Engulfed in terror, Alice ran down the hall, back where she came from. Unfortunately, her large, cumbersome dress and heeled shoes slowed her down considerably. She could hear the masked men gaining on her until they were mere inches away.

“Help!” Alice screamed as loud as she could. “Anyone, plea—”

Her cries were muffled as one of the men finally caught up and put his hand over her mouth. She tried to fend him off, but the others grabbed her by both arms from behind, rendering her helpless.

“Easy now,” one whispered in her ear. “It’ll be better if you don’t make a scene.”

Alice struggled as her captors dragged her away, but she was no match for their strength. She desperately searched the halls for signs of life, but there was no one to be found. Frightened tears welled up in her eyes as she wondered what lay in store for her. Or rather, the princess they had mistaken her for.

But just as Alice’s hope slipped away, she noticed the fragrant smell of roses coming from somewhere close by. Wild ones to be precise.

…Myles?

Alice’s nose wasn’t mistaken. She watched as Myles lunged from the shadows with his sword drawn. The kidnappers swiftly released Alice to avoid his attack, though not all were successful. Alice flinched as one of the masked men collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain. Enraged, his accomplices rushed toward Myles.

“Watch out!” Alice shouted.

To her astonishment, Myles dodged each of their attacks with relative ease. He skillfully used his blade to counterattack, driving her assailants further and further away.

“Stand down, boy,” one of the men growled, “or you will share the princess’ fate!”

Myles stepped in front of Alice to shield her from view and held his blood stained sword in their direction. “Likewise.”

He glanced back to meet her gaze. “Are you alright?”

Alice nodded, too stunned to speak. Partly because Myles was the last person she expected to see here, and partly because his sudden appearance filled her with unexpected comfort.

“Run, Alice!” Myles motioned for her to leave.

“Wh-what about you?”

The masked men began to advance towards them once more. “This is your last chance to surrender!”

“Just go!” he snapped.

Alice backed away, until she bumped into an oil lantern. She gasped as it fell to the ground with a crash, spilling oil everywhere and unleashing the flame from the burner.

Alice shrieked as fire spread across the floor in all directions like water. Myles, unfazed by the danger, knocked over another lantern, spreading more hot oil across the walkway. Then he grabbed Alice by the hand and made a run for it down the darkened hallway. The masked men were left behind in the flames, yelling and cursing.

Myles kept a firm grasp on her hand as he led them through the castle’s many winding corridors. Alice struggled to keep pace, yet he refused to slow down, even for a second. After they had put some distance between them and their pursuers, Myles stopped behind a large marble pillar. Alice sank to the ground, her lungs burning from lack of air.

“Are you hurt?” Myles asked.

Alice shook her head, untying her bodice so she could breathe more fully.

“Great! Then do you mind enlightening me as to why those men were after you?”

Alice caught her breath at last. “They said the Mad Hatter sent them.”

Myles scowled. “How original.”

“Do you…think he intends to kill me?” she asked quietly.

“Why would he do that?”

Alice took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Because the Mad Hatter was the one responsible for the princess’ disappearance.”

“That’s the popular theory, but I fail to see how it holds any water. Besides, those men didn’t fight anything like Hatter soldiers.”

“Look, I don’t care what’s really going on,” she groaned. “I just want to go home!”

“What, pretending to be the long-lost princess isn’t as fun as you’d thought it would be?”

“You think I want to be here?”

“I can’t imagine why else you would let a rich and powerful queen take you in as a daughter.”

Alice felt her chest tighten. “For your information, I didn’t come here by choice. Using my aunt’s name led to my arrest and revealing my real name brought criminal charges against me! I am neither the princess nor an imposter, yet my life now depends on my ability to prove I am the former, lest I be executed as the latter.”

Myles appeared remorseful. “I’m sorry. I had no idea your situation was so…complicated.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Alice wiped away a stray tear. “At this rate, I’ll either die by the Mad Hatter’s hands as the princess, or by the Knave’s hands as a criminal.”

“Alice, nothing in this world is absolutely certain until it occurs. That’s why you never stop fighting in spite of the odds,” Myles said gently.

She was shocked to hear something so optimistic from someone so cynical. Was this really the same person she met in the woods?

“Now, get up,” Myles stated, extending a hand. “We need to keep moving.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay hidden?”

“If we stay in one place the chances of us being found increase. And the fact I haven’t seen a single guard or servant is unsettling.”

Without another word, Myles pulled Alice to her feet. She tried to avoid hopeless thoughts as they made their way down the dim corridor, but her imagination refused to let up.

“Myles, may I ask what you’re doing here?” Alice inquired. “Didn’t your journey take you to the east, far from the queen’s castle?”

“Yes, and I almost reached my destination when rumors of a woman claiming to be the princess brought me back,” he grumbled.

“You must have been disappointed to find it was only me, huh?” she joked.

“I knew it was a mix-up the moment I came upon your rabbit for sale back in the city, but I—”

“You saw Roger! Was he okay? Were the villagers trying to eat him?”

“White rabbits are extremely rare. No merchant worth their salt would sell him as food.”

Alice smiled. “Then it sounds as if he’ll be safe in a new home. What a relief…”

Myles let out a long sigh. “Shouldn’t you be more concerned with our present circumstances than the well-being of a pet?”

“I can’t help it. Roger is the only family I have left.”

“Oh…,” he said, sounding puzzled.

“What?”

“Nothing…I guess I always pictured you as married.”

Alice blushed. “What would make you think that?”

“Everything. Your age, your temperament, and the fact that you grew up in a small community suggests you would be settled down by now.”

It had been a long time since Alice had heard the word marriage spoken in relation to her. As a girl, she dreamed about falling in love and living happily ever after. But while other young ladies learned to cook and clean or take care of children, her Aunt Dinah taught her how to read and write. According to the older women of their village, these were two skills a future clockmaker’s wife and young mother did not need.

“That was impolite,” Myles added. “I shouldn't make baseless assumptions.”

“There is no need to apologize. If I were anyone else, you would have been correct.”

“And yet I was wrong, which is why—”

“Oh my goodness!” Alice gasped. “Myles, you’re bleeding!”