Kingdom Hearts Alpha
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters and settings. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.
Chapter 13: We're All Mad Here
As the group entered the new area, they found themselves in a hedge garden castle surrounded by playing cards standing guard as a young girl with blonde hair and a blue dress stood at a podium. The rabbit from before moved past the soldiers and stood on top of a spiral staircase, panting before he blew into a trumpet as a salute.
"Court is now in session!" the rabbit announced.
"I'm on trial?" the girl questioned. "But why?"
"May the subject hold her tongue before she is spoken to. I now present Her Royal Highness as the presiding judge, the Queen of Hearts." the rabbit continued as he gestured to a queen sitting on her throne in a calm pose that betrayed her heart's true nature.
"This girl, Alice, is the culprit for the theft. There's no doubt of it. And the reason I know is... well, because I say so, that's why!" the Queen sternly stated as she stared down the girl.
"How unfair! This entire trial is absurd!" Alice rebuked distraughtly.
"Well then, my dear. Have you anything to offer in your defense?" the Queen asked.
"Of course: I've done absolutely nothing wrong." Alice answered as she presented her case for her innocence. "Being the queen doesn't give you the excuse to be a pompous old tyrant."
"Silence!" the Queen shouted, making Alice tremble in fear as the monarch's face turned purple with rage. "All ways in this kingdom are my ways. I will not be defied!"
As Sora and the others stood on the sidelines watching the scenario unfold, Sora then turned to his friends in concern.
"Shouldn't we help her?" Sora asked.
"We could, but..." Donald started to explain.
"We're outsiders here, so that would be muddling." Goofy interrupted.
"Meddling!" Donald corrected with a whisper.
"Sora, the worlds haven't always been connected to each other in this way before, so travelers shouldn't interfere with the affairs of other worlds. There's an order of peace and harmony that must be maintained, and the people of all the different worlds can't know about what's out there beyond their home." Aqua told Sora with reluctance.
"But we can't just stand by like this..." the boy thought as he watched the Queen proclaim Alice guilty.
"For the attempted theft of my heart- OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
"No!" Alice begged before Sora ran up in the front of the Queen's pedestal.
"You can't do this. This girl isn't the thief you're looking for." Sora defended.
"Uh-huh. It was the Heartle-" Goofy began to add onto Sora's testimony before he stopped himself from blabbing on more and compromising the world order.
"Utter nonsense. Have you any proof?" the Queen asked back, to the response of Sora's stunned silence. Without another word, the girl Alice was locked behind a bird cage prison by the Card Soldiers.
"Don't try anything stupid." one Soldier warned.
"I'm not afraid. Why, you and your men are nothing but a pack of cards!" Alice answered back.
"Don't make things worse for you than they already are. Now, you four must go and collect whatever 'evidence' that can prove the girl's innocence. Fail, and your heads will roll along with hers! Now go!" the Queen ordered, as Sora and the others made their way out into a forest of flowers. When they entered the forest, they were greeted by a group of pudgy Heartless cornering a hare carrying a teapot. Using a Fire Raid attack at the creature's back, Sora ran out and struck down the Heartless with fierce vigor and his friends followed suit in defeating the monsters, dodging the creature's long sweeps of their arms and charging from their bellies.
"Thank you chaps, I thought I was a goner for a moment," the hare greeted the group gratefully.
"What are you doing out here in a place like this?" Aqua asked.
"I was out searching for the Mad Hatter. He was supposed to meet up for our 'unbirthday' party to-day, but he never showed since these monsters popped up all over the place." the hare responded matter-of-factly.
"'Unbirthday?'" Goofy and Donald said in confusion. Before the rabbit could continue any further, a pink and purple colored cat's head bobbed about in the air before landing on top of a log with the rest of its body. "Who are you?"
"Who indeed?" the cat replied suavely. "Poor innocent Alice. Soon to lose her head, but she's not guilty of a thing. But she found out one thing though; the Queen would be mad for her. Simply mad!"
"Then you know who's really behind all this, right?" Sora asked the cat, wanting to find out more. The cat then disappeared and reappeared in front of a pink chest sitting in a undergrowth surrounded by wildgrass and mushrooms. Sora opened the chest and found marks in the soil where the chest was that resembled flat footprints.
"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell. The culprit, the clues, and even the cat lies in the darkness and madness here!" the Cat continued before laughing.
"We don't want to go among mad people!" Donald squawked angrily, garnering a glare from the hare. "Sorry."
"You can't help that. Most everyone's mad here. There are three chests of evidence left. The last one's tricky, but I'll reward you if you get them all." the Cat said as he disappeared from sight.
"Well, then. You four must be exhausted. Come with me and I'll take you over for the party." the hare offered as he led the group further into the forest and to a house that held a fancy tea party.
"Thank you mister..." Goofy thanked the hare on behalf of the rest of the group before pausing to get their benefactor's name.
"Hare. The March Hare." the March Hare replied.
"Don't you think we should trust that cat though?" Sora asked Aqua, only to be surprised as the cat's head popped up in front of their face.
"To trust or not to trust? I trust you'll decide..." the cat cryptically warned before vanishing once more.
Jiminy's Journal
* Alice (Entry 1)- Fell down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. Arrested on suspicion of stealing the queen's heart. Clever and independent for a girl her age, she unfortunately has a strong sense of curiosity that always gets her into trouble. She fell down the rabbit hole in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* Queen of Hearts- A queen of Wonderland who lives in a castle with decks and decks of card soldiers. Selfish and short-tempered, she beheads anyone who crosses her. She thinks Alice tried to steal her heart. She struck terror in our hearts in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* Cheshire Cat- A mysterious grinning cat who talks in riddles and can appear and disappear at will. He loves to mislead and confuse. He entered with a big smile in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* Card of Hearts- Spear-carrying guards who serve the Queen of Hearts. They fear the short-tempered queen, and are careful not to irritate her. They marched onto the scene in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* Card of Spades- Troops with heavy axes who serve the Queen of Hearts. They fear the short-tempered queen, and are careful not to irritate her. They marched onto the scene in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* The March Hare- A hare that hosts a spectacular and off the wall tea party. He loves to drink tea and celebrate everyone's unbirthdays (all 364, to be exact). He is willing to help Sora and the others prove Alice's innocence, but there's no telling how his addled mind works. He wished you a merry unbirthday in "Alice in Wonderland" (1951).
* Large Body Heartless- Big round Heartless. They seem tame and laid-back, but go beserk when they are angered. With their brute strength, they can inflict great damage, so be on your guard.
And that concludes yet another update. Please remember to review and share this story to help spread awareness and keep it going. See you all next time!