Chapter 11: The Queen of Hearts

Peaches kept on chasing the Late Sloth for a while until eventually she got lost in Wonderland Woods as she looks around to see that the Late Sloth was nowhere to be found.

"Oh that's just brilliant (!) Now I'll never find my way back home" Peaches groaned.

She then got a tree and lies down near it as she sighs

"What am I gonna do?"

Suddenly she heard purring echoing the area as the female mammoth knew who that purring was from.

"It's the Cheshire Cat" Peaches gasped.

Peaches then heard the Cheshire's laughter in the air as she then angrily shouts

"Alright Cheshire! You had your fun! Now show yourself right that minute"

Soon the Cheshire Cat appeared before Peaches with his wide grin on his face.

"Didn't your parents taught not to be rude to people?" The Cheshire Cat purred.

"You!" Peaches angrily snapped.

"Oh I'm sorry! Who were you expecting? The Late Sloth prehaps?" The Cheshire Cat laughed.

"No!" Peaches grumbled.

"What the long face my dear?" The Cheshire Cat asked.

"You lied to me! You said the Hatter knew who this person is but he has no idea who I'm talking about" Peaches angrily replied.

"So he doesn't...Well, I'm sorry for lying to you, I just thought I was being funny" The Cheshire Cat laughed.

"It wasn't funny! I just want to go home! But I can't find my way and you're not being helpful!" Peaches replied.

"Unfortunately my dear, you have no way... All ways here you see, are the queen's ways" The Cheshire Cat said with his huge grin on his face.

"I'm assuming you talk about the White Queen of course" said Peaches.

The Cheshire Cat just laughed as Peaches looks at him in confusion until the Cheshire Cat purred.

"No...I'm talking about The Queen of Hearts"

"The Queen of Hearts? I never met her before" said Peaches.

"You haven't? You haven't?! Oh, but you must! She'll be mad about you, simply mad!" The Cheshire Cat laughed.

"This better not be another of your tricks Cheshire or else" Peaches warned.

"Not another trick my dear" The Cheshire Cat purred.

"Prehaps I can ask her where I can find my way home then...Alright, Tell me where she is" Peaches replied.

"Well, some go this way, some go that way. But as for me, myself, personally, I prefer the shortcut" The Cheshire Cat purred.

He then pulls a branch down like a lever and soon Peaches felt rumbling near her as she looks to see the tree opening up like a sliding door.

Soon she sees that beyond the tree is the gateway to the Royal Garden.

The female mammoth enters the portal to the Royal Garden and once she was through, the portal closes behind Peaches.

"So this is the Royal Garden the Late Sloth mentioned...It's beautiful" Peaches said to herself as she smiles at the scenario.

Just then she heard three voices arguing as the female mammoths follows the voices and soon she sees three dinosaurs that resembles Yoko, Shelley and Egbert.

The three card dinos were painting white roses red as Peaches sees that half of the white roses are painted.

"Look out now, Five! Don't go splashing paint over me like that!" said Dino Card Two.

"I couldn't help it, Seven jogged my elbow" Dino Card Five protested

"That's right, Five! Always lay the blame on others!" Dino Card Seven sarcastically replied

"Well I heard the Queen say Nine deserved to be beheaded only yesterday!" said Five.

"What for?" Seven asked

"Tulip roots" Two replied.

"What?" Seven asked in confusion.

"It was for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions" said Five.

"Is that all?! That's a mistake anyone can make" Seven angrily replied.

Peaches walks up to them and said

"Hello"

The three dino cards look back at the mammoth and replied

"Hello"

"Why are you painting roses red?" Peaches asked.

"Well you see miss, These bushes are meant to be red rose bushes but we planted white ones by mistake" said Dino Card Two.

"Which is ANOTHER mistake anyone can make" Dino Card Seven pointed out.

"You see miss, If the queen finds out, She'll have our head chopped off" said Dino Card Five.

"Oh dear" Peaches gasped.

"Yeah, So we had to hurry and paint them all before she comes" said Dino Card Two.

Suddenly they heard a trumpet playing throughout the area as the Dino Cards cried in fear.

"THE QUEEN!"

They bowed down as Peaches bows down too and soon they saw a whole lot of red and black cards walking by them and getting into their queen greeting positions.

Soon The Late Sloth appeared in the middle of the crowd as he calls out to the others

"All hail her imperial highness, her grace, her excellency, her royal majesty, the Queen of Hearts!"

Soon a huge female mammoth with a crown on her head approaches before her subjects as she smiles proudly.

"Mum?" Peaches whispered as the Queen of Hearts resembles her mother.

Suddenly, a male mammoth appeared before the Queen, He resembles Manny but only smaller than the Manny back in the Ice Age world.

The king looks at the Late Sloth happily as the sloth sighed

"And the King..."

The Queen looks around her subjects then notices that half of the roses are white and some of the roses are painted.

She smiles deviously and giggled softly

"Hmmmm... Who's been painting my roses red?"

No one answered as the Queen got furious and shouted

"Who's been painting my roses red? Who dares to taint, with vulgar paint, the royal flower bed? For painting my roses red, someone will lose their head!"

The Queen furiously looks at the red cards and hissed

"Did you paint them?"

"No your majesty" The red cards replied

She furiously turns to the black cards and hissed

"Do you paint them?"

"No your majesty" The black cards replied.

She then turns to the King and growled

"Do you?!"

"No sweetie" The King whimpered.

Peaches looks at the Dino Cards who were whimpering which made the Queen turn to them and furiously walks up to them.

The Dino Cards look up in fear as the Queen softly said

"Did you three paint my roses?"

"No your majesty" The three cards whimpered.

The Queen then notices some paint on Dino Card Five as she touches it and sniffs it. She then smiles evilly and giggles

"It's red paint"

"Your majesty! Please, it's all his fault!" Dino Card Five cried as he points to Two.

"Not me, your grace! It was Seven" Two whimpered.

"No it's not true!" Seven denied.

"The Deuce you say?" The Queen evilly grinned at the Dino Cards

"It wasn't me! I swear!" Seven begged.

"That's enough! Off with their heads!" The Queen angrily roared.

Soon the cards took the three pleading Dino Cards away as Peaches watches helplessly.

She then sees the Queen approaching her as she looks up.

"And who is this?" The Queen asked as she looks at Peaches calmly.

"Uh... well, well, well, now, eh... let me see, my dear. It certainly isn't a heart... do you suppose it's a club?" The King nervously replied as he looks at Peaches.

Peaches then got up as The Queen happily replied

"Why, it's a girl"

"Yes, and- and I was hoping..." Peaches nervously started.

"Look up, speak nicely, and don't twiddle your trunk! Curtsey, open your mouth a little wider and always say yes, your majesty!" The Queen instructed.

"Yes your majesty" Peaches replied as she curtsies before the queen.

"Now, where do you come from and where are you going?" The Queen asked as she smiles at Peaches.

"Well, I'm just trying to find my way home" Peaches replied

The Queen's smile disappear as she looks at Peaches sternly and replied

"Your way? Foolish child! All ways here are my ways!

"Yes your majesty and I apologise" Peaches nervously replied.

"Good girl" The Queen replied as she smiles at Peaches.

"I was just thinking that-!" Peaches started again.

"Curtsey while you're thinking, it saves time" said The Queen.

"Yes, your majesty" Peaches nodded.

"Now, Do you play croquet?" The Queen asked.

"Me?" Peaches replied with a question.

The Queen of Hearts groaned and sternly replied

"Yes you! I am NOT in the habit of talking to myself"

She then turns to the King and whispered

"Even though it's the only way I can get a decent conversation around here"

The Queen then turns to Peaches and added

"Now once again, Can you play croquet?"

Peaches didn't want to anger the Queen of Hearts and doesn't want her head chopped off as she replied

"Yes"

"Well then, Let the games begin" The Queen cheered.

Oh no! Peaches is in trouble!

Will she escape from the Queen of Hearts?

Will she ever return home safely?

What happens next?

Stay tune to find out!