A/N: Violence is never the answer... well, maybe... in this case... just make an exception... eh... anyway! It's another chapter! Hurray! Those with weak stomachs for violence (like Mirana) may want to skip... I dunno... from the section beginning with 'Alice took the armor' to the last four or five paragraphs or so. There isn't much violence, but there is blood, sort a sad chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland (2010) but I do have it on my ipod *maniacal laugh*
Warning: contains; femmeslash, violence, sugestive themes and situations, partial nudity, and a very disgruntled rabbit.
Chapter: Mirrors
Alice looked at Chessur inquisitively, as she approached him early that morning, wondering why the cat had a sword with him-wait, no, not any sword, she corrected herself, the vorpal sword. She paled. Chessur appearing, anywhere, was nothing new, but with the vorpal sword, and just outside Marmoreal... It could only mean one thing, the one thing which she dreaded the most and shoved away into the dark recesses of her mind. Underland was in danger. Mirana had been captured. Marmoreal had fallen.
Chess knew the second Alice paled that the woman understood that Underland required her assistance once more. All he could do was hope the girl didn't run off to her death before he could explain the situation. His hopes were almost dashed as Alice's eyes lingered on the wing of the castle where Mirana was and she moved forward slightly-unsure, thinking still and battling the emotions swelling in her chest.
"Has she been?" Alice asked, fearing the answer, interrupted by Chess.
"Yes," Chessur replied, interrupting Alice.
"Is she-?" Alice choked, afraid to put words to the rest, "Please, please be alive Mirana..."
"She's alive Alice, but I don't know for how much longer." A day or two I'd guess-longer if he kills some, but I don't know I'm not well versed in magic.
"Who?" What bastard dares take her and harm such beauty rare and divine? Who do I kill?
"Felix." The blasted suitor, I never trusted him from the start-but my stupid mistakes may have very well helped lead to this... Madder then Hatter...
"Hatter? Mally? Nivens? Tweedle? The rest of Marmoreal?" Let them be alright as well, please?
"Under the enchantment as well." Unfortunately. I don't know why though, it's his and her magic meshed not her's and mine not mine and his.
"It's all my fault," Alice breathed, her eyes still lingering upon the castle before her, "If I had just stayed, then this wouldn't have come to be!"
"If you had stayed my dear," Chess began a smirk breaking on his lips, nudging her with the hilt of the vorpal blade, "Then Underland would have littler hope, and her majesty would most certainly die along with many others."
"Perhaps," Alice replied, her brow furrowing lightly as she took the vorpal blade into her hands again, a moment of silence passing, "How could... How could Felix do this to the one he loves?"
"Are you sure he loves her Alice? Are you sure she loves him? As far as I can tell -she would not leave the one she loves for any- and I believe, she loves," Chess said, grinning as his pointed one claw at the girl, "-you."
"I'm a fool," Alice replied simply as she started down the short hill they stood atop, "And I'm the worst sort, the sort who doesn't believe you when you say that." Her thoughts bubbled as she looked back at the castle, "I've got to try, even-even if Chessur's words are untrue, I still know love her. I still love her, I always have, I've come to term with it many times, and Underland needs her. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll die, then I won't have to face the problems... then again that would probably hurt Mirana... Anyway I look at it, I have to face her or risk hurting her. No. No more lies. You can do this Alice-don't let your muchness go to waste! If not for Mirana, then for the others in Marmoreal, if not for them then for Underland if not for Underland then for Mirana again!"
"You know it's true," Chess replied, breaking Alice from her train of thought, as he floated alongside the champion, "Your armor's in the throne room-I suggest you make your way there quickly and carefully."
"Chess," Alice called as he disappeared with a grin, she whispered, "Thank you."
"Ah, my fair queen, ravishing as always," Felix growled as he leaned over the limp body of Mirana, his hand trailing along her jaw and drawing an unpleasant shudder from the body which somehow knew, "It won't be long my dear-my warriors are traveling quickly, and once they arrive, well, you'll be... obsolete." He laughed, a short laugh, but wicked, his fingers played with the queens hair, an absent look came over his eyes, "For a while there, I thought I could actually love you-Alice helped change that, dear, as it was obvious you'd never love me when she was around... and the fact that she seems interested in you... well... Let's just say it put me back on track with take over and all." The man stood, taking a little dagger from his pocket, he looked at it, "I always planned on killing you, but now that victory is so close it tastes so bitter!-I wish you had tried. I really do. I tried so hard to gain you affection, that, for a moment, I thought I was in love with you! But you! You were so open about your feelings-you always held that strained look in your eyes, as if you were trying to refrain from doing something... impulsive... and possibly hurtful-but that was only around her," His voice became dangerous and low, a hiss just above a whisper, "Never around me! I wish you'd had to try and hide your inner demons around me, my dear: it would make killing you all that much sweeter. Alas," He played the knife over her cheek, never cutting her but letting the cool metal touch her in a sickening way, before turning and walking paces away, "You did not and my only regret is that your champion was driven away from the castle and out of Underland-" Felix stopped, turning, he looked at the body on the bed and sprinted to it-grabbing Mirana and holding her face roughly, "-Listen closely my dear-for I shall not repeat-Not even for you in your subdued state!-I regret, driving dear Alice so far away because I can't very well torture her if she isn't here! I would gladly wake you for that! For what more fitting an end is there then watching your loved one being killed before you? I'll wake you if that should happen-" He purred, "Your pain is so delightful, my dear, it's like honey to me-it'll be a shame when your gone, it's a shame you already are so close..." He stood, "Oh the delightfulness of your pain, if only you could've heard me these past few hours: if only you knew. I'm sure your heart would just-burst."
Alice took the armor as quickly and quietly as she could-ducking out of the throne room with the majority of it in her arms and the vorpal sword slung across her back in a makeshift scabbard of ripped clothing. Spying one of Felix's smaller guards, she hid in a supply closet. Taking the time to put her armor on, shivering at its cold touch and remembering how she'd been in a similar closet with Mirana.
Mirana. The mere thought of her froze Alice. What if Mirana was already dead? No. No. She couldn't be. If she was Alice would force Felix to bring her back no matter the price. Underland needed Mirana and she needed Mirana-even if Mirana didn't need her for anything other then battling the bizarre obstacles which fate seemed to enjoy throwing at the other woman. She thought about it for a moment, perhaps fate was pushing them together-or perhaps apart. This was Underland after all. Alice shook the thought from her mind and finished donning her armor, stepping out into the hall and heading right. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, going twice the speed of her pace. Blood thudded and rushed in her head in time with the beating of her heart. Nervous-the lack of Felix's guards was odd. Afraid-for Mirana, and her friend's, safety.
"Mirana please be alive!" She repeated in her thoughts, over and over and over again.
Alice rounded a corner and quickly back paced to peer around it. Five. Five of Felix's minions crowding around the queen's library like hounds at a hunt, desperately scratching at the closed doors with half formed shadow claws. Her heart, amazingly, speed up as she caught sight of Felix and hate boiled in her blood. The man walked down the hall with a calm air about him, smiling at the tiny creatures of his creation.
"Patience, patience my little ones," He cooed in a sickening voice as he stopped beside the minions, "We can't have you growing up until we control Underland, and that won't happen until Mirana of Marmoreal is dead," Alice's heart skipped for a second before she went back to paying attention to Felix rather then her emotions-he patted the beasts on their odd heads and started walking back down the hall toward where he had just come from, under his breath he whispered, "It won't be long," Then he stopped again, looked back at the minions and waved his hand at them, "Back to work, you'll be fed later."
Alice clenched her jaw, the man infuriated her but there was nothing she could do with the multitude of guard minions surrounding him at the time. Now, though, she knew Mirana was alive-even if for not much longer. She watched as he disappeared into Mirana's chambers, then as the guards slowly moved from the door-heading back to their patrols in varying directions. Alice could hear two heading toward where she hid, a sicking slap to the sound of their clawed feet falling to meet the stone ground. All of Felix's minions were but a foot and a half in height, but all were clawed on hand and foot, and all were black as pitch with glaring white holes for eyes. As the two turned the corner, Alice lunged forward and struck one down as the other opened it's mouth wide in terror. Many rows of sharp glass teeth met Alice's eye, but soon the stunned creature was downed just as it's companion had been. She dragged the bodies into a nearby room, not caring where they were so long as it wasn't in plain sight. It was almost too obvious Felix had more then just five minions guarding the castle, it was also obvious that most rounded that corner at some point or another and so Alice lay in wait and killed many of them in a short amount of time. During the process of thinning Felix's numbers, Alice was hit many times by the sharp claws of the creatures, but most times they were deflected by the armor or caught in the chain mail to be hacked off. At some point in time, one's claws had caught in a small dent in the armor and ripped it open-slicing through her flesh in the process. The wounds were small-two claw marks on her left fore arm. Painful, but of no real concern to the impatient Alice. She cursed herself for not having brought her shield, having left it so carelessly in the closet in her hurry. Mirana could be dying, she told herself, and yet you stand and whittle down the numbers. She chewed her lip, on one hand premature exposure of herself could mean death for her and a loss of hope for Underland, on the other hand Mirana could die if she waited any longer. Decisions, decisions... which to choose? It was almost too obvious to her, the former would have to be risked. She checked the hall before venturing out and down it, her stride of average length though a bit hurried as she made her way into Mirana's chambers. During the short walk she struck down yet another one of Felix's creatures, not even bothering to hide the broken body.
"Mirana hold on!"
Alice was quick and silent in her entering of Mirana's chambers, heading through the fore room and into the Queen's actual bed room. Her eyes caught first on the large window to her left, through it she could see a balcony and beyond that she saw many of Felix's beasts roaming. It was evident that there was no turning back, and so, Alice's eyes shone with not only their previous determination and focus-but an edge of something more-which was lost as she saw Mirana lying so precariously on the edge of her large bed. Alice strode to her, nearly dropping the vorpal blade in the process, and put her ear to the woman's chest. Relieved to hear the steady beating of her heart, rather confused when it sped up-As if Mirana knew it were her and not Felix. Unsure of what to do, having been expecting Felix to be in the room, Alice merely shifted Mirana onto the bed further. Her eyes lingered on the woman, noticing the abundance of hair which had fallen into Mirana's face in her moving, how Alice longed to reach forward and brush the strands back. She could not, however, as the doors opened the only sound of warning being the sound of muffled foot steps stopping. Felix entered in all his dastardly glory, behind him stood two bulky beasts-much like the smaller guards running about in the hall, but far larger-reinforcements. What scared Alice more then the two beasts being there, was knowing that the beasts were in fact messengers sent ahead to herald the main parties arrival. Felix made what appeared to be a mix between a growl and a shriek of pure terror.
"Get her!" He commanded, a finger wavering in the air as fear gripped him: for all his talk he was a coward.
The great beasts of darkness moved forward, double teaming Alice whom moved to protect her queen. She would not allow them to hurt Mirana. Never would that happen, in her mind it was clear: she would rather die then live to see them hurt her queen. Within seconds the first move was made and combat commenced when Alice swung her blade forward-biting deep into one of the shadow beasts arms. The creature grabbed her by the hand, crushing it in it's grasp, and threw her to the floor across the room. Thankfully the vorpal blade was still in her hand, unfortunately, Alice was almost sure that her right hand was broken. Still, she fought on, lunging and stabbing through the heart of one of the beasts when it came at her. She fought her way out from under it's body, only to be attacked by the other and barraged by a series of spells fired by Felix. A pattern soon came into combat, consisting of her lunging at the great battling beast, defending against it's strike, then evading Felix's spells. The pattern did not last long as her blade sank into the beast's left shoulder, sticking and giving the creature time to swing it's paw at her side. Hit. She was hit, and flung to the side like a rag. Shakily Alice stood, looking down at her side and never once dropping her blade-for she knew that, though it hurt more to stand without clutching the painful wound beneath her armor, if she dropped her sword she would not be able pick it up again. The claws of Felix's creature had torn through her armor, surprisingly enough, and left a rather nasty gash in her side. Her sword, however, had hit the beast in such a way that it's left arm was useless. Again Alice went at it, defending against hit and spell alike and striking at the beast-ultimately winning once the creature fell. Her victory over her two larger opponents was short lived as she felt woozy, there was no time to rest as Felix charged at her-drawing his little dagger and brandishing it at the poor champion. The woman had barely any time to react, throwing her arm before her face and protecting her chest, she screamed in pain as the thin blade cut through her chain mail and stuck. Alice threw Felix from her as best she could, slashing at him before gingerly taking the dagger out in one little movement before going back to attack Felix. She quickly cornered the man.
"Tell me how to help her-er-them!" She stated as her light headiness grew and the floor began to seemingly shift beneath her feet.
"Like you don't already know how!" Felix retorted, sliding past her and heading out through the door.
Alice followed, finding that he was already running down the hall clutching his arm. Her head felt peculiar and the floor continued to shift, this did not stop her from returning Felix's dagger to him with an ill placed throw-resulting with a thud as the dagger hit him in the shoulder. She scoffed, she'd been aiming for his leg. Horrible aim aside, Alice's hit did slow him down, though not enough to make her running after him worth while. Her groggy senses were starting to effect her logic, but she knew she had to help Mirana with or without Felix's knowledge. The next wobbly few minutes were spent with her heading to the kitchen, grabbing as many potions as she could carry and carrying them back to the queen's chambers to be tested as the cure for her unending sleep. When, after many minutes of testing, she could not find the cure-Alice simply looked down at the queen's sleeping form. Her vision blurred and it took her a moment to realize that it was tears blurring her vision and she was not slipping into slip just yet. Her logic was already more then half gone, and with her strength still draining and common sense beginning to dwindle, Alice simply stared. Mirana's face was paling, were that possible, becoming a sickly pale. Paler then ever. Even Alice knew that was not good. Her hand slipped forward and brushed a strand of hair from the woman's face. Anger, no, sadness swelled within her. How could one hurt Mirana? Confusion tore Alice apart. Should she stay by Mirana's side, perhaps test ways of waking the woman from what ever enchantment Felix had wrought, or should she hunt the man down and kill him? She was not afraid to do so, more then a part of her wanted him to die for tainting Mirana with his foul touch. It had to be done, or so her addled brain told her, but not yet. Not yet... Now was the time to help Mirana, help her before even she could not stand. Alice knew it, she knew it well in the back of her mind: sleep was calling her name so sweetly. Exhaustion led her on.
Alice stood, she paced, tried to wake herself from the stupor she was in-to no avail. Back and forth she went, thinking, pondering, her hands behind her back. Pain ripped through her, she stopped and looked at her side. For perhaps the first time, she consciously realized just how terrible the wound really was. She could see at least one of her ribs, even without taking her armor off. It was painful, the mess was dripping blood still as well, and it began to sink in on her conscious level just what a mess she was in. Her wound was not important to her safety, not now when Mirana was in danger, no the wound would kill both her and Mirana if she did not act quickly. Alice did not know the details of Felix's enchantment, not even Chess knew-though he suspected and liked to think he did know. She did know that the enchantment was only in place so long as Mirana was alive, hence, she'd tried removing it using potions of various kinds-knowing that it was tied to the woman she loved. What she did not know was how to break it, and time was ticking faster then ever before. If Alice fell to her wound before waking Mirana then the woman would fall to the enchantment. If Alice did not lift the enchantment soon, then Mirana would fall to it. If she did not wake the castle soon, then Felix's army would take it. She was determined not to let Mirana die, no matter how badly hurt she was or how harsh the odds seemed-the woman would not die, and if she did Alice would gladly go with her. The young Kingsleigh continued to pace. What could she do?
She'd tried potions. She didn't know magic. She was just Alice, what could she do? What would Mirana do? Alice stopped, there was a thought. Simple enough, Mirana would dash about chipperly and say in an airy voice 'The most complex conundrums have the simplest solutions my champion,'. Unfortunately for Alice, while she could think it, her mind could not understand it. What did that mean? What would that mean, applied to the situation? What was the answer here?
She was just Alice! She just a girl and didn't know these magics. No. She was not just Alice. She was the Alice. All were counting on her again, and though she could not stand without tilting and swaying: she would save Underland. She would save her queen. Logic now left Alice completely, and she found her nerves guiding her to Mirana's side. The potions had been so very helpful-in filling bottles. They'd done nothing, had no effect. Her eyes rolled over Mirana's body, taking in every inch of bared skin-though there was little-and coming to no clear conclusion. It was a riddle, a very deadly riddle, and time was growing ever the shorter-ticking by moment by moment. Her side burned and tears rolled down her cheeks in agony as her hands shot to her side and gripped as best they could-the wound was painful, and deadly, but her tears were more for Mirana and how helpless she felt. When the pain ebbed, momentarily, Alice pulled her hands away and stared in awe at the amount of blood which clung to her hand. It was like a white flower painted red. She looked past it, finding that even her hand looked fuzzy and Mirana looked ever more blurry. Fear was in Alice's eyes now, pure fear untainted by any other emotions. What if she should fall, and her bloody hand taint the white queen? It was illogical to any but her, but fever-from the rain, one might guess, a delayed reaction-was set and adding to the toll of battle. To taint the queen with red. To taint the queen when she only wished to save her. Only wished to love her. She regretted not telling Mirana, she regretted many of her actions from the past few days in Underland. What was it? Three days? It seemed much longer, and yet, shorter. Time was not important in how long it had been, but now, how long it would be until she fell and tainted the queen. How dreadfully horrid, Alice thought groggily, to taint Mirana ere her death. Before the death of both. Nothing was making sense to Alice now, not even her own thoughts, she felt so useless. It clung to her as her armor did. She knelt beside the bed, leaning against it as lightly as she could, trying to erase the distance between her and Mirana without soaking the woman in her blood. Strange comfort surged inside of her as her eyes lingered on the sleepy ones of the white queen, her hand drew up beside to touch pale cheek and stroke it gently-her hand shaking all the while as it brushed soft skin and trailed down to follow the line of Mirana's jaw before ending it's travels at her chin. Alice's eyes flicked upward and stuck on the other woman's lips. She gasped weakly as the pain in her side surged and intensified, her hand drawing back quickly before returning sluggishly. Everything blurred now, the little color meshed together, and Mirana's dark lips seemed to draw Alice forth. Beckoning like a dark beacon in all the light which surrounded. Alice hardly noticed as her body followed the will of the beacon and her wants, moving up and forward as she leaned over Mirana's form, her hand still drawing across the skin of the queen's cheek in little irregular twitches. Dully, Alice noticed how peaceful Mirana looked as her face drew up against the sleeping woman's and the shades separated enough for shape and recognition to calm her eyes. The white was hurting her eyes with it's abundance, but her shadow cast over Mirana and changed the white to another color of another name-a name which eluded her no matter how she beckoned. For a second, Alice lost sight of her target object, lost in the beauty of Mirana's face so close to hers. Soon, however, her eyes were drawn once more to the queen's lips as they pulled her forth. A blazing beacon to the eyes of a muddled mind.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, her subconscious perhaps or perhaps her normal conscious, Alice hoped it would work. Desperately. It was worth a shot, and what better way to say 'I loved you in life, now I die wishing you knew'? It wasn't as if Mirana could hear her, or could she? Her lips met Mirana's in a soft kiss, a short kiss, broken by Alice's incoherent babbling as she sub-came to the light around her.
"Curiouser and curiouser," She muttered, mumbling and breaking and stuttering as her lips battled to form the words, her eyes fluttering open and shut as her pupils dilated: blood loss causing her to black out and fall forward a short distance.
It took everything she had, in those last few moments of minor-distorted consciousness, to shift slightly as to not crush Mirana with the weight of her body-slight as it was-and the broken armor covering it. A smile played on her lips as she dreamt of the kiss so lightly shared, which, her rather delirious mind liked to think had been returned. Chess watched the last few seconds of happenings, the widest grin ever appearing on his face as he heard the castle begin to awaken.
Such a cliché seal, and yet, so enlightening. Sadness tinged the air about him, it was all such a pity that Mirana may never know-his grin broke wider, should that be possible-unless he told her. He floated away with the flick of his tail, Mirana would ask him later, he would not bother her now as she was just beginning to awaken to the horror before her. Yes, he would wait, and he would watch and make sure Felix was found and inform the guards of the approaching shadows...
(crazy)Fake Author Person thing: Hurray, they finally kissed, er, sort of... it still counts... sort of... eh. I'll count it... But, um, is Alice dead?
Author: Good creature-thing that has taken up residence in my conscious, agree, agree you fool thing of my diseased imagination! And no, Alice is not dead just very badly wounded, unconscious, and bleeding out very quickly as well as suffering from the delayed effects of rain induced fever...
Fake Author Person thing: Yay-wait! Agree? Neva! Bwhahahaha! Now write or I'll call **whisper** Alyssa.
Author: I'm sicker then I thought, you're sicker then I thought! You know she hates yuri, plus she kicks my ass for no reason anyway and if I'm a bloody pulp (which I will be if FAPt calls her) then I can't write! And no, a band-aide will not fix it!
FAPt: Dammit! Then I'll call someone else who's okay with you writing yuri, like, um, uh... gosh... who can I call... I know! Ghost busters!
Author: FAPt, you're horrible at making threats... Update will be soon, prewrote next chapter, just gotta finish it and rewrite a few areas...
