It took nearly a quarter an hour to get back, and she still hadn't woken. Her body was much more frail that he'd originally thought.
"My apo…" he couldn't even muttered before getting interrupted as he burst into the room of higher ups. The queen would be holding a meeting but the timing could be a blessing
Her body was snatched straight from his hands. Immediately the queen had begun to shake her. "Explain." He said annoyed with a glare.
It was merely a theory but it's all he had. "The white queen, she's on the island." He heard a few gasps. Then he heard large claps.
"And you didn't chase her?" A man with orange hair asked wearing a red uniform. Besides him was a little child dressed in red with the same green eyes as him.
He dreaded this man and his creepy puppet. "Well Alice… The Great Magician passed out." He said with gritted teeth. Endure it he told himself.
"Shut it, Ace of Hearts." The queen said a warning only for the soldier to completely back off and take his seat around the table unable to disagree.
He had always been like this so annoying. Illusionation was his unique magic and it always freaked him out. Every doll he created felt real.
"Her symptoms align with a first encounter." He finished as the boy in front of his eyes went from concerned to pleased.
He had a bad feeling. "Never mind the woman, her symptoms were activated meaning in the future she has nothing to fear so long as she was exposed," that was the fear. "She would have no issues then."
An opportunist at it's core. The girl was sick and in danger and yet… that didn't matter. Of course, it never mattered.
"She'd have no problem approaching the white queen with no suspicion." A soldier spoke up, a face he didn't recognize. One he didn't care about. Did the last five fail his mission?
Or maybe he never did and always looked like that, he thought as his brother spoke up in a sing song tone. "Why don't we send her to the country!"
Of course he wanted to get rid the girl who he immediately saw to be a threat to his dear position. How long had it been since they were twins? We're they even born as twins? How could they be so different? He never knew
"We can't." He tried to say but more soldiers spoke up. The girl was just a pawn in getting a step closer to enemy territory. Even though he thought the queen liked her, where did it go wrong?
Throw a mouse at a cat. Let's see what happens. I'm sure she'll survive. All these baseless comments rushed throughout the now disturbing room.
He couldn't stand these people. He was sure they thought the same way with him though, and everyone else.
Everyone thinks they're in the right and do no wrong and yet here they were. She didn't even know about roles when she came here and had it thrusted onto her.
"Well then! We've reached a conclusion. All commanders have concluded to send her straight into enemy territory, right Isy?" He asked turning to the person who was really in charge.
Everyone sucked up to him and in the end it was only truly his order. "Ace," a voice cold and laced with venom despite it even being his idea.
Though he suggested it he didn't like the idea of her being alone supposedly, as the next order made air leave his lungs. "If you're so happy with that why don't you go as well?" The higher ups shut up not wanting to join the punishment.
Why didn't he get picked? Why not pick him?- Instead of the man who was as self-centered as can be!
He could feel her body squirm underneath trying to wake up. "Take her to a spare room." He ordered him to do, making him pick her up.
"Mine!" The Ace piped up with a smile and tucked his hands under his chin. This man was insane and in no way was he leaving this girl in his room.
Turning on his heel he didn't nor couldn't disobey whatever order was given, ever. "The white queen is under a new name right?" He heard the Ace ask muffled from afar.
Taking her to a spare room he silently asked for forgiveness and thanked her for her hard work before standing guard out front. At the very least, he would do this until she wakes.
"Alice could practice her magic on me!" He smiled and pursed his lips as the queen sighed. The Ace was never one to calm down after finding a toy.
In truth the queen didn't want to send her. However desperate measures must be made if the enemy were here. Only the Great Magician could take care of her now, and to protect the country he needed them away.
It'd be perfect if she could seal her magic first and slowly let her believe she was the role holder. Afterwards she'd have to make it seem like an accident and promise to teach her magic which would make her feel safe.
To let the white queen believe she didn't know what she was doing, bringing her close enough in a weakened state and finishing her in Carneline so he could officially announce her as defeated for the Red Faction members.
He didn't know if he could trust the girl so innocent to not believe what a suck up she could be in order to achieve perfection though. "Ace," he glared once more and swallowed little pride- "You will be tasked with making sure Alice fulfills her mission no matter the means."
If it meant her safety was ensured then there was no one better than the master of creating puppets and fake dreams and turn them into reality.
Writing it down, he went over his plan again. Alice would be sent to that small country and get close to the queen who thinks her magic got accidentally sealed.
Seeing Alice with no reaction would lead her to believe the woman is much more powerful than her and in fear wouldn't retaliate without plan.
She'd get close to her enemy whom she'd ask to teach her magic to in order to learn how to break the spell, and free her restraints and once back in Carneline she will be defeated by Alice the Great Magician of the current century war of factions in order to bring true peace.
As all his pawns fell together one by one he felt an overwhelming loneliness in his heart as he wondered when he became so calculative. It was all for his people, he told himself at the end of the day and sighed in annoyance.
His head ache in tremendous pain and he could barely control it.
The room silence as the queen broke a glass cabinet and blood trickled down his knuckles while he turned to one of his men who spoke moments ago, "Outside" was all he said but they knew it meant the mirror or otherwords the looking glass.
The silent room became filled with anxiety except for three men, Tweedle, Ace, and Eight, "Leave" that was their cue to leave
As they piled out Ace pulled out a little toy from his pocket which looked eerily close to what Alice had looked like despite meeting her mere moments prior as their first encounter.
"Would she have bright or dark eyes," he hummed while fixing it together and aimlessly walking down the hallway to no real destination "Bright, if dedear likes her."
The colour was bright blue and reflected light. It was a perfect copy if they didn't look crystalised, "If only she had a dark look." He said in reference, pulling out one that looked like himself which didn't reflect any light within them.
The Ace of Hearts also known as the master at gifting others the gift of false hope. A dream which only exists in the mind and will never come true.
Alice would certainly be safe with him, but the true question which bothered him was would he be safe with her?
The light would never touch the dark and the shadows will always stay hidden behind something brilliant.
If he were a shadow and a person of yin then would he be okay spending his time in the light?
The people of red all seemed to like her and he was puzzled. Was it because she was unlike them? She heard even the rabbit was ecstatic to meet her. The very man he once saw break everything valuable in retaliation to a small comment regarding 'it'.
He'd already told himself a long time ago to cast aside his humanity for the greater good of factions. To play the role of villain and do as the queen asks no matter how dirty his hands got, and yet here she was already breaking said rule everyone else swore to.