A Tale That Could Not Be

Out of the side of the castle, like a ghost, a woman in a flowing white dress emerged. Her face was downcast and long, white hair hung down from her head. The crowd gasped and whispered the words “The White Queen has returned” and “The White Queen lives!”

That’s impossible, the Queen of Hearts thought as her mind raced to make reason of the sight she witnessed. She had seen her sister’s head fall from her shoulders. She had watched it bounce twice. She had even picked it up and spat at it. It had all been real. This couldn’t be her sister. It simply couldn’t!

And yet, there it seemed she was…

Was it truly her ghost? Had it come to haunt her? Had she come to scare the crown off of her head?

Well, the queen thought as she steeled herself, fear quickly abating and replaced by anger, if that is what she thinks will happen then she is in for a big surprise.

She was not about to be made a frightened fool in front of simple peasants. She was the queen of queens! Nothing and no one would take that away from her!

“You think you can scare me?” she called out to the white queen’s ghost. “Is that what you want me be, sister? Scared? You are more foolish now dead than you ever were alive!”

Selvina, in the shadows, watched the scene unfold. As the queen called out her defiance the woman in white suddenly raised her head.

The queen made a sudden cry of surprise and fright before stumbling backwards and falling over her throne. She pointed down at the woman with a rigid finger and screamed out orders. “Kill her! It’s Alice! It’s the Great Traitor! Kill her! Kill her! Off with her head a thousand times over!”

At once, guards and soldiers burst out from their posts and charged toward Alice. Alice watched them come before pulling her head back, removing her white wig, and laughing. As the first soldiers arrived they swung their swords and axes and thrust their spears and halberds but the weapons passed directly through Alice. Selvina was once again eternally grateful for the fairy dust.

So far, so good, she thought. The plan was running smoothly.

“What is wrong with you idiots?” the queen shrieked at her soldiers and guards, stomping her foot in anger. “Why are you always missing her?”

“Our weapons go through her, your highness,” replied the knave, who was in the thick of it with the soldiers and guards. “Perhaps she is truly a ghost.”

The queen fumed in silence for a few moments before a smile slowly began to form on her lips. It grew in size, nearly reaching her ears, before she began laughing hysterically. “So Alice is dead! She is dead! This day is the greatest ever! I may be denied some beautiful blonde hair but at least these ghostly tricks mean nothing.” Placing her hands on her hips and tilting her chin upward, the queen struck an arrogant pose. “Haunt me all you want, Alice. I am not afraid of you. You can do nothing to me.”

Alice smiled at the queen before wrenching the halberd out of one the guards’ hands and sweeping it through the legs of all the men around her. She swung it from side to side over and over until the soldiers and guards had all fallen or backed away. “A ghost, am I?” Alice asked the queen with a grin on her face.

The queen instantly lost her arrogant pose and replaced it with an expression of utter terror. “How did you escape?”

Alice shrugged. “Magic!” She was then beset upon by the remaining guards and soldiers but she ran right through them, heading straight for the queen. They gave chase and some even threw their weapons at her but they passed harmlessly through. The knave was at Alice’s heels, furiously slashing and stabbing his sword into her incorporeal body as sweat dripped down his forehead.

Selvina glanced about curiously. Where was Pan? He had not joined the battle and was not by the queen’s side. Had he vanished at first sight of the “ghost”? Was it possible he was actually afraid of something? Selvina kept looking around as the second phase of the plan took shape.

Alice chased the queen around her throne, stabbing and chopping with the halberd viciously. The queen screamed in terror and ran around in a circle as Alice chased her and she was subsequently chased by the knave and a few soldiers. All other soldiers and guards formed a circle around the scene, glancing at one another and wondering what to do.

Alice chopped down with the halberd and its blade sliced through the queen’s coat but nowhere near skin. The torn hair flew into the air like golden threads and the queen screamed even louder, panic completely overtaking her.

It was then that another figure entered the fray. He leapt in from the top of the castle and landed into the circle of soldiers with a bang. Wielding a massive silver spoon, the March Hare cried out and attacked the queen’s men. Swinging the huge weapon about, he knocked them over left and right. Their shields did nothing to soften the spoon’s blows and the Hare was too quick for them to retaliate. When some tried he kicked them back with his large feet or batted them aside with his spoon. Gone was the mad and nonsensical tea-lover from the garden, now replaced by a raging, wild animal out for blood.

The knave engaged the Hare directly, ducking under his sweeping spoon and sidestepping his kicking feet. He thrust his blade through an opening and scored a hit into the Hare’s side. The March Hare cried out in pain and countered with a swift kick in the knave’s face. The man fell on his back and was momentarily dazed but still had enough sense to roll aside from a chopping spoon. He rose to his feet, his nose bleeding heavily, and then lunged. The March Hare leapt into the air, easily avoiding the attack, and lifted his spoon high.

“This is for the White Queen!” he shouted when coming down.

The knave leapt aside just as the spoon struck ground with such force that it cracked stone and sent chipped pieces flying in all directions. The knave rose too slowly and was hit by the follow-through attack. The spoon came swinging to the side and slammed into his face and chest, sending him flying far into the courtyard. The March Hare cried out in victory before keeping up the attack. He pushed his body high into the air once again, ready to bring his spoon down on the stunned knave.

“This is for Wonderland!” he called out as he fell.

Selvina watched as the Hare dropped toward the knave, who was far too dazed to move out of the way in time. The Hare’s spoon would squash him like a bug and Selvina readied to look away.

Just before the spoon crashed into the knave’s skull, the Hare suddenly jerked to a midair stop. He was suspended in the air, eyes wide, mouth agape, with his hands losing grip on the huge spoon. It eventually clattered to the ground as the knave slowly stood up.

That was when Selvina saw the one she had been looking for.

There, keeping the March Hare aloft, Pan was with his knife through the Hare’s chest. Dark liquid oozed out of the knife wound and dripped down Pan’s arm, pooling on the ground. Grunting with effort, he shoved the Hare aside and let him fall with a heavy thud. He then set his eyes on Alice, who still chased the queen around her throne.

That’s not part of the plan, Selvina thought with horror. The March Hare was not supposed to… This was not supposed to happen! Selvina gathered her thoughts and decided that now was better than never to reveal herself. If she could distract Pan and keep him away from Alice then the plan still had a chance of succeeding.

Running out of the shadows of an alcove against the castle’s wall, Selvina shouted out to Pan, “I’m here, Pan! It’s Selvina!”

Peter Pan glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to Alice. “I will deal with you later!” He then flew through the air toward the two women running around the throne.

Selvina, desperate to help Alice in any way possible, acted without thinking and pulled out her pouch of fairy dust. She dangled it in front of her face and shouted, “I have what you want, Pan!”

He glanced back at her and saw the pouch, hardly appearing interested.

And then Selvina opened it and poured some of the dust in her hand.

Pan’s eyes immediately bulged and his face paled. Coming to a sudden stop and hovering in midair, he licked his lips and completely ignored the queen’s cries for help. He then shot off like a cannonball toward Selvina, his expression of intense hunger reminding her of how Hansel and Gretel had rushed for the gum Red had tossed them what felt like so long ago. She quickly replaced the dust from her hand into the pouch, shoved it back in its hiding spot, and then took off running.

Time for Phase Three.

Pan caught up to Selvina all too quickly and tackled her to the ground, eliciting a cry of surprise. She rolled over on her back and smacked, punched, kicked, and kneed him but he was overcome by hunger and ran his hands all over her, feeling for the pouch. His bulging eyes were flaring madly and bubbles of saliva gathered at the sides of his mouth.

“Give it to me!” he growled as he pinched and squeezed and grabbed everywhere. “Give it to me! Give it! Give it! Give it! Hahahaha, give it now!”

Selvina felt the ten thousand needles of terror pierce her as Pan’s hands started to grope her body closer to where the pouch lay in wait. As uncomfortably repulsive it was to feel his hands pinch and grab her more sensitive areas, it was their proximity to the pouch of fairy dust that terrified Selvina most. If she wasn’t able to fight him off everything would be lost.

I will not be the cause of that! she thought angrily, her brows frowning in determination.

In a sudden burst of anger and defiance, Selvina abandoned her attempts at fighting his hands off and let him feel her all over. Barely able to handle the discomfort, she reached up with her now free hands and grabbed Pan’s head. She then dug her thumbs into his eyes and pushed down with as much force as she could muster. Pan winced at first and kept blindly searching her body for the pouch. His hands patted and pressed all over her chest, the feeling nearly making Selvina faint, but she drove her thumbs in deeper. Just as Pan’s fingers brushed over the pouch’s surface, he let out an ear-splitting scream. Selvina fought back the urge to puke in disgust and jammed his eyeballs deeper into his skull. Her stomach twisted and turned as she saw blood leak out of Pan’s eye sockets but, finally, he rolled off of her and put his hands to his face, writhing in agony. Selvina grabbed the pouch of fairy dust in one hand, rose to her feet, and took off running once more. Pan, with red rivers oozing out of his eyes, wasted little time in pursuing her.

Selvina dashed to the far end of the small courtyard, hoping that the plan set in motion could still work. She glanced back at the throne and nearly tripped with lost hope as she witnessed Alice surrounded and utterly outnumbered by the queen’s guards. The queen stood on her throne and pointed down at Alice, mocking her and laughing at her attempts at defending herself. Considering that Alice’s body now sported a few new bruises and scratches, Selvina assumed that the fairy dust magic had worn off. Alice was now fully corporeal and mortal. Pan, his eyes rimmed in blood trails, suddenly blocked her view and Selvina screamed in fright, unaware at how close he had already come.

She charged outside the inner courtyard’s gate and then leapt aside. Pan was fully focused on her and did not see the heavy net suddenly fall over him. Weighed down by large rocks, Pan was pinned to the ground and unable to stand up. He then quickly attempted to cut through the net with his dagger as he foamed at the mouth like a mad dog. Despite the net over him, his enraged eyes never stopped staring at Selvina.

The net thrower appeared on the scene and chuckled. “I caught you in a net like a fish, Peter Pan! Ha! Pan! You fry fish in pans. I’d much rather hit you over the head with one, though.”

Selvina smiled weakly at Hatter’s words but was slightly relieved and grateful that at least this part of the plan was going well enough. She looked down at Pan as his knife struggled to cut through the thick netting and wondered how long it would truly hold him. Alice’s situation needed to be remedied but Pan could not be left alone. Their task was to subdue both queen and pirate and the plan would be an utter failure if either one escaped.

A collection of roars was heard and it brought a chill down Selvina’s spine. She recognized that sound…

“By tea’s goodness,” Hatter said in worry, “they’ve brought the Bandersnatches.”

“Alice,” Selvina breathed with panic. “We have to go help her.”

“Alice?” Hatter barked, his eyes wide. “The Alice?”

“Yes, her!”

“So that was what Chesh meant when he spoke to me of a special friend. I always thought he meant tea. But Alice! Dear Alice! She missed so many tea times. I must go save her!” With that, Hatter hurried to Pan and slammed his foot on the bound man’s hand with terrible force. Selvina winced as she heard the crack of bone and Pan’s cry of pain. Hatter then picked up the discarded dagger and tossed it to Selvina, who hopped away and let it fall to the ground. She wasn’t about to take any chances catching a thrown knife.

Hatter then removed his top hat, gave Selvina a deep bow, and said, “Keep an eye on him, eh? Maybe two. Alice is in danger and I must go help her. Hare also needs to me to wake him up.” Hatter produced a hot, steaming cup of tea from the inside pocket of his coat and winked. “Nothing a good spot of tea won’t fix!”

“Hare isn’t sleeping…” Alice said sadly, not even bothering to ask how that cup of tea hadn’t spilled in his pocket. “Pan stabbed him…”

“And broke his tea cup, he did!”

“Huh?”

Another roar was heard which made Hatter jump and before Selvina could say anything else he took off into the inner courtyard. Inside the larger, outer courtyard, surrounded by trees, benches, bushes, and the winding road of gravel, Selvina was left alone with Peter Pan.

Staring up at her, breathing heavily, drooling profusely, Pan growled, “I will have that which is mine, thief.”

Selvina, aware that a heavy net separated her and Pan but still feeling vulnerable, met the short man’s gaze and managed to frown. “This was never yours to take, you monster. You will pay for all the damage you’ve done and the lives you’ve taken. It’s over for you, Pan.”

Pan began to laugh, quietly at first but steadily rising in volume and intensity until he was on his back howling hysterically. Selvina backed away from the insane individual and hurried through the open gate into the inner courtyard. Pan had no knife and the net was keeping him on the ground. He didn’t need her to watch over him.

Selvina returned to the courtyard to see that most bystanders had fled and a scene of total chaos had erupted. Hatter had gained a spear somehow and was using it to trip up soldiers and poke one of the four Bandersnatches away. The other three Bandersnatches appeared injured and were all cowering in a corner as the March Hare, somehow alive and well, stood nearby and fought their handlers. Alice was sporting a few new bruises and cuts but was now facing off against the queen’s knave. The soldiers and guards that had surrounded her were now unconscious or dragging their wounded bodies away from the scene. The queen sat curled up on her throne with her hands over her ears and her eyes pinned shut, consumed by fear.

Selvina let a smile creep on her face. This plan might work after all! The queen would be out of guards and soldiers soon enough and Pan was already caught and dealt with. Selvina glanced back at him, a smug expression on her face.

Which immediately transformed into one of absolute panic.

Pan was gone.

The kiss of cold steel pressed up against the front of Selvina’s neck and hot breath blew against her ear as the speaker said, “Now, thief, give me that which is mine and your death will be quick, I promise.”

Forgive me, Selvina thought immediately, thinking of everyone she had ever cared for, as tears began to stream down her face.