"WHY DOES THIS feel so awfully familiar?" a familiar voice joked, his smile radiant.
"Hartley!" Alice exclaimed in surprise. She beamed, swallowing all the swears and resentment she was prepared to spit out before she realized who it was she had bumped into. "What are you doing out in town?" Then, she wrinkled her nose as she assessed his outfit. "And dressed like this?"
"What's wrong with my choice of fashion?" Hartley innocently asked. He looked down, examining what he wore— a plain white top with dark trousers that were tucked into boots, all of which were covered by a black hood.
"You look suspicious as hell," Alice deadpanned. "Why are you dressed like a thief?"
"How else am I going to get out of the castle without the entire parade?" Hartley questioned back. He sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "Must be nice not to have eyes watching you all hours of the clock."
"Have you ever lived with Wyatt?" Alice laughed. "I'm surprised I even managed to get out of the house! He must've eaten something wrong this morning or woke up on the wrong side of the bed. To think that he would be the one to urge me to go out without supervision!"
"Wyatt knows when to let you spread your wings," Hartley commented. "Give him some credit."
"I give him plenty already," replied Alice. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing out and about? Don't you have tons of paperwork to do in the palace?"
"They'll never end, anyway." Defeated, Hartley waved the matter off. "Might as well step out of the walls and get some fresh air."
"I don't think the city is where you can get fresh air," Alice pointed out with a chuckle. She gestured to the buildings around them which puffed out smoke from the chimneys. Then, she nodded towards the cafes and bakeries nearby, all of which had lovely aromas wafting out. "This place doesn't exactly scream 'nature'."
"As long as I'm out of the palace, nothing is suffocating," Hartley answered. "Where are you headed to? I'll go with you."
A lightbulb erupted on top of Alice's head as she thought of something. It clicked in her head and suddenly, at that moment, it seemed to all make sense.
"Did Wyatt actually send you to spy on me?" she guessed.
"What?" Hartley, caught off-guard by Alice's question, couldn't help himself but widen his eyes. He scoffed a little at her words, shaking his head in disbelief. "Alice, I think you've gotten the order wrong. I'm his boss, not the other way around."
"How would I know?" exclaimed Alice. "It could've been a request from a friend. I know that despite the working relationship between you two, Wyatt is actually one of your best friends, if not your only friend."
At her words, Hartley immediately grimaced.
"You say such harsh things, Alice."
She cheekily grinned. "Only the truth, darling."
The town was filled with life. People bustled around them, rushing to and fro to places they needed to be. The chatter around them only grew as Alice and Hartley walked down the cobblestone path and towards the bakery Alice was originally headed towards.
She had briefly explained the situation, mentioning that Charlie got a little upset because of an accident in the study room. However, she tactfully left out the fact that it was over an invitation which Hartley's mother had sent. The last time she had seen them interact, Hartley didn't seem too elated in hearing what the queen had to say to him.
"He pushed you down," Hartley echoed after Alice, reaffirming what he had heard.
"Yes."
"On the couch."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"My God, Alice, you're as dumb as a donkey!"
"I won't necessarily compare myself to a god nor a donkey, actually—"
"Alice." Hartley stopped walking all of a sudden. He stared at her, his expression stoic and lifeless. Under his scrutinizing gaze, Alice strangely felt like shriveling up like a withered plant. "You are exceedingly stupid sometimes."
"You know what? That is what Wyatt said too!" Tapping a finger to her chin, Alice began to voice her thoughts out loud. "Why did he say that, anyway? It's not common for him to insult people to their faces."
"Then you obviously don't know Wyatt well enough," Hartley said. "He's a scheming little thing but he most certainly wouldn't let up a chance to let you know that you're an absolute— Watch out!"
One moment, the two were happily conversing about nonsensical trivialities in their lives. In another, Alice felt the world around her spin uncontrollably.
Before she could react, Hartley had an arm around her shoulder. He pulled her in close, her body slamming against his chest, her breath getting knocked out of her lungs as she did so. She landed against him roughly, coughing a little bit of air out.
However, Hartley paid her no mind. He continued to tug her in even closer, making sure she was close to him. In the next few seconds, Alice understood why Hartley had made such a dramatic action.
A horse sped by, neighing the entire way. It dragged a carriage behind it, the driver flailing his arms about wildly, unable to take control of the animal that was in front of the carriage.
"Out of the way!" the carriage driver yelled as he passed by, batting his free hand through the air while the other desperately pulled at the reins.
"Hey! Watch it!" a random passerby yelled.
Screams and yells echoed through the town, following the mad carriage's trail. From where Alice stood in Hartley's arms, she couldn't tell whether the heartbeat she heard in her ears belonged to her or if it belonged to Hartley. It was thundering against her eardrums, loud, persistent, and intensely quick.
"Are you alright?" Hartley asked.
Suddenly, Alice became hyper aware of Hartley's hands on her body, one on her back and another holding her head. He gently eased his hold on her without completely letting go. His eyes still stared in the direction the carriage had disappeared behind, scowling at the carriage's invisible shadow.
Then, he looked down at her. His eyes, despite the frosty shade of it, was filled with concern. The blue of his irises resembled the endless sky, tinted with flecks of silver and gold.
"I-I'm… I'm fine," Alice stuttered. "What just… What just happened?"
"The driver must've lost control," Hartley deduced. He looked back at the curve in the road, frowning at the scorch marks on the ground. "However…"
"However?" she prompted.
"It seemed a little odd," he continued. "It came out of nowhere."
Alice turned back and looked at the plant at her feet. The area where she stood before had a few flowers blooming on the roadside. However, the wheels of the carriage had run it over, flattening it smooth against the ground.
She shivered a little at the thought. If she had still been standing there, she would've been like the flower, squashed against the ground no matter how brightly she had been blooming before.
"Thank you…" Alice murmured under her breath. Her breath caught in her throat, her airways suddenly clogging up painfully. "I hope no one got injured from that accident—"
"That's the thing, Alice," Hartley cut into her sentence before she could finish. His next words sent a shiver down her spine, leaving her lips dry and her blood cold. "I don't think it's an accident."