No Longer Heartless

Chapter 10: Hatta's Back

"Why did you even marry the King in the first place? I know you don't love him. You couldn't."

"I had to," Cath sighed. "The Sisters...they needed my heart to be kept alive. In return, they brought me Peter Peter so that I could have Raven execute him."

"You married the King just to avenge me?" Jest questioned slowly. "You mean to say that you gave up your entire life just because you loved me that much?"

"Love, Jest. I love you. I never stopped," Cath smiled softly. "I just want to be yours. Truly, completely yours. I don't care about what's right or wrong anymore. I just want to marry you."

"And I want to be your husband, but I can't. I am fine with remaining friends, but until something is figured out with the King, we can't be together."

Internally, Jest was being torn apart. He truly just wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her close and never let her go again. It was killing him, having to tell her that they could only be friends. But it was the right thing to do. Her ending her marriage would end in nothing but reproach and shame.

"I suppose," Cath sighed after a moment, "you're right. It would be wrong of me to leave the King."

—————

"Where is my Queen?" The King of Hearts grinned as he entered the castle.

"S-she's gone, your majesty," a servant stuttered. "We don't know where or what happened to her."

"What?!"

—————

"By the way," Jest said thoughtfully as he and Cath stepped out for a bit of fresh air, "Hatta is back here in Chess."

"Really?" Catherine said in surprise. "I wasn't aware."

Jest nodded. "If we could find him, he might be able to help us create a distraction."

"Wait," Cath said suddenly, stopping dead in her tracks and turning to face the former court joker. "Couldn't Hatta make us hats that could help us get out?"

Jest's yellow eyes brightened. "I hadn't even thought of that. We must have Raven bring him to us immediately."

"What are you waiting for? Go!" Cath exclaimed quickly, pulling Jest back toward the cottage.

—————

"Why am I here again?" Hatta asked with the smallest hint of annoyance in his voice.

"It's good to see you too, Hatta," Cath sighed sarcastically. Here was one person she didn't miss.

"I never said it was," Hatta said haughtily. "Now, what do you need?"

"Now, listen here-"

"Okay!" Jest interjected, cutting Cath off before she could insult the hat maker. "Hatta, we need your help. The four of us want to get through the land of the White Queen. The problem is, we're all sort of wanted. Cath, Elsie, and Raven escaped the dungeons, and of course, you know why she wants me locked away."

Hatta nodded. "You want me to make you hats," he smirked knowingly.

"Yes," Jest nodded. "We need hats that will make us...I don't know. Not able to be seen."

"Hats that make you invisible," Hatta said thoughtfully. "I've only ever made one of those before. They're simple enough to make. There's only one problem."

"Which is?" Cath asked impatiently.

"You'll have to travel into the Red Queen's vaults to get the invisibility elixir."