I'm sure Cassandra would think that would be enough, right?" Right? Now Arthur wasn't sure.
"Oh, Arthur," she sighs. "Take a seat."
Mrs. Bailey leads a puzzled Arthur to a chair. "I… don't understand."
"Everyone expects you to propose to her."
If Arthur was sipping water right now, he'd immediately choke and spit it back out. "What?" He wheezed, emerald green eyes bulging from their sockets. "P… propose? Mrs. Bailey, why do you ask such trivial things?"
He received a smack behind his head. "It's not trivial, you stupid boy," Mrs. Bailey chided with a click of her tongue. "I'm sure Cassandra expects it too. All of us do. Don't tell me you've been oblivious about her feelings towards you."
Arthur slowly shakes his head, as if only now was he aware of this fact.
"Oh, my goodness. Arthur, you have been with Cassandra for over five years now. Surely you noticed something?"
"I… no, I never…"
Arthur looks down, bringing a hand to cover his mouth as he ponders over what Mrs. Bailey just blurted. Surely she must be jesting, right? He glances back at Mrs. Bailey, hoping to see a smile or a grin on her face, but he is met with a frown.
Apparently not…
"Don't tell me," she starts, pulling Arthur's attention back to hers. "That after all those years of seeing her steal shy glances at you, those many times where she traveled for hundreds of miles to see you; you've never noticed a thing?" Arthur shakes his head. "My dear god."
Arthur must be really stupid to never notice Cassandra's feelings. Maybe he truly was oblivious like what Mrs. Bailey said.
But then again… him and Cassandra? Marriage? It didn't tie well. Cassandra was a beautiful, lovely young woman but Arthur couldn't see himself marrying her. He'd always thought that he'd be friends with her for well, forever. Arthur didn't carry any feelings for Cassandra in that way. Was that odd? Was he supposed to reciprocate her feelings? Arthur's never courted anyone in his life, so he wasn't sure how to act.
It seems all of the people around him are encouraging him to propose to her; heck, anyone would take that chance seeing how wealthy Cassandra's background was. But Arthur wouldn't do that, even if money was involved, but mostly, Arthur didn't have feelings for Cassandra.
It was bad to marry with false love, right?
"Hopefully what I said isn't going to stop you from attending her birthday," Mrs. Bailey says. "That would break the poor girl's heart."
"Of course I'll still attend," Arthur replied truthfully, but his heart thundered inside his chest. Yes, he will attend Cassandra's birthday, but with the pressure of an engagement in the end? If Cassandra wanted that then… Arthur wasn't sure what he was going to do anymore. "But, Mrs. Bailey, I can't propose to her."
"What on Earth do you mean? This is the perfect chance-"
"I don't harbor those types of feelings for her," Arthur confesses, afflicted. "I don't come from a wealthy family like hers, I'm not some well-respected lord… I'm just an orphan. I have nothing to offer her."
"Arthur, her parents approve of you. Ever since you saved her from a potential disaster five years ago. They'd be happy for you to ask for her hand in marriage. Even they expect you to propose to her tomorrow."
Arthur shakes his head. Now he had another party to worry about.
Mrs. Bailey, sensing Arthur's distress, brought a hand on his shoulder. "Arthur, you're not getting any younger. You're twenty-three already. It's time for you to begin settling for a family of your own. I'm sure you didn't plan on staying with us forever, did you?"
Her face was filled with tender and care, yet there was sorrow in her eyes. Arthur knew she was seeing something, a memory of when she used to take care of Arthur when he was younger. She was right; Arthur didn't really plan on leaving the orphanage. It was his home, his only home. Even volunteering to become a mentor for the younger ones.
"Just… think about it, lad," Mrs. Bailey says. "Think about Cassandra."
And Arthur did think about her, all day, all night, leading up the morning where he and Liam climbed inside their awaiting carriage. Their journey was quiet and tense. Arthur pondered, for the longest time; marrying Cassandra, having kids with her, settling together in a home -
It didn't feel right. No matter how much he forced himself into believing that he could love Cassandra, the way she does for him; Arthur couldn't bring himself to do that. Nor did he have the guts to break her heart. Especially on her birthday.
Everyone expected him to propose; how ridiculous. Everyone seemed to create this sudden conclusion that Arthur was going to propose on Cassandra's eighteenth birthday. No doubt Cassandra probably did too.
It was Arthur's fault. He must have led her on without realizing it. Complimenting her, showering her with gifts; his actions screamed courtship. Cassandra must think of it that way, and now the young woman was in love with him.
Arthur thought about his options: he could talk to Cassandra beforehand, confess to her about their misunderstandings. But that would depress her for the entirety of her birthday. But if he confronts her later on, then eventually he'd be put in the spot. Arthur can't let Cassandra down in front of all those people, her family, her friends.
Weighing his options proved useless. Both were terrible and Arthur couldn't generate any other ideas.
Another thing to add to his stress was the man sitting next to him. After his and Mrs. Bailey's talk yesterday, she informed him of a secret regarding Liam. Apparently, the man was in love with Cassandra. His infatuation dates back to when he first met her; the day when Arthur arranged a picnic with her and Liam. The man has been in love with her ever since, but no one knew unless they dug deeper.
Arthur was overwhelmed, trapped: he wished he were somewhere else right now. What was to be a happy day to celebrate Cassandra's birthday turned into a battle between him and his conscience.
When the carriage skidded to a halt, Arthur's heart fell. The trip was shorter than he thought. Soon he realized he needed more time. More time to think about what he needed to do.
Cassandra welcomed them at the gate, dressed in fine silk and a tiara. Her pink gown flowed like a river as she strolled over to them, squealing in delight as Arthur and Liam presented their gifts.
"Happy birthday, Cassandra," Arthur says with a small smile before he was pulled into a strong embrace.
"Thank you for coming," she says to Arthur and Liam. "Now let's go. You guys are right on time!"
Cassandra caught Arthur's hand before pulling him inside. They have done this before, hold hands, but this time it felt different, now that Arthur knew of the other's feelings. And add to that the stare from Liam that Arthur just noticed only today. How long has Liam done that from the past years? How much had he endured from seeing Arthur and Cassandra together?
Despite the lovely, jubilant atmosphere around him, Arthur felt like disappearing in a hole.
It was a game of dodge between him and Cassandra's parents. When Cassandra was pulled back to mingle with her cousins and friends, Arthur found himself under attack by Cassandra's parents. No doubt they were going to interrogate him about his 'proposal'. The blonde tried his best to run away from them, hiding in crowds, lingering around the buffet, taking a walk around the garden - his efforts were successful but it made him exhausted. It has only been an hour and Arthur wanted to collapse on his bed already.
Now he sat at one of the tables, shallow breaths escaping his lips as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He looked odd among these groomed, pristine lords and ladies. But he didn't doubt they didn't know him. Many of them stole glances at him whenever he passed by, especially Cassandra's friends and cousins, whispering things like:
That's him!
He's such a gentleman.
For someone in the lower class, he's rather handsome.
I envy our dear cousin!
He'd make the perfect husband for Cassie.
Comments regarding marriage and engagements made Arthur's head spin. Literally, a headache was beginning to form in his head, like a tornado sending his vision to blur at random times. It became severe to the point where he felt his surroundings begin to spin, and there was this constant ringing in his ears.
He looked around, but the world looked like it was going to trample over him. He tried calling for water, but no one seemed to notice him. Little kids zoomed passed him, a couple were sitting on a table, eating desserts, there were two men playing cards on the side - everything looked confusing and there was that buzzing sound-
A hand grabbed his shoulder, and everything went back to normal.
"Are you okay?"
Arthur looked over his shoulder to see Liam hunched over him, a worried look painted across his features.
"I… I'm fine," Arthur assures with a hesitant nod. "I just need some water."
"I'll go and fetch a glass, wait for me," Liam announced before leaving.
Arthur closed his eyes. For the next few minutes, he focused on taking deep breaths to control himself. He was still quivering from his previous episode, but as he meditated, he felt his heart beat evenly, and the last thumping of his headache began to disappear.
When Arthur opened his eyes, he caught a glimpse of something from his peripheral vision. He turned his head and found the most bizarre animal. A green… bunny? And it was flying. Bunnies didn't fly, and they most certainly did not come in the color green. Are those wings behind its back?
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must have seen wrong. It was probably just a leaf or something, or a decoration at the garden.
But it wasn't.
The… thing was still there, hovering five feet from the ground. It waved at him at first, and then it gestured for Arthur to follow him. And it looked adamant about it.
Arthur blinked for a few times.
What the bloody hell was happening?
That thing can't be real, but Arthur can see it. How can he see it? Is he seeing things that aren't real? Has he gone mad?
Familiar voices echoed behind him. Turning his head, he catches Cassandra's mother wandering around, asking the people for Arthur's whereabouts. As a reflex, Arthur abruptly stood to his feet, aiming to run for the garden but somehow, his legs brought him running towards the strange creature.
Said strange creature looked delighted as it saw Arthur running to its direction. It turned its back before flying into the forest, soaring at an incredible speed that bewildered Arthur.
First of all, where was this bunny taking him? Second of all,whywas Arthur following it? As much as Arthur wanted to stop, his legs didn't listen to him, they continued to pursue the bunny for whatever reason it may be.
When they reached a lake, Arthur found control over his own limbs and pulled to a jog. He ended up at a pier, eyes still locked onto the strange creature. It dove into the water.
"Hello?!" Arthur called out, alarmed, before running again. Did it fall? Strange green bunnies with wings can't swim, right? Or can they?
Skidding to a halt, Arthur looked down at the greenish water. It rippled under him, but there was no sign of the bunny. It was just his reflection staring back at him.
Where did-
"I found you!"
Arthur gasped, whirling around to see the flying bunny right behind him. His sudden presence startled Arthur, causing the man to step back as a result.
However, his feet met nothing and he fell into the lake
I know I have like, two unfinished fanfics right now, but I really wanted to write this Cardverse/Alice in Wonderland inspired story. I'll try my best to update it, I have the story line drafted already. I'm really excited about this because one: I really love cardverse, and two: I've been aching to write something Alice in Wonderland-related. The plot is pretty simple, I'm sure you guys will figure it out :)Thank you for reading! I'd like to see your thoughts about this!