Chapter 2

I felt the fall.

Blackness rushed past me upward, followed by a wide band of blurred blue, giddy green, then—

My vision had a terrible wrench but there was no pain that should have come with the hit. Something not-so-hard was on the ground to pillow my drop and stopped the fall.

A man was groaning next to my ear. I looked around and down as he opened one of his golden eyeballs fixing an accusing stare at me. His jaws were smartly carved in an angle that made him looked tough and strong, but still very handsome

"S—sorry." I said and realized he was the one taking all the pain from the fall and quickly got up.

He stood up towering me—wow, he must be almost two meters tall, no taller than two meters—brushing the invisible dust off his queer vintage garments similar to those in historical or fantasy movies. I looked up, mouth opened, from under his shoulder feeling kind of weird. (Maybe it's the height or the clothes or both.) He shouldn't hurt that much with such sturdily built muscular body, I thought resting my eyes at the tip of his straw blonde hair which went white in the sun as he said quietly with a very pressing calm tone. "You dropped from the sky."

"D—did I?"

"I cannot believe I couldn't even get a peaceful sleep here." He was more of talking to himself, so I shut my mouth not to anger him anymore.

"Princess!"

I looked behind the guy and saw a white hair boy with long white rabbit ears running toward me. On a brief glance, I thought it was very amusing for a boy to put on a rabbit-ear hair band, but when he came closer, I realized it was not a hair band, those ears naturally grew out of his head as parts of his body and I went back confusing. I was still rooted to the ground, too befuddled to move or do anything when the rabbit-eared boy arrived, panting, smiling, giving me sparkling red eyes, "You're safe! Prince Leonhard! You're here too!"

"So you're the Princess." said the guy boringly. He made a most bored face and walked away.

"Thank you so much Prince Leonhard!" The rabbit boy called after him and turned to me. His grin stretched from ear to ear—oh, er, not the ears on his head, that would need special acrobatic ability of the lips and it would look super creepy. Anyway, he seemed really happy. "There's a bit mistake, but I'm so happy that your Highness arrived here safely," then he bowed down.

"Umm...rabbit?" I said pointing at him with uncertainty.

"Yes," The rabbit boy beamed. "I'm the rabbit you saw in the Dry World. My name's Shaph. It is such an honor to meet you Princess. When you left Coronale, I still haven't started working at the palace. So this is our first time."

Rabbit?.... Boy?...

"Co...rona..le?" I voiced my last confusion out loud.

"Allow me to escort you properly to the palace this time." The rabbit boy said flourishing his gloved hand toward the big magnificent Disney's fairytales castle not so far from us, whereupon I had just noticed the surrounding of a huge green lawn trimming with dark green forest on the other side, and my light pink handbag, surviving through the black hole as well, laying at my foot, all belongings clattering out. Squatting down confusingly, I slowly picked things up piece by piece. I did not know why I did that, maybe doing some sensible actions like picking up falling things would help bringing back sensible situation to me.

"Let me help Princess." said the rabbit boy and joined me on the ground. I did not resist because my head was still working hard. Okay, there is a boy who said he is that rabbit, the green lawn, the Cinderella's castle,...crap! nothing is useful! Every single thing does not make any sense!

I placed my hands on a pen hiding among taller grasses, inhaled the cool air in deep to organize feelings and thoughts while the rabbit boy put the last tissue paper pack into my bag and stood up beckoning me once more. "Princess," he said moving his arm horizontally toward the fancy building. 'Princess' does not make sense too, I thought while my legs made a move following the rabbit without my intention to.

"I'm your personal steward. I took over the palace after Master Derek. I believe you remember him? He was Queen Nara's―your mother―steward." The rabbit boy did not stop speaking when his mood suddenly went gloomy. "They were sad and disastrous years without you. Here, welcome home."

Mood changing again, rabbit boy jumped livelily as we passed two soldiers entering the so-called palace. The entrance hall's rich and grand smell smacked at my nose but could not completely get me out of my confusion trance. Only a quarter of my conscious was still aware of the surrounding.

Sunlight streaming in through a row of tall and wide mullioned windows touched the inside illuminating the expensive space. Red carpets clashed with white marble walls supported by gilt massive pillars, and golden glitters from the ornaments stabbed into my eyes. Every corner of this place was delicately carved and built so beautifully. It was a lot grander than any five stars hotels I had ever visited.

We proceeded into another room and the room behind that which were equally exquisitely decorated, until we came upon a room with two gold spiral staircases majestically rose from the red ground. The rabbit took me up on the right one and we went into a door where a long hidden marble hallway lay ahead of me and turned the corner at the far end.

The steward led me on this way. We took turn after turn—I was literally lost by now. And as we walked along the narrow sunsoaked passage which had no solid walls and that the ceiling was solely supported by thick glass on one side, a man with shoulder-length red hair came from the opposite. He widened his eyes when he saw us. Oh, god! there are two colors in each of his eyes, mostly light orange with thin streaks of blue shooting from the center.

"Prince Valentine! Princess is safe, thank you so much for your help." The rabbit boy jumped— like a rabbit.

The red hair guy ignored him and strode right to me. He took my hand and knelt down. "Welcome back to our world Princess. I am Valentine, Prince of Keon, the Kingdom of Magic." Then he kissed at the back of my hand.

I gawked at him, shock joined the confusion and my thinking just stopped.

"Prince Valentine helps with finding you Princess." Rabbit boy said. And when I did not response but only looked horrifyingly at my hand, he said. "Excuse us, Prince Valentine. Princess may need some rest."

"Certainly." Prince Whatever stood up and stepped aside to give way but his orange-blue eyes followed until I was out of his sight. They were scarily haunted. I shuddered a little, tried a lot to contain myself. If I decided to freak out now, the only way out was jumping out of this palace window. I regretted my stupid legs leading me into here heartily.

The rabbit boy led me further on into the extravagant maze, treading along many similar corridors to make sure I would not be able to find my way back. We entered one of the heavy wooden doors and came into a mauve carpet section. The thumps of our feet sunk into the thick velvety floor as we trotted on and the rabbit butler whispered, "This is the royal's private area," Finally, we arrived at a very grand roses-carved door at the end of one of one of the passageways which opened off to the most sumptuous suite I had ever seen.

There was a set of sofa and chairs, all were entwined with pink-painted rose sculpts, for recess and guests. Beyond them was a dark and cold fireplace, and placed in the middle before them was a small table studded with white and pink rose-shape crystals. Carmine wallpapers of roses turned the room into a rose garden. Rabbit boy took me to the room to the left, and even though I was neither a fan of pink nor roses, I thought it was even more beautiful here.

The large bed at the end of the room was European style with canopy and roses climbing on its four legs. The mattress looked so soft that if I was not so shock, I would surely jump into that fluffy roseate quilt and let myself submerge into the rose-scented cotton sea. The furniture in the room was decorated with—I'm bored to say—roses with soft pink rose-patterned cushions and rosy ornaments everywhere. The pastel pink wallpapers were some sort of artwork that I could not really pin down to what it was, but it was very rose-liked. The peach carpet on the floor was dyed white in the light that shone through two big rose-stained-glass windows. About the only thing missing here was the rose aroma, instead, the room smelled empty and neglect.

The click from the closing door reworked my brain. "Coronale," I said realizing through the walk that this was not a dream. I was very positive about my analysis which alarmed me exceedingly. "Coronale," I said again and turned to the rabbit boy. "Coronale?"

"Yes, your Highness." He smiled.

"Princess?" I pointed at myself.

"Yes, your Highness. Do you not remember?" The rabbit boy tilted his head.

"Rabbit?" I steered my finger at him.

"Yes." The rabbit boy now was puzzled. "Is there anything wrong Princess?"

Is there anything wrong? Is there anything wrong? Of course, EVERYTHING is wrong!—"I'm not the Princess!" I started to become panic. "I don't' know this place! I—I—I'm not princess! Not princess!"

"C—calm down—" The rabbit boy panicked too. "Princess Carla—"

"I'm not Carla!" I rejected the new information. "I'm not Princess Carla! My mother's not queen!"

"Okay, okay—" The rabbit boy took my shoulder and pushed me down on a sofa. He put my handbag away on a red rose engraved dressing table. "Please breathe, breathe. In. Out. One. Two."

I did as told and my organized brain started to come back, so did the feelings on my skin which was now stinging with cold. It couldn't have been fainting, it's the Wonderland, or Coronale as he called. I did not know how to feel. When I was young, I admitted I had this fantasizing desire of going onto adventures at other worlds, other dimensions, but that was just a silly daydream which I gave up as soon as I drew the conclusion about non-existence of other worlds. Then it just happened to me? Right now? Like this? When I had already lost all the beliefs, dreams, and adventurous heart?

Moreover, I felt scared and out of place, unlike how I used to imagine myself —bravely waving a sword, slaying a dragon, unveiling the holy secret, saving the make-believed world, and becoming a hero.

I wondered what I should do or feel. Anyhow this was a rare chance. Do I just be happy? Or should I want to go back? Maybe I should explain to the rabbit boy first.

"I'm sorry," I said to him in a calmer tone. "but listen, I really am not Princess Carla."

"It has to be you." Rabbit boy raised his brows. "We checked and we followed your power. We certainly got the right location."

"But I am not, I can assure you," I said with slight firmness and pleading in the voice. "I know my biological mother and father. I was born in Thailand and live forever in Bangkok. I have full memories of my childhood and my whole life until now. I've never ever lived here. I've never known or heard of this place. Co—coronelle? Coronale!"

The rabbit seemed taken aback. "If you're not Princess Carla—who are you?"

Right, who am I? "I—I'm—" This is hard to explain. "I'm—I'm just an ordinary human!" There you go!

"But the magic..." He trailed off. "It couldn't have been wrong!"

"Tell me, err—"

"Shaph."

"Shaph, why do you think I'm the Princess?"

"Because," Shaph began. "We traced your power and when I went to the Dry World, I met you."

"And?"

"And you saw me—"

"Everybody can see you Shaph. I saw a lot of people looking," I said thinking back, and added hoping it would make him feel better. "You're very cute."

"And you have the Princess' look!" Shaph said slightly blushed.

"Huh? Me?" Now, this is weird.

"Yes," Shaph nodded. "The brown hair and brown eyes!"

"Shaph!" I got up, desperately wrung my hair and dilated my eyes, moving closer to him. "My hair's black! My eyes are almost black. They're dark dark dark brown!" And I picked out the contact lens putting my face closed to him to see.

"What?" Shaph looked astonished. He picked up a lock of my hair that was actually brown. "But these—"

"That's the dye." I said and pull forward more hair to show him. People in my world, we change our hair color everyday!" Okay, that was exaggerating.

Now, Shaph was totally desperate. "But—but—"

"Look at me," I said making a gesture at my body. "I don't have a princess body. My legs are short. My back's not that straight. My face...is not pretty. I am VERY average. And my eye-sight isn't well, usually I would wear glasses," I dashed to my handbag and pulled out my everyday glasses. "Princesses," I pressed on hysterically. "Do not wear glasses."

"Isn't that just a facial decoration?" Shaph said innocently. "Fashion of some sort."

"It's for my eyes Shaph." I said heavily. "I can't see very well without it. It was a mistake that I decided to put on a contact lens today." The latter one was more of to myself.

Shaph was out of words.

"Shaph, do you have a picture of the Princess?" I had the idea and the butler nodded enthusiastically and ran back into the living room, pointing at the small oil-painting picture hanging near a fireplace. It was a picture of a pretty little girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and westerner's face which I hadn't noticed before.

I walked to that picture and put my Asian face next to that girl's. "I'm nothing like her, Shaph."

"But!—"

"Besides, she's just a child."

"No, no, no," Shaph protested. "The picture is years ago. The Princess should be eighteen or nineteen by now!" He looked like he had won our argument at last.

"I'm twenty nine."

Shaph was in absolute despair.