Chapter Ten
"If you've done something to her, I'll kill you!" Hatter shouted, racing towards the Red Knight's chair where he sat ramrod straight in his ruby robes, an arrogant whim about him. His tongue preparing to toy with Hatter's fears, the knight snapped his fingers with a quick sharp sound ringing throughout his vaulted ceilinged sitting room like a mallet to a xylophone.
"Don't worry…Hatter is it?…Alice is fine," he laughed as guards from the corners of the room immediately seized either of Hatter's arms, restraining him from getting his hands on the Red Knight. And oh how he wanted to clasp his fingers around that stocky neck and squeeze till there wasn't a flicker of rancorous light left in the man's beady eyes. The knight disgusted him. Hatter was well aware he'd done something to Alice; he could sense it in the look of triumph plastered all over the bastard's face. Hatter just hoped to God it wasn't anything Alice couldn't live through. By clubs, she was strong; much stronger than he and stubborn. No doubt, Alice was a fighter and Hatter would not stop either until she rested safe in his arms once again.
"Let's just say…I've decided she's just too valuable to kill. I've made other arrangements," the Red Knight smirked folding his material draped arms over his chest.
"Bastard! Tell me where she is!"
"Tut tut, now why would I do a thing like that, when I'm absolutely certain your posse will attempt a rescue? How dense do you find me?" The knight flicked his wrist towards the guards, "Pawns…please escort Hatter and his companions to the train yards at once. We have no need for their presence any longer." His head turned away as if the subject now bored him. Until a spark of rage, as if remembering something, surged him to his feet, "And damn it; make certain they leave my island!"
It took every ounce of Hatter's energy not to flash out against the two men dragging him through the doors and jet towards the knight with his right hook stone ready. He was in such a rage; his entire body was vibrating uncontrollably. Like hell he'd leave this island without Alice. He would never abandon her to the mercy of this unscrupulous tyrant.
As his anger pulsed vigorously through his veins, he controlled his breathing as best he could. Hatter had to think logically. Alice's life depended on him being able to formulate a plan to rescue her. And the only way accomplishing that would be keeping his head.
He allowed the guards to take him up the cobbled road, following the others over the hill they'd previously stood upon when they first arrived, absorbing the grand view of the Red Kingdom. It had definitely been grand, but now every time Hatter's eyes would meet the treacherous walls and rose bushes, he'd only feel hatred and fear; fear of losing the most important thing in his life. Alice.
Hatter would find a way to save her. These guards were no match for him, especially when they stood between him and his woman. And the Red Knight was no exception.
oo
A throbbing pain shot through her head as consciousness rushed back to Alice. The cold stone floor was rough and hard on her aching back. Well, everything felt like it was aching at this point, she thought. The disorientation was lifting like a veil as she attempted to sit up. She tried moving her arms to push off the floor, but her hands were still bound together, the flesh of her wrists raw to the point of bloody. Alice opened her cotton mouth to scream for help, but the words were caught in her paralyzed throat, which was scratchy and swollen. She could tell because swallowing was almost impossible.
And soon it hit her; what had previously happened in the mistress's quarters came colliding back to memory. She'd nearly been strangled to death by that monster, the Red Knight. Oh, she would make him pay for this. That bastard deserved what was coming to him.
Alice blinked her eyes a few times, trying to focus and see where he'd stashed her. She knew she was no longer in the room next to his—even the smell was a different musky one and cold—but where she huddled on the floor now was anyone's guess. The darkness consumed everything around her, giving the place an eerie sense. Or she'd thought it had been the darkness, but the prickles on the nape of her neck said otherwise. Someone was watching her.
There was nowhere for her to go, especially when she couldn't see a damn thing. The only hope she had was lying motionless, pretending to still be unconscious and praying whoever it was would leave her be until she could find a way out of there. She also hoped the person hadn't seen her trying to get up a moment ago.
The pattering of someone approaching, like slapping raw meat on the floor, grew louder next to Alice's head. She couldn't help but quiver a little as the fear of it being the Red Knight back for more, overwhelmed her. Alice wasn't afraid per say, but her body had no desire to take the strain of his vicious torments as it had. She could only imagine how unrecognizable she must look with all the bruising over her face and neck.
Her skin was humming, tiny hairs straight out at attention as the feet were now inches from her head. Why didn't this person just say something or heck even do something? Anything was better than this anticipation of torture. The thought at any moment they might strike.
Alice could feel the body heat radiating on her arms and face as the person squatted down examining her. Their odor wafted down with hints of dirt and stronger scents of smoke, like they'd worked in a coal factory or something. There was no way it was the Red Knight; Alice was positive. He would never smell as if he had been lugging barrels of coal pieces around. No, this person had to be a servant or prisoner. She dared a tiny peek, hoping this person would be willing to help her, but when she glanced above her head there was a dark outline with a bizarre figure. Their shoulders were boney and arms slim, but as she looked at the torso of the person the stomach was bulging out slightly. A beer belly?
A sudden scraping noise scratched across the floor and a burst of orange flame glowed like a beacon casting deeper shadows around the small room. A tiny cot rested in the corner with a short wooden table and single candle placed on top directly next to it. There was also a metal vase in the opposite corner by a door that Alice didn't really want to know what it was used for, but figured prisoners like her became desperate to relieve themselves after days and hours locked up in this place. She prayed she wouldn't have to use that smelly thing.
As the little glow of flame moved across the room towards the candle, Alice glanced up at its carrier. Delicate features that were accentuated by the light; high cheekbones smudged with dirt, worry lines imbedded in the brow, wide cat eyes that studied her carefully and a rounded mouth with rose pink lips that opened to speak. "Are you alright?" the woman asked.
It wasn't just a woman, but a pregnant woman? What the hell was a pregnant woman doing in this horrible place? Alice forced herself to speak. It was more like a frog croak, but she managed, "Who are you?"
"Who I am no longer matters. Now, how bad are you hurt? Did he rape you?"
Alice was taken aback by the puzzlement of her words. She cleared her throat once more to speak and a searing pain burned the back of it. "I'm alive," she whispered. Which was good enough for her at the moment. Now if she could only find Hatter and get the hell out of this place, she'd be golden.
"I understand," the woman nodded as she took the candle from the table and brought it closer to where Alice was curled on the floor. She began to check Alice's wounds, probing with her petite icy fingers. They actually soothed some of her hot sore flesh until the woman pressed down a little hard making Alice intake a sharp breath. "Sorry," she tried to smile. "Just making sure there wasn't any permanent damage. Just see some heavy bruising around your upper trachea, but the swelling should go down in a few days. I don't really like the look of that knot by your temple, but judging by your awareness and speech, I'd say you're probably going to be okay. Now, I know this is hard, but did he rape you?"
Alice saw the sincere concern plastered on the woman's face and knew it was someone she could trust. By evaluating her appearance, escaping wasn't in her forte, but the woman was pregnant for goodness sake. Her stomach clenched at the thought of this delicate little woman being forced by the Red Knight and wanted to throw up. "No, he didn't rape me."
"Are you sure? Any other man? One of the guards maybe?"
"No, no one," Alice said maneuvering her elbow to the floor so she could push up to a sitting position. With a confused expression, the woman instantly realized what she was trying to do and began untying the ropes and probing on her wrists now as well checking for broken bones. Alice was sore as hell, but getting those ropes off had been like shot of morphine up her arms. The tight throbbing began to fade immediately. "Thank you."
The woman placed a hand over her stomach protectively and smiled as she sat down in front of Alice, setting the box of matches on the floor. "How did you get here? Are you from the real world or did they snatch you from the mainland?"
The kinds of questions this woman asked was beginning to really scare Alice, as if she'd asked others these same questions a million times and already knew the answers. "Well, I'm from San Francisco, but I had come to Wonderland with my friends to rescue the King of Hearts. The Red Knight had kidnapped him and we were Jack's only hope and now…we've kinda screwed up the rescue." It was an understatement, Alice thought.
The woman gasped and studied her face a moment before speaking, "Who are you?"
"Alice Hamilton. Or Alice of Legend I'm known as around here."
"Oh, no wonder they left you untouched."
"Untouched? What's going on here?"
The woman glanced up from her reverie she'd slipped into, "The Red Knight has been stealing woman for years hoping to breed them."
"Breed them? For what?" Alice couldn't help the disturbing thoughts racing through her mind. Woman lined up in stalls, treated like cattle. She shivered.
"He's been building up his army to take over Wonderland for years, just as his father before him, the original Red Knight. Woman from the real world and a few from the mainland of Wonderland, only to try to keep his whereabouts secret, have been stolen and brought here to breed him more sons. Only woman of special value to the Red Knight, get the honor of having him do the disgusting deed himself. If he finds the woman strong or worthy, he'll attempt to gain an heir. He will need one to carry out his father's wishes, if the knight is unable to do so within his lifetime. But if the woman appears to be unworthy to him, the knight allows his guards to sew their oats with results of more male children to train for battle."
"That is horrible! I can't believe that bastard! What does he do if the women have girl babies?" Alice feared she didn't want to know, but held her breath waiting.
"Some become servants and breeders; others are killed within the first few years of their life if the knight sees them as potential trouble."
Okay, she was definitely going to throw up for sure. She turned and crawled for the nasty vase in the corner, ignoring the pain from her wrists, and emptied what little food remained in her stomach. This was the most disgusting thing she'd ever heard a human doing. He was insane!
"I'm sorry to have upset you. Normally I wouldn't speak of such nightmares to someone who'd just arrived, but I have heard talk from some of the guards of the Alice of Legend. I believe it is for the best you are aware of the whole situation."
"Who are you?" Alice asked again.
"If you wish to know my name, it was Carol and in Oregon I had been a pediatrician, but in this place…you are no one. Just a number with a useful productive system for them to abuse." She said it with so much hate in her voice, Alice couldn't blame the woman. A tear slid down her cheek, a glint over the round tiny sphere.
"How do we get out of here?"
Carol shrugged her shoulders and said, "You don't," with finality.
"What? But there has to be some way? How did you get in here with me?"
"This is my room. The servants' quarters are full and any extras are kept in the prison cells off the right side of the kingdom. They must be full too, if they are starting to double up. Or they didn't care."
"Well, can't we break down the door or something? It's wooden isn't it?"
"Yes, but there are chains keeping the doors locked. Plus the guards are everywhere and the punishment for trying to escape is…unspeakable," she said cringing, obviously having experienced it or witnessed the atrocity. Alice could guess the possible punishments, but decided it best not to think too much on the subject for fear of panicking. God, if only Hatter was here, she'd feel one hundred percent better, despite her injuries.
"Just pray no one comes for you," Carol whispered. "Or in your case, the Red Knight himself."
Alice swallowed hard, trying to keep from retching again. Hatter…please hurry!
AN/ sorry this one took so long, life has been hectic. I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to keep the red knight's character complex, yet logical on his needs. Maybe the next chapters wont be so weird or disturbing lol. ~Eisac