They arrived at the end of the tunnel where it was slowly getting brighter. Beyond was what looked like a hedge maze. Something far more out of the ordinary was there too, even with all they had seen so far. It was life sized playing cards but with arms, legs and faces made of the shapes on them (hearts or spades) and holding spears with the matching symbols. They stood together like soldiers at attention and blocking off something ahead.
There was a fair skinned girl looking a couple years younger than Sora or Ruby with long blonde hair kept back by a black hairband and hair tie. She also wore a light blue dress with an apron that had a bowtie in the back, matching the color of white stockings which were adorned by black dress shoes. She was standing on a pedestal and looking up at a very tall podium where somebody else sat.
It was a heavy set woman in the same color and designs as the 'card soldiers' and had short black hair kept neatly together in a bun, right behind a tall, thin, golden crown. She looked down at the girl with a haughty visage.
Somebody rushed up a staircase podium at the left side of the room. It was the white rabbit, carrying a trumpet. When he reached the top, he paused to catch his breath, before blowing it in a royal flourish. "Court is now in session!"
The girl gasped with shock and confusion at the announcement. "I'm on trial? But why?"
Sadly she was ignored as the rabbit presented the person sitting atop the higher podium and gave a bow. "Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding."
The queen in question was a fat, black haired woman clad in a regal red and black checkered gown, carrying a heart-shaped fan in her right hand, and an almost comically thin and crown atop her single bun styled hair. She carried an air of imperiousness, looking down at the girl who was apparently a defendant, despite her clear confusion. Finally, the queen spoke with a voice as haughty as her appearance. "This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about that. And the reason is...Because I say so, that's why!"
Of all the ridiculous..."That is so unfair!" The blonde girl protested with shock. She was guilty just because this queen said so?
Her objection drew the Queen of Hearts' attention, making her lean forward and ask, "Well have you anything to say in your defense? Oh the girl had something to say, alright. "Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" Her objection drew an askance expression to the White Rabbit's face, shocked that this girl was defying the Queen's judgement. "You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean!"
"SILENCE!" The Queen's furious bellow made the girl flinch in shock. "You dare to defy me!?" she asked, slamming her fan against the podium like a gavel.
Ruby and Sora couldn't believe what they were hearing. They didn't have much experience in courtrooms, but even they could see this trial was a farce from how unreasonable the queen was. "Yeesh. And Weiss called ME childish?" the red caped huntress murmured remembering the rocky start to their friendship.
"Hey, guys, we should help her out." Sora suggested almost immediately. Ruby didn't even hesitate nodding in agreement. There was no way this was going to end well.
"Yeah, but the..." Donald's words faded with uncertainty. He knew this was absurd, there were rules they had to consider.
"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy asked, remembering the importance of the world order...though apparently not remembering the word.
"Meddling!" Donald corrected in a tone of hushed frustration.
"Oh yeah. A-hyuck. And that's against the rules." Goofy finished.
Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. That poor girl had every right to call the Queen out on her cruelty and arrogance, and yet Donald and Goofy were concerned about rules over an innocen't slife? She glanced back to the others, her thoughts the same as Sora's as she spoke up. "But...This isn't right. We can't just do nothing." Outsiders or not, If they didn't intervene, then something horribly unjust was bound to happen.
The Queen's voice rose again, drawing the group out of their thoughts. "The court finds the defendant guilty as charged!" she shouted, horrifying Alice as the Queen straightened up imperiously. "For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart..."
Her last words caught Sora and Ruby's attention. Theft of her heart? But that sounded like-
"Off with her head!"
At the Queen's orders, the card soldiers faced Alice and surrounded. "No! No-No-Please!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears as they lowered their weapons all around her.
Ruby and Sora could stand by no longer as they both rushed forward, the latter shouting, "Hold it right there!"
Donald and Goofy winced with worry as they ran beside the youths. Since their presence was already made public, there was no point backing out now. Things might have gotten ugly for them if they didn't help. Of course, Donald was the least thrilled about the situation Sora and Ruby just got them into.
The Queen blanched with surprise and irritation while the card soldiers stood by, confused by the interruption. "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court!" she admonished haughtily as Sora came to a halt before the circle of cards.
"Excuse me? But we know who the real culprit is." Sora said as politely as he could.
"That's right. That girl is innocent!" Ruby followed, attempting to not get on this queen's bad side. A fool's hope, perhaps, given how unreasonable she'd proven herself to be.
"Yeah. It's the Heart-"
Goofy started to say, but Donald, realizing what his friend was about to say, leaped up and covered his mouth. Heartless didn't belong in this or any world. To mention them would risk others learning of things outside their own plane of reality, which would REALLY put the world order at risk.
While Sora didn't understand this 'world order' thing, he had a feeling that if they didn't know about the Heartless, then maybe they shouldn't bring them up unless they had to. But they couldn't just let them decapitate this poor girl. "A-Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for." Sora continued, trying to be discreet.
"That's nonsense. Do you have any proof?" the Queen of Hearts asked with an arrogant smile. Sora went silent at that, realizing that they couldn't really prove that this girl wasn't responsible for whatever crime she was being accused of. Even though SHE didn't exactly provide proof that Alice was guilty, but they knew by now that the Queen was unreasonable. With that, the accused girl was shut in a bright yellow cage on the right side of the podium. "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence! Fail, and it's off with all of your heads! Gather as much or as little evidence as you please." the Queen commanded ominously.
With that, the quartet of cosmic travelers was left with little choice. Not that they would dare leave the poor girl to lose her head because of this spoiled, arrogant, rotund monarch.
Though before they left, the four of them went up to the caged girl, or Alice as the Queen called her. "Who are you?" she asked, hoping that they were as sane as she was led to believe by their intervention.
"I'm Sora." the spikey haired boy introduced.
"My name's Ruby." followed by the black, red streaked haired girl clad in those same colors.
"I'm Goofy, and this is Donald." and finally by the curious dog-like being with them, along with a quacking huff from the duck on the left side of the group. Quite a colorful quartet.
"Pleased to meet you, though I do wish it was under better circumstances. I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this nonsense." Ruby smiled and waved it off saying,
"Hey, don't worry about it. We couldn't just sit by while you lose your head." Alice wasn't sure if the statement was jocular or serious, but she appreciated it nonetheless.
"Why are you on trial in the first place?" Sora asked her.
"I should like to know the very same thing! Apparently I was guilty from the moment I took the stand!" Alice answered, understandable disbelief filling her voice.
"What?! That's crazy! That doesn't even add up with the charges of assault and attempted heart stealing!" Ruby said, even more flabbergasted than Alice. She was having an even harder time wrapping her head around how illogical this was.
Sora figured there was no point in talking further about it given where they were and asked Alice another question. "So where are you from?"
Alice hummed and thought, finding it...oddly difficult to remember where she came from. "Hmm, curious. I can't quite remember. You see, I found this mysterious rabbit hole. When I tried to peek inside, I tumbled in head over heels... And I found myself here."
If that was true, Sora had an idea of what it meant. So far Alice was the only normal thing they encountered in this world. "So you're from another world!" he exclaimed in amazement.
"That's funny. Maybe you don't need a ship, then." Goofy said in amazement.
Donald was skeptical, but at the same time he couldn't deny Alice wasn't as bizarre as everything else. Maybe she WAS from a different world apart from this one. But then how did she get here in the first place? "I don't get it." he said, scratching his head.
"What do you mean 'another world'?" Alice asked, feeling all the more curious as she conversed with the four newcomers
Ruby gulped and nervously laughed before trying to change the subject. "Um... Alice? Do you know a way we could help prove your innocence? Anything at all?"
Fortunately Alice had an answer answer, though one she was a bit reluctant to share as she pointed to the nearby forest. "Well, there is somebody who could help. He's called the Cheshire Cat. The last place I saw him was in the flower forest in that direction. But you should know, he's-."
The red curtains surrounding Alice's cage moved to block her as the card soldier standing guard said, "Enough! The defendant will be silent! Do as the Queen has commanded and find evidence! Now!" The foursome stepped back at the mouthy command of the card.
"Okay, okay. Jeez." Ruby said, stepping back, hands raised at her side as the group marched off past the heart-shaped hedge and into what they could only assume was the path to the flower forest. Hopefully they'd be able to find something to prove Alice's innocence. And if the Heartless truly were here, hopefully they'd be able to stop them from trying to hurt anyone else.
