Page 45 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"Precisely," Vee confirmed, his silver eyes calculating temporal probabilities. "A simulacrum might bear your appearance, but the pattern would recognize the deception immediately."
Chi's tail tightened protectively around my wrist. "The Queen knows this. She's not trying to replicate you completely—just enough to manipulate those who don't know you intimately."
"A propaganda tool," Heart said grimly, his golden patterns pulsing with indignation. "She'll parade your copy through Wonderland, showing everyone how happy her 'daughter' is under her care."
I shuddered at the thought of my face being used to legitimize the Queen's rule. The pattern beneath my skinflared with righteous anger, silver and gold light spiraling in configurations that spoke of protection rather than aggression.
"I don’t know if she started making it yet…," I said, my voice steadier than I expected as I glanced around me at the four men before me.
"But even if she has, there's a way to disrupt it," Dee said, his fingers dancing across his temporal devices. "Blood golems require constant magical maintenance. If we can interfere with the Queen's connection to her creation..."
"We could expose the deception," Heart finished, his ruby eyes gleaming with renewed purpose. "But that would mean getting close enough to the copy to disrupt its magical signature."
I paced the silver grass, processing everything I'd seen in the temporal mirror. The visions weren't just possibilities—they were warnings, guideposts, glimpses of paths to either follow or avoid. The pattern beneath my skin had settled into a steady rhythm, no longer fluctuating with distress but pulsing with determined resolve.
“Did you see things you needed to learn?” Dee asked, eyes holding my own.
I nodded slowly, still processing the cascade of visions. "The pattern showed me something crucial in each timeline. In the ones where I failed, it was because I either surrendered my will completely or tried to control everything alone." I paused, watching silver and gold light spiral beneath my skin in increasingly complex patterns. "The successful path requires balance—partnership without losing myself."
"And the bonds?" Chi asked, his teal eyes studying my face intently. "How did they factor into the successful timeline?"
"All five," I said with certainty that surprised even me. "Not just formed, but fully integrated. The Void bond especially—it wasn't optional in the vision where we defeated her. Seth'sshadows were woven through my light like... like they belonged there."
Heart's golden patterns pulsed with understanding rather than jealousy. "The pattern has been trying to tell you this all along, hasn't it?”
I gave a small grin, “The bonds were more than that of partnership…..but of mates.” My cheeks heated up as I glanced away, I’d known it was going to evolve in that direction from all the hints and attraction I had for them all…more than I knew what to do with.
The admission hung in the air like a crystalline note, resonating through our bonds with harmonic intensity. I felt Heart's golden connection flare with warmth and recognition, while Chi's silver bond pulsed with something deeper than mere approval—satisfaction, as if he'd been waiting for me to reach this understanding.
"Mates," Chi repeated, his voice carrying undertones I'd never heard before. His form solidified completely, teal eyes blazing with an intensity that made my breath catch. "Not just magical partners, but life partners. Soul partners."
Through our bonds, I felt the truth of it settling into place like the final piece of a complex puzzle. The pattern hadn't just chosen me for power—it had chosen me to restore the ancient connections that had been severed when the Red Queen began her campaign of isolation and control.
"The First Queen had five mates," Vee said quietly, his silver eyes reflecting ancient knowledge as he glanced over to his brother before his eyes went back to me.
"The courts united in perfect harmony," Dee finished, his temporal devices humming with recognition. "It wasn't just a political alliance—it was the deepest form of magical partnership possible. The pattern thrived under that connection."
I felt my cheeks burn hotter, but the pattern beneath my skin pulsed with eager affirmation. Through our bonds, I sensed the truth resonating through each connection—Heart's golden warmth expanding with joy, Chi's silver clarity sharpening with possessive satisfaction, and even the Tweedles' opalescent energy dancing with anticipation.
"Five mates," I whispered, the words feeling both foreign and completely natural on my tongue. "Is that why the pattern chose me? To recreate what was lost?"
"To heal what was broken," Heart corrected gently, his ruby eyes soft with understanding. "My mother's isolation didn't just damage her—it severed the natural balance between the courts. Without connection, without partnership, Wonderland itself began to fracture."
I took a deep breath, feeling the pattern beneath my skin pulse with confirmation. Everything was coming together—the bonds, the communion with the pattern, the visions in the temporal mirror. It wasn't just about defeating the Queen; it was about restoring what she had destroyed.
"So the five bonds... they're not just for power or protection," I said slowly, watching silver and gold light dance beneath my skin. "They're for healing Wonderland itself."
"Yes," Dee nodded, “Each bond making wonderland strong and stable.”
I looked between the four men, feeling the weight of this revelation settle over me. The pattern beneath my skin hummed with a kind of satisfied contentment, as though pleased I'd finally understood what it had been trying to show me all along.
"So when do we tell Seth?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected given the magnitude of what we were discussing.
Chi's tail flicked with amusement. "I believe he already knows. The Void Court has always been particularly attuned to destiny's patterns."
"He's waiting for you to be ready," Heart added, his ruby eyes warm with understanding. "The Void bond requires complete acceptance – not just of him, but of the shadows within yourself."
I nodded, thinking of the incomplete connection that already existed between us – the whisper of potential that flared whenever Seth was near. The pattern showed me how that final bond would complete the circle, creating a harmony that was needed throughout wonderland.
