Well, here's the next chapter. I realize that some of the content may be off, it terms of names, or what happens when, but then again, I am almost relying completely on research here. Hope you all enjoy it, and remember to read and review!


"So, you're saying that the Queen of Hearts has conquered all of Wonderland?" Victor asked, in an attempt to straighten out the information he had been told. Evidently, after Alice left, and the fire burned down her home, the Queen took advantage of the mental break-down of Alice's mind, and used the confusion as a way to launch a full-on war.

"That is correct," Rabbit answered nervously, as if just talking about would bring her down upon them, "And many who were once friendly were no longer so."

"Is not out situation dismal?" the Cheshire Cat asked, his smile still present, yet somehow very bitter, "Wonderland has become so discombobulated in your absence, Alice, that even the ladybugs have joined the Queen. You must punish them for their conversion…"

This last statement was said so coolly that Victor was suddenly frightened of the cat. Not to say he wasn't before, for the feline was much more disturbing in person then what Alice had told Victor he was before. Still, the cat seemed to have all knowledge of the situation, even if he didn't seem to like Victor in the least.

"So, what exactly do you want us to do about it? Wage war with her majesty?" Victor asked, starting to figure out where this was going.

"Don't call her that," the cat snapped.

"Oh, don't be so nasty, Cheshire," Alice rebuked the cat, "After all, this is his first time here."

"He wouldn't be here at all if Rabbit had been more cautious. Honestly, for one who goes back and forth between the two worlds so often, one would think you would have learned to watch who was following you…"

"I was running late, cat! I didn't have much time to consider-"

"As wonderfully interesting as this conversation is," Alice interrupted, "And as much as I would love to hear you bicker, we really must be moving along."

"Yes," Victor nodded, "I'm not too sure I like it here. It really is quite dreadful."

The Cheshire Cat only narrowed his eyes at the young man, before turning to Rabbit. "While Alice is right, we still need to see if she is ready to handle the challenges ahead."

"I'm more then ready!" Alice growled, stamping her foot slightly, "And I think I'm a better judge of myself then you are, cat!"

"I beg to differ, girl," the cat replied coolly, "So, Rabbit shall lead you to your test. If you pass, then you shall prove you are ready to save Wonderland."

"This is absolutely pointless," Alice mumbled as Rabbit nodded.

"Come along, Alice, we're running very late!" He glanced down at his pocket watch, and his bulbous eyes grew wide. He let out a little squeak and rushed off down the path and into a tunnel. "Oh my, oh my, we're later then I thought! No time, no time, we must hurry!"

"Now, before you go, I have a gift for you, Alice," the Cheshire Cat said, his grin becoming less serious, and more wicked. He waved his paw, and in front of Alice's feet there appeared a knife. It was long, and looked very sharp. The blade was incredibly polished, and reflected Alice's face as she picked it up. Victor, who had been watching in silence for fear of another berating from the Cheshire Cat, saw a twinkle in his cousin's eyes. It matched that of the Cheshire Cat's; the same, violent glint that seemed to hold steadily in the feline's gaze.

"Use this, the Vorpal Blade, to fend off the terrors of the Queen of Hearts," the Cheshire Cat instructed, as he began to fade away into thin air. As he did, Victor felt panic creeping through him. It was all well and good that Alice had a form of defense, but what about himself?

"Excuse me, Mr. Cheshire Cat," Victor called after the disappearing grin, "But what about me?"

"What about you?" the grin without a cat asked.

"Well, Alice may have a weapon, but what of myself? How am I to protect myself?"

The cat seemed to ignore the question, but a quick glare from Alice gave him reason enough to respond. "Consider that your test, my boy," the cat replied, before vanishing completely.

Victor looked at the air where the cat had vanished with a stunned silence. So what, did the cat just not like him and want him to die? And what exactly was there that was so dangerous in Wonderland, it required the use of knives to fend it off?

"Well, I suppose that is our cue to begin, Victor," Alice said, walking past him towards the tunnel the Rabbit had gone in. Victor stood there for a second more before running to catch up.

"Alice! Wait! I don't understand!" he called as he got beside her, walking in step with his cousin.

"Of course you don't," Alice replied, "This is Wonderland, after all…"

"Are you sure?" Victor asked, looking around. On either side of the entrance of the tunnel, there were two, large trees. Their branches were bare, and so twisted that it looked like they were trying to strangle themselves. Around their bases, tiny, black-capped mushrooms squatted, adding to the dead and rotting atmosphere.

"How do you mean?" Alice asked, looking to her cousin.

"Well, this certainly doesn't seem like the place we, I mean you, went to when you were younger. The place you told me about was, or at least seemed, to be nicer then this."

Alice walked into the tunnel in silence, and Victor followed, his eyes trained on her, waiting for an answer. One never came, however, for at that moment, a cry echoed horribly through the tunnel.

"What, in heaven's name was that!" Victor asked, after almost leaping out of his skin.

"It sounds as though some one is in trouble," Alice replied simply as she ran further down the tunnel. She disappeared around a corner, and Victor found himself shaking in the dark tunnel alone. He didn't know if he wanted to go forward or not. This Wonderland wasn't at all what he hoped it would be like, and now he wasn't too sure if he wanted to go any deeper into it.

"You may want to hurry," he heard a cold voice behind him say. He turned to see the Cheshire Cat sitting calmly in front of him, his form silhouetted by the dim light coming from the entrance of the cave.

"Why?" Victor asked suspiciously, "Is there some huge monster up ahead that will bite my head off the moment I walk past?"

"What a startling imagination you have," the Cat sighed, inspecting its very sharp claws. Despite the dull light, the claws seem to glare brightly, but the cat's smile seemed to glow eerily, and Victor could see its eyes narrowing almost in a hungry manner. "That may prove to be useful, or dangerous. I suppose we'll just have to see, won't we?"

"You didn't answer my question," Victor grumbled, "And why are you so wretched towards me? Have I done something wrong already?"

"No," the cat replied, "And yes, but I would be more concerned with going forward if I were you."

"I want to go home," Victor replied, "Not hang about here. It's dangerous, and not at all what I had hoped it would be."

"Well, my dear boy," the cat said, suddenly disappearing, and reappearing a little bit closer to Victor, "Wonderland is only what you make it. You cannot expect it to be any more then that. Second, if you wish to go home, the only way is to go forward. You must go forward to go back. Finally….your hair needs trimming…"

"I beg your pardon?" Victor asked, becoming thoroughly upset with the cryptic cat. "First of all, that's a very rude thing to say to a person to whom you were just introduced. Second, why must you speak in riddles? Can't I get a straight answer from you just once?"

"Yes," the cat replied, "There, I just gave you your one, straight forward answer."

Victor clenched his fists at his side in frustration before twisting around and storming down the tunnel. He turned the corner, just as Alice had, and found himself at a fork in the cave. Both sides led straight into darkness in opposite directions, and neither one was very inviting.

"Alice!" he called down the one to the left, "Alice! Where are you?" He directed this question to the path to the right, before crossing his arms. "That stupid cat! It's a wonder how I ever liked him in the first place. Now I have no idea of where to go. This was probably his plan all along. I suppose he probably works for the Queen of Hearts."

"That is an insult to which there is no easy way to forgive," the cat said, suddenly appearing in the middle of the fork. Victor jumped again, his hand going to his heart as it pounded heavily.

"I do wish you would stop doing that," Victor said angrily, "You're going to send me to an early grave!"

"Which would be a shame, because there are so many others in Wonderland who would like to do the same thing."

"I'm sure you would," Victor growled.

"Not at all," the Cheshire Cat answered, "I would never wish any harm upon a Liddell."

"Then why do you insist upon acting so beastly?" Victor demanded.

"I find it fun," the cat sneered, "And there are so very few in Wonderland who bring me as much satisfaction in a conversation."

"I am glad to be of service?" Victor replied, unsure of whether what the cat had said was a good thing or not. Deciding that now would be as good a time as any, he turned his attention back to the two tunnels before him.

"Now then," he whispered to himself, "Which way should I go?"

"That all depends," the cat said, "On where you want to get too."

Victor was about to reply when he realized he recognized the cat's speech. "This is just like what happened with Alice…" he thought to himself, "I suppose…" he started, know what to say, "I suppose I should like to go where Alice went."

"She went that way," the cat said, waving both his paws.

"Which way?" Victor asked, looking down the tunnel to the right, half expecting to see her walking back out again.

"Which way what?" the Cheshire Cat asked in reply.

"Did Alice go?" Victor answered, growing irritated.

"Who?" asked the cat.

"Oooh, you are absolutely intolerable!" Victor shouted. "Why, if you're neck wasn't so skinny, I would strangle you!"

"What a lovely sentiment," the cat sighed, "Though I'm afraid you're not my type…"

"Forget it!" Victor shouted, "I'll just pick a road on my own, and hope for the best!"

"Smart boy," Cheshire Cat said, clapping its front paws together, "Now you're thinking the way you should. Survival is based on instinct. The journey before is based upon survival. You survive, you go home. You don't, then you won't, it's that simple." And with that, the Cheshire Cat disappeared from sight once again.

Victor stood alone in the dark corridor, his eyes going from one passage to the other. That cat was right, and Victor knew it. He had just gotten here, and right from the start, Alice seemed to understand the principle of survival.

"Maybe that is why the cat treated her better," he thought out loud, "She knew what had to be done. And here I am, acting like a coward, not willing to help because I'm too frightened. Why, I may as well have been an oyster walking with the Walrus for trying to follow behind Alice like that. I have no knowledge of Wonderland except what Alice told me, and so I was relying on others to get me home. Well, no more. I'm a young man, and I should behave as such."

His words sounded very familiar, and it was then he recalled his father saying almost the exact same thing to him before Victor was sent off to boarding school.

"Well, since I am right-handed," he said, looking at the paths before him, "I suppose I'll go right. It's not as if I have much of basis for my decision either way."

With a final, spirit-renewing nod, he stepped towards the tunnel to the right. The whole passage was made of rough stone, though several mushrooms grew out of the walls, as well as a green moss. This moss seemed to have a phosphorescent glow, so it was a little easier to see where he was going. Still, the floor was impossible to really see, so he managed to stub his foot against rocks and pot-holes. By the time he saw a light at the end of tunnel, his feet were sore, and he wanted nothing more then to take off his shoes and put his feet into some hot water.

He walked out of the tunnel and was met with a surprising sight. About twenty yards ahead of him, standing tall and foreboding under the dark sky, was a huge fortress. The walls were grey and seemed to be made out of a solid rock, for Victor couldn't make out any sign of bricks or stones. The initial wall ran all the way around in what appeared to be a square, and along the battlements, he thought he saw the movement of what appeared to be walking cards. Dark clouds swirled overhead, and the windows on the building that rose above the wall were broken and had an eerie light glowing from within them. Tree stumps dotted the ground around the entrance, though none were actually next to the wall. The grass from the cave to the fortress looked as though it had been stomped down, and was more dead looking then the grass from before, if that was really possible.

"It's a bit of an eyesore, isn't it?" Victor heard the familiar voice of the Cheshire Cat ask. Victor looked around for where the cat would appear, and saw it resting easily in a dead tree, its bony tail dangling off the branch and moving side to side.

"What is it?" Victor asked, not quite as startled by the cat's appearance this time.

"The Fortress of Doors," the cat replied, his eyes staring straight into Victor's. Victor hadn't thought of it until now, but as he looked at the cat, he realized that he had never seen the cat blink.

"Well, what's it doing here?' Victor asked, "Shouldn't something like this be, I don't know, near the Queen's Castle or something?"

"The Queen's Castle is far larger then this," cat purred, "This is merely here as an extension of her grasp. That is all."

"Well, is there a reason I'm here?" Victor asked, certain that no matter which way he had chosen, the cat would have had something for him to undertake.

"Yes," the cat nodded, vanishing and reappearing in front of Victor, "There is a door in there you must go through…"

"Can't I just walk around the fortress?"

"Not all doors lead outside," the cat replied mysteriously. "This particular door will take you one step closer to leaving. Look for Rabbit. He's waiting for you in there."

"But, how am I to get in?" Victor asked, peering through the murky air towards the gate. "That gate looks solid, and I don't think those guards will open it for just anyone. And any way, I certain that the rest of it is heavily guarded, with everything locked against unwanted guests."

"True," agreed the cat, "Doors have locks, and locks require keys, none of which you have."

"Well, perhaps there's another way in. After all, you know what they say," Victor said mischievously, "There is more then one way to skin a cat…"

The Cheshire Cat's eyes narrowed, and though the corners of his mouth were turned up, it wasn't difficult to tell the cat was not pleased.

"A most foul metaphor," he hissed, "Avoid using it in the future."

"Why?" Victor asked, proud that he had finally gotten the upper hand in a conversation with the Cheshire Cat, "I find it to be a positively lovely saying."

The cat just rolled its eyes and turned towards the fortress again, "If you are finished with playing around, I know of another way inside."

"And what is that?" Victor asked, not sure if he wanted to know. So far, the cat had done nothing but set him up for trouble, and he had a sick feeling in his stomach that he would soon be in danger.

"It's rather simple, actually," the Cheshire Cat explained, "There is a small pond not far from here, the home of the Mock Turtle. He will be sure to help you get into the fortress."

"A Mock Turtle? What's that? I can't seem to remember him," Victor questioned, picking his brain. He knew the name sounded familiar, but when he thought about it, he decided that he must have been dozing at that point in the story.

"It's the thing that Mock Turtle Soup is made of, though I wouldn't mention that around him…" the cat said dryly, "It seems they don't teach you very much at school anymore."

"Before we get launched into a ridiculous discussion on school, would you please point me in the direction of the Mock Turtle's pond?"

The cat just looked to the left of the fortress. "He lives over in that direction." He started to vanish again at this, and when all that was left was he disturbing smile, he added, "Oh, and, please don't get caught. I should hate to have to tell Alice that her dear cousin was beheaded…"

And with that, the grin vanished without a trace. Victor shivered as he looked around the area, as if there were soldiers of the Queen waiting just within the edge of the dead woods. Just a few feet ahead, a small break in the tangled mass of trees stood with a small, pale dirt path going into the trees.

"Well, I suppose that's as good as any where to start. That cat still wasn't very clear, but I think he meant that this Turtle lives somewhere in the those woods. Oh dear, this is not going to be easy, though I guess I really shouldn't have expected it to be."

He walked as quickly as he could to get to entrance of the wood without alerting the guards on the wall, cursing every sound his feet made on the dead grass. As he approached the opening, he saw an old sign hanging on a rusty nail on one of the trees. A good deal of moss covered the wood of the sign, and dry rot was eating away at the edges. It hung just above his head, so Victor was forced to stand on his toes to get close enough to read it, and even then he had to squint to make out the smudged lettering.

"Wonderland Woods…" he read aloud, "I suppose it's rather like those woods in children stories, where there's an old witch who eats little children when they wander in too deep. Oh well, if finding this Turtle gets me home any faster…" He shrugged his shoulders and walked hesitantly under the twisting branches.

The woods were quiet, and it made Victor even more apprehensive. After wandering down the path for several minutes without any sound but his own breathing and heart pounding, he would have liked to hear any other noise; even the sound of leaves underfoot would have been a welcome change to the dead silence, but it seemed that the trees never had any leaves to drop underfoot in the first place.

The whole air seemed oppressive, and just as Victor felt like he was doomed to wandering the silent woods in depression forever, he heard a quivering voice over to his left. It sounded like a moan, and the voice itself was rather nasally; Victor thought it was rather irritating. It sounded like it was singing a song, though the way it was sung, so sadly and pitifully, one would have guessed it was a dirge, despite the ridiculous words.

"Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?"

"What a horrible sounding voice," Victor mumbled, "I wonder if it's the Mock Turtle?" He thought he heard the sound of water moving, and was glad for that, because it was better sounding then the singing, and meant that he had found the pond. He crept behind a tree and peeked around. It was then he got his first glimpse of the Mock Turtle.

It certainly didn't look anything like any turtle Victor had ever seen. Instead of the usual beaked and leathery face of normal turtles, it had the head of a bull, though the hair was blue, and its horns were not as long as a normal bull's horns. Two, tiny black eyes stood just above his elongated snout, and from them, tears flowed freely as the Mock Turtle wept. The rest of his body was very turtle-like, with the leathery flippers and shell. He was slumping pathetically on the edge of a small, murky pool, wiping away its tears with its left flipper as it ended the song and began it again.

Quite certain that the ridiculous creature before him was harmless enough, Victor stepped out from behind his tree and coughed lightly. The Mock Turtle jumped as turned his bullish head towards Victor. When he saw the young man, he raised his flippers to his mouth and let out a squeal, before diving into the pool.

"Wait! Mr. Mock Turtle! Come back!" Victor ran to the pool and peered into the dark waters, searching for any sign of the creature. "I promise, I'm not going to hurt you! I'm here with Alice!"

The pond was still for a moment, and Victor sighed, guessing the Turtle would not return. "Now how am I to get into the Fortress of Doors?" he asked himself as he turned to leave.

Just then, a splashing sound erupted from the pond, and Victor whipped around to see the Mock Turtle climbing onto the edge of the dirty pool.

"You're here with Alice?" the Turtle asked quietly in his nasal voice.

"Yes," Victor nodded quickly. He started to walk back, but noticed the Turtle looked like it was going to dive back into the pool the moment he drew close.

"Oh, please don't go! I need you're help," he said, slowing down his walk towards the now-shaking Mock Turtle.

"W-w-what kind of help?" the Turtle asked, sniffing away his tears.

"The Cheshire Cat told me that you could help me get inside the Fortress of Doors," Victor explained, "I was hoping you would."

"Well, why would you want to go into a place like that?" the Turtle asked, seeming to calm slightly, "It's a dreadful place, full of nasty guards, and the nasty school, and all those confusing doors." He started to wail, as if the thought of it brought the pathetic creature an overwhelming sadness.

"Cheshire Cat said that the White Rabbit would be waiting for me there, and that I need to go through a certain door. He said it would take me one step closer to going home, so please say you'll help me."

The Turtle looked at Victor with its sad, beady eyes, and then nodded slowly. "Alright," the Turtle agreed, "If the Cheshire Cat said it, then I suppose it's alright. But, I hope you can swim, for that is the only safe way into the Fortress."

"I learned how to swim at school, but how is it the only way into the fortress? I didn't see any kind of river flowing out of it."

"Just because you don't see something, doesn't mean it's not there," the Turtle replied, almost haughtily. "We shall go under the wall, through the tunnel in my pond."

"There's a tunnel from the fortress to your pond? Why?"

"Are you coming or not?" the Turtle asked quickly, ignoring Victor's question. The reptile, if it could be called that, seemed to have taken on a completely different attitude then the sad, mournful one he had had a moment ago, and was not readying to dive into the pond.

"Well, yes," Victor nodded, "But, how long are we going to be down there? I mean, if this tunnel is underwater, I don't think I should be able to stay under for long. I would surely drowned, wouldn't I?"

"Not if you stay close to me," the Turtle answered, "Follow my bubbles. Cling to the, cuddle them, and you'll come out just fine. Loose them, and you'll be sleeping with the fishes."

Victor gulped hard as he walked up behind the Turtle. He didn't want to do this, one because of how dangerous it was, and two, because of how filthy the water looked. How was he supposed to follow the Turtle, if he was too afraid to open his eyes under the murky depths of the water?

As though he were reading Victor's thoughts, the Turtle clapped his flippers together and said, "Oopsie, I almost forgot. Take these," he said, his left flipper disappearing into his shell and popping back out again quickly. In his leathery grasp as a pair of thick goggles. A leather strap went around the back to hold it in place on the wearer's face, and it was a good thing too, for the goggles themselves looked heavy.

"These are Amphibious Eyewear. They are both stylish and functional."

Victor just gave the Mock Turtle a skeptical look as he took the eyewear from the amphibion and started to fasten them in place over his eyes.

"With these, you'll be able to see just as well as any amphibian in the water, and the tortoise-shell frames are rather handsome to boot," the Mock Turtle explained, adding the last piece with a bit of pride, "I made them, you know."

"Lovely," Victor said dryly as he finally got them into place.

"You look so spectacular," the Turtle nodded, "Are you sure you are not already amphibious?"

"I'm quite certain I'm not," Victor replied, "At least, I wasn't when I got here." He walked over to the edge of the pool, next to the turtle. The pool itself was actually rather large, with cracked stones lining the edge in a circular manner. Victor peered into the water, and upon seeing his reflection, started to blush. The goggle were thick, he had seen that before he put them on, but even in the dark water, he was able to see that his green eyes looked huge now, like how one of his teacher's eyes looked when he put on his bifocals.

"Shall we go?" the Mock Turtle asked, and without another word, or waiting for an answer, he dove into the water with a splash.

Victor looked disdainfully at the pool, before leaping in himself. He spluttered as he tried to get use to the bitterly cold water. The water's felt slimy on his skin, and already, his teeth began to chatter. Still, not wanting to let the Turtle get too far ahead, he took a deep breath and ducked down into the black depths of the Mock Turtle's Pool.