Down the Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones

6

I stand alone on the balcony of the tree house after a joyous reunion with Jefferson, McTwisp, and The March Hare. I hear footsteps approaching from behind, assumably Jefferson's. He comes to stand next to me, looking out over the night sky with me in silence for a comfortable minute.

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He asks with a mischievous smile. I grin up at him fondly. 

"I'll have to think more about it." I say simply.

"You know what you have to do, right?" He asks, his mood switching to one more serious. I furrow my brows, looking away to stare at the night sky once more.

"Overthrow the Queen? How could I forget?" I ask, trying to sound lighthearted by failing. I pause. "Jefferson, why is it so important to you that I do this?" I ask inquisitively. He looks at me, confusion written across his face.

"Because the Queen needs to be-"

"Besides that." I interrupt. "There has to be more to this." I prod with an empathetic voice. He sighs before hanging his head.

"I failed her." He starts and I feel my heart hurt, realizing he's talking about his daughter, Grace. "I couldn't protect her and then you show up in Wonderland," He pauses to tearfully let out a soft chuckle. "A tiny girl whos imagination was always running wild. You lived here an entire year and I protected you from the Queen." He pauses, thoughtful. "Before the Queen- Cora, came to Wonderland, The White Queen ruled Wonderland. I wasn't there back then but I heard she was the complete opposite of Cora." He explains solemly.

I look at him with confusion, taking in all this new information at once. I nod for him to continue. "But when Cora came to Wonderland, things changed and The White Queen knew it was only a matter of time before Cora killed her." He pauses and looks at me with a gentle smile. "She had a vision, before she died, of a girl named Alice who looked identical to you, defeating Cora and taking the throne." He sighs, looking away. "It's important to me because I won't fail you again. I failed to protect you the last time you were here but I won't let that happen again. I may not have a second chance with my Grace, but I do you." He speaks passionately, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

I wipe the tear away, staring up at him at a loss for words. Whether or not this is a dream, this is all real to him and his words affect me more than I can ever express. I smile up at him with a half  smile. "That does sound like something I'd dream up." I say, shaking my head at myself. "I always wanted to be special, to be someone, to do something." I pause before returning my gaze back to his. "I'm going to miss you when I wake up." I say sadly, a tear now falling from my own eye.

Suddenly he swings his head around to face me with an excited look before grabbing my arm and pulling me into the house. I yell out in surprise at the sudden movement but it quickly turns into a delighted laugh at his usual behavior.

Jefferson dragged me all the way out of the tree house down a winding path to the ruins of a castle. I imagine the castle was once a beautiful, all white, and opulent palace that must have cost a fortune.  In front of the ruins there's a gazebo that's miraculously still standing. Sitting in the middle of the gazebo I can see a beautiful set of silver armor and in it's hands, the Vorpal sword.

I slow my walking speed, realization dawning on me as Jefferson turns to face me with an expectant expression. "The White Queen's armor and sword. It was made to make the wearer invincible to Cora's magic." He says simply, no explanation needed. I feel real fear course through me as all of this starts to feel too real. I must look frightened as well because his face turns to one of concern. He steps close to me, to comfort me but I take a quick step back.

"Go away." I whisper and he shakes his head going to say something but I cut him off. "I said go away! Leave me alone!" I shout, panicked as my hands become clammy. I can see the heartbreak on his face but I ignore him as he walks away, defeated.

I walk over to the steps of the gazebo and sit, head in hands, trying to take deep breaths. Tears fall from my face as I try to think of home.

"Nothing's ever accomplished with tears." A monotone voice drones from next to me, causing me to startle. When I look over in the direction of the voice drones from next to me, just like the one that was on Andy's shoulder but this one's... smoking a hookah.

"Who are you?" I ask, my panic replaced with curiosity. The caterpillar blows a ring of smoke in my face, causing me to cough.

"Absolem." He drones out.

"Can you help me wake up?" I ask, wiping my tears.

"I can't help if you don't even know who you are, stupid girl." He answers back condescendingly.

"I'm not stupid!" I snap indignantly. "My name is Alice, I live in the Enchanted Forest, I have a mother named Helen and I had a father who was a famous sailor with a vision that stretched across multiple worlds. I'm his daughter." I rant before finishing with a defiant look.

"Alice, at last." He speaks back before he blows a big puff of smoke in my face. Just as I'm about to give him a piece of my mind, the world around me shifts. I see visions-no, memory's of myself as a little girl, here, in Wonderland. I can see myself having tea with Jefferson and then in the next moment he's holding me in his arms, running away from what appears to be a dragon. In the next memory I'm telling him a joke about a raven with a writing desk to cheer him up. The last memory is one of me promising him that I'd find a way to help him reunite with his daughter.

I gasp as I come out of the wash of memories that overwhelmed my senses. Jefferson was right all along... this is all real.

i'm so excited to write the next chapter, you have no idea.

-ky