Chapter 14

In the heart of Wonderland, standing on the roof of his mighty palace, Queen of Hearts surveyed his kingdom with a smug grin, as he did pretty much every morning given the chance. His coat blew dramatically in the breeze, as did his wild hair that hadn't yet been brushed. Everything he gazed upon was his, and he loved it.

"Good morning Wonderland!" He screamed, cackling with glee shortly after, "Rise and shine, today begins yet another day of my long and bountiful reign as Queen!" Giggling to himself he descended the stone stairs down to his chambers, which were all decorated in stylish and sultry black and red. He strode across the carpet, flinging open the doors and greeting the servants that waited beyond. They all bowed as he passed, which only served to broaded the Queen's grin.

At the end of the corridor he sauntered down were two very large and very ornate wooden doors that lead onto a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. He shoved them open, two servants quickly moving in behind him to make them stay open before scuttling off to do their chores. The Queen of Hearts once again surveyed the area, grinning at the sight of the workers pruning the croquet field and rose bushes below. There was to be a tournament soon, that he was both hosting and participating in himself, and everything had to be perfect.

The red-eyed Queen ran a hand through his tri-coloured hair, eventually coming to twirl a blonde strand of his bangs between his fingers as he mused about what he was going to do. He would of course invent his three other 'royal' companions, the Queens of Diamonds and Clubs and the King of Spades. It would be the best course of action even if he despised those three. It would cause an uproar in the whole land because as far as the majority of the public knew everything was perfectly fine in the 'royal' relations. This wasn't the case.

The Queen couldn't stand the other three royals. They weren't even royals. They only had the titles of King and Queens due to theor status in their respective regions. The only one close to having an official title as King was the King of Spades, and that's only because the Queen of Hearts had managed to get rid of his wife, King Rebecca. That had been hard. There were still rumours going around that he's poisoned her, but officially it was untrue. Unofficially, the Queen has tainted his tea with poison mushroom extract every morning and evening, and eventually her poor fragile little heart couldn't take it, and she died peacefully and silently in her sleep.

The Queen shook his head. There was no need to be thinking about such things now, not when he still needed to come up with a guest list. Yes, the three other royal suits would be invited, as would the Caterpillar, even if he wouldn't play. The Mad Hatter and March Hare were always good at parties, however the spikey-haired man was very suspicious of them. They may try and steal some of the royal heirlooms, the Hare especially. And their presence would no doubt attract the Cheshire Cat, whom the Queen despised and loathed as much as he did King Akefia. None the less he wanted that delectable feline as his own pet, and would keep on trying until the day that he died.

Little Alice was also proving himself to be quite popular, and the Queen of Hearts had to admit he was a little cutie. Yet another he wasn't to add to his collection of pets but this little one would take a while. He was very cautious around the Queen and had yet to step foot in Heartland City after their last encounter.

The Queen was just thinking of calling upon the White Rabbit to deliver the invitations when one of his guards suddenly ran over and bowed very lowly. "You may speak." He commanded, allowing the solider to straighten once more.

"My Queen, there has been word of the white-haired one you seek." The blonde soldier announced. "The man in the red with the portal to Wonderland."

"Where is he?" The Queen demanded, hand coming to rest on the whip hanging from his belt.

"Someone spotted him in Spades Forest, near the March Hare and the Mad Hatter's residence." The soldier told his queen. "But there's something else. There's another who isn't from Wonderland as well."

"Another?! Show me!" The Queen barked, pointing a stern hand through the doorway and ordering the elven solider to lead him to the Mirror Room.

The Mirror Room was, as its name implied, a room full of mirrors. However they weren't just any mirrors. Some were portals to different worlds, some could see into various parts of Wonderland, and some (stories told) could see into the past and even the future. The blonde soldier stood obediantly by one of the mirrors with an elaborate black and silver frame, touching the metal gently and mentally telling the glass what to reveal.

The Queen's eyebrows rose in curiousity when he looked upon the lithe and muscular form of a blonde and tanned lion walking along a path. "Hmmm, this one seemed interesting." He mused, a small smile playing on his lips.

"The White Rabbit said that he'd been to the Duchess's estate, and has walked around both Spades Forest and Diamond Woods the past three days." The solider reported, "There was a mention that he may have come across the Cheshire Cat numerous times throughout his stay here. And there's also rumours that he is in some way connected to the white-haired man you've had your eye, your Majesty."

"Oh really." The Queen of Hearts grinned, "Well, new orders, soldier!" The elf guard stood to attention, back straight and shoulders squared. "I want this lion, and that man in red. Drug them, chain them, whatever, just get them here."

"At once, my Queen!" The solider saluted before dashing off to tell his comrads of their new misson.

The slender Queen turned back to the mirror, stroking the frame as he gazed upon the blonde lion in its reflection. It melted away to show a similar man, this one with white hair and a long red coat. "You'll be mine." The Queen whispered to no one in particular. "Both of you. Mine. I want you as my pets."