The Clockwork Heart

Chapter Twenty-One: the King's POV3

"Liddell, can you teach me how to create a clockwork labyrinth?"

"Of course, Hatter. But remember: your magic is powerful, but it's also wild and difficult to rein in. Building a clockwork labyrinth to trap someone takes skill. If your work isn't subtle enough, people will still be able to escape from your labyrinth. Do you understand?"

"I love learning magic, so I'll practice a lot!"

***

The king was standing on an open hill in the forest. Because of his high vantage point, he could see from here all the way to the city.

He saw the spiraled turrets of the castle, the tall roofs of the apartments, and the pathetic clusters of shacks on the fringes of the city. He could also see the entirety of the forest.

He looked up at the sky: there were no clouds, yet somehow it was all grey. He wondered at that briefly before the realization hit him.

Smoke.

Everything was going up in flames. The forests, the houses in the city, the castle itself. He could hear people screaming and yelling in the distance, yet in his immediate surroundings there was only silence.

Silence, and the crackling of the flames.

He could see the shape of his own army, marching through the city streets, destroying and setting afire everything in their path.

A twisted smile appeared on his face. He spread his arms and lifted his face towards the sky. At last, the city had been destroyed, and Alice wasn't able to save it, unlike the prophecy foretold. At last, his plans came to fruition, and he felt--

...Freed?

No. A frown appeared his face, even as the smile contorted further. No, he didn't feel freed at all. The smoke suffocated him, and he doubled over, coughing. He realized that he was going to die.

No! A single thought screamed in his mind, repeated, even as the flames and smoke closed in on him, pressing down on him like walls. He collapsed onto the ground, which was warm against his sweaty backside, and he writhed like a worm.

The sky was grey, and went on endlessly.

***

A loud roar startled him out of the vision. The beast was near. He frantically swiveled to look behind him, only to realize nothing was there.

Here, the labyrinth began to take on a strange structure. Rather than flat ground, some tunnels ascended upwards towards the surface, while some tunnels sloped downwards. He'd been walking for a long time, so it was difficult to tell.

Using his light magic, he could illuminate his immediate surroundings. He determined whether a path led up or down by looking at the angles of his shadow. Meanwhile, the roaring of the beast grew louder and louder.

Just as he gained a steady pace, a huge shadow appeared and loomed before him. It had three heads yet no face, it had five legs yet no torso nor arms, it was a silhouette without a distinct form. The king stood, paralyzed for a moment. Then he turned and ran the opposite direction.

The beast gave chase.

Mountains of clockwork surrounded him, creating a sense of vertigo. In the face of every clock, he saw a memory.

He kept running. But very quickly, he felt his legs grow tired. He'd been walking for a very long time, so he knew he couldn't keep it up for long. Besides, he wasn't a very fast runner.

Would the beast get him? Fear burned in his chest, as well as the musty dank air. Indeed, he was going deeper underground. But wait, if he was going downwards, then that meant...

It was trying to chase him away from the surface. In order to get to the exit, he must somehow get past it and go in that direction.

Gulping, he threw back his head to look at it. If it took one swipe at him, then that would be it. He would be dead, and it would all be over. But he had to risk it, there was no other way. He wouldn't become a corpse, strewn in the labyrinth's tunnels.

He stopped running. Trying not to close his eyes, he sprinted in its direction. Ducking as fast as he could, he dodged its claws and tripped over its many flailing legs.

As he tried to regain his speed and put some distance between them, it lunged at him. Briefly, the tip of its claw scratched the back of his neck, drawing a long deep gash. The king didn't feel any pain in the heat of the moment, but he knew later it would be hell.

Suddenly, the exit appeared before him. He leaped.

***

It took a moment for him to realize that he made it.

He was out of the labyrinth, back in the world of the surface, back in the forest in the exact spot where he'd fallen into the Mad Hatter's trap.

He collapsed on the damp forest earth, staring at the branches and leaves and fragments of sky and gasping for breath.

The air was fresh and cool. Soft light fell through grey clouds, along with featherlight raindrops. Light fell through the branches and scattered on the ground, illuminating pricks of dew.

It was a beautiful sight. In that moment, the king realized what he truly wanted.

He wanted to stay alive.

A head appeared in his field of vision. A small, blonde face with pure blue eyes and doll-like skin. The little girl smiled innocently. "You have a nice crown. Can I have it?"

The king was so tired and in shock that he didn't even think about his answer. Instead, he simply sat him and took off his crown and casually passed it to her.

Without surprise, she put it onto her head and laughed delightedly. Standing up, she lifted her skirt and curtsied.

It was an extremely casual exchange, as though neither of them thought there was anything strange about it. As though their first meeting was always meant to be this way. The tired, shriveled man and the fresh-faced girl.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"I am the King of Roses. And yours?"

"Alice, of course."