The Clockwork Heart

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Two Alliances

"It'll be a period of great change. If it really comes down to it, you may have to use your magic. Are you really ready for this, Hatter?"

"Yes, Lidell. I'm ready."

***

On the fourth day, the castle made its announcement. 'The Jack of Diamonds has betrayed the castle. He viciously attacked the princess, causing her death. The perpertrator was executed, and compensation will be sent to the Kingdom of Hearts.'

As the Cat listened to the announcement, her eyes widened in horror.

'N-no, this can't be happening! My brother is...'

The thoughts seemed to morph into a voice--an actual voice that she could clearly hear, as though someone was actually in the room with her. That voice echoed in the room, and it was very strange but she could clearly hear it, and it said, 'Your brother is dead. Is he alive? The Cheshire Cat wondered if he was dead' over and over again.

She went through the night in a daze. Later, the Dormouse came to talk to her.

"Don't you see now?" she said to the Cat. "You're a smart girl, don't you understand what all of this means?"

The Cat shook her head. Again, she heard the voice, and it sounded like a real voice by her ears, and she actually looked around to check if somebody was there. But nobody was, and there was just the disembodied voice, saying the same things over and over again. It was mostly a young boy's voice, but sometimes it broke off into a girl's voice, and they overlapped.

'Understand it. What does all of this mean? You have to. She just stood there. She didn't understand.'

The Dormouse coughed. "The king and the Rabbit are both mad tyrants. Join me, work for me. Together, we can overthrow the castle and get revenge for all of those who we've lost. We can protect others in the future. If you agree, just say yes."

The Cat stared blankly. A bunch of thoughts flashed in her mind, like lightning flashing in a pond. She didn't want a war. She didn't want revenge. She didn't want to protect anyone. But the Dormouse was saying this right now, and right now she didn't know what else she could do.

'Don't say yes. You don't want to say yes. Did she say it yet? She said it. What did she say? Her brother has been murdered. What did she do?'

"Yes," the Cat placed her hand into the Dormouse's outstretched palm. "Yes, I'll join you."

The Dormouse smiled. "Your first task: I want you to sneak into the castle and assassinate the Rabbit."

***

As the Cat approached the castle at night, thoughts continued to race through her head. Did the Dormouse seriously think a twelve-year-old brat like her could be clever and skilled enough to kill the Rabbit? Or maybe the Dormouse had an alternative plan, and was simply using the Cat as a sacrifice.

Perhaps she fully expected the Cat to fail and die. But still, the castle would get nervous and panic, considering that some random orphan managed to get through its defenses. Not just once, but twice!

(This time, the Cat had the assistance of the Dormouse, a powerful wizard with the power to make objects come to life. Besides, she herself was a harmless-looking child who would be mistaken for a maid. But still, it would seem like the castle's defenses were seriously disorganized at this time.)

As the thought about being a sacrifice popped into her mind, she couldn't banish it again. Thoughts of death continued to cloud her mind. Her brother was dead. What did they ever do to deserve this? Was she going to die too?

Still, there was no way to go but forward.

She crept through the darkened hallways, following a map that she held in her hands. Moonlight guided her path, and she could hear only her footsteps and the voices in her head. Then, in a distant part of her mind, she felt a sense of deja vu.

This was how it was like last time, when I saw my brother... something broke in her heart. My brother is dead now, he could've survived if he escaped when I told him to, but now he's dead, and now I'm going into the castle again. Am I going to die?

Then at last at the end of the hallways, she came to the heavy oaken door. It was much taller than her and broader as well, and she gave it a hard push. The door opened slowly. As she stepped inside, she saw the room was actually still dimly lit.

There was a bed, and a table, and on the table there was a small lamp. And sitting at the table was a young-looking white-haired man, who stared at her with wide red eyes. There was paperwork scattered all over his desk.

That's when it occurred to the Cat. The castle was in disarray, everything was falling apart, despite their best efforts to keep up appearances. That's why she snuck in so easily both times, that's why in the city things were so chaotic for working people like her, that's why there was definitely going to be a war.

So she might as well pick the Dormouse's side right now, and help things along. That was the only thing that she could do.

Without hesitating any further, the Cat took out her dagger and lunged towards the Rabbit. The man dodged aside with surprising agility. Then, as though panicking, he hurriedly made a gesture with his finger and chanted a spell. A fireball formed in his palm and was thrown in the Cat's direction. She couldn't dodge it in time, and could only cover her face with her arms, but the magic was so weak that it only slightly burned her skin.

Meanwhile, the Rabbit began to call for the guards.

Holding the dagger even tighter, she lunged forward again. He kept throwing weakly formed fireballs at her, slightly burning her every time. Smoke was in the air, and she felt exhaustion creeping up on her.

As footsteps clashed in the distance towards her, she felt one last bout of adrenaline through her body. Pouncing, she leapt forward with unusual strength and stabbed in the Rabbit in the stomach.

In shock, he folded onto the ground.

Still dizzy, the Cat searched for a way out.

The window... the window was clear... and it was only a three story drop, and cats always land on their feet...

The Cat threw her dagger at the window. The glass shattered, revealing an opening. She leapt through the window and tumbled into the bushes underneath. Her entire body was completely obscured by the leaves and branches, and she could see nothing but darkness and the night sky and the stars in the sky in between the cracks in the leaves.

Then, she fell unconscious.