The man before her disgusted her, yet Alice did her best to play the part as an innocent and foolish child. "It's not your fault mister. I was the one that slipped, I'm sorry for making you late." she replied at long last.
Through her past memories and future knowledge, she knew Alice's mannerisms quite well for her few basic quirks. She had been apologetic and always referred to people as mister or miss, even if they were family. There were very few people she'd ever remove it from, and the white rabbit was never one.
Perhaps future Alice had known she had been played all along, or that he was the most suspicious person and never tried to get close to him, but didn't the novel mention that he was always with her?
Before she could suspect the rabbit any further, a sense of relief washed over her as the turning she felt around her had stopped, and she could feel fresh air by the sea, something she was super thankful for.
She didn't realise, but she was tightly clutching onto the white rabbit as if the real Alice would. It was an accident, but perhaps natural instinct for her considering her current body's condition.
Releasing him and opening her eyes, she apologized for her behavior and dusted off her clothes. Chuckling, he told her it was no big deal. "I'm so glad you're the same as ever, Alice. Unfortunately, I've got to head off to my meeting with the queen, so please stick with me for a bit. Carneline… isn't exactly friendly to strangers." He told her as he begun to walk off checking the time on his watch repeatedly.
It was the perfect time to escape, or question him about how to return, but his threat disguised as care told her to just follow. For her own sake, atleast.
As she ran to catch up with his surprisingly large strides, she could hear him repeatedly muttering. "I'm late.. the queen will have my head." in a semi-panicked tone. It looks like a monster could in fact feel fear, or his acting is next level.
In the novel, the white rabbit was never named, nor were a lot of the characters in Carneline. Most soldiers were called by their titles depending on their squad division, the queen was called the red queen, and he the white rabbit. Hopefully he would give her his name soon, she couldn't call him a rabbit based off her current vision.
She didn't know how much he knew, but if she let anything slip in the slightest, the perceptive rabbit would know. Why did her friend have to make a novel with such conflicting characters?
She thought she knew the story, but it was hard to tell what part of the city she was in until they reached the castle. It's easy to remember descriptions, but hard to see it in person when everything was jumbled and popping out randomly.
It didn't help with how the white rabbit seemed to get faster and faster and getting louder as he begun to panic further. "I'll be late! Please spare my head." Was all he'd say as he begun to walk through the castle floors to a room with giant doors.
The doors were large according to the novel, but she couldn't tell if these were especially large or perhaps too small by her vision. There were black thorns and hearts all over, decorating it.
This, she could tell would be the queen's throne room. She braced herself to see the queen, nothing more than a brief description told in the novel. A beauty with red hair and doll like features. The queen had a magic tattoo under their eyes that looked like diamonds, and on their chest a deck of cards with a crown on it, something all soldiers have.
As the white rabbit knocked on the door, he entered without notice and she followed, not prepared for the scene before her. A small boy with an obnoxiously large crown sat on a throne at the far side of the room, with red hair and piercing green eyes. He held a large staff made with what seemed like solid gold, black thrones, and covered in dozens of red roses.
On top of his gaudy staff, his clothes matched to a tee. A large red long coat with white fur around the edges wearing it with one on shoulder, the other off by held together by a checkered strap ribbon with the center being a red rose brooch, connected to another piece of his shirt.
His shirt collar had a necklace-choker attached with what seemed like a cornelian gemstone into it, the very stone the citizens were named after, along with a matching earring on his right ear. His undershirt was mainly white with black patterns into it, with matching black shorts with side frills coming down.
His face definitely had the diamonds, and an unhappy smile with his eyes as cold as stone. He looked as delicate as porcelain doll despite this and his flashy attire. He was definitely the queen of hearts in the flesh, and yet she couldn't believe it.
Surprised, she could help but let out a small noise as she saw him. He wasn't as distorted as normal people, but he definitely had a large head which made his doll like features even clearer to her from afar.
The novel mentioned his age to be similar to Alice's… but she never imagined that eight years before the plot happened that he'd be well, him. Or even a man in the first place, considering the fact the title of queen was mainly a woman! Although her friend never said the queen was a she in the novel, it was still hard to process.
"I'm sorry I'm late, your majesty. Let us start the meeting?" The white rabbit brought her out of her daze as she cautiously followed, still staring at the pretty tyrant queen, who she still couldn't believe was a young boy.
Snapping his fingers, the men who laid on the floor she barely even noticed were taken back by other soldiers, some seemed to be wounded or have their tattoos move about on their bodies, signifying they have angered the queen and are not to be given dinner.
It was a little horrifying, they were not bleeding like the future queen makes them but they were severely hurt. What he said next brought her to her senses. "If you'd of taken any longer, I would of done something extreme to cure my boredom."
Is everyone in this fairy tale a psycho? No, no. She already knew they were at least Alice and the queen were, and crazies attract crazies. But why was the white rabbit suddenly a psychopath too?
As they got closer, she watch his eyes shake ever so slightly as he stared at her mouth slightly agape. Oh no, his focus was now on her. "My apologies, your majesty. I got lost and Alice helped me find my pocket watch, but now that we have it we can begin the meeting." The white rabbit repeated and begun to take out a list of notes.
"The former white queen's supporters of the Mad Hatter faction are beginning to rise again, the Cheshire Cat.." he begun but was cut off midsentence.
"One, do not call that woman a queen. Two, do not tell me useless things. Three, why is Alice here?" The queen's voice thundered for such a small boy. He glared directly at her with eyes full of animosity.
Goodbye new life, it was a record of three weeks Alice thought. Was this truly the end? "Of course, your majesty. I apologise. Did I bring Alice to early?" The rabbit asked with a polite smile.
She was right, she was brought here on purpose and it was just his doing, then. If it was the queen which wanted her then perhaps she would be alive for a little bit longer, she hoped.
"No, just tell me why she's with you. I told you to send her to my room." He growled back a venomous look plastered across his face. If looks could kill, the queen certainly could.
Why would the queen want her? She thought, what on earth did past Alice do to upset him? She surely doesn't remember such a gaudy queen!
"No can do, your majesty. I'm afraid Alice is too cute to be left alone with a boy at your ages." The white rabbit responded in a sing song tone as he pinched Alice's cheeks.
A bit of red flashed over the queen's cheeks and she presumed it to be out of anger for such a terrible comment to the queen's very own face. "Don't touch Alice! She's my property." He hissed out while rubbing his temple.
The queen had often called her his property in the story, as he did with most things. All of his soldiers, all of his people, every object was apparently his property. He had owned all of his kingdom, in his words. Hearing it in person though kind of agitated her with what a narcissist he was.
Unfortunately, her fear was still very evident as she begun trembling lightly. She truly might die today. Luckily, however, fate decided to spare her as the white rabbit continued to protect her.
"She'll know eventually, so let's keep her! Isn't she cute? I'll take care of her!" He insisted and it somehow went from him being the loyal pet of Alice to Alice being the fearful pet of the rabbit.
Although the queen wanted to fight back, he relented. "Alice, take this." He said with a twirl of his staff a tray came flying across the room and begun to organize itself for her.
On the tray were a few bottles, and even a slice of cake that looked so mouthwatering good. Remember that the original Alice found eating to be a disgrace, she tried to politely excuse herself from eating, especially the sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Sorry, but I really shouldn't eat… I don't want to gain weight." She softly said while his eye twitched. Without saying anything, he got up and moved towards her, picking up a fork and putting it towards her.
"I knew your family was hopeless. You're far beyond thin, eat it." He ordered but she could hear the slightest bit of concern in his voice which shocked her. However, she still couldn't get rid of the feeling in her stomach.
As soon as she opened her mouth in protest, he shoved it straight inside forcing her to swallow in order to not choke. He continued forcefully feeding her until she felt like her stomach would explode.
It felt like she was huge, a giant. It felt disgusting as if she was bloated beyond repair, perhaps this was how the really Alice Hartziene felt when eating dessert.
She knew that no one was judging her for eating the cake, but it felt like everyone was. Was she a pig? Why is she so big? Is it really just her mind playing tricks once more?
Without saying anything, the queen proceeded to open a small bottle with a deep purple liquid inside of it. "Drink it, and you'll be fine." He said as she shakily reached for it, and gulped it down.
With his finger, he rubbed the excess liquid and took a small lick himself, humming slightly. All of a sudden it was like a bright light enveloped her sense as she collapsed to the floor, her body felt normal, as if there was no difference from three weeks prior in her old body.
It was like pure magic. Actually, it was. The queen must of prepared something ahead of time for her and fully knew her condition. She was glad she never called him white rabbit, she thought.
The world around her stopped spinning and she saw in normal proportions. The queen now looked like a normal yet beautiful boy and the white rabbit begun to actually look like the description.
A taller man with white hair that was messy and a little long. He wore thin rimmed black glasses and had floppy white ears that reached to his chest. He wore a top hat and many watches all over his body, and his eyes finally looked more convincing in being normal.
His outfit too, was a bit annoying to her. Must be a pain to change into so many frills, she thought. His blouse was most likely silk and had even more frills than the queen's shorts. He had long black pants with even more pocket watches were attached to and carried a bag filled to the brim with paperwork.
"Aww you're so cute admiring me, Alice!" The rabbit said as he squeezed her cheeks again, it felt really weird to see them, and everything properly. But it felt almost too good to be true.
If they could fix her… then why does she still have this issue in the future? Alice thought while the queen begun to praise himself. "Of course this medicine works thanks to me, you may admire me however long you wish, Alice."
So it was him, she thought. But why? What exactly did they want from her? "I bet the poor thing has never seen herself." The white rabbit interrupted and brought out a mirror from behind the queen's throne.
Did he just take a mirror out from behind the throne? No… that was a stupid question. The queen is a narcissist so of course he would have a large mirror behind him.
As the rabbit showed her herself, her eyes widened in surprise. The Alice now looked different than future Alice, specially with her size. It still took time for her to remember that she was still a child in this body. Her hair was curly and reached to her waistline, in a silver-platinum blonde color, much different to her sister's. Her eyes were a bright blue colour, and her body looked a little frail.
"I guess she really hasn't. What a poor child." The queen muttered as he watched her eyes widen as she looked at herself. Was it really that weird for a child who can't see people normally to not want to be scared of themselves?
Teasingly, the white rabbit turned to the queen. "Ah, and you're not a child? My, you're only a year older than Alice!" He said chuckling as he put the mirror away.
If this was eight years before the plot, she would be fourteen, meaning that the queen was fifteen, and yet he was already a monster. "Don't act so smug you old man, you're already a thousand so don't get close to Alice." He hissed out and flicked him with his staff.
They certainly didn't seem as intimidating as before, but there's no way she could let her guard down… wait did the queen just say the white rabbit was over a thousand? Surely he was exaggerating right she thought.
"I'm only two thousand and three hundred! Still in my youth." He sighed and rubbed his forehead before returning to her side, was this really the same man? No, were they really sane? This may be a fairy tale but why is he old?
Sensing her confusion, the white rabbit turned towards her. "Ah, forgive my rudeness so far. I am Cecil, ranked the White Rabbit of the kingdom, however my professional job is being the clockwork tower's master and the queen's secretary." He gave a polite bow once more while locking eyes with her.
"This is our tyrant queen Isaac, ranked the Red Queen of the kingdom, welcome to Carneline, the Great Magician, Alice." He winked, as her breath hitched.