A procession of guards, children and others made their way over the hill. Alice had never seen such a crowd. Down the line, Alice could see two figures that stood out. They were dressed like royalty and were the only ones who weren't walking like the rest. It was the King and Queen of Hearts. After approaching Alice, the Queen made it clear immediately the type of person she was. She seemed harsh, rude and tyrannical. If someone did something she didn't like she would scream, "Off with his head!" Alice was irritated with the Queen, but also fearful that she would lose her head if she did something the Queen didn't like. The Queen eventually asked Alice if she could play croquet, Alice reluctantly said that she could and joined the procession as the Queen instructed her to.
Along the way Alice carefully examined the Queen. She read her body language and just tried to get a better sense of who she was. One thing Alice had learned at a young age is that you don't judge a book by its cover. Sometimes people put up a front that is completely different than who they actually are. After a while, Alice thought to introduce herself and see if she could get to know the real Queen of Hearts.
Alice: My name is Alice! It's very nice to meet you! I'm not from this place, so I don't really know or understand everything yet. I hope that we can become good friends. What's your name?
Queen: My name is of no importance to you. You may address me as your Queen and that is that.
Alice: I'm just trying to be friendly. Why do you have to be so rude?
Queen: How dare you! OFF WITH HER......
Alice: Yeah, yeah. I know. Off with my head. That's all you say. When someone says something you don't like or do, you just behead them. That's not a very good way to make friends. Didn't your mother ever teach you that?
Queen: Well, uhh, you see....I never really had a mother when I was a child.
Alice: I'm so sorry to hear that! I don't know what I would do without my mother! Why didn't you have a mother?
Queen: Alice is it? Well, when I was very young both of my parents were killed. I don't really remember them. I was raised by my aunt, who assumed the throne when they passed away.
Alice: How tragic! I bet you are thankful your aunt was there to raise you after your parents died!
Queen: I wouldn't say that I was thankful. My aunt was an evil old lady. When she found out my parents had died, she cheered and said she was glad they were gone. She knew that there was nothing in the way of her and the throne. She ordered me to spend my days living in the attic and to be her own personal slave. I was required to do anything and everything she asked, and if my work wasn't to her standards I would end up in the dungeon for a week. It was awful, and the only thing I had to look forward to was my eighteenth birthday. I knew when I was eighteen I would be free from her forever!
Alice: What happened when you turned eighteen?
Queen: Well, the week before my birthday I was gathering up everything I could think of that I wanted to take with me. I didn't have much, but a few keepsakes of my parents and a change of clothes. I was ecstatic the whole week, and my aunt could tell. She would say and do anything to bring me down, but it didn't work. Nothing could bring me down because I knew by the end of the week I would be free, or so I thought.
Alice: Oh no, what did your aunt do?
Queen: On the day of my birthday, I woke up at daybreak. When I walked downstairs my aunt was sitting in the main room, waiting for me. She said, "Well you're up early. Oh right, it's your birthday today isn't it? I'm afraid we'll have to celebrate later. I need you to get down to the barn. My riding instructor is coming this morning and we can't have a barn full of feces when he gets here." I then reminded her, "You're going to have to find someone else to do your dirty work from now on. Today is my eighteenth birthday and I'm out of here!" I turned to leave and a guard stepped between me and the door. She said, "Oh honey, you didn't think that I would let you leave that easily did you? You have no money, no family and nowhere to go. You're staying here with me and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Alice: What did you do?!
Queen: I stayed. She was right. I didn't have anywhere to go and if I did leave she would've done everything in her power to make sure I was homeless and miserable. After that day though, something changed in me. I knew what I had to do. If I wanted to be free, I would have to get rid of my aunt. It was actually pretty simple. My aunt wasn't the sharpest thorn on the rose bush, so I just snuck something in her breakfast one morning and that was the end of her. The doctor ruled it a heart attack and I took my rightful place as Queen.
Alice: You killed your aunt.....but......that just makes you as bad as her, maybe even worse.
Queen: Listen little girl, you don't know what I went through. You don't know what its like to live like that. I did what I had to. Now go on and get your mallet, your holding up the game!
Bibliography: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).
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