Power is Madness

Immediately she nodded and stopped speaking. Not that she ever spoke very loudly… so thankfully she doubted anyone had over heard… but she still didn’t like him being here. Why was he even in the woodland any way? She’d severed her ties with his deal, and now honestly seemed a bit of a hypocrite… with his battle against the mers and now he was married to one. With one as a child as well. She wouldn’t say that out loud, but it certainly didn’t make her any more fond of him.

“S-sorry.” Alyse took a step back, not wishing to be very close to him. Not only was he in a position of power, she wasn’t terribly fond of their history. “Why… are you here? Why are you… hiding who you are?”

Gideon wasn’t dumb, he could tell his obviously uncomfortable the child was. She always seemed shy but he was sure she was - what was the word... ah, ‘traumatized’ by being forced into spying on her family by the threat of violence on her family. That was so long ago, though, he’d have thought she’d have gotten over it. He did have a thing about scaring rabbits, didn’t he... Excluding her sister. There was good reason why that one was his favorite.

“Why am I hiding myself? Look at yourself, darling. I expect to see half of the village looking at me like that if I take down this hood and the other half would probably start a mob without my guard here,” he told her in a condescending hush. 

Honestly, that was a worst case scenario, as he knew he had some supporters while he fought this war, but he was’t willing to chance it.

The moment his hood slipped back slightly, Alyse’s eyes widened and a small gasp left her lips. Shit shit shit shit. Just ran on repeat through her mind. Of course she’d have to run into the one person she wanted to see the absolute least in all  of Wonderland right now. Okay, maybe not the least… she was sure there were even less pleasant people than The Crimson King… but it still didn’t make her happy to see him. 

“Sorry y-your Majesty. I didn’t… I didn’t realize. I’m gonna.. go…” Her voice trailed off. She was well aware their previous encounter probably left more of a mark on her life than his… and a small part of her hoped that through the years since and his faked death he wouldn’t really remember her.

He probably would- he’d tormented her long enough that she doubted it would leave even his mind that quickly… but a girl could hope right? Either way she wanted to leave his presence as soon as possible but he was royalty again… How rude was it to just turn rabbit and bolt from the area?

“Hush, now, dear,” he whispered as he stepped closer to the rabbit, glancing at the crowd around them to be sure no one overheard them.

“No guard, no banners, no crown... If I wanted everyone to know who I was, don’t you think I’d have brought all of that along with me?”

Suddenly she felt entirely too sober and her pity party had come to an end. It was likely that it would’ve ended far worse if it had gone on so perhaps it was better this way, even if she hated giving her feelings a voice. 

“You’re obligated to say that since I gave birth to your pesky child,” she muttered ironically to avoid an actual reply to his kind words. 

A proud little smirk appeared at her diversion. He enjoyed both the statement itself and that it insinuated he had successfully diffused the situation. Maybe this marriage was more fair than he had thought it to be.

“I think you know me well enough to know otherwise, my love.” 

Alyse was taking her usual stroll through the Woodland. She tried to get out, but with everything going on it made her very nervous. Especially the sickness. Despite it’s helpful nature in the war, Alyse did not want to get sick. She didn’t like the idea of being stuck in one form or the other. She liked her rabbit form, it was quite literally second nature.

However, she tried to force herself out of the house every day. Even if it wasn’t a day she worked, she’d take a walk through the woods. Today was one of those days.

There were a fair few people around… something Alyse was trying to get better about. It had her nervous though- thankfully she recognized many of the faces. Her arms wrapped around herself as she walked. Her eyes scanning everywhere but the figure that she walked right into. “Oh my teas, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She had immediately taken a few steps back, thankfully there wasn’t much force behind Alyse and she didn’t think too much damage could be done… but she still was concerned that the person could be angry.

The girl he’d collided into was hardly large enough to force him to stop, but his movement in his surprise had been enough to knock his hood back enough to illuminate his face just briefly before he pulled it back down. 

“No worries, dear. Pardon me.”

Elias raised his eyebrows, looking at the king, wondering what happened and why in the world he was getting so upset at him for answering a question. He picked up the plate and a fork, taking a bite. Smiling, he sighed, happily. “Thank you. That’s so good, wow, so soft.” His stomach had most definitely been growling and he definitely needed it. But clearly there was something wrong and he wasn’t sure how to ask. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries, but he wanted to know.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, looking at him as he continued to eat the insanely tasty omelette. “I’m sorry if I did. I can be kind of an ass sometimes, but I didn’t think it was all that bad,” he explained. Elias was trying to be a better person. He knew he needed to be better, not just hotter and smarter, but a kinder person. His ego only went so far. It wasn’t always the best decision and he was trying to fix that. People got very easily offended and he wasn’t much of a fan anymore.

At first, Gideon just stood there, staring at Elias like he was trying to figure out what in this man’s mind made him so dense. Had the last minute not happened? Did he apologize and then immediately think that moment had been erased from the past?

Gideon had no patience for this or the man’s weak attempt at deep conversation. With nothing but a roll of his eyes and what may have possibly been the word “dumbass” formed under his breath, Gideon took his own breakfast and walked out of the room.

Jensen couldn’t help but smile at Gideon’s answer. Cece had twirled her father around her little finger so tightly it was rather funny to watch. “Everything for the Princess”, Jensen replied and took off his jacket putting it on the edge of one of the nearby chairs. He looked at his father, thinking what he should say or should he say anything, but since they hadn’t really been talking much lately – Gideon taking care of the mer situation and Jensen doing some investigation and Gideon taking care of his family while Jensen was taking care of Paige – but maybe this morning they should just talk like.. like normal people, like a family. “How are you?”

“I’m actually doing... all right, I think,” he answered honestly for probably the first time in his life. He only ever made it custom to lie to Jensen if he knew he didn’t want to upset the boy, but right now... He didn’t have too much to be upset about. The war progress from the Mer had been delayed, his family was together, he hadn’t yet gone insane again... 

“How about you? How have you and the dwarf been?”

Elias put his hands up in defense, chuckling slightly. “Woah, woah. I don’t care what’s in it as long as it looks good. Is there anything wrong with that?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. He knew he should never disrespect his king and he hadn’t meant to, at all. Leaning up against the table, he looked down at the food and back up at his king. “You can put whatever you want in it. You asked, so I responded. I’m just not a fan of mushrooms. They’re squishy and I don’t like squishy,” the archer explained.

The king noticed how Elias attempted to laugh it off, but Gideon hadn’t found any of this the slightest bit funny. And this was primarily why Elias was made to be a knight and not a jester.

But knowing the man had been put in check, he turned back to the stove and dropped whatever he had cooked off of the pan and onto a plate with completely carelessness. He then placed it in front of Elias like he was dropping a bowl of food in front of a dog. 

“There.”

He’d been trying. He really had. The Mer seemed to be at bay for now but, at any moment, the sickness could fade out and then where would they be?

The people of the Woodland just seemed so peaceful now... Far less frantic than when he had last been out her. And just for nostalgia’s sake, it seemed Gideon was mindlessly making his way toward the old bakery.

She was so used to be being calm and collected, always in control and ready for anything. This threw her off and it was no wonder that she attempted to find comfort at the bottom of a bottle. But it’d pass because she didn’t allow for herself to fall apart. She wasn’t weak. 

“I’m fine, I just wanted some peace and a break — is it too much to ask for when I’m the enemy the rest of the time? It’s all my fault that your people are being slaughtered out there and I care. And I hate that I care because it makes me weak and I can’t be weak when my family’s lives are at risk.”

Gideon’s teeth raked his lower lip as he listened to her speak, hating what he heard in her voice. He wished he could change everything for her, but they were not even close to winning this war and he didn’t even know what the next step should be. Regardless, he had to say something...

Lowering himself beside her again, he looked up at the woman who meant everything to him.

“Cadence... You are the farthest from weak that you have ever been. You have gone from a guarded refugee to the bloody Queen of Wonderland. You have won the love and leadership of the greatest land there is while barely lifting a finger. Who needs calm in the storm when there is a passion like yours to get through it? You are stronger right now than I have ever seen you, because you care.”

Will recognized now the inherent authority in their interactions. It had always been like this, he thought as he obeyed the gesture toward a specific chair.  He sat down and listened to the answer to his question.  This place was so strange.  A baker ending up as king.  Anything was possible.  

“Did you like it, or do you do it out of necessity?” He asked, thinking in an abstract way how easy it would be to poison a king who was helpless in front of a stove.  Maybe it was a safeguard.  He wasn’t stupid enough to say it.  “I mean, either way, thank you.” 

The boy asked good questions. That was true enough. Gideon had always wavered with the thought himself, but he supposed now was as good a time as any to speak the truth. If Willem were here to kill him, a little conversation wasn’t exactly going to change anything.

“Both, really... I didn’t when I was first crowned. I had people who cared for me then - people I trusted. As years went by, I became less trusting... So, then I suppose it was out of necessity. But I’d always cooked when I needed a good chance to think.” He went on to flip the eggs in his pan before continuing. “Some mindless gestures and wonderful smells make for a peaceful environment.”

And once he was sure they were cooked through, Gideon slid his meal onto a fresh plate, extinguished the stove, and turned to place himself at the opposite end of the table. 

“Today, however, I just wanted to make sure my family and I have a good meal with no risk to our health.”