The Clockwork Heart

Chapter Fifteen: Power of Friendship

"I had a very good friend once..."

"What were they like?"

"Well, she was... No, never mind, you shouldn't know about this. Just focus on your studies, ok?"

"Ok, rabbit."

***

"I must go to the Evil King's dungeon," Alice said later that night.

The Hatter jerked up his head and his eyes widened. He almost looked hurt. Meanwhile, the Rabbit turned away his head but didn't look surprised.

Alice glanced at him comfortingly and said, "Now that these royal guards are dead, the king would surely send more. And he probably also sent guards to other members in the Tea Party. It is best if I go of my accord."

"Oh..." the Hatter looked down. He stared at his hands, the very hands that had unleashed the wave of death-magic.

The Rabbit patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll set out for the dungeon."

"You mean 'we', right?" said the Rabbit.

Looking down at the ground, Alice shook her head. She said it's too dangerous, and they're too young, so she couldn't involve them in good conscience. And besides... she left the last sentence unsaid and looked at the Hatter.

Although the Hatter's magic was far stronger than hers, his magic was also more destructive and uncontrollable. They couldn't afford that in a dangerous place like the Evil King's dungeon.

The Hatter seemed to understand, and looked down with a hurt expression. The Rabbit looked directly at Alice for some time, but then when their gazes met, he looked aside too.

***

Alice Liddell had been gone for two weeks, when they heard the news.

Apparently a fight had broken out within the dungeon itself, and some people escaped. However, the vast majority were still trapped inside, and the Evil King was going to execute them in a couple of days.

The Hatter insisted on going to save her, but the Rabbit said nervously that she probably didn't need saving. By this point, he had realized that Liddell was the prophecized heroine. She wouldn't die, no matter what she did. In a chaotic universe, she was the constant around which everything revolved.

Things would work out, he was sure.

The very next day, however, he was proven wrong.

The first wave of people were executed. The Evil King dumped their bodies along the city gates-the Hatter later said he recognized most of them, he'd talked to them before.

Alice Liddell hadn't been able to protect them. After this event, some people would lose faith in her.

This was bad. Even if Alice Liddell survives and escapes and leads a rebellion, she may not have enough supporters to achieve an easy victory. She might get hurt-people she cared about might get hurt.

"We must go to the dungeon," the Rabbit said at last. The rhythm of the clock in his heart sped up.

***

After stealing the key from a guard, the Rabbit managed to free Alice.

"Free the others too," she said, "Once we get out of here, we must lie low and not to get caught again."

While the Rabbit went around unlocking cells and ushering the prisoners outside, the Hatter tugged on her sleeve. "What are we to do now, Liddell?"

She frowned and lowered her face into the shadows. When she looked up again, there was a determined glint in her eyes.

"I'll escape to the Northern Countries and recruit troops there," she said, "It is said that wizards of the north don't care about money nor fame; they only care about knowledge. I can trade my knowledge of magic in exchange for their services."

"We'll go with you, right?" said the Hatter.

But Liddell shook her head. "It's too dangerous. The roads are filled with bandits, and many wizards tend to be capricious and violent. You two have risked too much already by coming here to save me."

Immediately both the Hatter and the Rabbit began to protest. They argued Liddell couldn't have made it out of the dungeon so easily without their help, and besides they wanted to defeat the Evil King as well.

The Evil King was too cruel. He didn't care about orphans like them, he spent all of his money on building palaces and lavish exotic foods.

"Why won't you accept us as your companions?" said the Rabbit. He looked genuinely angry, though it seemed he was trying to suppress it. "Do you think you can do everything on your own? Because you can't."

Liddell turned aside and looked at the shadows on the wall. Her face was obscured from view, and they could only see her long brown hair.

At last she turned back towards them and repeated it's a very dangerous journey, and then said, "You're both still children. This isn't a journey you should shoulder. Are you sure you want to go with me?"

"Yes, yes!" cried the Hatter.

The Rabbit crossed his arms and stared at her.

Liddell heaved a long sigh. Her shoulders slowly sagged, and her head bent downwards. Yet, at the same time, a small tired smile appeared on her face. "Let's face this together, then."