Days had passed since Alice and Tarrant had returned. Mira was watched at all times, either by the couple, or by Chessur. It was obvious that he was devoted to her, much like a normal cat to their favorite person. More and more often, he would report nightmares she had woken from to Alice. Nightmares of the one to steal the child's eyes.
Mirana was taking several precautions, cutting away time spent with the courtiers and bringing more security around the gardens. It did not alieveate her worries, particularly when the child had given a description of the being to bring so much misfortune. It had fit the Knave of Hearts, Stayne, to a terrifying degree. It was not to say that it would come to pass; Mira had given several predictions on minor happenings that never came to fruition. But they had learned from the past that all fortunes and prophecies must be taken seriously.
Alice, noticing the changes and blaming herself as the cause, felt worse than ever. With the wedding coming up, the planning taking much (too much, in her opinion) of her time, and worrying over Mira, there was hardly any surprise to it. Tarrent had taken to caring for her when he could, when he was sure he had scrubbed as much mercury from his hands as possible. He understood the stress was awful for her, and he did as much as he could to help, but there was not much that could be done beyond what was already happening. Soon enough, things would take a turn for the better.