~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Helen Kingsleigh two hours previous to Johanna's narration~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After leaving and letting Thackery into his kitchens, Mirana took me to her study. As she was filling me in on details from Alice's second visit, there was a loud banging and crashing coming from the first floor. We assumed it was only Thackery yelling at the Chessur cat to get out of his kitchen, but as we returned to our talking a man named Alick Calder, the Captain of the Guard – or as they called it, the White Knight - to Mirana entered. He looked exhausted, and battle worn.
"Your Majesty, Mrs. Kingsleigh! The Red Queen and an army have just arrived! They are taking over the palace as we speak! We do not have enough men to fight them off at the moment, you must run, now!"
Mirana and I jumped up, she ran as quickly as her pristine dress and white glazed shoes would allow her. She pulled a pen from a collection on her bookcase. Half the wall opened up to a secret passage, she motioned for me to follow. Before entering she placed the pen on her desk and ran through, I followed the best I could but my age slowed me down a great deal.
Alick pushed the secret door shut behind us with a final call of good luck and stay safe.
It was very dark now. We had gone down several flights of stairs to get where we were now. Mirana took a lantern off of a hook hanging on the wall and light it with a small set of matches she had hidden in a cubby hold by the lantern, finally we had light to see where we were going.
"We must find Alice, Tarrant, and Johanna. If they are free then we must regroup and defeat my sister once again." She walked down a complicated pattern of caverns as she spoke making her voice echo throughout the endless halls of stone. "Now, where is it?" She stopped in a dead end and began to rummage through supplies searching for something. She made a satisfied noise as she lifted a heavy looking box from under a pile of cloth. "The Vorpal Blade at last! I had it hidden here just in case such an event occurred. Sadly it has a need in a new war." She ran her hand up and down the blade as if feeling the texture for the first time; she smiled and closed her eyes savoring every moment she held it.
Alice, where are you? And what has happened to you? Are you safe? Have you married to Hamish? Or are you doing what your heart told you, but I never acknowledged? Wherever you are, stay safe. And please forgive me for trying to control your life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Margaret Manchester (where did that come from?)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having been tied up in a grimy dungeon wasn't my idea of a very nice situation, luckily it was better for me because I hadn't been tied. What were our captors after? Money? Perhaps they were holding my husband and Lord Ascot, and I for ransom! The door opened slowly, the only light coming through the small crack it made. It opened more and people were marched in, to my horror I knew these people, some I didn't but most I did! "Please God," I prayed, "Don't let my mother and sister be among these people!" None of them were present, I sighed in relief. A struggling girl was thrown into my cell; the guards left laughing as they did so. I stood and turned the girl over, "Are you alright?" I asked as I did so.
If there was one thing I could say about her, it's that she was the singular most colorful person I'd ever met! Light fuchsia under her eyelids, one teal and one periwinkle eyelid, chalky white skin, and the most electric blue eyes I'd ever seen, and redish blonde hair bordering on florescent orange. She stood and shook herself off, she mumbled something that sounded almost like, "Downl wyth Bloody Behg Hed!" She looked at me and smiled, the effort seemed almost painful. "Aye, I'm alright. The bloody knave didn't do nothin' that I won't heal from. My name is Malise Hightopp, who are you?" She straightened her posture wincing as she did so.
"She's probably hurt worse than she's letting on." I thought. "My name is Margaret Kingsleigh-Manchester. It's very nice to meet you Ms. Hightopp."
She shook her head violently, "No, Ms. Hightopp is my aunt! Just call me Mal!" I couldn't help but smile, she was so similar to my little sister. But where was she?