Alice shifted, and her fingers gripped something soft. It came upon her that she was no longer lying on the ground in a forest, she was in a bed, underneath a musty old quilt. The room itself was tiny, and judging by the way the ceiling came to a point, she was in the attic. There was one tiny circular window, and the moonlight illuminated more books in piles, stacked on top of boxes filled with fabrics and decoratives of all kinds. It was dark all around her, but by the candlelight, she realized she was not alone. Someone sat across from her in a moth-eaten armchair, snoozing away.
He was tall and thin, and as soon as she made out the flaming red hair, she knew, it was Sanus.
Alice didn't know how she'd gotten there, but she assumed he had something to do with it, so she'd let him sleep. She turned over once more, and let her heavy eyelids carry her away.
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A hazy summer day. Alice strolled amongst a garden, rosebush after rosebush emerging.
She continued to walk, and she came upon a bush with a mirror above it.
The roses were beautiful, full white blooms, and she reached out and touched one.
Immediately, red began to flow from the center of the flower, and when Alice looked up, her own reflection stared back, ghostly pale, and bleeding across the neck.
A gnarled hand gripped Alice's shoulder, and she heard a voice whisper..
"Off with her head."
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"Alice! Alice wake up! Alice!"
Alice sat bolt upright, shaking and gripping the sheets. Her heart was racing and she couldn't see, but someone was taking her protectively into their arms.
"It's ok Alice, I'm here now... Everything's ok, it was just a dream.."
As her eyes began to adjust to the light, she remembered where she was.
"Sanus?"
"Yes, it's me. You were screaming, I had to wake you up. Are you alright?"
"Nightmare."
"Do you remember what it was?"
"Yes."
"Well, for the purpose of educating you, you should tell my grandfather in the morning."
"Oh.. Alright."
Sanus looked her in the eyes, turning her to face him.
"You can trust me Alice. I'm here to help you. You're stronger than you think."
"I don't even know why I'm here.."
"You have a task. A purpose. A job left undone that you need to do. It'll all be explained soon enough."
"I just want to be happy again. I don't want to be afraid." She sighed sadly, "When we were kids, and we played together, I was never afraid then."
Sanus smiled. "Yes, playing Earl Grey and Lady Grey. Do you remember all the sword fights?"
"Oh yes. And hosting grand tea parties with our stuffed animals and china dolls, we were nobles, we did everything we wanted!" Alice laughed.
"Then you went away." Sanus said sadly.
Alice was quiet, and she moved closer to him.
"What happened that day?" She asked.
"When you came here regularly, you would always leave at sunset, because time works differently between realities and all that, but you always left as sunset. Then one day, you left a little earlier, you hugged me for a little longer, you said you'd be back in a little while, and I never saw you again until today."
Alice was quiet again, and he layed down beside her, holding her hand.
"You were my best friend Alice. No one understood me like you did. No one understood why I spent all my time with a girl either." He said sadly, "But I didn't care. You were the most important person in my life."
Alice cuddled in close to him, like doing that would make up for all the lost years she couldn't visit him.
"Alice?"
"Yes Sanus?"
"My Lady Grey, you were my best friend, and I loved you."
"My Earl Grey, I felt the same way. It was just everyone in my world. They never understood me, never understood what I could do. But I suppose thats why I'm back, because you needed me here."
"You aren't leaving again are you?" Sanus said suddenly, a note of panic in his voice. "When its all over, will you stay??"
"I would never leave! I love it here, with you, even if its only been a day. But what do you mean, when whats all over?"
He got very quiet, and held her close, whispering,
"The darkness took everyone else I love, I don't want it taking you."
"I'm here Sanus, I'm not going anywhere." She replied, if slightly confused by what he said.
"Then I'm here too. For you."
"Then whatever is in store, I'm ready."
Sanus leaned over and blew out the candle, and they laid down and cuddled into eachother.
"Goodnight Earl Grey."
"Goodnight my lady."
