"CURIOUSER and curiouser!" The Hattress mused as she pulled a rapier out from between the ribs of a card soldier, who then collapsed to the ground gasping for air and bleeding into his lungs. "Alice, sister dear, if their army is based off of a deck of cards, and there is 52 cards in a deck of playing cards, would you not think that they would not have only 52 soldiers in their entire army?" She pondered casually, as she cut through the neck of a soldier who was running at her with an axe. The whole time, she had never taken her eyes off of her blonde sister.
It had been 33 years since Alice was born, and the revolution in Wonderland started. The younger Alice was now 33, and her mother 53. In the first few years following the younger's birth, they had moved to avoid the conflict; the family wanted no part of it. But as the years passed, and the landscape was torn apart by the two sides, the revolutionaries (led by the Cheshire Cat, March Hare, and Dormouse) pressured the Hatter to join. And, Alice, being the kind woman she was, was reluctant to join. To this day, she still hadn't had anything to do with the violent conflict. However, her daughters gladly took up arms against their enemies. They were happy to defend their home… In fact, the Hattress seemed to almost enjoy it. Not the killing, and the violence… But the elegance. The tactics. The professionalism. She seemed to have a romanticized view of it, despite knowing full well the horrors of war. Perhaps she was a sadist, or, perhaps it was just the madness she inherited from her father. Either way, she truthfully wasn't fond of all of the death.
Alice thought a few moments before replying. She was carrying two semi-automatic pistols that were silver, and beautifully engraved with a calligraphic pattern, and they had white grips with blue daimond inlays. One of them swung up and fired, and a soldier who was charging at them from one side crumbled over with half of his head missing. "Perhaps, but could you not have more than one deck of cards?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. The Hattress swooned at the response. "Oh, you're so smart, sister dear! Why did I not think of that?" She raised her sword in front of her face, and bowed elegantly. "I salute you, Miss Alice." The blonde curtsied in reply. "Thank you, my sweet sister."
"You two are so strange." A deep voice echoed from above them. "Ah, Chessie!" Alice exclaimed excitedly. A man in a pair of purple pants with purple hair, cat ears, a wide (slightly creepy) smile, and a striped purple tail hopped down into the muddy trench they were fighting in. He had a shirt on with no sleeves that exposed his lower belly, and wore no shoes. He had long claws where one's fingernails would typically be. They younger Alice ran over and enthusiastically threw her arms around him, and he returned with a hug. She buried her face in his tight shirt, and he patted her head with a slight smile. "… I think that's enough, Alice." He stated simply, and she nodded and pulled back. The Hattress walked over to him, and he saluted. "They're being driven out of the trench, ma'am."
"As you were, Commander." The redhead had now taken a more serious, commanding tone, contradictory to her typical ditzy, silly manner. She sheathed her sword in the black belt around her midriff. This stern side of her more fitted her dress, which was a red military-style uniform. She had a button-down coat with a high collar, shoulder pads, and ribbons on the left breast (to show her achievements), and a crown with two stars on her collar to show her rank of colonel. Her pants were a light tan color, and her boots were knee-high and black with heels. She, of course, still wore her red top hat with black belt around the base. The Cat relaxed. "Good job. I expect you will oversee that we fortify the position and make sure no stragglers or traps are lying in wait for us." He nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He slinked off to order the soldiers under his command, and Alice and the Hattress climbed out of the empty trench, that was full of card soldiers they had slain by themselves.
The storming of the trench went incredibly quickly; the Revolutionary soldiers flooded into the trench. All species of critter in wonderland were represented in their rank, and they had no uniform. The only thing that was uniform was the color blue. There was a hare with a blue shell coat and no hat, a mouse who wore a blue trench coat, and a man who simply wore a blue undershirt. The two sisters watched as their friend, the younger Cheshire Cat (or Chessie, as the younger Alice called him) efficiently commanded the troops and saw to it that the trench was clear, and fortified against counter attacks.
Soon, the two sisters headed back to the headquarters. They walked, as it was only a few miles back, and they typically walked much greater distances than that in a day. When they arrived, the Hatter was staring at a map. He was wearing a very similar uniform to his daughter's (aside from it being green and without heels). The two sisters saluted, and he smiled and nodded. They relaxed. "Good news, sir." The Hattress replied with a smile. "We have fortified the trench. Last month's push was not for naught." She reported officially, as he sister skipped over to her father and threw her arms around him. "Are you proud of us, papa?" The blonde asked with a smile. He hugged her back. "Very much so, dear. Fantastic job!" He exclaimed.
However, their small celebration was soon interrupted by a soldier running up, panting from the exhaustion of the journey he just made. "Ma'am, news from the front line! The Kingdom of Hearts called for a ceasefire, and is requesting you speak to the Princess of Hearts!" She nodded, accepting the message. This came with little surprise; it wasn't nearly the first time the Princess had called a ceasefire and asked specifically for the Hattress, and likely wouldn't be the last. "Thank you, courier." She gave a slight bow and dismissed him, before turning back to her family. "It would seem duty calls. See you later, pap- I mean… Sir." She saluted, before dashing out of the tent.
The journey over was slow; she wanted to draw out the ceasefire as long as possible to give her soldiers a break. She walked calmly to the front lines, and, after a few hours, arrived. There was a bridge over the trench that she crossed, and, in the middle of the field, a beautiful woman with black hair stood. The field was decimated; it was burned and torn up from weapons fire, and there was no life that could be seen between trenches. The sky was gray, as it always seemed to be since the outbreak of the war. It was threatening to rain, which added to the gloomy atmosphere. The Princess wore a black coat with red details that extended just past her waist, red pants, and black boots. Her red shirt was visible under her coat, which was undone to about half way down her torso. She had similar ribbons on her left breast to the Hattress, and, overall, had a very similar look, if not more sensual.
The Hattress stopped about 5 yards in front of her, raised her silver rapier to her face, and held it vertically in salute. The Princess did the same (she drew her saber), and then they sheathed their weapons simultaneously. Now that they were next to each other, it was clear that the Princess was a few inches taller than the Hattress, as the Hattress was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, and the Princess was nearly 6 feet 1 inch tall. "Well, Amelia, what did you want to discuss?" She asked curiously, looking the woman up and down with a curious eye.
"The queen would like for you to surrender. The war has all but destroyed the Kingdom, and she would like to maintain what little of it is left." The Hattress sighed. "As much as I agree that the war should end, my people would rather destroy their home than bow to a tyrant." The Princess nodded. "I understand. She is a bit… Obsessed with beheading people she doesn't like… And since my grandfather passed, there hasn't been anyone with the power to overrule her…" She looked down and away, not caring to discuss the depressing topic.
The Hattress sighed, then nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened, and I know you can't do anything about her, but can't you do something?" The Princess shook her head quickly in reply; it was clear she pondered this before. "I would surely be killed, Hattress."
The Hattress looked at the sky as drops began to fall from the clouds, and let out a sigh. "I understand. But just so you know…" She gave her an intent stare, and locked eyes with her. It took everything she could to maintain her composure and to not melt because of her intimidating red orbs. "… I won't stop until we are free from your mother's reign."
The Hattress pivoted. "… If this were avoidable, surely it would have been ended by now… But we will not yield until we are free." The Princess sadly looked on the Hattress as she walked away. The Princess stood still in the field for a few moments, lost in thought. That is, until she realized she was standing in the middle of a warzone, staring at the enemy. She regained her determined and dignified posture, and turned to head back to her lines.
When the Hattress returned to headquarters, she heard her father and sister talking. "Look, dear, it's perfectly fine if you are dating him. Your mother had you when she was 13 years younger! It's alright to have a partner at your age." She looked more frustrated than anything. "Chessie and I aren't together! I swear this to be true! We are very good friends, but not romantically involved with each other." The Hattress blinked as she heard the conversation, and decided it would be best not to interfere. The Hatter responded to Alice's statement of sincerity and frustration with a chuckle and pat on the head. "It's alright, Alice. I believe you. No need to get so worked up." She could only huff and pout, giving the look of a small child. The Hattress laughed as she walked up to them, and tightly wrapped her arm around Alice's neck from the side, and pulled her close. "Oh, sister dear! You're so cute when you're flustered!" The Hatter smiled. "Hello, dear. What did the Princess have to say?"
"Nothing out of the usual…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "She wanted us to surrender, as per usual." He sighed. "You said no, right?" She looked nearly offended. "Of course I said no! I would never give up, especially to the likes of her!" She made it sound like the Princess was an awful individual, although she did not think so herself.
"Alright, alright. I'm going to head home to check on your mother. Good night, girls. I love you." He kissed them both on the forehead, and the tall, lanky man walked out of the large tent.