Norine appeared only slightly surprised when she answered the door and found Alice and Ina standing before her. "Ah. Tillie Inwood," she said with a crooked smile. "If I'd known you were coming, I would've set the kettle."

She ushered them inside, and Alice breathed in the familiar, comforting scent of the dirt walls. Norine led them into the kitchen and busied herself with filling the kettle with water. Ina stationed herself by the door, her eyes darting about just as they had the entire trip here. Alice gave her arm a gentle squeeze to reassure her that this plan would work.

"So, what brings you back to my neck of the forest?" asked Norine as she waited for the water to boil. "And where's your little husband?"

Swallowing the knot in her throat, Alice balled her hands into fists and took a breath. "He's with Time. Or at least I think he is. When I last saw him he was with Time, so I assume."

There was a long silence before Norine narrowed her eyes. "Did you say Time?"

Alice nodded and pulled out the watch. "You asked about this before. Does that mean you know what it does?"

The weasel's eyes widened at the sight of the timepiece, and her whiskers twitched as she ran a nail over the metal ribs. "I don't know anything official. Only what I managed to piece together from overhearing Dodgson talk to himself about it. He was convinced that it was the key to defeating Time, who apparently has it out for him. Beyond that, I don't know."

Taking another breath, Alice met Norine's eyes. "He has it backwards. It's not the key to defeating Time. It's the key to defeating him."

Norine raised an eyewhisker. "You don't say?"

"Time gave this watch to my mother. It can stop time for an entire minute."

Chuckling softly, Norine took a seat at the kitchen table. "No wonder she was so good at evading death."

The comment cut Alice to her heart, but she continued on. "Time wants Dodgson dead. But he can't touch him unless he's done something against the laws of time or whatever. I don't know, it's all a little complicated. Anyhow, he needs Dodgson to steal this from me so that he can act against him."

"And he wants you to find a way to give Dodgson the opportunity to do so?"

"Yes. In exchange for my help, he's promised to save Ace."

At the mention of Ace, Norine tilted her head to the side. "Save him? What happened to him."

Alice's throat tightened, and tears pricked at her eyes. She sunk into the chair across from Norine. "Dodgson stabbed him. I was trying to find a way to end this stupid rebellion without getting anyone else involved. But it didn't work. Now Ace is suspended in a state of dying, and the only way to save him is to do this favor for Time."

Leaning back in her chair, Norine studied Alice carefully. "Why did you not want to get anyone else involved?"

Averting her eyes, Alice said softly, "Because I lost someone very dear to me in the last rebellion. I didn't want that to happen again."

It was silent except for the whistling of the kettle. Norine finally rose to her feet to remove the water from the stove and pour it into the teacups she had taken out. She handed a cup to Ina who was still standing by the doorway and then placed another in front of Alice. Returning to her seat, she tapped the rim of her own teacup before taking a long sip.

"But now you realize you need help," she said at last.

Alice nodded.

Norine took another sip and gazed off thoughtfully before placing the teacup in her lap. "Why me? Why not the Swans?"

Twisting her mouth into a grimace, Alice mumbled, "We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment."

Norine's whiskers twitched. "Is that so? What happened?"

"It's a long story, but basically I was tired of being told I was their Queen but at the same time having them think I was too young to handle the responsibilities that came with the title."

"So you want to be Queen?"

"I just want to be trusted. I want people to believe I can do things on my own, that I can handle the tasks laid before me. I'm having a hard enough time convincing myself that I'm capable of being a queen, whether it be Queen of Thieves of Queen of Hearts. If I have to convince everyone else, too, I'm going to fail and people will be hurt and disappointed."

"I believe in you, Alice," Ina whispered from the doorway.

Alice turned to her sister and gave her a smile. "I know." She turned back to Norine. "Which is why I need you to help us. Ina is one of the few people who believes in me, so I really don't want to lose her while we execute this plan."

The corner of Norine's mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. "Very well, then." She placed her teacup on the table and rose to her feet. "It's been ages since I've done any sort of fighting. Hopefully it's like riding a unicycle and it will come back to me once I jump into it."

Relief flooded Alice's chest as she watched Norine rummage through one of her cabinets. "So you'll do it?"

"Of course. I did tell you that I'd be willing to assist you even if I'm not interested in returning to the tribe." She pulled out a short sword and smiled. "Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll try my best not to get killed."

Alice could not hold back a squeal of delight. She leapt to her feet and threw her arms around Norine, nearly tackling her to the ground. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said as she squeezed her tightly.

"Pins and bobbins, you shouldn't sneak up on a person who is holding a sword," Norine grumbled, although Alice couldn't help but notice that she returned her embrace.

When Alice released her, she turned to Ina who gave a soft smile. "This will work. I'm sure it will," Alice said, more to reassure herself than them.

"Your mother was capable of doing the impossible," Norine said as she attached the sword to her belt. "Something tells me you're capable of doing far more than that. And you, Ina—"

She turned her attention to Ina who immediately went stiff. Norine approached her and laid a gentle hand on her cheek, a gesture that took Ina by surprise.

"You are worth so much more than those Swans think. You are precious and good and worthy of more respect than you've been given."

Ina gave an awkward smile. "I'm just trying to fix the wrong that my father did."

"But you don't need to. And that just proves all the more so how very good you are."

"She's the best," Alice said as she put an arm around Ina and held her tight. "That's why I'm relying on you to help me keep her alive."

Smiling, Norine gave a small bow. "I am at your service, Your Majesty."