Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 8- Leaving Hearts

Shortly after Cath made the decision to leave with Hatta, Lady Peter, who revealed herself as Penelope Peter mother of all pumpkin, and Alice, they had come to the conclusion that they would have to prepare some things for the journey ahead. Cath remembered the twisty-turny maze that took hours to travel in when she first attempted to go to Chess. 

Back when Jest was her only priority. 

And after a quick run back to the castle, they had everything they needed. 

Hatta went down to the kitchen packing any knives and food they could need, Alice and Penelope went to the library to begin making another batch of potions, and Cath went to her room to change her clothes and ready herself for the journey. 

She sat in front of her vanity looking at her reflection with a blank stare trying to take in all the new information.

Her heart was growing back, she was leaving her home. 

And Jest was alive.

And not only that, but she would see him again. Would he remember her? Would he still love her after all this time? The thought of him looking at her blankly as if she were no one of importance made her want to curl into a ball and cry. But she shook away the thoughts and made her way to the others.

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It had been 10 years since Jest had died. 10 years of being locked in a cell trying to find a way to hunt down those girls. 

For all those years the 3 girls from the Well would visit, but he never gave them away. His queen didn't deserve the precious thing they had, so he kept them from her. 

Jest knew he would be at the mercy of Time for eternity, but he didn't care. He would not give someone so unworthy something worth more than gold. 

For 10 years he slept on a stone floor in saggy clothes that didn't fit him with little to no food, yet he didn't regret a second of it. He knew that if he hadn't done something, it would've been his Cath that would be bleeding on the ground of that pumpkin patch, and he would never let that happen. 

Not a day went by where he didn't think of her. The way her dark hair tumbled down her back in curls. How graceful she was even when she didn't mean to be. The way she would close her eyes when she sniffed one of her pastries as if it were a flower in a meadow. 

He often dreamt about Cath as well, about the night they met. How her scarlet dress stood out among the black and white perfectly, as if she deserved nothing less than to stand out in the most magnificent way. It wasn't the first time her beauty had stood out, the night he took her to Hatta's tea party, no one had taken their eyes off of her as if they were to blink, she might disappear. 

It was agony not knowing what she was doing right now. Was she sleeping? Was she reading or baking? Did she remember him? 

But what killed him the most was that she probably didn't know he was alive. 

He heard of the wicked queen of Hearts but knew that it wasn't her. His Cath was too kind-hearted. Not only that, but she had promised him she wouldn't marry the king, and he was relieved. Did she start her bakery? Or was she still and Heiress? All these questions, and yet he knew they would never be answered.

Today Jest stared out his small window picturing what Hearts might look like now. His roommate, a muscular tiger who was arrested for arson, snored in the only cot loudly. He was ready to live his life in this prison forever if it meant her heart was safe. A little part of him prayed he would see her, but he knew that was impossible. He just hoped she was happy, even if he never would be.

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Imma try and do weekly updates.