Alice

10. The Queen's Best Friend

10. The Queen's Best Friend

I woke up the next morning, dreading getting out of bed. Knowing that I had to do this, knowing that I was doing this for Jack, Brokk, the Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, everyone, knowing that I had to finally stand up for myself. I got out of bed, got dressed mechanically, and marched down the corridors, bursting into the throne room, my head held high.

The Queen rose out of her chair, an angry look on her face. She looked like she was about to scream. But something she saw in my face stopped her.

"Your Majesty," I said boldly, with a low curtsy. "I have come to give you my opinion of your kingdom."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I believe that your reign is the best thing that ever happened to this place."

"Really?" the Queen of Hearts smiled with pleasure. "What else do you think?"

"I think that before you came into power, the previous ruler was letting everything go. He was too soft. An iron fist was exactly what this place needs."

"That's what I thought exactly!"

I smiled. It was working.

"Now tell me, what is your opinion of my nephew?"

That caught me off-guard. "I- um- well-" Pull it together, Alice! I told myself. You're acting here, just saying lines. Say what she wants to hear.

"Oh, him! Why, nothing."

"Nothing?" the Queen looked confused.

"Yes, nothing. He's nothing, so therefore I have no opinion. He's not worth it." I tried not to wince. I hated saying that.

The Queen laughed. Ugh, that laugh! It made my skin crawl.

"Alice, I knew that I liked you. Come, join me for tea."

That night I collapsed on my bed, exhausted. Keeping up with the Queen was hard work. I had to constantly remember to act.

I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it and saw Jack standing in the doorway, I forget everything else. I flew at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, resting my head against his chest. "I missed you," I whispered.

He kissed the top of my head. "I missed you."

We sat together in our place by the lake. I was too tired to talk. I just lay in his arms, listening to his heartbeat.

"Tired...." I mumbled.

"Close your eyes," Jack murmured.

I obeyed, feeling the warmth coming from him, listening to his steady breath.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you more."

I woke up the next morning in my bed. I smiled, realizing that Jack had carried me from the garden. I was still fully dressed, so I got up and put on a fresh pair of clothes.

That day was just like the last. In fact, the days that followed were the same. The Queen kept growing fonder and fonder of me, until one day, she trusted me too much.

We were sitting in the throne room, no one else around.

"Alice, I have enjoyed our time together very much." She looked at me. "Have you?"

I swallowed. "Yes," I lied.

"Good. I feel like you are the daughter I never had. And I also feel like you are my friend. So, therefore, I'm going to tell you a secret." The Queen motioned for me to lean in closer. I did. "Now, no doubt you have been told some bogus rumors about how I came to power."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Well, they're all true. I did marry that foolish King of Hearts just because I wanted to become powerful. It's just as you said, Wonderland needed an iron fist. Things had gotten too soft. But that idiot contradicted everything I tried to do. He was inhibiting my plans! So, since he didn't know what to do with his power, I rid him of it. Of course, the only way to do this was to kill him."

I sat there in stunned silence. The Queen just admitted to murder. And I was the only witness.

"Yes. I killed him. In the North Tower. That old buffoon loved that tower. So, one night, I snuck up behind him and-" She made a slicing motion across her throat.

I gulped.

"But enough reminiscing. Tell me about how wonderful you think I am."

For the next three hours, I struggled to keep the contempt out of my voice as I praised up the Queen. But what I really wanted to say was, You are the most evil, horrible, conniving, mean, cruel, blood-thirsty, murderous witch.

I couldn't tell Jack what I'd learned that day. If the Queen found out, she'd kill us both. I hated keeping a secret from him, but I knew it was for his protection. Besides, he already suspected it. Still, it weighed me down.

A week went by. Then two. The Queen put more and more trust in me, at one point even asking for my advice.

Then the worst thing possible happened: I started to feel sorry for the Queen of Hearts. Something inside me told me that she was just playing with me. But I couldn't help but wonder how she became who she was. Every evil person, every bad guy, has a reason for why they are mean. Lord Voldemort had a rough childhood. Darth Vader lost his mom and didn't want to lose his true love. The Queen must've had some reason.

I tried to ask her about it one day while we were sitting in the throne room.

She just laughed. "Oh, my dear girl. I had to take power. My past had nothing to do with it. I knew that the kingdom would fall if I didn't do something about it. In fact, my parents pressed me to marry the king. They agreed that it was the best thing for me. Killing him was just my brilliant addition to the plan."

That was when I became convinced that the Queen of Hearts wasn't an ordinary villain. She wasn't psychologically damaged. Deep down inside, she wasn't just a troubled soul. Malcurie was truly, completely, and unconditionally evil.