Chapter 2, now. The plot is going to start to thicken! ;) Hope you enjoy xxx.

"There! Did you see her eyes flutter? She's waking up!"

Tarrant? I could see nothing, but I could recognise his voice anywhere. I felt a little more at ease when now I knew he was here.

"Hush, Tarrant! You're shouting."

Mirana. The Queen. If she was here, something must be serious. I tried to remember what happened, but my memory was blank. I couldn't feel anything. I tried to move my fingers with little avail. My toes only moved a little and I began to feel tears building up in my eyes.

"Look! I definitely saw her toes move then." Tarrant energetic voice faded towards the end as he remembered what Mirana had told him. "Come on Alice, wake up, come back to me!"

His pleas gave me the optimism I needed and my mind fought against my body as I tried to wake up properly.

I groaned a little as light touched my eyes.

"Tarrant?" I mumbled.

"Yes, yes, I'm here. You remember." I was confused. Why shouldn't I remember? But I felt pressure on my hand and the thought was lost.

I forced my eyes open some more and looked around. I was in the hospital ward in Marmoreal.

"What…" I tried to push myself up, but my arms buckled under me. "Argh!"

Mirana looked concerned and Tarrant had his hands out in front of his as though he was going to catch me.

"Don't strain yourself." Mirana said. "You've barely got any strength."

I looked between the two, confused.

"What…What happened to me?"

They shared a glance. I saw something pass between them and it frightened me.

"What is it?" I said, slightly annoyed.

They didn't answer.

"Please!" I said more desperately. "Just tell me."

Mirana sighed. I could see her discomfort.

"Alice, how did you get here?"

"What?" was she deliberately making me feel worse. My body was growing tenser every moment.

"How, did you come to Underland?" She said slowly.

I blinked. What a ridiculous question.

"That's easy, I…I…"

I looked down and shifted through my memory. It was like looking through mud. What was happening to me?

I looked up quickly and let out a laugh that shook with nervousness.

"I can't…I can't…" I closed my mouth and tried to remember. I felt tears began to well up. "Why can't I remember!" I shouted.

"Alice," Mirana tried to put a hand on my shoulder, but I swatted it away. "No! I can remember!"

I climbed out of bed, swaying a little. My head was shaking wildly.

"I can remember, I can! I…I won't do better than… a prince? White roses, no, rabbits, no…"

I screamed in frustration and collapse back onto the bed.

"What's happening to me?" I sobbed.

I felt Tarrant, who had been stood silently thins whole time wrap his body around mine.

"What you ate," he began, "had a poison in it that…gets into the bloodstream and…changes things. Your memory," he paused, "is being lost because of it."

He pulled me up and took my face in his hands.

"But you must remember. You must!" He looked directly into my eyes. "Don't forget me again."

The look on his face was devastating. I would remember him. Even if all my memory was ripped from me, I would hold onto Tarrant, because I loved him more than life itself and I could not part from him again.

"There are other effects to the poison as well as memory loss I'm afraid." Mirana said quietly.

Of course there would be. Whoever did this to me wouldn't let me get off so easily. I quickly sifted through the people who could possibly do this. The Red Queen and Stayne were obvious contender. The knave? Were some still faithful to Iracebeth? Or some other enemy that had some grudge against me that I had never met. I felt my heart began to race. Was I even the intended target? What if the poison was meant for Tarrant. I couldn't stand if anything hurt him. At least it's me, not him, I thought to myself.

"What else is going to happen?" I asked, no longer as afraid.

I would put up with anything I was dealt with, just so long as Tarrant didn't have to.

"You might get sick. Very sick. And weak. You won't be able to defend yourself if anyone attacks you."

I gasped.

"Is that what they want? To kill me?"

Mirana looked down solemnly.

"I think it would be best if you resided in the castle until we find a cure." She said.

"What if you don't find one?" I whispered.

I saw sudden shift in the corner of my eye. I was grabbed roughly on the top of my arms and shook. Tarrant put his face inches from mine and glared at me with scorching golden eyes. The black shadows around his eyes were worse than ever.

"Don't you ever say that! You hear me!" His Scottish accent rang in my ears. "I'm not going to loose you. Don't think like that! We're going to beat this, understand! And i'm going to find the slurvish creature that did this and I'm going to make them pay!"

His grip tightened and I couldn't see him calming down.

"Tarrant, stop, you're hurting her!" Mirana tried to shake him, but he ignored her.

"I'll drive a blade into the beats heart and take away everything he loves, like he tried to do to me!." he shook me.

"Tarrant, stop, please." I whispered. "You're scaring me."

"If you give up, I'll never forgive you!"

"Please!" I sobbed.

His face changed to that of a shocked man who only just registered what he'd done. His eyes faded to green again and he let go of my arms. I could tell there were Red hand marks there, but I daren't look. They would soon develop into bruises.

"What have I done?" He whispered and ran out of the infirmary.

I looked to Mirana.

"Can't I just spend a few last days at home?" I asked, wiping away my tears. "Then I'll stay here, I promise." I glance at the doors. "It's going to me hard on him and I want to make it as easy as possible."

She smiled and nodded. "Anything you need. But for now, just rest, I shall send for the cook to make you something to eat. I'll check on Tarrant."

With one last smile, she left me alone in the all-too white ward.

Sorry for any grammatical errors. I try best, but there's always something that escapes my notice! : P

Xxx