“Tell me what happened to my father.” I waved aside his praise.
“The Queen of Hearts murdered him,” Jaxon said simply. “Without Queen Julia to hold the Wild throne, and you only a babe, the House of Wilds was vulnerable. Queen Rina exploited that vulnerability. Love can be a very powerful magic; people will do horrible things in the name of love, and the Queen of Hearts used it to coerce some Wild knights into betraying their king. They opened the castle to the Heart army.”
“How did I escape?” I asked.
“There was just enough time for your uncle to snatch you out of your bed and run with you,” Nick answered. “I led him through the escape tunnels myself.”
“Why didn't my father escape with us?” I asked.
“Your father knew that they were there for him,” King Jaxon said. “If he had gone with you, you both would have perished. Altair chose to make a stand and give you the time you needed to flee.”
“And none of you other kingdoms did anything?” I narrowed my eyes on King Jaxon. “You just let this bitch get away with murder?”
“The Wild knights were not the only traitors.” Jaxon grimaced. “While your father battled for his life, our kingdoms faced similar situations. Queen Rina planned a coup, not just of the Wilds, but of Wonderland in its entirety. Wealllost our kingdoms that day. The King of Diamonds also lost his queen.”
“I'm so sorry,” I whispered. “Did you lose someone too?”
“Several of my men were killed,” Jaxon said. “But I had no wife to lose. I've been a bit of a bachelor, like the King of Clubs.”
“So, there are three kings left and one queen,” I mused.
“Two queens, Your Majesty,” Nick pointed out. “Two queens facing each other across a chessboard.”
“But only one of them has a kingdom,” I noted. “So, even the magnificent warriors of Spades couldn't stand against this Queen of Hearts?”
“Not when half of our men turned on us,” King Jaxon growled. “The Card Kings are in hiding, the remnants of our armies with us, and we have all been waiting for your return, Queen Alice.”
“Why me? What can I do?”
“You can bring the Wild magic back to Wonderland,” Jaxon whispered fervently. “What is your talent, Your Majesty?”
“Did you not catch the part where I was raised on Earth and had no idea that I'm some kind of magic princess?”
“Queen,” Warren corrected. “As soon as your father died, you became queen.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.
“I understand that you have little knowledge of our world.” Jaxon held up his hand. “But magic has a way of making itself known. You should have felt something by now, even in the human world.”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I haven't felt anything magical.”
“You just need some time.” The King of Spades said gently.
“Time!” Hatter snapped. “I hate Time, that manxome fiddertwatch!”
“Time can kiss my furry brown arse!” Dormouse woke up to exclaim.
“Time for tea!” Hare shouted.
“I can see why you wanted to meet here,” I said dryly. “I never want to leave.”
Chapter Four
“This is not the meeting,” Jaxon said with a sideways smile. “Hatter serves as a decoy.”
“A decoy?” I asked.
“Should the Queen of Hearts send soldiers into Tulgey Wood, they will encounter the Hatter and his frozen tea time. Most don't bother with George.”
