Page 64 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
I winced, remembering what they'd said about the pattern making emotions visible. "Sorry. I didn't mean to keep anyone awake."
"Don't apologize," Heart said, his shoulder brushing mine as he leaned back against the tree. "What's troubling you? Besides the obvious."
I considered his question, watching the shifting constellations overhead. "I just couldn’t make my mind go quiet. I just feel restless.”
Heart gave a hum, moving his arm as he grabbed me as he pulled me in his lap. I settled my back against Heart's chest, feeling his warmth seep through me as his arms encircled my waist. The golden bond between us pulsed with contentment, his steady heartbeat a calming rhythm beneath my ear.
"Better?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through his chest.
"Much," I admitted, letting myself relax into his embrace. The pattern beneath my skin responded to his proximity, silverand gold light flowing more harmoniously where we touched. "You didn't have to come out here."
"Yes, I did," Heart said simply, his chin resting atop my head. "The bond doesn't just carry emotions, Alice. It carries need. And you needed comfort."
Through our golden connection, I felt his certainty in those words—not obligation, but genuine desire to provide solace. His patterns wrapped around mine like a protective cocoon, shielding me from the rest of the world, even if just for this moment.
"It's strange," I murmured, watching our intertwined patterns of light dance across our skin. "How quickly this has become normal. Us. The bonds. Everything."
Heart's arms tightened slightly around me. "The pattern accelerates adaptation. It's a survival mechanism—allowing its bearers to adjust quickly to new realities."
"Is that all it is?" I asked quietly. "Just magical adaptation?"
I felt rather than saw his smile, a warm pulse through our bond. "No. That's just the pattern's contribution. The rest is..." he paused, searching for the right words, "genuine connection. Something that would have happened regardless, though perhaps more slowly." The constellations above shifted in response to our conversation, stars rearranging themselves into patterns that echoed the light beneath our skin.
"What happens after?" I asked quietly, watching our shared light dance across our skin. "Assuming we defeat the Queen. What comes next?"
Heart was silent for a moment, his arms tightening slightly around me. "Healing," he said finally. "For Wonderland. Though we may have to deal with the other kingdoms depending where they stand. The Diamond Kingdom and the Clubs Kingdom. Seth is King of Spades so we know there will be no resistance from him.”
"I'd assumed Seth's position would make things easier," I said, though the thought of facing the other kingdoms sent a chill through me. "What are they like? The Diamond and Clubs rulers?"
Heart's golden patterns flickered with uncertainty. "The King of Diamonds has always been about preservation and wealth rather than conquest…and he is a coward…though he does have power behind him. He likes to know how things work and loves knowledge."
"And the Clubs Kingdom?" I asked, trying to imagine these monarchs.
"More complicated," Heart admitted, his voice growing tense. "The Queen has old grievances against my mother, but she's also suspicious of any change to the current balance. She might see your rise as a threat to her own power…she also resists change in general."
The pattern beneath my skin darkened slightly with worry. "So we could end up fighting on multiple fronts."
"Possibly," Heart said, his arms tightening protectively around me. "But that's a later worry. My mother is the one that is the biggest threat.”
"And she's enough to worry about already," I sighed, leaning back against him. The pattern rippled beneath my skin with uneasy pulses, reflecting my anxiety about what lay ahead.
Heart's fingers traced soothing patterns along my arm, leaving trails of golden light in their wake. "One battle at a time, Alice. The Queen first. Then we'll deal with whatever comes next."
We sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the artificial stars shift and dance above us. The night was peaceful in the pocket, untouched by the corruption spreading through Wonderland. I tried to memorize this feeling—safety, connection, the steady beat of Heart's pulse against my back.
"Tell me something good," I said suddenly. "Something about Wonderland that isn’t battles and surviving.”
Heart's chest rose and fell beneath me as he considered my request, his golden patterns brightening with what felt like fondness. "There are gardens in the Heart Kingdom," he said softly, his voice taking on a dreamy quality I'd never heard before. "Crystal roses that sing when the morning light touches them. The melody changes with the seasons—joyful in spring, languid in summer, melancholy but beautiful in autumn."
I closed my eyes, letting his words paint pictures in my mind. "What do they sound like?"
"Like wind chimes made of laughter," he murmured, his fingers continuing their gentle patterns on my arm. "The First Queen planted them as a gift to my great-great-grandmother. They've been singing for over three centuries, never the same song twice."
The pattern beneath my skin pulsed with warmth at his description. "Do you think they still sing? Even with everything that has happened?"
Heart was quiet for a moment, his golden patterns dimming slightly. "I don't know," he admitted. "My mother's corruption has spread so far... but the crystal roses are old magic, protected by deep enchantments. I hope they survive."
Through our bond, I felt his uncertainty mixed with fierce longing. The gardens represented something precious from his past—a connection to the Heart Kingdom before it became a place of fear and blood magic.
