The Adventures of Alice and Max
Chapter 36: Alice and Max Discover a Sudden Surprise
“Hello, my dear darlings,” the Queen said, softly and sweetly. “Come, come children! I have been waiting for you.” Smiling, the Queen opened wide the door, revealing a warm-lit banquet hall. A golden light illuminated the ornate and gorgeous space.
“Wha- What,” Alice asked. Max’s mouth dropped. Sudden horror and a small terror clutched the children’s chest as they reluctantly stepped in. “But-”
“No, harm shall come to you, children. I have a feast waiting for you.” The Queen’s blue dress sparkled as she walked almost floating in the air like a magical fairy princess. “Come. Come on.”
She urged them forward gently and seated them down properly pushing in their chairs for them. “Sit, children. Eat. There is a whole feast waiting for you,” she said lovingly in such a soothing voice.
The table was all set up for a feast great enough for a king. As many butlers and servants strutted out to take orders, they did so efficiently and diligently remembering every detail of the kid’s requests.
The children didn’t know what they wanted so the butlers told them they would surprise the two as the Queen said, “The usual, my dears.” As she nodded and smiled at them gracefully like the royalty that she embodied, she beamed at the two dirty and sweaty and youthful pale mugs.
“Yes, well, welcome. Welcome, children,” the Queen began. “To my palace! I couldn’t wait until you came.”
“What’s going on here,” Max started. “Why are you acting all innocent and nice?”
“Oh, sweet ones. You must understand I have no strife with you. You must understand who I really am.”
“And who are you,” Alice piped up, not daring to eat or drink anything.
“I am your Queen, dear Alice. Queen Jewel at your service.” She said it so sweetly that Alice felt peace inside her heart for a moment. “I am whom you’ve been desiring all this time.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Ah, you must know, children. The Light that you have witnessed. It was I who freed you from the deadly curse. The Great Light which you seek is truly your Queen of the City.”
The children wondered at this and both were silent. Max and Alice looked to each other and then listened intently to Queen Jewel.
“Truly, children. It was I all along who have been guiding you to this very moment.”
“Soooo… you’re not a witch?” Alice asked.
How can this be? Alice thought.
She laughed and said, “No, not at all! Is that what they say of me? The King amuses me.”
“You and the King are fighting outside your castle right now,” Alice said sternly. “You sent the Transfigurans to lure us out of the City while you had them infiltrate it and control it for your own desires.”
“Do you truly believe that, Alice? What has the King told you?” she said sorrowfully.
“So you deny it? You deny you’ve been searching for us?”
“To protect you, yes. For you are illegals but that is for your own protection. I have the Guard watch over all things that come and go out of the City.”
The children were stunned. The butlers and maids all approached and slung their plates on the table. It smelled heavenly. They uncovered their plates as a golden soup with a half-freshly baked loaf of bread sat next to it. The butlers waited for a moment if any need was apparent and then swiftly disappeared again.
The butler next to Alice lent out a hand and gave her a napkin. He bent back upright and hurried out before she could thank him.
“Well, now, you must know, I’ve been wanting to meet with you all this time.”
“To give us up to the authorities, huh?” Max said as he started devouring his hot chicken soup.
“Max…” Alice started but it was too late, he had nearly finished his helping. He dunked the fresh bread deeply into the bowl.
We’re trapped either way. Play along, Alice thought.
“Oh, no, why would I ever do such a thing,” Queen Jewel said, horrified. “I wanted to meet you. I was trying to protect you from the evils in this great City.”
“Why was Captain Rapture telling us otherwise,” Alice asked still suspicious but pleasantly surprised to find the Queen was kindhearted and not hostile.
“He is a man of ambition and has much to learn. He is an enforcer of the law. Sometimes his hand is too hard, I know that can be the case but who else would be fit enough for the job?”
“Not a sadistic lunatic, that’s for sure. But you don’t have to be worried about that now, Queen. I took care of him.”
“Oh,” she said putting a hand over her mouth from horror like a ditsy teenager. “Oh, how awful. What was his end?”
“A sword impaled right through his black heart.”
“Well, now, dear Alice, that’s no way to treat human life.”
“My problems, sweet Queen are matters of life or death. I had no choice or are you too blind to see your perfect little City is not the noblest of places.”
“Just like the show,” Max said his mouth full of gold soup.
“Oh, what a dreadful show,” Jewel said, sadly. “I was glad they had found out that evil man’s lair. He had been terrorizing people’s lives for over a decade. Can you believe that?”
“Queen, I don’t know what to believe,” Alice said, not buying her cow manure. “But you’re telling me you knew about that man and you still let him have his show?”
“We could never find him. He would relocate without a trace.”
“Oh, how convenient.”
“What do you want to believe, Alice?” the Queen asked earnestly, waiting for an answer.
“You’re a menace, Queen. And the worst part is, you won’t even admit it.”
“Who do you think I am?”
“I think you are what the rumors say about you. That you’re a cunning witch!” she shouted and stood on her chair.
“Now, Alice, dear,” the Queen said, rising. “Please, I have brought you here so we could chat and come to know each other. The Truth is what I want.”
Alice couldn’t tell if she spoke the truth or not, so she decided to take her at face value. Slumping down, she glared in her direction as the butlers all hurried back with the boiling and steaming food platters for the main course.
Placing them down gracefully and gently, the many and silent butlers laid the warm food platters down on the long and monstrous oak table.
“Well, my children. Dig in. Enjoy!” She clapped delightfully. “I think you’ll come around eventually. Only the King knows the lies you’ve been fed.” Max shrugged and looked at Alice as she gazed, stone-cold-faced, at the Queen the whole time. But she was content while eating her food slowly and steadily.
Then Alice took the lid off and saw fresh-cut vegetables cooked in butter with a large steak with mashed potatoes and a side of chocolate cake on a smaller plate. “Thank you,” she said looking up at the butler. But she was shocked to find the butler had an eerie grin.
“You’re welcome, my dear,” he said frigidly. Smiling like a crazed individual and deeply disturbed, showing his yellow teeth, he gazed down at her. Not only did the smile scare her but after gazing at him from an odd angle she finally realized what terrified her so much.
The butler who stood like a robot, the one who served her was her father. The man who had loved her, and the man who cared for her, who she thought was dead after a fading memory, was very much alive, standing and well. His wrinkled olive-skinned face was undeniable, the places where his face stretched and relaxed were all there as she had remembered. Except for his disturbing grin, streaked across his demented look, that brought chills to her skin.
Never did Alice before see that evil look of his and for a split second, she could tell he was silently suffering behind his forced and fake expression. The agonizing pain terrified her as she sat helpless and finally realized who the Queen was, who she truly was: an evil Witch Queen who exploits the vulnerable and imprisons the poor.
Max was lost in his food like a carnivore and the King and his soldiers were outside trying to find another way in. She felt alone and wanted desperately to be done with this hideous mess. They were both trapped and nowhere did an exit present itself in this harrowing and dangerous adventure.
To Be Continued…