Still truckin' along.

Anyone played American McGee's Alice? There's where I pulled the Gryphon from. I loved him but found him a bit annoying, personally..

Enjoy chapter ten!

The sun was high in a dark gray sky. Alice had vanished, slipped from the Knave's watchful eye, and though he tried to look for her, she simply would not be found. His eyes grew dark and a strange pain had settled itself deep within his chest. He rose quickly that day to assure he hadn't be attacked and wasn't dying, but after determining there was no bodily harm, the Knave was left perplexed.

He soon clothed himself and stole from the empty quarters, finding a particularly quiet court member passing by.

"Geneve, have you a moment?"

The Knave, tall as he was, still had to jog down the hall to catch the woman. He smothered a dark laugh when she turned, as he recalled the time when she had worn such large ears to please the former Queen. She looked less than impressed, eyes narrowed up at him and her arms folded tightly across her chest. She refused to be intimidated by the Knave, but at the same time she was very aware of his prying eyes.

"What is it, Knave?" the woman spat. "Looking for another woman to take under your wing, you crow?"

His brow drew tight. "No," he quickly hissed. "I was looking for another woman to speak with as I am a bit confused and in need of advice. I thought a woman's opinion would do me good if you're in the mood to hear me through."

The woman pursed her lips. "What is it, then?"

"Don't give me that look," he growled, "I needn't share anything with you if you're just going to assume the worst of me."

Geneve sighed and loosened her arms a bit. "My apologies if I don't think the best of you, sir Knave. It's not as if you've had the best track record in this kingdom."

"And that's exactly what I've come to you for. I…I think I'm rather taken with the little Alice," he grumbled quietly. The pain in his chest seemed to alleviate slightly.

The woman's lips twitched to a slight smile while her brows rose into a skeptical arch. "Please," she cackled, "You kidnapped the girl and have since coerced her into thinking she's the Queen. That's not love, Stayne. That's twisted malice."

"No, Geneve, that is not how it is…not any more. It is true that I took her to keep her from reaching the White Queen, but it was she who wondered if she was Queen of this kingdom…I did not put that thought into her head—"

"But you didn't tell her the truth either," Geneve scoffed. "You're a liar, Stayne."

"But since… The girl clings to me in a way unlike the Red Queen…it is as if she truly needs me, Geneve. And it is something else to truly be needed, wanted by someone. I feel as if I could fight to the death single handedly for her."

"Given she slew the Jabberwocky, I doubt she'd need that of you."

"Then what is this, Geneve?" the Knave whispered. "The girl has somehow captivated me."

The woman shifted away from the Knave, though her face had softened considerably. The Knave, always a pawn of the Red Queen though he believed he was higher than her highness, was always known as scum in their kingdom. He was vicious and intimidating. He took women behind the Red Queen's back, delighted them, forced them, and ultimately seduced his fair share of them. Fearful of his sword, no one spoke a word of his rendezvous, and thus the Red Queen was none the wiser. She had loved him for his roguish brutality and even slew the king for him. Yet here stood the Knave, his dark shell in pieces around his feet as he quietly confessed his love for a mere girl.

"Poor Knave," the woman finally sighed. "I doubt if the girl feels the same. You've abused her and kept her prisoner here, if I were her I would feel trapped and terribly alone."

"I haven't a choice. If she is to run wild through Wonderland she could revive the White Queen's army to its former glory. I brought her here to save this castle. I care for her wellbeing. She shall stay."

Geneve shook her head. "We've already lost the fight, Stayne. Using the girl is a desperate last attempt that will likely end in your deaths. I've heard the Hatter is in an insurmountable rage because he believes we've killed her."

"The Hatter does not scare me," the Knave murmured. His eyes were distanced though, as he recalled a former violent encounter.

Shrugging it off, Geneve replied, "Do whatever you see fit, then. I cannot sway your mind if you're set in your ways. Just be aware that the girl could easily wake up one day and remember who you are and what you've done to her. I personally hope she does for I don't believe what you've done could ever equate to love. You've all but destroyed a young girl's innocence. I cannot think of a worse crime."

The Knave remained entirely silent as the woman turned away. Anger trembled down his spine, and he soon turned and launched a fist into the castle's wall.

Why was it that he wasn't allowed a second chance?

The shadow of a knight disappeared from the hall in the opposite direction of Geneve. His black cape billowed menacingly around his hunkering form. He needed to be anywhere but this decrepit, vile place—it was flooded with too many memories, too much hurt and pain, too much of himself, for him to even breathe. So, with sword hitched to his side, he took a turn to the stables, but to his utmost disappointment found the majority of the horses gone, including his own towering steed.

It wasn't until the Knave found himself in the garden that the horse showed itself—the black steed was thundering up the dark jagged path to the castle, panting and eyes wide. He came to a clumsy halt at the Knave's feet, bowing slightly in the glaring face of his master, before huffing, "Sir… The Gryphon…he is approaching fast."

The Knave showed no hint emotion besides his persistent anger.

"Get inside," he snarled.

"You know this means you must hide the girl—"

"I know that, you ass," the man barked, slapping the horse on the shoulder. The beast snorted and cried out before thundering forward once again.

If the Gryphon dared to enter the castle grounds, the Knave would just shoot him out of the sky, he decided. He wondered if he could throw a sword as high as the beast could soar.

Then, much to his surprise, he found the girl perched on one of the stone ledges lining the rose bushes. She seemed to be speaking to something, or someone, but promptly fell silent when the Knave approached.

"There you are," the man stated rather matter of factly.

"Where else would I be?" Alice replied, a slight smile touching her face. "Have you been looking for me long?"

"No, but I am glad to have found you. This place is in danger…we must get you inside the castle quickly," he replied.

Her smile vanished with the breeze. "Why? What's happened?"

"My men have just informed me there are enemies of the Red Queen coming to attack. I cannot have you out here, in the open and in danger."

Her mouth opened slowly. She did not look at the Knave when she added, "They're after me." It was no question.

"Yes," the Knave murmured. His eyes narrowed at her sorry expression.

Her hands folded delicately across her lap. Done up in a pretty red dress, she almost looked like the Red Queen (on one of her tamer days, of course). But when she spoke, she was suddenly an entirely different person. To the Knave, she was not quite Queen nor was she exactly Alice.

"It's funny," she began, "I don't ever remember becoming Queen… I remember a great commotion and so many people thinking I was so important, but I just can't recall…"

"I'm sure it will come to you in due time, my girl," the Knave replied, feeding her the same lie he had given her time and time before. He then held out a hand to her, which she happily took. "You'll be safest the farther you can get inside the castle. On an ordinary day I would not worry, but with your memory not quite returned to you yet, I just worry, for your sake…"

Alice clung to his arm, a bit too tall for her, and pondered over his advice. "And where will you be, Ilosovic?"

"Out front, fighting, of course." His words were so loaded she could practically grasp his determination out of the air.

But Alice suddenly stopped. "Oh, no, Ilosovic, you can't!"

Such an order was foreign to him. "And why not?"

"You're willing to put your life on the line for me?" she questioned.

"Most certainly," he replied lowly.

"I cannot…I simply cannot let you," she murmured, shaking her head and her golden curls about. "Please, is there any way…I only feel it right to be beside you, certainly so if these people are coming after me."

The Knave bit his tongue.

But he could not say no to such a face.

"It would be unwise…" he struggled, "you would be safer…"

"No," Alice shot back. Her eyes went a bit dark.

The girl's determination left him speechless, but he did not understand why. His fists curled as he suddenly turned away, Alice looking forlorn and irritated before she jumped to her feet and trailed after him. A lady, a Queen fighting, it was such an improper thing, Alice knew, but in her dream it should not matter—she felt it was only right. The court fit her with beautiful red and silver armor; the smallest set they had still hung heavily on her shoulders. The Knave's Outlanders offered her a sharpened sword with great reluctance.

In the hour the Gryphon approached, the four were outside in the field with Ilosovic, each brandishing a sword and two with a makeshift catapult.

"Kill it!" the Knave snarled, the golden beast soaring over the horizon.

Young Alice stood in the courtroom quietly chatting with the somber beings she found there, each of them looking at her as if they had made some grave mistake. Yet the moment the Knave's words echoed through the hall, the girl sucked in a quick breath—kill?

The dream was about to sour into a nightmare.

The girl shoved past the court and thundered outside, her voice shrill when she spotted the brilliant Gryphon overhead, "Stop!" But the Knave's men still grappled with the catapult, loaded with flaming splinters of wood and broken bits of silver. When Alice dashed forward and attempted to wrestle them away, the bird screeched.

The Knave's expression fell flat when he found Alice there among his men.

"No," he hissed. "Get her inside!"

The Gryphon screamed again. The Knave turned on heel only to come face to face with the beast itself. Stayne was a tall man, but the Gryphon stood taller still. Dwarfed by the beast, his face turned to a dark sneer as he held his ground. He feared neither man nor beast.

"Hand her over, Knave," the Gryphon growled.

His lips turned up at the corners. "Mm? To you and what army, you flying rat?"

Alice cried out behind the Knave, she struggling to free herself from the Outlanders' hold as they tried to force her back inside the castle walls.

"Alice, I will rescue you," the bird snarled, "I swear to it!"

"Do not speak to her," the Knave spat. He soon drew his sword, but before he had the chance to take a swipe, the bird was gone.

Flying fast and in frantic mind, the Gryphon returned to the White Queen's castle in record time. A crash landing brought the entire court outside to where the bird fell.

"I tried…" he wheezed, "I tried to bring her back, I truly did…but the Knave…the Knave has a threatening eye and a sharp tongue—you were right…they are prepared to do anything…to keep her there."

Mirana bowed before the Gryphon and patted his feathered head. "You've done well, my friend, that's all I could have asked," she replied with a sad smile.

The beast shook his head so ferociously he nearly knocked the Queen over. "We must save her, Mirana. They're turning her into a prisoner there. Stayne is up to no good, you can see it on his face. He fears us. He may have his forces, but he fears us. He fears you."

The White Queen's eyes flooded with concern. The beast was right; they needed to reach Alice immediately. They needed to have saved her days before. Her mind was torn, however. Their numbers had fallen. The Gryphon, as massive and as menacing as he was, could not save Alice on his own. The Hatter would still not see reason in their plot. Charging to battle would surely spell all of their deaths.

"But we cannot wait," the Queen whispered beneath her breath, her eyes falling closed as she considered their position. If Alice deteriorated any further, Mirana was almost certain it would cement the ultimate demise of the Hatter, and this, she simply could not let happen.

She suddenly stood. The Gryphon looked to her with a glimmer of hope shining in his dark eyes, while she turned away from him with a distant look in her own. "We must prepare for battle. We are to leave immediately," she announced loudly. The Chessmen raised their swords high. The Gryphon came to his feet again. The Hatter's eyes lifted from the lawn to the Queen, his silent response was positively unreadable.

"Hatter," the Queen murmured lowly. She stepped towards him and with the last of her strength, tried to reach him once more. "Alice. Alice is a prisoner in the Red kingdom, and I beg of you, you must go to rescue her."

He shook his head. "It is impossible. Alice is dead."

"No, Hatter, she is very much alive—"

His eyes squeezed shut and he stepped back, "She is dead…at the Knave's hand…"

Mirana stepped closer once more and took his face in her hands. His grief tainted her heart with darkness. "Who put that thought into your mind? Tarrant, who has told you that Alice is no more?"

He did not move.

"Tarrant?"

His coiled fists went lax. His voice dropped as he replied, "Why else would I feel such pain? I feel terrible, and frightened, and I cannot see… And there are clocks…you see…they tick so loudly…"

Mirana nodded, her eyes closed as she listened to his words. But his mumbling had turned to nonsensical ramblings once again, and the Queen could no longer reach the lucid sector mind. Her power to heal was gone, had been used up, and she was left with a raving Hatter to show for her defeat.

"…dead at the Knave's hand…"

She tried one last time. "Then go with us, Hatter, to destroy the Knave. Avenge her death."

"When?" he pressed, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Today. Now," the White Queen spoke.

"…kill the bloody Red Queen…"

Mirana chewed her lip. "No, no, Hatter. The Queen, the Red Queen, my sister, Iracebeth, she is dead. The Knave is left to lead the place, and he must be finished." Ironic, she thought to herself, given it had been the Hatter himself to slay Stayne in their last battle. It was then that dark thoughts raced across her mind—the image of the Hatter at the point of the Knave's sword—until she backed away from the man and dashed inside. "Come, Tarrant," she cried.

The sun began to dip in the sky. The moon peered from behind the forest. The White army had been outfitted with shields and swords, the Chessmen raging forth under the command of the noble Gryphon. The smaller creatures, the Doormouse on the Bloodhound's back, the pair of Rabbits, they padded behind the soldiers, with the White Queen and the Hatter on a pair of pale white steeds behind the lot. The Queen's crown shone brightly in the fading light, this, if anything, was to be taken as a reassuring sign.

Likewise, not all was well within the Red castle's walls.

"Ilosovic! What has gotten into you? Where are you taking me?" Alice jerked away from the man's clawing grip on her arm. "Answer me," she growled. The Knave was dragging her backwards through the castle walls, his temper borderline irate after her interference with the Gryphon.

With an impatient huff of a breath, the Knave snarled back, "I was about to ask the same of you. How dare you step out and give yourself away like that—"

"You were going to kill an innocent creature—"

"Of the White Queen's army."

"The White Queen?" Alice pressed. Why was this the first she was hearing of another Queen?

The Knave was biting his tongue. He had slipped up once again. His eyes rolled to the ceiling before closing entirely. "The tramp is coming now," the Knave replied, "to see to it that we are vanquished."

"Surely there is reason behind it, then!" Alice spat. "What have you done in my absence, Ilosovic? What has happened here?"

"Perhaps the White Queen wants us dead for her own good," the Knave suggested darkly. "Ever consider that, your majesty?"

Alice stepped aside.

"Ilosovic…" she began in a whisper, "I…I thought…"

He shook his head. "This is for your own good, Alice. Stay in the castle. Do not speak to anyone unfamiliar."

"I—"

"Swear to me," he implored.

"But—"

"Alice!"

Her lips pressed to a thin line. Unable to look away from his harsh glare, she could only nod in the slightest.

His hand gripped her shoulder tightly. Somewhere in the distance a shriek could be heard. The Gryphon was approaching once more, singing a song of death and defiance. The Knave's face fell, cracking along the center and pushing his brows together in perplexed fashion. Little Alice trembled under his hold, her mind breaking in two as the man she once trusted began to show his truer, darker colors.

She wanted so desperately to wake from this torrential slumber.