𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 ♡ 𝘰𝘶𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘯

ᴇɪɢʜᴛᴇᴇɴ | ɪ ꜱᴇᴇ ʀᴇᴅ

"Oh, the cleverness of me!"

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"Don't disturb my beauty sleep, Your Highness!" the Doorknob exclaimed, closing his eyes again.

"Why did the door refuse to open?" Mirana asked him, huffing as she crossed her arms.

"Why?" the Doorknob asked sleepily.

"Because he was sleeping!" Mirana exclaimed almost angrily—which would be impossible since the kind queen was never angry—as she poked his nose again. "Open up, or I'll have you moved to another door. Maybe I should let Alice come and see you again."

"NO!" the Doorknob shouted, his eyes opening wide as he worked to unlock himself. The door clicked and fell open.

"Thank you," Mirana said almost sarcastically—which would be nearly impossible since the kind queen was never sarcastic. "You're so kind, Mr. Doorknob."

The White Queen stepped through the door and poked her head around, looking for her sister. Iracebeth's room was more substantial than hers, and it had another separate room inside it where the bed was. Mirana approached the bedroom and wasted no time in opening the door. Inside, her eyes immediately found the White Knight, his mouth open and eyes wide.

Next, Mirana's eyes landed on the form of her sister—Iracebeth's shirt pulled up to reveal a bloated stomach.

"Racie?" Mirana asked, all the nonexistent anger rushing out of her. Iracebeth dropped her shirt and spun around to look at the White Queen, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you—" Mirana struggled to say the words, unbelieving of them.

"—pregnant?" Iracebeth finished for her. She sighed and looked at William, "It appears so. I've only just found out today."

"But—" Mirana brought her voice to a whisper, glancing between her sister and the White Knight. "—but Underland doesn't know about your relationship! Are you going to tell them about it since you're pregnant now? What is going to happen?"

Mirana had forgotten why she had come to Iracebeth's bedroom, as her focus was on Iracebeth's unborn child and her relationship with William.

"Well, seeing as I've only been pregnant for a day, I'd say that I can hide it!" Iracebeth insisted. "For a while, at least!"

Pregnancies in Underland were different than those in the real world. The mother's stomach would become enlarged right away when her egg was fertilised and became a baby. The pregnancy time would always depend on the person, but with royalty, it usually took a few years. At the end of the first year, the woman's stomach would be the most it would ever grow. Iracebeth hadn't seemed to understand this fact, as she always wore tight-fitting clothing that emphasised her stomach and waist. It would become noticeable if she began wearing royal maternity clothes.

"You cannot hide it!" Mirana insisted. "You cannot hide anything—from anyone! That's why—" the White Queen remembered why she had come to visit her sister. She gasped, and her eyes became hard as she stared at Iracebeth. "You took me. I want to go back now, please."

"Back? Back where?" Iracebeth asked innocently, lifting her shirt to stare at her stomach in one of her many mirrors.

"You know where!" Mirana insisted almost angrily. But she couldn't have been angry. The kind queen was never angry! "Take me back to Peter—" her voice broke, and she looked down, whispering "—please."

"I don't know who this 'Peter' is, and I'd rather you not bother me with such strange things. Now, back to my pregnancy—"

"NO!" Mirana shouted, shocking herself. William and Iracebeth stared at her, their jaws dropping open. "You will not keep me here again! You will not—you will not—"

"I will not what?" Iracebeth asked dangerously. Her eyes flicked toward Mirana's hands, where little white wisps of magic were swirling. "I may not have magic, little girl, but I am queen. What I say goes. I am carrying the heir to my throne. What do you have? A silly little schoolgirl crush on a silly little boy from another world. He cannot be with you. I will not have it. You will stay in Underland, and that is the end of it."

"No." Mirana shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Iracebeth. "I am queen, too. You will let me leave!"

"No!" Iracebeth shouted like she was talking to a small child. She dropped her shirt again and stalked toward Mirana. Grabbing her sister by her arm, she stormed out of the bedroom and dragged Mirana down the castle corridors.

"Let me go!" Mirana begged, her eyes wide with fear and anxiety. She didn't know what was happening, and her train of thought threatened to overcome her mind again. The White Queen felt small tears of fear in her eyes being dragged away with the wind as Iracebeth whipped around corners and stumbled downstairs.

Eventually, Iracebeth stopped outside a door that she had forbade Mirana from entering. A sneaky smile entered Iracebeth's face, and she turned to Mirana, looking her up and down.

"Are you ready to forget again, darling? Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. Plus—you do it to yourself!" the Red Queen giggled, making the White Queen recoil from her. "Come on, now, don't be shy! It'll only take a moment, Mira."

The door swung open, leaving Mirana to stare into a great black void. And then Mirana remembered. It had happened before, too. And she was to forget again—just when she had finally started recalling everything.

The White Queen closed her eyes and thought of Peter Pan's smile. I'll never see that again, will I? she wondered.

And then Iracebeth pulled on her arm, and the door closed behind them.

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Hello! I have, once again, completed another chapter!

(Yay for me!)

I hope you have enjoyed the chapter this week.

(Sorry its a bit shorter than usual)

I'll see you next Monday!

Au revoir!