Alice at Last
Chapter Five
Warning- This chapter holds dark content. In no sense do I condone the material written in the real world.
"Alice? Alice?! Now where have you gone?!" Mirana walked down the hallway of the third floor, searching through all the nooks and crannies that Alice liked to hide in. "Alice, where are you?! I'm getting worried!" She called out, waiting for some sort of answer, a voice, the pitter patter of small feet hitting against the marble floor, a stifled laugh of amusement. She was met with silence, increasing her nervousness.
The girl, now six years old, had been in Mirana's care for two wonderful years. The monarch would spend much time with the child and enjoyed being a mother to her. While she was never officially addressed as mother, she was aware that Alice regarded her as such. She was comfortable going to her for anything and had gotten so attached that she had told Mirana that she couldn't sleep without her. So each night she would sleep in the queen's arms.
The queen herself was also uncomfortable if she didn't know where the child was and was restless until she was found and safe in her arms again. But never has it been this long since she last saw her and was beginning to make herself sick with assumptions of what possibly could have happened, of where Alice might be, of what she could be going thorough. She felt nauseous at the thought that the girl had been taken by Iracebeth and was facing only Lord knows what. But it had been days. She still waited to let the soldiers search for her but now she was growing angry at herself for not letting them do so on the first day.
As she looked, she began to think, her blood running cold with fear. "Alice, where could you possibly be?" She wiped a tear from her cheek only for another to follow and another and another until she was fully sobbing. She eventually sunk to her knees, finding it far too difficult to stand.
She had experienced this type of anguish only once before: Iracebeth denouncing her and leaving her alone entirely. The pain was bitterly familiar, her heart throbbing with indescribable agony to which words themselves were incapable of giving it justice.
She was unsure how long she remained there before she was able to compose herself. Lifting her head, she wiped her face, staring at the black make-up left on her hands. She didn't care. She had no reason to, no one to impress.
Upon standing, she grabbed onto a pillar to steady herself, taking off her heals. She sent out four dozen soldiers to search for Alice, twelve being sent to each of the four directions. She instructed them to take care of Alice's injuries immediately if there were any. Each party had a bloodhound who were familiar with her sent after Mirana allowed them to smell Alice's teddy that Mirana gave her on her fifth birthday.
After sending them off, she headed immediately to the kitchen, her breath freezing in her throat upon seeing a stool that had been provided for Alice. She was far too short to see above the countertop so there were stools in several places. Normally Mirana as more than content carrying her everywhere but her hands were rarely free within the kitchen.
She was quick as she gathered ingredients, the final being a lock of hair that belonged to the child. She had kept it just in case she needed to create a locator potion. She dropped it in and watched the smoke that now filled the air, so thick that nothing from the other side of the room could be seen through it.
A scene formed as Mirana watched it anxiously, wishing it could develop faster. Her nerves couldn't wait any longer. Finally, a room was made out and the White Queen turned even paler out of fear if that were possible. No. Not there, not her. Please. No.
The child woke to the sounds of clattering and pained groans. She was greeted by the sight of gray bricks and a floor covered in a dark, dried, once liquid substance. What it was, she was unsure. Shifting, she felt two heavy weights around her wrists and she looked at the shackles, following that chain that linked to them and the wall. The chains were short, barely even ten links for each arm.
A rust flavour filled her mouth and she distinguished it as blood. She spat out the liquid onto the floor, staring at the red colour that contradicted greatly with the sludge brown and black.
The next thing she noticed was how cold she was. She was in a blue dress, simple enough to slide as something a villager would wear. But it lacked full sleeves. Her arms were covered with forming bruises from a struggle. But she recalled no struggle. She truthfully didn't recall… anything. She was unsure what day it was but her stomach grumbling told her it had been a day or so, maybe even more.
All she remembered was going to the garden for Mirana had a meeting. She was unsure if she even made it outside before something made everything go black. She barely could even process anything, a throbbing pain in her head numbing the rest of her senses. Part of her wanted to head back to sleep while the other wanted to figure out how to get out of the chains.
"Finally. At long last, you awaken," came a voice. Alice looked up in confusion, the Knave of Hearts casually approaching, his boots echoing throughout the dungeons. "You were out for so long and you were so still that we thought the soldiers killed you. Well, no matter. You're awake now. Tell me, do you want any questions answered?"
She was silent for a few moments, trying to think before she finally spoke. "How long have I've been… out for?" Her voice was raspy and she found herself parched.
"A few days, I believe. Truthfully, I'm rather surprised the White Queen hasn't searched for you yet. But no matter." He opened the cell door and knelt down in front of the child, offering her a flask of water, placing it against her lips to which she drank gratefully. Upon finishing, he smiled, a malicious and unsettling look glistening in his cold eyes. "My, you are a little tyke, aren't you?" He reached out a gloved hand, going to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Alice immediately pulled away before he could make contact, a distrustful look in her eyes. Something about him unnerved her and she was fearful of what his intentions might be.
"Don't be like that," his whispered, his voice gentle and tender. "I won't hurt you. After all, I did just give you a drink, didn't I?" He undid the chains around her wrists before lifting her into his lap. He removed his gloves, beginning to caress her hair, allowing his fingers to graze the side of her neck each time. "The Queen has yet to leave her meeting so for the time being, I am to watch over you. She has given me no specific rules or restrictions on what I can or cannot do. Tell me your age, sweet Alice."
The girl clenched her eyes shut, absolutely disgusted. Mirana would call her that and it always invoked a feeling of love and warmth. It did nothing but sicken her now that it came from… Him. "Six," she replied, hoping that it gave him some indication to back off, even if slightly.
"Six," he repeated. "Indeed. You are young." He placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. He smirked when she pulled her head away. He grabbed her chin, yanking her face to look at him. "It would be in your best interest to cooperate. You are stuck here. You have nowhere to go. Now, be a good girl and do as I say. Do you-."
"Stayne!" He cursed beneath his breath, watching as the Red Queen descended the stairs to the dungeons. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the scene. "Chain her back up. I need to talk to you," she spoke, her voice cutting. He did so with a suppressed sigh, relief rushing over Alice as the two closed the door and left her alone.
Iracebeth turned around immediately as they entered the main hall. "Ilosovic Stayne. I will tell you this simply. She is here so I upset my sister. She is a prisoner, yes, but she is still a child. And I shall tell you this once and only once. I do not accept any form of pedophilia under this castle roof."
"What makes you think that I was-?"
"Do not play stupid with me!" She slapped him across the face immediately. "I saw how you were holding her and I saw the look in your eyes. In many ways, I am evil, yes, but children are my weak-spot. And she, she has done nothing to warrant any type of pain you were planning to subject her to! Rape, I do not tolerate. Rape to anyone! Especially towards her! You disgust me simply now that I know how far you are willing to go to satisfy your needs. If you do anything to her, hurt her in any form whatsoever, I will not only cut off your head but also your dick n between your legs!" She walked over and grasped the collar of his cape, yanking him down to her heigh. "Do. You. Under. Stand?"
Stayne nodded, never once having suspected that she would have any treatment towards him like that. "Yes, my queen," he muttered, receiving yet another slap before he was released. He stood straight, watching as she instructed a soldier to retrieve Alice, making it abundantly clear that she wanted Stayne nowhere near the girl. He fixed his cloak before standing next to the throne. She walked over, sitting down as they waited for the girl.
Iracebeth remained silent, a look of pure rage and disgust plastered onto her features. He did notice as her expression changed, softening when the guard approached with Alice. She was holding onto his hand, looking around with great curiosity. The Red Queen stood before kneeling down in front of her, ushering the guard away. When she spoke, it was the gentlest that Stayne had ever heard her. "What's your name?"
The girl studied her before realizing that she was the one Mirana told her to avoid at all costs. Yet the tenderness made her think that Mirana was wrong, that she wasn't as awful as she told her she was. She was quiet as she stared into her eyes, trying to see if she was genuine. Iracebeth stayed there patiently, knowing what she was trying to figure out. After several minutes, she answered, "Alice."
"Alice," she reiterated. "What a charming name. And how old are you?"
"Six," she whispered. Iracebeth stood after gathering her in her arms. "You're not scary," she suddenly said.
"Scary? Why would you think… I mean, aside from the dungeon aspect but you act as though someone before has told you that I'm scary. Judging by your clothing, I don't think you're from here. And the silk and satin, you aren't poor either. Tell me… Does the name Mirana sound familiar at all?"
Alice paled as though she had just been caught doing something she wasn't particularly allowed to do. "I-."
"I'm not going to be upset. I am only curious."
"… I know her."
"And what is she in relation to you?"
"Well, she… acts like my mum. She takes care of me…"
"Where are your real mother and father?" She inquired as she sat on the throne with her.
"I dunno," she admitted. "I fell down a hole and hit my head. Then I woke up here. I don't remember much else or if there was even anything else," she looked down. "She told me if I ever come in contact with you that I shouldn't talk or acknowledge you… That you would hurt me."
"I wouldn't dare dream about doing such a thing to a child. My sister has far irrational fears and thoughts that are simply not true."
"She said that you take people's heads off."
"That I do, yes. But only to those that deserve it. I would never kill someone just because I want to."
Alice stared at her. "You're lying," she spoke.
"My, you are a clever girl. There is a reason I do a lot of things, Alice. But I do not do them if one has wronged me or went against me. My kingdom is filled with loyal adversaries and those that are on my side. If I were to kill someone simply for the Hell of it and I would continuously do so, I would not have people to rule over, isn't that right?"
"I suppose," she whispered after a few moments of contemplation, causing Iracebeth to laugh.
"You really are an adorable little thing, aren't you? I can tell you'll grow up to be a fine addition to the Red Kingdom."
Her head immediately lifted at that. "What? What do you mean?"
"Well, you're going to stay here, Alice. That's what I mean."
"Stay here? But what if I don't want to? What if I wanna go back to Mirana?"
"Alice, I'm truly afraid that you don't have a choice. I mean… you're obviously not safe with her and judging by how it seems you care little about your real parents, you have no other choice but to stay here."
She pulled away, getting out of her arms and lap. "No! No! I… Don't want to stay here! I wanna go back home with Mirana! I don't wanna… please. Please, don't make me! I beg of you, don't!" She began to cry, disheartened and truly terrified that she might never see Mirana ever again. Part of her wanted nothing to do with that thought and she didn't want to see a future where Mirana wasn't in it.
"Honey, I'm doing this for your own good. You're not safe with Mirana. Especially not since you winded up here."
"Did you… kidnap me?" She demanded now. "You… must have. How did I end up here in the first place? I don't understand-. I-," she turned her head when she felt eyes boring into the back of her skull. She looked at Stayne and seemed to become even more frightened.
"Do not look at her, Stayne, else you'll frighten her more," Iracebeth spoke before standing once more, carrying Alice out of the room. Surprisingly, the girl didn't struggle, growing relieved now that he wasn't there before she looked at Iracebeth.
"Where are we going?"
"To your new room. If you thought that I was to leave you in the dungeons, you are mistaken. It is true that I do not fare well with adults. I suppose a part of me never has, even as a child. And while I do not adore children, I am certainly much more tolerate of them than I am of older. The rules here are very simple. Do as I say and there will be no problems. I will ask little of you. However, if you do not comply, you will be punished."
"Punished," she inquired, growing pale out of fear.
Iracebeth nodded. "Nothing physical at all, though. I promise you. I am disgusted if any child is harmed. There is no need for it."
"But… Mirana said that you kill people who have children. Isn't that hurting them? Even if it's… not direct?"
"Intelligent," Iracebeth smiled and then shook her head. "No. I do not kill anyone with children."
"Would you ever?"
"I have… before. When I found out that their children are in danger in their hold. There are orphanages in Underland where children stay and we only hire people who have raised and taken care of children. While there aren't a lot, they're still present and child abuse is treated with being tortured to death. It was a sentence created by my father and mother and it will stay a sentence until I am no longer queen."
"But what about the man who has been staring at me?"
"Has he harmed you?"
"No," Alice shook her head. "But he scares me a lot. He was touching me and making me very uncomfortable."
"He will be dealt with," Iracebeth nodded before opening the door and setting Alice down on a grand bed. The girl looked around and Iracebeth noticed a look of disappointment in her gaze. "Is something wrong with the room?"
"It's too dark," she admitted, shyly looking up at Iracebeth. "… I'm scared of the dark."
The queen stood, opening the drapery, allowing light to flow in. "Is that better?" She turned to Alice. The girl said nothing, truly not wanting to upset the monarch. "Alice?"
"It's not the light. It's the colours," she whispered. "I'm just so used to white and… Mirana let the walls be a light blue because it's my favourite colour."
She nodded in understanding and looked around. "Well, then I shall decorate the room to which you're comfortable."
"Huh? Wait, but why? Why would you do that? Why are you doing any of this at all? Why not send me to an orphanage like the others?"
"But why would I?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
Iracebeth couldn't help but laugh at that. "Because you are exceptionally special. You're not from here, for one, and two, I've never seen someone so young so absolutely fascinated with everything. You want to know about everything around you and.. it seems if you can't make sense of it, you try to make your own sense and I've rarely seen that quality in adults, nonetheless children. When I said that you would be a wonderful addition, I meant it."
Alice listened as she spoke before hesitating. "… Will I ever see Mirana again?"
Iracebeth closed her eyes at the request, sighing. "I'm… I'm not sure." She admitted. "I actually don't want you near her at all."
"Why?"
"Because she gets absolutely everything she wants," she hissed, becoming rather bitter. "Everything that she wants, she gets. She has taken far too much from me and I refuse to let her take anything else, including you."
"But you took me from her."
"Did you not just hear what I said?"
"My sister did it all the time too but I got in trouble if I do anything back because she's older than me," Alice whispered.
"She's older. She gets to do more things because of that."
"But she takes all the attention from me."
"Aren't you the younger one?" Iracebeth inquired, confused now. "Shouldn't all the attention be going to you since you're younger? That's what happened when Mirana came along."
"No. They give it all to Margaret because she represents the family and they want her to be a positive influence on me. But she gets everything since they think she's more mature than me which means she deserves it. They say I have to earn it to get something I want and if I do, Margaret will take it sometimes. She says that she's teaching me how to not get attached but if I get upset, I'm in the wrong. They never side with me because Margaret is older."
"My parents never sided with me because I was older. Since I was the heir. They always praised Mirana if she did something good and rarely reprimanded her. They wouldn't spend time with me because I need to learn how to rule a kingdom alone. And I hate Mirana for that," she paused and looked at the child. "It appears that you and I are not so different after all."
"But I don't hate Margaret," Alice whispered.
Iracebeth let an incredulous laugh escape. "What do you mean? You just said…"
"But that's what Mother and Father taught her. I know she feels bad because she told me. She told me she loves me and she would go against them but she's scared that they'll be disappointed and won't love her anymore." She shrugged. "Even if she was doing it just to be mean, I love her. She's my sister and no matter what happens, she'll always be my sister." She looked at Iracebeth who was no longer in the present, seemingly deep in thought.
"Based on… what you just said…" She began, taking in a deep breath. "Do you think Mirana still loves me?"
Alice immediately nodded. "She does! She wants nothing more than to be with you again! She loves you a lot. She's even planted red roses in the garden because she said that they remind her of you! She wants you to love her again."
Iracebeth gave a bitter smile. "I never stopped loving her. I was upset at her because… It's a long story and I doubt you want to hear it," she sighed. She stood before Alice could say anything more. "I advise you to rest. You can tell the painters tomorrow how you would like the room. Also, please let the chefs know if you are hungry. I have matters to attend to." She turned and left, Alice becoming disheartened. Part of her had hoped she could help the two sisters reunite but it appeared that Iracebeth wasn't in the mood at the moment so she let her be.
She looked down at her clothing. It was filthy because of the dungeons and there seemed to be a lingering odor of Stayne on her. Turning around, she got off the bed and headed to the closet, opening it. She was surprised to see several dresses her size and a piece of parchment that read For Alice.
She took a white and red dress, finding it the most desirable out of all. Taking off the light blue dress, she began to change but barely had time to put on the new dress when she heard the door open. She immediately hid behind the closet door, growing pale when she heard leather footsteps. "Alice, my dear, where are you?"
The girl heard him walk closer and grew still as he pulled the door away, revealing the girl. She had the dress held by her chest, hiding everything to which he took her hands, easily causing her to drop it. "My, my, my. Look at you," he grinned with sick fascination.
She went to push him away but he didn't move, wrapping a firm arm around her waist, pulling her close. He had closed and locked the door ahead of time and while he knew how large of a risk he was taking, he didn't care. He had the opportunity now. He would take it. "Absolutely perfect. I like small," he whispered.
Alice clenched her eyes shut before remembering what Iracebeth had said. "HELP!" she cried out, Stayne going to cover her mouth. It was too late however, guards entering the room, breaking the lock without a second thought for they had been instructed to keep the girl safe. One rushed over, picking the child up and holding her, handing her the dress as two others grabbed Stayne. She was quick to put it on before she clutched onto the guard, watching as the people from Iracebeth's court began to gather around.
It wasn't long until Iracebeth arrived and took the girl. She took a single glance between her and Stayne before she realized what happened, at what he had done or attempted to do. Her eyes seemed to turn pitch black as her grip tightened, not hard enough to hurt the blonde, just enough to hold her securely. "Take him to the dungeons," was all she said, the guards holding him immediately doing so. Once they were out of sight, she slammed the door shut out of anger, setting Alice down and burying her face into her hands. "Can I not trust anyone?" she mumbled into her palms.
Alice remained quiet, shaken by the events to the point where she couldn't even move. Iracebeth took a deep breath as she composed herself, lifting her head and turning to the child. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you any? Where did he touch you?" She took her face in her hands gently, gazing into her eyes, a look of concern in her own.
She didn't say anything, not wanting to as she went into her arms, holding her tightly. She buried her face into her shoulder, truly shaken. "Oh, Alice…" The redhead gently rubbed her back, feeling awful that she left Alice and sick at what almost happened. "It's okay. It's okay. He won't hurt you anymore. I promise," she assured her much like a mother. "It's okay…"
"He just grabbed me," she whimpered. "I didn't want him to. Mother said never to let anyone touch me where he did… like he did… Why did he…?"
She drew in a deep breath. "Because he's a very sick man, Alice. But do you remember what I told you earlier? He will be punished… and…. I shall see to it that he shall be beheaded…" It pained her to speak in such a way for the only one who supposedly loved her. And whilst she did care for Stayne, more than she'd ever allow herself to admit, she couldn't love a pedophile or a child abuser. But her own feelings were not a true concern for her. Now, she had Alice's feelings to worry about. Maybe she would help her own feelings of love and happiness to be released for the first time in centuries.