It's been awhile, I know.
Let's try to finish this story up quickly, shall we?
Raven P.O.V
Seeing Alice again was awesome. We chatted for hours, quickly filing each other in on our lives. It was mostly me doing the talking, but all the same.
We didn't stop once the entire day. Not that me or Alice noticed, with all the catching up. It was very exhausting at the end of each day. I could tell I was getting stronger though.
So that was how the rest of the week went. Talking, walking, and sleeping.
Finally we entered the Heart Quadrant. It was easy to tell, every little thing had a heart engraved into it. Everything was red too. Pictures of the Queen doing good deeds were plastered on every available surface.
Hours later, we reached the main town. The palace was behind it, massive and imposing. There was a giant bell tower up at the tippy top of a tower that seemed to ring erratically. When I asked about it, Hatter explained it sounded the number of decapitations. That got us to move with purpose.
Not many people were out and about. Those who I did see moved quickly and kept to the shadows, like little mice. There wasn't a child in sight.
Cards marched everywhere. Usually they were dragging someone away or chasing after somebody. It was a good thing Chess had the sense to disguise us all. Tension radiated from every corner of town. It was like there was a giant rubber band that could snap at any moment.
I didn't like it.
We got an inn to stay at for the night and quickly set up a watch system.
Chess went down to find out about jobs available in the palace. Apparently there were quite a few due to the constant beheading tradition for any slip up. There was a spot for royal adviser that hadn't had any offers in years. Apparently the Queen had been upping the pay for the position dramatically until a poor family would have no other choice but to take the job. No one had lived past the month mark.
Or that's what Chess heard at least.
Dinner was a small and meager meal that was outrageously priced. Food at my inn was way better than this. We were all still hungry at the end of the meal. Hatter boiled some water to make a watery tea that supposedly tricked our stomachs into thinking it was full. It didn't work for me.
We all retired early that night. We were all worried for the day to come. I felt really anxious for Hatter. He was going right into the lion's den. There was a very good chance that he would not come out alive. Once Hatter was asleep, Chess filled me in on the other details of the position.
Once a guy got beheaded for wearing orange pants. Another time one died after just two minutes for humming on the job. It was not an appealing position. It took me awhile to go to sleep that night; worry will do strange things to you. Around midnight I finally felt myself drift off. s
Tomorrow we would sort things out; tomorrow the war would officially begin. Tomorrow is a new beginning.
I fell asleep quickly after that.