Traveler ( Alice in the Country of Hearts fanfiction /HnKnA)

Chapter 7 - Party

A long white table was set on the grass, with comfortable matching chairs. At least three different tea pots were set, along with colorful, delicate cups. A mountain of sweets and cakes of all kinds were on the table too, waiting to be eaten.

Dee and Dum were chatting, drinking tea and eating deserts with Alice and another man, who I assumed was Blood Dupré.

"Hey Alice! You okay?" asked nicely Elliot.

"Yes, I'm so sorry I had to leave you there!" she exclaimed.

"If it wasn't for those little trouble-makers..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine, really," assured Alice, "Come, join us for a cup of tea."

"Sorry, but I have work to do," said Elliot, "I'll just grab a carrot cake and go."

And he did.

"Bye Zoe! Don't let the Bloody Twins kidnap you too!"Elliot lastly said before disappearing in the Hatter's mansion.

I won't let them kidnap me. I wasn't that stupid.

"What kind of tea do you like, young lady?" asked Blood.

He was a tall man with long black hair. He was wearing a dark hat with roses and what seemed to be a white tailcoat. His eyes were cold as he looked at me. He knew about me, I thought. Alice must have told him.

"Oh, I don't mind," I responded politely. Blood's presence was intimidating and I was losing courage.

"Well then I advise you to try the blue teapot," he continued, calm, still enjoying his tea even if the twins were making a lot of noise.

I couldn't see why Alice liked him. He seemed to study me like a predator is observing his prey.

I shivered.

"Huh, okay." I said as I lifted to blue teapot to pour tea in one of the many cups. Alice was chatting with the boys, who told her about one of their many fights. Hadn't Elliot nick-named them 'Bloody Twins?'

I brought the cup to my lips, and took a sip. Surprisingly, it was really good. It tasted fresh and somewhat fruity. I wasn't a big fan of tea, but this one was amazing.

"Wow, it's really good," I told Blood. He approved by a movement of his head and turned to speak to the twins.

"Would you two mind to show Zoe her room?"

"What! But we are having fun, Boss!"

"Brother's right! We don't wanna leave Big Sis!" They clung to Alice as if their life depended on it.

Blood frowned. His eyes were even colder than before, if that was even possible.

"You will do as I say. And after, the gate needs to be guarded. I don't anyone unwanted getting in."

The twins sighed, but got up and started walking.

"Come on Zoe!" They screamed.

I didn't really want to go to my room, but I didn't want to protest either. Blood was scaring me and I was invited here, so I couldn't complain. I got up, thanked Blood for the tea, said goodbye and followed the twins. We went in the Hatters Mansion, which was very sober, but full of life: a lot of faceless were walking in every direction, some carrying various items. We took the main corridor, turned right at the end. My room was the second one on the left. My sense of orientation was pretty bad, but I managed to understand where the exits were. The twins were whispering and giggling all the way to my room, but when we got there, they stopped. One said:

"There it is!" They opened the door and I stepped in. It was a simple bedroom, with a bed, a lamp, a desk and a little room where the bath and the toilet were. There was also a cupboard, for clothes. A simple white nightgown was hanging in.

When I finished looking at the furniture, I noticed a faceless maid with black curly hair. When she saw I was observing her, she bowed and spoke;

"This is the key to your room." She handed me a simple gold key. "Can I do anything for you?"

"No, I'm fine. I can do everything myself, don't worry."

"But I had orders to help you..."

"Then my order is to leave me alone please."

"Well then." The maid bowed again and left the room.

I went to the window. It was still sunny outside, as if the sun hadn't moved at all. I could see a beautiful garden full of roses close to the mansion.

How many time has it been since I came to the Country of Hearts? An hour? Half a day? I didn't have a watch and the sun didn't seem to work normally. I yawned. I guess I'll still try to sleep even if it's still day. I locked the door and put on the nightgown that was in the cupboard. I was really surprised it was my size.

I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. It only took a few minutes before I fell asleep.