Chapter Text
December 12, 2015.
Artie was preparing a presentation and research for Ben, it was winter break, and now that they no longer had to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand, their plan was simple: request permission to go as close as possible to the rabbit hole to explore and investigate the possible ways to enter Wonderland. Growing up in royalty with a mother like theirs, Artie knew they had to prepare an impeccable presentation, something that covered all bases and potential risks, it had to be an essay, research, and a contract; only then would they have a chance of being considered.
Artie knew that at this time of day Ben was studying in the library, so they grabbed their small folder with the report and mustered the courage to walk over and speak to the prince. After all, Ben still had a slight influence over certain policies that allowed Artie to speak to him and not the king, since they were sure the king wouldn't allow it.
—Hey, Prince Ben —Artie said, trying to be as formal as possible to increase their chances of being accepted.
—Um, hello? —Ben said, somewhat confused by the sudden formality.
—I know your coronation is coming up and you're not king yet —Artie didn't even notice Ben tense up at that— but I wanted to ask you a favor
—Sure, go ahead
Artie then placed the carpet in front of the prince, which surprised the brunette, but he took it anyway and began to look through it, feeling less confused but incredibly surprised by the amount of information about Wonderland they had found and what Ben assumed Artie knew firsthand. Artie then began to ramble on about all the reasons why they, as heir to Wonderland, former VK now revamped, should conduct an investigation to find an opening in the rabbit hole and thus be able to evacuate the country's citizens as refugees.
—And because of all that, I should be able to go to Cheshire and be near Wonderland
—Okay —Ben said simply, which surprised Artie greatly.
—What?
—Well, you're from there, and I heard my mom talking several times about what we could do for Wonderland —Ben said, while Artie looked at him somewhat incredulously— so I think it's appropriate that you go and investigate.
—R- really?
When Ben noticed how unconvinced Artie was, he felt a little bad thinking about what they had to do when they wanted to ask the Queen of Hearts for something. It took a couple of extra minutes to convince them, but when he finally did, Artie was very excited and beamed with their best auradonian smile for several seconds.
Then they both started planning Artie's idea further, they discussed the dates when they would go to Cheshire, the number of escorts they would have, since they both knew Beast wouldn't let them go alone in case they tried to get their mother out of Wonderland, they considered how many days the trips would last and what items they would be allowed to pack. Artie thought it all made sense and was glad they weren't so strict in Auradon, while Ben felt bad about having to keep such a close eye on Artie because of what his father might say about the VK.
—So yeah —Artie said while the five teenagers were eating dinner— next month, around the 20th or 25th, I'm going to Cheshire for a couple of days
—Is Cheshire a real place? —Minx asked, somewhat confused, and before Artie could answer, he spoke again— I thought the cat was called Cheshire
—And Beast just accepted it like that? —Cal decided to ignore Minx, so the rest continued with the conversation— I’m pretty sure Ben hasn’t told him yet —Artie said, which made the other VKs nod in agreement— everything seems perfectly normal
The next day, after the extra lessons in Remedial Goodness 101, the Fairy Godmother told Artie what Ben had said to her, which meant that Artie had to spend several uncomfortable hours in a meeting with the king, the queen, the council, and thousands of adults discussing whether it was a good idea or if Artie was actually going to betray them all and only free her mother. At one point, Artie didn’t even know what they were discussing, but after several hours, they accepted Artie’s proposal to free the citizens of Wonderland, and finally Red Rose, since even though she was a 10-year-old girl, they still considered her a danger to Auradon because she was a VK. Artie had to hold back a lot to ignore that comment.
Now Artie eagerly awaited the day of the trip, they were quite certain that they wouldn't be able to do much on that first day, as it would be used to familiarize themselves with the nearby forest and the city, but the excitement of being ever closer to their sister again was enough to make them endure all the time it would take to find a place to cross into Wonderland.