Wow. I know castles are big, but this place is gigantic, Liz thought while still keeping up with the much taller Peter.
She had previously tried to memorize where they were going so that later she could get out, but quickly found out that her mental map idea wasn't working. Either he was taking her directly to the throne room and the route just happened to be complex or Peter was taking a longer route just to make her lost. She preferred the latter with him, though now she could sympathize with Ace, the Knight of Hearts, not able to find his own room…
When they finally got to some large wooden doors that she assumed lead to the throne room, Liz was more than a little nervous. She was going to meet Vivaldi, the Queen of Hearts. The one who beheads servants on a whim. The one who loves red, the color of blood.
"Open the doors," Peter ordered, his voice firm and professional. "I request an audience with the queen."
As the doors opened, Liz couldn't help but let out a low "whoa" at the enormous circular throne room. On the small balcony sat an elegant woman in a heart shaped dress that fit in with the rest of the heart motif. She was sitting in a bored posture, but Liz could see that her attention was on her. Following Peter into the room, Liz could feel the queen's dark gaze on her as she glanced back at the closing doors.
What have I gotten myself into…
"White, what is this?" Vivaldi demanded. "Is this a new outsider you have brought to our world?"
"What makes you assume I brought her here?" Peter challenged, his ears twitching.
"We know you were the one who originally brought Alice. If another outsider were to show up, so long as you have your role, you are most likely to blame."
She shifted her gaze to the outsider.
"Are we right to assume that White was the force that brought you to our castle?"
"Yeah," Liz answered, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the queen's intense stare. "He kidnapped me and my friends may have followed."
Vivaldi's eyebrows rose.
"Friends? There are more outsiders here? Tell us your name and what happened to you and your friends. We wish to know."
Peter cleared his throat
"My queen," he suddenly interrupted, "I can easily tell you the events that occurred, even if it isn't necessary. What I came here to do was to introduce you to Liz so she may have a place to stay. Once she is rested, I will then return to her with her blasted friend-"
"Don't insult my friends!" Liz snapped, narrowing her eyes.
Peter glared down at her. "Be quiet."
"No, I won't be quiet!"
She tensed, ready for him to make a move. Whether to fight or run, she didn't know. If he did just want to kill her then she stood no chance either way. But at least she won't go down without a fight.
"Silence!"
Vivaldi's authoritative voice echoed in the now silent room. Liz flinched, immediately turned her attention the monarch, fearing that she would order her demise while Peter turned calmly.
"White, we wish to hear the girl speak."
"…As you wish, your majesty. Liz, explain what happened."
With some hesitation, feeling the pressure of queen and prime minister's intense stare, Liz started to describe what happened from her fragmented memories. As she told her tale her hands unconsciously started to play with the end of her blue shirt. She hated public speaking with a passion; it always made her feel weak even though her voice came out strong. However, it would be better for her to explain what happened rather than Peter who would probably exaggerate.
Why couldn't it be Kat, or even Katie, be here and talk instead?
Katrina walked next to Boris as they made their way to Heart Castle.
Are we there yet! Ugh, I hate walking.
The time period had not changed, so Katrina had absolutely no idea how long they had been traveling for, not like it would have helped, or mattered. She was, overall, having a blast, hanging out with Boris and just enjoying the forest scenery.
You know, I might not fully understand what is going on, but this is pretty awesome. Why aren't there any bugs here, not that I'm complaining…
"…Meow~"
Boris halted where he was, giving her a blank stare.
"Did...did you just meow?" he asked.
Katrina stopped and nodded. "Yes!"
"...Why?"
"I don't know. Why not? I mean, I'm a Kat and you're a cat, and cats meow."
Like one of Elizabeth's pet cats, Katrina used her hand to playfully paw the air.
"Meow~ Meow~"
She continued to make her way down the path, mimicking a cat's movements as she walked. Boris caught up to her, smiling and purring softly.
"That is cute. You like cats?"
"Of course I love cats, like cats love food! Ye-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Katrina exclaimed. "And dogs, and …"
A picture of Bunny Peter flashed into her mind, imaging his cute face just like how it was in the manga. She would totally need to make Peter transform into his adorable rabbit form!
But I might need to punch Peter before that. Actually, Elizabeth's probably already done that. Maybe I'll just glare at him.
"Okay, so your friend Elizabeth," Boris said, trying to change the subject because of the evil glare Katrina had adopted, "what is she like? Is she as...energetic as you are?"
"Well..."
Katrina paused to think of the right words.
"She's loud and obnoxious but outgoing and fun and cool and random but not as random as me." She smiled. "You'll like her, she'll like you, and I'm sure once we've kidnapped, er-rescued Elizabeth, we'll all have tons of fun at the Amusement Park."
And maybe I'll takeover Wonderland while I'm here...mwha ha ha ha ha! Actually, that's not very plausible. Hmm, I wonder if I have like, main character plot armor while I'm here.
Boris nodded. "Cool. And you do plan to stay at the park, don't you? You and your friend will need a place to stay for night periods."
"True..."
Staying at the Amusement Park would be awesome, we could ride the rides whenever and all. Meet Mar-Mr. Gowland. But Elizabeth might already be 'staying' at the castle. Plus, staying at the Clock Tower would be fun, if there was enough room, as it's a neutral zone and all that. And I can't forget about Hatter Mansion. Never mind, the Bloody Twins and Blood do not sound like good roommates.
"Uh...Katrina?"
Boris gave her a concerned look. Katrina blinked and smiled.
"Oh...sorry. Just diabolically plotting again."
"...And what are you 'diabolically planning,' exactly?"
"Nothing! You know nothing! And neither do I. Nothing…" Katrina trailed off, getting slightly lost in random thoughts again.
"But you just said..." He cut himself off as he noticed something through the dense trees. "Well, here we are: Heart Castle."
The two of them walked out of the forest, a large, coming into a large wide open space. Katrina's eyes grew wide when she took sight of the castle.
Whoa! Why isn't Heart Castle part of the Amusement Park?! It really looks like it belongs there, with some of its towers looking like ferris wheels and all these colors.
Shaking off her awe at the gigantic castle, Katrina asked, "So, Boris...how are we going to get inside? I doubt we can just walk up to the castle guards and be like, 'Hey, where is Elizabeth? We're taking her now! Kay, thanks, bye!'"
"I could probably find a way to sneak in," Boris answered, scanning the area. "I've made my way inside hundreds of times. Though I haven't done it before with anyone else..."
He became lost in thought. Katrina waited for a few seconds for him to reply before making a decision, "Alright. Plan 'Break into Heart Castle and Kidnap Elizabeth' is a go! Boris, lead the way."
Boris blinked, looking surprised by her response.
"...Really? Even though it is dangerous?"
"Yep, let's go!" Katrina answered with a false bravado.
Why am I doing this? This feels so stupid, but I honestly can't see a faster way to get Elizabeth out of there. I just hope she's safe. I guess I can also test out that plot armor idea. Please God, don't let anything go too terribly wrong. Elizabeth would not like hearing I died. I wouldn't like hearing I died.
Boris stared at her for a few seconds, a smile slowly forming across his face.
"Wow, you are way more fun than Alice ever was!" He chuckled, quickly coming to her side. "I guess not all you outsiders are as uptight as she is. I'm going to have so much fun playing with you!"
Katrina laughed, "Cool. So, any idea how to get in that doesn't end in death or injury?"
Boris's tail flicked back and forth, amusement glowing in his violet eyes. "I think I know the perfect entrance for the both of us. Here is what I'm thinking..."
"…and I followed him here to meet you…so…yeah," Liz finished lamely hoping that her pathetic attempt at storytelling was comprehensible.
"We see…" Vivaldi replied, her finger tips tapping the arm rest of her throne. "And we believe your story."
The queen then turned her dark gaze to Peter.
"White. Go find this other outsider. Do not return until she is found, and if you happen upon the other one, bring her as well. Liz shall stay with us in the meantime, as we still have many questions to ask her."
"Um… not to be rude or anything," Liz said with a hint of hesitation, her voice soft compared to the queen's, "but I don't think my friends would go willingly with Peter. It would be better if I went with him? So that they don't get hurt or anything."
Vivaldi narrowed her eyes.
"We understand your concern, but we cannot allow it. We want to keep your existence a secret for as long as possible from the other role holders. You may prove to be a useful secret for us, especially now that Alice is gone to the Hatters..."
Alice is living with the Hatters'? So that means post main manga? And what's the point in keeping me a secret!?
Never in the manga did the different territories tried to use Alice for 'political gain.' Sure, they fought over her, kept 'persuading' her to live in their own territories, but it was never for anything to strategize over. Though in those times, it was before Alice would choose her love interest, whereas now she has and now two more outsiders, possibly a third, have just shown up...
At Liz's dejected look, Vivaldi's face softened showing some sympathy. "Do not think we are trying to imprison you, but we fear for your safety."
Liz made to argue because she wasn't one to sit around and do nothing while her friends were lost in the strange land, but was interrupted by a guard that came rushing in.
"Your majesty, Prime Minister!" the faceless exclaimed. "The Cheshire Cat is trespassing on our territory and is in the castle. There is an unknown girl with him as well. However, she isn't a faceless nor Alice."
"That has to be Kat or Katie!" Liz said with hope decorating her face. "What did she look like? Tall, Short? Black hair, brown hair?"
"Well, I didn't see her, but I've heard that she is kind of short with long black hair. And she was…meowing?"
The faceless guard's voice cracked slightly, as if he could not compherend the strange behavior he just reported. However, just by mention there was, 'meowing,' Liz automatically knew that was Kat. Relief flooded through her and lifted a weight she didn't know was on her shoulders. Kat was okay. And safe…or as safe as you can get in Wonderland.
She let out a weak chuckle. "Oh, Kat."
Liz payed no mind to Peter's orders to the guard to go get the outsider and bring her to them. The faceless guard quickly saluted and rushed from the room.
Liz moved to follow him, when her arm was caught in a strong grip. Glancing back confirmed that Peter had seized her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
Glaring at him she twisted her arm to try and free it, but Peter had a tighter grasp than she thought.
"Where do you think? To get Kat."
"You will stay here with the Queen while I go deal with this," he ordered, his voice dangerously low.
"Ah hell no," Liz replied, tugging on his grip forcefully. "I won't let a trigger happy bunny get my best friend. It'd be faster if I went. She's my best friend, she knows me and I know her. She is probably here to retrieve me from being kidnapped by you."
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"And how would she know to come here? Not to mention an enemy of Heart Castle is with her."
"Oh, I don't know. There can be too many people that look as ridiculous as you that kidnap people!"
"Enough!"
Rising from her throne, Vivaldi gracefully descended and made her way to where Peter and Liz were.
"The Cheshire Cat is irrelevant," the queen said. "What matters is the outsider. We allow Liz to help look and once both are found, we shall gather them here and sort things out. There will be no bloodshed, unless the cat attacks first."
Peter blinked, a surprised look in his gaze, staring at Vivaldi as if she had grown two heads. Liz was just as confused, seeing that the red queen never hesitated to kill, in any circumstances. There was probably a reason for it, though at the moment, Liz didn't care too much. She didn't want Boris to get hurt, as he was a pretty cool character in the manga, and it got her to help search as well.
"...Thanks, Vivaldi," Liz said with a small smile.
With one last tug, she was able to break free from Peter. She bolted from the room, missing the look Peter sent her. Briefly stopping to ask for directions, she began to traverse the large castle with the hope that she would be able to find Kat and Boris before any other castle guards and maids did.