The Clockwork Heart

Chapter Forty-One: What Happened After

"The end."

"Parent, that story was so good, read me more of it!"

"Well, it's already ended. That means all of the problems have been mostly resolved, and everything is mostly ok. If you want, Alice, we can read a different new story."

"Yeah, let's do that!"

***

Since the King of Hearts and the Princess of Hearts had just reunited, and they were catching up. Meanwhile, the March Hare was coming to terms with her newly-recovered memories.

After a few week passed and everything was less intense, negotiations began.

Rebel leaders like the Dormouse attended too.

Things were bumpy, but in the end it was decided that a full-on war would be devastating for both kingdoms. Although the Kingdom of Roses had been weakened, it still had a strong army. The King of Hearts agreed to withdraw troops.

However, from this point forth, the borders would be sealed for an indefinite amount of time. Until relationships were better, the kingdoms would be separated.

It took a few more months for the soldiers to go back, and another set of more months for civilians to slowly return to the city.

When it came to selecting a new leader, there were several candidates. The Dormouse was a notable rebel leader who was firm but fair. However, she had a terrible reputation since one of her subordinates the Mock Turtle was noted to be extremely cold and cruel towards civilians during the war.

The March Hare had been a rebel leader as well, but it's been revealed that she was also Princess Hare, a princess from the Kingdom of Hearts. For that reason, she was ruled out too.

Surprisingly, the newest leader to inhabit the castle became two people, a brother and a sister. The Jack of Diamonds was a young man who used to work for the White Rabbit, so he knew how to do paperwork and stuff. The Cheshire Cat had looked after the secret escape tunnel during the evacuation, so she was well-known and popular too.

The two young leaders were also supported by a group of older advisors. The Dormouse and the March Hare were also part of this group of advisors.

It took many years for things to get from chaotic to slightly less so, and several more years for things to get back to how they were, and even more years for things to get better. But eventually it happened.

The Rabbit became a gardener in a corner of the city. At first nobody dared to buy flowers from him, but after a few years, orders started to trickle in. He was a good gardeners and his flowers were beautiful.

The Hatter became a magic performer. His magic was wild and uncontrolled, but if he had enough space, it could be striking. The clockwork formed tall structures, spiraling and twisting into the sky.

The King of Roses settled in the Northern Countries and spent the rest of his days studying magic.

Because Alice went home on her own, the wizard who the King made a deal with never got a chance to cast a spell. That's why instead of defending the kingdom for a thousand years, the wizard agreed to change the contract and defend it for two thousand years instead.

Even now, nobody quite understood how prophecies and destinies worked. The King had a better idea than other people, in that he somehow understood that this world was fictional.

It seemed every Alice was different, and required a different trigger to go home. The prospect of a scared child with superpowers showing up randomly was still terrifying. But at least it seemed like less like a mystery and more like a problem that could be solved.

When the next Alice came, I'll have a better idea of what to do. Nobody will have to be hurt, nobody will have to be sacrificed.

This was what the king wrote in his research journal, as he studied magic by the candlelight in a library in the North.

I am not a puppet of fate, I will make a my own destiny.

His grip around the pen was firm, and his eyes were determined.

THE END.