Lizzie's POV
I awoke to the nightmare of being still trapped in Wonderland but today I was determined to find a way out, no matter what I had to do so I quickly threw on the clothes that I found waiting for me and seriously did no one in this place like any other color as it was yet again a white dress with a white jacket...and not a cool leather one either.
I made my way through the halls into the kitchen this time spared dodging teacups and packed up a small bag of bread and other snacks into a small back that I found in the pantry and the string wrapped nicely around my shoulder so that the bag sat on my hip then I made my way out of the castle luckily without running into my Aunt or her court and started to trek the same way I'd came my first day here since I figured my mother's castle might be my ticket out of here since that's where I'd entered this hell, it might just be my way out.
The trek was longer than I remembered it being but when the castle finally came into sight it filled me with both relief and hatred since I'd never wanted to come to Wonderland, as a child I might have been intrigued with what my life couldve been haven not grown up on the Isle but I would be where I am today if I hadn't so I didn't despise the fact that I never grew up here.
I pushed the heavy wood doors open, them making a rather loud creaking from lack of use as I marched inside like I owned the place since well...I kinda did and begun my search checking each every room trying to find anything that would take me home, a portal of some sort and I knew what a few was from my mothers stories, a looking glass, a portal hat sometimes but they were extremely rare and haven't been heard of for many years even prior to my mother's banishment.
I even checked the dead gardens for any sign of the damn rabbit but there was nothing and I was angry that this might've been a wasted trip until I headed back inside the castle and froze when I heard a noise coming from the throne room, my mind instantly taking me back to the Isle to my mothers throne chamber in the mansion.
"Who's there?!" I called out slowly approaching the doors before heading inside but I couldn't see anyone except I knew someone was here since I felt like I was being watched. "Show yourself and answer me, I am this castles rightful heir"
"Don't use that tone with me" I jumped spinning around before my eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped at him.
"I could ask you the same thing"
"I won't ask again Ace-"
"Look at you" he cut me off and begun circling around me with a smirk on his face. "Met your Aunt I see" I glared at him never taking my eyes off him. "She still as...kindly as I remember her?" he asked.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded again glaring at him.
"The young King paid me a visit with the most peculiar notion that I had kidnapped you, even checked your mothers until I overheard that rabbit relaying a message to that Ally girl, the daughter of Alice that you'd found your way to Wonderland and thought it was rather odd so I wanted to check it out for myself"
"Should I be flattered that you came all this way to find me?" I spat at him.
"Call me curious" he shrugged with a smirk.
"I don't by that, you've never cared about me in the past so why now, what do you want?" I asked him and he stopped in front of me.
"Would you believe me if I said I was concerned for my only daughter?" I scoffed fighting back a laugh.
"Yeah try again"
"How is your Aunt by the way?" he asked ignoring my request. "Judging by those white clothes she's got you wearing-"
"Will you get to the point, I'm over the jibber-jabbing" I cut him off this time and crossed my arms.
"That temper" he tutted and I rolled my eyes. "How do you like your mothers castle, you seemed to lay claim to it already"
"Well it is rightfully mine so-"
"Do you really want to be here though, for a girl who fought so hard against her mother on the Isle of the Lost...I doubt you came here willingly"
"Would you believe me if I said I fell down a rabbit hole?" I asked mimicking the way he'd spoken earlier.
"Actually I would" he smirked nodding his head. "That rabbit always was a bit of a pest luring Alice down here in the first place"
"Are you ever going to get to the point and tell me what your really doing here because there ain't no way you've suddenly developed a fathers conscious" he huffed.
"Don't mistake me as a soft hearted fool Ilizabeth but I am here for you"
"Let me guess, you want be to steal from my Aunt...the crown jewels, gold..."
"Are you not a pirate now, engaged to that good for nothing sea rat" he replied his eyes locked on my left hand with...fatherly protectiveness if I didn't know him better than to actually care that I was engaged.
"Don't insult them in front of me" I snarled angrily at him. "Especially Harry because you have no idea the love we have for each other, because your just as incapable of love as my mother"
"Don't compare me to your mother Ilizabeth" he growled back at me and we were right in front of me. "We both know I am much worse and don't hesitate to put you in your place"
"Trust me I'll never forget it" I glared at him before taking a step back and went to leave since whatever he wanted he wasn't worth a second longer of my time.
"Has she tried to announced you the heir yet?" he called out stopping me and I turned back to him.
"What do you know about that?" I asked him.
"Please as if your Aunt wouldn't take advantage of your...misfortune in ending up here, she did after all try and take you from your mother when you were just a baby"
"She actually did try and get me off the Isle?" I asked a little shocked that it was actually the truth.
"Of course she did, always a saint your Aunt but King Beast forbade anyone from rescuing you kids, figured you's were all rotten and cursed so better left where you's were" I rolled my eyes since that much was obvious and we were because we were raised by our parents but we still got to chose what we did with our rotten and wicked sides.
"How did you get here?" I suddenly asked since maybe his way in was my way out.
"Through the looking glass" he replied pulling out a small mirror from the satchel at his waist and my eyes widened grabbing it from him. "Don't get your hopes up, it was a one way trip...magic isn't quite what it used to be thanks to that pesky Fairy Godmother"
"But it still exists" I argued reaching my hand out only to hit the hard surface of the glass and I glared at it.
"I warned you kid" he said taking it back from me and I glared at him as I marched out of the room hearing his footsteps bravely follow.
"Leave me alone"
"Ah you breaking your old mans heart kid"
"You ain't got one" I spat at him.
"You're right, I don't" he replied and I rolled my eyes. "Which is exactly what I need you to get for me" I stopped freezing in realization.
"Wh...what?" I turned to face him. "What are you talking about?"
"Ouch, the fact that you think I'd be this cruel if I actually had my heart...that hurts kiddo"
"You don't..." I tilted my head confused until I remember my mothers stories, how she was taught to rip out hearts how she'd earned the moniker Queen of Hearts, why I had those dreams of me doing the same thing. "She took your heart?"
"Now your getting it" he smirked. "Years before Beast rounded up the villains I was just a thief who thought it was the grandest idea to steal from the Red Queen, long story short I was captured and in return I was turned into her own personal slave after she ripped out my heart and stored it in a box, when Beast rounded up all the villains I was branded as well being my unwilling servant to the queen as I wasn't allowed to tell anyone other than your mother"
"So how are you telling me?"
"Your our daughter Ilizabeth, it's blood magic"
"Wait so you're telling me I have magic?" I asked shocked.
"No, you have the potential to learn but it's say...untriggered in you" he explained and I let out a breath kind of glad for that since I didn't want magic.
"So where is your heart?" I asked him.
"That daughter is what I need you to find out"
"How am I supposed to know where it is?" I argued.
"I've searched this castle tower to tower but a lot of your mothers things were taken and locked away but some things your Aunt assumingly took to her castle and I can't go anywhere near there since I'm supposed to be banned from Wonderland just like your mother, I need you to go back and find it for me"
"Why should I?" I asked him.
"Because you want to, you're dying to know that maybe with my heart I'd be the father that loves you, the one you wished so hard that you had when you were little" I frowned hating that he'd read me so well since I was intrigued knowing that no one could feel anything without their heart and maybe...just maybe he actually did love me in his own way.
"Do you just expect me to ask my Aunt if she has a magical heart that belongs to my Mom which she'd stolen from you"
"I hope you'll be a bit more stealthy and devious about it, you are my daughter after all and if I remember correctly, quite the little thief yourself getting punished quiet often for stealing your mothers things" I rolled my eyes for the reminder. "You cannot reveal what your doing or that I'm in Wonderland because if I'm caught violating my pardon from the young King, I'm dead"
"Okay, I'll see what I can do just...stay here" I sighed having a feeling I was going to regret this but I left my mothers castle walking all the way back to the White Queens trying to be quiet once I arrived heading inside figuring the best place to start looking would be the vault.
"Lizzie, there you are...you missed tea" I stopped short turning around seeing Jefferson, standing behind me with his top hat on his head.
"Did I...must have slipped my mind" I smirked playing off my shock of being caught since I was so close to the vault.
"Someone has a mischievous look in their eyes, what are you doing?" he asked, not an ounce of madness in his eyes or voice right now...he was like me, he had off and on periods of madness...his madness just a little more frequent than mine it would seem.
"I do not"
"Do so" he countered and I rolled my eyes. "We're awfully close to the vault, are you being naughty?" I scoffed.
"Alright you caught me, I wanted to see my crown again...you know the one my Aunt had made for me" I lied.
"Well why didn't you say so" he grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the vault and even opened it without care making my eyes widen a little that he had the combination but I immediately went inside and started looking around but I really had no idea what I was looking for since I'd never seen a heart outside a body before...or inside for that matter. "Liar, liar pants on fire" Jefferson suddenly sang out and I panicked.
"Shush will you" I snapped glaring at him since really.
"What is the naughty little princess looking for?" he asked and I sighed cursing my father for making me do this without telling someone.
"I'm a pirate, you know just wanted some of these riches before I left Wonderland" I lied before I had a sudden thought. "Hey you wouldn't happen to know about an enchanted heart would you, my mother used to tell me stories and I know their worth a lot...any of them around...say in my mothers things"
"Heart, heart...beating heart" I rolled my eyes since he was lost to the madness again and was just rambling. "Your mothers things are gone, gone all the way to the outlands where she too was banished so long ago" I turned back towards him since that meant it wasn't even in the castle...just great.
"Well thanks Jefferson" I turned and left the vault heading towards my room since I needed to find these outlands and figure out a way to get there since I didn't have a clue on where the outlands even was which meant I was going to need a map or a guide...maybe...it was risky but...I had a plan.
I changed directions from my room and went in search for my Aunt, this was going to be the best performance of my life if I managed to pull it off if I was going to find Ace's heart than I needed to pretend I wanted to become crowned royalty of Wonderland in order to learn all the kingdom secrets.
I wandered through the castle trying to track down my Aunt only finally finding her in the last room I checked which happened to the throne room where she was sitting on a white throne chair with people around her clearly busy so I started backing out of the room...
"Ilizabeth, come in please" her voice called out before I had the chance and I let out a deep sigh for not being quick enough so I settled for walking into the room towards the platform where her throne sat. "Thank you, we'll reconvene tomorrow" she dismissed who I assumed to be her court and they all left the room. "You look troubled, please sit and talk" a couple of people set a small backless chair beside her throne and I sat down.
"I...I don't think I should become apart of the royal family but I can...try" I spoke up lying through my teeth and the smile that broke out across her face told me she was naïve enough to buy it.
"That's fantastic news, we'll get started on the preparations right away"
"Preparations?" I questioned since what the hell did we need to prepare for, couldn't she just give me the title now and be done with it.
"Your coronation of course and of course the ball thrown in your honor to meet you new subjects" she smiled standing up and held up her arms out to the sides. "Becoming princess is a fantastic honor, you'll see"
"I suppose but I think I need to see the kingdom you know, learn everything in...Underland, so that I can be the royal our people deserve"
"An excellent idea" she smiled at me and I smiled back since she really was naïve and too good for her own...well good. "You'll tour the kingdom as soon as possible, Jefferson can show you everything and you can meet with the outer towns, you made the right choice"
"I hope so" I smiled nodding at her before I stood and bowed to her.
"Please do not bow to me, for soon you'll be queen and it'll be I who bow to you" I forced a smile on my face as I nodded again praying to myself that this plan worked.
A/N: OMG this is really starting to write itself and this idea literally came to me as I was writing and I absolutely am in love with it so I hope my readers are too and I feel there is still so much of Lizzie's story that I can write, I apologize for the real lack of Harry but I never wanted to just write a story that revolved around a relationship, this is a OC story but don't worry her and Harry will be reunited soon I promise because I do love their relationship but this is Lizzie's story and I feel this is necessary for her redemption and overcoming the path she'd been set on so I hope I still have readers and people are loving this story as much as I am writing it.