((Well, I decided to update this twice today considering that we might not have power for at least two days depending on how hard the hurricane hits us O.o I'm so grateful for the positive feed back! Here's where the plot really kicks in, so I hope ya'll are interested for more! And just a reminder, this is more of a spoof than a fanfic revolving solely around Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, so if the characters aren't well, characteristic, like I said, this is more of a me using the iconic characters, but making them my own. I hope ya'll like it! Any feedback is welcome be it criticism, praise, or any complaints! So here you go, Chapter 8! Enjoy! ^.^))

Chapter 8: The Heart, Club, Spade and the Wanderer

"Come join me for tea, Ches," the Queen said in a tone that was more of a command than an invitation.

"Isn't that the Hatter's job to host tea parties?" the Cheshire retorted, his tone dripping heavily with undertones of discontent. If he truly disliked the Queen, he made no attempts to conceal it.

"Actually, this comes as the Hatter's request." Alice could hear the resonance of her heels clicking against the brick as she presumably begun to retire back to her castle. "I hope you will join us, Ches. Perhaps we could inform your child of the rules of our land." With that, her footfalls grew faint, followed by the clamor of metal of the blank-faced army.

Alice hesitantly crept out from under the Cheshire's cloak and turned to face the direction where it seemed the queen and the men retreated to. A hand instinctually rose from her side and absentmindedly clutched the material of the Cheshire's robe. Had the queen noticed that she was hiding under his cloak? Obviously she must've been aware if she practically gave an invitation to Alice to join them as well.

"Shall we go then, Alice?" the Cheshire asked, a long, ashy hand reaching out and wrapping itself around her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Glancing up at him, Alice automatically felt comforted. Although his spanning grin was permanent, she couldn't help but feel reassured by it. It was almost as she was beginning to know him well enough to tell what a true smile was as opposed to his constant display.

"They won't kill me, will they?" Alice questioned, still teetering on the edge of comfort and apprehension. Just earlier the Queen had sent an army after her, and now she was inviting her to a tea party offering to explain the "laws of the land"? Was being so bipolar typical of the Queen, or of the land in general? And most importantly, where exactly was Alice?

"I won't let them lay a finger on you, my dear," he assured her.

The duo had eventually wandered inside of the castle, and upon a series of turns lead by a faceless butler, happened upon a large dining room with a table that seemed to stretch on for miles. There must've been more than one hundred chairs encircling the table, all stained in a brilliant, glossy mahogany, the same stain of the table. Satin curtains were drawn over the ceiling to floor windows, adorning most of the walls with seas of scarlet that blocked out what little sunshine that tried so desperately to shine through the smoggy clouds. Golden candelabrums were scattered about the room, casting flickering shadows along the walls. Over all, the room was brilliant, with high ceilings and accents of scarlet, but Alice couldn't help but feel intimidated; especially coming face to face with the two individuals sitting at the table.

Alice had momentarily met the Queen a few moments before in the garden, but hadn't actually had the time to safely study the woman before her. As she sat at the head of the table, she appeared strong and confident, obviously that of an experienced ruler. She had high cheekbones that lead up to amber deep-set eyes framed by long, heavy black lashes. Below a thin nose sat a pair of slender, red lips formed into a skinny line. A sea of auburn hair was folded neatly behind her in an updo of waves and loose curls.

To the queen's left sat a man of a pallid complexion, with hair an unnatural fuchsia color along with an olive green top hat. The only thing that seemed ordinary was his sapphire eyes. He sat smugly at her side, pouring tea from one cup to another, occasionally flaunting a wide-gapped, toothy grin. Alice assumed he was the Hatter.

As Alice and the Cheshire advanced toward the table, the Hatter stopped pouring tea between cups and the queen looked up, eyes greeting the two. Her lips stayed in a thin line momentarily before parting. "I'm glad you could make it, Ches," she nodded toward the Cheshire and then toward Alice. "I see you decided to be a proper young lady and come out from under Ches's robe."

Alice flushed slightly and brought her gaze to the white marble flooring. The Cheshire only placed a hand upon her shoulder, ushering her to the second chair on the right of the queen. She obediently sat down whilst he took his seat in-between them.

"So we have a new wanderer in Wonderland," the queen announced. The Hatter continued pouring tea between his cups as if it were old news whilst the Cheshire smiled down at the table out of boredom. "And considering the fact that Ches has appeared to have taken a fondness toward the child, I've decided to not kill her right away."

Alice tensed at the thought of the queen opting to kill her upon an impulse. Noticing Alice's tensed stance, the Cheshire cleared his throat to clear the air and urge the queen on.

"So in accordance to the rules of the land, the wanderer must choose which kingdom to be a part of." Her gaze drifted toward Alice momentarily before falling back upon the three as a whole. "That being said, however, we have to let her know that our land is in a desperate power struggle and although we—the three rulers of the Heart, Spade, and Club kingdoms-are sitting here today, we don't normally act as civilized as we are at this moment." She paused, picked up her tea, and after taking a prolonged sip, set the teacup back down in front of her. "So if you choose one kingdom, you're tied to that kingdom until death do you part."

"And because of those ties with that kingdom, you're susceptible to our feuding," the Hatter added, setting both of his teacups down.

"The wanderer is the most valuable weapon due to their rarity," the queen explained.

"And everyone loves the wanderer," the Cheshire muttered, as if he had heard the speech thousands of times before and was simply saving the queen's breath.

"If the wanderer happens to stay in one kingdom, the more citizens that kingdom will attract."

"And the more citizens that kingdom attracts, the bigger the army," the Hatter interrupted.

"And thusly, the bigger the army, the better chance that kingdom has at taking entire control of Wonderland," the three finished up in harmony. They had obviously rehearsed this speech multiple times in order for everyone to be in sync the way they were.

"So I'm technically helping a kingdom become superior?" Alice questioned quietly.

"Yes," the Queen replied, nodding in Alice's direction. "But with that brings grave consequences. Whatever kingdom you choose will be the most endangered. You have to be prepared to experience unfathomable bloodshed; be it the collapse of an army, the slaughter of innocent civilians, or even the assassination of the ruler."

Alice's head was spinning by the time the trio had explained everything to her. At first, she was going to choose the Cheshire's kingdom for it made more sense for her to be with her trusted friend. But after hearing that it might endanger him and his citizens, it made her second-guess her decision. Was she really going to potentially put the Cheshire's life at risk just so she could be happy? But if she chose someone else's kingdom, would that mean her and the Cheshire would be forced to become enemies?

Alice was snapped out of her confusion by the sound of the Queen's voice penetrating the air. "So, my dear child, which kingdom will you choose?"