Page 42 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"Let her try," Heart growled low his grip on me tightening, “I know myself and the others wouldn’t let that happen.” I gave a nod, curling more into him at his words.
"Besides," Heart added, his voice lightening slightly, "you've made remarkable progress. The communion with the pattern isdeeper than anything the Tweedles have witnessed before. Even Chi is impressed, and you know how difficult that is to achieve."
I smiled despite my worries, remembering Chi's grudging admission yesterday that my reality-phasing exercises were "adequate for a beginner." From him, that was practically effusive praise.
"The Void bond is strengthening too," Heart continued, his ruby eyes studying the faint threads of darkness that occasionally wove through my silver and gold patterns. "Seth's connection to you grows each day, even without formal completion."
I tensed slightly at the mention of Seth. The incomplete bond with him was... complicated. Unlike the warm certainty of my connections with Heart, Chi, and the Tweedles, the Void bond felt like standing at the edge of an abyss—not threatening, but profound in its implications. Every time I touched that connection, I glimpsed facets of Seth that others rarely saw—the ancient loneliness beneath his calculated facade, the fierce protectiveness he concealed behind cryptic remarks.
"I don't know if I'm ready to complete that bond," I admitted quietly, watching the occasional shadow weave through my light patterns. "The Void Court... there's so much I still don't understand about them."
"The Void bond is different from the others," Heart acknowledged, his fingers tracing circles on my arm. "It requires a deeper surrender, a willingness to face aspects of yourself you might prefer to ignore."
I nodded, remembering what little Seth had shared about the Void Court's nature. They existed in the spaces between defined realities, in the shadows that gave form to light. Their magic wasn't about creation or connection, but about balance—ensuring that for every beginning there was an ending, for every light a darkness.
"I trust Seth," I said, surprised to find I meant it completely. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to face what the bond would reveal about me."
Heart's hand stilled on my arm, his voice thoughtful. "The pattern seems to think otherwise."
He was right. Whenever I communed with the pattern, it showed me configurations that included all five bonds—heart, mind, time, earth, and void. The ancient consciousness seemed to believe that complete balance required all aspects, not just those I found comfortable.
"Five days left," I murmured, watching the impossible sky above us where sun and stars coexisted in peaceful contradiction. "Do you think it's enough time?"
"For complete mastery? No," Heart answered honestly. "For what you'll need to face my mother? I believe so."
I shifted in his lap so I could straddle him and we could be facing one another while we talked. Heart's hands settled naturally on my waist as I repositioned myself, his ruby eyes studying my face with gentle intensity. The golden bond between us pulsed with warmth, carrying undertones of affection that made my breath catch.
"You've changed," he observed quietly, his fingers tracing the silver and gold patterns that now glowed more visibly beneath my skin. "Not just the magic—you. There's a confidence there that wasn't present before."
I considered his words, feeling the truth of them. The frightened girl who had stumbled into Wonderland seemed like a distant memory now. The pattern's influence had awakened something fundamental in me—not just power, but purpose.
"The pattern shows me who I could become," I said, my hands finding their way to his chest where his own golden light pulsed beneath the fabric of his shirt. "Sometimes I think it sees me more clearly than I see myself.”
Heart's ruby eyes softened, his golden light pulsing brighter where my fingers touched his chest. "That's its gift—perspective beyond our limited vision. It sees the threads connecting all possibilities."
"Including us?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. The question had been hovering between us for days, unspoken but present in every shared glance, every lingering touch.
Heart's hands tightened slightly at my waist, his expression growing serious. "Especially us." Through our bond, I felt a surge of emotion—not just affection, but something deeper, more complex. "The pattern has shown me things too, Alice. Not like it shows you….but it has given me hope… possibilities that I never dared hope for."
My pulse quickened as I leaned slightly closer, the silver and gold light beneath my skin responding to my emotions with gentle waves that reached toward his golden patterns. "What kind of possibilities?"
Instead of answering with words, Heart leaned forward, his lips finding mine in a kiss that felt like coming home. The golden bond between us flared brilliantly, warmth flooding through my veins as our patterns synchronized in perfect harmony. Unlike our previous hesitant moments, this kiss held certainty—a declaration rather than a question.
I melted against him, my hands sliding up to tangle in his hair as the pattern beneath my skin responded with joyful intensity. Silver and gold light spiraled outward from where our bodies connected, creating a cocoon of radiance that transformed the air around us into a shimmering possibility.
"This," Heart whispered against my lips when we finally broke apart. "Us. A future where we stand together, not just against my mother, but for Wonderland's renewal. You and all of us that are bound to you, whole."
Through our strengthened bond, I felt the depth of what he was offering—not just affection or desire, but partnership in its truest sense. Smiling, I leaned forward this time, kissing him with all the emotions that I have bottled up.
Heart's response was immediate and overwhelming, his hands sliding up to cup my face as he deepened the kiss. The golden bond between us sang with harmonious resonance, our patterns weaving together in configurations I'd never experienced before. This wasn't just affection—it was recognition, acceptance, the profound relief of finding someone who understood both the power I carried and the person I remained beneath it.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, I rested my forehead against his. The silver grass around us had grown brighter, responding to our combined magical resonance with gentle luminescence.
"I can see myself fall in love with you," I whispered, the words carrying more weight than I'd expected. Not just the emotion, but a commitment—to this moment, to him, to whatever future we might build together.
Heart's ruby eyes blazed with an intensity that took my breath away. "And I can see the same. Though, I know you will be the same with the other four as well.” He paused, giving me a soft look, “Though, as long as I have a piece of your heart I find I don’t mind.”
The words sent warmth cascading through me, not jealousy or possessiveness but genuine acceptance. Through our bond, I felt his truth—he understood that the pattern had chosen me for bonds with all five courts, and rather than resenting that destiny, he embraced it.
