Impossible (A HEARTLESS Fanfic)

Chapter Five

Ace looked just as surprised as Alice felt. He slowed his horse as he approached. Squinting his eyes and furrowing his brow, he took in the scene: a young girl and a Ferret standing before the remains of what had been a rather large tree. When at last he had reached them, he dismounted and slowly stepped towards her, his hand hesitantly hovering over the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Lady Laurens?" he said, as though he wasn't quite sure if what he was seeing was reality.

"Ace," Alice said with a desperate grin. Her eyes darted to Mr. Ferret, who seemed slightly confused by the name with which Ace had addressed her, but he did not say a word. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"A giant girl was spotted above the canopy," Ace explained, looking past her and towards the rubble. "And with one of the Queen's tarts having been stolen at the tea party, we thought there was a good chance she was the culprit. Since I was already searching the edge of the Forest when she was spotted, I decided to go on ahead while my sergeant gathered the rest of the men."

Alice lifted a hand to her mouth and gasped. "Someone stole the Queen's tarts?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "One tart, but that was enough."

Creasing her brow in the pretense of deep thought, Alice asked, "Why would a giant girl be considered the thief of a tart?"

"The Queen added some Growing Powder to the tarts so that if anyone attempted to eat them, it would be easy to find and punish them."

With a tilt of her head, Alice batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. "Why would someone be punished for eating tarts? Isn't that what they're meant for?"

Ace's gaze shifted to something beyond her, and without a word, he gently pushed her aside and walked towards the destroyed oak tree. Alice spun around to see him nearing the abandoned tart. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest as she watched him bend down on one knee and gently right the overturned pastry. The muscles in his jaw strained for a moment before he got to his feet and turned to face her.

Holding out the tart, he asked, "Are you a baker, Lady Laurens?"

Her gaze was glued to the pastry, and she knew the panic in her eyes was confession enough. "No, just an enthusiast."

A sigh escaped from his lips, and Alice lifted her head in time to see him shut his eyes tightly. Then, in an instant, he pocketed the tart and pulled out iron shackles. "You are under arrest for the theft of Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts' strawberry tart."

Too stunned to offer much resistance, Alice watched helplessly as Ace cuffed her wrists in front of her, taking a firm grip of her upper arm. As he led her to his horse, Mr. Ferret began to protest.

"Stop! You can't take her! She's just a sweet, innocent girl!" he cried.

"Sweet she may be, Mr. Ferret, but innocent? I think not," Ace said as he tossed Alice onto the saddle.

"Please! She's just a girl! Let me explain!" Mr. Ferret continued, running towards them.

But Ace was already seated and spurring his horse into a run, leaving Mr. Ferret's desperate pleas lost in the sound of hoofbeats.

Alice stared down at the passing terrain, unsure of what to do or say. She dared to steal a glance of Ace, hoping to diffuse the situation with a little light flirting and humor, perhaps even managing to talk her way out the entire mess. However, when she caught a glimpse of the intensity in his eyes and the set of his jaw, all of her courage fled her. She resumed staring at the quickly passing ground, wondering what lay ahead of her.