Time passed in a haze. Or rather Time did not pass in a haze. Alice remembered Absalom, and then an overbearing Whiteness. She knew sometime between the Whiteness and now her pain had all but disappeared. There was not an exact moment, just there had been pain and now there was not. Her conscious slowly began building from that realization. There was no pain, then what was there? Something soft. Clouds? No it was an impossibility to sleep on clouds, wasn't it? Six impossibilities before breakfast, but I can only imagine one impossibility before death? Alice felt, rather than heard herself snort.
"You would wake laughing wouldn't you?"
Alice's eyes flew open, "Mirana?"
"Good to see you are awake Alice, I was beginning to worry." The White Queen's hands curved in graceful concern as she leaned down to touch Alice's forehead, "not that I had any reason to it seems. You are not in any condition to move – yet – but a few of my potions should right things considerably."
Alice agreed she was in no condition to move, surprise had frozen her as effectively as any injury. "I…I…."
Mirana's wrists bent quizzically, "you?..."
"Nothing," Alice shook her head, pleased that the room did not spin. "I just did not think I would have actually arrived here."
"Nothing is ever nothing dear. But of course you are here, it is where you wished to go is it not?"
"Alice!" an ecstatic voice brayed from the hall, "you are all right!" Bayard bounded happily into the room, tail wagging.
"Bayard!" Alice smiled down at him.
"And the Tweedle brothers as well as Mallymkun," said the White Queen, almost convincingly unperturbed at the interruption and motioning towards the door where the two brothers were standing shyly.
"See I told you she would pull through." "No you did not, I certainly told you."
"At least you look like the right Alice," the small mouse on Tweedledum's shoulder allowed.
Alice greeted them all and then paused, "but where is Chess and – and Hatter?"
Mallymkun rounded on the White Queen, "you mean you haven't told her?"
"Patience my little friend, she has only just woken up."
"Told me what?"
Mirana shook her head, "all in the proper time. Potions first, and perhaps a change of wardrobe." With a fluttering of her hands the Queen shooed all the spectators from Alice's room, leaving behind Baynard. "I will be back with a potion for you Alice, just rest for now." Mirana paused at the door and looked back, lowering her hands briefly, "I am sincerely glad you are back."
Alice matched the Queen's genuine smile with one of her own. As soon as the door closed however her smile faltered, "The knife!" An urgent but gentle prod confirmed what her eyes were already telling her: her chest was wrapped in many bandages but conspicuously knife-free.
"I would not poke around too much, you're still a bit fragile until Mirana gets her potions into you," Baynard grunted as he wiggled his way onto the bed. Alice reached out to scratch him behind the ears as he looked up at her obligingly.
"It's all so strange Baynard, I did not think I had saved any Jabberwocky blood, and yet…"
"You're here so you must have." The simplicity of his statement made Alice giggle, but she silenced herself as the dog continued, "and what an entrance you made – dropping out of nowhere onto the Queen's floor." Baynard's voice grew quiet, a slight whimper following his next words. "you scared me when you came. There was so much blood," big brown eyes looked up at her, "Alice what happened up there?"
Alice shook her head, "I angered someone, but it does not matter now."
"Yes," Mirana's voice floated in before she did, "now you are here and all will be well." She handed Alice a mug frothing with a pinkish foam, managing to only weave it through the air twice on its way to Alice's outstretched hand. "Drink this. It is extract of a doe's – " Alice coughed to interrupt her, "better if I don't know." She gingerly gripped the mug, her arm muscles apparently remembering her recent trauma better than her mind. Sipping slowly, and pretending not to notice what was most probably an eyeball rolling around the bottom of her mug, Alice asked, "So what did Mally mean, about Hatter?"
"Not now dear. After you sleep."
Alice frowned, "but I'm awfully tired of sleeping." Her frown then lifted at the corners. Heh. Tired of sleeping. Now there was a solid contradiction. Even the density of such a contradiction, however, was not enough to keep the potions effects from lulling her back to sleep.
Mirana watched as Alice slipped down into the pillows, softly twisting the mug out of her grip. The mug flew around like a dancing scarf as the Queen flitted around tucking Alice into bed.
"That potion will only do so much you must know."
Mirana tipped mug in a gesture of acknowledgment towards the butterfly lounging on the windowsill. "It is what I can do, the rest is up to her." The mug froze mid-curve, "but if she chooses wrong…"
Absalom huffed, "sometimes you are as much of a silly girl as she. There is neither a wrong choice nor a right choice, merely a choice."
Mirana regained a bit of her serenity, the mug and her free hand dancing once more, "but…yes, I understand."
There was a puff of smoke and Absalom began to fade, "still if you must worry then only remember that she is our Alice."
Ohmgee - I did not realize what a warm and fuzzy feeling reviews bring until I received them. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you all like the new chapters as they come - keep reading and feel free to comment, even if it's just to say "good god woman, what is with you and abusing commas? Your poor English teachers!" I will then acknowledge your astute observation and give you a digital gold-star.
Cheers
-Savi
