Acotar retelling

Alis in Wonderland

Alis led me through familiar halls of gold and silver until we came to a lavish bathroom on the second level. I didn't fight when Alis and two other servants bathed me, cut my hair, and then plucked me until I felt like a chicken being prepared for dinner.

She then took me to my original room in the manor, it was just as I remembered—before Tamlin destroyed it. I started to panic, my heart was pounding in my chest and I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. When Alis came back I was already in the hall trying to not be obvious about my panic, I didn't want them asking a bunch of questions about my reaction to a room I was never supposed to have been in.

"Blue?" It was the only word I could get out of my mouth without hyperventilating. Luckily, Alis understood, nodding firmly and leading me to another room, still a light color scheme but at least the bed was a dark blue that reminded me of the Night Court more than Tamlin.

Still, I took one look at the velvet turquoise dress Alis had placed on the bed and wrapped my white dressing gown tightly around me, sinking into a chair and pleading for my old clothes to be returned. Alis refused, and when I begged again, trying my best to sound pathetic and sad and pitiful, she stormed out. I remembered my clothes being destroyed, but still, perhaps Alis would get me pants and a tunic.

Bundled in my robe, I sat for minute after minute, the chattering of small birds in the garden beyond the windows the only sounds. My dressing gown was of the finest silk, edged with lace—simple and exquisite enough that I ran a finger along the lapels.

The door creaked, and Alis returned—a bundle of clothing in her hands. She lifted a sodden grayish shirt. "You want to wear this? It fell apart the moment the laundresses put it in water." She held up a few scraps of brown. "Here's what's left of your pants."

"Will you wear the dress now?" she demanded. I knew I should get up, should agree, but I slumped farther into my seat. Alis stared me down for a moment before leaving again.

She returned with trousers and a tunic that fit me well, both of them rich with color. It had to cost a fortune in itself —and it tugged at the part of my mind that admired lovely and strange and colorful things.

Alis herded me into a low-backed chair before the darkened fireplace, and I didn't fight back as she ran a comb through my hair and began braiding it.

"You're hardly more than skin and bones," she said, her fingers luxurious against my scalp. "Winter does that to poor mortals," I said, fighting to keep the sharpness from my tone.
She huffed a laugh. "If you're wise, you'll keep your mouth shut and your ears open. It'll do you more good here than a loose tongue. And keep your wits about you—even your senses will try to betray you here. Some folk are bound to be upset about Andras. Yet if you ask me, Andras was a good sentinel, but he knew what he would face when he crossed the wall—knew he'd likely find trouble. And the others understand the terms of the Treaty, too—even if they might resent your presence here, thanks to the mercy of our master. So keep your head down, and none of them will bother you. Though Lucien—he could do with someone snapping at him, if you've the courage for it."

~~~~~

The fae males were lounging at the table when Alis returned me to the dining room. They no longer had plates before them, but still sipped from golden goblets.

Food still remained on the table, the array of spices lingering in the air, beckoning. I was starving, my head unnervingly light.

The golden-haired High Fae's mask gleamed with the last rays of the afternoon sunshine. "Before you ask again: the food is safe for you to eat." He pointed to the chair at the other end of the table. No sign of his claws. When I didn't move, he sighed sharply. "What do you want, then?"