Alice continued screaming as she and Roger fell through the dark passage. It was so dark she couldn’t see the bottom, and what meager light they did have swiftly disappeared as the trapdoor slammed shut above them. Alice thrust out an arm, searching for something she could grab onto to slow their descent, but her efforts proved futile. She tightly held onto Roger, hoping to comfort him before their inevitable demise.

Alice didn’t have many regrets in life, yet those she did possess she felt immensely. Looking back, she wished she hadn’t spent so much time with her head in the clouds and that she’d taken more chances, and been less afraid. But most of all, Alice wished she’d been able to protect the people she cared for.

Eventually, Alice’s falling slowed and before long she was floating through the air like a feather. When she finally found the courage to open her eyes, she was met with a most peculiar sight.

“Roger, is that…what I think it is?”

Alice was not mistaken. Suspended in midair beside her was a glowing brass sconce. She reached one hand out to see if she was dreaming, but the very real flame singed her fingertips.

“Ouch!” She pulled her hand away.

Then Alice felt something touch her foot. She yelped in surprise as she looked down to find a wooden table with a copper tea kettle, both lingering in place despite their vertical angle. A painting of a pocket watch was suspended beside it, twirling above a comfortable looking couch.

Alice didn’t have time to ponder the oddities for long, as the mysterious force released Roger and her once more. She let out another startled shriek as they were dropped into the white void below. A gust of cold wind and the smell of fresh leaves and dirt told Alice they were falling back into the forest. A moment later, they landed not so gently on the ground.

The impact knocked the breath right out of Alice. She tried not to panic as her vision blurred and her lungs ached from lack of oxygen. Roger expressed his worry with a few whimpers as he sniffed her face. When Alice didn’t respond, he licked her cheek. Having lost all hope, Roger hopped around anxiously, then returned to her side to try both steps again.

As the feeling returned to Alice's limbs and her breathing normalized, she immediately noticed the smell of fresh roses from somewhere nearby. The scent could only be described as untamed, like wild foliage forgotten deep in the thicket, left to flourish on its own. It was a deliciously lovely smell that nearly made Alice smile.

Roger let out a loud snort, nudging her hand for attention.

“There, there,” She stroked his ears. “I’m okay now.”

Alice breathed a sigh of relief. But as soon as she did, she heard a hiss beneath her. Then the ground moved, almost as if she were lying on a…

A giant snake?!

Alice looked down and sure enough, she was sitting on top of the head of a snake so big it could easily swallow a bear. It appeared to be dead, perhaps killed by her impact. But more importantly, there was a person tangled in its massively long tail!

“Oh my goodness!” Alice exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

The stranger kicked off the dead snake with a grunt and turned to face Alice, revealing the face of a handsome young man about her age. She was instantly entranced by the most beautiful blue eyes she’d seen. They were the color of the afternoon sky and perfectly complemented his dark, disheveled hair.

Alice realized the scent of roses wasn’t coming from the forest, but emanating from the young man. Despite his sweet smell, the man’s icy glare and defensive posture brought Alice back to her senses.

“Here, let me help you up.” She bent down offering a hand.

The stranger pulled out a concealed sword. “Stay where you are!”

Alice froze as he sat up to meet her gaze. “Who are you?” he demanded, his blade inches from her skin. “Are you the one who sent the beast after me?”

Alice licked her lips nervously. The stranger wore plain clothes like that of a stable boy, but only people she’d heard of carrying weapons were soldiers…or bandits!

“Answer me!” he snapped.

Roger let out a frightened squeal and hid beneath the folds of Alice’s dress. Knowing no one in their right mind would believe a story about falling into a hole that let out in the sky, she decided to lie.

“Good sir, I am but a traveler on my way home. I was trying to get a better view from the treetops when I lost my grip and fell on the snake by accident.”

Alice could feel the cold steel of his blade against her neck.

“Do I look like a fool to you?” he sneered.

"N-no, of course not!”

His bright blue eyes stared deep into hers. “Then do yourself a favor and tell me what you’re really doing here, while you still have the chance.”

His fragrant scent of roses was overpowered by a bitterness that revealed the sincerity of his threats.

“Fine! I was running away!”

“From where?”

Alice fought back the urge to cry. “The town of Cogs.”

“Why?”

“I had no choice,” she whispered. “My home was under attack.”

His eyes narrowed. “By whom?”

“The Mad Hatter’s army.”

“That’s impossible!”

“It’s true. I swear!” she insisted.

His brow furrowed. “I know for a fact the King of Spades’ soldiers are not active near Cogs. Besides, what business would he have with a village full of clock makers?”

“Since when do soldiers need a reason to attack the innocent? The Mad Hatter is a monster. Death and destruction are his only business!”

The young man rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes, because war is exclusively waged by evil. The loyal supporters of the Queen of Hearts love spreading that sort of propaganda, don’t they?”

Alice began to shake with rage. “Propaganda? I saw his soldiers set fire to our homes with my own eyes. I heard the screams of my neighbors with my own ears. I fled through the woods with my own two feet!”

As she spoke the words aloud, the realization that everything Alice had come to love was gone suddenly hit her. She burst into tears and collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by heartbreak.

The young man watched with a mixture of confusion and unease as Alice continued to sob. At some point, Alice closed her eyes, resigned to whatever fate awaited her at his hands.