Well, I did Hatter and Charlie, so it only seemed fitting to give the Queen her own chapter. The three most important characters in the story aside from Alice. Besides, some of you were wondering how the whole thing with the airship would go down.
The Queen of Hearts gazed out the window from her private quarters, watching the battle below. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright as she took in the violence and bloodshed. Oh, it had been too long! Decades and decades in unchallenged control of the realm, no one to oppose her. It had been over a century since she'd last seen a good massacre. The woman had let the Resistance, those pathetic ragamuffins, flourish in their underground, waiting for them to finally rise up and attack. Instead, they plotted and conspired, turning her own flesh against her, seeking victory through subversion and not the glory of battle. She should have snuffed them out long ago and let something more fierce spring up from the ashes.
The one thing she had never dreamed was for the fallen Knights to rise again. It was too delicious to be true. A second chance to crush the Red King's army. Her victory would be even more satisfying than before. With the little tart back in her own world, suffering in guilt and grief for the rest of her days - which was her just deserts, after all - her traitorous son and advisor soon to be dealt with, and the Looking Glass back up and running, her domination of Wonderland would be complete once more.
The new Ten of clubs, who was not nearly so tall as the last and quite a bit more jittery than his predecessor, had urged the Queen to order the airship away from the casino, from the danger of being so close to the battle. She had laughed right in his whimpering little face. Away? Why should she, the magnificent ruler of Wonderland, flee from danger? A knock sounded at the door to her chamber. Speak of the devil; the simpering toad scurried into the room.
"Majesty, the girl has escaped." His voice was a pathetic little squeak, grating on her regal nerves.
"What?" she demanded sharply, turning from the window.
"She's in the casino, we think trying to free the Prince and-"
"Unacceptable!" the Queen barked, cutting off his words like a whip. "How incompetent are you Suits that you cannot even maintain control over one simple oyster girl?!"
The man stuttered and cast his eyes about the room, looking for help. His gaze fell on the King beseechingly, but, of course, he received no aid. She strode towards the little man, eyes sharp as diamonds.
"Have you no answer?" the monarch demanded, her voice chill. The worm could barely draw breath, let alone form a coherent sentence. Useless, worthless. In one fluid movement, the Queen drew her sword, the beloved Vorpal Blade, and sliced through the man's neck. The spine offered no resistance to the glorious weapon as it cleaved his head from his body. She smiled as the feeble sycophant's mouth continued to work soundlessly as his head tilted back and tumbled to the floor. His blood sprayed in a gorgeous crimson fountain, staining the snow white carpet and wall curtains beautifully. The monarch took a moment to appreciate the display as the man's body fell to join his missing skull.
It was like fine wine, like the most sinful of chocolates and a little thrill of pleasure rushed through her. Being the ruler of Wonderland afforded her all the power in the world, but this, the taking of someone's life, was by far the greatest of all dominations. Life and death rested in her own hands; she was the reaper.
Off to the side, in his easy chair, Winston sighed, much aggrieved, ruining her enjoyment, as usual. "Dearest, we just promoted the man and now he's dead. That's bad business."
"If he could do his job properly, I wouldn't have to take matters into my own hands," she replied haughtily, wiping the blade clean on the fallen Clubs's robe. "I've many responsibilities. I cannot be expected to do everyone's work in addition to my own, now can I?"
She returned to the window just in time to see the out of control flamingo winging its way towards her airship. A moment after it disappeared from view there was a huge, thunderous boom and the floor shook and dipped beneath her feet, nearly sending the proud monarch to her knees.
"Good heavens!" she gasped. The ship shuddered, jerking unsteadily. Apparently, the wild bird had caused quite a bit of damage. How exciting! The Royal airship crashing into the casino would be quite a marvelous sight indeed, should it come to that. The Queen spun from the window and headed for the door. "Come, Winston. It's time to evacuate."
"You go ahead," he said unconcernedly, not rising from his chair. This brought his wife to a halt, inches from the red stain still growing on the carpet.
"What?"
"I'm not coming." The Queen looked at the man as though he were mad. Perhaps he was. Her husband had never been the brightest bloom in the bouquet, but this was quite preposterous.
"Don't be ridiculous," she admonished. Pointing out, "You'll die if you stay here."
He still did not rise. In fact he was actually obtuse enough to pull the ottoman closer and put his feet up.
"I'm tired, Elizabeth," he sighed wearily. "I'm tired of watching you tear the world apart, bit by bit. I'm tired of waiting for you to get tired of me. I did all this-" he motioned towards himself in his fine suit "- for you. There never was anyone else."
Well of course there was no one else. She never would have tolerated that, even if he had been so despicable. Besides, Winston adored her, worshipped the ground she walked on, as he should. She was the Queen of Hearts, after all.
"I would have conquered the world for one smile," he proclaimed, uncharacteristically lyrical. Oh, so he was in one of those moods. She sighed and tried to remain patient.
"Don't wax poetic to me, Winston. Not now."
"Have I ever said 'no' to you?" the King asked, almost challengingly.
"Of course, not." No one said no to Mary Elizabeth, ruler of Wonderland. "Now, come along."
Winston's gaze did not waiver, he did not blink. "No."
"You… you're just going to sit here and let yourself die?" she asked, completely taken aback. "Because of me?"
"I love you, Elizabeth. I always have." He wove his fingers together and settled down into the chair as though preparing for a cat nap. "But I won't go on with you like this. Good-bye."
Something inside her was moved by his words. Her husband, the one person she had never raised hand nor word to, ready to perish because of her own actions. She strode towards him as the ship moaned and shook around them. For all he had given her in their long years of marriage, stood by her and supported her every enterprise, she would allow him this.
"Good-bye, Winston," the Queen said softly, bending to place a final kiss to his forehead. He grunted softly as the Blade pierced his ribcage, skewering his heart and splitting the organ asunder. Her face was impassive as she drew back, not looking on him again as she left the room. She could not leave him to die so painfully in the crash. It had been a mercy, really. He was her husband, after all, and she loved him. So much as the Queen of Hearts could love anyone or anything. Which is to say, not at all. Did he really think she would allow him to leave her? Foolish man.
Mary Elizabeth made her way towards her escape craft, which would be waiting to whisk the monarch to safety. But she would not be taken to her palace to the east. Oh no, she would have the pilot land right here. If the little bitch called Alice had managed to escape her guards and elude her Suits time and again, the irritating oyster would no doubt slip out of the casino before it collapsed.
The Queen would take care of the slattern herself, martyrdom be damned. She had created the Legend of Alice and now, she would bring it to a final, bloody end.
Next chapter, we're back to Alice and the confrontation with the Queen of Hearts. Oh boy!