Chapter Text
Orientation had, evidently, been a disaster, but here in Wonderland, within the Hedge Maze—something that has thankfully not changed in this new timeline—their little secret, a byproduct from which events that had just unfolded mere hours ago, would remain kept secret indefinitely.
"The Wonderland Royal Vault. It's the perfect place to keep this hidden," Red reassures, carefully placing the pocket watch on the topmost shelf. The locket begins to instinctively seal itself as Red's hand retracts. "and no one can do the good we've done."
She smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. "There. Your mom's safe..."
"...and your mom's nice." Chloe concludes.
They hum a tune in agreement before clasping each other's hand for a playful little handshake.
There's a brief, miniscule moment of pause before Chloe speaks up again. "And we're..." she begins.
There's a fleeting sense of vulnerability in her eyes.
"Aw, Chlo. Are you asking to be friends?" Red immediately rebuts—a jestful mirth in her delivery; she places a hand to her chest in feigned shock.
Chloe rolls her eyes, amused now that she recognizes that she was being teased, and Red feels an overwhelming urge to clasp her face before she can make a retort.
"You're still such an AK." She, instead, settles for quickly—yet softly—holding her chin, giving it a delicate squeeze before releasing. The big, affectionate smile she earned for her efforts was absolutely well worth it.
"Okay, and that's never going to change," Chloe quips back. Despite her best efforts, her remark was delivered with zero venom, because how could she when Red had rendered her all giddy and smiley?
“But, might I add, it’s actually ‘HK’ now.”
Red makes a face. “Whose bright idea was that?”
“Everybody is now a citizen of Auradon after Queen Mal and King Ben took down the barrier surrounding the Isle of the Lost.”
Ah, there she goes.
“Right. Last time I checked, Wonderland’s not a part of Auradon, so that’s not applicable to me.”
“You never know! Maybe in this timeline, Bridget actually signed the Peace Treaty* that united all 20 kingdoms to form Auradon.”
Red mulls over that for a moment. “Do you think there even is a ‘Peace’ Treaty in this timeline? Seeing that my mom’s all ‘good’ now?”
“Hmm, maybe not," Chloe ponders thoughtfully. “I’ll have to take you to the Auradon Cathedral sometime then! There’s a mural in there with all the kingdoms under the United States of Auradon.”
Red lets out an amused huff. Of course. Chloe loves history. “What's the point of going to some old museum anyway when we already went back in time ourselves?”
“It’s an enjoyable way to remind us of our history," Chloe proudly asserts.
"Though, knowing now that my mom didn’t care about all this royal stuff when she was young," Chloe confides aloud. "Maybe I can talk to her and relax things a little bit?"
"You? Relaxed?" Red's eyes crinkle in disbelief. She snickers, already walking back into the maze as rows of bushes part for her expectedly.
"Hey!" Chloe protests, hurrying over to catch up with her. "It's hard being the daughter of a hero," she says in her defense. "You'll see!"
Somewhere along this interaction, their arms had interlocked, but it didn't seem like either of them was bothered by that in the slightest.
"Haha, come on, how different can it be?"
Red's analog alarm clock plays an unfamiliar tune, and she mutes with a light thunk. Her arm returns to her stomach as she opens her eyes, content. It had been an eventful night and then some, but this was the beginning of something good.
She stretches and pops a satisfying crink in her back.
They’re back in the present, and everything could return to normal—her new, good, better, happy, and improved new normal!
She was, honest-to-hearts, just about to get up when her door burst open and the Queen of Hearts strode in, followed by 4 ladies-in-waiting. They threw open her curtains and ushered her out of bed to fuss over her.
The attention was uncomfortable and overwhelming.
Red's fight or flight reflex swung in full force, and she tried her hardest to school her expression and relax her muscles.
She wished that the Queen of Hearts' excitement was contagious and that she, too, could indulge in it, but she was so preoccupied with trying to appear normal that she nearly missed the comment about how happy the Queen of Hearts was that her daughters were attending Auradon together.
Red eyebrows shot up.
Hold on, did she say "daughters"?
As if on cue, a pink-haired girl Red had never seen before burst into the room. She was decked in pink from head to toe, with perfect pink hair pulled back in a pink little bow. This, apparently, was her younger sister, Pink.
That’s new. And so very alarming!
If she had a new sister in this timeline, what else could have drastically changed?
She needed to talk to Chloe fast.
Chloe woke up bright and early, as per her usual routine, feeling positively positive.
The past few days had been nothing but a whirlwind of emotions, but she was feeling pretty good back home in Cinderellasburg, where she knew her mother and father were safe.
The prospect of seeing Red later today felt exhilarating. Truly, there was something special about the girl. Her first true best friend—she has decided, at least for the time being, until she can pinpoint her exact emotions more precisely.
It was almost alarming how much power the redhead wielded over her in just a matter of a few days. She smiles and shakes her head in disbelief. In spite of her own self-reflection, she was still determined to follow Red's advice and "be more chill." Roll with the punches; go with the flow! It would probably be good for her anyway to stop being so uptight.
Which was why this was her first task this morning! She had just meticulously arranged her mountains of pillows on her bed, just so.
She looks over the neat stack, feeling a rebellious impulse rush over her as she tosses the last final one carelessly into a pile. Now, it was just a little messy!
A sense of pride almost took over her until an unrelenting feeling of guilt consumed her, and she quickly adjusted the pillow.
So unfortunate. But change takes time, after all. Nevertheless, the rebellious thoughts alone must have been progress; that's a nice note to leave on! She thinks as she steps outside, smiling at her mother and father before joining them at the table.
As per usual, King Charming and Cinderella looked perfect together. They were, of course, the exemplar model of a happy, healthy couple after all. It was enough in their realm of normal that Chloe wasn't going to question how her father appeared to be more buttoned-up than usual until she sat down, eager to enjoy her meal, but before she could even take a bite, the plates were whisked away, and they were quickly replaced by a piece of paper with the checklist with “every step to success.”
Chloe's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at her mother, who just smiled. The list was to help Chloe become a true, perfect princess, she explained. Just the kind of princess that Cinderella wanted to be when she was Chloe's age.
Wrong, she thought. Alarm bells began ringing in her mind, and her frown deepened; she knew it was a total lie.
Before she could say a single word, boxes upon boxes were placed on her dining room table, as her mother started listing off a—quite frankly—very overwhelming and demanding class schedule that was jam-packed to the brim with extracurricular activities and other obligations that she now appeared to be enrolled in.
Unadulterated dread filled her stomach; a sliver of worry crept into her mind. Why did her mother and father act so strangely? Like they were playing the role of a picture-perfect royal couple?
Her shoulders sank as she picked up her new glass sneakers, feeling entirely dejected.
It was foolish of her to even have thought she had time to be more “chill” and “relaxed.” What a childish endeavor. She knew better than anyone what it is like to be the crown princess of a kingdom. She had to get it together.
Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle on her dress—she kept reminding herself as she slid on her glass sneakers. She should have known better. When has she ever been able to do anything casually? She let out one final sigh before schooling (and failing; she knows she is failing) her pitiful expression.
She really needed to talk to Red now.
They couldn't get to school fast enough.
The sun casted a bright, warm glow across campus, and the sky was a perfect royal blue as Red's—and Pink’s (still getting accustomed to that)—car pulled into Auradon Prep.
Students laughed and chatted as they made their way between buildings. Some carried bags, while others were followed by footmen holding their bags. Friends who hadn't seen each other since summer break called out to one another, while some kids showed off their new magic tricks they had learned.
Everyone looked so happy and at ease; after all, it was King Ben and Queen Mal's decree that Auradon Prep now welcomed all, both the children of heroes and villains, to its institution, and while there had been some bumps along the way, life at school had settled into a happy peace.
Red watched, her eyes scanning the crowd for a flash of blue, and her plea had been answered when she spotted Chloe across the way, appearing a little bit more frazzled than she usually is. Though that was not a relief to see, Red was relieved to see her considering that she all but jumped out of the car and ran over, skidding to a stop in front of her friend. Pink annoyingly followed in suit.
A crowd of happy students are murmuring nonsense about how they’re here, their own voices seeping with excessive saccharine-laden sweetness.
“They're really happy to see us,” Chloe observed, and Red nodded in agreement. That much was an understatement, for sure.
In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she was just overly sensitive to overly happy people after spending her morning with the new Queen of Hearts and Pink, but the campus did feel particularly peppy. It was like everyone had an extra helping of sugar. Or maybe this is just what Auradon is like, and she's just jaded from her Wonderland.
Red and Chloe barely had five steps onto campus grounds when two boys started heading their way with big smiles on their faces. One was tall, his muscles on full display. The other was smaller, more sinewy, with some of his hair pulled back into a ponytail of some sorts. He followed the big guy with doglike loyalty.
“Umm, why are those dudes coming over?” Red asked. “And what's with all the teeth?” It was overtly tooth-rotting, borderline disgustingly, sweet.
Chloe didn't even get the chance to shrug before the two stopped in front of them. They quickly introduced themselves as Luis Madrigal, “I’m your sister’s friend!" and Robbie Hood.
Luis, the bigger one, gave them a nod. “It's our two favorite princesses!” he said.
Red and Chloe exchanged confused looks.
What did that even mean? They had never even met these boys before, but as the two continued to fawn over them, Red's stomach began to churn. New random hero kids who seem to think that she and Chloe were ‘perfect princesses' set to inherit their kingdoms. Was this more fallout from their little trip back in time? Things felt so strange, and they only continued to get stranger.
As Red and Chloe tried—unsuccessfully—to lose Luis, Robbie, and Pink, a group of VKs appeared. Unlike the overly chipper students Red had seen, this group felt a little bit more... authentic… to her.
They eyed her and Chloe suspiciously. “Lovely ladies,” one of them, a brunette she later discovers to be Hazel Hook, mocked through a sneer. Behind her, the Smee twins, Spencer and Sterling, giggled.
Standing a few steps behind him were two other boys, one of whom Red later identifies as Felix Facilier and the other as a much too familiar yet very different boy. It was Max Hatter.
Red didn't understand. Since when was Max Hatter, the biggest goody-two-shoes nerd in all of Wonderland, a VK? His father, Maddox, had been one of Red's favorite people. She used to play with Max when they were little before her mother got rid of Ace and Chester.
He was the furthest thing from evil. And yet, when Red caught Max's eyes, she saw a flash of something cold and angry. What was that about? Red frowns, her earlier suspicions growing stronger; they had messed up big time. They had rewritten the past and present. How did she not realize it earlier?
Red felt so, so foolish.
It was the most egregious oversight she had ever made—to neglect the implications of time travel.
Did she really think that her life would just suddenly be "better"? Whatever that means?
Her mother was a tyrant, and that isn’t normal. That shouldn’t be normal. But that was her normal. The pocketwatch had taken her to what her heart most desired.
What her heart most desired—it wasn't just a surface-level wish for her mother to be “less strict” and to “accept her for who she was.”
No, this version of her mom is someone different entirely, and this version of Red is entirely different, too. Can she even call this version of the Queen of Hearts her mom? Her mom was an evil tyrant, and Red was a byproduct of that Queen of Hearts.
In addition to that, now Red was considered a princess among princesses. To everyone—well, at least the HKs—expect her to be perfect; the VKs only know her as a perfect princess. They could not have been any more wrong.
Looking back at Max, Red took a deep breath. His sneer was still visible, and it felt oddly reassuring to see the suspicion behind his glare. That made her feel less like a fraud, weirdly enough, knowing that someone was onto her. That somebody saw through the very poorly put-on act she was playing. Saw her for who she really was: the rebellious VK daughter of the original Queen of Hearts.
Red grabbed Chloe's hand more tightly than she intended to and dragged her away. They couldn't talk while Luis and Robbie were fawning over them, and they desperately needed to talk.
It had taken some maneuvering, but Red and Chloe had managed to shake Pink, Luis, and Robbie and now finally had a moment to catch up.
“Please tell me your morning was at least better than mine.” Chloe said as they walked across the courtyard.
Red shook her head. “I pretty much woke up inside of a cupcake.” She replied, sounding exasperated.
Chloe grimaced. "My mom is even stricter than before.”
"She even followed me to school," she continued to say, which elicited a "Yikes" from the other girl.
“When I got to meet my mom as a teenager, I thought that I understood her better, but then seeing her today—all proper and royal—it's like she's not even the same person.”
Chloe didn't know where to even begin addressing this topic. Cinderella's and every other hero’s fairy tale was not a secret, but seeing it firsthand and being present right then and there was something else entirely. She witnessed firsthand the full extent of what her mother had been through.
Her mother was so kind and compassionate. How could anyone treat Ella like that?
Even so, despite all, Chloe felt a strange disconnect from Ella, the teenage girl she had only met a few days before, and her mother before they messed with the fabric of reality.
Ella was so different from her actual mom, which is understandable given how time changes people, but was her mom always ‘like this’? Strict? Superficial? Concealing her true, unfiltered thoughts? Had she just simply failed to notice that until now?
Chloe, truthfully, didn't put that much thought into it until now. Hindsight is 20/20, and she quite literally went back in time. Who is she kidding? She doesn't know her mom like that, or at least she shouldn't.
"You were there, Red; you saw who Ella was," Chloe continues, confronted with her realization.
A flash of sympathy crossed Red's face.
She looked like she was trying to find the right words to say, but then her eyes narrowed at the sight of Max and his gang, known as the Hat Trix, by the school fountain. They were clearly up to no good.
“I don't know how to feel about anything.” She watched as Max performed a series of tricks in front of an amused group of HKS with one hand. With the other, he slipped a coin from the pocket of one of the unsuspecting kids. “I mean, Max Hatter is a VK now.” Talk about a new reality.
“I don't get it. His dad was my mom's advisor and my friend. My only friend.” Her voice trailed off as she thought back to all the times that Maddox had been there for her. Even when her own mother didn't seem to see her, Maddox always had. She had spent hours with him in his workroom, watching him tinker as she talked about all the things she wanted to do with her life—all the things her mother would never allow.
He had been gentle and kind. Two traits he had worked hard to instill in his son, Max.
“I knew Max growing up," she went on. "He wore button-downs and bow ties. How does someone go from that to this?”
Chloe's eyes followed Red's. Max was definitely not a bowtie and button-down kind of guy anymore. His oversized pants sagged and his shirt was wrinkly, undoubtedly a byproduct of growing up on the Isle of the Lost, Chloe would later understand.
A commotion from the fountain interrupted their conversation. Felix, Dr. Facilier’s son was up to more tricks. He had pulled a tarot card out and flashed it in front of the passing HKS. Immediately, students screamed in fear, and as they ran past, one of them collided with Red, knocking her off balance.
She spun and was just about to fall when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She looked up right into Luis’ handsome face. Red bit back a groan. Luis looked overly proud of himself, like he had just saved her from some unspeakable horror. Still holding her, he gave her his most charming grin. His perfect teeth glinted, and his hair fell just right like he was a poster child for HKs everywhere.
Unimpressed, Red pushed him away. She eyed Luis as Robbie, the ever-present sidekick, appeared.
“I got it," she said through clenched teeth.
“It's okay,” Luis said. “The first rescue’s free.”
Robbie nodded. "My boy Luis always saves the day."
Red made a face. Catching it, Chloe laughed gently. “Yeah, thanks, Luis.”
Red usually did her own rescuing, but before she could tell Luis that much, Max had appeared.
“Hey, Robbie Hood,” he said, flipping the Robbie coin he had just stolen. Robbie instinctively reached out to catch it. “For Sherwood's collection box.”
Robbie looked down at the coin, then at Max. He was about to say “thank you”—after all, it was a nice gesture—but Luis had to interrupt it.
“Drop the act, Max," he said. “No one's buying it—no matter how hard you pretend not to be your father.”
Red raised an eyebrow; an oddly protective feeling washed over her.
"What's wrong with his father?" she asked, unamused, then confused.
Max looked surprised by the question and opened his mouth to respond, but once again, Luis interjected with his own thoughts. “You mean the number one villain in Auradon?”
Max snarled. Clearly, he was used to hearing this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. Or stay silent.
"At least, I'm not Luisa Junior," he said. "Do they feed you more than hay up on that mountain, Madrigal?"
For a moment, Luis looked like he was going to lunge. But instead, he puffed his already large chest. “Just keep it moving, Hatter,” he said. “I'm sure the Hat Trix needs help lurking somewhere.”
As if on cue, the rest of the Hat Trix strolled over, with Hazel Hook in the lead. Felix and the Smees were close behind.
"I know you're not dissing my crew," she said, stopping in front of them. "We may be at school, but you're not going to like the lesson the Smees and I teach ya.” As she spoke, she pulled her hook and waved it in front of Chloe.
Chloe shrugged, unbothered. She pushed the hook away with one finger.
"A pirate itching to fight," she said. “How original.”
She was all too familiar with the horror stories that Chad had talked her ear off about pertaining to Uma and her pirate crew during his time at Auradon Prep.
Before Hazel could respond, there was a sound of flapping, and a strange energy filled the courtyard.
Looking over, Red spots something weaving and zipping around the students and through the fountain. Whatever it was, it was heading straight toward her. At the last second, before it could come into contact with her, Red lifted her hand in one smooth move and caught the object in her fingers. She looked down and frowned.
It was a card. The Queen of Hearts card, to be exact.
On the front, the hearts pumped furiously, as if they were out of breath. As Red flipped it over, her frown deepened. There was an image of the Wonderland Palace, and written over it was a distressed message.
In a high-pitched voice, the card spoke the message aloud: "Maddox Hatter has captured the Queen and taken over Wonderland! Come quickly!"
"No…" Red said, not believing her ears. “Maddox?”
Suddenly, the card was snatched out of her hand. Whipping around, Red saw Felix holding it. With another flip of his fingers, he passed the card along to Max.
Red looked at Max, fear and hurt in her eyes. To her surprise, he looked equally upset. He held a card back to her.
“Oh my HEARTS!”
Red and Chloe both jumped at the sound of Pink's aggressively lively and dynamic voice.
“You've got to stop doing that,” Red said, but her sister wasn't listening; she must have overheard the card's message and now appeared to be having a panic attack.
Red wasn't really sure what to do in this kind of situation, seeing as she only had just gotten a sister, but she figured she should try to help.
“Hey, hey, calm down. Don't freak out—”
“Mom’s been CAPTURED!” Pink squealed, loud enough for the whole courtyard to hear.
Then, with another cry, Pink threw a hand to her forehead and fainted. Luckily, Luis was there, and although Red wasn't super familiar with how to handle Pink, he sure was and caught her.
From one of the buildings that surrounded the courtyard, Fairy Godmother appeared. As always, her outfit was impeccable, not a wrinkle to be seen. And in her hand, she held her ever-present wand. She quickly bustled over.
"What the fluff?" she said as she approached. “Have my pumpkins gone rogue again?”
Red didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to Chloe.
"We have to get back to Wonderland," she said, surprised to hear the note of fear in her own voice.
Chloe nodded. Red was right. Which meant there was only one thing to do.
"We should find my mom," she said. Bridget and Ella were best friends, after all. "She'll help us."
At least, Chloe thought as they turned to go. I hope she will.
Ella would have helped them, and Ella is her mom.
“Absolutely not.”
Chloe, Red, Pink, and Fairy Godmother were standing in the Auradon Tea Room. Nearby, a full high tea had been set up on one of the many small tables that filled the space. Cinderella stood next to it, a disapproving frown on her face.
The group had clearly interrupted her tea time when they stormed inside the room, all talking over one another until Chloe had finally stepped forward and asked for help getting to Wonderland. A request that Cinderella, much to Chloe's disbelief, had promptly turned down.
"Absolutely not," she repeated. "Go to Wonderland? Without Auradon guards? Without the other kingdom's help?" She shook her head as if the thought alone was too much. “There are rules, Chloe. Protocols to follow.”
Chloe frowned. She knew that her mother had changed since they messed with time, but this was extreme! The Queen of Hearts was her best friend. How could she not help?
“But when it's important, rules don't matter.” Chloe argues, "We just have to get in there and get our hands dirty—right, Mom?"
A look of surprise crossed over Cinderella's face.
Good, Chloe thought. She had used the same words her mother had said as a girl; when they’d traveled back in time.
“Girls,” Fairy Godmother said, interrupting the moment, “you can't just bibbidi-bop yourself into a dangerous villain's hands! Maddox is not to be trifled with. He's terrorized the kingdoms for years with his deranged inventions. Your mom had to banish him to the Isle of the Lost; he's a madman!”
Chloe's eyes widened as she looked at Red.
The Isle of the Lost? Maddox had been on the Isle of the Lost?
Fairy Godmother continued. “Now, I spoke to Uma, and she's calling the Auradon Council. They'll come up with a carefully thought-out rescue plan that leaves nothing to chance.”
Red scowled, clearly irritable. “What happens to my mom in the meantime? We just leave her there?”
Sensing her friend's frustration, Chloe turned to Cinderella. "Mom, come on—”
Cinderella stopped her with a sharp shake of her head. "We don't break rules, Chloe,” she said. “Even for a good cause. You'll stay here and let us handle this. Promise me. People look to us to do what’s right. You’re a Charming. You need to act accordingly.”
Chloe could feel Red's eyes on her. She wanted so badly to be a better person, to be more than just a naive AK that she was just mere days ago. The type of person who stood up for herself and took risks. But the weight of her mother's stare won out.
Her shoulders sag. She felt defeated.
Red let out a huff of frustration that Chloe desperately hoped was not directed towards her, and she turned to leave. Fairy Godmother and Cinderella continue to discuss the options that will do nothing to help her mother. Red was not going to wait around for them to figure it out. With one last glance at the group, she stormed out of the room.
Chloe watched her go. The first time she had the chance to step up, and she had let down her best friend. She felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. She was going to find Red, and together they were going to fix the past, present, and future.
Auradon was out of their clock-damned mind if they thought Red was just going to sit idly by and wait while Wonderland was in danger. They had not gone back in time to alter the fabric of reality only for her now-kind and loving mother to be in danger.
“Red, wait up!” A familiar voice calls out to her, and in a moment, Chloe reared her pretty little head at her side.
“Disobeying your mom? I guess I really have corrupted you.” Red almost felt prideful over the influence that may or may not have had on the former AK.
“Okay, don't give yourself too much credit,” Chloe clarifies in response. “My mom was the one who taught me that a lie to save a life was a good trade even if she doesn't remember it."
The smile faded from Red’s face. “What your mom said in there about ‘Maddox on the Isle,’ That's us, Chloe. We did that. My mom, she's... nice now, but we just put her in danger. Maddox, my only friend in Wonderland, we put him on the Isle, Chloe.” Red felt a knot of guilt in her stomach.
Chloe gave a somber nod. The thought of what Red must be going through is beyond her comprehension.
She reachs over to take Red's hands. “It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out together.”
Thankfully, that was able to help Red feel more at ease, and she nods.
"Okay, ready to enter Wonderland?”
Chloe groans. “No, not really.”
Red couldn’t help but laugh. “You screamed so loud the last night, I thought you were going to blow our cover!”
Red thinks she’s so funny.
Chloe lets go of their hands and moves in the direction of the portal.
"Let's just get this over with." She grumbles.
“Okay, come here.” Red caught up with her, and she held their fingers together again in a firm, tight grip. “Hold onto my hand.”
Chloe's stomach churns with a sensation she could only describe as butterflies. The anticipation of the fall must truly be getting to her. But, before Chloe could say another word, Red yanked the two of them unceremoniously towards the Rabbit Hole, loudly exclaiming, “Woo!” while Chloe screamed.
…
Falling down the Rabbit Hole would have been an exhilarating experience if it were not also so horrendously terrifying.
True to Red's words, though, she did not let go of her hand.
They're free falling, and the mere handhold seconds before had evolved into a full-body embrace as Chloe clung to her for dear life.
The colors surrounding them shifted like a kaleidoscope of varying hues. Dizzying amounts of artifacts and other knickknacks danced around them in the endless abyss, but something in the tunnel caught her attention.
In a dark mirror that swirled in the spiral with them, she caught a glimpse of someone she could hardly recognize. The image passed by too quickly for her to pinpoint anything, but something about that person deeply unnerved her. A stew of emotions wormed their way into her chest, and she had never felt more grateful to have already been holding onto another person.
…
After what felt like forever, they finally reached the end of the tunnel.
“Back in Wonderland,” Red announces, helping Chloe up as they regain their bearings.
The sight in front of them was admittedly breathtaking, something Chloe had failed to notice when they entered the Royal Vault in the dark the night before. The forest in front of them was covered in lush vegetation of various colors. Red’s world was so vibrant and full of life.
"Your home is beautiful, Red." Chloe whispers in awe.
Red catches the corners of her eyes, glistening with marvel and wonder.
Red shakes her head in resignation, her expression unreadable.
“This isn’t the Wonderland I grew up with.” Red only responds, taking in the sight as well.
Chloe’s gaze follows Red’s as she soaks in the surroundings for herself too.
A sorrowful feeling sweeps over Chloe as she recalls the days prior. How could she forget? This wasn't the Wonderland—the enchanting, awe-inspiring place—that Red grew up in. Her Wonderland was ruled by the tyrannical Queen of Hearts. The same tyrannical Queen of Hearts who sentenced Chloe’s own mother to her death, and the same tyrannical Queen of Hearts who would do the same to Red without hesitation.
She takes a few steps closer to Red, and their hands brush against each other's again.
“What's the fastest way to the castle?” Chloe asks; she’s deliberately softened her tone.
Red remains silent for a while longer, still taking in their surroundings. Her shoulders eventually dropped marginally, and a resigned look formed on her face.
“I… I don't know," she whispers. “I never left the palace before.”
Chloe and Red exchange a contemplative glance, and Chloe squeezes Red's hand in a comforting gesture.
"That’s okay. We'll figure it out together?" She extends another reassuring squeeze, which Red returns.
"Yeah," Red steels herself again, and a determined expression replaces her previous disposition.
"I have a feeling it's going to be this way." She points to a hopscotched stone path. "I think I saw my mom drove past here when we first went to Auradon."