A Great Source of Calamity

The morning brought Mirana no peace.

As soon as the sun began to shine on Underland, illuminating the flowers and ponds and houses, Mirana was out of bed and pacing. She was pacing to quiet the sound of her own thoughts—thoughts that she desperately wanted to be rid of. There was no just cause for her to be angry with and, admittedly, a little jealous of Alice.

Alice was not queen. Underland did not belong to Alice.

A knock upon the door frame startled Mirana but also tore her from her thoughts. "Your Majesty, there are several—"

With a sigh, Mirana cut off the reminder of all the things that she needed to do on that beautiful morning. Underland had fallen into a dismal state under Iracebeth's rule, and there was much to be restored. "Give me one minute," she requested with a smile. Then, she floated to her closet to find a suitable dress for the morning full of work awaiting her.

She had just stepped into the spacious room when something cylindrical caught under her slippered foot, causing the unsuspecting Mirana to pitch forward. Though momentarily upset by the slippery object, Mirana quickly righted herself. Unfortunately, the squeal of surprise that she had let out roused her lady to the closet.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?"

Mirana leaned down to pick up the offensive object, which happened to be the Oraculum. "Oh, of course," she chuckled, "I just forgot to put this away last night, and..."

In Mirana's attempt to collect the calendar, one of the tubular ends slipped from her hand and bounced onto the floor. As the lady in the closet with her was too concerned with her queen, she did not notice what Mirana's eyes instantly picked out: Modificala Day. And the illustration of the day made Mirana shake with a mixture of fear and anger.

Alice. Alice wearing her crown.

Seeming much less graceful than usual, Mirana collected the Oraculum in a hurry. "Cancel my appointments," she ordered as she brought herself to her feet. "I want Bayard the dog and I want Absolem. And I want them now, is that understood?"

The lady of court seemed shocked by the order that had just been placed upon her, but she hesitantly said, "Of course, Highness." And then she scurried from the room.

A sick feeling crept into Mirana's chest as she rolled out the Oraculum to further inspect the picture. Alice was beaming quite exuberantly as the Hatter placed her crown upon the little wretch's head. "This will not be borne," Mirana promised to herself in a fierce whisper. She was not going to allow it, no matter what had to be done to prevent the child from returning to Underland.

The first idea that came to Mirana's head made her shudder. As much as she wanted to protect Underland from Alice, she couldn't hurt the child; it was against her vows and surely would seem as though she was terribly ungrateful of Alice's liberation of Underland. It wasn't that Mirana wasn't grateful at all though; she merely felt that Alice was beginning to overstay her welcome.

Alice was quite overstaying her welcome, in fact.

"Majesty, one of your ladies told me that—"

Mirana turned around to see the Hatter standing behind her. "Oh, Hatter!" she greeted him as she pulled on a white dressing gown. "Come, we shall speak in the study." She had wanted all of her appointments canceled, but upon seeing the Hatter, Mirana realized that she needed to inform him of what would be happening in Underland.

"I've asked you to come here to inquire as to whether you would like your old position back," Mirana announced as she took a seat in the high backed chair of her study. It was very comfortable and upholstered with white velvet. "As Royal Hatter," she added when the Hatter didn't immediately agree.

The orange haired man was reduced to a stammering mess. "It would be quite an honor, Your Majesty," he began, "but Alice promised me she would return... And I do not want to be away when she does, you see."

Anger flooded the Queen. Her fingers tightened around the Oraculum until her knuckles turned white, and she could feel the flush creeping into her cheeks. But she forced her mouth into a smile so wide that it caused her pain before she continued, "Oh, dear Hatter, have you not heard?"

His smile weakened. "Heard what?"

Now Mirana contorted her expression into one of apology. "The door from Alice's world to Underland has been locked," she explained.

The Hatter was silent for a moment before he whispered, "Locked? But why?"

"The Oraculum has predicted a danger," Mirana said, continuing on with her act of remorse. "I had no choice but to lock the door in order to prevent anything from getting to Underland."

In an instant, the Hatter was on his feet, leaning over the oak desk between himself and the queen as he beseeched her. "Majesty, but you must know Alice is not this danger!" he insisted. "Please, you will allow her entrance, will you not?"

Mirana shook her head sadly. "There is no way for me to be sure that the danger is not Alice," she dissented. "I am so sorry, Hatter."

She was pleased to see that his green eyes did not change to a deep golden brown color in rage, but it was also alarming. Everything about the Hatter seemed to droop in sorrow—his hair, his hat, his eyebrows. Even his bowtie. "I don't understand," he mumbled. "It couldn't be Alice."

"My duty is to protect Underland," Mirana reminded him. "From everything."

"Yes," sighed the Hatter. "I'll leave you now, Highness." And with that, Tarrant Hightop trudged from the room. His dismal form brought a pang of guilt to Mirana's heart, but she merely forced herself to ignore it.

She was doing what was right for Underland. There was no way Alice would be able to handle being queen. Underland needed her, Mirana.

"Bayard the dog, Queen Mirana," a page announced before the bloodhound was let into the study.

Mirana crossed to the beast and fell to her knees. "Bayard," she said without preamble as she took his face between her hands, "you want Underland to be safe for your family, do you not?"

"Of course," Bayard quickly agreed.

"There is only way for me to ensure the safety of everyone in Underland," continued the White Queen. "You must go to the door, Bayard, and bring me the key that sits upon the glass table inside. The door is to be locked from our side when you leave. It will allow no threats from the Overland to cross into Underland. Underland will be safe."

Bayard looked confused. "But... Alice, your majesty—"

"Alice will understand that we must protect Underland," countered Mirana. She could see Bayard's hesitation, so she added, "And our families."

The dog's face adopted a resolute look at the mention of family. "Yes, Queen Mirana," he agreed. He produced a small bow before leaving the study at an easy jog.

Mirana stood up, smiling to herself. Her plan was being easily executed. Things were working out exactly as she had anticipated. With the door locked and the key in Mirana's possession, there was no way for Alice to enter Underland.

The White Rabbit McTwisp hopped into Mirana's study hesitantly. "Your Majesty," he whispered. She turned to look at him, signaling for him to continue. "Absolem could not be found anywhere in Underland."

Mirana's smile merely widened as she took a seat in her regal white chair. "It does not matter," she concluded. She did not need Absolem.

She, Mirana, was controlling the outcome of the future now.