Alice: Wonderland is My Home?

Part 10: The Truth Hurts

The dungeon cell was dark. The little light we had, came from the window that was metres high in the cell wall. The bars were spiked and electrified. This was hell. The shadow creatures guarded every centimetre of it. I cradled a knocked-out Hatter in my arms, hoping he'd wake up soon.

"How can I be so stupid." I said to myself as I stroked Hatter's face, coaxing him to wake up. He shifted slightly in my arms. Slowly and steadily, he started to wake. Groaning in pain.

"OW. How long was I out?" His face blackened, his eye was bruised from where he'd been punched. My whole body was full of guilt. He was in this state because of me.

"A while... Hatter, I'm so sorry." My voice began to crack. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten you into this mess."

"Alice, I wanted to come remember. This isn't your fault, so don't be sorry." He sat up pulling me in for a hug, comforting me. The cell door began to open, we slowly drifted apart to see Jonathan standing in the doorway looking down at us emotionless. Two guards came from behind him and pulled us up, dragging us out of the room.

Walking down through the twisted corridors, I passed children scrubbing the floors and women organising black roses in crimson vases. Each child looked at me with desperation, each woman looking at us with such sadness. They knew where we were going and secretly I think I did too. To finally see the girl I'd heard so much about. We stood in the hall quietly. My sister knew how to keep us waiting. I turned to Hatter feeling the lump in my throat as I waited for my public humiliation.

"Hatter...Whatever happens, thank you for trying to help me."

He smiled a genuine smile which gave me a little more courage than I had left in me. Before he could open his mouth, the doors opened with a fanfare. My whole body felt a shiver run through it as Jonathan led us into the grand hall. My eyes bounced from left to right, up and down. I couldn't breathe. The room was full of dark shadows and men in black clothes. Looking straight ahead of them, not blinking, not even breathing. They moved like clockwork. As we came towards the end of the great hall, Jonathan turned to me, looking at me with the eyes that I had fell in love with. Until he started to climb a few steps to stand beside a girl with crimson hair and piercing eyes. I was now looking into the eyes of my sister. Hatter was thrown to the floor, on his knees he grunted in pain. Then I was next, thrust against the floor silently crying in pain. My hair fell into my face as I looked down at the floor. What I heard next was the voice of the man I thought I loved.

"We caught them trying to enter the city through the forest my love. I told you she'd come." I threw my head back, looking at him. My love?

"She just couldn't help herself, she's pathetic like our father was." Her voice scorned me. I couldn't speak, it was like she'd cut my tongue, like I was left without words.

Hatter looked from the Princess to me in utter confusion. She looked down towards Hatter and smiled a mischievous smile.

"So, Hatter, tell me has my dear sister told you who she really is yet?" He looked to me as her words cut deeper. Hatter looked at me with regret, like I'd betrayed him for lying to him about who I was.

"You see that girl..." She pointed at me, her voice growing crueller as she went on. "...Is my sister. The White Princess. The true heir to Wonderland." Hatter couldn't look at me anymore. "Well done my dear" She lovingly said to Jonathan. "You see Alice, Jack here." She gestured to Jonathan standing obediently beside her. "Only used you so that he could lure you here, so that you could pay for your father's actions." my anger suddenly burst, unable to control what happened next, I stood to defend my family.

"Our father did what he did because your mother used him. She was vile and cruel and you aren't as different from her than you think. " She rose from her chair, I'd sparked a dark burning fire in her, "My father wasn't pathetic, he was honest, brave to protect me and my mother from the likes of you." The room went silent, the guards took a step back as she stepped down. I could feel Jonathan and Hatter's eyes on me like lasers. My eyes never left my sisters as she came closer to me.

She began to circle me, like a vulture's prey. She growled, "Take note, those who defy me..." She wrapped her arms around my throat, tightening her grip. "...will pay the consequences." I felt her grip loosen as she commanded the guards to lift Hatter. I felt a jolt of pain as she swung her hand to my face. I was flung to the floor, landing in front of Jonathan. He pulled my arm up and crowed in my ear, "Love makes you weak, you really thought I'd marry a girl from the spawn of my enemy. It isn't Romeo and Juliet." His words were like a knife, cutting my heart out with each word. My eyes fixed back to my sister, who was now standing beside Hatter. He stared at me with no fear in his eyes, not even a flinch as the Princess placed her finger beneath his chin, pulling his face to hers. She pulled a sword from her belt, "I am Marina Dellwood! True heir to the throne of Wonderland, this imposter is Alicia Mariah, daughter of the White Queen and tomorrow she will be executed for the whole city to see. Release the boy, he's an innocent victim." As she walked back towards her throne and as Hatters chains had been loosened, I was now being dragged back to the dungeons when I saw Hatter turning back,

"NO!" he threw himself to the guards standing beside him, punching and fighting his way to me. Pulling the knights who had tight grip off me.

"Don't just stand there! Stop Him!" Marina commanded. The whole room surrounded him and before he could swing another punch... Hatter was down. My breath was shallow and tears fell from my face. "Take them away! They will both die!". As the doors began to close, I took one last look at my sister now in a passionate kiss with Jonathan. My heart stopped as he briefly looked at me one last time before the doors finally closed.