In 19th century London..
Third POV
"See you tomorrow!" a cheerful voice chirped. The old shopkeeper laughed, "I'd better! I'd be out of business if it weren't for you!" The young girl flashed her boss one last smile before heading out into the cool, night breeze. Big Ben stood tall before her, the hands positioned at 11 pm.
A flash of slight embarrassment coursed through her. She had been so absorbed in attempting to make a miniature sugar cookie shaped like a rabbit with big floppy ears, that she had completely lost track of time. With a skip to her step, she made her way down the streets with only the moon acting as a light source. She made sure to be careful of any carriages that may be rumbling by.
Only a few months ago, she had left behind her life of nobility to live in London, and even landed herself a job at the most popular confectionery. For someone like Iris, the job was an absolute dream come true. And everything was going so well, too! The sugar cookies she'd make always sold out by the end of the day, and she got along quite well with her boss.
Iris' new life here wasn't so bad. She made an honest living doing what she loved- what more could anyone need? Iris didn't think she could be any happier with her mostly normal and decently uneventful life until-
"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!" A voice called in a panicked tone. Iris immediately looked around, intrigued by the sudden commotion. She had just turned towards the direction in which the sound of what seemed to be frantic footsteps was echoing from when all of a sudden-
"Oh!" "Ow!" The running man had clipped Iris on the shoulder, nearly knocking her to the ground. But the man's reflexes were just as quick as his pace had been, and he caught Iris in his arms before she could hit the cobblestone. The man gave her a gentle smile, "Do forgive me, miss. Are you alright?" Iris instinctively pushed the man away, "Erm.. Yes, yes, I'm fine." she answered. Finally, she got a good look at him.
The man had white hair that stopped just at his jawline and warm brown eyes hidden behind blue square-framed glasses. And he appeared to be dressed in quite formal attire, with a white button-up, blue vest, and light brown overcoat, even gloves adorning his hands. And his gentle smile seemed to be held firmly in place, not faltering for a single second.
"Thank heavens. I don't think I could ever have forgiven myself if I'd caused harm to such a charming young lady." the man commented. A light blush dusted Iris' cheeks as she glanced away from the man, silently hoping this wasn't some ploy to ask her out. "I really wish I could stay and chat, but I'm rather late for an appointment. Good evening, miss."
The man gave Iris a quick wink before he disappeared around the corner. A slight buoyant bounce in his steps. Iris watched as the man disappeared, slightly relieved that he hadn't tried to hit on her or anything. But he was unlike most men she knew, in fact, he was quite the gentleman. With the white hair, soft brown eyes, and a hop in his step, there was something almost undeniably rabbit-like about the man.
Iris turned, slowly beginning to walk home again when she noticed something. A golden pocket watch lay on the ground, decorated with a single light blue jewel in the top-center and seemingly polished to perfection. Did this perhaps belong to the man she'd just met? It looked as though this pocket watch was very important to him, too, based on the good condition.
Iris gently picked up the pocket watch from the ground and turned to the direction the man had disappeared in, rushing after him.
Iris quickly found herself chasing after the white rabbit-man through the middle of St. James's Park. He was fast, so fast that Iris couldn't even keep up with him. What was he even doing running through the park this late at night anyway? What was Iris even doing chasing after him like this?
Even though she knew well that it wasn't the safest choice she could have made, something deep inside seemed to compel her to keep running. It looked as though he was finally coming to a stop, and Iris viewed this as her chance. "Excuse me, sir? You forgot-" she started, but before she could finish her sentence-
The man disappeared into what seemed to be thin air, right before her very eyes. Iris stared, her blue eyes wide with shock. He had been right there in front of her. And now, he was suddenly gone. Iris took a single step forward, and the very ground beneath her seemed to disappear.
The world spun upside down and the park was now out of sight, nowhere to be seen. Having been replaced by the vast night sky, beautifully illuminated by a full moon and brightly twinkling stars. Iris was falling, that much she knew. Falling where, exactly? She didn't know. The hole seemed to be as wide as it was long. But what was a hole like this even doing in St. James's Park?
Suddenly, Iris realized just how slowly everything was moving around her. No- Not moving slowly.. She was floating. Yet she didn't seem to be any closer to the bottom. Iris looked back up from where she had fallen, yet when she looked down again- She suddenly found herself at the hole's exit. "What.. What is this place?" Iris breathed out. Slowly, she seemed to be approaching a landscape unlike any she'd ever seen before.
There was a dark, deep forest, a large town located slightly north, and a sinister looking tower much larger than anything she'd ever seen in London. She had to be dreaming. None of this could be possible, none of it. Moments later, she could feel her body growing heavier, and she began to fall faster and faster. Panic began to bubble in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of a painful and harsh impact. And just as she was about to hit the ground-
"Watch out!" a voice called out. Iris' long, long fall from above had ended not in pain, but rather with a reassuring squeeze from a strong and warm embrace. Her eyes opened slowly, and she was met with the emerald green gaze of the man who had caught her.
"Good. You're alive." he mumbled. Aside from his emerald green eyes, the man had black raven hair and seemed to be dressed in some sort of blue and black military uniform. Iris' body tensed, her skin feeling as though it were crawling with bugs from his touch alone. "What kind of girl falls from the sky? How did you get here?" he asked. Ignoring the unsettling feeling, she tried to speak- "Um.. My name is.. Iris, Iris Matthews-Schuyler. I'm not sure myself, but I got here from St. James's Park in London."
The man's gaze narrowed, "London? St. James's? Never heard of either." Iris stared at the man in confusion, where in the world was she then? Everyone knows where London is. She slowly took in the dream-like rose adorned garden as she attempted to gather her bearings. Off in the corner of the garden was a large hole with what looked like a preternatural light shining on it from above. "Ray, what are you doing? Don't tell me you're having a secret rendezvous at a time like this." another voice spoke, his tone slightly teasing.
The man, now known as 'Ray', eyes widened, "As if, Sirius." Iris tensed, only then recalling she was still in his arms and the unbearable feeling got worse. "..Please put me down now.." Iris muttered, her voice failing to hide her discomfort. Ray smiled, "You just fell out of the sky and you're worried about that? What a weirdo." Iris glared at him, "It takes one to know one."
Despite his haughty grin, Ray gently lowered Iris to the ground. And much to her own displeasure, he made sure she had her balance before actually letting go. "Guess you two aren't here for a date then." the other man commented. Ignoring him, Ray turned to Iris, "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Ray, and this is Sirius." he gestured to the other man. Sirius had short brown hair and amethyst eyes, his ears were neatly decorated with multiple piercings and.. is that eyeliner? He also appeared to be dressed in a similar blue and black military outfit.
"Have you lost your way?" Sirius asked Iris. She gave him an awkward smile, "Um.. I guess you could say that." "She just fell from the sky." Ray told Sirius. Sirius' eyes widened, "She what?" his gaze turned back to Iris, almost as if asking her if it was true or not. "I'm not really sure why or how.. But what Ray said is correct." Sirius narrowed his gaze, "Then tell me, are you on the Red or the Black side?"
Iris stared at the taller man in confusion, "Um.. What? I have no idea what you're talking about.. Colors?" Sirius looked Iris up and down, almost as if analyzing her, and smiled. "Hmm. This girl really is a weirdo, just like you said." Who is he calling a weirdo? These two combined are just as weird, if not more, than Iris was. At least, that's what she thought. Heck, these two men were wearing army uniforms but they appeared to be fake. Since the English army didn't wear anything like that.
What seemed to be an endless train of doubt running through her head was broken as she caught sight of something white racing by. Someone who looked almost just like the white rabbit-man ran to the back end of the garden and disappeared from sight. "It was nice meeting you two, but there's something I forgot to do and I really need to go so- Thanks for your help!" Without another word, Iris ran off to chase the white rabbit-man. "Hey!" Both Sirius and Ray called after her, but received no response.
Iris figured the white rabbit-man was her best bet of returning home. After all, he came from London, just like she did.
"And the weirdo's gone." Ray commented as he and Sirius watched her disappear. "You said she fell from the sky, right?" Sirius asked. Ray nodded in confirmation, "Yeah. I was just walking through when I heard a noise above me." Sirius narrowed his gaze, "Ray, do you think it's possible that she's-" "Hm?" Ray leaned closer as Sirius began to whisper fervently.
Meanwhile, the beam of shimmering light illuminating the hole in the corner of the garden slowly dissipated. Little did they know, it was a sure sign that the wheels of fate had been set in motion. Everything was about to change.
While chasing after the white rabbit-man throughout the rose garden, Iris found herself in the middle of a fancy tea party. Yet there was nobody in attendance. "Ah! There he is.." Iris muttered, "Please, wait, sir! You've dropped something!" she called out. The rabbit-man whipped around, his brown eyes wide, "What are you doing here?!" Iris let out a sigh of relief, glad she had finally caught his attention.
But there was no time to revel in her small victory. A rather angry sounding voice interrupted their meeting. "Stop." Iris let out a squeak of surprise, turning around to see two men. One had light brown hair and jade green eyes, also wearing a military uniform but unlike the others, this one was red and white. The other man had whitish-blue hair and golden eyes, his features like that of a porcelain doll. He was also adorned in a red and white uniform. The white-blue haired one stepped forward, roughly grabbing Iris by her wrists and pulling her towards him as panic flooded her every sense. "Unless you want to find yourself in a world of pain, don't move an inch until I say so." he warned.