𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ✩ OUAT Peter Pan

ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇɴ | ᴏᴜᴛʟᴀɴᴅɪꜱʜ ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏꜱ

"If you don't think, you shouldn't talk!"

—♢♡♧♤—

The Red Queen sat on her throne as she stared at the group of Underlandians. Nearly all their close friends had volunteered to go, but Iracebeth couldn't take all of them. She'd have to make some stay to rule over Underland while she was gone. Iracebeth leaned forward and adjusted her deep red dress and the black lace over it. As she did, the Red Queen said, "I cannot take all of you. Some will have to stay."

"I'm going," Alice said with determination. "I won't accept it if you try not to let me go. I'm the best fighter you have."

"Well, that's just not true," Cheshire drawled, laying on his back in the air and stretching his limbs. "I've killed many a fish."

"By eating them," Alice rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't going to exclude you, my dear Alice," Iracebeth interrupted their bickering, flashing Cheshire an icy glare. "You, Cheshire, will not be going."

"But, Your Highness—"

"Cheshire, you will not be able to help. I fear that when we go where Mirana is, something will happen to you—after all, you are a magic, flying cat. You might turn into a normal cat when we arrive, and no one wants that," Iracebeth told him lightly, playing to his ego.

"Oh," Cheshire rolled onto his stomach, flicking his tail around. "I suppose that makes sense."

"And," Iracebeth continued, turning to her next subject, "you won't be going either, Haire."

When he found out about the "wanted" poster, the madman rushed to the castle immediately. Despite his statement about not "entering the castle until Mirana was back," he said he could enter because he was helping to get the White Queen back.

"But!" Micah shouted, bouncing on his toes. "But! But! But!"

"Haire, I won't risk you scaring everyone off. Look at yourself—no one would help us if they saw you."

Micah looked down at himself, fingering his long, static-filled white hair and staring at his toes that poked out of his shoes. He looked back at the Red Queen and frowned, "I don't see why not."

"You're not going," Iracebeth repeated, sighing. "Caterpillar, you don't even want to go. Why are you here?"

"I thought it would be," the fancy Caterpillar blew out a ring of smoke toward the Red Queen, "fun."

Before Iracebeth could tell the Caterpillar not to smoke his pipe in the royal throne room, Dinah raised her hand and stepped toward the Red Queen. She looked up at the Red Queen, and Iracebeth could feel her heart melting—the tiny child was too cute for Iracebeth to handle.

As the thought of children again entered her mind (it seemed to get brought up a lot since Alice had returned), the Red Queen glanced at her lover at the other end of the room by the door. She made a mental note to talk to him in private.

"Um," Dinah spoke softly, "can I go too, Auntie Racie?"

Auntie Racie? Iracebeth questioned in her thoughts. It brought a smile to her face—another reminder of Mirana. How like her, teaching Alice's child the nickname that the White Queen gave her sister. Iracebeth smiled kindly and flicked her eyes toward Alice, "If your mother permits you, I don't see why not, Miss Dinah."

"No one here is suitable to watch over you," Alice sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey!" Micah Haire shouted from the background.

"I guess you can come, Dinah," Alice told her daughter, ignoring Haire's words.

Dinah smiled and bounced around her mother, her curly red hair flying. "Yay! Yay! I get to go see Auntie Mira!"

"Yes," Iracebeth told herself. She stood from her throne and looked away from her friends. The Red Queen closed her eyes, whispering, "We're coming, Mirana. Don't worry." Even though she knew the White Queen couldn't hear her, Iracebeth still wanted to tell her sister. She turned away from her friends and glanced out one of the windows, a scowl entering her face. "If that scoundrel Peter Pan comes near you again, I won't have mercy. I'll take him out of our lives for good—and you won't ever have to leave Underland again."

Iracebeth looked back at her friends, her expression softening. "When you come back, no one will remember this ever happened. You won't need to remember. It'll be you and me again—just like always."

"What's wrong, Iracebeth?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrows in question at the Queen.

"Nothing," the Red Queen snapped out of her trace and smiled at the blonde girl. "Just tired—need to talk to the Tweedle Twins before we leave, too."

"Alright," Alice said. "What do you need to speak to the Tweedles about?"

"I suppose it might be ideal if they come along, as well," Iracebeth shrugged. She descended the stairs that led to her and Mirana's thrones and stood with Alice. "They do have a certain knack for violence."

"Well, they fight so often it would be weird if they didn't," Alice smiled.

Iracebeth nodded and laughed humourlessly. "William," she called, gaining the attention of her knight. "Escort those who won't be joining us out of the castle. We'll leave first thing tomorrow, so everyone should return to their rooms for a good night's rest. I'll be leaving the palace—William, while you're at it, prepare a carriage for me."

Alice waved goodbye to the Red Queen and followed the former White Rabbit and Maddix Hattar out of the throne room toward the guest rooms in the castle. The Caterpillar and Micah Haire—although regrettably—followed William out of the throne room toward the castle gates. Iracebeth returned to her and Mirana's thrones, examining each intricate detail.

Their thrones represented each of their personalities and the way they looked: one made with silver, the cushions with small black and white dots. The other had gold and bronze, and the pillows were bright, fiery red. Mirana liked the look of Iracebeth's, but the Red Queen insisted that they be different.

"We're different," Iracebeth told her, "so we should act like it. Underland doesn't need two Red Queens."

Mirana, Iracebeth frowned as she thought of her sister. I must bring you back. Underland needs you.

The Red Queen turned away and pushed the melancholy thoughts out of her mind. "Okay," she nodded, "time to organise everything."

—♢♡♧♤—

Hello!

Yep, I know, a double update!

Anyway, now you get a little insight into Iracebeth and what's happening in Underland!

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.

Au revoir!