Cheshire doesn’t answer me, but he doesn’t need to. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know without a doubt that this calling deals with Alice somehow. Wonderland has a way of communicating through us, and she practically confirms the idea with a sharp stab of pain behind my ear. Suddenly, the whispers of Alice coming back full of hatred seem more real. Cheshire hadn’t spoken to me about it when the whispers first began. I have a feeling he knows what Alice is, and that she’s already done something wrong; that the little girl full of curiosity is no longer inside her. I hope that isn’t the case. I hope I’m wrong, that the whispers were nothing more than nonsense.
The sharp stab of pain comes again.
Cheshire draws his sword, and I follow suit, pulling the strong blade from my back. Together, we Fade, Wonderland automatically pulling us in the direction we need to go. Slowly, we reappear in the castle gardens, and the scene that unfolds in front of us nearly brings me to my knees.
“How sweet of you to join me,” Alice purrs, her new pitch-black eyes zeroing in on us. We both tense, and I force myself to raise my chin and face off against the monster in front of me. This can’t be Alice, not this woman dressed in blood.
Cheshire is always meant to punish, but he typically waits until I attempt my powers. Today, he doesn’t seem too concerned with waiting for me to give my verdict. It’s obvious that Alice is no longer that little girl that came so long ago.
As a child, she used to be petite, so full of curiosity and life. Now, she stands before us older, a woman older than me, as if her world had moved faster than ours. Her skin is pale, her hair lighter than I remember. By far, the most noticeable difference is her eyes. They used to be a beautiful blue. Now, they’re so black that they seem to absorb all light.
“Alice, what have you become?” I ask. My voice is strong, but I can’t help the tiny twinge of sadness that leaks through. I mourn the loss of Alice, the girl that Alex used to call friend.
“I’ve become exactly who I’m meant to be,” she replies, a smile curling her lips. Even her voice has changed, although it’s still tinkling and girlish. Around us, bodies cover the ground, some very obviously my brethren from the guard, others so mutilated that it’s hard to tell who they are. Their blood coats Alice’s dress and body. Their blood paints the ground and drips from her lips.
“Where are the King and Queen?” Cheshire asks, his sword resting on his shoulder as if he could care less what’s going on. I know different. He’s coiled tension and can strike at any moment.
“Where’s Alexander?” I add, my voice automatically coming out a hiss I can’t hide. I’m not supposed to be angry, but I know she’s done something horrible. We wouldn’t have been called had that not been the case.
Her smile grows wider, and I see pointed teeth peek from the edge of her lips.
“The Prince is alive.” Those eyes meet mine, and her gaze feels like spiders crawling across my skin. Her words don’t put me at ease. “Although, I’m afraid he’s rather lost himself. The King and Queen, well, they lost their heads.”
“Where’s Alex?” I ask again because she didn’t truly answer my question. I can feel Cheshire glancing at me from the corner of his eye, but I ignore him. He won’t understand. We’ve been trained to act first, to hide our emotions, to find all the information. I’m going against all our training, but still he prepares to fight by my side and follows my lead.
Alice keeps her eyes on me as she turns her head and calls over her shoulder, “Knave!”
‘Knave?’ Who is the Knave? And why does the name fill me such dread that my legs begin to shake.
Cheshire and I both hear the footsteps at the same time. We tense, prepared for whatever is coming, but nothing could have truly readied me. The man that steps out from behind Alice is dressed in the Prince’s armor, though it’s dented and dirty. One crystal-clear blue eye stares at me without emotion, and I gasp, involuntarily taking a step forward that Cheshire stops with his hand.
Alex looks all wrong, a sign of brutality that Wonderland hadn’t called us for. Why had she waited? Half of the Prince’s face is ripped away, including one eye. Red roses bloom in the mottled flesh, the flower reminding me of a memory from when we were children. Where Alex’s heart should be, a similar wound appears, a gaping hole that should not be there. Alice runs a finger down the side of Alex’s mutilated face, a touch he doesn’t react to, as if he can’t feel it at all.
Those blood-red roses stand out against my lover’s pale skin, the same red as Alice’s dress.
“What have you done to him?” I snarl, my sword raised.
She giggles, the sound so full of madness that it only intensifies my anger. It’s the exact same giggle she’d had as a child, the same mocking sound I’ve always detested. It makes her feel like more of a threat, and Cheshire bends his knees in preparation, sensing the complete wrongness of the situation. Alex hardly spares us a glance, as if he doesn’t recognize his best friends. That hurts the most.
“I don’t think it’s Alex anymore,” Cheshire whispers, but I can’t listen to those words. My face morphs into the absolute fury that fills me. That’s the man I’m going to claim as mine tomorrow. That’s the love of my life.
“What have you done to him?” I scream, my fingers turning white around my sword pommel.
“I’ve given him purpose,” Alice finally answers, studying her nails. “And I’m tiring of this already. Knave, get rid of them.”
Alex moves towards us without hesitation, his own sword pulling free of the sheath and prepared for battle. He wouldn’t? Surely, Alex is still in there beneath Alice’s spell.
My lover, my Alex attacks Cheshire first, his sword coming down so fast that Cheshire barely has time to block the killing blow that was aimed for his neck. I watch in horror as Alex swings his sword at my brother, at his childhood friend. There’s no resistance at all in his eyes.
“You take him,” Cheshire growls at me, shoving the Prince away. Alex hardly reacts besides a small stumble. “I’ll take Alice.”
I can see the look in Cheshire’s eyes. Wonderland is calling for blood, his urge for punishment filling his body. Cheshire storms up to Alice, who barely bats an eye. She doesn’t even flinch.
Alex turns towards me, the only other target around, and storms closer.
“Wake up, Alex,” I say, dodging the sword he swings at me. I don’t raise my own, determined to get through to him. “Wake up!”
I chance a quick look towards Cheshire who hesitates over Alice, very obviously not punishing her. What’s going on? I dodge another swing.
I spin and roll away, and Alex follows, his movements so much smoother than they’d been before whatever Alice has done. He’d never been the best fighter, so how is he keeping up with my movements now? This is wrong. This is all wrong. I narrowly miss another swing and stumble backwards. He keeps coming, keeps advancing, and he never hesitates.
“Wake up! Alex, wake up!” I cry, agony in my voice. I can’t raise my sword against him. I can’t kill the man I’ve given my heart to, no matter what Alice has done to him.
“What are you doing?” Cheshire snarls at me, but I ignore him. I won’t kill him. I can’t.
“Knave,” Alice calls, and Alex turns his blue eye to her, waiting for her command. “End her.”
“No,” Cheshire growls, jumping from the dais and running towards me, but I know he will never reach us in time. He can’t, no matter how fast he is.
Everything slows around me, as if Wonderland is determined to draw this moment out as long as possible. A flash of panic crosses Alex’s eye, but it’s gone so fast, I don’t know if I truly saw it. He’s in there, somewhere, and I won’t raise my weapon. Slowly, Alex lifts his own sword, and I watch, realizing exactly what this is.
“Protect yourself!” Cheshire snarls. “Move! Danica, move!”
We were never meant to be, Alex and I, but I’m glad that for a moment we were. Destinies are funny things, our fate already decided for us by a
being we have no true knowledge of. I can feel the certainty in my bones, that this moment has been preordained since before I was born, that my life was never my own, that I was never meant to be the Hope Bringer for long.
I was never going to be allowed to marry the King.
Tears slip over my lashes as I meet Alex’s single blue eye, and my grip loosens on my sword. It’s useless because everything has already been decided. Wonderland, in her cruel way, has decided that I must die at the hands of the man I love, and I have to believe that it’s for some greater cause. Still, I try one more time.
“Alex, wake up. You have to wake up. Please.” I clench my hand into a fist and lower my voice. “Alex, I love you. Please, just know that I love you.” Recognition flashes in Alex’s eye for a moment, and hope fills my body.
It’s only another cruel trick. The Hope Bringer must hope, even when it’s futile.
“Danica!” Cheshire screams, still too far away, still moving in slow motion as the Prince thrusts the royal sword towards my sternum. “Move!”
Alice’s laughter fills the air, taunting, and I hope that Cheshire kills the bitch for what she’s done.
I don’t feel the sword slice through my body, but I gasp at the coldness that explodes outward around it. Even though I saw it coming, I’m still shocked when I look down at the sword protruding from me, Alex’s hand still wrapped around the hilt flush with my skin. The cold gets so intense that I can hardly stand it, and my lip trembles when I look up again at the man standing over me, against me, the one I gave my heart to. His clear eye meets mine, and there’s sadness there; there’s horror, that’s replaced with indifference far too quickly, my Alex losing the battle to Alice’s influence.
“No!” Cheshire screams, his arms catching me just as my sword drops from my fingers, and I collapse. Alex backs away, leaving me in my brother’s arms. “What’s wrong with you?” Cheshire shouts at Alex, his anger so potent that I can feel it through the overwhelming chill wracking my body. Alex stumbles back another step at his outburst, a single tear running down his face. It’s the only sign I need, that he’s still in there, that there’s a chance someone can save him. The emotion is wiped clean from his face just as quickly, and the man I love backs away, nothing more than a dog for the Queen to command.
There’s a tickle at the corner of my lips, and I know it for the bad sign it is. I’ve seen what happens when a person is killed with a sword. It isn’t pretty. My body starts to shut down, and I mourn the loss of so many things. I will never get to marry Alex, to openly claim him as my own, as he would me. I won’t be there to see the crown placed on his head or fight his mother for the right to marry him in the first place. I won’t be there beside Cheshire to offer hope, and I know he’ll blame himself, and that he’ll give in to his emotions.
“Wake up, Alex,” I breathe, my voice rattling in my chest. “Alex, wake up.” It’s hard to focus, my eyes staring unseeing into the dark sky even as Cheshire shakes beneath me.
Don’t cry, brother, I want to say. I want to say so many things, but it’s getting harder and harder to breath.
“Danica,” Cheshire grunts, and something wet drips on my face. My own eyes leak tears from the corner of my eyes, agonized over leaving Cheshire in this madness, leaving him when he needs me most. “I’ll kill you, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll rip your head clean from your body.” Cheshire must be talking to Alice, I think, and it’s confirmed when her laughter reaches my ears. It’s muted, as if I’m in a tunnel, but still, I hear it.
“Good luck, Grimalkin. Come along, Knave.” I can’t hear what else she says, my body shutting down against my will.
The only thing I’m aware of after that is shaking beneath me, Cheshire fighting his emotions, attempting to stop the flow of blood from my chest. It’s a comfort to have him here with me in these final moments, and I wish I can tell him that I love him, that I’m sorry for all the pain this is causing. I wish I could explain everything.
My heart gives a harsh throb inside my chest, and I know it’s the time. This is it. I will be led into the Here After by the Hatter, doomed to watch whatever horror that will unfold while I’m gone. The only thing I can do, before my heart gives out completely, is meet Cheshire’s glowing eyes.
“Cheshire . . .,” I breathe, barely forcing the words out, before everything darkens around me, and I’m ripped away from my body.
Brother, do not mourn for me, for I am merely the first step in your fate.
Lover, do not give up, for I am waiting for you on the other side.
Alice, you do not know what destruction you have unleashed, or what you have brought upon yourself.
I am the Hope Bringer that was brave enough to love the Future King. Hope is never gone, and though I may be, I will wait for punishment to be brought down on your head.
My Prince, we were never meant to be, never meant to love or to live, but I’m thankful that, for a moment, we were together.
For a moment, we were happy.
“Danica, wake up . . .”
I’m sorry, brother . . .
THE FLAMINGO AND THE DODO BIRD
Kendra Moreno
The Flamingo And The Dodo Bird
Their story was one that was revered around Wonderland. Follow the tale of how they met, and how two creatures completely at odds fell in love.
Chapter 1
Dodo
“Have you heard the latest news?”
I have to physically fight myself to keep from rolling my eyes at my mother. The old bird loves a good rumor, no matter whose expense it’s at. My mother is the resident rumor mill in our section of the forest, and she always seems to know exactly what’s going on. Sometimes, I find myself curious how she finds the information, wondering what she’s traded for it, but I dismiss it quickly. The moment I try to understand my mother is the moment I become her. I have no desire to turn into the Keeper of Secrets.
“No, mother, and I do not wish to.” I don’t even look up from the book I’m reading to discourage further discussion. As usual, it doesn’t work.
“It’s about that Flamingo lad. You know the rumors about his parentage, don’t you?”
I do, but I don’t say so. To speak of it might bring Wonderland down on my head. Some things were best left to be forgotten. My mother, however, takes my silence as waiting for her to continue. I almost groan when she starts to speak again.
“The poor dear had the loveliest Flamingo for a mother but somehow, the gentle thing took a liking to a Jabberwocky. Nasty creatures if you ask me. I remember the uproar when they became an item, before the Jabberwockies were wiped from the land. It was absolute blasphemy when they had a child together.”
“Why are you telling me all of this, mother?” I can’t help the curiosity at the mention of the Flamingo. Even though I try not to, I hear the rumors. Most of them come from my friends that talk of how beautiful he is, like a warrior dressed in the colors of his mother. His birth may have been blasphemy, but from the rumors, none of that had touched his appearance. I’ve been curious but have, so far, not encountered him. That’s probably because I don’t frequent the same parties as my friends. No, I prefer the solitude of books to the uproarious Wonderland gatherings. My mother, however, attends every single one. The Hatter’s tea loosens lips, after all.
“Because he’s, apparently, making a name for himself, and not a good one. Some say he’s developed the brutality of his father and his mother’s inner turmoil.”
“Which would make him a walking juxtaposition.”
“Exactly. He’s brutal, but only when necessary. I’ve heard he never lifts his fist for the sake of doing so. It seems there are many who judge him for his lineage, and those are the ones who he gets in altercations with.”
“Can you blame him? The creatures of Wonderland can be cruel.”
“I never said I blame him,” my mother chides. She collects rumors, but she never twists them. She never likes anyone putting words into her mouth. “
I was simply stating what seems to be going on around him.”
I nod my head at her and return my gaze to the book in my lap, but I’m no longer reading the words, even after my mother leaves me in peace. Perhaps, I should attend one of the parties, after all. I hear the Flamingo likes to frequent such things, even if he always leaves with a new bruise or split lip.
He sounds like a creature I should steer clear of, and yet, I find myself lingering on the circumstances that brought him into this world.
What would a man be with the brutality of a Jabberwocky, and the gentleness of a Flamingo?
Dangerous. That man would be dangerous.
Chapter 2
Flamingo
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” I growl. The bulky creature in front of me snorts at my question, his tusks standing proud and intricate in front of his face. His kind carves details into their tusks when they achieve a life event. This man has many carvings, but none of a warrior. Why he thinks he can pick a fight with me, I don’t understand, but I won’t allow for such things to be said about my mother.
“I said, your mother was a fucking idiot creating an abomination like you.” He’s completely confident in his words, even as his friends take a step back. Their eyes dart between the tattoos covering my skin and their friend still standing tall and proud on one side of the bonfire.
Tonight was supposed to be fun, relaxing even. Come out to the Dancing of the Stars, watch the celestial beings get brighter and put on a show in the sky, maybe go home with a lovely creature at the end of the night. Instead, I’ve barely joined the party, can’t even take a drink of the Hatter’s tea, and this fucking asshole is making comments about my mother, a woman he’s never met. He doesn’t know me, nor my parents, so why do so many think that gives them a right to judge at all?
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