Five more years of bloody battles ensued. So many died, and so many paid the price for… for what? If you asked the soldiers why we were fighting, many could not clearly answer that question. Hate? Vengeance? Power? The need for blue-green algae? Maybe all of the above, but the main question that had loomed in all of our minds was: why? And that question weighed heavy on all of our souls until finally the day came when enough of the mercenaries, soldiers, commanders, killers alike—on both sides—had had enough. We needed to unite—both Penna and Cyan—to defeat Death before he won the battle over all. So, like Rabbit had predicted, the white flag finally rose on both sides, and a truce had been negotiated.
The day on which the peace talks came to an end, and The Mad Hatter and the general for the Penna signed a declaration for peace and unity, icy Wonderland celebrated as one. The war was over.
It was also on this momentous day that Rabbit and I celebrated our own victory. After five long years in battle as husband and wife, fighting side by side, we could finally stop. And we could finally have what we had always wanted—a future.
The day the declaration for peace was signed, we welcomed our little baby boy, Cheshire Penna White, into Wonderland. He was born a Cyan but would always have a bit of Penna inside of him. And though Wonderland was nothing more than a large ball of ice, I was able to give him the greatest gift of life.
Feathers.
Warmth.
“He’s perfect, Alice,” Rabbit said as he swiped my sweaty hair from my forehead and wrapped his arm around my tired body. I snuggled into his embrace as I held my baby boy, admiring how he looked in his first moments of life.
“He is. He has feathers like we predicted.” I stroked my fingers softly against the white fluff of feathers that rested on his shoulders and ran along his spine. “He’s our perfect angel.”
“Well look what we have here,” The Mad Hatter said as he knocked on the door just before he entered the room. “Cousin, you just gave birth to a new mighty warrior for the Cyan.” He walked up and patted Rabbit on the back. “Too bad that, as of today, it looks like the war with the Penna is over.” The Mad Hatter leaned down and kissed me softly on the forehead. “How is mother holding up?”
“I’m absolutely perfect. Better than perfect,” I gushed as a happiness I never knew possible filled my soul with warmth. “Meet Cheshire Penna White.”
“Yes, quite a fine man you have on your hands,” The Mad Hatter said with a beaming smile.
Rabbit looked up at him with pride exuding from every ounce of his being. “Did you sign the declaration? Was there any resistance?”
“Everyone signed and shook hands as men of our word. It’s over. I didn’t think I would see this day come in my lifetime, but I can finally say that the war with the Penna is over.” The Mad Hatter leaned in and touched the feathers on the baby’s shoulder. “Stunning. What a magnificent being he is. Maybe this little man will be our next Cyan leader someday.”
“What do we need a leader for if we are no longer at war?” I asked, still not able to take my eyes off my son. I never believed that you could actually see peace, until I watched my baby boy breathe deeply in his sleep.
“To lead us in our new battle. The battle of our lifetime is still ahead of us,” The Mad Hatter informed.
“How so?” I asked.
“When we signed the declaration of peace, we also signed a declaration of war.”
Rabbit looked up in shock. “War? What happened?” All the ease, comfort and satisfaction had left him instantly, and his warrior pose resumed. “The Penna? Did they betray us?”
The Mad Hatter shook his head. “The Penna and the Cyan have signed a declaration of war against the Wonderland. We have agreed to work together to find a way to master this planet before it masters us. There is so much we can still do to utilize the blue-green algae that both the Penna and Cyan can agree on. We all want the best for mankind, and have agreed to work together on that one purpose. And it’s quite possible that we may utilize the cDermo-1 to help us battle the freezing Wonderland. I think the Cyan need to admit that the Penna may have been right in regards to that. Without it, we may all eventually freeze to death. The temperature of Wonderland keeps dropping.”
I looked at Rabbit with a smile and said, “It appears that your son and I may not be the only ones in this family with feathers on our skin.” I giggled. “I won’t be your dark feather anymore if we are all the same.”
He leaned in and kissed me on the lips before saying, “You will always be my dark feather. Nothing will ever take away that fact.” Rabbit smiled and once again, a calm and stillness washed over him as he watched baby Cheshire sleep in my arms.
The Mad Hatter touched the baby’s hand. “This little guy is the next generation. I have no doubt he can lead this fucked up Wonderland back to civilization. Not just survival like we do now, but true advancement. He will be part of creating a new empire. An empire of evolvement that can thrive with the ice rather than be at its mercy.” The Mad Hatter smiled when Cheshire stirred a little and opened his eyes to stare up at him. “I have no doubt in my mind. This little boy will master the ice.”
“Master the ice,” I whispered, liking the sound of that. I silently vowed in that moment that his father and I would give our beautiful boy the tools to do so, and we wouldn’t stop until he did.
“Yes. You are right, Mad Hatter. My son will be the perfect soldier for such a mission.”
Yes, my little angel would make the perfect soldier in this new war. He had the best of the Penna, and the best of the Cyan inside of him. Cheshire was the first good thing that came from this war. He symbolized peace, unity and progression. I looked up into the eyes of the man I loved, and saw that he too felt the same. Rabbit leaned toward me and gently kissed my lips as he held baby Cheshire’s hand lightly. It was time we started the next siege. It was over, and yet, it had just begun. We were soldiers, and would forever fight the war… together.
And They Lived Happily Ever After…
Are you ready read another dark fairytale?
The Truth About Cinder is next!
The evil lies little girls are told…
There are hushed whispers about a wicked and decadent place known as the Palace of Lazar. A prince with insatiable tastes and the women who cater to it all. Feasts of pleasure, lust, and forbidden acts… all submitting to the sensual allure of the Harem.
But behind its bejeweled façade of luxury and pleasure lies a haunting and evil truth. A dark and perverse world that only the strong can survive.
A truth Cinder is about to learn when her fairytale dreams become twisted into a macabre masquerade of dancing vices.
Will she succumb to the demands of her current story, or cling to her fairytale ending?