In a Field of Roses // OPEN

Posts : 5

We found Wonderland

and life was never worse but never better

The blonde child slowly wandered through the field, along a path between millions of roses. It was a really nice day, the sun shining bright and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Of course the little girl noticed that sometimes a darkness seemed to try and take over the usually peaceful world. But not today. It was bright, happy and peaceful as ever.
A smile of content played around the young girl's mouth. Ever since she fell down that rabbit whole and landed here, her life had become so much better than it was before. Here people she met seemed to actually care. They were like friends to her and she liked that. No more stupid rules and some teacher telling you want to do.

Sometimes, when she was out strolling through wonderland, Josie did wonder if someone was out looking for her, if someone missed her in the real world. And those thoughts sometimes made her sad. But not today. She was happy and in good spirits, about to explore yet another part of this strange and mysterious world.
Sometimes it seemed like she was dreaming, but every time she pinched herself, it hurt and she realised that it wasn't just some weird dream. This was all real.

Breathing in through her nose, her nostrils were filled with the sweet scent of roses. She'd always loved those, especially the really dark red ones. The ones that felt and looked like velvet. Oh, how many times had she been wandering through Queen Mary's Garden in London just to see all the roses bloom and breathe in their scent.
Josie closed her eyes, standing still for a moment, just enjoying the moment for a little longer. When she opened them again, she noticed a figure in the distance coming closer. She stayed put, waiting to see who it was.

WORDS :: 308
TAGGED :: Open

Template created by blackrose538 of Caution 2.0

Posts : 4

It had been quite a while since Astoria had last been in the Rose Meadows. She didn't often venture out of her realm, now that The Darkness had started spreading around Wonderland. The damage it was doing to the land wasn't instantly noticeable; a dead tree here, a dried out river there. But it all added up. And with every passing day, the roads between the towns became home to poisonous thorns and brambles that were impossible to cut away, thus making travel that much more difficult, and Astoria worried about the day when the roads would be blocked off completely. They'd be in trouble then, for how would they get food and luxuries delivered to the kingdom? Forget luxuries, how were they going to get simple necessities like soap and toothpaste? The woman shuddered at the thought of an unclean court.

These morbid thoughts had been plaguing the Queen for several weeks, and though she tried to push them away and focus on the fun things in life, each night they insistently returned. It was in vain that she pulled Alexander close and made love with reckless abandon, attempting to ignore the thought of Wonderland's imminent death if Alice didn't show up soon while in her blissful haze. The thoughts crept back unbidden, just as she was drifted off to sleep, taunting her. Alice needed to show up, or Wonderland would fall.

Astoria hated being so powerless. She was used to having power. She enjoyed having such power, and subsequently enjoyed wielding it. She could do whatever she liked, help or hinder those around her, and that felt good. But now, none of the queens could do anything. Not even The White Queen, even though she tirelessly tried. It was all Alice. No one but her could save them. So where in the world was that girl?

The overwhelming feeling of helplessness had the Queen feeling trapped. Like an exotic crimson bird stuck in a gilded cage. She wanted out. And so with a note to her beloved husband not to go searching for her and that she would return whenever she felt like it, she'd run away. At first she'd just run blindly, not sure where she was going, but eventually, as if her feet had a mind of her own, she ended up in the Rose Meadows. A smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes and inhaled the rich rose perfume, running her fingers lightly across the soft petals of the closest rose. The panic and unease began to slip away as she strolled through the roses, beginning to hum softly to herself. Oh how she loved this place!

tag: Josie :3 – words: 444 – notes: sorry, got a tad carried away xD – outfit: red rose dress and red cape with heart clasp – credit: Calypso

Posts : 5

We found Wonderland

and life was never worse but never better

Josie continued on her way, slowly walking closer toward the figure in the distance. It didn't take her long to recognise it as another human, also wandering through the rose meadows. As the child slowly wandered down the path the distance between her and the other one got smaller and smaller until she eventually saw that it was a woman.
A woman with dark hair, a red dress and cape. She looked beautiful, letting her fingers softly touch the roses around her, but also sad. Josie could have sworn that she'd seen her before. Somewhere, but where? She looked familiar and yet she couldn't place her.
The little girl walked up closer to the beautiful woman, watching her curiously and with sympathy. She seemed to like it here, like Josie did.

Maybe the woman noticed the darkness coming to wonderland. Maybe that was what she was so sad about. Because everyone was talking about a girl named Alice who was the only one able to fight this darkness and save the beauty and peace of wonderland.
But the young child hadn't been in wonderland long enough to know the whole story and whether there was truth to it or not. She didn't know how it was before. She only knew how it was now and she still found it beautiful. Somehow it had become her home, even though she'd only been here for a few weeks. But maybe that was how wonderland worked... it became home to people who didn't have one anymore. Or never had a true home, like Josie.

Eventually reaching the woman in the pretty dress, the child smiled softly, looking up at her. “You look sad.” she said, her voice soft and clear, almost bell-like. But even though she had such a clear voice, there was sympathy ringing in her words.

WORDS :: 305
TAGGED ::

♠ Template created by blackrose538 of Caution 2.0 ♠
♫ Lyrics by Taylor Swift ♫

Posts : 4

Placing one foot carefully in front of the other, Astoria kept her eyes closed, allowing her other senses to pick up on everything her eyes couldn't: the velvety feel of the roses beneath her fingertips, the quiet rustle of her cloak as she stepped, the buzz of various insects all over the meadows. It was something she often did when she was alone, in order to enjoy all the little things. Not that she got much of a chance to be alone. Back in the castle she always had a swarm of loyal subjects following her, and if it wasn't them, it was Alexander. She loved the wonderful man with all her heart, but it got a bit much sometimes. She understood that he was only doing it to look after her, to help her through any explosive spells she might have, but it got a bit overwhelming to constantly have him with her. She also worried that if he continued to see all her flaws (of which there were a lot), he'd soon decide that he no longer wanted to stay with her and could leave, a prospect that would shatter her heart.

Her eyes flew open as she heard someone addressing her, and not seeing anyone directly in front of her, she looked down, only to see a young blonde girl. "You are very perceptive," the queen replied, giving a small smile. Had anyone spoken to her like that in her court, she might have reacted differently. She didn't like her emotions pointed out to her, especially if those emotions weren't particularly positive ones. But the meadows had a calming effect on her, something that the castle could never quite achieve.

She nibbled on the inside of her lip, contemplating whether to tell the child of the problems Wonderland was facing. Surely her parents would have told her about such things anyway. But as she studied the girl, she decided against it. It was unfair to burden one so young and innocent with the knowledge that all of the things that she was enjoying could someday be gone. "I am waiting for an old acquaintance," she said simply. "Her arrival is very important, yet I do not know when she will come back to Wonderland." Crouching down, she gave the girl a kind smile. "What is your name?"

tag: Josie :3 – words: 390 – notes: *bounces* – outfit: red rose dress and red cape with heart clasp – credit: Calypso

Posts : 5

We found Wonderland

and life was never worse but never better

A smile played around the young girl's lips and a happy spark twinkled in her green eyes. She wasn't used to people actually being friendly and for a moment it looked like the woman before her wanted to react different than she eventually did. But Josie was happy about that. The people in the children's home always were so strict and serious. One of the many reasons why the blond girl didn't like it there.
She had been left to her imagination most of the time, since there simply wasn't enough time for the people there to play with her... with anyone really. Most of the attention went to the babies and toddlers, but even they never got enough. Oh... how lucky were those who got to live in a family!

But Josie did not want to think about that now. And besides, the pretty lady in front of her was far more interesting. “I used to study people a lot back in London.” the child replied honestly. And what else was she supposed to say to that anyway? It was the truth and the only reason why she could see how people felt.

Her green eyes studied the person before her for a moment. She had such pretty dark hair and so beautiful blue eyes. She loved that shade of blue.
So, when she got down to her level, Josie actually blushed a little. But the young child smiled softly. It felt nice not to be ignored for a change. And the surroundings made it that much more beautiful. “I'm Josie. Back in London everyone always called me Josephine, but I like Josie so much better. But nobody seems to care when you're an orphan...” Josie replied, actually saying more than she first wanted to, but the words just floated out of her mouth without her being able to stop it. So, she giggled a little. “Are you waiting for Alice, too? I hear everyone is waiting for her to come and fight some sort of darkness that is troubling wonderland.”

WORDS :: 341
TAGGED :: Astoria - The Queen of Hearts
NOTES :: oh, I like my Josie <3

♠ Template created by blackrose538 of Caution 2.0 ♠
♫ Lyrics by Taylor Swift ♫

Posts : 4

So she was one of those Londoners that The White Rabbit had been gathering and sending to Wonderland. Astoria would have thought they'd be a bit...older. She wasn't exactly sure that an army of children would help in the fight to protect their home. But no matter. Every person helped, no matter how small. Even if they didn't fight, Wonderland was in need of citizens, its population having slowly waned over the years.

"Josie is a very pretty name. It is lovely to meet you. I'm The Queen Of Hearts," she replied. She paused for a second before the next words slipped out before she could stop them. "You can call me Astoria though, if you like." She almost wished she could take the words back, for she didn't like people knowing her real name. Few people did, and even fewer were actually allowed to use it, and that was exactly how she liked to keep it. But this time, she almost didn't mind so much. The girl's next words about no one caring for orphans made Astoria's heart clench up and a wave of empathy swept over her. She didn't often empathize or care about people that weren't herself or Alex, but she felt sad for this pretty blonde girl who didn't get enough attention and love, just because she had no one. Every child deserved to be cared for. "You'll find it's a little different in Wonderland. The people here care a lot about everyone, sometimes a little too much," she answered quietly. Not having ever been in this London place that Josie was mentioning, she wasn't sure how their people treated each other. But Wonderland took everyone in and made them feel loved. One just had to know where to go.

Moving away from the path, Astoria gingerly sat down on the edge of it, a soft sigh leaving her lips at the girl's mention of The Darkness and Alice. "I am," she began with a nod, before looking over at Josie and peering at her curiously. "Exactly what do you know about The Darkness?"

tag: Josie :3 – words: 349 – notes: ~ – outfit: red rose dress and red cape with heart clasp – credit: Calypso

Posts : 5

We found Wonderland

and life was never worse but never better

Her face beamed with joy hearing her say that her name was pretty. It felt like it was the very first time someone has ever told her that. Maybe someone had said that before, but that probably was ages ago and Josie couldn't even remember. But it felt nice to hear that compliment. Because she liked her name, too. Especially the short form that she had created for herself, but that only few people ever used. Mostly it were other children from the home. And they didn't really count, because they it was like a secret rule to be nice to each other, since the teachers and the carers weren't that nice.

“Thank you!” the young girl said happily. But she looked quite surprised when she heard Astoria's formal name, The Queen of Hearts. Oh, she had heard that name before. Hearing it and even though the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, it still caused respect. It was a title that was bound to cause to respect and courtesy and Josie felt a little foolish for not recognising her. Then again... she's never actually seen The Queen of Hearts before. So, before things got awkward between them, Josie smiled, deciding to be as careless and cheerful as before. “That's pretty, too. And don't worry 'bout me telling anyone. I can keep a secret very well. 'Cause I know subjects have to use the formal title to talk to a queen.” and then Josie realised that she was nothing more but subject herself, yet she was allowed to use her majesty's first name.
Somehow the little girl was uncertain whether she was allowed to feel special about it, or not. She was a polite person, even though she was child, so she wouldn't go and use that all the time, courtesy forbid that. Maybe just in a private setting. “Forgive me... I should, too, then.”

But when the subject was turned to wonderland again, she nodded in agreement. Oh yes, it was much different from the place she used to live. Even the White Rabbit was a friendly creature it would seem. She hadn't met an angry, unfriendly soul since she landed here and that was really nice. “I already noticed that.” she replied in a light tone. “I wouldn't be talking to a queen in London... if the teachers knew they'd scold me for not being polite and proper.” Josie added with a slight roll of her green eyes.

Then she watched Astoria sit down, contemplating if she should follow her example. But Josie decided against it for now. She let her eyes rest upon the beautiful roses once again and smiled in contempt. Somehow talking to a queen was so much different from what she'd imagined. It was so nice and friendly and not stiff at all.
Being asked about the Darkness, Josie could only shrug. She didn't know much about it, fortunately as some would say, unfortunately as others would argument. The child didn't know which it really was. “Not much, I'm afraid.” was her simple reply. “I just heard others talk about it and how only Alice could stop it. I know it destroys the beautiful land, but that's about it... I just wish I could help somehow.”

WORDS :: 542
TAGGED :: Miss Queen of Hearts

NOTES :: oy! I struggled with some parts but actually got carried away with my reply... sorry! Wink

oh btw... her outfit is what she wears on the pictures on her template. Forgot to add that

Template created by blackrose538 of Caution 2.0

♫ Lyrics by Taylor Swift ♫