𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 ♡ 𝘰𝘶𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘯

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴏɴᴇ | ᴡʜɪᴍꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴɪɴɢꜱ

"It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness."

—♢♡♧♤—

Mirana knew something wasn't right. It just couldn't be. She stood in the kitchen, staring into her bubbling cauldron. She'd followed her heart and whims to create this potion—but something still wasn't right with it. She sighed and glanced over her ingredients. Was this all they had in the castle? There had to be more. Something was missing.

Only when Mirana finally left the castle in search of more things to add to her concoction did she realise that something was missing from her, too. Since she'd awakened that strange day, something had been missing from her life. As she glided gracefully through the pathways in the Wonderfully Tall Maze, Mirana decided she would see the Caterpillar. However unhelpful he was, the Caterpillar was a wise creature. He would surely be able to help the White Queen.

She skipped out of the kitchen and out of the castle. Miraculously, Mirana was able to avoid her pregnant, hot-headed sister. She opened the gates with a graceful wave of her arm, magical white whisps following her movements, and skipped out of the castle, heading toward the Tulgey Woods. They might have looked scary from the outside, as most things in Underland did, but the Tulgey Woods were a place of wonder and kindness. Mirana said hello to the trees and the passing plants, a bright smile gracing her features.

But Mirana was stopped short when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She turned toward the ghostly smile, expecting to see a familiar cat, but instead was greeted by a boy with brown hair and deep green eyes.

"Hello," she greeted the boy, curtseying. "What is your name, sir?"

"You know my name well, my Queen," the boy responded. Mirana tilted her head, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"But I do not!" she insisted.

The boy responded with a laugh. "Of course, you do. You just do not know it. But why would I be inside your head, if you did not know my name?"

The White Queen thought for a moment and then giggled softly. "My apologies, good sir. I did not know you were in my head! Would you like to accompany me, then?"

"Where are we going?" the boy came closer and his expression softened as he watched the white-haired girl.

"To see the Caterpillar, of course. You should know that, being in my head."

"I suppose I should," the boy agreed. "Though, I'd rather just stay here with you."

"But I have a mission! Something is missing, and Absolem will help me find it." Mirana twirled and danced down the path through the woods, while the boy followed her. Her expression said Dance with me, but he told her Not yet.

"What is missing?' he asked her as they trekked through the forest.

"I have no idea," Mirana hummed happily. She stopped dancing and stepped beside the boy, sneaking glances at him as they walked. She had no earthly idea who he was. "What is your name?" she tried.

"You know it," the boy responded. He knew she watched him, but he did not spare her a look. Peter Pan could not bear to look at the girl he longed for, especially since he was not with her. But he could not tell Mirana his name until she figured it out herself, or the spell would break, and he would have no further connection with her.

Mirana huffed. She scrunched up her face in deep thought, feeling a pang of irritation. But she could not be irritated—it was not the way of the White Queen, who was so pure and happy and graceful all the time, that she had no time to be angry or irritated. She crossed her arms but refused to look at the boy, despite her eyes begging to wander back to his handsome face.

It wasn't long before they reached the patch of mushrooms where the caterpillars lived. The Caterpillar was around the mushrooms, smoking hooka and making a fuss about something. Mirana spotted him in the distance, blocking the path they travelled on. She grabbed the dark-haired boy's hand, smiling brightly and running with him toward the animal. Peter smiled, too, because he could feel her hand in his—even though it was just her imagination.

Imagination is a funny thing.

"Absolem!" Mirana called as they neared the familiar sight of the blue Caterpillar.

The Caterpillar swayed his huge head, staring at the White Queen with tired eyes. The white-haired girl stopped by her friend and dropped the boy's hand. It would look odd if Mirana stood there, holding the hand of an invisible person.

"What," he started, each word its own sentence, "do you need, Your Highness?"

"I've lost something, Absolem," she told the Caterpillar. "But I have no idea what it is!"

The Caterpillar stared at her for a moment before turning away, his many legs carrying him almost snake-like through the sea of mushrooms.

"Ab—Absolem!" Mirana stuttered, surprised at his lack of answers. He just ignored her! She stumbled after him, shouting his name with no response.

Mirana did her best to catch up to the Caterpillar, but the old thing was practically whizzing over and through the mushrooms. The dark-haired boy stayed behind or at her side, but Mirana knew he could go faster. She huffed as they paused for the second time, her lungs begging Mirana to breathe more deeply.

"Absolem, you're not making this very easy!" she shouted at the Caterpillar, catching a glimpse of him through the towering mushrooms. She began to speak in Outlandish under her breath, muttering about stupid caterpillars and how ghastly the colour blue was.

But she picked herself up and continued after the Caterpillar, the boy beside her smiling at her struggle.

—♢♡♧♤—

It's really been so long since I last updated this story. Since then, my audience has grown so much!

I think I know where this story is headed now, and I will begin to write more, and more often. Thank you for being so patient!

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, even after such a long wait.

Au revoir!