Angel in Wonderland

Mind Your Manners!

Word count: 499.

Angie and Fluffy kept going down the path. The mist grew heavier and more damp until the air seemed like a solid cloud.

"I wonder if we'll need an umbrella," Angie worried. "Goodness, I can't see anything, it got so foggy!" She clutched Fluffy's leash tighter.

"A little water never hurt anyone," he remarked. "Puddles are fun."

"Yet, do Queens jump in mud puddles?"

The sudden voice made them both leap with squeals of fright. Standing alongside them was a woman wearing red robes and a gold crown.

"Oh my, your Majesty!" Angie promptly bowed low. She was unsure of what to do, never having spoken to a queen before. (The Queen of Hearts didn't count; Angie hadn't interacted with her during the trial.)

"As a future queen yourself, I suggest you take those questions seriously," the Queen said.

"What?? How can I be a queen?"

"You're the little girl the Coronation is for. They're waiting for you at the castle. Handle all obstacles, and you'll be crowned the moment you arrive."

"Queen of what, exactly?" Fluffy asked.

"Oh, anything you like," the Queen waved her hand airily. "The point is, you'll have to conduct yourself as one. Do you know anything about royal manners and protocols?"

Angie stuck her fingers in her hair in bewilderment and then realized queens probably didn't do that.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," she said, quickly smoothing out her hair and straightening her neckline.

"First rule: always stand up straight. If you slouch, your crown could slide off. Next, don't stare at people. They may fear you are adding them to the Execution List."

Angie couldn't help recalling the Duchess and her morals.

"Are morals the same as manners?" She asked.

"Not at all. One can have manners without morals, and one can also have morals without any manners."

"What's the difference?"

"Manners are a matter of common decency, of treating others with respect and courtesy on a daily basis. Morals are the larger framework of worldview which guides one's life choices over the course of years."

"So are manners easier to learn about than morals?"

"It depends. As I said, many have mastered one, yet fail at the other. One's personality may be inclined to take one more seriously than the other. Yet they are both important. Which reminds me, there is one word which a Queen must never say."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you. Yet, it should be simple to figure out. I've used a substitute three times in our conversation."

Angie mentally rewound their discussion.

"I understand. Yet, as a future Queen, I shall avoid saying it."

"Always smile for the cameras. Everyone loves a happy Queen. If you don't feel happy, the smile will help. And listen to your advisors. In many cases they know more than you do."

She began walking away.

"No, wait!" Angie called. "I have so many questions!"

"Questioning is key… always ask, always seek." And the Red Queen disappeared into the fog.

To be continued...


Prompt: ▼

The Red Queen insists on Alice having manners around her. What sort of rules/manners/common courtesies would you like to see more of these days? (<500 words)