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Having received word that Cinderella was returning to her kingdom soon, Aurora had immediately replied with an invitation for her fellow princess to visit. It had been ages since the two had spent any time together, and she was simply bubbling over with excitement.

Naturally, her invitation was accepted and she began preparing for the visit. In all honesty, there truly wasn't anything significant to change to the already elegant castle, but Aurora didn't want Cinderella to simply arrive at the castle steps. Oh no, she had prepared a welcoming committee of sorts, which consisted of the servants that adored Cinderella as much as they adored their own princess. Most of them remembered and missed the princess' visits, and were just as glad that their future monarch's friend was returning.

Now, seeing the carriage arrive at the castle, she couldn't help the slight giggle that worked its way out. Shaking her head, she ran towards Cinderella and grasped her extended hands with a grin. "Oh hush and let me be excited to welcome you back!"

She hugged her friend tightly, a small squeal coming out. "I've missed you so much!" Pulling back, she linked arms with the woman and began leading them into the castle. "Now, you must tell just where you ventured off to!"

The carriage Cinderella sat in bounced around along the poorly carved out road. She frowned deeply, poking her head out the window to look down at the terrain, frowning slightly as she saw that there was no pavement, just dirt. Had she not been in between kingdoms, she’d have made a note to tell Charming that it was time to at least make this a cobblestone road. Alas, she was not, so she simply sat back in discomfort for the remainder of the trip.

When the trip was over, she found herself outside of an elaborate castle that she knew belonged to a dear friend, Princess Aurora. Stepping out, she found a welcoming party waiting for her. “Oh,” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. She approached Aurora, holding out her hands. “You really shouldn’t have, Aurora! I know perfectly well how to open doors, you could have waited inside for me, really.”

#I don't know how to do short replies anymore

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It was a nice morning, and Aurora had decided to spend the day in bed, more or less. She didn't particularly feel like doing anything, she had woken up tired and groggy. An unusual way for her to wake up, especially since she had woken up late.

Well, not like she had anything to do today.

Having gotten dressed in her normal attire, she now sat at her vanity, idly brushing her hair. Stifling a yawn, she closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get some of her grogginess to go away. When she opened them again, she noticed that there was a figure in the reflection. It was...

A woman.

A strange woman.

In her room.

Hands flying to her mouth, she muffled her shriek as her brush fell from her grasp. Looking at the woman through the mirror, she gaped openly at her, her mind working furiously to try to make some sort of coherent thought.

At least she wasn't groggy anymore.

What a strange place with sleeping beautiful people..

Pocahontas stepped lightly onto a stone walkway that led to a castle door. This always seemed to happen. She’d be stuck on a strange boat, end up some place and meet new people. Maybe it’d happen that way this time, too. She came to two large doors, and felt uncomfortable. She’d grown so accustomed to entering through windows, and there weren’t any for sto- And there it was. A shining beacon of light. She jumped to a nearby tree, climbing her way through the branches before reaching the window and jumping through, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. Rising slowly, she examined the room. So strange. It’s almost like John’s decorating, only���different, in some way. 

And then, a blonde woman sitting at a murror(?) (Pocahontas had already forgotten the term), staring at her through the glassy surface.

#I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO ...DO THIS #ILU

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// #BITCH STFU #YOUR BABY IS DEAD #YOUR MOTHER WAS A HAMSTER AND YOUR FATHER SMELT OF ELDERBERRIES

#LAUGHING AND CRYING #MIRANDA Y U LIEK DIS

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Aurora stood for a moment in confusion, not quite sure what was happening. She felt slightly insulted, but at the same time she was quite amused. Shaking her head, she easily picked up Basil, cupping him in her hands. Lifting him up so that he was eye-level with her -well more like chin-level-, she looked at him curiously.

"I was never assuming anything. You are a normal-sized mouse, and for a woman of my height, that is being small. It is a fact. As for being cute or adorable," she shrugged lightly, "rodents aren't quite my preferred animal, but the fact that you're wearing clothes does add a certain element of 'cute'."

Basil frowned. He had gotten something wrong.

All hell broke loose when Basil got something wrong.

He popped his collar up before crossing his arms. “And what if you assume I am small, hmmm? Does this make me cute or adorable? Nonsense!” Basil stamped a foot against the ground. His face contorted into a very unsettling smile, his body stiffening.

“Now, why don’t you do what normal royalty does, like conquer some small, unsettled territory or something?” He waved Aurora off and began walking off, his body still rigid and tense.

#I AM NOT MYCROFT #AND THE WEATHER IS FANFUCKINGTASTIC

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Blinking in slight shock at the poke, she then cocked her head to the side. A smile twitched her lips, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Sir, you might be a normal -sized mouse, but compared to myself, you are quiet little!"

Standing up, she put her hands on her hips and bent her head down, long blonde locks falling in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "And I'm far from less than average height. I'm 175 inches, quite tall."

The short thing got old really fast for Basil.

“Ahem, madame,” His whiskers trembled once again in an irritated fashion, his nose twitching. “I am NOT little. I am a normal-sized mouse, thank you very much!” Basil prodded her nose with his tiny index finger, a scowl on his face.

“Are you even remotely aware that you stand at 160 inches, 2 or so inches less than the average human height?” He scoffed at her. “And you call me little. At least this is normal height for a mouse!”

#YOU'RE NOT EVEN RIGHT ABOUT MY HEIGHT #BITCH PLEASE

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ask-basil-of-baker-street started following you

"Oh!" A smile on her face, Aurora got on her knees in order to see the mouse more closely. It was a curious little thing, it seemed to be dressed up! And not in the form that the owl and rabbits did back in the forest, but these clothes appeared to actually fit it. "Why, hello there! Just who might you be, little one?"

#THAT'S RIGHT #CALLED YOUR ASS LITTLE

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Shuffling the cards as she pursed her lips, she shrugged lightly. "Perhaps. They aren't high enough on the nobility that this invitation would be just because, none of them have also quite interacted with me beforehand." Turning back to her desk, she added softly, "The only 'connection', I suppose, would be you, as you are all British."

"You know, you've received the, hmm, 'affectionate' title of being my ward. Although, I would think that they would invite us both rather just myself." Laying out a piece of paper, she dipped her quill in the inkpot, but left it in there. "How about..." She bit her lip and turned to Alice, her smily shy, "You accompany me to the luncheon?"

Whispered Foundations

Alice felt a small pang of anxiety, turning from Aurora as the princess spoke. She bit her lip for a moment. Could the English ladies really be talking to Aurora just….because word had spread that she was friends with her? If that was the case…then…

….Then it would be long until Aurora found out. 

Alice shook off the thought, convincing herself she was just being paranoid. Turning back to Aurora, she took the invitations, and shuffled through them. 

“No,” she said, handing them back, “I don’t recognize any of the names.” The English woman gave a small sigh, before voicing another concern nagging at her. 

“…You seem to think that you’re getting these invitations in response to me. Do you honestly think that they’d just…invite you because they’ve heard of your association with me…?” 

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Biting her lip as she finished looking through the rest of the invitations, she thought to herself that perhaps she wasn't jumping to conclusions after all. She spread out the slips of paper on her desk and tapped her fingers against her cheek, mulling over how to respond to Alice.

"Six invitations. Five from four English ladies, all but for one being for tea- which the fifth being an invitation to a luncheon in two days time." She sighed, adding on a murmur, "I suppose all four will be attending the luncheon, as they are known to be close."

Picking up one invitation, different in that it was more decorated and larger than the others, she read it once more. "This one is an invitation to an engagement ball between a French viscount and the daughter of a German earl. I might go, the girl is quite a dear." Setting it aside, she grabbed the four tea invitations and turned to Alice.

Holding them out as if they were cards, she raised an eyebrow. "Recognize the name of any of these ladies?"

Whispered Foundations

"Not to worry; I do have manners, and I'd hate to embarrass you." Although chances were that Alice would probably just stay in her room, if Aurora had any company, but Alice didn't feel this a necessary fact to share. 

She'd been smoothing out her dress when she caught Aurora's confusing question. Turning her head from her dress to her friend, she shook her head. 

"I've....not met any. They don't exactly come to the East End of London." Alice gave a small sigh, somehow feeling compelled to say the following. "I....suppose they may have heard of me, if they were in London during the right times-- why do you ask?" 

It was a sudden question from Aurora, and Alice couldn't help but feel a little bit off about it. 

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She rolled her eyes, resting her cheek on her hand and turning her head to face the Englishwoman. "I suppose I'll manage just fine for the next couple as well, as long as you don't disarray yourself as such whenever there's company over."

Aurora sighed with a smile, picking up an invitation and reading it over. A simple invitation to tea in two days, which she supposed she could go to... Setting it aside, she picked up another and noticed it was also an invitation to tea, however it was in three days time. The next two invitations followed the same pattern, causing her eyebrows to furrow together.

Now, why ever would four ladies all want to have tea with-- Oh.

They were English.

"Alice, would you happen to have ever bothered any English lords, or better yet their wives?" Of course, she could be jumping to conclusions, but she had only heard of these ladies. There was truly no reason for all four to ask for her company.

“It’ll depend on the day, I suppose,” she smiled back. “At least my dress isn’t riding up….so I’m not indecent.” The woman gave a small shrug, being more awake now.

Alice laughed a little bit with her. “I suppose ‘child’ would be a good way to put it….this is how I used to sit in the armchair in our study back in Oxford. The habit never broke, I guess.” 

She then smirked, folding her arms over her chest. “Well you’ve managed for the past few weeks.” 

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Having been in the back of the room looking for paper, Alice's seating hit her as a shock once she turned around. Shaking her head with an amused smirk, she sighed softly as she made her way to her desk. "Never let anyone not call you a lady, Alice," she said playfully.

Curling up in her seat with her legs under her skirts, she began to spread out the ten or so invitations she had recieved. Looking back at Alice with her amusement less hidden, she actually let out a giggle. "You seem like a child!" She put her head in her hands, delicate giggles still flowing out of her. "Lord, Alice- whatever am I going to do with you?"

Alice noticed the wince. “…My apologizes; I forget that you’re…still a bit….kept away from all of that.” She was going to you ‘innocent’, but…well. 

“Alright, I’ll meet you in there when I’m done.” As Aurora left, Alice worked on finishing the remaining bit of eggs and the rest of her fruit. That done, she drank the rest of her tea, and gave a quiet thank you to the servant as she came to take the plate and cup away. 

If she remember correctly, Aurora’s study was down this hall and then to the right…Alice soon found the room she was looking for, walking in and settling herself in a chair. It was in an unlady like manner, with her legs thrown over one arm of the chair and her back on the other arm, so that she was sideways in the seat….but she figured Aurora wouldn’t mind; and if she did, then Alice would adjust the way she was sitting. Simple as that. 

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Aurora couldn't hold back a slight wince at Alice's bluntness, still quite sheltered. On a nervous laugh, she nodded. "Yes, I suppose the West End is where they've been. They never specified and I never asked."

She said nothing more on the subject of hair color, running her hand a bit nervously through her locks. If she were honest with herself, her hair was the one thing she allowed herself to be vain about and just that thought that it would hinder her intelligent- well, it was part of the reason she didn't go out often.

"Almost done?" Standing from her chair, she moved to stand behind it. "Meet me in my study when you finish. I haven't even looked at the dates on those invitations and I have to get everything 'sorted'." Throwing her hands in the air, she held up her skirts and walked away.

Alice couldn’t help but scoff. “Entertaining? I would hardly call it that….Er..” She looked thoughtful for a second, before restating.

“The East End of London is nothing but prostitutes and poverty. The West End is probably where your parents have been…it is admittingly nicer there, in terms of the way it’s kept, and the people presented there are on the more elegant side of life.” Still just as judgmental of herself, but that was bound to happen. 

She nodded to Aurora’s words, eating her eggs and fruit as she listened. 

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"Well, I will have to visit London someday," she said drolly. "Mother and Father have been there more than enough times, mostly on political nonsense. Mother says that it's a very entertaining city, but that she prefers our quieter capital."

"Oh no! They never say it to my, or Mother's, faces. It's always a murmur that we hear, or a badly concealed snicker that causes a rattle of the oh so amusing joke to pass around." She scoffed in an unladylike manner, flipping her hair back. "It isn't just the English either, our fellow countrymen say them also."

"Being a French blonde is quite rare, it's taken as a sign of blue blood." Her voice dripping with disdain, she rolled her eyes. She had been raised with out knowledge of precisely what prejudice and bias was, having never gotten the royal upbringing of her ancestors. "Phillip's hair was almost as blonde as mine when he was young, as was King Hubert's. Father's hair has always been as dark as a crow's however, but Mother has a more mellow blonde."

“Well, perhaps you could vi—- …Actually. Perhaps you shouldn’t visit….not London, at least. Oxford is pleasant, but London is a filthy place; you’d be better off- far better off- here.” She took the last bite of her bacon. 

At the mention of blonde jokes, Alice’s lips couldn’t help but turn up into a smirk. “Ah, yes. Many English people that I’ve come into contact with live to be the annoyance of people. However, to some degree, it’s reassuring to know that they would treat you in the same fashion they treat me, considering we’re polar opposites. On the other hand, I can’t help but be disgusted to consider them English like myself.” 

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"Sadly, I have not been to England. I have yet to leave my kingdom, in fact. Remember, complete isolation from the world for sixteen years. I'm only seventeen." Pausing as servants came forward to retrieve Aurora's empty plates, she tapped her fingertips together.

"However, I have heard a few of the visiting English 'complain' every once in a while." Twirling a strand if her hair, she added, "Not to mention the never-ending supply of blonde jokes."

“…In my defense, you got your breakfast before me,” she said with a slight laugh, placing her tea down and picking up a piece of bacon to munch on. 

“Besides, I don’t recall ever saying such a thing. Generalizations Aurora, you must watch them,” she said playfully, smirking as she spoke. “Unless of course you’ve been to England, and heard it from everyone; then you can trust a generalization.” For instance, Alice could generalize that London was a very judgmental place, where Alice didn’t belong. 

That was something she knew from experience. 

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Chewing on more of her ham, she nodded eagerly. She was hoping that Alice wouldn't wonder and ask about the extra letters she would be receiving today, but Alice had gotten comfortable with her and tended to voice we questions often.

She picked up her mug with both hands, looking between Alice's still semi-full plate and the woman's gaze with a raised eyebrow. Finishing her milk and taking one last bite of her ham, she sat back her chair. "And you English say us French do things with too much leisure."

“….Well. Seeing as neither of us really have a preference, I suppose I’ll just accompany you then.” She could always draw while Aurora was writing responses…. Alice had finally gotten back into her drawing practices, since the Insane Children in her head finally relinquished their hold on her art skills. 

She moved to take a long drink of her tea, a little more awake now than she had been earlier. 

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Absently swirling her spoon in her cup, Aurora pursed her lips in thought. Would it be wise to have Alice with her today? She was expecting to get a reply from her contacts in a few hours, and hopefully receive actual information late in the afternoon. She would most likely be done with her replies by then, and she could probably find something for Alice to do for her.

There was a part of her that was nagging at her that all of this sneaking around was bad, but she quickly gave it a mental kick.

Cutting up her ham, she shrugged lightly. "Only if you want to. I might not talk much, but should you want to, I would not be against it." Plopping the meat in her mouth, she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded to show Aurora that yes, she’d eat everything. Consider it a silent contract. 

Alice waited until she had swallowed her bite of egg before answering Aurora. “If you’d like me too. I’d be fine with keeping you entertained, but I’d rather not distract you from your work. But, because I have no other plans….if you wish for me to sit in there with you, I shall.” 

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Noticing the look, she lifted her mug in a mock salute. Aurora sing-sang, "At least I did not add in mutton!" Drinking her milk with a smirk, she made sure to give Alice's plate a pointed look, expecting the Englishwoman to eat everything served.

She gave an exaggerated sigh, Alice's sarcasm not going unnoticed. "Oh, it is just an absolute delight to have to write until my wrist falls off." Flashing an overly cheerful smile, even for her, she asked, "You will join me in my study, yes?"

Alice managed a slight smirk. “Maybe then my corsets will actually be useful for framing, rather than just a piece of unnecessary clothing.” Yes, Alice really was very thin. Her corsets were always worn rather loosely, both from personal preference as well as the fact that she didn’t need to look any thiner than she already was. 

“Hm. Sounds fun.” There was a heavy air of sarcasm in her voice, but it quickly vanished as she thanked the servant for bringing her breakfast. She noticed the addition of eggs and bacon to the meal, gave a slightly playful look to Aurora (knowing full well it was her), before picking up her fork to begin eating. 

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"Well, I will just have to make sure to put some more meat on you before this month is over!" Taking another bite of her toast, the princess gave her friend a closed-lipped smile, a cheeky twinkle in her eyes. To say that Alice's thin frame worried Aurora would be an understatement. She knew that she herself was quite thin also, but it was in part because of corsets. Alice however truly was that thin, something that the blonde found eery.

She took a moment to answer Alice, debating just how much she should reveal. Stalling by taking a sip of her milk, she had to resist the urge to tap her fingers in nervousness. "Not precisely 'royal', but I should have an occupied afternoon," she drifted off. Eating some more when Alice's breakfast was brought in, she pursed her lips. "Oh! And there are those refusal letters I have to write."

“I suppose….I’m just so used to eating only what’s neccesary, I forget I can eat more here.” In London, low income= low food amounts.

Giving one last yawn, Alice shook her head. “Nothing in particularly, no. What about you? Royal duties, I’m assuming?”