"And you being who?" The Red Queen demanded.
"Well, I--- I'm---- My name is-----" I tried to reply.
"Bah! I knew it! I said to you, a person with NO name would come here after Alice and be dumbfounded! You doubted me and I was right!" The Queen yelled at her guards.
"In defence of your guards, I do have a name." I said, finding my voice.
She slowly spun around on the tip of her heel. What was in store for me now? Had I just angered the reason the Hatter was about to murder me? I am at war with myself, I can't let out. I can't do this. I can't stay calm.
"What did you just say to me?" She said, cocking her giant head.
"You heard me." I said back.
"Rude. Child. Alice. Is that you?"
"I am not my mother."
"Your.... Your mother..... As in.... she had a child?"
"Yes. That's me, if I hadn't made that clear already."
The Queen grabbed onto one of her guards, and slipped down the shoulder. Kind of like crazy people do. Then again... She's not far from it.
"The Compendium......." She muttered.
"The what-dium?"
"It foretold of... Of a child of Alice coming.... that she would be wounded.... And.... she would.... not live."
I furrowed my brows together. "I would not live?!" I said, outraged.
"Mm hmm." Was the only reply she could give me. She was in shock. Or, overjoyed with happiness. I would guess the second one.... She was still mad about the.... Jabberwocky....
"It's the Hatter, isn't it? He was trying to stop something from happening... That's why he attacked me... Something would happen to Wonderland when I.... when I....."
"Die."
"Yes, that, and he didn't want it to happen."
"Wonderland will be returned to it's original form."
I sighed. So I had to die to save everyone. That, was not going to be easy. I didn't want to die. I am only 15.
"Contemplating? Hmm?" Taunted the Queen.
"Haha. I'm thinking."
"Contemplating."
I glared at her. I could strange her. Hell, maybe I would. Nobody would stop me.
"I can tell you despise me, daughter of Alice. I despise you."
"Then when I wished for help and serenity, why did I end up here?"
Even she couldn't answer that.
The silence in the moments that followed were the worst feeling. It wasn't right. It was awkward.
"Show our guest to her room." Said the Queen finally, and my head jerked up. I had fallen asleep. Whoops.
The frog butlers nodded, and gestured for me to follow them. We walked past pictures of people, and I recognised the Queen. She was sitting next to a man with a crown on his head, and I assumed he was the King. Where was he, if he was married to her?
"He's dead." The frog said, as if he was reading my thoughts. Not really, I had stopped walking and was staring at the painting.
"Oh, um, alright." I said uncomfortably, shifting my feet. I shuffled after the frog, walking to my room.
Really, it was a beautiful room.
Red plush sofa and armchair, facing the outside. Like a TV, but obviously, there was no reception underground. Red bed, with a velvet blanket laid luxuriously on it. There were so many other things in the room, but I just flopped onto the bed, and made an oath to myself that I would stay on this blanket forever.
"I'll leave you here, ma'am." Said the frog, and left, shutting the door behind him.
I closed my eyes, and I fell asleep in minutes.
***
My eyes slowly fluttered open. Where was I? Oh, yeah, Red Queen's castle. I met the roof with my eyes. I sat up slowly, yawning and streching. Did I have dinner? I was hungry.
I made eye contact with the figure at the end of the bed.
He raised his axe and smiled at me.
