Disclaimer: I actually do own all rights to this story because it is something of my own creation not based on anything else. Although the characters are vague and referred to as wonderland characters they are not the characters from wonderland or Alice and the looking glass. If I am wrong my copyright of this and you are a lawyer or law student, then please tell me, other wise shut up and just read.

Prologue: Dream of Death

Once upon a time there lived a princess. This princess lived in a world called wonderland. In this world there was a monarchy, a monarchy that had been set into place with rules that had been followed for as long as wonderland has been. This pleasant world of wonders was ruled by the royal hearts. The king of hearts was a lonely widow [not really but he and his wife didn't get along to well]. He had many children but it was the two children of his youngest daughter that he and the queen favored most. The king favoring the oldest and the queen the youngest; both girls.

As king though he named his favorite grandchild his successor. She became the princess of hearts; Soon to be the queen of hearts. But the current queen of hearts didn't like that. She wanted her favorite granddaughter to be the one to take the throne. [And what happened to their own kids that they need grandchildren to take over?] The rest of the family supported the queen in her decision but unfortunately; it was the king's choice only. So the princess remained oblivious to the feelings of the rest of her family and remained as successor.

The princess loved her grandfather very much. And it was because of him that unlike most, who would be in her position, didn't have to spend her entire childhood indoors learning and training to become queen. She was smart and yes she had lessons but she was given the freedom to play around and have a childhood, to just be her innocent self. The king even allowed her to go out into town and make friends, playing with them at the park and returning with tears in her gown and dirt all over her.

This of course was sneered at by the rest of her family but the king would laugh and swing her around asking her how she got to return so. Chuckling at the small girls antics and waves of her hands as she went into details of her day.

But one day... the dream was over. The king passed away. The princess was woken up in the middle of the night by her sister. The young future queen rushed to the king's bedroom. Frozen in place in the middle of the hall way as a group of medics carried her beloved father figure away. One of her older female cousins had to urge and nearly pry her from her spot and back to the bedroom with her sister so the three females could wait for someone to come get them.

Hours passed by and they had no word. The whole of the castle was silent from the events.

The first bit of light started appearing far off in the horizon when someone finally came for the princess.

Tears fell down and a heart-wrenching cry fell from the princess's lips. The king was dead. The world seemed to crumble around the poor little girl, and unknown to her there was no one now protecting her from her own family's wrath.

It wasn't long after the funeral and memorial was held in the king's honor, when the whole kingdom and wonderland was still in mourning that the future queen was kidnapped under the cover of night.

Once upon a time... there lived a former princess of hearts.

A/N: Review please and tell me what you think.