I’m not sure what Doe expects of me. Perhaps, she doesn’t expect me to stand at White’s side after her comment, but I don’t know all the facts, and so, I withhold any judgement. It’s not my place, and I don’t want to crucify White for something I haven’t heard the whole story for, especially if it’s in his past.

Doe tilts her head to the side, those brightly-colored beady eyes meeting mine.

“You can’t sell dreams to someone who has walked through nightmares, Fire Child.” Her hoarse voice echoes within the cave, and it feels like she’s wrapping around me. I suddenly ache with the pain in the words, and I frown. “My time is coming,” she continues. “I will die here, and Wonderland will die with me.”

“How can you say something like that?” I ask, my voice strong. “Where is your fight?”

“It left me with my blood as I lay mutilated and broken at the Red Queen’s feet, my throat too crushed to beg for mercy as she plucked my beautiful feathers free one by one. My fight left me even before the Hatter escaped his own bonds and dragged me to safety here in the Dark lands, nurturing me back to health even though I asked him to end my suffering.” She pauses, a tear slipping down over her cheek, and I find myself wanting to reach out to her and attempt to ease her pain. “I used to be so beautiful,” she mourns. Her head dips, and she turns in on herself.

White’s fingers twitch in mine and when I look at him, I see shame written across his face. I’m standing on difficult ground, not understanding exactly what happened but knowing I’m supposed to fix it in some way.

“You’re still beautiful.” My voice breaks the silence as I step forward. Doe glances up at me as I move closer. When she doesn’t move away, I continue until I’m close enough to reach out my hand and touch the base of her neck. My head barely reaches her chest as I brush my fingers along the leathery, scarred skin. “You’re a survivor, and that’s beautiful. Survivors do what they have to, sacrifice pieces of themselves in order to keep going. You’re beautiful, and you honor me by baring your soul.”

Doe’s eyes widen, and she shifts on her feet.

“Do you mean that?” she rasps.

“I do.” I smile up at her, before taking a step back to give her room. When her eyes meet mine again, it sends a bolt of recognition through me, and my jaw drops. “Were you in my dream?”

“I have a talent for dream walking, yes. But it was not I who called out to you. I was drawn to your dream like a beacon.”

“But you were humanoid in my dream. Why are you not here?”

Doe frowns and shakes her head. “I haven’t been able to shift into my true form since the Red Queen bound me.” She lifts her head high and reveals a softly glowing cord wrapped around her neck. The glow is miniscule, barely detectable unless I really focus. “Her enchantment forces me to stay in this form, to be reminded about what she’s done. Just before the Hatter got me out, she placed the cord around my neck.”

“Can I take a look?” I ask, moving closer again and lifting my hand towards the cord.

“Feel free. I tried for many years to remove the blasted thing only to be disappointed each and every time.”

I study the cord in depth, turning my head this way and that to get a better look. It looks like an ordinary length of cord except for the pale-red glow emanating from it. I slip my knife from my pocket and lift it.

“Hold still please,” I say before attempting to cut it.

“Do you think I haven’t tried something so simple?” she asks.

I stop sawing long enough to see there’s no damage to the cord. I slip my knife away.

“I’m gathering the facts.” I sigh. “Did you hear the enchantment? Did it have words or was it like a hocus-pocus type thing?”

Doe frowns at my terminology but nods her head.

“I remember the exact words.

With this cord, bathed in pain, I bind thee,

Only blood of time can set you free.”

I scrunch up my nose at her words. It’s short and not much to go on, but it’s something.

“I hate vague things like that. Exactly the reason I never went into archeology. I love dinosaurs, but no way am I going to read a thousand-year-old curse and hope I translate it correctly. Talk about a Mummy Returns scenario.”

Doe smiles at my chatter, not seeming to know what I’m talking about but hanging on every word either way. It’s humbling, to know that I amuse her in some way. I kind of want to keep doing it. She deserves a reason to smile.

“Can you figure out what it means?” White asks, shifting uncomfortably. For the first time, I realize he never put on his clothes. I give him a funny look and point my finger at him.

“First, you need to put your pants on, Rabbit. I can’t focus if you’re letting it all hang out.” White smiles and immediately searches for his clothing. “I’m certainly going to try and remove it. But I need something to write with.”

Doe nods towards a crack in the wall that I hadn’t paid any attention to. Thank you baby Jesus that there wasn’t some Wonderland Grotesque Spider lying in wait inside the hole for the moment we let our guard down.

“My paints are in there. I’m certain there’s a notepad and charcoal in there.”

I don’t comment on the paints even though my brain snags on the image of Doe in bird form painting the pictures on the walls. They’re gorgeous even if they’re horrifying, and she’s clearly an artist.

I move towards the crack and shift things carefully around until I pull free a notepad with obviously handmade paper and a charcoal pencil. I wink at White as he fastens his leather pants, his face lighting up with a smile at the gesture, before I move away and tuck myself into a corner.

I begin scribbling away on the paper and tune out the world.

Look out, Wonderland. The scientist is gonna solve the riddle.