Wonderland? Wonderland!

15.

I spend my mornings training with the White Queen. She believed that all women, and men, big and small should be able to swing a sword, and I had to admit that I had gotten better. Now I could without difficulty hold the sword properly and perform some basik maneuvers and atacs.

In the evenings, however, I devoted myself entirely to my mother. Since she didn't leave her room, we always talked about my training, memories we shared and tea. Every night we enjoyed our evening tea and I had been told that her favorite flavor was honey cotton candy, but it was a little too sweet for me. I preferred the slightly fruitier flavers, or I think they were fruity.

The training hadn't interested me from the start, but the better I got, the more fun it became. But I guess that's how it worked, of course it was more fun to do something you were good at than something you sucked at. But enough training talk, I had just told my mother about how I had started learning to handle knives when suddenly the ground started shaking. It almost ached like an earthquake, but those didn't exist in wonderland, did they?

Then the door to mother's room was slammed open by a servant who between his gasps got out.
"Sorry Alice, but it's time, I have to prepare her!"
Before I could even react, mother had answered.
"There is no time, she can take mine!" Time, hers, what was happening?!
But I didn't have time to ask any questions, because now the servant, whom I recognized from my training, pushed me towards the wardrobe while mother rummaged through a chest of drawers.

Without protesting, I let them strip me down to my underwear before they brought out new clothes for me. But these clothes were nothing I had seen before, this was a blouse paired with a pair of leather-like pants. "Don't just stand there! Put them on!" Alice exclaimed and in pure confusion I did as she said.
"Give me your arms!"
It was the servant who asked me, no not asked, ordered.
"May I ask what all this is for?"
"No!"
It came from both of them and I bit my tongue not to ask more questions.

While the attendant laced me into some sort of corset, mom continued rummaging through her drawers until she almostscreamed.
"I found it!"
She pulled out a harness filled with knives? And, good god.
Vepons!
Mom put the harness on me while the servant continued whit god knows what, but I couldn't hold back any longer.
"What is all this necessary for?!" "Hopefully you won't have a use enny of it."

Before I could decode my mother's cryptic answer, I was led away by the servant. Out of her room, towards the stairs to the palace, but before we got there I saw it.
Through a smaller window I saw the gigantic army gathered outside our walls, and at the wery front of it was him.
Henry.

Once outside, I stand hidden in the crowd. I could see Henry on his horse, and I could hear him say something, but I couldn't make out any words. I made an effort to move closer, but a loose grip on my arm stopped me. I turned, a little confused, and met the waiter's gaze.
"I've seen you, you know what to do if things get ugly."
I nodded, not entirely sure I knew, but the grip on my arm losend and I moved slowly, quietly, forward.

I stopped when I could hear what he said. I could go further, but in order not to be seen I chose to stand still and observe.
"You realize what you've done!"
He almost spat the words at the White queen.
"I haven't done anything."
She was the calm itself, but Henry did not seem to possess the same self-control.
"Don't lie! You have three choices." Anger flashed in his eyes, and for the first time in a long time I felt pure genuine fear forming inside me. "Either you confess and I consider letting your disloyal court live, or I torture the truth out of the prisoners I already have."
She didn't answer, but her silence only ached to irritate him even more. "You might recognize them."
A devilish smile formed on his lips as he gestured for a soldier to bring out something. No not something, someone.
And this someone was Louis and his father!

I had to put both hands over my mouth to silence a scream.
Both were chained at the wrists, but the worst part was the blood, so much blood. They were broken, I couldn't imagine the pain they must have gone through, but still, still the hatter and his son bowed to their queen.
"My queen."
He said, ever so formal, only until they both were pushed to the ground and I saw that Louis' father needed to help him up was I sure my heart broke.
"Hatter, I've missed you."
So collected, how could she keep so calme! But then she turned back to Henry.
"And my third choice?"
His grin grew and I knew I would dislike the answer.
"Give me what is rightfully mine, give me what you stole!"
"And what would that be?"
At first he didn't answer, his gaze just gliding over the palace and the crowd that had gathered, only when his eyes drilled into me did he answer. He raised his arm and while pointing with one finger he said.
"Her!"

The crowd split and slowly I made my way to the White queen.
"She's not yours for the taking."
"Ohh but dear aunt, she is!"
No answer.
"Do you know what the punishment for kidnapping a member of the royal family is?"
Still no answer.
He had now jumped off the horse and walked towards us.
"Certain death! Is that a sentence you want?"
"You're no one to judge. In that case, it's between me and my sister, no prince."
"Ohh, but dear aunt I'm not a prince, I'm a king!"
"Impossible, unless--."
"Yes, a tragedy, my dear mother is dead, but I cannot let the kingdom fall!"
He didn't sound a bit sad, but the tears that began to form in the Queen's eyes were unstoppable.
"My sister..."
Barely a whisper, but I couldn't let him win.
"You're wrong Henry."
He didn't deserve a title.
"No one in the royal family has been kidnapped."
"No, it is you who is wrong my dear." The words dripped with venom as they left his lips.
"After my mother's passing, you, my betrothed is the crown princess!"
But I was never kidnapped, wait a minute did he said? Yes, he did said!
"I never agreed to--."
"All I want to do is put this behind me. I'm willing to let them have these two prisoners if you go free!"
Then he leaned close and whispered. "Because you want them to be free, right?"
I gasped at his words, and only whit a single glance at Louis had I made up my mind.