A/N: A new day another chapter. A semi-long chapter. Anyway, next update will probably be saturday night or maybe friday night, possibly as late as sunday though. I've been week two'd.

Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland! Why do you keep making me say this? Admit it! You enjoy my discomfort! Heh.

Warning: story may contain and/or be; crack-pot, contain the yuri/femmeslash/lesbian pairing between Mirana of Marmoreal and Alice Kingsleigh, slight use of profanity, a high score on the cliche meter, tons of confusion, reiteration, violence, drama, man sized pigeons, peanuts and/or peanut dust, and talking parrots.

Chapter IV

~•~ Mirana ~•~

She watched Celia sleep, she would've slept herself, but the woman was in her bed and she looked too peaceful to disturb. Mirana could've easily have gone to another room to sleep, but she was just as happy watching Celia and avoiding her own dreams. Besides, if she stayed awake then she would not have to be waked once the guards found the ghosts brought back by Underland's own rouge necromancer. The queen's feelings confused her, she knew she was in love with Alice, and yet Celia had walked in and so easily shattered her thoughts of loving Alice and only Alice. The new woman had shaken her, made her fall so easily, it was like she was Alice only she wasn't. The queen reached forward, she longed to touch Celia's cheek, to tell the girl not to leave her as Alice had. But when she heard the door to her chambers opening, her hand fell back to her side and she found herself turning to find Nivens standing before her.

"We've found them," The nervous rabbit said, fearing he'd interrupted his queen's thoughts.

"Thank you for informing me Nivens," Mirana replied, a soft smile growing on her lips, "I'll be there shortly."

The white rabbit left, and the queen stood from her seat near the bed. She wished she could stay, but in order to protect Celia, she had to get to the bottom of what was happening. Raven was no help now, for Mirana knew the Witch of Wastings had information which was needed: she knew the woman was holding back something vitally important. Weather it was important to Celia, or just her own health, Mirana did not know: she could not care if it helped either figure things out. For she was confused again, and she knew that Celia was just as confused about her origins as Mirana was about her feelings toward Celia. Mirana brushed the thoughts as she left the room, shooting one last glance at the slumbering form on her bed.

Quickly the queen headed through the bright halls of Marmoreal, back to the throne room where she typically began meetings. Along the way she was stopped by Tarrant, the poor hatter was confused as ever and wished to know what was happening. She told him the only way to explain was for them both to find out, for she did not know the entirety of the matter and he knew very little. Along the way, though, she explained what she knew and he asked questions. As soon as she stepped into the throne room it became clear that she should've tried to prevent Tarrant from coming along rather then allow him to. For she recognized a dozen faces, which she knew to be of his kin, mixed in with the crowd. Hatter, unsurprisingly, stopped and stared as he stood beside her. It was then she knew she'd lost the support of Tarrant in catching the rouge necromancer, or so she'd thought.

"Threatened a girl and gone behind yer back aye," Tarrant said to Mirana, his eyes fixed ahead on a girl he knew as his sister, "But brought back those lost by the hand of Iracebeth and her Jabberwocky. I don't know what my mind is thinking. If only Alice were here to make sense of the situation."

"Alice," Mirana replied, her voice heavy and sad, "I hope for her sake she doesn't return to find us living in danger again-worse yet, for her to return and be hurt."

"Don't dwell on it you majesty-she'll return once the dangers passed," Raven interjected, cutting in to Tarrant and Mirana's conversation.

"Well! Look at the time, half past midnight, best be collecting Amy and being on my way," Tarrant said, backing away to walk around Mirana and Raven toward his sister and fellow clan members for a heartfelt embrace with each.

"Let him have his fun your majesty," Raven said, holding Mirana back, "There's something we must talk about."

"And just what would that be?" Mirana asked, pulling away and looking at the taller woman, her dark eyes searching the other woman's blue ones.

"Alice," Raven replied simply, with the tip of her head as if it were obvious, "Naturally."

"What of Alice?" Mirana said, her voice soft, she feared the worst since Raven was bringing her champion up.

"Do you love her?" Raven asked, watching as Mirana's expression shifted from one of concern to a mixture of that and shock, "It's obvious you feel something for her, I can see it in your eyes. So I ask again, do you love her as a lover?"

"Do I even need answer? Yes. I love her. Yes a thousand times!" Mirana replied softly, her words almost lost to the din of the room.

"Curious," Raven replied, looking out into the crowd of people before them in the room, "Remember what I said."

With that the Witch of Wastings walked away, leaving Mirana to wonder what their brief conversation had been about. Raven, of course, knew what their conversation had been about. She'd needed to know, for the information was a piece of the puzzle. A vital piece of the puzzle. It helped to shed a little bit more light on why Alice had come back to Underland, but it didn't explain what she'd been doing in Crims or even how she'd gotten there. Of course, Raven couldn't tell Alice-Celia-or Mirana for fear of exposing Alice too soon. That wouldn't be bad in itself, but there was still a rouge necromancer on the loose and without all her memories back Alice wouldn't stand a chance. It was best that both she and Mirana stay as they were: ignorant of the on going investigation of Raven. The witch wanted to know why the necromancer was doing what they were and why Alice had been where she was. More then that, she wanted to know if Alice still loved Mirana even though she wasn't herself. Raven knew. Raven knew very well.

~o~ Celia/Alice ~o~

She awoke confused of where she was, and when it was. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair and remembered what had happened the day before. Looking around, Celia could see the gentle light of dawn reaching through the windows of the room. Looking before her, she saw Mirana, asleep in a chair. The young woman quickly realized she was still in Mirana's room, sleeping in the queen's bed. A shiver went up her spine. Moving around, Celia gently shook the woman by her shoulder, wondering how long Mirana had been there and why she hadn't had Celia moved to another room. Within a few seconds, Mirana was awake, though barely. She looked at Celia with tired eyes, before going back to sleep. She'd been up all night wondering what Raven meant, and had just succumbed to the allure of sleep. With Mirana back to sleep, Celia stood and wandered over to her. She knew she shouldn't leave Mirana sleeping on the chair, and she knew she couldn't because some part of her told her not to. The woman, so little more then a girl, wondered how she was going to move the queen from her place without touching the other woman's skin. She figured out how though, and soon the queen was in her own bed, dozing peacefully. Celia moved the blanket's around on the queen and found herself hovering over Mirana's face. Her stomach tugged at her heart, she wanted to kiss Mirana, but something held her back. She couldn't taint the other woman by doing something which was, possibly, not welcome. Something told her not to and she listened, not even sure of herself. She didn't know if, in her forgotten past, she'd loved the queen so or if it was a new revelation. So Celia stayed there, hovering inches above Mirana and thinking, in the end she decided that her affections for the queen were not new but older and from before she could remember. With that thought made and put away with, Celia backed away and stood again, but not quick enough or carefully enough to avoid touching Mirana's hand. The memories came back in a flash and were gone all to soon, her chest burned and she stumbled back, into the nearby chair. Sitting, Celia shook as she tried to breathe. It was so hard, so very hard, but she was beginning to understand. Whoever she was, she'd been in love with Mirana, and the queen's touch held power over her. Maybe that was why it hurt to be touched by Mirana, her skin and her touch reminded Celia of her past and that made the glyph on her chest respond to keep her from remembering. But that was only when Mirana's hands touched Celia's hands or wrists or arms. Perhaps one touch would break the glyph? Overload it perhaps? Could one touch be associated with enough memories to do that? Could the remembered emotions of one touch do that? Celia wondered, but she wouldn't speak of it. Already, with the day still so young and fresh, she'd learned a little more of herself. Enough to make her wonder.

With curiosity biting at her, Celia calmed herself and stood. She left the room after spending a few more moments watching Mirana sleep. Her heart skipping all the while. It wasn't everyday that one fell in love, of course, Celia wasn't sure. It was possible she'd realized her love for the white queen just hours, even minutes, before being transformed. That thought seemed funny to her, just like her own name seemed funny to her. Why could she think of the transformation, know it happened, but not remember it? Was there a loop-hole to the curse of the binding glyph? Of course. How else would she have remembered Mirana's name? Celia thought that explained it, but it still didn't explain why her name sounded wrong even to her. She didn't mind at the moment though, because she found herself lost in the white halls of the castle. With blatant curiosity, Celia began to open the doors and look in at the rooms within. One room caught her eye though, it was someone's chamber of that she was sure, but the bed looked as if it hadn't been slept in for years. Beside it was a suit of armor, well kept but dented. She walked in, curiosity getting the better of her, and walked up to the armor. Ran her fingers over the dents, her eyes going wide as her chest began to burn, she looked down at what the hands of it held between them, the sight of the blade felled her. The binding glyph did it's job and kept her from remembering while inducing enough pain to make her jerk on the floor. It felt like she was being struck by lightning, but when the attack was over it left her feeling winded but with a clearer picture of her past. If she reacted to the armor then it obviously held some meaning to her, the fact that the attack was one of the worst she had so far-worse then the day before, but better then when Mirana had held her-only made her even more certain that the armor held some meaning. Perhaps she'd ask Mirana of it later, but then she would not. Not simply because she was distracted by the door in the wall, but because she didn't know where she was in relation to Mirana in the castle. Curiosity for the door, of course, won out over wondering where Mirana was at that time. Celia was sure Mirana was still asleep in her own room, which left the curiosity of what was behind the door before her. She didn't dare look back at the armor behind her, and headed for the door. Twisting the doorknob and finding that when the doorknob bolt was not in place that the door could swing either way. For some reason that reminded her of Mirana in some way, she wasn't sure why though. With that thought pushed from her head, Celia went forth into the room, and found that it was the exact place she'd started: Mirana's room. Why there was a door in Mirana's wall leading into an empty room she was unsure. But it felt familiar, the room's both did. She shook it off as she noticed the bed was empty, for some reason she had the feeling that Mirana had awoken and gone to search of her.

~•~ Mirana ~•~

The white queen was searching for Celia at that moment, wondering where the younger woman had gone. Hoping that she didn't have Alice's tendency to find trouble. The very thought angered her, she wasn't supposed to compare Celia and Alice. She couldn't, it would only lead to problems. Just like it would lead to problems if she kissed Celia, even if she just touched the girl. Her heart told her she had to, but Mirana had never been one to listen to her heart because her head told her not to do anything to hurt people against their will because once she started she'd never be able to stop. It was one of two things she feared: losing control. The other was losing Alice to death, that too was feared.

At that moment Mirana would've done almost anything, though, to have Alice in her arms. To breathe in the younger woman's scent, to lose herself in Alice's dark eyes. To hold her love tight and never let go. At the same time, though, she was confused on her feelings for Celia and knew she wouldn't be able to love anyone unless she figured things out. She couldn't figure things out, however, unless she first found Celia and helped the girl regain her memory. It was a terrible thing, to live without recollection of one's past, but she knew Celia was gaining a few memories back each day. At least, Mirana hoped she was. The queen stopped, she was in the throne room again, she feared she'd been so lost in her thoughts she'd circled around twice. Then with a sigh, Mirana began walking again, heading back to her chambers to check if Celia had returned there. She rounded a corner, and to her surprise, nearly ran into the girl in question. The queen couldn't help but notice how pale Celia was looking.

"Are you alright?" Mirana asked, concerned for Celia, knowing that the girl had paled the same way the day before just after Raven had caused the girl's binding glyph to do it's job.

"Fine," Celia replied, catching Mirana's gaze, staying far enough that neither could reach out and touch the other, "I'm fine, how are you? Your eyes are dark, well, er, darker then usual I think."

"Yes," Mirana replied, "I'm fine, just a bit tired, I had things to attend to last night and they kept me up later then usual."

"I didn't help did I? I mean, I sort of slept in your bed and all," Celia said, trailing off lightly as she looked at the queen before her, her stomach filling with butterflies: could Mirana tell?

"No, it's fine," Mirana replied, feeling a bit awkward, seeing a light blush form on Celia's face.

"Alright then," Celia replied, backing away a little more, trying to suppress the almost animalistic need to touch and love the queen before her: to try and capture the beauty-both inner and outer-of the woman before her.

An impossible feat, even more unlikely to be accomplished given that she couldn't even remember her real name.

Celia snapped from her thoughts as she realized the woman in question was staring at her with concern written clearly on her face. Celia met the queen's gaze, perhaps she'd never stopped meeting it and only realized she was still holding it.

"Yes?" Celia asked softly.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought there for a moment," Mirana replied, "Do what you like, I have, um, business to attend to. I was just wondering where you'd gone."

"What if I want to go with you and help you?" Celia asked suddenly as Mirana walked away, "If."

"That would be fine, but perhaps it would be better if you wandered around," Mirana said tiredly in response, "Bring back some memories if it's not too painful, if it is then perhaps you should tag along...Or rest."

"Perhaps the former," Celia replied, "No promises though, I might drop by if I find myself bored."

"I promise you that you won't," Mirana replied, looking back at the younger woman, "Marmoreal has many secrets, and perhaps you're just the person to find them out."

"Mirana," Celia cried out, "What's the, erm, never mind. I'm sorry for holding you back."

"Don't be, it's no problem," Mirana said with a smile before hurrying away: leaving Celia to stand with her heart beating quickly in her chest.

The armor was a key piece to her puzzle, as was Mirana, but something in her-a silent stubborn streak-wouldn't let her ask about it yet. Though she knew it, she knew the suit of armor was a ket element to discovering her past: but she couldn't touch it and remember, not just yet. Not yet. She'd ask later, and no sooner.

No sooner thought was it, then Celia left the hall. In the opposite direction the white queen was going in.

Mirana, who was nearly at her destination by that time, was headed to Hatter's workshop. The bright little corner of the castle had been bustling since late the night before: what with the return of his many lost kin. Mirana could not blame him for welcoming his family, now so graciously returned to him, nor could she blame him for having a neutral say as to the state of things. For she could not force him to have a stance when the, possible, criminal in question had returned his family to him. Only Iracebeth would do such a thing, and Mirana was determined not to end up like her dear sweet, malicious and cruel, red-loving older sister. She'd taken many steps and actions to prevent herself from twisting to serve her slight madness rather then the people she so loved, and her work would not be undone by the loss of a valued friend's opinion. For Hatter's opinion, once lost, was lost indefinitely. The queen stopped, just shy of the doors to the man's hat shop.

The doors burst open and she was crowded by many people, they shouted at her in Outlandish. Most screaming with joy, all giddy with the sight of their queen they'd thought lost with themselves and the fall of their clan at Iracebeth's hand. Mirana found herself being squeezed and pulled by the crowd, held tight within the arms of the old and young alike. Finding herself being cried upon by the group of very mad people.

"Aye she lives," Tarrant said from somewhere beyond the screaming throng of his kin, explaining to his cheerful younger sister, the only of his immediate kin to be brought back to him: the rest aunts and uncles and even farther out and back then that, "Been living after you, even though the Frabjous day"

"Lived she did, but what of 'er fair champion?" The girl asked, "Whot of 'im?"

"Aye, Alice lives," Tarrant replied strongly, his eyes dark, his voice growing deep, "Yadder-padder far from here."

"Aye, aye," The girl, Empth, replied, "Hiding yeah?"

"I'm not sure, he never told me," Tarrant replied, his eyes softening, his sister's doing likewise.

"Can I read 'er? Can I?" Empth asked her brother, receiving a cheerful nod before the two moved through the crowd of their clan and reached their dear white queen.

"Tarrant, Empth," Mirana said simply, excited and confused by the great number of people around her, she looked down as Empth took her hand and began to draw little patterns on it with one hooked-over finger.

"It's warm," The girl stated, looking up at Mirana, "Know what I need, 'n all."

"Don't mind her, she's mad. We all are," Tarrant told Mirana with a chuckle before taking the queen by her wrist and parting the small crowd to lead the woman into his workshop.

Inside, he shut the doors, locking his kin out in hopes of calming them while he spoke to Mirana alone. When he looked over his shoulders he found Mirana being well cared for by his sister, Empth was giving the queen tea. The queen was wisely refusing, though gently. She remembered Empth from her childhood and knew that however easily upset Tarrant was, Empth was much more so. While she continued to turn down the tea, Empth merely stared at her like she was a child. In the end, Mirana accepted the tea, which brought a mad chuckle from Hatter.

"It's the most lovely shade of blue-green," Empth said, her eyes wide and light, her gaze directed at Mirana before she looked to her older brother, "Have your watch started 'et?"

"Ey yes, en Gribling day," Tarrant replied, his hands helping with his response to his sister, a grin upon his face: his eyes light as ever, it was a pity Mirana's words were so likely to change the situation, "Mirana have you something to say?"

"Yesh, I'm very like, to like to hear," Empth said, aiding her brother and watching the white queen, whom set down her broken tea cup, "Many years of speaking t'ain't did much heh."

"Yes," Mirana replied simply, looking at her childhood friends, "It's about... the recent... troubles."

"What's she talking about brother?" Empth asked, looking to her brother, confusion spreading across her delicate and young features: she was not yet seventeen years of age, a remarkable seven below Mirana and Tarrant.

"She's talking about the being who brought you back," Tarrant replied, his eyes shifting slightly, the mad look on his face sadder.

"Yes," Mirana replied, seeing the precarious situation beginning to tilt, she continued hastily, "I only wish to find the being so I may inquire of the truth of the matter."

"'Agree completely, I don't trust Raven 'nough to trust 'im on this," Tarrant replied, his eyes staying unchanged, "Could be bringing us down, got 'nough reason to. What do you be needing from us then?"

"I need to question everyone here, excluding you Tarrant," Mirana replied, looking the mad hatter in the straight in the eyes.

"Done," Tarrant replied, "Not all at once though."

"Agreed," Mirana said, before Hatter broke their staring contest-battle of wills and she looked to her right to find Empth looking very lost but still very innocent.

Hatter soon left to calm the crowd lingering just beyond the door. Mean while, in her head the white queen was already figuring out how she would proceed, she was walking a very thin line. On one hand, she had to care for the people around her and the people of Underland, on the other hand she had to get to the bottom of what was happening. While she came up with a plan, Empth read her eyes. The girl had known, since she'd first touched Mirana's warm hand, that something had changed the woman she'd once known. Mirana's hands had never run that warm, never. Not when she was angry, or nervous, not even when she was ill with a fever, rare as that was. The only reason Empth could think of was that her friend was dealing with love, a very much changing thing, and had been with her love but moments before arrival at Hatter's work place. As Empth gazed into Mirana's eyes she began to figure out who it was Mirana was in love with, a gift which came with her madness, and soon came to the conclusion that Mirana had to be in love with someone who could bring out the woman's inner child. Said person would have to be stubborn, enough to match with Mirana's own stubborn streak hidden though it was, playful and very much a troublemaker. Anyone short of that was too little for her dear friend, anyone more, was perhaps slightly more likely to be loved by the woman. Perhaps. It was very likely, as well, that Mirana had fallen for her champion: but Empth did not remember what Alice looked like. How could she? She was a little tyke when Alice had first come to Underland, and the other girl hadn't strayed to the clan's village in Witsend. Empth resolved to find Alice and figure out if it was as it seemed and if the girl returned her friend's affections. A task easier thought then done considering Alice was far, far away: beyond the bounds and borders of Underland.

"Empth, are you alright?" Mirana asked her much younger friend, seeing the girl's eyes darkened and her face contorted with confusion.

~o~ Alice/Celia ~o~

Celia spent her entire afternoon looking to the armor for signs of her past. Shattered memories. Fragmented bits. Scattered emotions. Anything she could find in the dented beast she was determined so to, though nothing leapt to her mind in those hours. In the end, the girl was forced to give it up and return to the room next door and await Mirana's arrival before heading to sup with the queen. Her heart beat picking up the moment she thought the woman's name and she remembered how quickly the woman's mind had captured her heart. It was an emotional bit, with no real memories attached, save for one of the queen's delicate smile. A grin which lit up her whole face up to the eyes, even going as far as to penetrate the dark depths of them and bring a cheerful light to them. Something about the fragment tugged at Celia, something about the light and what had been happening, what she had not seen, something tugged. It beckoned, but like the retreating light of the sun fading over the horizon, she was not able to grab onto it and hold it. Soon the tug left her.

A/N: I sense a bit of tension... hmms... Hurray! As stated previously, next chapter will be up friday night at the earliest and sunday night at the latest. Unless something unfortunate happens today involving not dropping a stressful class in which there is a person who I fear I might just have to strangle for repeatedly calling me a midget and shoving me... stupid school system...