by R. L. Weeks
The dark, vengeful sky screamed with thunder as Snow moved into the final stages of her transition. James’s brown eyes flashed through her mind, making her stomach knot in a hundred different ways. Peter’s look of betrayal seeped into her soul, and Belle’s screaming when Snow gave the orders for Edward’s head to be cut off after she had betrayed James and his mother in Northmanni cut through her like a knife. The faces of her own mother and grandparents swarmed around her like ghosts, glistening within her tears, and for a moment, everything—the windows, the roses, every blade of grass—was coated with the faces of those she had loved and lost or betrayed.
Then came the peace. The storm died as quickly as it had come and the castle fell silent. No one dared to move nor breathe as they waited for something to happen.
The queen flung open her eyes and looked at the world with indifference. She remembered everything that had happened to her and laughed at the preposterousness of it all. She got to her feet and walked back into the castle barefoot with no heart and a whole new way of seeing the world.
‘Gerard,’ she barked as she climbed the stone steps. He turned from talking to Lord Dain. ‘I am making you the Keeper of the Ruby.’
Gerard’s lips spread into a smile. ‘Thank you, Majesty.’
Lord Dain cleared his throat. ‘Majesty, if I may … have I done something to offend you? I have been the Keeper for many years now and …’
‘Are you questioning my judgment?’ she screeched.
Lord Dain sunk into a bow. ‘No, of course not, Your Majesty.’
The queen walked off, leaving the pair alone. Gerard turned to Lord Dain and smirked. ‘So if you can hand me the master key and the seal, then I shall be on my way.’
Lord Dain swore under his breath. ‘Of course, Lord Gerard.’
Alice saw Robin and smiled widely. ‘Hey, you!’
‘Shh,’ he hushed. ‘They don’t know you and I are friends.’ He winked and turned away. ‘Let’s walk … explore the forest?’
She nodded and walked out of the castle eagerly. ‘So what has the queen made you?’
He paused, sickened. ‘Her plaything, it seems.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘She wants company. I couldn’t say no; although, she is nothing compared to the likes of you. Don’t worry, though. She doesn’t really like me. It’s all just smoke and mirrors.’
Alice felt sick and looked out over the forest. ‘Let’s just hope we find the sword soon. I hate court.’
He took her hand and squeezed it. ‘We will. I promise I won’t let you down.’
They walked into the forest and down a winding path. They saw a black arched door embedded into the side of a large rock and ducked inside. ‘What is this?’ Alice asked as they walked further.
They stumbled into a dark room and tripped on squares of black and white. Carefully, she stepped onto a square and a pawn twice the size of Alice moved. Panicked, Alice looked around; she had unknowingly stepped onto a massive chessboard. She looked down at her square and realised that she had taken her first move. Her stomach twisted as she stepped forward, except it seemed that this game was weirdly different. The pieces moved in any direction they liked, and the rules of the game were different from what Alice was accustomed to when her father had taught her to play. She dodged a pawn which brushed past her dress. Robin wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from a flying knight. They tried to run across the board, but the chess pieces quickly formed a circle around her. They tried to duck through them but couldn’t. Robin looked over at the door. ‘Go,’ he said quickly. ‘I heard them say that the queen has her own chessboard. Get out.’
Alice grabbed his hand. ‘Not without you. I don’t want to be responsible for losing the queen’s plaything,’ she said with a smirk and dragged him through the door. They fell out into a maze on the outskirts of the forest. Alice fell into a hedge and panted heavily. ‘This place is filled with all sorts of crazy wonders.’
Robin laughed. ‘Well, it is called Wonderland.’ He looked at Alice, and his stomach knotted. She was truly beautiful. Her eyes were a baby blue and hair as soft as silk. The way she spoke, acted, walked, smiled—everything was perfect. He walked over to her and leaned down to her ear. ‘I may be the queen’s plaything, but she does not have my heart.’
‘Who does?’
‘My wife did, but she died.’ He pushed the feeling away. ‘Now, I am alone.’
‘As am I, but I am sorry to hear about your wife.’ She touched his hand and felt a spark shoot between them. They could hear a crowd in the distance. The queen was probably ready to play her croquet game. ‘We must return now; they will notice if we’re gone for too long.’
Robin stroked her cheek and gazed into her eyes. ‘You are truly amazing, Alice.’
‘And you’re an egotistical rogue,’ she replied playfully. ‘We should go.’
‘Wait.’
He took a deep breath and leaned down, wrapped his hand around her waist, and brought his lips down to hers.
Alice felt as if a thousand butterflies had taken flight in her stomach. He brushed his lips against hers, pushing Alice further into the hedge. His lips moved in sync with hers as she opened her mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her onto him, sliding his hand down the back of her dress.
Eventually, they pulled apart, and Alice patted down her hair.
‘We really should go,’ she said, flustered.
‘Yes,’ he said, panting. ‘Let’s.’
They walked in silence but kept glancing at each other then would quickly look away. Alice felt like her face was on fire.
Robin gazed down at the gravelled path. He could not fall for Alice; he had priorities and couldn’t afford any distractions, yet he was a moth utterly drawn to the flame that was her.
Alice felt the same. She did not want to marry; she had to focus on saving her sister and building her career, yet every time she caught him looking at her, she swore she could fall into the essence that was him and forget the world, which right now was a dangerous thing.
♥♥♥
They reached a garden, which was surrounded by hundreds of rose bushes, and an audience sat in white gazebos. Alice and Robin walked apart. Robin walked over to the queen, and Alice walked over to one of the white gazebos.
She rested her head on her hand and watched what she thought would be croquet. However, Alice was horrified to see that the players were using pink flamingos instead of mallets and hedgehogs instead of balls. ‘Poor things,’ Alice said under her breath. The flamingo squawked as its head came into impact with the hedgehog’s spiky body. The baby hedgehog screamed as it rolled along the grass and under the hoops. It didn’t move an inch; instead, it remained curled into a ball, trembling.
Robin handed the queen one of the pink flamingos as she took her place. The flamingo gulped as it saw who its handler was. The queen stretched the flamingo's neck and cleared her throat. The flamingo stiffened, and a baby hedgehog was pushed out of one of the cages and slowly made its way to the queen. It looked backward at its parents for comfort … They lifted their heads, a signal for the hedgehog to keep moving. Alice hated to think of what happened to those poor dears if they didn’t play their part. It rolled up and was trembling already. The queen scoffed a laugh at its scared body and took her aim. With one hit, the hedgehog rolled under one hoop and near to another. The hedgehog panicked as it rolled and got up and scrawled away toward its parents.
‘Seize it!’ the queen screeched.
Several of her guards scrambled along the grass, trying to capture the hedgehog which kept changing direction and running under the guard’s legs. Alice laughed as two guards fell on top of each other and another tripped into a ditch. Alice wasn’t the only one; Robin caught her eye and was laughing under his breath. The audience too were in hysterics.
‘Enough!’ the queen screeched, and everyone fell silent. The queen held out her hand, and a guard passed her a red bow and arrow.
The queen beckoned for another hedgehog to be brought to her. This one quickly scurried to her and rolled up in a ball, playing its part, so as not to become another victim. The queen hit it under the last two hoops. The queen raised her head high. ‘Looks like I win!’
‘As always, Majesty,’ said two guards, even though she hadn’t actually won.
She turned, the red fabric from her dress sliding over the luscious grass. ‘Bring Alice.’
Alice smiled and stood up. She caught Robin’s eye, who mouthed ‘later’ to her.
She followed the queen into the castle and looked back at the dead hedgehog. His parents had scurried over to his side and were crying. Alice thought it was most curious that animals could die in Wonderland yet nothing else could.
She walked through the castle and looked around. ‘It’s quite odd really, don’t you think?’
The queen turned, jerking her head up to the spot where Alice was looking. ‘What?’
Alice smiled sweetly. ‘I mean you’re infamous for being the queen of hearts, yet everything in this castle is diamonds.’
The queen pursed her lips and looked around. The room fell silent. ‘She’s right!’ the queen screeched, making everyone jump. ‘It’s time for changes around here. Have everything decorated with hearts and make them red and black!’
‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ the guards said in unison and bowed.
‘Leave us,’ the queen said to the guards as they entered the throne room. They all left, and Lord Dain entered the room.
‘Majesty,’ he said when he reached the end of the red carpet.
The queen slumped onto her throne and kicked her legs out. Instantly, two short men rushed over. One got on his knees to support the queen’s feet, and the other kneeled beside her with a tray of tarts. The queen took a bite of one and made a noise of delight. The man sighed with relief. ‘What do you want, Dain?’
Lord Dain had a long face that reminded Alice of a rat; his teeth were too big for his mouth, and his nose was long and pointed. His hair was blacker than night and fell around his ears. ‘I believe that Gerard has raped another woman.’
The queen laughed. ‘Odd how these suspicions would come around after I gave him your job, don’t you think?’
Lord Dain bit his lip. ‘I have evidence.’
‘What evidence?’ she asked, bored.
He handed her a piece of paper. She snatched it from his hands and read it twice. ‘This is nothing. Her word against his. I will ask him about it, but if there were no witnesses, then there is nothing I can do.’
Lord Dain let out a sigh, bowed, and left, giving Alice a glance as he passed.
The queen turned to Alice, who was still standing. ‘Sit!’ she ordered.
Alice looked around for a chair, but another short man quickly brought her one, a red cushioned one. The queen finished her fourth tart and sent the man away.
‘Play me music! Now.’
‘Why did you kill the hedgehog? He was only scared and a baby,’ she said. She couldn’t help it; it was her instinct to protect those that could not defend themselves.
The queen ground her teeth. ‘You question me? You!’ she screeched.
Alice plugged her ears with her fingers. ‘Must you screech so loud?’
The queen’s eyes widened, and her forehead creased. ‘You would be lucky if I ripped out your heart; it might have to be the woods for you, insolent teenager.’
Alice’s expression hardened. ‘I don’t care why you’re like the way you are, or why you insist on making everyone else’s lives miserable, but I will not be spoken to like that by anyone.’
Red glints darted across the queen’s green eyes. ‘Like the way I am?’ The queen laughed, forcefully. ‘I own a kingdom, and before this, I was a princess. I am not miserable nor is anyone in my court, and you clearly don’t know what you are saying. Now, tell me, are you going to keep questioning me?’
Alice took a deep breath and crossed her arms. ‘No, Your Majesty. I apologise.’
The queen clenched her fist but forced a smile. ‘Perhaps I should forgive you or your silly ways. Especially seeing as I was going to offer you a better position at court.’
Alice lifted an eyebrow. ‘Really? Thank you, so much.’
A better position would mean more access to the castle.
‘Yes, but first we must clear some things up. My spies saw you at the hatter’s tea party, and I find it most odd that you broke the spell I put on him. Just your presence here, it seems, disturbs my world.’
‘I apologise,’ Alice said quickly, ‘but I know not of who you speak. I came straight here. Perhaps there are those who want to control Your Majesty by making up spiteful lies? Maybe they don’t like that you have appointed a woman so high up, as I notice all of your council are men?’
The queen’s expression hardened. ‘That would make sense. I will look into it and punish those who made the accusations.’
‘Thank you, Majesty,’ Alice said.
The queen grinned. ‘Alice, I am betrothing you to one of my men.’
Alice swallowed hard. ‘I would much rather serve you with all of me and not have you have to share me with another.’
Robin walked into the room. ‘Just in time,’ she said.
Alice furrowed her eyebrows. Did she mean Robin?
‘Robin,’ the queen said. ‘You will take Alice to Lord Gerard. They will be married in one week, and I would like to announce their engagement at the Royal Parade. Then you will come to my chambers at one o’clock.’
Robin took Alice’s arm on his when he saw the color drain from her face.
‘Curtsey,’ he whispered.
Alice curtseyed and walked with Robin down the red carpet and out the double doors. They climbed the steep steps, and when they were alone, Robin stopped and pressed Alice against the stone wall. ‘Do you want to marry Gerard?’
Alice furrowed her brows. ‘Obviously not.’
‘Just checking.’
Alice pouted. ‘Gerard took a liking to me, and I told him I did not want a husband, but he’s persistent. I even kicked him.’
His lips spread into a smile. ‘I bet you did.’
‘What do I do?’ Alice asked.
Robin’s smile turned into a hard line. ‘I will kill him if I have to, take him to the woods and bury him alive. I will not have you taken from …’
‘Yes?’
‘From what you need to do.’
Alice nodded. ‘Thank you.’ A tear crept down her cheek. ‘I wish I could just leave with Wendy.’ She rested her head on his chest and listened to the quickening thumping of his heart. ‘I don’t like Gerard, I really don’t want to marry him, and I do not like the queen. I want to go home.’
He stroked her hair. ‘You will, love. I promise. Look,’ he said, his expression darkening. ‘I know this is hard, but you need to act as if nothing is wrong. I will get the sword this week, and then we shall leave. We need to be careful. This castle is filled with spies. We’re both in danger.’
‘I need to go … Stay strong and don’t forget it’s the Royal Parade tonight so wear something nice.’
The Cheshire cat purred as the queen stroked its purple and black stripes. ‘Any news, Chess?’
‘None,’ he replied dryly.
She grabbed a parchment, rolled it up, and whacked his back with it. ‘Not good enough, Chess. You need to bring me back more than nothing.’
He rolled his eyes and held back a hiss. ‘Yes, Majesty!’
Chess walked out, holding his tail high, while the queen looked out the window. Somewhere in the distance were her enemies. She could feel them gaining on her, but she could not figure out who they were; masked traitors hiding in the shadows or worse, right under her nose.
‘Your Majesty.’
The queen jumped and
turned.
Robin smirked. ‘Sorry if I scared you.’
She shook her head. ‘You did not,’ she lied and looked him up and down. ‘What do you want?’
He glanced at her bed. ‘You told me to come at one o’clock. I presumed you wanted to—’
‘No,’ she interrupted. ‘That was it. I want you to start preparations for the wedding. The engagement of Alice to Gerard will be announced tonight at the parade, and after that, I want the wedding to be quick.’
He moved over to her and wrapped a muscly arm around her petite shoulders. She straightened and pinched her lips. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Why are you so tense? You can tell me. I promise that I’m only loyal to you,’ he said and looked at her wide-eyed. His eyes, like a forest, were an earthy green.
She felt herself relax in his arm. ‘My enemies are gaining on me. I care not for people or why they care to hurt me; I only care to know who I can trust.’
He nodded. ‘I understand,’ he lulled. ‘Is that why you’re pushing this wedding?’
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. ‘It’s nothing.’
He stroked her hair and looked down at her soft expression. At that moment, she looked like a child in need of comfort; heart or no heart. ‘Shh,’ he said and continued stroking her hair. He pulled it out of its tight bun and let it tumble down her back. She felt the restraint wash away and looked up at him with a hint of a smile. He smiled sweetly. ‘Why are you marrying them off so soon?’
The queen nuzzled into his top. ‘I don’t trust her. She’s powerful; I can sense it, and I want to keep an eye on her. How better to do that than to have her here in court with my most loyal man?’
He looked at her and at the wall, his smile turning to a straight line. ‘Perhaps marrying her off would raise her status too high, then? Are you sure you can trust Gerard? I don’t.’
The queen stiffened a little and moved away from him. ‘Of course, I trust him.’ She pulled her hair back into a bun. ‘That is all, Robin. You can leave now.’
He bowed and headed for the door.
‘One thing,’ she called after him. He turned, and she pursed her lips. ‘Our conversations would do well not to leave this room.’
