The Knave and the Champion : Alice and Stayne

Chapter Two - The Mysterious Girl

 The Red Queen let Um do a bit of exploring of her new environment, so she went to collect the Hatter’s hat which Bayard had tossed over the palace walls. She wondered around in circles, looking in the hedges. Unknowingly to her, Ilosovic was watching her from the palace’s balcony looking over the gardens.

 Stayne’s curiosity took over, and he decided to watch her roam the gardens. He relived the moment when she glanced into his eye, it sent shivers along his long spine, and caused his passion for her to burn, to grow even further. It wasn’t hard to miss Um, as her height was un-natural, and she was wearing a bold red, white and black dress.

 She circled one last time, before coming across a hedgehog nuzzling through the hedge, and asked if he’d seen a hat. The prickly creature pointed towards the object of interest, she picked up the hat that seemed smaller than it was when she last saw it. Then she remembered; last time she had seen the hat, she had drunk a lot of Pishalver.

 Um dusted the top of it with her palm and smiled, while Stayne looked down at her, wondering what she was about to do with this shoddy hat. She could feel that somebody was watching her, so she put the hat on her head in order not to rouse suspicion.

 Stayne watched with a little confusion, as he saw Um removed the hat from her head and re-enter the castle. As his dark heart pounded faster, he realised that he wanted to make this beauty his own. But how could he do so in such a place? With the Queen’s courtiers swarming around, listening in on anything and everything.

 He, too, went inside, and waited in one of the corridors, as he suspected she was taking it to the Hatter. The hat looked battered and old, so who better to take it to? ‘Hello, Um.’ He greeted her, whilst leaning against the wall. ‘Hello, Stayne.’ She replied nervously.

‘How do you find Salazen Grum?’ He asked.

‘Well, it’s quite different from Umbradge.’ Stayne chuckled and regained his normal stance, showing his proper height. He wondered a little closer to Um, to discover he was shorter than her.

‘I think I’ll be going now. Goodbye.’ She tried to smile, before turning her back and heading further down the corridor towards the Hatter’s room in a quickened pace.

 ‘For now.’ He said quietly to himself. Stayne stood there, alone. Grinning to himself. For just a moment, he thought about Um, and decided to roam the corridors before he was called by the Queen.