Chapter Three

 

 

“How much do you know about what's happening in Wonderland?” King Jaxon asked me as he held a chair out for me.

“Very little,” I admitted. “Someone was rushing me.” I gave Warren a pointed look.

“We were late.” Warren sniffed.

“Late!” Hare shouted, waking up the mouse.

“Eh, now, stop with all the shouting,” Dormouse mumbled, then curled back up in her teacup.

“Dormouse is always tired,” Hatter whispered dramatically to me.

“Because you louts are exhausting,” Dormouse muttered.

“Wonderland is divided into four Card Kingdoms.” Jaxon ignored the banter and poured me a cup of tea. “Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts,” he said the last scathingly. “But we were ruled over by one royal family; the Wild Cards. Your parents kept the peace between the kingdoms, directing our talents into their best employments, and making Wonderland into a safe and prosperous environment for everyone.”

“Until the Queen of Hearts set her eyes on your father,” Hatter growled, his eyes narrowing. “Pin your heart to the cat's tail and watch the kitty wail. Why is a cat like a chessboard?”

“Easy, George,” Jaxon said. “We have King Altair's daughter here, remember? We will right this wrong.”

“Yes, yes, I remember now.” Hatter focused on me intensely. “You're home, at last, Alice.”

“Am I?” I looked around the strange place and my even stranger dining companions. “Is this where I was born?”

“You were born in the Wilds,” Jaxon said.

“I was born in the wild?” I asked in horror. “I thought I was royal?”

“The Wilds is the name for the castle your family lived in.” Jaxon chuckled. “It's just there.”

Jaxon pointed above the trees, and I looked in the direction he indicated. There was a magnificent castle of black, red, and white stone perched on a cliff above the forest. Its sleek towers were topped with gold poles, but no banners flew from them. The castle was empty, I could tell that, even from this distance. It exuded an air of abandonment.

“Tell me more,” I looked back to the King of Spades. “What happened to my parents?”

“As George here said”–Jaxon sighed–“the Queen of Hearts developed an affection for your father. He did not return it. He was still mourning your mother, who died when you were only two.”

“My mother died before my father?” I asked. “Uncle Ted told me they were in an accident together. All three of us, but only I made it.”

“Well, it's obvious that your uncle didn't want you to know of your lineage until it was necessary,” Nick said as he balanced his chair back on two legs. “Smart man; Ted was not as flighty as the rest of us. Though he did take flight with you, so perhaps he was more flighty than the rest of us.”

“Queen Julia, your mother,” Jaxon went on, “did have an accident. In a way. There was a dangerous beast who used to terrorize the villages and your mother tried to conquer it, using her Wild magic.”

“Wild magic?” I asked.

“Every royal has an ability that they are born with,” Warren explained. “A magic that is passed down through their line. The House of Spades are magnificent warriors.” Warren paused to bow to King Jaxon, and Jaxon nodded back regally. “The House of Diamonds has a talent for amassing wealth. The House of Clubs has healing magic, and–”

“Healing?” I interrupted. “How is healing relevant to a club?”

“The club symbol is actually a clover,” Jaxon said patiently as Warren huffed indignantly over my interruption. “It represents nature and the power of plants to heal. Most clubbers have a talent for potion making as well. King Bevan taught your uncle the art.”

“Oh, okay.”

“May I continue?” Warren asked.

“You interrupted my story first, White,” Jaxon reminded Warren.

“Oh, quite right, Your Majesty,” Warren stammered. “My apologies.”

“Then you won't mind if I take over?” Jaxon smiled, shooting me a conspiratorial wink.

“Not at all.” Warren bowed out, literally.

“Let's see,” Jaxon murmured. “Oh yes, last there is the House of Hearts, with the power of love.”

“But you didn't tell me about the Wild magic,” I reminded him.

“Yes, the Wild.” Jaxon sighed. “The reason the House of Wilds ruled Wonderland was that they possessed all of those other magics along with an additional, unknown power that each Wild child was born with. There are several wild magics, but so far, only five have manifested; Cut, Shuffle, Deal, Fold, and Front. Your father was not born a Wild; he married your mother and became king in that manner. It was your mother who had the true power in Wonderland. She was born with an ability to cast illusions, also known as Fronting.”

“Illusions?” I frowned. “Like hallucinations?”

“Queen Julia could make you see and believe whatever she wished,” Jaxon said. “She had the best poker face around and could put up a good front. Combined with her deadly skill with a blade, it made her nearly invincible.”

“Nearly,” I whispered.

“Yes,” Jaxon said grimly. “Her Majesty may have been a bit overconfident. She had the best intentions when she went to face the Jabberwocky, but she insisted that she didn't need any help. She bade your father remain at the castle with you while she handled the beast.”

“What's a Jabberwocky?” I asked.

“Jabberwocky!” Hare screeched, jumped up, and ran across the table, disrupting the Dormouse again and overturning several small cakes.

“Where?” Dormouse asked.

“Beware the Jabberwock,” Hatter growled, “the jaws that bite, the claws that catch!”

“It's a terrible monster with fiery eyes and skin as thick as an elephant,” King Jaxon said gravely. “Similar to what earthers call a dragon.”

“My mother tried to kill a dragon?” I asked.

“And instead, it killed her,” Jaxon said gently. “Your father was devastated, but the Queen of Hearts didn't care. A mere year after Queen Julia's death, Queen Rina tried to seduce King Altair.”

“The foul succubus!” Hatter screamed as he grabbed the still bouncing Hare and set him in an empty seat; of which, there were several.

“Foul,” Hare agreed and then snatched up a chicken salad sandwich. He inspected it and proclaimed again, but with a different meaning, “Fowl!” He ate with gusto.

“The Queen of Hearts failed to seduce King Altair,” King Jaxon said. “It was the first time that her magic had failed her, and it was a bit of an embarrassment as she had been public in her flirtations.”

“Do not tell me that this bitch killed my father because he wouldn't fuck her,” I growled.

King Jaxon's eyes went wide, and his lips twitched. “You are most assuredly your mother's daughter. I now fully believe Duke Theodore.”

“You believe what?”

“Your uncle, the Duke,” Jaxon explained. “He would send us reports on you–updates giving us hope that someday the last Wild Card would be put into play and take back her throne. I was uncertain that you would be strong enough to face Queen Rina after being raised an earther, but now, I see that I was wrong. You fight with fists and words. You are the Queen of Wilds.”

“Tell me what happened to my father.” I waved aside his praise.

“The Queen of Hearts murdered him,” Jaxon said simply. “Without Queen Julia to hold the Wild throne, and you only a babe, the House of Wilds was vulnerable. Queen Rina exploited that vulnerability. Love can be a very powerful magic; people will do horrible things in the name of love, and the Queen of Hearts used it to coerce some Wild knights into betraying their king. They opened the castle to the Heart army.”

“How did I escape?” I asked.

“There was just enough time for your uncle to snatch you out of your bed and run with you,” Nick answered. “I led him through the escape tunnels myself.”

“Why didn't my father escape with us?” I asked.

“Your father knew that they were there for him,” King Jaxon said. “If he had gone with you, you both would have perished. Altair chose to make a stand and give you the time you needed to flee.”

“And none of you other kingdoms did anything?” I narrowed my eyes on King Jaxon. “You just let this bitch get away with murder?”

“The Wild knights were not the only traitors.” Jaxon grimaced. “While your father battled for his life, our kingdoms faced similar situations. Queen Rina planned a coup, not just of the Wilds, but of Wonderland in its entirety. We all lost our kingdoms that day. The King of Diamonds also lost his queen.”

“I'm so sorry,” I whispered. “Did you lose someone too?”

“Several of my men were killed,” Jaxon said. “But I had no wife to lose. I've been a bit of a bachelor, like the King of Clubs.”

“So, there are three kings left and one queen,” I mused.

“Two queens, Your Majesty,” Nick pointed out. “Two queens facing each other across a chessboard.”

“But only one of them has a kingdom,” I noted. “So, even  the magnificent warriors of Spades couldn't stand against this Queen of Hearts?”

“Not when half of our men turned on us,” King Jaxon growled. “The Card Kings are in hiding, the remnants of our armies with us, and we have all been waiting for your return, Queen Alice.”

“Why me? What can I do?”

“You can bring the Wild magic back to Wonderland,” Jaxon whispered fervently. “What is your talent, Your Majesty?”

“Did you not catch the part where I was raised on Earth and had no idea that I'm some kind of magic princess?”

“Queen,” Warren corrected. “As soon as your father died, you became queen.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.

“I understand that you have little knowledge of our world.” Jaxon held up his hand. “But magic has a way of making itself known. You should have felt something by now, even in the human world.”

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I haven't felt anything magical.”

“You just need some time.” The King of Spades said gently.

“Time!” Hatter snapped. “I hate Time, that manxome fiddertwatch!”

“Time can kiss my furry brown arse!” Dormouse woke up to exclaim.

“Time for tea!” Hare shouted.

“I can see why you wanted to meet here,” I said dryly. “I never want to leave.”