Ace: C'mon, when do I get to meet Alice in this? And surely, you're not gonna let her think I'm the bad guy here?!
Me: Don't get your boxers in a twist. You meet her in this chapter!
Ace: How did you know I wear boxers?
Me: (Glaring) Finish that though, I dare you, and I'll remove your character from this fanfic!
Ace: (Groveling) I'll be good, I swear!
Me: You had better. And now, without further ado, this thing!
Chapter 8: "Haven't we been here before?"
Peter led Alice to the last stop on their tour, the Clock Tower. "Hey, haven't we been here before?" Alice asked, looking up at the semi-ominous tower. It was a very impressive piece of architecture. Not only did it function as a usable building, but two long hands moved around the central building, pointing to towers with Roman numerals on them. It really was a clock tower!
"Yes," Peter said. "This is where we arrived when you first came to Wonderland. It's the only neutral territory, and it is also the center of our kingdom. I do not like this place, but the Clockmaker, Julius Monrey, will want to meet you. He's a very important person in this world, though he is hated and feared by many. Come, I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible so we can return to the Castle."
Peter led Alice up several flights of stairs to the Clockmaker's workroom, where he almost always was. He knocked on the door, and a moment later, they heard a male's voice say, "Enter." Peter opened the door and led Alice inside. The man at the desk was in his mid-twenties. He had long, dark blue hair, skin that was an unhealthy pallor, and azure eyes. He frowned at Peter when he saw him. "What do you want, now, White Rabbit?" he grumbled. "If you've come to ask about bringing in that Outsider you were so fascinated by, you already know I won't allow it."
"Too late!" Peter said happily, stepping aside to reveal to the Clockmaker a young lady with long blond hair, cream-colored skin, and calm yet perceptive green eyes. "Clockmaker, may I introduce to you Jedi padawan Alice Liddell of Coroscant. Alice, this is Julius Monrey, the Clockmaker and master of this tower."
"Pleased to meet you." Alice said calmly with a small smile and a polite bow. Julius looked at her with wide eyes. This was the warrior Peter wanted to bring in to save Wonderland from his friend's psychotic rampages?! She was petite in every sense of the word, and didn't even seem to be armed! No sword, no gun, just two strange rods strapped to the sash of her apron. And what kind of warrior dressed in a Lolita dress and wore a bow in her hair?!
She was quite cute, however. Perhaps it was unwise to judge her before witnessing her talents. "Though White brought you here without my permission, it's an honor to meet you, Miss Liddell." Julius said at last, bowing slightly as she had. "But I must ask... what exactly is a Jedi Padawan?"
"It is my current rank in the Jedi Order," Alice explained. "There are younglings, Padawans, Knights, Masters, Councilmen, and a Grand master. A Padawan is an apprentice to a Jedi Master. If I succeed in defeating Ace and restoring Wonderland to a more organized state, it will complete my training, and I'll receive my Knighthood."
"You're only an apprentice and Peter brought you to fight Ace?" the man deadpanned.
"Sir, I am at the top of my age group, and I am graduating ahead of the older Padawans." Alice said sternly. "My master's former apprentice was twenty when he was Knighted. I am 17. I am quite confident in my abilities. I will not fail in this endeavor."
"I know Ace better than most, Alice," Julius said, a worried look washing over his handsome face. "The man is a psychopath, even by this world's standards. If he does not kill you outright, he will torture you until you are even more insane than he is. Do not try to fight him. If you see him, flee."
"I am not afraid to give my life to spare countless others." Alice said. Both the men could tell that she was dead serious. No amount of discouragement would sway her.
Julius sighed in defeat. "I have done my best. Short of chaining you to a chair, I can do nothing more."
"I'd have the lock picked in three seconds." Alice said. "It would be pointless."
"We will be leaving now, Clockmaker." Peter said at last. "Farewell."
"Bye, Julius," Alice said, following Peter. "Good luck with work!"
"Goodbye, Alice," Julius said softly. "I sincerely hope we meet again."
"Wonderland must truly be devoid of skilled Force-users if he fears for my life," Alice said as they began the trek home.
"It is not quite that simple, Alice," Peter explained. "He fears for you because, unlike everyone you've met today, You cannot be replaced if you die."
"...What do you mean?" Alice asked, confused.
"All those clocks you saw at his desk? Do you know why it is imperative they be fixed?" the White Rabbit asked.
"No." Alice stated honestly.
The next moment, Peter pulled her into a tight embrace that did not allow her to struggle free. Her head, or to be more specific, her right ear, was pressed solidly against his hard chest. "WAH! Peter, what-?"
"Listen." he whispered.
To what? His Heart..?
TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.
That wasn't the sound she'd expected to hear. Not at all. She'd been expecting the familiar ba-bump, ba-bump that she'd heard in her own chest all her life. Not a cold, monotonous tick-tocking. "Peter...? Explain. Quickly." she said, feeling afraid again.
"All the inhabitance of Wonderland, from Role-Holders like me to the birds singing in the trees, have a clock in their chest instead of a heart. When we die, we leave these clocks behind. The clocks are taken to Julius, who fixes them so they can work again."
"So, does that mean you're immortal?" Alice asked, now more confused than scared.
"No. Far from it. If I were to die, and my clock was fixed, someone completely different would take my place. Wonderland is a bloodthirsty place. If we had hearts, like people from your galaxy, we could never naturally repopulate quickly enough to make up for all the deaths. But Ace's rampage has destroyed the balance. With the numbers of casualties growing by the day, not even the Clockmaker can provide enough replacements. That is why he must be stopped. And I am convinced you are the only one who can do that. Please, please, help, Alice."
"This... is a lot to take in," Alice said slowly. "Can I have some time to myself so I can process what I've gotten myself into? I feel like my head's going to explode from all this."
"Of course, my love," Peter said, realizing exactly how much information she had to come to terms with. "if you like, we can return to the Castle now, and you can rest in your room."
"Actually, I just need to be alone, alone. Go ahead and go back without me," Alice said. "I'll be alright, finding my own way back. And it's not like I'm helpless. You saw how I slaughtered thos droids this morning. Go on. I'll be back by nightfall."
"Which could randomly come in a moment or be hours away." Peter pointed out. He was right about that, but he could see from the look on her face that if he didn't let her have some time to herself, she'd be in a foul mood later. He didn't want that.
He'd brought her here with her happiness in mind.
"Alright, I'll go back now," he said at last. "But please be careful. You're my only real friend in this or any world, and I'd die of a broken, lonely clock if I lost you."
"Don't worry, my sweet White Rabbit," Alice said, hugging him. "I'd never let that happen. I'll see you back at Heart Castle."
"Alright. Bye for now, Alice," Peter said regretfully, before waving and running back to the Castle.
With that, Alice was left to wander the forest.
And the knight of Hearts was still unaccounted for.
*.*
The time had changed three times by now. Sooner or later, night would fall. Ace looked around, realizing just how lost he was. He'd wanted to meet the source of the disturbance he'd felt earlier, but by now, he'd felt that strange, unfamiliar presence shift all over Wonderland. Was this new person as directionally challenged as he was?
At that point, night fell. With a sigh. Ace set up camp for the night. He'd gotten used to camping to the point where his room at the Castle was rarely used. In fact, he loved camping! Sleeping under the stars, the fresh air, the smell of cooking over a campfire... it was wonderful to him! He could still feel the stranger moving around the forest. Part of him wondered if he'd meet them. Reaching out through the Force, he felt the source of the disturbance maybe 40 yard away from him. The being's presence was light, warm, and strangely familiar. In fact, he hadn't felt this presence since...
NO! No, don't think about it, you moron! he scolded himself. Ace, however, couldn't help it. His thoughts drifted to a simpler time, before he'd taken on his Role. Before his life had become an endless bloodbath. He remembered the day the old Clockmaker, a woman named Crystina, had come to his parents' house with a small bundle in her arms.
"... a replacement for your daughter," he'd heard the Clockmaker saying. "Her name is Alice Liddell, and she is an Outsider. I know nothing of caring for children of her age, and I fear what might happen to her if she stayed in my Tower. Please accept her."
Ace had peaked around the wall to see his mother take the little bundle into her arms. There was a startled cry, soon replaced with curious, content coos. "Oh, she's so sweet!" he heard his mother say happily. "Of course I'll accept her! Thank you, Clockmaker!"
The woman had nodded and left. "Son, come meet your little sister!" his mother had called. He came out of hiding to look at his little sister. To this day, he could still remember the first thought he'd had about her.
So cute!
Ace snapped out of his flashback when he heard a voice not far away. A girl, singing. "...the blade went snick-er-snack! He left it dead, and with it's head, he went gall-umph-ing back."
That song. That voice. He had to know. "Alice?" he called, both out loud and through the Force. All sound abruptly stopped.
"Who wants to know?" a familiar, albeit older, voice answered, as a girl with long, beautiful blond hair, green eyes, and a blue dress came into the clearing.
Oh my God. It's Her!
"Alice?" he said again, unabl3e to believe his eyes. the moment the girl saw his face however, she staggered. Her hands when to her head, gripping it as if she were in terrible pain. "Alice?!" the Knight yelled in alarm, rising and running as she collapsed, catching her before she could hit the ground.
He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. The last twelve years had changed Alice so much. She was a young lady now, with a petite build that must've made other guys drool over her. As she looked up at him with pained, confused eyes, he heard her murmur, "Onii-san?"
"That's right, Alice," he whispered, hugging her, trying to comfort her. "I'm your Onii-san, Ace of Hearts."
At that moment, Alice fainted.
