By the time they had arrived in Hickory Dickory, Ace's entire body ached, though not from any physical exertion. This was the dull pain that came from stress, the kind that afflicted every single muscle and seeped into his veins. He couldn't help but feel that throughout the entire journey someone was following them. Every so often, he would catch a glimpse of a figure stalking behind them. However, when he would try to investigate further, Alice always managed to distract him. She'd grab hold of his hand, insist he solve a riddle right then and there, or sometimes even resort to flirting her eyelashes and teasing him with a soft kiss. By the time he was able to turn his attention back to the figure, it was be gone.

She was hiding something. Her lighthearted teasing was forced and desperate. Ace assumed it had something to do with the figure following them, but there was a disconcerting fear in the back of his mind that perhaps it was something more. Maybe she was hiding something about their marriage. Like that she wasn't happy. After all, they had gotten married in quite a hurry. Maybe now that she'd had time to think about it, she realized it was a mistake.

Shaking his head, Ace forced that thought out of his mind. Alice's strange behavior had to be because of the person following them. He was sure of it.

But that just made him wonder why she didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth.

"Cake and crumpets," Alice muttered as they entered Hickory Dickory. "Have you ever seen such a place?"

Ace gave a low whistle as he took in the scene before him. It looked like a typical town: houses, shops, people milling about. Everything seemed normal except for the number of clockwork devices. Shop doors that were fitted with gears and pulleys opened and closed for customers. Clockwork horses pounded their heavy metal hooves against the cobblestone as they pulled wagons full of goods. Even the well in the center of the town square functioned on its own as a woman in a maid uniform sat patiently on the edge.

"Quick, take a look at her back," Ace whispered to Alice as they drew closer to the maid.

"What? Why?"

"Do you see a windup key?"

A slow grin spread over Alice's face as she playfully elbowed him in the side.

The maid glanced up at them and gave a warm smile. "Hello, there. Are you new to town?"

"Ah, yes," Ace said, glancing at Alice and wondering what story she would invent for them this time.

"And what brings you to Hickory Dickory?"

Looping her arm with Ace's, Alice leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled at the maid. "Honeymooners."

The maid's eyes lit up. "Oh, how lovely! When did you tie the knot?"

"Three days ago."

"Congratulations! Well, Hickory Dickory is a wonderful place for a romantic getaway. If you'd like, I could recommend a charming little inn."

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

Retrieving her bucket from the automatic well, the maid motioned for them to follow her. Still arm-in-arm, Alice and Ace walked behind her and took in the sights of the quirky little town. A street vendor was shouting loudly about his mechanical fish scaler, though his demonstration was derailed when the device finished scaling the fish and set to work on destroying the table it sat upon. There was a young man using an extendable sweeper to clean a chimney from the ground. A group of children laughed as they teased a clockwork spider until its glass body lit up like it was filled with lightning bugs.

"How does it do that?" Alice wondered aloud.

Ace shook his head, curious to know the answer himself.

"Oh, look here," the maid said over her shoulder. "This is the pride of the town. The End of Days Clock Tower."

She gestured towards a tall stone structure with an incredibly complicated clock face. There were some numbers that Ace assumed kept track of time, but the rest of the symbols were gibberish to him.

"Why do they call it 'End of Days'?" asked Alice.

"Legend says that Time himself built this clock tower," the maid explained. "Many folks believe that he resides there and that if it is ever destroyed, time will cease to exist. And if there's no time, well..."

"How cheery."

"What are all the other symbols?" asked Ace.

"It's an astronomical clock," the maid replied. "It not only keeps track of time but also the weather, bird migration, the current ratio of cake to tea. It's a remarkable thing."

Alice leaned in closer to Ace and whispered, "I told you this place would be amazing."

After walking a little further, the maid stopped in front of a quaint little inn. "Here we are. The Cuckoo Corner." She turned to them with that same warm smile. "They even have a special honeymoon suite. It's called 'Time Stands Still.' It's quite popular with the tourists."

Ace's cheeks warmed, and he heard Alice snicker beside him. "Sounds absolutely splendid," she said. "Thank you for your kind assistance."

"Enjoy your stay. And congratulations again."

With a graceful curtsey, the maid turned back the way she had come, lugging her bucket of water along with her. Ace turned his eyes to Alice, raising his eyebrows teasingly.

"Honeymooners?"

"It's not a lie," Alice said.

"Saying we were married three days ago is."

"Oh, technicalities. Come on, I'm quite interested in this special suite."

Ace's blush deepened. "You're serious?"

She grinned devilishly. "Captain, we've been married for two and a half months. Are you actually embarrassed at the thought of booking a honeymoon suite?"

Clearing his throat, Ace allowed Alice to drag him into the inn.

The moment they opened the door, they were accosted by the deafening roar of at least a hundred clocks. They were everywhere. On the walls, on bookshelves, tucked away in corners, sitting on window sills. Some were even hanging from the ceiling. The collective ticking rumbled through Ace's body, giving him the sensation that he might burst into pieces.

He covered his ears with his hands and turned to find Alice doing the same. She shrugged and gave a half smile. Before Ace could open his mouth to try and talk her out of staying, there was a shout from behind them. Turning, they found a badger sitting at the front desk. She wore a pretty floral bonnet and a large, toothy smile.

"WELCOME," she said, her voice somehow booming over the clocks. "CAN I INTEREST YOU IN A ROOM?"

Ace glanced at Alice. She stuck out her lower lip and batted her lashes at him. Sighing, he turned back to the badger.

"Could we have a room for two?" he shouted.

"OF COURSE. IS THIS FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION?"

"We're newlyweds," Alice shouted as she leaned in close and flashed one of her most charming smiles.

"NEWLYWEDS? OH, HOW WONDERFUL! YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SPECIAL HONEYMOON SUITE. WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED?"

"Does it have clocks?" asked Ace.

"OH, YES. EVERY ROOM HAS CLOCKS."

"How many clocks?"

"WE MAKES SURE EACH ROOM HAS AT LEAST FIVE."

Turning to Alice once more, Ace tried to beg her through his eyes to change her mind. But she simply turned to the badger and said, "The honeymoon suite sounds perfect."

~

"There's still ringing in my ears," Ace said as he tossed the last of the eight clocks—the front desk badger had thrown in three extra as a "wedding gift"— into the closet and closed it tight.

"I've never seen so many clocks in one place," Alice said as she sat on the edge of the large bed. "How can anyone even hear themselves think?"

"I don't know, but I find it hard to believe that this place is popular with tourists."

Alice ran her hand over the clockwork hearts stitched onto the quilt covering the bed. "Well, I must admit that this suite is rather nice."

Ace turned and leaned against the closet door, crossing his arms as he set his attention on Alice. "Alice, why did you want to come here?"

"It's a town made up of clocks. Why wouldn't I want to come here?"

"You seemed desperate a few days ago when you suddenly came up with the idea. You were practically begging me."

"One of the players in the card game at the last town told me about this place. I got curious."

"Then why didn't you bring it up earlier?"

"We were sort of running from a crazy woman with a bird in her hair."

"Alice."

She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes wandering back and forth. What was that strange expression behind them? Worry? Sadness? Fear? The thought of Alice being afraid of anything seemed ridiculous. But there was clearly some sort of darkness casting a shadow over her normally playful demeanor. Why wouldn't she tell him what was wrong?

Ace lowered his gaze to the floor, afraid to bring up the subject and yet terrified of what would happen if he didn't. "Alice, I know we got married in a bit of a rush. So if things aren't how you hoped they would be...if you're not happy...I—"
"Ace."

He looked up to find her standing in front of him, a soft smile on her lips. She reached out and gently stroked his cheek. In a single familiar touch, a sense of calm washed over him, quieting his anxieties.

"I don't regret marrying you," she said.

"I just—"

Alice interrupted him with a kiss. It took the words right from his tongue, and for a moment of pure bliss, he was lost in a fog of warmth and desire. He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and continuing the kiss. It grew deeper and more passionate, and when Ace had completely forgotten what he had been so concerned about, Alice pulled away.

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

He blinked a few times, his lips longing to return to hers. "Regret...regret you?"

She nodded.

Smiling, Ace pulled her in for another kiss. She gasped against his mouth and ran her fingers through his hair. As she drew closer to him, he could feel the rapid beating of her heart against his chest. His own heart raced along with hers until he could no longer tell which pulse belonged to whom.

"I could never regret you, Alice," he whispered.

"Are you sure about that? There could be things about me you don't know. Things that could change your mind."

"I vowed to stay by your side, Alice. Both as your loyal knight and your adoring husband. Nothing will change that."

"Promise?"

Tightening his grip on her waist, Ace smiled. "Promise."