OOC: Yes, I know the wedding thing was 'Huh? What? Where did that come from?'. Remember... this is writing from the top of my head while I'm listening to music. Not the best thing to do when you're typing... I'm sorry for any 'What the heck?'s it may have caused.

Arbere watched over Alice for the next three hours, showing her around the humongous Shadowland capitol's castle. It was then when she realized that the 'cathedral' in Maynard's drawing had only been a small part of the 'castle'.
Huge walls, made of obsidian-like and dark stone, soared upwards for a thousands of feet, it's outside intricately carved to makes arches and figures in the wall. Tall towers vaulted overhead, large windows making them ideal places to sight an approaching enemy or watch over the town.
As far she could see to the right and left, she saw dark, towering walls, windows appearing in the black-brown rock as her eyes travelled upwards.
On the sides of the main buildings were immense flying buttresses, carved to house many statues of past figures who glared down at the ground and those who walked under their stare.

He took her to the top of the walls, which were incredibly thick, about five meters. The town she saw sprawled in all directions. Cottages, some with wood roofs, some with thatched roofs, some a story, some two stories, some small, some large, crowded together beneath the imposing and threatening gloom of the castle. Through the town lay cobbled, criss-crossing streets that sometimes broke into a wide public square.
In the distance, she could see another towering palace, although this one had been colored with varying marble and the obsidian stone. When Alice asked about it, Arbere explained that it was the opera house.

After showing her that, Arbere took Alice back inside, complaining about the chilliness outside.

Just as the fourth hour started to steal upon them, a guard found them, told them that Alice was wanted by the Jabberwock.

Jabberwock was prone on his bed, sullen and angry, when Alice came in. The door closed behind her, throwing the room back into darkness.

Alice stumbled forward, reaching in front of her blindly, "It's dark!"

Jabberwocky sat up, eyes glowing crimson as they changed to see her body heat. He stood, circled around her, grabbed her shoulders, cooed, "I just got out... It was a horrible wedding and aftermath... Come..." He gently pulled her to the bed, sat her down, and then flopped down beside her with a tired moan.

"So... How did the wedding go?"

"At the coronation, they said they would be looking for a wife for me... That's what I remembered... Just forgot it after a while. It just... caught me by surprise. I guess that is what my father meant when he said the Council always popped up unexpectedly to make him do something he had been warned about before. They just... pick the most opportune moments..." Jabberwock curled up next to her, shuddered.
"Well... the wedding itself... was... pretty bad. For one, I recognized the 'princess' that they wanted me to marry. She's a stupid airhead!"

"Oh."

"It's done and over with. For nine more months, I won't have to deal with her!" Jabberwocky smiled softly up at the ceiling before shivering, "I'm cold."

"Then go under the covers."

"I'll just use you for warmth..." Jabberwock squished his arms next to her.

"That's great... I've been used as a model and an arm warmer today..." Alice glared moodily at the floor.

"Model?"

"Maynard made a picture of me..."

"Maynard?" Jabberwock sat up, gazed at her incredulously. "They took you to Maynard?"

"Yes."

"How stupid can they get? Even I know that he's a bratty, little monster."

"I don't know. The guard just took me."

"I'm sorry..." said Jabberwock gravely. "I thought they would take you to Vermont or Mihiel... Maybe Arbere... But not Maynard."

"It's okay. You were busy."

"Yes... Busy..." Jabberwock took a pillow, squished it against his face, and let a snarl of anger escape into it. For a few moments after, he lay there, still, before tossing the pillow away and apologizing, "I just need to get the resentment out. I so wanted to kill someone, but, if I did, then they would have taken you away..." Jabberwock hugged her, pulling her down onto his chest doing so. He blew at the blonde hair that had fallen across his face, "I love you so much, Alice..."

Alice felt her heart thud to her spine, heavy with guilt. He would be so heartbroken to know that she would have to leave. "I love you too..."

Hatter scurried into the room, clutching a small brown parcel in his hands, glancing guiltily right to left. Seeing March, he put a finger up to his lips, whispered, "Can you close the curtains?" He kicked the door shut and locked it.

March gazed at him curiously, "What happened? Are you in trouble?"

"Oh, no, no, no! It's just..." Hatter lifted the parcel in his hands and said quietly, "I got the cook to give me some meat."

"Oh... You didn't..." March's ears wilted as he rubbed his head, a headache ready to pounce up.

"Oh, March, please! Just this once? I just have a craving." Setting the package down on the table, Hatter ran to the windows, dragged the heavy velvet curtains shut, and then whirled to the table.

March watched him tenderly and slowly open the parcel, obviously savoring the moment. The Hare sighed, "Are you not being rather obsessive by shutting the curtains too?"

Hatter shuddered in ecstasy as he poked a steak of bloody, raw meat, "Oh... he has ways of knowing. He always knows, even when I try to hide it." He bit eagerly into the corner of the slice of venison, blood oozing out onto his lips.

March turned, rolling his eyes, "You are going to defeat all that dieting you've already been on."

"Oh... But it's so good." Hatter swallowed a large chunk of meat, stilled, and then groaned happily, "Mm..."

"If Alice finds out, she won't be happy." muttered March, trying to discourage Hatter.

Hatter sniffed, momentarily hesitating before pouncing on the rest of the steak. "She won't find out."

"How do you know? What if Bander finds out and tells her to punish you?"

"She won't care. She's used to it."

"She doesn't like it."

"She only doesn't like it when I kill it. If it's already dead, than she doesn't care." Hatter finished up the steak, patted his stomach in satisfaction, and then cheerfully said, "I think I'll do that again!"

March snapped harshly, "No, you won't! You're going to destroy everything that we worked for!"

"What we worked for? You don't even have to work! You don't have a problem!" Hatter picked up the wrapping, licked at the crimson juice that covered it.

Pursing his lips, March marched over, ripped the paper from his hands, smushed it up in his hands. "No more meat."

"Ah... March..."

"I you get anymore, I will tell Bander."

Hatter glared at him before sullenly mumbling, "You're mean..."

"I'm doing this for your own good. Do you really expect Alice to marry a cannibal?"

"...No."

"And does craving blood and raw meat kind of classify you as a 'cannibal'?"

"...Yes." Hatter slumped back into his chair, frowned morosely, and then tried to complain, "But I just have this craving and-"

"'Cause you're an addict. The only way to get past your addiction is to stop eating blood!" March thumped him on the head.

Hatter flinched, rubbed his head in slight pain, "Well... I could... try..."

"You're not going to 'try', you're going to 'do'." said March fiercly.

"But... couldn't I have some meat every once in a while?"

"Yes, but only if you've been really good."

A small, tired smile tugged at Hatter's lips, "Really good? What does-"

"No more fighting Jabberwock."

The smile disappeared.

That night, Alice took a warm bath, being sure to wash out the smushed chocolate crumbs that Maynard had put there out of her hair. Afterwards, Jabberwocky stole into the restroom, locked the door, and began taking a bath.
While she waited, Alice beat her hands in time on the cover of the bed. It was rather boring here. Nothing to do but wander about all day, eat, grow fat...
She sighed and laid down, her hair still wet and her white nightdress sporting small dots where dripping water had bombarded it. She lay there for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling, smiling softly as she heard Jabberwock hum to himself in the bathroom.

Suddenly, something batted against her leg. "Alice...?"

Alice sat up, glanced around, saw no one. "Huh? Who's there?"

Cheshire appeared by the window, licking a paw in mock hurt, "Oh... You don't remember dear smiley-face?"

"Ah! Cheshire!" Leaping up, Alice ran over to him, threw her arms around him, about to bless him with a friendly hug... when he vanished.

Reappearing behind her, Cheshire chuckled, "Got to be quicker on those spindly legs, Alice!"

The humming in the restroom stopped and Jabberwocky called, "Alice? Is there someone here?"

Cheshire disappeared, but his smile remained. He whispered softly, "Say no one is here."

"No one's here!"

Jabberwocky went back to washing himself, although suspicious. His eyes turned a bright red and he glanced at the wall before stiffening when he saw the tell-tale outline of the Cheshire Cat. Standing swiftly, he sloshed out of the water, reached for a towel, "What does the Cheshire want, Alice? Why is he in there with you?" He forced his eye not to transfer to the imagination-seeking blue. He didn't want to sprint after invisible cats all day just for a taste of imagination. Although... Cheshire's was the best imagination.

Cheshire sighed, let his whole body appear. "Well... I have a present for you, your Royal Highness."

Jabberwock knotted his towel firmly around his waist, fingers fumbling with the cloth, "I don't believe you."

"Why don't you use that eye of yours and see if I'm telling the truth or not?"

Jabberwock paused, thought himself stupid for not thinking of that before, and turned his eyes a bright white. Slowly, he regarded the Cheshire through the wall and ordered, "Say the present thing again."

"I have a present for the newlywed!"

Jabberwock saw no sparks of lies, so he grumbled, "How did you even know? It hasn't been even four or something hours!"

"I know... everything." joked Cheshire as Jabberwock opened the door and glared out, still refusing to let his twitching eyes turn to blue.

Alice laughed, "Yeah... Really..."

"You don't believe me?" Cheshire disappeared. As Alice spun around wildly, trying to find him again, Jabberwock watched him confidently prowl to the bed, leap upon it, and curl up. He fazed back to Alice's line of sight. "Well... Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong, but blue is red in some worlds and black is white in others. My world just happens to be omnipotent."

Jabberwock scowled and walked forward, "You're just messing with words now. Do what you came to do and leave."

"You look rather dashing in a towel, Jabberwock." tried Cheshire, trying to flatter Jabberwock into a better mood.

"Cheshire..." growled Jabberwock in fierce annoyance.

"Okay, okay!" Cheshire arched up, reached over his shoulder, and unhooked a small velvet bag from one of his exposed vertebrae. He fiddled with it, opened it, peered in, and then smiled cheerfully at Jabberwock, "Bet you can't guess what the whole of Wonderland sends to you!"

Jabberwock pursed his lips, thought. The image of Bander coming up to him and asking what he would desire as a gift floated before his mind's eye. Suddenly bright-eyed and anxious, he murmured, "An... Imagination Rose?"

Cheshire's tail swished, "Ooh... Lost bet. Not good. I'm already in debt, since I don't recieve a pay..." Reaching in with his paws, he carefully drew out a rose plantling, about the size of one's palm, and proffered it up for view. "You can plant it and it will grow. A never-ending 'meal', as you might say."

Jabberwock's claws twitched at his sides, his eyes quickly flickering to a powder-blue and locked on the rose. His smile grew ravenous. Forcing himself to walk slowly, he neared the bed, reaching out, "Give it to me."

Dropping it to the bed covers, Cheshire leapt to safety, catty yellow eyes narrowed as he regarded Jabberwocky desperately leaping upon the rose, drawing it to himself, and moaning in pleasure as imagination started coursing into him. His smile never died down though. Glancing at Alice, he remarked, "You're going to have a very fat father by the end of the week."

Jabberwocky looked up, hands clenched tightly around the plantling. "Cheshire... Thank you..." The words issued from his mouth in a rather relunctant way, as if he didn't want to thank this feline for the gift.

"You're very welcome. Just glad that I can help ourselves be on somewhat better terms." Cheshire scratched at his nose, sneezed. Sniffling, he said, "And... Alice. I came to check up on Alice."

"I'm fine." Alice grinned brightly at him.

Cheshire returned the smile, only larger, pointier, and more natural. "Well, that's good to hear." He vanished before reappearing on the bedsheets, dangerously close to Jabberwock. "Does it taste good?"

"Delicious..." Jabberwock glanced up at him before snapping out his claws.

Cheshire leapt back, always smiling, always cheerful. "I just knew you wouldn't be able to resist trying. I think it's time for me to leave now." He faded back into the air.

Alice glanced around and then said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Alice." whispered Cheshire's disembodied voice from around her.

Silence.

Hatter was asleep when Cheshire pounced upon him. Jerking awake, yelling in suprised fright, Hatter tumbled off the bed, hit the carpet, and groaned, "Ow... What the bliddy heck?" Turning bleary eyes up, he saw Cheshire's white smile before groaning and placing his head back into his hands, "Cheshire..."

"I came to deliver a wedding present, then decided to come and check up on you. Where's March?"

"I don't know... He went out..."

"Our own poor, little Hare? What will the Shadowlanders make of him? A petting zoo?" Cheshire helped Hatter up and vanished as soon as their hands broke contact.

Hatter's Shadowlander eye switched to magenta and he tracked Cheshire around the room as he replied, "No... They've gotten pretty used to him... They just still are so enthralled with his ears."

"I would be too, if I didn't have nice ones." Cheshire batted an ear as he appeared by the table. "And... I smell venison."

"I had some for dinner."

"Uncooked venison."

Hatter's face twisted up as he blanched, "Please don't tell father."

"I won't. He might develop some personal interest in my kitty ears if I go anywhere near him." Again, Cheshire dissolved away.

Hatter bit his lip and asked after a few moments of quiet, "You're going to just wander about, aren't you? I can tell it by the way you're looking at the door."

"I hate that eye of yours. I used to be able to have some secrets." Cheshire materialized, sniffed, and then nodded, "I want to see the castle, maybe spend the night as an uninvited guest."

"You're just trying to get out of your duties, aren't you?"

"Duties, duties, duties... Life is about life, not duties!" Cheshire's smile died down to a miniscule grin, "I do like having freedom to wander about and not be stuck reporting what I can figure out of the Shadowlander alphabet!"

Chuckling, Hatter shrugged, "Guess we're the same then. I hate coming here, even though I'm ambassador. I mean, it's just so... evil."

"Evil."

"Go out into the town and go into the main square. You'll see. That is what people do for fun on Sundays."

"Ooh... My interest is piqued. Elaborate, if you please?"

"Just go see it, Cheshire."

Nodding, Cheshire vanished one last time with a closing remark: "Well... Nice to see you too, Hatter."