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Chapter nine: The plan

Nothing went as plan.

As Lowell looked down at his books, he felt his anger burn in his chest.

The little wench had escaped him.

Getting up he stood before the large hearth in his study. A bottle of expensive cognac sat near empty on his desk as he held a glass of it in his hand.

He hadn't expected her to fight him. She always seemed so demure and easy going in front of other people. He knew she was saucy with her tongue and quick witted in mind, but he never expected her to fight him.

"You botched the job, didn't you?"

Lowell turned to see two of his associates standing by his desk, how they had gotten there he didn't know, he never knew when they would show up.

Stevenson, a lawyer who once represented the Kingsley Company, was standing with the man he only knew as Stayne. Though he knew he could deal with Stevenson, he wasn't so sure about this man. This one-eyed man seemed to be able to put the fear of the devil into ones soul just by looking at him. He had started going to church more often with Margret, he flinched at the name. The dotting woman never was able to satisfy him, she had no fire in her and made a bore of a lay, but he knew her sister would have been a very nice piece.

"She fought me, I didn't expect her to," Lowell said in his defense as his lower region throbbed in remembrance of the pain.

The plan was simple, he was to rape Alice in the forest and then Blackmail her into giving up her post in the company. Stevenson was then use the law in order to put her behind bars until the court could appoint an appropriate male guardianship over her. That was where Stayne came in. The man seemed to have been born with a golden hand for he paid for everything in gold coins. He was to be appointed Guardianship to her, what happened after that, Lowell didn't know, but he was to be rewarded with a third of the profits from the company. With that, he knew he would be set for life.

But Alice refused to cooperate with them, she had fought him like a wildcat and then ran off to god knows where. The police had been notified and Lowell had slipped away into one of the upper rooms with a feigned illness.

No one had suspected and his wife had been ever the naive supplicant had aided him into a change of clothes and secured a place for them at the Wilcott estate without ever knowing what he had done to her sister. Lowell bribed one of the maids to take his clothes and burn them, just to be safe, and had procured new ones.

"One would think a man of your size could handle one little girl," Stayne said, his voice had a strange oilness to it but it wasn't the kind that Lowell was used to hearing. It was more offensive than servitale and it made him flinch.

"I got my hand up and in her but then the girl sent her legs into me, and bit me mouth. Damn near incapacitated me," He whined. "Though, I think in my defense, I did manage to almost get it in her."

"It doesn't surprise me that a man like you couldn't handle Alice," Stayne said as he looked at his hand which was covered in a black glove. Everything he wore, from his riding boots to his coat was black say for the blood red eye patch on his eye. "You are far less worthy to deal with the likes of her so I should have expected this."

"And you know her," Lowell flared. Stayne smiled and it made his skin go cold.

"More intimately than you, my dear friend," Stayne said with a smile. "But enough, though she escaped, I have another plan. She has appeared to have gone back to my homeland and I plan on returning there tonight."

"What makes you so sure she is there?" Lowell asked, more curious as to how this man knew Alice. The girl was one of London's most protected females and it had been devil enough trying to get to her, the party had been his only shot. When she didn't have Lord Ascot backing her, she had that dragon of a mother near her or her sister or any one of her other business associates. She was always around someone and most would die to protect her.

It disgusted Lowell in a way, she disgusted him. She was always so kind, so sweet, and so innocent it sickened him. And whenever she used to turn those dark eyes on him, she made him feel somehow, less of a man. But when Stayne and Stevenson came to him with their proposal, he felt a sense of justice; the bitch would finally get what she deserved, acting so high and mighty with him. He had hoped to show her he was more of a man than she could ever handle, but things hadn't gone according to plan. She had escaped, and he would have his vengeance.

"My informants tell me she has returned and is residing among the royalty of my homeland. But rest assured, I will be able to take things from there." Stayne said.

"What about out deal," Lowell protested but Stayne held up a hand.

"Rest assured, you both will be rewarded for you efforts. And you both will have your vengeances, but remember, Alice is mine in the end. Do what you want with the rest." Lowell smiled at the thought. He would have his vengeance on Alice, one way or another; she would pay for wounding him.


Stayne left the mansion and walked down the streets of this dark city.

When he was banished with Iracebeth, he had severed all ties. He had managed to break the chains and leave the irritating shrew back in the outlands. Though he was required by law to return to her, he was able to by-bass it by just returning to Underland outlands.

When he had found the doorway that led to this world, he remembered hearing that the Alice had been from here and he had immediately left to pursue her.

He had first seen her a day or so before she left on a ship. Stayne felt his body throb painfully as he remembered her beauty. But he dared not approach her when he saw the White queen's advisor, Absolem hovering not to far from her. He knew then the only way she would be his is for him to plan.

And planning was what Stayne did best.

His ultimate goal was the throne of Underland. For that, he needed three things. Power, an army, and a queen

Power, he had. He was the knave of hearts (now the knight of spades) second only to the queen. When she fell, she had lost her power but Stayne didn't. He retained power over his darker allies through fear and strength alone. That alone, let him gain allies and his second need. His army was great, greater than what he had dreamed of, made up of mostly bandits, brigands, outlaws and those who hated the White Queen and her pathetic court of simpletons and fops. They had banded together in order to bring back the blood washed days before the thrones red and white, when darkness ruled the land and chaos was the order of the day. Stayne organized them, fueling their hatred and their desire for power daily.

He kept them separated, travelling between them, as he didn't want to tip off the white queen or any of her allies through out Underland. His only chance at winning was to play strategically and keep the element of surprise on his side. So he kept things quiet, cutting down any disturbances that might bring any unwanted attention.

Now, he was after his third need, a queen. He knew who exactly who he wanted, the only woman to ever reject him and who was responsible for his fall in the first place, Alice of the white court, the champion Alice, slayer of Jabberwockies' and the hope of Underland. He wanted Alice. Though little did the girl know, she was worth more than the White Queen to Underland. She was the one who slain the Jabberwocky on the queens behalf, who stormed the Red castle disguised as Um, the one who tamed the Bandersnatch and had brought peace to Underland. She was even able to tame the Mad Hatter, Tarrant Hightopp.

Stayne scowled as he spat the name like a foul oath. Once the Royal hatter to the White court, Tarrant Hightopp's name was renowned through out Underland. Though he did not look the part, he was a fierce fighter and had left his post at court to join with the knights in their fight against Stayne's forces. When he fought, many men reported the man was indeed, 'madder than a hatter' for only a mad man could take down so many knights without a scratch. Stayne himself had crossed blades with him but none of the fights were conclusive.

Then the oraculm had foretold the coming of a savior. Both sides had ceased fighting for the Red court decided to turn its forces to find and kill the savior, and the white court desperately searched for them to help save them. Tarrant was placed in charge of the search, since the ordained place was at his tea table.

No one had expected Alice. The little girl with golden hair and an insatiable curiosity looked about as harmful as a flower and but she had seemed to turn the entire world upside down and left Underland shaken and in a disarray.

When she left, the oraculm changed and suddenly, it disappeared. Both courts were crippled by this girl's sudden appearances and disappearance (She had single handily toppled both houses of cards) and so neither made a move against each other. Though Stayne had frequently encouraged the Red queen to take down her sister while her forces were low, Iracebeth refused, saying he was a fool for wanting to go with so few forces.

So things fell into an unstable peace. Since the queen refused the give heed, he decided to poison her. Not with any plant or potion, he did so with words. He whispered words into her ear and let her derive her own meaning to his words. The woman-child was so in want for love, she clung to the notion that he loved her and was courting her. Stayne encouraged her only so she would become a supplicant to him. He desired power and he knew he would need to carefully plan in order to gain it.

So when he had found the oraculm years later, he was stunned when he saw the Jabberwocky being slain by an unknown girl he could only guess was the Alice.

When he sent the blood hound to find Alice, he had been surprised to find none other than his arch nemesis, at his tea table, looking worst than he ever had in years. The man he had fought against didn't seem to be anywhere in this mismatched man and it gave Stayne great pleasure to see that the years had been unkind to Hightopp. The man was insane and finally had given in to the poison his original trade instilled in him. But Stayne had always been a sore loser, threw his tea cup down and left, irritated and angrier than he ever had been for he had been looking forward to gutting the man.

Then, when the red knights had brought him in for abiding the Alice, he felt his glee return. But even after hours of questioning, he refused to budge, only giving him his irritating green stare.

Stayne clenched his fist at the memory. But it was intruded upon by a vision of Alice, or Um as she had called herself then. Unsuspectingly, he had been attracted to the docile beauty that outshone the red queen in many ways. She had been full of figure and her unusual size only fueled his need to possess her.

But when she rejected him, he desired her more. She had shone that even one as docile as her had fire and his desire was increased.

But the jealous queen threw a wrench in his plans and he lost her only to find out she was in cahoots with his enemy and that she was the small girl who had outwitted them all those years ago. Alice, she wore the name well.

Stayne smiled. Now, the game had changed, she escaped him time and time again, but this time, he was calling the shots and soon he would be able to bring her world crashing all around her. Then, he would make her his own and only then would she know her place.

As he arrived in the rented rooms he had, he locked the door behind him and donned his black shirt, cloak and eye-patch. When he was changed, he went to the back of the room and pulled the sheet off the mirror.

The Looking glass had connected to his home in the outlands where he resided as the ruler of the exiles camps. He was able to pass between the worlds undetected.

Smiling, he stepped through, arriving unscathed in his chambers in his castle.

Waiting for him, was a small page with a message.

"What news," Stayne barked.

"We have reports that Alice is indeed in the White Queens court and is currently under the protection of the Mad Hatter," the boy said. Stayne seethed at the mentioning of that accursed man. "And we also have news of a band of ambassadors and political figures heading for Mamoreal as we speak for the ball tomorrow eve at Mamoreal. There are rumors circulating that the Alice will be in attendance."

"So Mirana is using the Alice's influence among the people to help her court make allies," Stayne said. Politics and war were very easy for him to figure out, being born and bred in both worlds he knew how things worked. Alice was a legend, a symbol of peace she brought Underland, her being among the White court as apart of it put on a show of strength and loyalty in which the other kingdoms would want to have. How very clever.

"Yes, but it seems Alice's arrival was not an easy one for it seemed she was injured when the Hatter found her. He was seen by our scouts carrying her all the way to the White court where our spies have told us that he made quite a spectacle." Stayne said nothing but made a mental note to throttle the pig Lowell when this was over with.

"Tell everyone to keep an eye on Alice, we need to make sure whether or not she plans to stay here in Underland or if she plans to return to the aboveworld, in the mean time, have we the weapons we needed?"

"Yes, we were able to procure them just as you wished sire," The page said. Stayne nodded.

"Good, start the dispatch and put everyone on stand by, be ready to move soon." The page nodded as Stayne walked over to his window. Soon, Alice would fall and become his. And when she did, he would gut Hightopp in front of her for even daring to touch what should have been his.

The very thought of it made him smile.


As the plot thickens, the pot will boil, stay tuned. All welcome!