"Go into the bedroom and check on them."
Clarion ordered one of his fairies.
The day was already beginning and it had started in the strangest way possible. The Queen had had a dream that was terrifying her.
The fairy walked to the room where the only people in the place who could do anyone any harm were. Demetrius, Cirse, Colbi and Helena.
"For the magic dust! Helena?" The fairy was confronted with an unbelievable scene, even more so in her kingdom. Helena had her mouth, hands and feet tied. "What happened?"
"Demetrius...
She started to explain, but the fairy she was trying to help received a blow to the head and collapsed at Helena's feet.
(...)
Purple jacket, combat boots, hair in a ponytail and gloves. Mal finished changing, because it is time to leave for Wonderland.
"Take care."
She hugged her husband one last time.
"Me take care of myself? We both know I'm not the danger in the relationship."
It was usually Mal who threw all her body weight on him as they hugged, but because of her injury she couldn't do that. That didn't affect their strong embrace at all.
"Just in case."
"Try not to hurt yourself too much."
"I'll try."
"I love you."
They shared their last kiss. Usually Mal loves kissing Ben, but this kiss was different, she just couldn't explain why.
"Wow!"
She sighed as they broke apart.
"Everything all right? Have I left you breathless, Bertha?"
"Silly , I love you."
"I love you more."
Mal couldn't explain it, but she felt something strange in her heart, the same feeling as before, but this time so much deeper. She didn't know if it was instinct or just a feeling.
"Will you look after him for me?"
She asked Evie, watching Ben.
"Of course." She hugged her again. "Do you promise to come back for us?"
"I'll try my best, I love you."
Mal was so scared, maybe it was because this was the first time she was going on an adventure without any of her friends or because of the tightness in her chest. She did her best to ignore it and went to the center of the courtyard ready for another one of her adventures.
"Ready?" Rashid asked before throwing her the old teleportation potion. She only agreed and as usual saw the faces of her family disappear. "Here we go."
She watched them disappear like dust, but this time the face of each one was unforgettably in her mind. Evie was blowing kisses in the air, Jay and Carlos were hugging and laughing at some joke, Jane and Loonie were laughing with little Tommy, Belle and Adam were hugging goodbye and Ben's face was whispering I love you.
(...)
Wonderland
Wonderland. The territory is just like the books say, an insane place. It looked like someone's crazy head. Huge roses, bright and different colors and talking animals. Although, in some ways it also resembles a metropolis like any other, there are avenues, a town hall and even a bus stop. Well, an ant is the driver, but that's okay, this place isn't supposed to be normal.
"It's a lot older here than I remember."
Rashid said, observing the place and all the colors that no longer even resembled those of years ago. Although, truth be told, he he hasn't appeared in the underground world for years.
"Oh, you're from here, I'd forgotten that detail."
The future queen is excited, she's never been underground before.
"I'm just too normal for this place. I think we'd better walk to the White Queen's castle, I don't trust ants driving."
Quite unlike Mal, the System Error, as he's known, didn't seem to like his land.
"So, what was it like living here?"
Nobody knows much about Rashid, just the basics: he's a wizard who got involved in something he shouldn't have.
"You mean this mess they call a country? I survived." He said, as he tried to walk across the dirt floor. "Damn!" After dirtying his beautiful shoes for the thousandth time, he grabbed Mal's waist and teleported them in front of the queen's huge castle.
"Wow, take it easy next time..."
Mal asked, dizzy from his teleportation.
"Rashid? Rashid, good to see you."
A literally white woman with only red lips as another color approached the guests who had just stepped into the royal garden.
"Hi White, how are you?"
Rashid said cheerlessly and before he could say anything else he was greeted by a hug.
"And you must be Lady Mal."
The White Queen said enthusiastically.
"Nice to meet you..." She extended her hand in greeting, but was surprised by a hug. "Whoa, let's hug then, cool."
"Great to have you here, I got your correspondence, very sorry for what that witch has done to your kingdom."
His impeccable vocabulary stunned them both.
"Correspondence?"
Mal questioned.
"Yes, our pigeons bring them to us."
"My God, this really is another world!"
Mal thought out loud.
"But how rude of me, come and put your things away."
The queen led them to their rooms. Rashid knew the place so the sightseeing tour was purely to entertain Mal.
"So, have you received your parchment yet?"
The girl asked, entering the guest room.
"Parchment?"
"Yeah, you know that thing that appears and tells you what you're going to teach me."
"Well, I'm afraid there's been a mistake, I'm not going to teach you anything."
"But Rashid said that..."
"I'm going to teach you." O interrupted their conversation. "I need to explain something to you, Mal."