Page 4 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
The Red Queen's laugh was like silver bells, beautiful and cold. "Not yet," she agreed, gesturing to an unseen servant. A card soldier materialized from the shadows, carrying a crystal decanter filled with ruby liquid that caught the starlight as he poured two glasses. "But soon enough, you'll understand your place in our family."
The soldier placed a glass before me, the liquid inside pulsing with a power that made the hairs on my arms stand on end as I gave her a small glare, “I don’t think I will.”
The Queen's perfect lips curved in amusement. "Such spirit. I can see why my son is so... enthralled." She pushed a filled glass toward me. "Drink. It's not poisoned—that would defeat the purpose entirely."
I eyed the liquid suspiciously. "What is it?"
"A blend of crimson nectar and enchanted wine," the Red Queen replied, lifting her own glass with elegant fingers. "It willhelp your body adjust to the changes ahead. The cleansing ritual is... intensive. This eases the transition."
I made no move to touch the glass, watching as she took a delicate sip. The liquid seemed to glow briefly as it passed her lips, and I caught a glimpse of something predatory in her expression—quickly masked by maternal concern.
"You're afraid," she observed, setting down her glass with a soft clink. "Good. Fear keeps you alert, prevents foolish mistakes. But excessive fear..." She leaned forward slightly, her ruby eyes reflecting the moving constellations above. "Excessive fear makes one do desperate things."
Through the weakened golden bond, I felt Heart's consciousness stir—a brief flicker of awareness that sent warmth flooding through my chest. I clung to that sensation, drawing strength from the knowledge that he was still fighting, still searching for me despite his wound.
"I prefer caution to recklessness," I replied, meeting her gaze steadily. "Especially when being offered strange drinks by someone who plans to extract my soul in three days."
The Red Queen's perfect features softened into something almost genuine—a smile that might have been admiration if not for the cold calculation beneath it. "Not your soul, dear child. The pattern. There's a difference." She traced a finger around the rim of her glass, creating a crystalline hum that resonated through the chamber. "Your soul remains yours. You'll simply... adjust to a new purpose."
"As what? Your puppet?" I kept my hands folded in my lap, away from the temptation of the glowing liquid. "What do you really want from me?"
Something shifted in her expression—a momentary crack in her perfect façade that revealed calculation beneath the maternal mask. "Perceptive," she murmured, studying me withrenewed interest. "Most are too frightened to look beyond the obvious."
She rose from her chair in a fluid motion, her burgundy dress flowing around her like liquid shadow as she circled the table. I forced myself to remain still as she approached, though every instinct screamed to retreat from her predatory grace.
"What I want, Alice," she said, coming to stand behind me, her hands settling on my shoulders with a deceptive gentle smile, “I want a daughter. Something Wonderland took from me…and with you here….it will be given back…once you learn your place and roll.”
I felt her fingers brush against the collar at my throat, the touch sending cold shivers down my spine. The silver and gold patterns beneath my skin recoiled, pulling away from her corrupting presence even through the collar's dampening effect.
"I already have a mother," I said, keeping my voice steady despite her proximity.
"Had," she corrected, her voice soft with mock sympathy. "Past tense, dear. Your old life is just that—old. Forgotten. A dream you once had." Her hands moved from my shoulders to brush my hair back, the gesture almost tender if not for the possessive energy radiating from her touch. "In time, you'll come to appreciate what I'm offering. Power. Purpose. A place in a dynasty that will rule Wonderland for eternity."
I remained silent, focusing on the faint golden thread connecting me to Heart and the silver connecting me to Chi, “"And Heart?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The Red Queen's fingers paused momentarily before resuming. "My son has made his choices. He can either return to his rightful place in our family or..." She let the threat hang unspoken between us. She gave another small smile before letting her hands fall, and moved back to her chair with that same liquid grace, the burgundy silk of her gown whisperingacross the floor. When she settled across from me, her ruby eyes held something almost wistful beneath their predatory gleam.
"I had a daughter once," she said, voice softening. "Born of my blood, meant to rule at my side. She would have been beautiful and I loved her dearly before she got sick. The same sickness that too many in Wonderland…and then she wasgone.Out of my reach and I made Wonderland bleedredfor that.”
The raw emotion in her voice caught me off guard—something genuine beneath the calculated manipulation. For just a moment, I glimpsed the woman beneath the Queen, a mother who had lost her child and never recovered from that wound. It didn't excuse what she'd become, but it explained the twisted path that had led her here.
"Is that why you're doing this?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended. "Trying to replace what you lost?"
Her ruby eyes flashed, the vulnerability vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Replace? No. Nothing could replace her." She lifted her glass again, studying the swirling crimson liquid. "But my dear Alice. The pattern requires balance—a Queen of Hearts who understands the true meaning of power. My son has forgotten his purpose, but you..." Her gaze swept over me with calculating assessment. "You could be molded into somethingmagnificent.”
Her words made me feel fear. Fear of not being able to escape and what could really become of me.
Chapter
Three
ALICE
Iheld her gaze, searching for any flicker of humanity behind the cold calculation. "Your idea of magnificence and mine are very different."
"For now," she agreed, taking another sip from her glass. The liquid left a faint stain on her lips, like blood that refused to be wiped away. "But perspectives change when one's circumstances do."
She set down her glass with deliberate precision, studying me with renewed intensity. "Drink," she commanded, her voice carrying that Alpha resonance that made the collar at my throat pulse in warning. "The first step in our journey together requires your cooperation.”
