In retrospect, running off after a rabbit she thought she saw wasn't the brightest idea. Especially since it turned out that she had, indeed, seen said rabbit. She didn't know how she felt about that. Did it mean her hallucinations were so strong they were tangible, or did it mean that a waistcoat wearing rabbit actually existed? Not that it mattered now, not since she had fallen down a rather large rabbit hole, where everything seemed to exist outside of gravity, excluding herself.

"This is just wrong," Alessandra said aloud, whacking away a stray tea cup from the set she passed.

Various objects flew by her as she descended, including numerous pieces of furniture. She reached out and snagged a book as she came across yet another bookshelf. 'May as well try to find something interesting to do until I find the end,' she thought, opening the rather worn cover of what turned out to be Les Miserables. She began reading, only absorbing half the words as she observed her fall. She had only just gotten to the part where Valjean confronted Javier about his identity when she noticed a solid structure looming in front of her. Her gaze snapped up just in time for her to slam into an incredibly hard floor.

"Fuck!" she hissed, sitting up and rubbing her forehead, not entirely certain she didn't have a concussion.

The world tilted again, and she once again found herself falling though this one was most definitely shorter than the other, as in mere seconds she once again collided with the floor, this time striking her back against the cool marble. She lay, dazed and seeing double, on the what she finally perceived to be the true floor of the little room. Once her vision returned to normal she sat up, hissing in pain as she felt her body protest. A small table, the room's only furnishing, caught her eye, and she gingerly approached it, wary of any more surprises. On it was a little bottle with a light blue liquid inside, the words "drink me" written in elegant calligraphy on a small card. A key laid beside it, and it was then she noticed the doors.

They littered the sides of the room, barely leaving any space for walls between them. She glanced at the key and determined that it would be better suited for a dollhouse than any of those doors, and decided to look for a hidden door or panel which it might open, desperately trying to ignore how eerily similar the situation was to that of a children's book. Triumphant in finding the door she needed, she tested the key, relieved when it worked. She started to the table, nearly tripping on something under her foot. It was a small wooden box, and when she opened it found a little cake with the words "eat me" in black icing. She nearly dropped the box, only her quick reflexes keeping the little cake from tumbling to the floor.

"This is too weird. First the rabbit, then the fall, now the bottle and the door? There's no way this is happening." But she knew that it was indeed happening. "Get a fucking grip!" Alessandra hissed to herself. "If, and it's a big if, this is really something out of Alice in Wonderland then you need to drink the bottle, unlock the door, go through, and eat the cake on the other side."

Following her own advice, she did as she said, emerging into a gothic garden. She spun around, her mouth hanging open, never having seen anything like it before. She quickly ate the cake, wishing to explore, and luckily reached a size fairly close to what she had been before her adventure began. She dressed as fast as she could, feeling as though she was being watched. Her outfit, which consisted of a black tank top and jeans, was a tad snug and the hem of the tank top slid up, revealing about an inch of skin on her stomach. Sighing in annoyance, she chose a direction at random and began walking, gazing in wonder at the odd sights and creatures she passed.

As she walked, the feeling of being watched only grew stronger, until finally she stopped dead on the path and looked around, eyes narrowing when the surrounding area yielded no one. She turned to continue on her way, though her nerves were on edge and she found less and less enjoyment in her surroundings.


Ilosivic Stayne was, for lack of a better word, enslaved to the Red Queen. He protected her, headed her army, trained the soldiers, and was-he shuddered to think it-her lover. Well, on the side actually, though he suspected the Red King wouldn't be around much longer with the way he not-so-secretly coveted the White Queen. He had been riding through the forest under the guise of scouting out turn coats, but in reality he merely needed a break from her majesty the Bloody Begh Hed. That was when he spotted her, the pretty brunette emerging from the small door that led to their world. He had quickly hidden in the trees and watched as she observed their world before eating some upelkutchen and regrowing to her proper size. He'd be lying if he said he looked away to allow her privacy.

It had been so long since he'd seen a proper woman, one not tainted by the Red Queen's terror and murderous rampages, not to mention one of normal proportions. It was almost too good to be true. Thanking the stars, he began to follow her, making sure to always be out of her line of sight. He only grew nervous once, and that was when she turned and looked about as though she knew he was there. Relieved when she carried on, he vowed to pounce at the next available opportunity.


Alessandra was sure someone was following her. The prickling feeling on the back of her neck wouldn't go away, and she felt as though there were eyes on her at every angle. She felt thankful that she was reaching a crossroads; perhaps her stalker would leave her be if she changed directions. Now the only question was which way to turn.

"To Queast or Snud?" she wondered aloud, glancing down the path in both directions and finding nothing to set one apart from the other. "Well, I suppose there's nothing truly remarkable either way, so…..Queast I suppose."

Stayne could hardly believe his luck. The girl had inadvertently begun heading down the road to the Queen's castle, making it ever easier for him to pursue her. He trailed behind her for a good while, past the thorn forest and nearly into the desert surrounding the castle. He waited until she'd turned behind a rather large stone column formation before spurring his horse onward, relishing in the look of fear that flashed across her features as he cut her off.

Alessandra knew she hadn't been imagining things! When she heard the hooves pounding the dusty earth behind her she knew that whoever had been following her had finally decided to show themselves, though she wasn't sure their intentions. When the large black horse carrying the large man galloped past her and effectively cut off her path she knew this wouldn't be a fun encounter. The man dismounted, oozing confidence and arrogance, and began to approach her. She looked him up and down, a smirk curving her lips, and she knew without looking that he had most likely taken the look for one of appreciation. That couldn't be further from the truth.

He was a tall man, unusually so, and towered over her, though she wasn't afraid. His hair was black, and from the armor he wore she guessed he was under the service of a king. He wasn't particularly ugly, but she didn't find him handsome either. He strode toward her with purpose, eyeing her up and down, eyes settling on the ample amount of cleavage she had in view, though she blamed the newfound smallness of her clothes for that.

"Can I help you?" she asked sarcastically, giving him a once-over as he'd done to her.

"I think you might," he replied, voice silky and obviously going for seductive.

It took everything she had not to laugh in his face.

He stepped ever closer and it was when his hands attempted to grab her shoulders that she flew into action. She grabbed his right wrist, and with an expert twist and flip sent him flying over her shoulder. He landed on his back, wheezing as the breath was knocked out of him, and shook away his surprise. He grinned. This could be fun, it always was when they struggled,

She sighed as she saw him rising to his feet, rolling her shoulders and adjusting her stance to better defend herself. He came back toward her, but she was ready.

"Impressive," he said. "I've yet to see someone able to take me by surprise. But make no mistake, I will have you."

She scoffed.

"Yeah, right. I've seen tougher things than you on my dinner plate!" She made the universal "bring it" motion, causing him to scowl. "Come on, dumbass. Let's see how good your tolerance for pain is."

"Little bitch!" he hissed before lunging, previous attraction dimmed by the slight to his skills and manhood.

Once again she met him easily, knocking away blows and striking her own with lightning speed. He thought, in the haze of pain he found himself in, that he hit her perhaps once. It wasn't long before her foot collided with his middle, sending him crashing to the ground. Before he could recover, a foot slammed down on his crotch, successfully making him scream in a voice several pitches higher and pinning him to the ground. He immediately tried to shove the girl off, but found his arms pinned above his head by her other foot, his wrists ground uncomfortably into the dirt.

"You done now, Hulk?" Alessandra drawled, casually leaning her weight from foot to foot, reveling in the sounds of his pain.

He ignored the odd title, his self-preservation instincts kicking in as he nodded vigorously, tears slipping from his eyes. She smirked, obviously pleased that she had bested him. To his immense relief, she let him up, though not without grinding her foot against his already abused manhood. He sat up instantly, hands clutching at his abused and battered crotch.

"What's your name, asshole?" the girl asked, casually stroking the side of his horse.

"Ilosovic Stayne," he managed. "And yours?"

"Alessandra. Now why were you following me, where am I, and who rules this place?"

"You are in Underland, ruled currently by the Red Queen and King."

She took note of how he evaded her first question, but then, she really didn't need a verbal answer.

"And I presume you work for them?"

"Yes, I am the Knave. I head their army and provide the Queen protection." He watched as she hummed, and an idea began to form. Perhaps this girl could be useful to them, if her hand to hand combat was anything to judge her by. "Speaking of their Majesties, I'm sure they would be delighted to meet such a skilled fighter."

Inwardly, Alessandra rolled her eyes. She knew he was sucking up, most likely trying to manipulate her. But-perhaps if she went along with him she could get some answers. And she would like to meets these monarchs.

"Very well, lead me to them," she said, mounting his horse.

Stayne felt his anger spike at her obvious lack of respect, not to mention the theft of his horse, but kept it controlled, lest he lose her cooperation and receive another painful beating. Instead, he walked to the front of his horse and gripped the reins, leading them further down the path toward Salazen Grum.