Ecila Liddell's Story

Alice, oh Alice.

Wake up Alice.

The darkness gave away to as her vision began to clear. The alley was dark and eerie, the blood splatter on the walls and bricked ground did not help at all, but this didn't bother her... oh no it surely did not. Ecila was accustomed to places like these, this was like home she did not know true peace and beauty aside from decomposed corpses. Taking a second to understand that she was not in the plain world anymore she turned her attention to the darkness beyond her.

"Where are you cat?" The question caused the darkness to concentrate at the center and slowly the Cheshire's body formed with a grin. "Oh, there you are, so why have you brought me to this place?"

No, oh no I did not bring you I wished to speak to Alice.

"Well, as you can see she is not here it is just me, sorry to disappoint," She said and turned around only to look down the same identical alley with the same identical cat.

Why, she is here she is always here

The Cheshire began as it landed on the bricked alleyway and began it's slow walk towards her.

She is all around you, you can't get rid of her and she cannot rid herself of you as well. Only thing to do is blend and grin, until then there won't be an end.

Stopping at her feet the cat sat and stared up at her.

But do tell her to watch her step or she shall fall, these people know the way just as well.

"What? What does that even mean?" Her question went unanswered as the cat began to fade, "oh, how I truly hate your riddles cat."

Good, hate is in order for you to do your job. But don't worry Alice knows the words of a Cheshire Car.

With that the cat faded and the rest of the dream began to fade.

It's about time you learned too...

---

The bump jolted Ecila awake from her slumber, quickly looking around she realized she was within a carriage and the road they were travelling has gotten rough. So rough that the rocking kept her thoughts away, which was probably best. Reaching into the small pocket at the front of her light blue and white dress she pulled out the small note filled with quickly jotted down information. Her day was a rushed and confused one.

She was asleep for no more than three hours when the sound of a loud commotion and the beckoning of her name awakened her from the cot she slept on. Father had sent his servants to fetch for her in order to prepare her for some sort of journey that she was not informed of. On his orders she was forced to dress and pack within an hour and jump into an awaiting carriage to which the driver was to give her the small letter the King had written to update her of the situation as she was on the road. Unfortunately she was too tired to do anything else besides fall asleep and that was exactly what she did once she spent thirty minutes within the carriage. Now awake it was time for her to know what was going on.

Quickly reading the note she sat there for a few seconds taking it in. Apparently she was being sent to Ascavaia a nearly lost kingdom with a dying King to prove herself worthy of being the next heir, to which every other kingdom is competing for as well and being one of the farthest kingdoms the other kingdoms had an advantage explaining the rush in this journey.

"Now we know," The familiar voice came from beside her and turning slowly towards the figure she realized it was none other than the Mad Hatter.

"Hatter, what are you doing here? And why?" Ecila's voice came out hoarse but that was a side effect of coming back from her reality.

"Why, I am to see to your safety young lady what else?" With the tip of his hat he smiled his ever so wicked smiles.

"Safety? Is this journey to be dangerous?"

"Anything revolving politics is dangerous and I am to make sure you do nothing too bad." The look in his eyes revealed to her that he had no intent of keeping her in check, unsure if that was a good or bad thing she continued.

"You said we, did you get a note as well?" She asked looking down at the note which was now crumpled in her hand.

"No, I read that one of course. You were in your world so I decided to read it, I was just surprised as you were I simply had more time to get ready... unlike you." The comment got Ecilia to glare at him before dropping it and reaching down beneath the seat the only area within the carriage that was dark. A large mouth with two inch fangs appeared from the darkness and swallowed the note before disappearing once more.

"Oh, look we are almost there," The Hatter said as he peered out his window, doing the same thing Alice watched as the carriage traveled over a stone bridge that joined a land of dark forests to a land filled with farmlands. The large river at the bottom of the ridge looked mighty ferocious, if one would to fall into that river would be mighty unfortunate. The carriage brought them to farmlands which at first looked as normal as any farmland, but with further inspection Ecila noticed the spikes with chopped off heads surrounding the farmhouses.

What wonderful decorations.

The farmland gave way to a large village filled with all the worst the world had to offer and the entire area seemed to be covered in filth. The village was truly an unpleasant one and the stares of the individuals they passed was none other than sadness of evil intent. She knew this was a dying kingdom but she didn't expect something like this, this was interesting.

"Oh looky you are enjoying this," The Hatter's comment caught her off guard and all she could do was stare at him for a minute or two before realizing what he meant. Looking down at her hand she realized she was gripping her left wrist so tightly that her nails embedded themselves into her skin drawing blood. Know this was her subconscious keeping Alice at bay she sighed and pressed her back to the seat and stared up at the ceiling of the carriage.

"I doubt I'll be able to win a kingdom acting like Alice..."

"Oh, sure you can, everyone loves Alice and Alice loves everyone just not in the ways everyone prefers. Love and hate both opposites of each other and yet both are the reasons why people reach certain accomplishments." At first he was responding to her but halfway through he began talking to someone else, himself.

Ignoring him Alice simply looked out the window at the corner of her eyes; the carriage was now slowing down and once it came to a stop the driver began talking to someone. As the carriage started up again Ecila watched as they passed the guardsmen that the driver must have spoken to then a large marbled wall that seemed to surround what she assumed was the castle. Watching soldiers train and the carriage pass large, bulky structures she assumed they were in the military section of the castle. Only passing another set of marble walls and fortifications did the carriage stop. Straightening up Ecila watched as a maid accompanied by a royal soldier open her door.

"Welcome Princess Ecila Liddell," The maid greeted with a curtsy and the soldier with a bow.

"Ah, yes hello to you too maid and soldier," She responded as she began to disembark only to have the soldier quickly move to her to help her out of the carriage. With a pat on his head as her form of thank you she made her way to the maid, "are you my guide?"

"Oh yes ma'am, this way if you would please," The maid answered but she didn't move until the Hatter took his position beside her. "I will be showing you to your rooms so you may get ready for the welcoming dinner the king has prepared," The maid informed them as they made their way across the large courtyard with a large fountain at the center of a U-turn stone road.

Getting to know each other over dinner, how pleasant I wonder who shall be the first to choke on their meal...

The castle itself was four stories accompanied by four ten story towers at each four corners, the paths that led to the sides and back of the castle had cherry blossom trees to either sides, and the castle itself seemed to glitter from the sun hitting what seemed to be large gems that decorated parts of the castle that was to stand out. Once they passed the large white gold double doors they were welcomed by the staff that greeted them in a royal manner. Ecila couldn't help but to picture them headless as they walked pass them and went up the main stairwell that circled the walls of the foyer which the ceiling appear to reach the highest floor. At each floor there was a set of double doors which she assumed lead to the rest of the floor but they passed each floor and only stopped when they reached the third floor.

"This will be the floor where you will be residing in," The maid informed then nodded at the two castle guards that did their job as door openers.

What a pitiful job.

"The bedrooms on the left are for the princesses and the ones on the right are for the princes," The corridor they were in was long and filled with decorated doors on both sides, it seemed to be endless. When they reached the fourth bedroom the maid stopped and stood beside the door beckoning her in, "this shall be your room and I will show your bodyguard to his room."

Glancing at the smirking Hatter Ecila nodded and placed her hand on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath she turned the knob and walked into her dark and unknowing future, oh if she only knew how unprepared she would be. This was the castle of a dying king after all, everything wasn't as it seemed.

Just how I like it.

Ecila Liddell?

Ecila stood within her room, she hadn't taken a step after entering and closing the door behind her. She simply stood there with her eyes closed and the loud beating of her heart that was slowing. She simply clenched and unclenched her fists as she stood there in the wonderful room fit for a princess. She pretended for far too long. The calm before the storm.

Just as her heart slowed down and her breathing evened out she shoved the dresser beside the door over onto its side and began yanking out the drawers and flinging them across the room until every last one was detached from the dresser. Walking into the closet she began pulling and tearing each piece of clothing that the maids placed in their in case of lack of clothing, once she was done there she made her way to the bed. At the bed she pulled off each bit of sheet and pillow once bare she shoved the mattresses off. Jumping on each mattress she began sinking her fingers into them and tearing at them like some savage dog. At the window she pulled off the curtains and replaced them with multiple layers of the torn blankets, even torn it made the room dark if not for the tears the room would have been in complete darkness. Slowly losing her stamina she walked in front of the full body mirror. Staring at herself, the mirror showed a small framed wild looking girl with wilder hair but what she saw was only Alice. Punching the mirror jagged pieces crumbled to the red carpeted floor as well as her body. She simply sat there in the dark room... she snapped yet again.

That's my Ecila...

At the corner of the room a small figure made its way towards Ecila, stepping into the ray of light that penetrated the blankets Cheshire was revealed, "Well, look now what you have done."

"I didn't think it would hurt...," Ecila mumbled as she stared down into her lap where her hands gripped a large piece of glass tightly.

"Hurt? How so?" His words seemed to echo in her head, his voice always echoed.

She tightened her grip causing the glass to cut deep spilling blood onto her dress, "This place hurts... my eyes. It's so ugly, I thought I would make it better."

"Oh, my dear but you must understand this place is not like wonderland," The cat said as he slowly walked beside her then jumped onto the top of the mirror to look down at her, "Here everything is so uptight, straight, right..."

She remained silent as she held the glass, he simply stared in the silence hoping no one heard the noise she made. Who was he kidding he could even hear the blasted noise and he was nowhere near. Sighing he continued, "I shall get the hatter, he shall help you dress that wound and choose a dress. You must look presentable."

At those words she dropped the glass and looked up at the spot where the cat was a moment ago. All that was left was a tail and that soon disappeared as well.