Next chapter! Lol, I didn't add very much detail in the last chapter. I should've added that Alice was headed through the Mediterranean to get to an Italian trade post before heading to China. (This would mean going through the Atlantic…)

(Thanks, stuck-on-air) xD

"I can't go any further than this…"

The Heart's Limit

Alice POV

"Alice, I can't do it by myself- I need you to meet me halfway on this!" she shouted at me. Her hand was slipping from mine as she tried to pull me through the Glass. It was extremely difficult for the both of us- the Glass was thicker than either of us thought. I heard her grunt as she tried her hardest to keep her grip on my arm. I was barely through the glass- one arm, one leg, and half my torso. So I took my other foot, firmly planted it on the ground, and shoved myself through the glass.

The two of us fell onto the floor of, what I assumed to be, her bed chambers. I laughed humorlessly. I was exhausted. I wondered why I hadn't been hurt from the fall, but when I looked around, I saw why.

I was lying on top of Mirana.

I smiled sheepishly, blushing, and rolled off of her, standing up, and helped her to stand as well. Once we were standing together, we both busted out laughing at each other's appearances. Her crown was crooked on her head, her hair was a mess, and her dress was wrinkled from our fall. But I'm sure I didn't look any better than her.

As I realized how long I'd been staring at her, I blushed even deeper. But…she didn't take her eyes off of me. She was unmoving, still staring at me. I smiled softly and lowered my eyes, trying not to feel as awkward as I did. Before I knew what was happening, her hand grazed my cheek. I wanted to lean into her touch, but that would be inappropriate.

Mirana POV

I absent mindedly reached out to her and caressed her face as I had not 3 weeks ago. But I immediately felt stupid when she looked up at me. Why had I done that? What made me think that touching her would be alright? What if she hated me now? But I saw something in her eyes that told me she didn't hate me.

"Alice…why'd you come back?" I said, my breathing still a little labored.

"H-Honestly?" she stuttered. Her face pale so that its color was almost the same as mine. "I…I c-couldn't leave without saying goodbye," she whispered, gaining strength in her voice. "But, now, I don't think I plan on leaving." I smiled brightly at this. Maybe- just…maybe- I could tell her how I feel. Yet for now, she needed a place to stay.

"That's wonderful! Now, we need to find you an empty guest's room to stay in and then you should probably eat something and…and you have no clothes, do you?" I asked shyly. I heard the double meaning in my words, and it made me blush. I cursed myself and my thoughts as I gently took her hand and led her out of my bedroom.

And, suddenly, we were back in my room again. I let out a squeak as Alice spun me around and kissed me. After the shock wore off, I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy this. I took my heart to the limit…only because I was afraid that she'd break it. She finally broke the kiss, but…the minute she did…I felt so very untouched. But as she looked at me, her eyes sparkling and her lovely mouth curled up in a smile, I couldn't help but wonder about the consequences of this. Was it worth putting me heart out there, only to have it broken? When I didn't smile back, hers faded.

"I…Um…I'm sorry," she stuttered, running out of the room. I sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed. Had I just blown it again?

Alice POV (yes, yes :D longer chapters)

I pulled her close to me and kissed her, my hand resting on the back of her head. She was surprised, I knew, but it wasn't long before she was kissing me as well. Her hands crept up my arms and rested on my shoulders while mine lowered to hold her waist. I did, eventually, stop the kiss. I needed to breath, right?

As I pulled away from the best kiss I'd ever had, I smiled at her. This had been what she wanted, no? But when I realized she wasn't smiling back at me, I immediately felt stupid. That was the stupidest move I'd ever made! To kiss a Queen- was it even legal? Who knows…but for now, I let my smile break. I stuttered out an apology and rushed away from there.

That- that right there- was why I never took love that far. I always had my heart torn apart in the simplest of moments; the quickest of seconds; the oddest of days. I ran, and kept running, for quite some time. I finally hit the maze and ran through there as well. I, eventually, found the middle of it. The middle was a huge garden, one of epic proportions. I wiped at my tears as I walked around a bit.

There were trees and flowers and just about every other kind of plant that one could think of. It was, truthfully, the only color at Marmoreal other than white or blue. There was blue and purple, pink and green, brown and green, orange and yellow, white and blue.

White and Blue.

Mirana and Alice.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I tried to erase it. I picked one white and one blue flower and stuck them both behind my right ear. I felt better knowing that I had something of Mirana's to now call my own. Even if it wasn't quite her heart, I liked it anyways. I didn't plan on taking it off, either. If she never talked to me again- it'd be hell, but still- I wanted something that helped me remember her. Her…the one woman- no, the one person- to ever break my heart's limit.