Everyone in the room gasped, but no one looked more shocked than the queen.

“You dare to claim the name given to the princess? My one and only daughter?”

Alice tried to stay calm. “I know it sounds absurd, Your Grace, but my aunt raised me by this name.”

“Where is this aunt of yours?” Knave asked.

“She passed away a few years ago,” she replied quietly.

“And your parents?”

“I was told they died soon after I was born.”

“So, you have no one to support your claims of innocence? How convenient.”

“My, my. What an unfortunate affair,” the queen sighed.

“Shall I cut off the girl’s head, my queen?” Knave asked, smiling wickedly.

A feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed Alice. She never imagined things would end this way.

“Let’s not be hasty, Knave.”

The queen was watching her with a mixture of confusion and fascination. After a moment, she rose from her throne and walked over to inspect Alice closely. She grabbed her by the chin, staring deep into her eyes.

“How curious,” she muttered, almost to herself.

The potent smell of perfume emanating off the queen prevented Alice from detecting her true intentions, but there was an unusual warmth in her gaze.

Knave, on the other hand, reeked of skunk even from across the room. Which was rather fitting, considering his crass personality. “My queen, the laws are clear on this subject,” he grumbled. “Anyone caught impersonating another must be—”

“Beheaded? I am aware.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

There was a long pause before the queen spoke again. “They say impossible things happen in Wonderland every day. What if she really is my daughter?”

That’s impossible!

“She doesn’t even look like the princess!” Knave retorted.

“And yet, when I look at her, I cannot help but be reminded of my precious girl.”

“But Your Majesty, I—”

“Will do as you are told!” the queen finished. “Which in this case, is to thank these officers for their hard work and send them away.”

Knave scowled with fury in his eyes, then conceded with a bow of his head.

“Y-you’re setting me free?” Alice asked with disbelief.

“Not exactly.”

“Then what is to become of me?”

The queen shrugged. “Only time will tell. Plus, there is someone you must meet before I can be certain of anything.”

With that, she motioned for the guards to take her into their custody. With her hands restrained, the men lifted Alice to her feet and followed the queen out of the throne room and into a hallway.

Venturing deeper into the castle made Alice uneasy, but putting distance between herself and the officers and Knave offered an equal measure of alleviation.

“Tell me, Alice, what is your favorite color?” the queen asked as they walked.

“B-blue.”

“Why?”

Alice couldn’t be sure if this was a test, but she decided to answer honestly. “Because it reminds me of the sky, Your Grace.”

“Interesting…”

The castle was beautiful in every way, from the smooth stone floor to the gold lanterns decorating the length of each corridor. To Alice, it was a representation of the Queen of Hearts, who was also exceptionally lovely.

“Ah, here we are!” the queen announced. They stopped in front of a very tall, light colored wood door with a carved image of an animal that was half lion and half bird.

Alice braced herself for who, or what, lay on the other side. The doors opened up to a room full of wooden turtle statues of all sizes, each one wearing a hat!

“Gryphon?” the queen sang. “Are you here?”

“Coming, mother!”

A young man who smelled of sugar cookies appeared in the doorway carrying a turtle. His hair was as golden as the sun and his eyes as blue as a forget-me-not, just as Myles had described the princess.

The queen gestured to Alice. “Darling, come here and meet my guest.”

“Of course, mother. To whom do I owe the pleasure?”

“She claims her name is Alice. What do you think of that?”

The prince froze, wide-eyed. “Alice?”

“The same name as your younger sister.”

“How is that possible?” he asked, perplexed.

“I do not know,” the queen replied with genuine frustration. “That’s why I brought her to see you.”

Gryphon gestured for the guards to back away. Alice stood there awkwardly as he walked in a circle, scrutinizing her.

“Pardon me,” he said, extending a hand.

Alice tensed but did not resist as the prince found the golden locket around her neck, which had been hidden by the clasp of her cloak.

“I knew I recognized this locket,” he whispered. “It belonged to my sister!”

The queen ran up to them. “How can you be sure, my son? Heart shaped lockets were all the rage at one point.” There was a glimmer of hope in her voice.

Gryphon held the necklace up for all to view. “Look at the initials on the back, mother. A. H., for Alice of Hearts!”

Alice exhaled nervously. “But this necklace was given to me by my aunt, and she told me the initials represented my parent’s names.”

“And what names are those?” the prince asked.

She kept silent.

“You don’t know, do you?” the queen said.

Alice shook her head with shame. “My aunt promised it would be better if she told me when I was older.”

“But she died before you could learn the truth?”

“Y-yes…”

The queen glanced at the prince, who nodded in reply. “This locket proves it. You must be my sister. What a joyous day!”

Alice gasped as he embraced her. “Th-there must be some mistake. I couldn’t possibly be the princess!”

“Why not?” asked the queen.

“Look at me! My hair and my eyes don’t match hers. And besides, I have no memory of ever knowing any of you.”

“That’s a good point,” Gryphon noted. “I wonder how that could be… What do you think, Mock?”

The turtle, who was wearing a hat just like the statues, did not even flinch at the prince’s question.

“I agree, Mock. She must have forgotten her time here. It’s all the Mad Hatter’s fault for taking her away from us to begin with!”

So, the Mad Hatter was to blame for the princess’ disappearance?

“Oh, oh! I know what to do!” the queen exclaimed. “We’ll host a banquet tomorrow night in the Hall of Immense Merriment to test whether you are really the princess!”

“Excellent idea!” the prince chimed in. “Alice always loved parties.”

“How will that prove anything?” Alice inquired.

“That is for us to know and for you to find out,” the queen said. “But don’t worry! I’m sure you will do just fine.”

“And…if I don’t, Your Grace?”

“Then I will have no choice but to deal with you according to your crimes.”

Alice’s stomach churned. It seemed her predicament was far from over.