The courtroom was as strange and surreal as the rest of Wonderland. Alice found herself standing in the center of a large, circular room, surrounded by spectators of every shape and size. Above them, on a high dais, sat the Queen of Hearts, presiding over the trial with an imperious air. Beside her sat the King, who was much smaller and far less imposing, occasionally whispering comments that the Queen promptly ignored. The jury, to Alice's bewilderment, consisted of a pack of cards, each card sitting upright and shuffling restlessly in their seats.
The courtroom was adorned with crimson banners and velvet curtains, with a massive heart-shaped seal emblazoned on the floor beneath Alice's feet. To one side stood the White Rabbit, still clutching his pocket watch, his face pale with worry. He avoided Alice's gaze as he fidgeted nervously.
"Let the trial begin!" the Queen's voice boomed, snapping Alice out of her daze. "Call the first witness!"
The crowd murmured excitedly as the trial commenced. A card soldier stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly. "The first witness is... the Mock Turtle!"
Alice blinked in confusion. The Mock Turtle? She hadn't even met this creature during her time in Wonderland, and yet here it was, being summoned to testify against her. Before she could object, the double doors at the far end of the courtroom creaked open, and in lumbered a peculiar figure.
The Mock Turtle was exactly as absurd as its name suggested—a creature with the body of a turtle but with the head of a calf, its large, mournful eyes staring out from a face that seemed perpetually sad. It moved with slow, deliberate steps, dragging its heavy shell as it made its way to the witness stand. Behind it trailed a Gryphon, who seemed far more interested in the proceedings than the witness itself.
The Queen, growing impatient, waved a hand dismissively. "Hurry up! We haven't got all day."
The Mock Turtle finally reached the stand and turned its doleful eyes toward Alice, letting out a long, melancholic sigh. "I don't even know why I'm here," it lamented in a low, sorrowful voice. "I haven't met the girl."
Alice couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. "I haven't met you either," she said softly, hoping to find some common ground.
The Queen, however, was having none of it. "Nonsense!" she barked. "You must know something useful! Have you or have you not seen her consorting with the Jabberwocky?"
The Mock Turtle's eyes widened in alarm. "The Jabberwocky?" It shuddered at the name. "Oh, no, no, no. I wouldn't go near such a creature... but..." It trailed off, looking around nervously.
"But what?" the Queen demanded, leaning forward with barely restrained impatience.
The Mock Turtle sighed again. "I did hear... from the Lobster Quadrille, that she was seen by the sea. But who's to say what's true anymore?" It sniffled, wiping a nonexistent tear from its eye. "I never did like trials. They're so terribly sad."
Alice felt her frustration mounting. This was ridiculous! How could she defend herself against such vague and nonsensical claims? "But I haven't even been to the sea," she protested, her voice firm but wavering slightly under the weight of the absurdity.
The Queen, however, seemed pleased with the testimony. "Very well!" she announced grandly. "The evidence is clear. Call the next witness!"
Alice opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat as the card soldier once again stepped forward. "Next witness: The Dormouse!"
Alice stared in disbelief as the same Dormouse she had seen at the tea party was dragged to the stand, still half-asleep, its small body slumped in the arms of the soldiers carrying it. The Dormouse was placed on the stand, its head drooping and its eyes barely open.
The Queen leaned forward again, her voice sharp. "What can you tell us about the accused?"
The Dormouse yawned, blinked lazily, and muttered, "She's rude... didn't offer me more tea..."
"That's not true!" Alice cried, exasperated. "You were asleep the whole time!"
"Silence!" the Queen roared, slamming her fist on the arm of her throne. "The witness is speaking."
The Dormouse mumbled something incoherent and promptly fell back asleep, its head lolling to one side. The jury shuffled uneasily in their seats, some flipping over as if in confusion.
Alice could barely contain her frustration. "This is madness!" she exclaimed, turning to face the Queen directly. "None of this makes any sense! How can you possibly think I've done anything wrong when none of your witnesses even know who I am?"
The Queen's eyes flashed dangerously. "How dare you question my court?" She rose to her feet, her voice ringing out. "You are guilty until proven innocent! Now, call the next witness!"
Before Alice could respond, the doors swung open once more. "Next witness: The Lory"
Alice let out a small sigh of relief. At least she had actually met the Lory before. This witness couldn't possibly accuse her of anything absurd—after all, they had shared a rather confusing conversation at the shore not long ago. But as the Lory fluttered into the courtroom, Alice's relief quickly began to fade. Something about the bird's sharp eyes and the stiff way it perched on the stand made Alice uneasy.
The Queen gestured impatiently. "Let's get on with it. Begin the questioning!"
A different card soldier stepped forward, holding a scroll and looking rather smug. He unfurled the paper with a dramatic flourish. "Lory," he began, "you have met this girl, Alice, haven't you?"
The Lory bobbed its head once. "Yes," it said simply.
Alice smiled a little, feeling a flicker of hope.
"And during that meeting," the soldier continued, his voice dripping with implication, "did she or did she not ask about... the Jabberwocky?"
The Lory blinked, its beady eyes darting toward Alice. "Yes."
Alice's mouth dropped open. "But I didn't know what the Jabberwocky was!" she blurted out, looking helplessly between the Lory and the court. "I was only asking questions because—"
"Silence!" the Queen roared, waving a hand to cut her off. "The witness will answer only what it is asked!"
The card soldier cleared his throat again, pretending not to notice Alice's outburst. "And Lory, when she asked about the Jabberwocky, did she seem... interested?"
The Lory tilted its head, clearly not understanding the weight of the question. "Yes," it answered plainly.
The jury of cards shuffled in their seats again, a ripple of murmurs passing through the crowd. Alice's stomach twisted as the farcical trial continued to spiral further out of her control.
The soldier smirked. "So, to be clear," he said slowly, "this girl—Alice—came to Wonderland, asked about the Jabberwocky, and showed great interest in the subject. Is that correct?"
The Lory nodded once more. "Yes."
"That's not fair!" Alice cried, stepping forward, but the guards quickly blocked her path. "I only asked because I was trying to understand what was happening in this strange place! It doesn't mean I'm colluding with the Jabberwocky!"
The Queen, unimpressed, leaned back in her throne, folding her arms. "Enough of this. The evidence is damning! It's clear the girl is in league with the Jabberwocky."
"No, no, no!" Alice pleaded, feeling panic rise in her chest. "I swear I'm not!"
The King, who had been mostly silent up to this point, cleared his throat and spoke in a small voice. "Well, it seems rather circumstantial, doesn't it, dear? Perhaps we could ask the witness something more... concrete?"
The Queen shot him a glare so fierce that the King immediately shrank back in his seat, mumbling to himself.
"I've heard enough," the Queen declared, rising to her feet. Her eyes gleamed with cold authority as she pointed an accusing finger at Alice. "You will be sentenced for your crimes against Wonderland. Take her away!"
Alice's heart sank as the guards closed in around her. "But I haven't done anything!" she cried, looking desperately at the Lory for help, but the bird only stared back, oblivious to the consequences of its simple answers.
The Queen's voice echoed through the courtroom, sealing Alice's fate. "Prepare her for the executioner!"
Alice's mind raced as the guards tightened their grip on her arms. The room seemed to close in around her, the murmurs from the jury of cards blending into a blur of noise. Desperation surged through her, and before she could stop herself, she shouted, "Wait! Please, you have to listen to me! If you really think I'm involved with the Jabberwocky, then let me prove my innocence!"
The Queen paused mid-command, her cold gaze snapping back to Alice. "And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?"
Alice swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "I'll defeat the Jabberwocky," she declared, her voice steady despite the fear bubbling inside her. "If I defeat it, you'll know I'm not one of its spies. You'll know I'm telling the truth."
The courtroom fell into an uneasy silence. The cards in the jury exchanged confused glances, some whispering to each other. The King blinked in surprise, while the Queen's lips twisted into an amused smirk. Even the White Rabbit, who had been anxiously clutching his pocket watch, froze, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The March Hare, who had slipped into the court unnoticed after the tea party, twitched nervously from the back of the room. "Defeat the Jabberwocky?" he muttered to no one in particular. "That's madness!"
The Queen remained silent, studying Alice with a piercing intensity. Then, without a word, she waved her hand toward a group of her advisors, summoning them closer. The officials—various card soldiers, a well-dressed card spade, and a particularly regal-looking knave—hurried to form a tight circle around the Queen's throne. They spoke in hushed voices, their conversation lost in the echo of the grand chamber.
Alice held her breath, her heart racing. She could feel the weight of every eye in the room on her, including the Lory's, who seemed oblivious to the trouble its testimony had caused. She had no idea how she would defeat this Jabberwocky—she didn't even know what it was—but it was the only thing she could think of to save herself.
After what felt like an eternity, the Queen straightened in her throne, her face unreadable. She looked around the room, and with a sharp nod, the advisors retreated back to their places.
The Queen's voice, smooth yet dangerous, broke the tension. "Very well, Alice. We will grant you your chance. If you defeat the Jabberwocky, you will prove your innocence, and your life will be spared."
A collective gasp rippled through the courtroom. The King leaned over and whispered something urgently to the Queen, but she silenced him with a flick of her wrist.
"If," the Queen continued, her gaze hardening, "you fail... well, let's just say the executioner will be waiting."
Alice felt a wave of both relief and dread wash over her. She had bought herself some time, but the stakes had never been higher. Defeating the Jabberwocky? She had no idea where to begin.
The Queen rose to her feet, her towering presence commanding the room. "Take her to prepare. She will face the Jabberwocky soon enough."
The guards released Alice but remained at her side, ready to escort her from the throne room. She glanced around one last time, her gaze falling on the White Rabbit, who looked even more anxious than before. The Lory tilted its head, as if mildly curious, while the March Hare scratched his ears nervously.
As the guards began to lead her away, Alice's mind raced. She had escaped the Queen's wrath—for now—but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had stepped from one impossible situation into another.