Queen of Hearts Alice by AiArdha on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Request from @MalcolmBalmont

Alice had been wandering through Wonderland for what felt like an eternity. After her first journey, she thought she’d seen the worst of its insanity. But Wonderland had changed. The colors were dimmer, the creatures more unsettling, and a strange tension filled the air, as though something dark lingered, waiting to consume her.

She found herself at the edge of a forest, where the trees twisted upward like jagged claws scratching the sky. In the center of a clearing stood the Cheshire Cat, grinning wider than usual, his body materializing out of the thick air.

"Alice, Alice," he purred, his eyes glowing with mischief. "Still trying to make sense of it all? Perhaps you never will, but there is a way... if you're willing to embrace the madness fully."

"I’ve had enough of this place," Alice said, her voice steady but tired. "I want answers."

The Cheshire Cat's grin widened, impossibly stretching across his face. "Oh, answers you shall have. But only if you pass... a little trial."

The trees around her rustled ominously. Shadows twisted and congealed into strange figures, their eyes glowing from the depths of the dark forest. The Cat’s voice became lower, more sinister. "Defeat me, Alice, and I'll grant you the power you seek. But should you fail... well, Wonderland will take you."

Before she could respond, the ground beneath her began to crack and crumble. Alice tried to run, but the earth gave way, and she was plunged into darkness. She fell for what seemed like miles, spinning through an endless void, her mind unraveling as she tried to grasp reality. The Cheshire Cat's laughter echoed in the abyss.

When she finally landed, she found herself not in Wonderland, but a dark mirror of it. Everything was warped, twisted beyond recognition. The sky was an endless swirl of red and black, the air thick with the scent of roses and blood.

Alice stood in a dark garden, surrounded by towering hedges. At the center of it all was the Queen of Hearts' castle, but it looked different now—gothic and grotesque, its walls alive with creeping vines that twisted and pulsed as though they had veins of their own.

The Cheshire Cat appeared once more, only his grin was sharper, more dangerous. "You see, Alice, Wonderland is broken. And only the one who holds the power of the Queen can restore balance. But there's a catch. To wield her power, you must become her."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you think I want to become her?"

"Oh, you don't have a choice anymore," he purred. "The madness has already taken root in you. The longer you stay, the more you’ll change. But why resist when you could have control? Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Alice clenched her fists, feeling the pull of Wonderland in her veins, the madness curling in her mind like a creeping fog. She walked toward the castle, her steps heavy with the weight of inevitability. The closer she got, the more Wonderland seemed to bend to her will. The hedges parted, the ground trembled beneath her feet, and the once daunting castle doors swung open for her as if welcoming its new ruler.

Inside the throne room, there was no Queen of Hearts—only an empty throne, dripping with blood and shadow. The crown hovered above it, glowing with a malevolent energy. Alice could feel it calling to her, whispering promises of power, of control, of freedom from the chaos of Wonderland’s relentless madness.

Without hesitation, she reached for the crown. As her fingers closed around it, searing pain shot through her, but she did not flinch. Instead, she welcomed the agony. It was part of the madness, and it would become her strength.

She placed the crown upon her head.

In an instant, Wonderland shifted. The ground trembled, and the sky erupted into violent swirls of color. Alice felt the power of the Queen of Hearts surge through her, but it was more than just power—it was madness incarnate. Every whisper of insanity, every twisted rule, every ounce of chaos that had ever ruled Wonderland now coursed through her veins. Her eyes burned with crimson fire, and her once innocent face twisted into something darker, more menacing.

The Cheshire Cat appeared once more, floating lazily beside her. "Oh, my, Alice. You’ve outdone yourself. How does it feel?"

Alice smirked, her lips curling into a cruel, twisted smile. "It feels... liberating."

Her voice was different—deeper, laced with the madness that now consumed her. She looked down at her hands, now stained with the essence of Wonderland’s chaos. She could feel the power growing, twisting her thoughts, making her desires darker. But she no longer cared. Wonderland was hers now, and it would bend to her will, not the other way around.

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her first decree. The roses in the garden below her began to bleed, the white petals staining red, and the once-tame creatures of Wonderland twisted into monstrous versions of themselves, bowing before their new Queen.

"Off with their heads," Alice whispered, the words carrying the weight of the Queen’s madness and her own twisted sense of justice.

The Cheshire Cat chuckled. "Well, well, well, it seems Wonderland has a new ruler. But tell me, Alice, do you think you can control it? Or will the madness devour you, just like the last Queen?"

Alice turned to him, her eyes glowing with an eerie fire. "I am the madness now."

And so, Wonderland bowed to its new Queen. A queen more twisted, more dangerous, and more mad than even the Queen of Hearts had been. Alice had taken the throne, but in doing so, she had become something darker, something far more terrifying.

In the end, the Cheshire Cat's grin was the only thing that remained unchanged, as he watched the chaos unfold, knowing that Wonderland had finally found a ruler who was truly one with its madness.

And in the depths of her throne, Alice laughed—a mad, hollow laugh that echoed through Wonderland, heralding a new reign of chaos.