Chapter VII: Something Wicked...

The White Rabbit adjusted his monocle, taking a deep breath as he arrived at the balcony where the King and Knave of Hearts stood.

"Um...e-excuse m-m-me?"

Both turned.

"Oh," said the King dully. "It's you. The missus should be around soon, had an execution to tend to first."

"I s-see," said the Rabbit, simply, as he hopped closer, standing between the two. He stood up on his tip toes, holding onto the balcony railing with his forepaws, shuddering.

Below them, a small troupe of tall, lithe-looking figures stood at attention. Each of them was humanoid in shape and made of a curious metal that spread across their bodies from head to toe, not unlike cloth. Their heads had no faces, ears, hair, or any sign that could indicate any form of emotion. Although it seemed very unlikely they could feel at all, as they all possessed one noteworthy blemish upon their statuesque forms: a significant head trauma, revealing wires and gears. They were composed of several mechanical marvels in place of organs, with sensors and computers for brains. Their wrists jutted out, with a small hole in their "sleeves," from which they would fire their weapons. Their hands had their fingers fused, save for the thumb, but this hardly hindered any movement. They gazed up, without eyes, at the balcony, awaiting orders from their Queen.

On their front side, they were painted with crude playing card symbols, with a bold letter "A" marking their backside.

"Have I ever mentioned how I detest those...those HORRID things?"

"Those 'horrid things,'" the Knave cut in, coldly, "Are the Royal Card Guards; Aces, to be precise, the most advanced models we have. They're some of the finest weapons in the galaxy, able to move much faster than your little bunny-legs can . THEY are never LATE."

The Rabbit winced.

"F-forgive me, Sir Knave."

The Knave sniffed haughtily, but said nothing.

"Wouldn't want to be on the business end of one of them," the King muttered.

"They are programmed, sire," the Knave said calmly, not looking at him, "Primarily for security purposes. Though, of course, Her Majesty has used them for...other purposes. They have been modified to obey any order she, or I, give."

"We reiterate: we wouldn't want to be on the business end of one of them."

"Hmph," the Knave snorted, and then mumbled, under his breath, "Just be glad you are still around..."

"Just what are you insinuating?" the King snapped, head held high.

"Nothing," the Knave dismissed coolly. "Simply...admiring your status, so to speak, Your Majesty."

The King smiled proudly.

"Yes, well...we are quite magnificent, aren't we?" he said, giggling childishly and swirling his cape.

The Knave and the Rabbit both resisted the urge to smack their faces with their palms.

"Ah-heh-hem!"

All three moved away as the Queen strode onto the balcony. She grinned down at her Guards, teeth showing fiercely.

"My beloved Cards!" she cried down. "My loyal Aces! I, your lovely and compassionate Queen, have an announcement, and a command! The announcement is this: Time, as you may know has returned to our precious land! The Day of the Jabberwocky draws ever closer! And, even more importantly, I have been given the most wonderful shoes, courtesy of the Carpenter! I admit they are fashioned rather poorly, but you know what they say, it is the thought that counts!"

She paused impressively.

"End of announcement. Here is your command: you and your commander, my trusted Knave..."

The stunted Knave stood as straight as he could in respect.

"...Are to locate Time and his 'Looking-Glass' machine. Secure the contraption...and give our new subjects a proper, wonderful welcome. Ensure that Time does not slip away from us; 'Time,' as they say, 'is of the essence!'"

The Cards saluted.

The Queen smirked.

"Gather your weapons, and await your leader at the gates!"

The Cards fell at ease and suddenly seemed to vanish from sight.

"Faster than lightning," the Rabbit whispered, fiddling with his tie.

"Knave," the Queen said, turning to her lackey, "Go into the Tulgey Woods. We must have Time here before brillig; do NOT let him slip away. Am I clear?"

"On my head, Your Majesty," the Knave said, smiling and bowing.

The Queen began to exit, glancing at the King as she left.

"You shall assist the Knave in any way he orders you," she said, dismissively.

The King gaped, as if in horror.

"But, dear!" he called out in protest. "We are the KING! Why is it that we should be saddled with such peons as-"

He stopped short, as a hand wrapped around his throat, and two red eyes burned into his own.

"YOU SPEAK AGAIN, AND I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE!" the Queen shouted into his face, covering the "King" in spittle. "It's better you do SOMETHING around here, you WORTHLESS, STUPID MALE, instead of fooling around in your bloody ROOM, playing with your bloody CAPE, AND NOT GIVING ME PROPER CHILDREN TO-!"

The Queen suddenly stopped, removing her hand and tilting her head, concerned.

"Darling...you are perspiring profusely. Are you sure you're well?" she asked, quietly.

"Y-yes, love. We are well," the King assured her quickly, nodding fast, standing stock still.

The Queen smiled oh-so-sweetly.

"Well it's just you look so pale," she crooned, patting his cheek, "like a ghost, my dearie. But, you don't look too bad off, so if you could be so sweet as to help the Knave? There's a good boy." The Queen turned back around, and vanished.

There was a moment of silence...

"RABBIT!"

The Rabbit gulped, and bounded out of the room.

"Coming, Your Majesty!" he called.

The Knave and the King both sighed with relief, and shared a glance.

"Knave, tell us," the King implored, half-whispering. "Which is worse: our beloved's wrath, or an Ace of Spades?"

The Knave gave no reply.

The question seemed to answer itself, he figured.