Alice: Wonderland is My Home?

Part 13: A Princess Returns To Her Kingdom

My father had died in my arms and after a while I stood, hovering over him in silence.

"Alice?" Jack softly said from behind me, placing his hand around me. I brushed it off, walking to Hatter who met me with,

"We can use the cart. Give him the send-off he deserves. In his real kingdom." I nodded, allowing him and Jack to carry him. They placed him in the cart and I walked around, scanning the forest floor picking up flowers to place with him. I had begun to arrange them symmetrically around his body, when Hatter came behind me, "Here, a crown fit for a king." He placed a crown made of branches and twigs that intertwined perfectly. He placed it onto his head and stood beside me. "Alice I..." He was cut off by Jack,

"We need to get moving if we want to reach the palace by nightfall." Hatter had tied the cart to one of the horses and rode beside it with reins in hand behind Jack, who led the way as I rode between the two. I couldn't talk to either of them. I didn't know what to say. On one hand I had Jack, the man who loved me but had lied to me. However on the other, I had Hatter, the man I barely knew but would do anything for me.

We'd pulled the cart for 3 hours and my eyes felt heavy. I didn't realise I was drifting off slightly. As I began to fall to sleep I heard Hatter and Jack talk.

"Once we reach the palace, she can bury him properly. He can have the funeral a king deserves" Jack's voice began to irritate Hatter. His tolerance for him grew less each time he spoke. "Then she can take her rightful place as Queen."

"You just can't help yourself can you. She was only just reunited with her father and he literally just died saving her because you had one too many men. Don't you think you've done enough damage?" he retaliated.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Jack replied quickly,

"What gave you that idea?" his sarcasm was magnified. "You've done nothing but lie to her over and over again. So yeah, I think that counts as not trusting you." Hatter had raised his voice so much that it woke me.

"Enough... both of you" I muffled, groggily waking back up.

"We're here... Bella Lavaria" He announced as we approached a road leading out to a beautiful fortress of towers and spires. This was my Father's kingdom. "Welcome home Alice."