────── ♤♤♤ ──────

────── ♤♤♤ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

────── ♤♤♤ ──────

Indigo and Kaden's reunion was soon cut short by voices calling out to them in the distance. When the couple and Anastasia turned their attention toward the sound, they found Cyrus and a now-conscious Alice walking toward them. Even though the curly-haired girl wanted to smile at them, she forced herself to keep a straight face when she saw the determination on theirs. Indigo kept her eyes glued to the couple as they approached them until they were only a few yards away. It wasn't until Alice and Cyrus stopped in front of their allies that the Lark girl finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm glad to see you're finally awake," Indigo said, earning a confused look from the blonde woman. The curly-haired girl just stared at the Kingsleigh woman for a moment longer then she turned her attention toward the former genie. "You didn't tell her what happened?"

"I was getting to it, but she was determined to find you," Cyrus responded before his eyes landed on Indigo and Kaden's interlocked fingers, "I hope this means your memories have been restored, Princess."

"It does. It's good to see you again, Cyrus, but we will discuss it more later," the Last Atlantean announced as she turned her attention back to Alice, "right now, we need to worry about finding Will."

"What do you mean 'finding Will'? Where is he?" the Kingsleigh woman questioned as she looked around at everyone surrounding her.

"She doesn't remember," Cyrus stated while staring at the woman in front of him before looking around at the rest of his allies.

"Or maybe she just doesn't care," Anastasia muttered under her breath, earning a glare from Indigo.

"What are you all talking about?" Alice asked with a hint of panic in her voice before her gaze landed back on the Red Queen, "wait, why are we even talking with her?"

"The Knave. We have to save him," the former genie told her, which only caused her confusion to triple as her eyes landed on Indigo.

"Why do we need to save him?"

Just as the Lark girl was about to open her mouth to respond to the puzzled woman, Anastasia took a step forward and beat her to it. "Same old Alice, only thinking about herself."

"One more word, and I'll let her give you what you deserve," Cyrus hissed while glaring daggers in the woman in red's direction. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before Anastasia took a step back and the former genie looked back at Alice. "The wish you gave to the Knave, he used it to end your suffering. And as a result, he not only saved your life, he granted me my freedom."

"Unfortunately, magic always comes with a price," Indigo continued after watching the couple in front of her exchange a smile, "and, as we all know, the bottle always has to have a genie inside."

"Oh, no," Alice muttered under her breath as her eyes filled with realization while she looked back at Cyrus, "so, Will, he's..."

"I'm afraid so," was all the former genie said in response to his true love's unfinished question, "that's why we can't leave Wonderland. Not yet."

"We have to save him," Kaden added while Indigo's grip around his hand tightened to give him some reassurance.

"'We' don't have to do anything," Alice hissed, causing a wave of irritation to wash over the Lark girl.

"He has his heart back, Alice," Indigo announced while trying her best to keep her emotions at bay, "he's on our side."

"And what about her?" the Kingsleigh questioned while looking over at the Red Queen, "how do we know she's on our side?"

"If there's one thing I know from being a genie, it's what people wish for in their heart of hearts," Cyrus said in a serious tone as he pulled Alice aside while keeping Indigo and Kaden close enough to hear his words, "and I am telling you, the Queen wants the same thing as you do, to be with the one she loves. To be with Will."

"Besides, if you want to find him before Jafar does, you'll need all the help you can get," Anastasia stated as she walked toward the two couples.

"And having her magic on our side might prove to be useful," Indigo announced, shocking everyone, including herself.

Silence surrounded them for a long moment as Alice glanced between all her allies in front of her. It wasn't long after that when she let out a long sigh and opened her mouth to speak. "Very well, then. We find the bottle, we save the Knave. And then we get out of Wonderland."

────── ♤♤♤ ──────

After changing into more comfortable clothing that was found in a couple of chests in Alice and Cyrus' tent, the heroes and the Red Queen began their journey back into the Wonderlandian Forest. Indigo led the way with Kaden by her side as they went down a muddy path that led to a river. After them, Alice and Cyrus followed with Anastasia close behind. No one said a word as the waterway came into view before the Red Queen pushed past them to look for the bottle along the bank.

Indigo took Kaden's hand into hers as she led him into the greenery to see if the bottle landed there. While they searched, Alice and Cyrus stayed back and had a conversation of their own. It wasn't until the couple saw Anastasia walk out from the muddy water that they decided to join their companions once again.

"Must we walk directly in the mud?" was all the Red Queen said after stopping in front of the four heroes.

"What's the matter, Queen? Or is it only your hands you don't mind getting dirty?" Alice responded, earning a scoff from Anastasia. This bickering caused Indigo and Kaden to share a look, silently wishing the two women would put aside their differences so they could find Will.

"Cyrus, you should really teach your girlfriend some manners before someone else does," Anastasia retaliated while keeping her eyes glued to the blonde woman in front of her.

"Chances are the bottle carried downstream," Indigo announced in an attempt to get their attention back on the situation at hand, "if we keep to the path of the river, we'll find Will."

Once again, Indigo and Kaden led the way with their hands interlocked. Despite their current situation, they couldn't fight the small smiles that appeared on their faces. After years of fighting and running, they were finally reunited and they were far from ready to let the other go.

"How are you holding up?" the Scarlet boy questioned, causing Indigo to send him a confused look before the former let out a laugh and continued speaking, "you just discovered who you really are, Didi. I can't even imagine what's going through that brain of yours. It's probably driving Jefferson mad...well, madder."

"I'm fine, Kay. And Jefferson can put up with it after all those years I put up with his episodes," the curly-haired girl responded while trying her best to keep the forced smile on her face.

"Ouch, Iggie. That hurt," Jefferson said in a mocking tone. Indigo could just imagine him now with a fake hurt face and his hand over his heart.

"You know it's true," Indigo muttered under her breath, earning another smile from Kaden, who was the only one who knew about her connection with Jefferson. It wasn't long after that when the Lark girl turned to him to continue their conversation. "You're right, it's a lot. But I'll deal with it after we rescue Will and get out of Wonderland."

"I'm surprised you were even running around with my brother in the first place, with the Red Queen and Jafar after you and all that," the brunette boy responded as he glanced back to make sure their comrades and Anastasia were following them. Once he confirmed that they were still there, his attention landed back on the girl next to him. "How did Will find you anyway?"

Indigo couldn't fight the laugh that escaped her as she thought back to her reunion with the Knave of Hearts. With everything going on, that seemed to be an eternity ago. "I found him actually. He and Alice were trapped in the Mallow Marsh."

"I take it you just watched and laughed as they struggled."

"Of course not. I helped them," Indigo told him as a smirk replaced the smile on her face, "I gave them a riddle and everything."

"Oh, I'm sure Will loved that."

"He really appreciated it."

Their laughter cut through the air as Kaden let go of Indigo's hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her closer to him. For the first time in years, the Lark girl was truly happy and she would never willingly give that up again. She would rather give up her life than be parted with Kaden. He was the only thing keeping her sane since she found out the truth about who she was. The same could be said for Kaden, who was still readjusting to a life with his heart back in his chest. He was her anchor and she was his.

However, their moment was soon ended by the sound of Alice calling out to them. When the couple turned around to face her, they found Alice and Cyrus staring back at them with panicked looks on their faces. The Red Queen was nowhere to be found. The smiles that graced Indigo and Kaden's lips instantly fell as they walked back to join Alice and Cyrus while keeping their eyes glued to where Anastasia once was.

"Where is she?" Kaden asked as soon as he and Indigo stopped next to their allies.

"I don't know. She was right behind us," Cyrus answered at the same time Alice let out a long sigh and turned to face her three companions.

"I can't believe I fell for it again!" the Kingsleigh woman exclaimed while throwing her arms up in the air before running her fingers through her hair.

"Alice, we don't know-"

"Yes, we do," the blonde woman cut off the love of her life as she walked back towards where the Red Queen once was with her allies on her tail, "a tiger doesn't change its stripes."

"Alright, so what's her plan? Go find Will on her own?" Indigo questioned, having a hard time believing that Anastasia would venture out into the Wonderlandian Forest without some sort of backup.

"Undoubtedly," was all Alice said in response as she stared off into the forest, "the more important question is why?"

Cryus didn't respond to the woman's question as he walked past her and into the forest. Before Indigo or Kaden had a chance to ask where he was going, the Kingsleigh woman let out a long sigh and followed him. The two teens exchanged an uncertain look before interlocking their fingers once again and going after the couple.

As soon as they reached Alice and Cyrus, they found the blonde woman staring at her true love with a hint of irritation in her eyes. While she did that, the former genie was looking around the clearing for any sign of where the Red Queen had gone. After exchanging another look, Kaden let go of Indigo's hand before she joined Cyrus to look for clues. Both of them knew that she would have a better chance of finding something than any of them.

"We shouldn't be looking for the Red Queen. We should be looking for the Knave. He's the one in danger," Alice finally said after watching Cyrus and Indigo search the forest for a moment longer before rushing to stand in their path, "the sooner we find him, the sooner we can leave Wonderland and start our lives over."

"But what if something's happened to her?" the former genie questioned while Indigo's eyes continued to scan over the forest surrounding them.

"The only thing that's happened is she's gone off to get the bottle on her own," the Kingsleigh woman stated right as the Lark girl spotted something across the clearing.

Without saying a word, Indigo left the bickering couple behind and made her way toward it. The only one who seemed to notice her movement was Kaden, who instantly followed her. As soon as Indigo reached her destination, she gently took the small plant into her hand and looked up at the Scarlet boy. It wasn't long after that when Alice and Cyrus ended their conversation and rushed over to join them.

"Broken branches," Indigo announced before her eyes landed on a bright red piece of cloth on the forest floor. While her allies continued to study the plant, the Lark girl walked toward the fabric and took it carefully into her hands. "A piece of her dress. Two signs of a struggle."

"Well, there's no trail," Alice responded after lazily looking around at the forest that surrounded them, causing Indigo to send her an annoyed look just as Jefferson's voice began to fill her head.

"Just because you don't see a trail doesn't mean it isn't there," the Mad Hatter said, making Indigo's eyes slightly widen in realization once she remembered something Jefferson taught her a long time ago, "start with the moss, Iggie."

"I know, Jay. I know," the curly-haired girl muttered under her breath before turning to face Kaden, "can you get me some moss from the north side of a tree?"

The Scarlet boy sent her a simple nod in response before rushing toward a nearby tree to gather what she needed. While he did that, Indigo squatted down and began digging through the leaves in search of what she needed next. Because they were so focused on the ingredients they needed, both teens were completely unaware of the looks they were receiving from Alice and Cyrus. The older couple let the duo search for a moment longer before the blonde woman decided that she needed answers to the questions forming in her head.

"What are you two up to?" Alice questioned without moving an inch to help the younger couple find what they were looking for.

"Just a little bit of magic," was all Indigo said in response right as she uncovered exactly what she was looking for before repeating the words Jefferson said to her a very long time ago, "a stone as white as moonlight."

A small smile formed on her face as she thought back to the time she and the Mad Hatter spent perfecting the spell. It wasn't long after that when she spotted the next thing she needed sitting in a nearby tree. Indigo didn't hesitate to race forward and pluck the small feather from the branches. After studying it for a long moment, her smile slightly faltered. "A falcon's feather."

"An owl's would be better, but that one will still work," Jefferson told her, earning a nod from the Lark girl that he couldn't see before she turned and made her way back toward Kaden.

"Moss from the north side of a tree," the Red Knight announced as he handed the plant over to the girl standing in front of him, who sent him a grateful smile.

As soon as all the ingredients were in her hands, Indigo made her way over to a flat rock with her allies following after her. She placed the feather down first before covering it with the moss then the cloth from the Red Queen's cloak. Once that was finished, the Lark girl took the rock into her hand and stared down at the items in front of her.

"I need some help, Jay," Indigo said a bit louder than intended, earning confused looks from Alice and Cyrus while Kaden looked down at her with a smile on his face, "what's next?"

"I don't remember, did she always talk to herself? Or is this a Wonderland thing?" Cyrus asked while keeping his eyes glued to the girl he met a long time ago.

"If you must know, I'm talking to the Mad Hatter. You just can't hear him because he's in my head," the curly-haired girl responded before she looked up at the former genie with a hint of annoyance in her eyes, "now, if you don't mind, I need to hear the next step."

The raven-haired man sent her a simple nod in response before gesturing back toward the items in front of the girl. As soon as she turned her attention back to the objects, Jefferson's voice greeted her ears. "You need to repeatedly twist the rock counter-clockwise and utter the words 'locus mirabilis.' As soon as they're spoken, take the rock off the cloth and the magic should do the rest."

After letting out a long sigh, Indigo began twisting the rock and continued for a short moment before muttering "locus mirabilis" under her breath. It wasn't long after that when she lifted the stone off of the fabric, causing the red cloth to slightly glow and float up into the air until it was at eye level with her allies. A smile soon formed on Indigo's face as she got to her full height and stood next to Kaden.

"What's it doing?" the raven-haired man questioned without taking his eyes off the floating fabric in front of him.

"Looking for its owner," Indigo responded as the smile on her face grew even bigger before she grabbed Kaden's hand and stepped around Alice and Cyrus to lead the way, "it should lead us right to her."

"I'm surprised to remember how to do that after years of forgetting who you really are," the Kingsleigh woman said as she and the former genie began following the teens through the forest.

"Kidagakash Nedakh never knew that spell," the Lark girl told her without taking her eyes off of the piece of Anastasia's cloak, "but Jefferson taught me a few months after I met him. He's a lot smarter than people give him credit for."

────── ♤♤♤ ──────

────── ♤♤♤ ──────