Chapter 5 – At Marmoreal

POV change - Tean

We ran until the open gate, both breathing heavily. I started to feel uncomfortable: "Am I proper? Because I'm wearing trousers and I am a woman, so I shouldn't wear them. You see, I'm going to meet the White Queen and I'm a bit exited, A bit? Very exited! Well, the last Queen I met was the evil one so I don't know what to do! Are my hair ok? Those braids maybe…"

"Tean!".

I took a breath, closed my eyes and shook my head a little: "Thanks… I'm fine…" I whispered breathless.

He faced me, took my arms and placed a kiss on my forehead: "Pretty…"

"Thank you, sir!" I answered as I saw the Queen, Alice and Bayard coming to us.

I just didn't know what to do, so I decided to speak with the Queen.

"Your Majesty! Do you remember me?" I asked her. She lifted her gaze to me after kissing the Twiddles and seemed unsure.

"Well, you reassemble Tarrant very much, but… Tean Hightopp! Oh, how happy to see you!" she said taking my hands.

"My pleasure!" I answered smiling wide.

"I suppose you have a lot of things to tell us, don't you?" she said smiling softly.

"Oh, yes, Highness!"

"Great!" she paused a little and his smile shrank letting space to a worry expression: "You see, I just want to understand what happened. Believe me, make you or the Hatter remind horrible memories is not in my intensions…" she assured me, tightening my hands.

"It's all right, my Queen. I understand that. Besides, I can handle my emotions better than he does!" I giggled a bit and she returned to smile happily again.

Then I turned when Tarrant called me.

"Tean, she's The Alice. Alice, she's my twin sister Tean"

"Nice to meet you, I saw you at the Red Queen Castle, right?" she asked me.

"Yep, and I don't want to go back in there…"

At that moment Diablo reached us and Mirana gasped at the sight of the blood: "I'm sorry I startled your Majesty…"

"It doesn't matter, I'm just very sensible… Why don't we go inside? My groomers will take care of you" the Queen asked softly as she turned like a dancer and went, quickly, into the castle.

We all followed her.

"So, are you really, that Alice?" I asked her.

Her smile dropped "I… actually… I don't think so. No, I'm Alice, but not that one, I'm sorry…"

I just looked at her a bit longer, studying how she looked like then I affirmed: "First: the Hatter would never sacrifice for an Alice that is not the right one. Second: you simply look like Alice! You are absolutely Alice, I'm sure!"

"The first one who told me so looked very much like you!" she said.

"But he was surely taller than me!" I laughed, she seemed absorbed in her thoughts and I let her think. However, they were interrupted by a powerful whinny and few screams from behind us, then quick gallop clops coming in our direction. Suddenly, with surprise and fear of all, Diablo came running towards us, with a halter hanged on just one ear and the rope sliding on the floor dangerously near to his hooves.

POV change – Hatter

I moved in front of the Queen and took Alice's wrist to pull her behind me too, while Tean ran right in front of the horse: "I need total silence! No questions!" she ordered and no one dared to ask.

Diablo slid a little on the marble of the floor to stop right in front of my sister: "What an actor you are!" she said. The horse kept moving his head up as a sign of intimidation.

With another whinny Diablo reared moving the anterior legs frenetically in the air: "No!" said Tean firmly "Calm down… if you slide here you'll break your legs!".

Behind me Alice held my elbow tightly, Mirana gasped, Bielle and Bayard kept shushing their pups and McTwisp fainted.

He stopped moving and stood there with a look in his eyes that I didn't like.

"Hush, it's alright…"

Diablo snorted deeply: "Don't touch me…" he almost pleaded.

"I have to… Don't move…" she reached out slowly, set the halter right on his face and ensured it.

He had the rope rolled on a hoof: still shooting him, Tean passed a hand on it, reached for his knee and pulled it forward. The horse trotted to his side and escaped from Tean's grip: "Hey! Dare you!" she told him "Come here!".

He stopped and walked back to her. She took the white rope and kept it tightly while Diablo pushed his face against her stomach: she hugged it, caressing and patting his sweated neck.

"Tean…?" I dared to call.

Two groomers entered in the corridor, one holding his arm, one limping: "That beast is a devil! I was kicked and he was bitten, Majesty!" the eldest yelled.

Tean gave a mock glare to her horse and he whimpered:"I'm sorry… I didn't know what was going on with me…"

"Mr. Edwards, I ask you to forgive that animal: never seeing anything out of what happens in Salazen Grum caused him a serious trauma" Mirana said stepping forward.

"Yes, Majesty" Mr. Edwards sighed.

"The present here Tean Hightopp will be the only one allowed to touch him, in order to avoid any other incidents"

"Yes, Majesty"

"Excellent. Lead her to the stables, she'll prepare the horse for the night" The Queen concluded.

Edwards bowed his head: "Follow me"

We saw them going away, Tean excusing and asking to have a look at Edwards leg, and we all let go of the breath we didn't know we were taking.

"She's incredible…" Alice said "Where I came from, horses who dare to do something like that don't live that long"

"Well, in your world Tean wouldn't survive that long" I told back.

"She didn't even got so angry"

"If you get angry you can't solve problems, can you?"

"I suppose you are right…"

Tean finally came back, running: "Sorry you had to wait! I had to force him to drink water, he was pretty dehydrated"

We reached a sort of Meeting Room, there was a large round table with uncountable chairs all around it: the Queen, Tean, Alice and me entered. Mirana closed the door and we took our places.

"Tean, can you tell us what happened after the Horunvendush Day?" she asked gently.

She looked at me as for asking permission, I had already yellow splinters in my eyes, but I nodded.

"Well… alright: it all started when the Jabberwocky arrived…"