William and Mirana sat at a table directly behind the Hightopps and Mrs. Kingsleigh. William rose from his seat and said to his new bride, "I'm going to go freshen up. I will be right back." He gave her hand a small and tender kiss and smiled down at her before leaving to the restroom. Alice and Hatter were still dancing. She opened her eyes and noticed her mother's look of boredom mixed with disapproval. 'I can fix that' she thought as she lifted her head from Hatter's chest and created a space between them. "Is something the matter, dear?" Hatter whispered while giving her a look of slight concern. "I need a favor," Alice quietly said and proceeded to whisper into his ear while glancing at her mother. 'What are those two up to?' Helen thought when she saw the pair looking in her direction. Hatter began walking over to her then extended his hand out. "Mrs. Kingsleigh, would you like to dance?" he asked as he shot her a bright grin. She furrowed her brows not liking the idea, but she didn't have time to respond as Tarrant grabbed her hand and quickly led her to the dance floor. "Have fun," Alice grinned at her mother who only frowned back at her. She walked back to the table but noticed that the queen was sitting alone so she went to accompany her. 'This might be a good time to ask her a few questions' she thought as she walked over to her queen.
"Have you seen my Tweedles?" a concerned Mirana asked Alice as she turned her head looking through the crowds of guests. "No, your majesty," Alice replied, "They're probably around somewhere. You know how those boys can be." Mirana seemed more relaxed after Alice reassured her, "You're right. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Alice sat down in the empty seat next to the queen. They sat in a comfortable silence then Alice began, "Did you reconcile with your sister?" The White Queen's joyful expression quickly turned into a sorrowful one as her dark eyes fell to her lap. Alice regretted touching on the subject. 'Maybe it didn't turn out as well as I thought' she pondered. Mirana suddenly spoke up, slightly raising her head as she gazed out at her merry guests. "Yes, we did," the queen said before her eyes dropped sadly again, "But Iracebeth decided to reside in the Outlands. She said it was the best for everyone after all the pain she caused in Underland during her reign." As horrid as the Red Queen was, Alice couldn't help but feel bad for the sisters' situation. "I'm sorry," she said as she rested her hand on the queen's excessively pale one. She could see the tears about to fall from her brown eyes as Mirana looked at her and gave her a small smile. Alice decided to lighten up the conversation, "Tell me about your new husband. King William." The Queen brightened up instantly at the mention of his name. Alice could really tell that she was deeply in love with him and she was genuinely happy for her. She wished she could say the same for him. "Well, it was quite odd how we met I'll tell you," Mirana told the girl as she had a quick flashback, "He was roaming the fields just outside my castle. I was returning from a friend's home with my guards when I caught him wandering Marmoreal. His actions were quite skeptical indeed. But then I began to speak with him and he was the loveliest person I've ever met. And long story short we fell in love and here we are." Alice was intrigued by the White Queen's story. She could see her eyes glistening just thinking about William. Even though the story seemed sweet, Alice was still suspicious of the new king. "And he surely must come from somewhere," the blonde girl interjected. Mirana frowned and answered, "He told me he's from near the Outlands, an kingdom by the name of Umbridge," Alice's eyes grew wide open as the queen finished, "Although I've never heard of such a place." She tilted her head and continued, "But then again I've never really explored every inch of Underland." Alice, hardly listening to her last words and very confused, whispered to herself, "But it's not real?" Her eyes darted all over the table in search of an explanation. "What was that?" Mirana turned her head to Alice as she was brought back to reality. "Nothing your majesty. Please excuse me," Alice responded as she rose from the king's seat but bumped into something as she got up. "Oh I'm so sorry, Miss Kingsleigh," King William apologized as he held Alice's hand. "Erm, may I have a dance with Underland's champion, I mean if it is quite alright with my queen of course?" He looked past Alice at Mirana. "Oh yes, please do," Mirana said enthusiastically, smiling up at both of them. William glanced back at Alice, waiting for a response. 'I might be able to get something out of him' Alice thought then spoke up, "Why not? One dance won't hurt." She flashed an uncomfortable smile at him as he led her to the dance floor.
Helen and Tarrant went back to a table as the new king and Alice commenced dancing. As they sat down from their vigorous dance, Tarrant faced Helen and stated, "See it wasn't that bad, Mrs. Kingsleigh. Did you have fun?" Helen sat hunched over rubbing her right foot and she laughed a bit as she said, "Apart from being exhausted, I did enjoy that. Thank you Tarrant." She sat up and squeezed his hand lightly as she smiled at the young man. He smiled back at her but his face fell slightly at the sight of his friend dancing with the queen's husband. He wished he was in his place at the moment. Helen noticed the boy giving her daughter heart eyes. She was displeased at this sight when James' proposal to Alice popped into her mind. It was clear that both Tarrant and Mr. Harcourt were in love with Alice. 'I need him far from her. She can't be in love with him. She has a fine man waiting for her in London.' Helen thought. She had to do something about this.