The portal tugged at my limbs, jerking me around violently but I clung onto the vorpal sword with all my might. I couldn't let go of my only hope. Swirls of pink, purple and blue whisked around me and made my head spin, until I managed to hold onto something made of brick with my right hand. Soon, I came to realize that it was the roof of a building and I held onto the very top of it. My eyes boggled as they slowly scanned the area below me. There was no doubting it; I was nearly seventeen feet off the ground. Holding in a scream, I tried to scramble up onto the roof before the Knight could spot me. Unfortunately, when I managed to haul myself up onto the building, Donte stood a few feet from me. He snarled, clenching his razor-sharp teeth in his grey lips and tapped the end of his sword against the concrete. I gulped, but narrowed my eyebrows and held the sword tightly.

"You are scared," Donte hissed under his breath and took a step towards me. I felt myself back up against a brick chimney and mumbled a curse that was lost in the cold wind. "I love it when people become fearful of me. It makes me feel important; like I belong in this position."

"Psh, no! I'm not scared of you!" I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "I'm only afraid of heights, as far as I'm concerned." Donte lifted an eyebrow, and then sneered once again with his sword pointed at me. I could feel the steel's warmth coat my stomach with the sun's rays, which made me feel more uncomfortable. I couldn't allow myself to think about dying at the hand of this awful villain; I must think about Wonderland and everyone I loved. I couldn't let them disappear from my life.

"I'll give you a new thing to be scared off then!" Donte snickered and then slashed at me. Moving my arm swiftly, I managed to block his attack; however he was extremely strong and nearly knocked me off of the roof. Luckily, the chimney caught me and I breathed heavily, hoping to catch myself again if I were to fall. In rapid speed, Donte sent another attack my way and the cold blade cut into my forearm, creating a wail of pain from my lips. Blood poured from the wound and dripped silently onto the roof, in which I stared at in horror.

"Aw, what's the matter? Can't handle a little blood?" Donte mocked me with a wicked grin flashing onto his pale face. I looked back at him, feeling rage boil in my blood. Oh, how badly did I want to slice him back. With my wounded arm, I would be at a disadvantage, but I at least had to try. In the blink of an eye, I took one slash at him and nearly chipped him in his hand. Donte hissed and backed up, twirling his blade slightly so that it attacked me one more. Following his hands and watching his muscles tense, I used my eyes to guide my blade.

Clink!

The blades met with a terrifying screech that made everyone below us eye us with great concern. The children began to whoop with happiness, thinking we were some sort of pirates fighting for a large bounty like in their story books, while their mothers grabbed them and ran for their lives. In the back of my mind, I didn't realize that I could possibly see Alice; unless she went on another voyage. I gripped my sword, trying to get back in reality and continued to fight the villain.

With a flurry of strange attacks (because I had no idea how to use a sword), I backed Donte against the edge of the roof. He gasped as a small corner of the concrete slipped from his shoes and fell downwards into the alleyway below. He growled and turned back towards me.

"Touché!" I shouted bravely, and Donte shot me a weird glance. Isn't that what swordsmen say? "Um, yeah. Forget I said that." I held my blade back at Donte, narrowing my eyes. "Give it up, Donte. Wonderland isn't yours to control." Donte continued to growl like a frightened puppy and his eyes darted around, looking for an escape.

"Never! It's-It's!" he tried to argue, but I sighed and shook my head.

"Donte, why are you so cruel?" I asked him with a soft tone, hoping to calm him down. "I mean—Alice still loves you deep down. She just needed a refresher." Donte shook his head back at me, his stringy black hair flying around his face.

"No! You are lying!" he cried out, but I could see tears forming at his eyes. I knew I hit a rough patch in his emotions. Dropping my sword, I held my arms out to him and smiled. This was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done, but I felt like he wouldn't hurt me if I didn't show that I wanted to fight him.

"You know that isn't the truth. Deep down, you know," I began to tell him. "Please. Listen to me, and know that I don't want to hurt you. I understand completely Donte." Donte twitched irregularly and moved back towards the roof once more, almost off the ledge entirely. My eyes widened; was he trying to kill himself?

"Maisie Croft," he began to murmur, his voice different. It wasn't scratchy and deep; it was kind and noble. I could almost see a sparkle in his eyes as he continued, "Thank you for attempting to make me feel better, but I cannot. I cannot live with myself anymore, knowing all I've done. I will never forget you, dear Maisie—Oh, and give my love to Alice." I shook my head wildly, worried about what he was going to do. Slowly, I saw his large body began to hurl downwards towards the cold ground.

"Donte!" I screeched and gripped the edge of the roof, but I couldn't catch him. He smacked into the floor, instantly dying. Then and there, the portal behind me began to spark and sputter. Since the creator died, the portal would cease to exist. Taking a deep breath in, I managed to move my sobbing body from the roof and raced back towards the portal. It shrunk, and shrunk, and shrunk until—

I shoved my entire body through and found myself hurdling back towards Wonderland. I squeezed my eyes tightly, and then I found myself smacking the floor of Time's castle. I groaned in pain, laying there for a few moments while my friends cheered in happiness. Bayard licked my face, while Mun jumped around me with joy and even Mally leaped onto my shoulder.

"Good job Maisie!" she chirped with happiness.

"Yes, rather good show!" I could hear the Hatter begin and I sensed he was smiling. I moved by body up again, groaning and rubbing my head slightly.

"I barely did anything," I murmured sadly. "I fought him for a while, but then I tried to talk to him. I wanted him to like me, and for him to understand that he could be better. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough because he…" My voice trailed off and my eyes moved back towards the portal, which was now the size of a pea.

"Oh my goodness," Mirana whispered and held her hand over her mouth. "Poor man. He had so many problems, and we were willing to help him. I hope he's in a better place; one where he can rest and be at peace." I nodded my head in agreement, and then gasped. Time!

"Where is Time?" I quickly questioned, my eyes darting around the room. His body was nowhere to be seen, and I had begun to panic.

"Oh, we moved him someplace else," Mirana answered with a smile. "Don't worry, he's safe. He'll heal in no time." Hatter snorted and covered his mouth; Time jokes again. Warily, I sighed and stood up to my full height.

"I'd like to see him, please," I stated.

"Maisie!"

His voice made me smile. I rushed towards his side and hopped up onto the flat, nearly knocking him off in the process. Time exclaimed and gripped onto the sides, grunting slightly at the punctured hole.

"Missed you too," he added, sarcastically with a grin. I giggled brightly and pecked a kiss onto his hand. Oh, how happy I was to see he was alive and well!

"I'm so glad you are safe," I said and held his hands tightly, my smile still wider than the moon in the sky. Time laughed softly, wincing a bit from the pain but nevertheless humored my happy attitude.

"You as well," he told me, and then sat up a bit in his flat. "What happened with the Knight?" I gulped, trying not to feel any more upset than I was when I watched his expression as he died. Poor guy; he just wanted some acknowledgement.

"He died," I finally admitted. "He fell off the building." Time blinked twice and then cleared his throat, awkwardly.

"That is unfortunate," Time murmured. "I wish things could have gone differently." He then looked up at me with sincerity echoing through his blue eyes. "I'm still very sorry about betraying you, my love. I didn't know how else to handle the situation. I didn't want you to get hurt either, but in the end, I did."

"Psh. I'm over that!" I exclaimed with a smile. "But hey, if you do it again, you'll regret it." Time laughed once more and hugged me to him, surrounding me with an emotion I longed for; love. Then, I realized that my time here was almost up. I didn't want to leave, but I saved Wonderland, didn't I? I drew in a breath and laid there, silent. I was too scared to speak.

[ A/N: woaH! look who updated! it only took me ten years, lmao

hey guys, sorry for the lack of chapters. I got a new job and it makes it hard for me to write, but I managed to get this chapter going. 3 enjoy and I hope you all have been well! ]