It felt as though she was suffocating for minutes, like her sense of time had once again vanished while anxiety overwhelmed her. She knows she didn't mishear, they called the great magician.
The current Alice knows no magic, nor that she even has magic, right? She doesn't recall it from her memory. Even her family has no magical powers, it's a rare thing outside of Carneline, a place where magic is common henceforth is an almost forbidden topic to outsiders.
There are magicians and witches, even sorcerers if that's how you'd like to address them, but all of their magical capabilities differ, and the queen and rabbit would know that. Yet, they specifically called her a great magician.
"What are you talking about, mister?" She asked as she collected herself once more. She wanted to probe a million questions, but knew she had to be cautious again. They somehow knew more than her than she herself does.
As the queen sighed the white rabbit took over the conversation. "As the clockwork tower master, it was my job to bring the Great Magician to Carneline. I can see the past, present, and future,"
"Everyone in the kingdom has a role, according to the clockwork tower's record you are definitely a magician. I've even confirmed it with my very eyes, proof you have it within you." He finished confusing her even more.
There was never a clockwork tower in the original story. What is he talking about? "Please… explain with more detail." She asked unsure if she even wanted to know.
"This is taking too long. This old man's magic allows him to see the past, present, and future of a person so long as there's a record in the clocktower. The clocktower is a place in which every single citizen that he's come across has a file record." The queen interrupted as his patience begun to wear thin.
It made a little more sense, but not at all. What a confusing concept, an immortal magic man who looks like a rabbit stalks everyone he ever meets and collects their data after seeing through them? No thanks.
"You make me sound weird, your majesty! This is my role, everyone has to do their job- ouch!" The white rabbit protested as the queen stepped on his foot extremely hard enough to leave a mark on the floor when he lifted it.
Turning his attention back to Alice, the queen continued. "You should know your role, Alice. You are my property as the great magician and you are going to kill the white traitor." His eyes narrowed slightly when he spoke of the person.
"Excuse me… but what do you mean?" She asked. She was definitely not ready to commit a murder just because some narcissistic redhead and his crazy rabbit asks!
Recovering, the white rabbit piped up again. "Welcome to the council!" He cheered and clapped his hands. "You are to hone your skills as a magician and fulfill the role Alice." He continued repeating the same thing as the queen.
Would someone please explain to her? "My skills?" She asked scared, not liking where it was going. With a snap of his fingers the queen's soldiers rushed straight in with an outfit before her, and a tray of what she had eaten earlier on it.
"Everyone in Carneline with magic suffers to a certain degree because of it there are certain medicines to take to help control, but not get rid of it. You see things like no other, right Alice?" The queen asked with a smug smile on his face as he rested his chin on his palm.
He was thoroughly enjoying her confusion and she could tell. Apparently her friend made a whole lore of issues without ever telling her, huh.
"Does this mean you suffer to?" She asked wanting to know more. If she's not the only one with issues, she should be careful not to upset the one who can end her life.
Eyes widening slightly, the queen brushed it off. "Of course, the queen has the role of leading the people, at the price of bloodlust." He commented as if it wasn't a big deal.
Bloodlust… something which came up a lot in the novel from multiple different characters other than the main lead, but each had a different definition. Was his from boredom? Revenge? Anger? Does he get joy from being twisted?
The thing that came out of her mouth was a pure accident, when she thought about him. "It must be lonely." She muttered thinking how he was still a child.
Her friend enjoyed making characters suffer, he wrote the novel as a tragedy after all. The queen was of course no exception. If Alice Hartziene suffered her whole life, then it's obvious that everyone else would.
She couldn't begin to imagine being a child and being forced into being a country's queen. A queen with such strong magic, but as a side effect being forced to make others suffer to stay sane.
The main character's bloodlust prevented him from having any friends or even family, as it forced him to take their lives by his curse. The bloodlust of the wolf in red riding hood was stemmed from hunger, a primal instinct to devour until all the shreds of humanity was gone despite how he wished his claws would fall out as he watched himself become someone he wasn't. Even the queen from snow white, who was so overcome with jealousy she was forced into a monster's mindset.
"It must be nice to think of flowers when someone brings up violence." The queen hummed and let out a small laugh. Realizing what she said out loud, she apologized.
"Sorry, your majesty." She managed to say out as he laughed again. She really could not pinpoint him at all, one minute he's all for murder and next he's teasing her.
Twirling his staff, he pointed it at her. "Having a head full of flowers is not something to apologise for. But it will get you killed." He then motioned for the men to drag her out of the room to change.
"Ah, make sure to show me first! I wanna see cute little Alice!" The white rabbit yelled out as she got dragged out to change into what seemed like a similar outfit's to the queen but less gaudy.
A red no shoulder dress with a bit of sheer fabric over the top, and glitter. underneath was a corset skirt, with a checkered pattern that reminded her of a circus clown's Halloween outfit. The colours were primarily gold, black, white, and red but the patterns were all mismatched including her socks.
She wore a shirt collar with a necklace which confused her but as she looked at it, she noted it was one of the key items of her appearance. A heart necklace from that gemstone which meant she was from Carneline.
All she was missing was her tattoo, and eyepatch for when she eventually goes blind in one eye. Wait… is she going to lose an eye eventually? She had totally forgotten that the medicine was active only for so long and that the future her probably didn't take it!
She could already predict a few scenarios as to how she went blind, such as the queen doing it to her, the queen doing it to her, and the queen doing it to her!
It worried her she would go blind in an eye, but she'd cross that bridge when it came to it. If future Alice didn't take it anymore, then perhaps there was a reason for it? That's not a now issue, she has too much anxiety trying to live as is.
"Uhm I don't think I need this." She tried to insist as some maids begun to do her hair, pulling out multiple different ribbons much to her dismay.
One of the maids smiled at her and continued combing. "Your hair is so pretty, how about we try tucking it back?" She asked as she ran her fingers through her hair.
It felt surprisingly good to have someone talk soothingly to her for once, she thought. Even her old maids were scared to catch her disease if they were around her for too long.
As the maid talked to her, the more relaxed she felt. The red queen never did explain how his drawback really worked other than a word, and neither did the white rabbit.
Curious, she asked the woman doing her hair. "Do you know why the queen suffers that way?" She asked quietly.
A part of her didn't actually want to know the more she thought about it. Because perhaps if she pitied him she may think his actions would be excusable.
She wanted to hate and resent them both, but as she heard the maid's explanation she only felt like her initial reaction was correct. "The queen is a genius who protected the people from the white queen, and even works harder than everyone, and yet he suffers because of his role." She begun.
"His magic is powerful but he thrives off pain. To keep away his own pain and cloud his judgement from bad, he needs to feel and feed off of another's pain in the moment whether it be physical or psychological." She finished and she nodded.
His magic eats and grows through pain which isn't his, she understood. The only way to stop the magic from going out of control and harming hundreds would be to harm few at once. Truly, it must be a miserable life.
She felt like it must be miserable to be controlled by such a terrible illness. In order to live, he must cause suffering. She too, wants to live no matter what so she understood it must be frightening.
A child who thrives off of it forever. Until the day he dies. Truly, this world was not a beautiful one. If he was scum then perhaps he might of killed the soldiers, but he didn't, he still was trying to stay sane. If he was cruel, he wouldn't of told her that the way she thought was alright. He would of called it stupid, but he didn't. She knew it was because he most likely hoped to one day be like that too.
She wished she didn't know, as now the throbbing pain in her head continued to grow larger. No, she didn't feel remorse for thinking of him as a crazy psycho, nor did she begin to even like the queen. She only felt sad that a child would have to undergo such circumstances in order to live.
She did not condone her actions and she never would, but she could understand that he needed to do it. Even his harsh words were a necessity, thriving off psychological pain of those around him. He was likely feeding off her moral issues when they were together.
Sighing, she let out a small breath she never realized she was holding in. "Thank you.. miss.?" She realized she forgot to ask the name of the maid who was being so nice and helpful to her.
"No need to be so formal, My lady Alice. My name is not important." She replied as she finished up tying her hair, a satisfied smile on her face.
Pouting, Alice looked in the mirror in front of her. "It looks really pretty! But please, do tell your name." She insisted, hoping the woman would tell her so she could possibly request her in the future.
Chuckling, the maid pat her on the head ever so lightly. "Cynthia." She said. Turning around, she found herself staring up at Cynthia who looked like a warm mother with such kind eyes.
"I'll definitely remember! Please, take care of me Miss Cynthia." Alice smiled before being taken away. Now that she was done, it was time to return to the throne room, she figured.
Focusing, she took away the distracting and depression thoughts from early and threw them out. "Only positivity." She muttered to convince herself as the maids followed after.
When she re-entered the white rabbit clapped and immediately brought her over nearly smothering her. "Look how cute my little Alice is!" He bragged as if he decorated her outfit.
"Shut up, old man." The queen huffed. As he looked her up and down, before growling. With a snap, all the maids came forward in a bow.
As soldiers begun to circle them, Alice could see the sharpness of the spears as she gulped. She had a bad feeling. "Who did it?" He asked.
With no response, he yelled out once again. "Who did her hair? I said to do it in a high ponytail." He hissed while Cynthia walked forward.
It took seconds for a spear to be thrust into her from behind by a soldier located behind her, and another one from besides her. Soon, almost all the men had taken a turn at her heart.
Shaking, Alice collapsed to her knees. The queen never said to kill her, so why would they? As her eyes shook between various places, anywhere but the body soaked in blood, the white rabbit covered her with a jacket from his bag
"You don't need to look, Alice." He said calmly, trying to soothe her. Why was he soothing her? Why was everyone so nonchalant? Why did he have to hurt her over something like a hairstyle!
Filled with anger and sadness for the woman she has just met yet so fondly talked about the queen, she could only feel her insides churn and come out in front of her. There was no way the queen was sane.
"You should of went for the head, it would of been cleaner for Alice. Send her to the dormouse and have her fixed by the march hare later." The queen said with a wave, shooing away the soldiers and maids.
Focusing back on her, he yawned. "Well then, Alice. Let's continue." He acted as if the conversation two seconds prior had never existed.