Alice burst out into the courtyard with Stayne and the Knights¹ right behind her. She pounded across the cobblestones, but before she could reach the front gate, another squadron of Knights galloped² out in front of her.

She skidded³ to a stop, surrounded by Red Knights on all sides. Alice swung the sword in a circle, keeping them all at a distance. Her hair was tumbling into her face and her makeshift curtain dress kept tripping her as she spun⁴.

Stayne's malevolent⁵ chuckle⁶ sent a chill down her spine⁷. Alice turned to face him, holding the sword as threateningly as she could.

"Alice," the Knave⁸ sneered⁹. "Of course! Why didn't I see it? Well, it has been a long time." He looked her over from her toes to her large head towering over him. "And you were such a little tyke then." His expression became cold as he held out his hand. "Give me the sword."

"Stay back!" Alice cried, slashing¹⁰ at him. But with her attention focused on Stayne, she didn't see the Knights coming up behind her until two of them had grabbed her arms. She fought and kicked and struggled, never letting go of the sword hilt.

"The Queen will be so pleased," said the Knave.

"She'll take great pleasure in taking off your head. I believe she wants to do the deed herself." One of the Knights wrenched¹¹ Alice's right arm toward him and reached for the sword.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR."

A thunderous growl¹² rolled out of the stable door, and suddenly the Bandersnatch leaped out, as bloodthirsty and menacing as ever. Alice flinched¹³ and threw herself to the ground, but the monster soared right over her, biting and snapping at the Knights who had held her. Instantly the Knights scattered¹⁴, yelling in fear.

The Bandersnatch circled back and lowered his head to Alice. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but as soon as she did, she jumped to her feet and climbed onto his back. His fur was as warm as the bloodhound's, but spikier¹⁵, as if tiny needles were embedded¹⁶ in it. She clung to his collar with one hand and held the sword aloft with the other as Stayne and the Knights stared, astonished.

The Bandersnatch bolted across the drawbridge and out of the castle. Any Knights standing¹⁷ in their way abandoned their posts with screams of terror. Alice held on tight as they galloped out into the red desert, to freedom.

On a nearby hill, she saw a familiar friend waiting for them.

"Ho, Alice!" he cried, his long ears flapping and his sad face lighting¹⁸ up with startled delight.

"Bayard!" she called. "To Marmoreal!"

The Knave of Hearts breathlessly entered the Red Queen's throne room. He knew this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

The Red Queen was waiting at the base of her throne, pacing angrily. Her face was fiery¹⁹ red and her fists were clenched²⁰. She whirled to glare at the Knave as he walked up to her and bowed.

"Majesty," he said, "Alice has escaped."

In a fury, the Queen slapped him.

"On the Bandersnatch," he added.

She slapped him again. He steeled himself for more.

"With the Vorpal Sword."

The Red Queen slapped him harder than she'd ever slapped him before. He gritted²¹ his teeth. The indignities²² he had to put up with! If only he could be king with no queen anywhere in sight …

"How could you let this happen?" she bellowed²³.

"I may have underestimated her," he admitted, although it pained him to confess such a thing. "But we have her conspirators²⁴: the Hatter and the Dormouse."

The Queen's rage seemed to fill the entire great hall.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

The White Queen's castle was nothing like her sister's. Where the Red Queen's castle was dark and oppressive, the White Queen's was light and airy. Sunshine spilled through the open windows, and sweet breezes carried the sound of birds' chattering²⁵ from outside. A flood of relief coursed through her as she entered the beautiful throne room and saw the Queen sitting on her throne. Everything about her kind face made Alice feel that perhaps this dreadful nightmare would turn out all right in the end.

"Welcome to Marmoreal," said the White Queen, smiling down at Alice and the Vorpal Sword.

"I believe this belongs to you," Alice said. She bowed and held the weapon up for her. The Queen took it with a nod of thanks and strolled gracefully²⁶ over to the White Knight's shining silver suit of armor, which was set up prominently near the throne. She placed the sword in the suit's hand and turned back to Alice, beaming.

"The Vorpal Sword is home again," she said softly. "The armor is complete. Now all we need is a champion."

The Queen gave Alice a significant look. Alice dropped her eyes and didn't respond. Finally, the Queen went on. "You're a little taller than I thought you'd be."

This Alice did have an answer for. "Blame it on too much Upelkuchen," she said, smiling.

"Ah, come with me," said the White Queen, sweeping²⁷ her long silver robes behind her. Alice followed her down to the kitchen, where delicious smells mingled²⁸ with the sounds of pots and pans and people singing as they worked.

As they entered, an entire pot of soup was thrown at the door. Alice blinked at the wreckage²⁹ of the mill. "Is the March Hare here?" she asked, guessing.

"You're late for soup, you wee besom!" bellowed the Hare from across the room. He picked up another pot of soup, and the White Queen ducked. The soup splattered on the door behind Alice. She touched one finger to the wall for a taste.

"It could use salt," she offered.

A saltshaker came flying at her, and Alice ducked to avoid it.

Alice followed the White Queen over to a large cast-iron stove, where a heavy pot full of a curious smelling liquid was bubbling. The Queen took ingredients from a nearby cupboard, murmuring to herself.

Alice wrinkled her nose, wondering if it might be better if she didn't hear this. She could see a lot of strange-looking things inside the cupboard— ordinary herbs and spices were lined up alongside glass jars of eyeballs and bottles full of shredded³⁰ insect parts.

The White Queen glanced up at Alice with a smile. "Ah, pishalver. Let me think. A pinch of wormfat, urine of the horsefly, buttered fingers …" Her face turned thoughtful again as she reached back into the cupboard. "My sister preferred to study Dominion³¹ Over Living Things. Tell me, how does she seem to you?"

"Perfectly³² horrid," Alice answered truthfully.

"And her head?"

"Bulbous," said Alice.

"I think she may have some kind of growth in there … something pressing on her brain," the White Queen said, shaking her head sadly. "Three coins from a dead man's pocket, two tablespoons of wishful thinking …"

"You can't imagine the things that go on in that place," Alice blurted³³. She couldn't understand how the White Queen could sit here, calmly making potions and discussing theories, while her subjects suffered so much under the Red Queen.

"Oh, yes, I can," the Queen assured her. "But when a champion steps forth³⁴ to slay³⁵ the Jabberwocky, the people will rise against her." She leaned over and sniffed³⁶ the nasty concoction³⁷ in the pot, then spit into it. "That should do it."

The White Queen fished a spoon out of a drawer, dipped it in the potion, and offered it to Alice. "Blow," she cautioned her.

Alice blew on the potion to cool it off, then took a sip³⁸. She knew better than to drink too much this time. Within a moment, she had shrunk to her normal size—or at least, she felt normal next to the White Queen, so she seemed right to herself. She wondered how she would measure up out in the real world, if she ever got back there.

"Feel better?" asked the Queen.

"Much," said Alice.

The Queen replaced the spoon in the pot and dusted her hands off, looking suddenly official and businesslike. "There's someone here who would like to speak with you."

 

爱丽丝冲出更衣室跑到院子里，斯塔亚尼和红骑士们在她身后穷追不舍。她拖着沉重的步伐穿过铺着鹅卵石的院子。可惜还没走到大门口，另一个中队的红骑士就蹿出来截住了她的去路。

被红骑士团团包围的爱丽丝突然来了个急刹车。她胡乱地朝四周挥着剑，让他们无法靠近她，头发在脸上肆意地飞舞。爱丽丝不停地转动着身子时，那件用窗帘凑合做成的连衣裙老是绊住她的脚。

斯塔亚尼狰狞的笑容让爱丽丝毛骨悚然。爱丽丝转过身来面对着他，手中握着屠龙剑，尽量让自己更凶猛些。

“爱丽丝！”黑骑士冷笑道。“当然了！我原来怎么没看出来？哦，的确好久没见了。”说完他便抬头打量着高出他很多的爱丽丝，从脚一直看到她的大脑袋。“那时你还是个小屁孩呢！”黑骑士伸出手，他的表情变得很冷酷，“把剑给我！”

“退后！”爱丽丝吼着，举起手中的剑朝他劈过来。爱丽丝的注意力全都放在斯塔亚尼身上，却没发现身后的红骑士围了上来，两个红骑士抓住了她的胳膊。爱丽丝双脚乱踢，挣扎着努力反抗，牢牢地抓住剑柄不松手。

“红皇后一定会非常高兴。”黑骑士说道。

“砍掉你的脑袋她可开心了。我相信她会亲手解决掉你。”一个红骑士反拧着爱丽丝握着剑的右胳膊，准备伸手去取剑。

“嗷……”

马厩里突然传来一阵雷鸣般的咆哮声，大毛兽突然蹿了出来，依旧是那副嗜血如命、杀气腾腾的样子。爱丽丝吓得缩成一团瘫倒在地上，但这个怪物却咆哮着径直从她身边掠过，去撕咬那些抓着爱丽丝的红骑士。红骑士立马被吓得鬼哭狼号，四处逃窜。

大毛兽赶走红骑士后又折了回来，低下头趴在爱丽丝脚边。过了好一会儿爱丽丝才意识到是怎么一回事。但她明白后，一跃而起跳到大毛兽的背上。它的毛发跟贝亚德的一样暖和，但是更扎手，上面好像嵌着针似的。爱丽丝一手抓住大毛兽的颈圈，一手高举宝剑，看得斯塔亚尼和红骑士都惊呆了。

大毛兽从吊桥上疾驰而过，冲出了城堡。途中每一个试图拦截他们的红骑士都吓得丢盔弃甲，尖叫连连。爱丽丝牢牢地抓着大毛兽，他们一同离开城堡，奔向红色沙漠，奔向自由 天地。

在附近的山丘上，爱丽丝看见一个熟悉的朋友正等着他们。

“嗨，爱丽丝！”贝亚德大声喊道，他高兴地摆着长耳朵，原本悲伤的脸上露出了惊喜的神情。

“贝亚德！去大理石宫！”爱丽丝叫道。

黑骑士气喘吁吁地走进红皇后的觐见室。他知道这可不会是一次愉快的交谈。

红皇后在宝座前怒气冲冲地踱来踱去，等待着黑骑士的消息。她捏紧了拳头，脸气得通红。当黑骑士走上前向她鞠躬时，红皇后猛地转过身，对他怒目而视。

“陛下，爱丽丝跑了。”黑骑士说。

盛怒之下，红皇后掴了他一耳光。

“骑着大毛兽。”他补充道。

红皇后又给了他一记耳光。他绷着一张脸，准备挨更多的耳光。

“还带走了屠龙剑。”

红皇后狠狠扇了他一耳光，比以往任何时候都用力。他恨得咬牙切齿，但他必须忍受这样的耻辱！只要他能当上国王，身边就再也不会出现红皇后的身影……

“你怎么能允许这种事情发生？”红皇后咆哮道。

“可能是我低估了她，”他坦白道，虽然承认这个事实让他很痛苦，“但是我们抓住了她的同伙：疯帽子和睡鼠。”

整个大厅似乎都充斥着红皇后的愤怒。

“砍掉他们的脑袋！”

白皇后的城堡跟她姐姐的截然不同。红皇后的城堡阴森又压抑，白皇后的城堡却明亮又欢快。阳光透过敞开的窗户溢了进来，舒适的微风捎来了窗外鸟儿的啁啾声。爱丽丝走进这间漂亮的觐见室，见到坐在王位上的白皇后时，一阵宽慰涌向全身。白皇后那张和蔼的面孔让爱丽丝觉得：也许这个可怕的噩梦到最后都会好起来的。

“欢迎来到大理石宫殿！”白皇后说着，微笑着看着爱丽丝和她手中的屠龙剑。

“我想这是您的。”爱丽丝说完，鞠了一躬，双手奉上屠龙剑。白皇后接过来并点头致谢，然后迈着优雅的步子走到白骑士闪闪发光的银色盔甲旁。它就陈设在王位旁边，十分显眼。白皇后把宝剑放在白骑士盔甲的手中，转过身笑盈盈地看着爱丽丝。

“屠龙剑终于完璧归赵了，”白皇后温柔地说，“这套装备都齐全了，现在我们就差一位勇士了。”

白皇后意味深长地看了爱丽丝一眼。爱丽丝目光低垂，并没有回应。最后白皇后只好接着说：“你比我想象的要高一点。”

听到这句话，爱丽丝倒是有了答复。“都怪我吃了太多神奇蛋糕。”她笑着说。

“哦，跟我来。”白皇后说完，拖着银色礼服长长的裙摆向前走。爱丽丝跟着她来到了厨房。厨房里诱人的味道中夹杂着瓶瓶罐罐的碰撞声，还有人们烹饪时欢快的歌声。

进门时，有人朝门口扔来了一满锅汤。爱丽丝惊愕地看着打翻在地的汤汁。“三月兔在这儿吗？”她试探性地问道。

“你个小东西，喝口汤都迟到！”从厨房那头传来三月兔的吼叫声。他又拿起另一锅汤扔了过来，白皇后巧妙地躲开了。汤汁溅到了爱丽丝身后的门上。她伸出手指尝了尝溅到墙上的汤汁。

“应该加点盐。”爱丽丝建议道。

一个盐瓶朝她飞了过来，爱丽丝立即弯下腰闪开了。

她跟着白皇后来到一个大铸铁炉旁。炉子上放着一口装满沸腾汤汁的大锅，锅里飘出一股奇怪的味道。白皇后一边从身旁的橱柜里取出作料，一边自言自语。

爱丽丝凑上去闻了闻，心想如果她没听到白皇后的话是不是会感觉好点。她在橱窗里看到了许多稀奇古怪的东西排放在一起——普通药草、香料，装在玻璃罐里的眼珠以及装满切碎的昆虫身体的瓶子。

白皇后微笑着抬起头看了爱丽丝一眼。“啊，缩小药水。让我想想。一小撮虫脂，马蝇的尿液，沾了黄油的手指……”回到橱柜边挑选材料时，她再次陷入了沉思，一会儿又开口问：“我姐姐喜欢研究如何统治活着的东西。告诉我，你觉得她怎么样？”

“太可怕了！”爱丽丝如实回答。

“她的脑袋呢？”

“像个大球。”爱丽丝说。

“我觉得她那里肯定长了什么东西……那东西压迫着她的大脑，”白皇后惋惜地摇着头说,“三枚死人口袋里的硬币，两勺痴心妄想……”

“您无法想象那里都发生了什么。”爱丽丝不假思索地说。 她搞不懂白皇后怎么还能坐在这里，从容不迫地制作药水,扯着不着边际的话，却让自己的臣民受尽红皇后的折磨。

“哦，不，我能想象得到,”白皇后笃定地回答她,“但只要有一位勇士站出来斩杀炸脖龙，人们就会揭竿而起。”说完，她往前倾了倾身子，嗅着那锅难闻的混合物，然后往里吐了一口唾沫。“搞定了！”

白皇后从抽屉里摸出一把勺子，伸进锅里舀了一勺递到爱丽丝面前，提醒爱丽丝：“吹一吹。”

爱丽丝对着汤药吹了吹，让它冷却下来，然后抿了一小口。这回她知道自己最好少喝点。眨眼间，她缩回到了正常的体型——至少，站在白皇后身边时，她觉得自己看上去挺正常的，所以她好像又回到了原来的那个自己。爱丽丝琢磨着，如果重返外面那个真实的世界，自己该怎么做才不会让大家失望呢?

“感觉好些了吗？”白皇后问。

“好多了。”爱丽丝回答。

白皇后把勺子放回锅里，又拍了拍手，突然变得一本正经起来，用公事公办的语气说：“有个人想跟你聊聊。”

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