Impossible (A HEARTLESS Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alice gasped for breath as she ran through the brush, only glancing over her shoulder for a moment to see how much distance she had put between herself and the soldiers. They were becoming specks in the distance, and their shouts were lost amongst the leaves and branches. But she dared not stop.

A group of soldiers had caught them by surprise, and in an effort to escape capture, she and her friends had scattered in different directions. It was with the hopes that there wouldn't be nearly enough men to chase after them all so that at least some of them would escape. However, considering Alice was the one with the Vorpal Sword and thus the biggest threat to the Queen, most of the soldiers went after her. Thankfully, she was the fastest of them all. Except for Pierrot. Somehow he managed to almost disappear into thin air. Alice would have been more intrigued if she weren't so intent on running for her life.

Finally, she had no choice but to slow down, lest her lungs burst. Leaning against a tree, she took deep breaths and glanced around. The Queen's men were nowhere to be seen. Relieved, she closed her eyes for a moment. Her head was spinning from the adrenaline. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. The rush was exciting, but she knew it was silly to be getting a thrill from it. She was a wanted criminal, and her friends could very well have been captured. She needed to get her head on straight.

"Alice."

Her heart leapt and her eyes shot open. Ace stood before her. He was poised to approach her but seemed to be hesitating. Swallowing a knot in her throat, Alice took a step backwards.

"Alice, I—"

"I just got away from at least ten of your men, I'm not about to be caught by just one," Alice said as she continued to step away from him.

"No, I wasn't—"

He moved towards her, grabbing her wrist, but as he did, she tripped on something under the leaves. There was a hiss and a snap, and before she knew what had happened, she and Ace were caught in a net and hoisted into the air.

"What in Hearts is this?" Alice exclaimed, struggling to escape.

"I believe it is a net," Ace replied, trying to avoid being kicked and punched by her flailing limbs.

"Really, Captain, this is ridiculous. How could you possibly get caught in your own trap? I really thought you more competent than this!"

"This isn't my trap!"

"What?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was one of the citizens who set this."

"Why would the citizens be setting traps?"

"Because the Queen has declared to the kingdom that she wants you and your rebels caught. She has promised great rewards if you are and great threats if you are not."

"Great, so now we don't only have to worry about the Queen's soldiers but also the people of Hearts."

Alice heaved a sigh, and Tart peeked out of one of her pockets to see that she was all right. She scratched his little head to reassure him, but being trapped in a net had her quite distracted, not to mention the captain. She couldn't see him, considering her back was turned to him, but she could feel laughter rumble through his chest.

"What is so funny, Captain Ace?" she asked irritably.

"Nothing, nothing, just..." He heaved a sigh, and his breath on her ear sent a shiver down her spine. "Here I was coming to help you, and I wind up getting you caught."

Alice twisted her body so that she was able to look at Ace. Seeing his hazel eyes so close to her face sent butterflies through her stomach.

"You came to help me?" she asked.