A/N: Thanks again to everyone for reading, the story is going to be picking up in the next couple of chapters so hopefully you like it. Again sorry for the errors and inconsistency in updates, school is demanding but thanks to everyone for being so understanding.

The Eleventh

"Where are we headed too?" Alice finally asked, her eyes adjusting to the rising dawn and scanning the thick verdant forests before her.

"We are at the border to Marmoreal," Kusmalin replied easily, "The crossing over places us in the White Queen's territory."

"You do not want to go there?" Alice inquired.

"We do not belong there." the creature stated authoritatively, "The White Queen's land is for those who are light of heart and mind and the Muskdeer have never been such. My herd has seen too many horrors and known too many pains to be her subjects. The Guardian will not allow us to cross."

Alice bit her lip, taking in those around her. Over the last few hours she had heard the stories, how they were hunted for their pelts and their tusks. How Antlers were ground down to make Alchemy powders and how their blood was a restorative, collected from a still beating heart. The White Queen had not done these things but the deer had long ago stopped feeling an allegiance towards her. They had peace and that was enough to keep them content, but she had her own subjects who shared her views and her own ideals that they did not share. They had spoken numerous times of their Lord and from what Alice had gleaned their Lord was dead and another had come to take his place. However she knew so little as to the hierarchy of Wonderland she had no idea who this new Lord might be and where he was to be found, the deer had made one thing for certain, the Lord would easily be able to stop Stayne and bring Charlie to her. In this regard Alice found the White Queen to be rather useless, she had not seen hide nor hare of the White Queen's forces and had managed to travel to the borders of Marmoreal totally undetected, it suddenly made sense how the Red Queen and Jabberwocky had so easily overtaken the White Court.

"She is blind to the plights of others," one of the Does had said of the White Queen, "How can a creature like that know the sorrow of losing one's fawn to the Jabberwocky when she has never had a child? How can she appreciate what it is like to suffer when she has never known pain? Her vows are commendable but the chances of her failing them are high. We respect her and her station but are we do not swear our fealty to her. We shall never follow the White Queen."

"Our loyalties lie with you Lady Alice," Another Doe added softly, "Lady of the Weather and the Rains. Lady of the Wing and Hoof. We serve only one Lord."

Alice sighed in exasperation. She had tried on quite a few occasions over the last few hours to explain to the herd she was not a Queen. She was not an anything. She was simply Alice Kingsley, a mother looking for her child. It hardly mattered as her words had not deterred them in the least. Eventually she just gave up and let them call her Lady Alice. They came up with the descriptors themselves, although she felt it was rather over dramatic. Turning to look beyond the thinning forests into the almost pristine looking kingdom beyond it. Her Hatter resided there, within sight of her and she was suddenly overcome with a bout of sadness and nerves that nearly overwhelmed her.

"The herd shall take you as far as the statue where you shall see our Lord. Then we shall retire to the forests. If you ever have need of us simply call." Kusmalin stated smoothly as he sauntered down a deeper hill.

Alice agreed to the terms, still rather shocked they could hear her although he assured her that wherever in Underland she was they would find her. She didn't doubt it, after all the herd had made it from just outside the Red Queen Fortress across all of Crums, through the Tugley Wood and then over the short border of Queast and Snud to the edge of Marmoreal. Even now she could see the White Queen's palace glittering like a salt water pearl among the lush green, grassy hills; well manicured forests that sat perfect and orderly and the cherry blossom trees forever in bloom giving the entire scene it a fairy tale appeal. Kusmalin and his herd sauntered along the border, keeping the prancing fawns off of an invisible line only they could see. Overhead the Ravens twisted and twirled in the air, arguing with one another bitterly while still giving the impression of utmost attention and loyalty. Alice grinned at their fidelity.

"Here we are then," the great stag announced, stopping before a rather large looking tree.

She had been taken to a grove, a clearing where the trees had stopped growing and seemed to form a natural court, a circle of respite from the vegetation. Along the ground ran a small pure looking stream, the deer stood on one side of it looking upon a collection of trees located opposite them. It took Alice a moment to realize it was not a tree at all, rather a stone ruin covered in overgrown forests, with dark twisting vines all around, binding it to the land and soil. Kusmalin lowered his body, kneeling so she could slip off. Daintily, she eased her body to one side, trying her best to shift her weight so as not to place pressure on her ankle. Looking down she could see it was indeed rather swollen and quite sore. Sighing she hobbled on one foot and hopping over to one of the stones on their side and painfully seating herself upon it.

"Are you all right Lady Alice?" one of the fawns asked.

She turned her head up to stare at the large gentle eyes. The babies seemed to be born white and ease their way into brown or black as time passed. This little female was quite young as her tusks had yet to grow in and the majority of her body was still very white.

"I will be," Alice assured her, "I don't think it's broken. It will just slow me down and it hurts."

The baby seemed to take note of this and bend its head down to inspect the injury. The, rather delicately it extended its long rough tongue and ran it along the swollen area of the joint. Alice gasped suddenly at the cold sensation. It was as if someone had placed as ice pack on it, relieving the burning heat and easing the horrid pain. She stared, rather wide eyed, at the young creature, a smile passing across her face.

"That's incredible." she grinned.

The fawn seemed shocked at the praise and took a moment before it gave her a shy, pleased look. She backed away, running to her father and winding herself through Kusmalin's legs. The large stag looked down on the little one fondly and for the hundredth time Alice felt the stab of pain remembering Charlie. She reached out to grasp her necklace once more, holding it tightly between her fingers. Pressing it to her lips she tried to clear her mind and think of her son but she couldn't there felt like something was around her, blocking her. It was then she noticed that Ravens had dropped from the sky and were now perched in front of a large statue upon a near broken plinth.

"Come on Lady, we don't have all day here!" the male bird snapped hotly.

"Come on Lady Alice," the female replied sharply, "We must hurry before they notice we are no longer where we should be."

She looked at them all, rather confused. The ankle felt better but it was certainly not healed and she limped to where the statue was, practically dragging her body through the stream. Jumping as high as she could on the one foot and using the bad one to steady herself she began to tear off the raging flora. The vines fought her back, tightening their hold and screaming out in protest as she tugged them loose but she did not stop. They cut into her hands a times, biting at her skin but she was stronger than they were and putting her weight behind the effort was able to rip them free. Within a few moments the face of the statue was uncovered, revealing a large beak etched out of pure white marble. She had seen a Gryphon before but never one as this one. This creature was perfect, majestic and proud with keenly carved expressive eyes and a strong sharp looking beak. Its head was that of an eagle, with smooth thick feathers she was sure would be glossy if the creature were alive. Its body was that of a lion, strong and large in size. It was obvious that it was built for power and was a monument to mythological perfection from the horses tail at it's backside to the huge two great eagle claws that replaced the lion's front paws. Extended in the air were two great wings, probably doubling her own height. The creature was as large as a big horse, definitely larger then Kusmalin or any of his herd and it was frozen in its regal pose, as if it were waiting. The strangest sensation came over Alice and she felt herself drawn to the creature, she moved towards it unbidden, pressing her hands to the cool marble and her cheek against its one claw, closing her eyes.

Immediately the impression of being dropped down a long dark hole immersed her consciousness and a sudden panic came upon her as she realized she was frozen in place. Her body was paralysed, incapable of movement. Pulling back as hard as she could she clenched her eyes shut, attempting to force them open and escape the blackness right before a calm sensation wash over her.

Suddenly her perspective changed and she was no longer in the forest but rather in a throne room. It was oddly like the White Queen's room but reversed in both form and colour. All the white had been replaced with variations of black: black and white chequered floors, heavy black marble columns lined the room leading the a dais made of the same dark granite with views of silvery white running through them. Instead of a throne upon the dais sat a large creature, both impassive and regal as it watched her through eyes the colour of pitch. As she cautiously moved forward through the room and neared the dais area she realized it was the Gryphon.

The creature was stunning, thick snowy feathers ran down his head and back, connecting with his large powerful wings. His body was pure muscle and a pale sandy tanned colour fur that gleamed golden in the light, she could see the pure power behind his haunches and back, it spoke of nothing but muscle and she knew he could kill her with one swipe. She had seen lions before, in the zoos when she had taken her son and in captivity in Africa however none had looked like this creature. His sharp black eyes seemed to catch her and for a moment their gaze met one another and Alice felt as though he were in her mind, forging a connection into her very soul.

"Gryphon," she whispered the name that appeared in her mind.

"Ah you can speak." he mused, looking down at her imperiously, " I was wondering when you would come upon it, poor sad little human. "

Alice felt the sharp stab of anger echo through her body and for a moment she contemplated simply running up to the creature and throwing her fists about him. She reached for her swords, disappointed to find them absent. Strangely enough the creature turned to her once again and laughed, a loud screeching sound that caused her to bring her hands to her ears.

"You would attack me little one?" he grinned with a teasing sense, "Fearlessness that is worthy of my favour I would think, but sadly I feel it is not your courage but rather the poison that already courses through your unwitting mind. A sad state child, a sad, sad state.."

He rose on his legs and stepped off the pedestal. Level with her height he was a great deal larger then any horse, his legs were long and powerful and his sharp claws left gouges wherever they went. He moved with a lazy grace, a great strength she was intimidated by but in a moment he seemed to switch. He moved to her, moving around her, looking at her from every angle before settling down, crossing his paws before her and resting his head down upon them.

"You are a strange little thing," the Gryphon grinned, "I knew you as a child and I had thought you would grow as you have, humans are interesting that way. What I am surprised by is that you still do not realize your own abilities. Silly little girl, you were more aware of yourself when you were a child then you are now, but children often are. You have no idea what you have done, what you have created. It is a sad state of affairs."

Alice felt her temper rise, all the frustration coming to a head and ignoring the pain in her foot she stomped towards the creature, "Enough, do you hear me? I have had enough of all this. How am I to know theses things hmm? I am not from here, I do not know why or how these places exist and I do not claim to know why. All I know is that I keep being brought here!"

"And why do you think that is?" the Gryphon asked with the utmost boredom as he lifted one long talon and examined it. He did not deem her worth looking at and seemed to be more interested in what was under his claws then her.

"If I knew that I would not be speaking to you. You look at me this moment!" Alice demanded, "I have been dragged here time and again, I have had my childhood, my innocence and every little piece of my life absorbed in this place and I will not let it happen to my son! Do you hear me? Not for Charlie!"

The creature looked at her, it's eyes gleaming with interest now, "So you do understand."

"Understand what?" Alice cried helplessly.

"Poor child," the Gryphon smiled, rising to his feet, "Humans from Aboveland have such trouble accepting what this land is. Allow me to enlighten you, my girl. Underland has existed for as long as the Aboveground has We will always exist, that is a truth, but our world is empowered and fed off the dreams, hopes, imagination and power of the humans from Above. I have been in Underland since its first moment, I have existed since existence came here and I am a brother of time and the guardian of dreams and all positive emotions."

"You were are a statue," Alice stated, her ire disappearing as this new knowledge appeared before her.

He seemed to twist his head before her, his eyes roving around.

"I decided to rest," he answered calmly, almost gently, "I am no more a statue then I am a creature then I am a man. All things in Underland exist in a balance child. When the human creatures first became apparent in Wonderland things began to change. You see human imaginations created us first and then because your people imagined creatures like themselves they arrived here later. I have seen monarchs rise and fall, both here and above and every time it happens things here change. When the White Queen took power over the Red and my twin was defeated, I chose to rest. All things in Underland must exist within the balance and when the balance is upset nothing in Underland can be right."

Alice stopped, staring at him. The implications of that statement were so intense her mind ached with the repercussions of it. A different aspect of Wonderland was opening up to her in a way she had never consiered before. She chastised herself for being so ignorant. She had seen it before, so many times in the other places they visited. When she and Hector had first made headway into China the culture had been so different, so virginal and then they had started to trade and she had started to see the changes. For the better or worse their presence effected the culture. She had received mixed receptions, some welcomed them while others reviled them. Her experiences in China had spurred her behaviour in India, where she had decided to endure her pregnancy. There she had tried to immerse herself in their culture, to adopt local custom and drop away the English facade she had been raised with. It was difficult, it meant changing the way she interpreted words and action, the way she thought and at times it had been terrifying but she had allowed that world within her and instead of changing that world she had felt her own perspectives shift, she had never realized Wonderland was the same. A thought hit her and she fixed her eyes upon the Gryphon who was watching her with a knowing look.

"The Jabberwocky?" she asked softly.

"My twin," the Gryphon answered, "The darkness to my light. I was the guardian of all dreams. The positive feelings that run through Underland and the underlying positive current are all under my jurisdiction. I ensure no one is able to take more of that energy then they are allotted, it is my duty to ensure no creature in Underland becomes so good as to overtake all the others. My brother was the opposite, my foil. He was the guardian of..."

"The darkness." she finished for him. "But he was evil, he killed people."

"He lost control of his sensibilities." the Gryphon replied sadly, "He allowed himself to fall into an alliance with the humans of the Underland, he forgot what and is not our place to interfere and because of this oversight fell to the vorpal one. A sword of my own making, carved from one of my own claws."

The Gryphon lifted his right front foot where she could clearly see there was a claw missing. She had always wondered what the pearly substance on the vorpal had been. The creature seemed to reflect for a moment before rising up once again.

"When Jabberwocky fell the balance was torn. The negative emotions, the instability, the madness that is ever present in the very essence of Underland was set loose, infecting those who were susceptible to it with insanity and loosing evil upon the innocent. You see my twin was not born evil, just as I was not born good. We simply represented the darkness and the light already present, became its guardians and stood post to ensure no one creature absorbs too much of one or too much of the other, but as time passed it changed us. The creatures I hold domain over are creatures of sheer brilliance and not consumed with the darker side of nature, I must watch over them to ensure they survive as they would not protect themselves from death even if they could. My price is non-interference. I may never be a part of their lives, I may never give life even though it is within my power and I may not take part in their drama or any emotions for pain of sacrificing some of my powers. My brother's job was quite difficult, his ability was to regulate the darkness, hold domain over it and ensure all of Underland did not fall to it's spell. It takes a great deal of power and control you realize; to keep darkness in check and when he fell to it, when his control lessened and he allowed the darkness itself to touch his soul. As a result his form changed and his mind changed." the Gryphon lamented, "by the time I heard of his plight and visited my brother he had already sworn his allegiance to the Red Queen and developed a taste for blood. He was too far gone, too much mad for me to change. All the goodness in my heart, all the power in my soul could not rid the darkness from his and in the face of his neglect I turned myself to stone so as not to see his sins and not to feel his pain. I swore I would remain so until order was returned to the land and the chosen one came to set things right."

His dark eyes fixed upon her.

"You cannot possibly mean me?" Alice exclaimed, pointing to herself.

"Of course I mean you," the Gryphon scoffed, "Who slayed the Jabberwocky?"

Alice took a step back as the creature advanced upon her, "Well I did...."

"And who woke me from my sleep?" he continued, forcing her to step back once more.

"Well I guess I did but..."

"And already the dark creatures of the land have started swearing their allegiances..." he continued on, cocking his large eagle head to the side.

"But that doesn't mean anything..." she cried, trying to defend herself.

"It means everything." he replied sharply, "You came here to restore the balance even though you're directly responsible for throwing it off. You are from the Aboveground and therefore you are not confined by the same laws the creatures of Underworld must adhere to. Humans in the Aboveland are not required to take a side, to be wholly good or wholly dark, you all exist in the in between. You have a greater capability to ensure madness while not being consumed by it This is what you must do Alice, if you wish to retrieve your young one, if you wish to exist in our world you must take my brothers place, restore the balance. Before the darkness that is being called to you consumed you whole."

Alice looked at him helplessly. The last few years, from the time she had killed the Jabberwocky on she had felt the shift in her own soul, the lure this land had to offer and the almost impulsive desire to return.

"But my son..." she whispered.

"Is perfect," the Gryphon replied earnestly, " He is more powerful and more important then even his captor has an idea of. The first child to be born of Above and Under. You do not understand my Lady, in order to save your child you must accept the powers and responsibilities our land has granted you, just as he must learn to use his. In slaying my twin you accepted his role and since your absence creatures like Ilosovic Stayne have been left to accumulate power unchecked, the darkness grows rapidly within them granting them more and more power, power they should never have. If your child is devoured by Stayne, taken by the darkness, the evil that infected my brother shall spread through this land like a virus and poison all that live here. Then we shall see true madness."

"But I must take Charlie home," she tried.

The Gryphon screeched his painful laugh.

"You are already home girl," he replied, "You do not see the changes in yourself, in your moods. You have already stopped being Alice. The Underland has accepted your new role and while your child might return as is his right you never will. You are no longer the Alice of before. If you do not banish the sorrow in your heart, the guilt you feel for failing your child and the darkness that already dwells within your all too human soul it will consume you now as it consumed my twin. You cannot see yourself but it has already changed you. The darkness is drawn to you whether you wish it to be or not and it will seep into you if you do not accept it and control it. You are no longer just Alice, you no longer can be. Accept who you are, that you have power over this world that no one but myself could comprehend and embrace your new role. You will connect your mind with mine so you might truly comprehend what my insufficient words truly mean. Then we shall save your child and you will find your place"

Alice looked upon the creature in front of her, she could already feeling the darkness and sorrow seeping into her with the realization that perhaps he was right. The medicine should have worn off long ago but the remnants of poison still lived in her veins. She had only thought these feelings were a result of the days she had spent drugged and confined by depression, but time seemed inconsequential to it and the darkness remained there, teetering on the edge of her consciousness. The Gryphon was right in a way, she did feel a failure in her role as mother to Charlie and the depression and sadness seemed to be a constant companion. She could not count the number of times she had cried in the last while. It was odd that these creatures were following her as if there was something within her she could not see but was clearly apparent to all of them. Wonderland had changed her long ago, she knew that but if what this creature said was true then the risk was greater then she had ever thought it could be. Still her own problems were nothing in comparison to those of her son and if the Gryphon could help her retrieve him then she would do whatever insane thing he wished her to, consequences be damned.

"Fine," she snapped at the creature, "My son is more important to me then anything else, I'll do whatever you ask as long as I can get him back."

The creature gave out another chuckle and settled his dark eyes upon her, "Then hurry, our brother time will only pause for us for a short moment, we have a lot to do and little in which to do it."

"I had thought you smarter then this," Stayne said smoothly as he circled his captives, "After all we have been through, after I didn't kill you, you would betray me like this."

He looked down at Iracebeth and she glared back up at him defiantly Her face was hard and unyielding as it had been for the last three days. He had beaten her, expecting her to crack under the abuse but it had done nothing. She had not yielded not even for a moment, instead using all the powers she still had in her arsenal to keep the child safe. Even now he had not been able to lay a single hand on the red haired boy without feeling every ounce of the pain bounce back at him. The child was encased within Iracebeth's arms, weeping uncontrollably, inconsolable before the situation. Since he was incapable of harming the child physically he had satisfied himself with harming him mentally. He described to the boy exactly how he would kill his mother when he was finally granted the opportunity. He described the Hatter as best he could, making it clear to the boy that his true father was mad and it would be his destiny to grow into his own madness. Still the child had not broken beneath the strain, his eerie green eyes looking upon him in a way that made Stayne feel as though the cruelty he was perpetrating was actually evil. He hated those eyes,

"I will not allow you to harm this child," Iracebeth murmured through her bloody lip.

Stayne scoffed, "You are an ugly stupid fool and you will die."

She did not seem to notice what he said, instead she sat rocking the boy who was still doodling in that horrid little book. Over the last few days he had no stopped his drawing although he had stopped speaking. Within food Stayne had thought the two would fall prey to him whims but they had not. The boy had proven to be just as stubborn as his mother. Stayne sneered, only a few more days. In three days time he would meet Alice, he could feel it. Something in his bones told him she was coming and he looked forward to it.