AN/ Thank you for all the hits, please review if you have anything to add that might help with furture chapters. I want your input! Hope you enjoy the new chapter. ~Eisac
Chapter Two
As they rode Scarab across the water from the Looking Glass, Alice made note the old metal beetle was mostly used for transporting people now, royal or not. Duchess had explained things in Wonderland had changed drastically now that Jack was King.
"Some things are much better than you remember," she stated. "We have rebuilt the Casino, only it's no longer used as one, but a manor. Hearts Manor of Cards."
"No more draining oysters of their emotions?"
"Of course not."
Mulling that over, Alice was satisfied and grateful no more people from her world were being taken to be used in the Queens nasty science experiments. Needing their emotions like a drug addict. It was horrible. But the liquid emotions remaining couldn't have lasted long after she left. "Do people in Wonderland still use oyster emotions?"
Duchess' head fell. There was tension in her shoulders and circles under the woman's beautiful blue-grey eyes. Things were not as wonderful here, like Alice had thought. "Most of the users of oyster wonders have either horded their last amounts for safe keeping to insure their survival or have gone completely mad from the lack of. There have been quite a few more sent to the hospital."
"That's awful," Hatter included.
"Well, not too bad. They only stay a few months usually, but most users needing a quick fix of ecstasy or excitement or whichever have come to the Hearts Manor demanding more oyster wonders. They don't realize now that the resistance has taken down the Queen there are no oyster's to drain. Each time they come to the manor, we send them to the hospital for rehabilitation, which doesn't last long and most continue on without a relapse after that. Caterpillar manages to get them on their feet quick."
That's right, Alice thought, Caterpillar had been there before, aiding the ones who had mixed the wrong emotions or taken too much. Of course, he'd be there to clean up the Queens mess.
As they approached the manor, Alice and Hatter just stared mesmerized by what they saw. It was completely different now. Three towers of cards high above the tree tops stood piercing the sky like spears. The 3 of Clubs landed Scarab near the entrance of Hearts Manor. They all strained their necks to view the tips as they advanced to the front doors where two more suits waited. "This really is something," Hatter whispered as they entered into the grand hall.
Duchess grinned, "We wanted to make sure there was enough room for the refugees."
Hatter swung around to face her, shocked as any, "Refugees?"
"Yes, any persons living in the Grand Library or had lost their home to the Queen have been staying here. It was the least Jack could do to make up for his mother's mistakes."
Alice gasped at the sight, "Wow." Inside was just as grand as the outside. Stark white marble floors with red carpet rugs along the trail ways, silver chandeliers with crystal hearts hung from the ceilings, many corridors leading to different wings were only starters. People bustled here and there; refugees relaxing on a few red fluffy couches off to the side, the diamond suit women were carrying around drinks or food instead of casino chips.
The group made their way to the shimmering silver elevators, taking them to the top of the northern tower; Alice assumed where Duchess and Jack had been living now. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Duchess led them down a hallway not extremely large and overdone as the ground floor, but lengthy. And chilly too as if they'd climbed to the peak of a mountain during winter. As they reached the sleek black doors at the end of the hall, Duchess turned to speak, "After I show you the particulars of Jack's kidnapping, we must hurry if we are to find him before The Red Knight decides he doesn't need him."
She opened the door as Hatter said, "What exactly does The Red Knight need Jack for?"
"That's what I need your help to figure out," she sighed. "Come."
The room they entered was no less magnanimous than any other part of the manor Alice had seen so far. Instead of a long "throne" room as the Queen had, this was more circular and inviting. Red velvet chairs lined around the room with two larger ones at the back shaped liked hearts, Alice figured where Jack and Duchess sat. But they were no higher than the others as if Jack made sure to see the other suits as equals as opposed to people he could control.
Clean white and black drapes hung down the walls just as they had before. Alice decided some things never changed and Jack was his mother's son after all. She just hoped that was all they had in common, some minor decorating similarities.
Duchess traipsed up towards the larger red chairs and Alice noticed a small scroll resting on the seat cushion she'd missed at first glance. Duchess picked it up, clasping it to her chest with a look of worry and desperation as she turned to Alice and Hatter.
"I left him in here for no more than half an hour to discuss some Wonderland business with the 10 of Clubs, but when I returned the club was unconscious on the floor and Jack was gone. This scroll lying in the empty seat."
Hatter held his hand out and asked to see it. He unfolded it and read aloud, "If you wish for your King of Hearts safe return, it would be wise to make no unheeded attempts to rescue him until Alice of Legend has returned to Wonderland. It is she that holds the key. Yours truly, The Red Knight."
Hatter's jaw clamped tight as he rolled the scroll back in place. His gaze was severe and angry as he burned a whole right through Duchess' pretty head. "Why didn't you tell us, he was after Alice?"
She looked desperate and on the verge of tears, "Because I knew you wouldn't risk bringing her here if you knew."
"Bloody right I wouldn't have!"
Alice stepped between them, trying to find some logic and calmness in this situation. "Please Hatter; if we hadn't have come, Jack would be killed or worse."
"It is not our problem anymore and I won't let you go after him. Not again! Not after what happened last time!" His dangerous fists, Alice wouldn't dare to provoke even though she was a black belt, were clamped at his sides, skin stretched taunt over white knuckles.
"Yeah, we saved Wonderland! Remember?" Alice retorted.
"Only because I had to come rescue you…more than once I might add!"
"Well, you will be here to protect me so that doesn't happen this time, right?"
Hater didn't say anything and his fists never relaxed. Alice tried to convince him again if it was she the Red Knight needed to save the King of Wonderland, than dammit she would try. "David…if we don't find out why the Red Knight wants me and save Jack, Wonderland will fall to the mercy of him. I'm sure of it." She had used his first name to soften him up.
Slowly his fists unclenched, but he abruptly threw them up in exasperation, "Crumbs in the butter! Alright, fine. But you will not go there alone, Alice. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand."
They began heading back out into the hall, when Duchess feebly asked "So what is the plan? How do we find this Red Knight?"
Alice hadn't gotten that far in her thinking. They didn't even know where to start looking. The Red Knight hadn't given them any clues to go on. But Alice saw the wheels turning in Hatter's head and knew he had an idea. "What is it Hatter?"
"Well," he began, "There is one person that might be of some help. After all he was around when the first Alice came through the Looking Glass and the leader of the resistance against the Queen before."
"Caterpillar" Alice nodded.
"Yes, he may be able to give us some information on the Red Knight."
Alice was certain Hatter was right. No one else knew more about the inner workings of Wonderland long ago better than Caterpillar. But he had also been very hard to find last time. And if Duchess was right about the hospital of victims from oyster wonders, than they would go straight there and see whether or not Caterpillar could help them.
"Right. I know exactly where he is then."
oo
As they traipsed deep within the city high above ground, the eerie screams and bellows of the patients were still just as disturbing as last time Alice had been there. Smog formed around the building, sending chills up her spine. This was definitely what Alice remembered. She would have much rather taken on the Queen again to the death, than visited this place; but they needed answers.
"Talk about morbid," Duchess whispered from behind Alice.
"I guess no matter who rules Wonderland; you can't take the sinister feeling from a hospital such as this," Hatter agreed.
They reluctantly found their way to the lobby where the same brunette haired woman in a blue dress Alice had seen before sat at the lone desk within the giant columned room, toying with a beetle this time instead of a cockroach. What was it with this woman and bugs? Alice couldn't stand looking at the pencil pushing the beetle around the plastic bowl and tried her best to focus on the woman's face. She was just as enthusiastic as before, "He is on the 3rd floor," she grumbled as if disturbing her was near sin.
"Thanks," Alice tried a smile at her, but was met with a sneer. Rude, she thought.
They took the elevator again and Alice directed them through the corridors to the pool area, where she hoped he'd be floating on the water. To her relief the old man was, "Caterpillar." His distended green and red layered overcoat draped around his legs.
"Alice, how nice to see you again." He took a puff from his hookah and continued flipping through a book on Astrology he carried with him in the vessel. "And what do I owe this honor?"
"We need your help again," Alice said walking up to the edge of the pool. The brilliant blue shimmered around the dark wood of his small one-man boat. Hatter came to stand beside her; Duchess remained at the door. "I'll cut right to the chase. Can you tell us anything about the Red Knight?"
"Ah, the Red Knight; now there's an interesting subject."
Alice felt like she'd burst with hope, praying he knew anything that would help them. "Yes, we need to know how to find him. Do you know where he is?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question, Alice, but I can tell you that the Red Knight is hidden. Hidden so well from the rest of Wonderland that his existence has become nothing short of a myth."
She felt a slice of defeat threatening to deflate her hope, "Well, how are we supposed to find him then, if he is hidden from everyone? There has to be some way to get Jack out of this." There was no telling where this Red Knight was hiding. It would take a miracle just to locate him much less get him out, a miracle they didn't have.
"It was said the White Knights fought against the Red Knights, long before the Queen was ever in power. I can't tell you more than I know, but it's safe to say the White Knights have knowledge about him that might lead you on the right path."
"Yea that's all good, but the White Knights were all wiped out," Hatter laid on sarcastically
Caterpillar with calmness took another puff of smoke; his boat surprisingly staying in the same place even though the water was sloshing about. "All of them?" his grin was like a light within the room brighter than the glowing blue water.
Hatter turned to Alice as they both breathed, "Charlie."
Of course. Why hadn't Alice thought of him before? He might not have been alive then, but surely he would know something about what had happened so many years ago. "Thank you for your help, Caterpillar."
He bowed his head about to say something, when Hatter stepped in front of Alice stopping him. "Wait a minute. What about Alice?"
"What about her?"
Hatter looked a little frustrated, but who could blame him. This situation made Alice want to grind her teeth in aggravation. "The Red Knight specifically asked for Alice to search for Jack."
"Oh?" Caterpillar adjusted the rim of his glasses sliding down the bridge of his wrinkled nose.
"Well, what you make of that? I know this is Alice we're talking about, but why her?" She didn't miss the protective tone in Hatter's voice.
"Maybe he sees Alice of Legend as a challenge."
Duchess joined the others, speaking for the first time. "I think it's time we went to find the White Knight." Worry obvious on her features.
Caterpillar agreed, "Yes, best not to waste time. And don't worry; if you should have any more questions, you know where to find me."
Alice forced a smile as they bid him farewell and worked their way back through the halls, out of the hospital.
Well, first thing was first they would find Charlie, hopefully avoiding the Jabberwocky in the process and then maybe get more information that would lead them to the Red Knight. Yes, this could work, but they had to wait and find out what exactly Charlie knew. He might not remember anything.
