Jabberwock stood overlooking the kingdom, grateful the game was finally over. He was still wearing his cloak on tried to stay out of sight as best as he could. He heard the last game ended in stalemate, so therefore Alice and Reggie would no doubt come back here with the staff. He'd better find a suitable place to meet them soon, since they would try to free him with it, and it was best to free him when the other chess people weren't around them, so they wouldn't get scared and lash out or attack him. It would give time for Alice and Reggie to explain to them this whole situation. Jabberwock tried to sneak out of the area he was in, just outside the red castle. The area itself was filled with all the chess people including the royals who had just come back from the game. Just when he was about to approach the exit though, he heard another trumpet blow, and saw several card guards, who were approaching the gates at all weird angles. He knew what this meant.
'Oh no, what's she doing here?'
He tried to move towards the other gates but the guards were coming through all the gates. The trumpet playing came from a small white rabbit rushing in, who then announced the presence of his boss. "
"People of the chess kingdom, may I announce the second visit of her royal majesty, the Queen of hearts." One of his ears moved a bit as he heard something from somewhere. "And the King" the white rabbit said.
"Another visit already? Oh well it isn't too soon I suppose" the white king figured.
Jabberwock had to hide somewhere quickly. If he started moving towards the exits now, he would draw attention to himself, and they would see him since he was the tallest one there. Using any of his powers now would be too obvious with the queen. He hid behind part of a hedge which was just tall enough to hide him, and just in time, since the queen now made her way into the area. "Why hello there again your majesties" she greeted the royals as the king of hearts came up beside her. "Now do tell me about this 'stalemate' you've gotten yourselves into."
"What?" Was all Reggie could reply in a whisper.
"Apparently, from what I heard, there was an attack in south Africa, by some people called 'Zulus', and whilst fighting against them, he was struck down with a spear. All the Zulus were killed in that fight but, your father bled out before any help could get there" Alice explained wiping a tear from her eye.
Reggie looked down and was quiet for a second. Every part of him wanted to believe that Alice was lying. But she would never lie about something like that, and the expression on her face only confirmed it. "No, no my mother would've told me" he argued looking up.
"I don't think she wanted to tell you that the person you idolised so much was gone. I don't think she wanted to break your heart" Alice wiped the tears from her face.
Reggie became quiet again, and stood up from the log and walked a few steps away from it, one or two tears streamed down his face. Now this was serious, Alice had never seen him cry before. He looked back at the staff. First the revelation of everything he grew up believing in was a lie, now his father was gone, permanently. "Take the staff back and free Jabberwock, I, I'm heading off somewhere" he said in a quiet tone and brought his hands up to face.
Alice stood up as well. "I understand, just don't get lost okay?" She walked over to the staff and picked it up. She was about to walk back to the red castle grounds when she turned back around and said "Reggie. I'm sorry, I didn't want to have to tell you and, I'd thought you should have a right to know. And whatever it was you saw on that staff, about the empire, whatever you believe about being a hero now. Just remember, fending off the scare birds, leading a chess game, cheering me after an argument with my family or after being made fun of, introducing me to fun new games, being my best and only friend. You're still my hero, you always were. Ever since the day I first met you."
Alice turned back around with a sad expression and headed in the direction of the red castle, following the squares on the chess kingdom to it. Reggie didn't know what to do. He was overwhelmed with all these thoughts and feelings, grief and confusion. He started walking at quite a fast pace, pushing past all the bushes and whatever strange brambles that were in his path, not caring that the pathways he was on kept changing shape and direction. He started running now, as if he were trying to shake the images of what the staff had shown him out of his head. He didn't care where he was going anymore, ignoring Alice's advice of not getting lost. He ran past the border of the chess kingdom and into an area which was surrounded by hedges. He stopped and just sat down against one. 'I thought we were heroes already. I thought my father was a hero. I thought my father was still alive.'
As he was sat there, two figures were sat on some rocks watching him, and not to far away from him. "Poor boy" one of them remarked as she turned to the other servant. "Indeed. Something has definitely gone downhill for him" the other proclaimed as he pulled a branch as if it were a lever, and all of a sudden the grass floor Reggie was sat on turned diagonal. "What the-" Reggie was snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly started to tumble. He grabbed part of the hedge to stop him from falling. "What the heck's going on?" Reggie started to look around. The servants were standing on the diagonal floor perfectly without falling themselves, just watching him. Reggie took out the dagger from his belt and jabbed it into the ground as something to hold onto. His hands were still sweaty from running however, and he lost his grip on both.
He fell and the rocks that the servants were sitting on fell too, directly at him. He desperately grabbed a hold of a branch sticking out of the hedge and it swung him to the side and straight through to the other side of the hedge, and landed on a flat grassy surface. The servants, believing the falling rocks killed him, since they didn't see him swing, simply walked down the diagonal surface and pulled the dagger out. Reggie got to his knees and with a determined look was about to investigate what happened, but then he stopped for some reason. What was the point? He didn't feel much like exploring something new anyway.
Alice had to remember to tell the chess royals, since the last game ended in a stalemate so no one owns the staff, except for her and Reggie since they were originally designated to find it. She would then have to take Jabberwock somewhere in order to free him and he would be able to transform into his Jabberwock form outside of his castle. She thought she'd be doing that alongside Reggie, freeing Jabberwock together, and making peaceful a relation between him and the chess people. Then it would all be over. She had to find him after this. She didn't want to leave him, but he said he wanted to go somewhere else, and she respected that. She didn't know which guilt was worse. The guilt of not telling Reggie about his father, or the guilt of telling him. She didn't know much about the empire, but he had clearly seen something on that staff. She decided to let him have time to get his thoughts together and deal with the grief.
She spotted one of the entrances to the castle grounds of the red castle and she entered through one the gates. She was expecting to see just the chess people there and maybe Jabberwock in his cloak, but when she entered she gasped to see the card guards, the queen of hearts servants, and the queen herself on the grounds talking to the chess royals. On first instinct she was about to turn and head back out the entrance, but one of the card guards turned his head and was about to see her so she quickly hid behind one of the chess people.
She held the staff behind her back, holding it at an angle so she could hide it completely. Her head was still visible over the shoulder of the chess people she was hiding behind, she had to think quickly. She felt around in her skirt apron pocket and luckily for her, she still had that headscarf from earlier which Reggie gave to her. It was Mary Anne's headscarf. She tied it around her head quickly and kept her head down. She had no idea how to use the Staff's power, which would've been really useful right now. She looked up and around desperately trying to find Jabberwock, as her biggest fear was that they found him and had done something to him. She couldn't make an attempt for the exit until she knew what happened to Jabberwock.
Jabberwock was still hiding behind the hedge, unable to use any of his powers since it would be too obvious to the queen. He contemplated turning his cloak invisible and sneak out but someone would feel him sneaking past.
"So this 'queen' for the red side you told me about, and informed me at the same time, what did she look like?" asked the queen of hearts.
"Well, she looks like me really as I am the red queen" the red queen replied.
"I didn't mean you, I meant, that other red queen you said" the queen of hearts asked slightly frustrated.
"Oh, well she has long blonde hair, a blue dress and white apron and-" Whilst the queen of hearts was listening to this with a smirk, Alice and Jabberwock were looking around to find the other, and finally they spotted each other, as Alice was at a position where she could just see him. He noticed her too, and picked up a few braids of grass and used his powers to shape into words spelling: get out of here.
'I can't' she mouthed back. 'Please' he spelt out. "And she went out on the chessboard land you say?" the queen of hearts continued, obviously not pleased that Alice was not here. However the stalemate of the last game did give her an idea. "Do you mind, if I have a quick word and talk with my guards?" the queen faked politeness. She ordered her guards to come to her. "Now" she whispered. "Search this chess kingdom area whilst these people are here, and see if you can.." whilst the guards were listening to her, Alice knew she could make a break for the exit, Jabberwock could escape after the queen left. The white rabbit started looking around the place, when he spotted a girl in a headscarf, a headscarf he recognised. "Mary Anne? Now what's she doing here?" he wondered and he walked up to her. Alice didn't notice him, and tried to get to the exit. "Now what are you doing here Mary Anne? I thought I asked you to look after the house?" he looked up at her.
"What?" Alice looked down. "Mr white rabbit. Look I'm not Mary Anne, and I have to leave this place-" but the white rabbit ignored her. "And what is that thing you're holding behind your back?" he grabbed ahold of the staff before Alice could protest, and when he did, the staff shot a beam of energy into the air, which everyone turned to see, including the queen of hearts and Jabberwock, and the headscarf that Alice was wearing fell off. "You're not Mary Anne, you're that girl who upset the queen" the white rabbit finally realised. Alice couldn't be frustrated with him now, as she looked up to see everyone staring.
"Well" the queen of hearts said in a slow gleeful like tone, as she emerged from the group of card guards. "What do we finally have here" she walked forward a bit towards Alice, whom was gripping the staff tightly, fear overtaking her. This had done it now, she was once again face to face with the queen of hearts. "How long has it been, Alice? Time moves in so many different directions you know." Before Alice could say anything, a voice exclaimed "No, don't hurt her!" Jabberwock emerged from his hiding place and tried to get to Alice. "Mistress, please, don't hurt her!" "Jabberwock no!" Alice called out, which then alarmed the confused chess people.
"Jabberwock!" all of them started exclaiming as the hood of his cloak fell down and they all gasped in fear.
"He was the Jabberwock!" one bishop yelled.
"Right next to our noses, this whole time!" a rook shouted.
Some of the knights stepped in front of Jabberwock, holding their swords in their hands, although they were visibly terrified. This prevented him from reaching Alice. He couldn't hurt the chess people, that would only justify them killing him.
"Ah, so that's where you've been my pet. After I discovered you snuck out of your castle, against my orders!" she raised her voice.
"Pet? Mistress?" the red queen asked.
"You mean, you own him?" the red king implied.
"I raised him. To be very obedient, originally." The queen of hearts clicked her fingers and two card guards grabbed Alice's arms and she dropped the staff. "Let go of me" Alice wasn't strong enough to break free.
"What are you doing with our queen?" the white king demanded.
"Your queen, was no doubt, judging by my pet's outburst, in league with Jabberwock, if you go by that logic. A logic which will get him in very big trouble" the queen of hearts eyed Jabberwock. "And also why she was trying to get the staff no doubt."
"How do you know about the staff?" Alice looked up at the queen.
"I raised Jabberwock. My guards discovered him as a cub, it's only right to know everything related to his species in his short years growing up. Including Jabberwock staffs." The Queen picked up the staff. "Did you say, you played for this staff and the last game was in a stalemate?" she turned back to the royals.
"Yes, that means no one, and no creature owns the staff" the red king informed, but he was angry at the queen of hearts clearly, as they had found out she was raising such a ferocious beast.
"Except" Alice spoke up. "Me and Reggie were originally designated to find the staff. The only pieces to actually be assigned to have the staff, doesn't that mean me and him should own it?"
"But I thought you and that little friend of yours became different pieces?" the queen asked rhetorically.
"What?" Alice's face fell.
"From what I heard from the royals, you and your friend became a queen and a prince, different pieces. So doesn't that mean you aren't designated to take the staff anymore?" the queen found a loophole.
Alice and Jabberwock looked at each other, fear on their faces. Alice couldn't believe herself right now. How did she not think about that? Her and Reggie's plan completely backfired, but Alice only blamed herself. She didn't think everything through. 'Oh no. Oh how could I have been so stupid!' Alice scolded herself. 'I should've just ran when I had the chance!'
"And, as the one who raised Jabberwock it's only right for his owner to have something related to him, especially since I know how to use it. After some good advice-" the queen saw the king of hearts pointing at himself. "I decided to learn more about his species, including the staffs themselves." The Queen then suddenly fired a beam from the staff, and placed all of the chess people forcefully kneel, and put handcuffs on Jabberwock. "He can't go into his Jabberwock form outside anyway, but that doesn't mean he can't use his powers. Those handcuffs will put a stop to that" the queen twirled the staff, as Jabberwock tried to use his powers but a streak of pain struck him from the handcuffs when he did.
"Jabberwock!" Alice cried out, falling to her knees, and the queen of hearts fired a beam which put Alice in chain handcuffs as well. "Oh why didn't I just find this thing in the first and last place?" the queen of hearts chuckled. "It would've been much quicker than raising you for so long to attack the chess kingdom and kill the Alice girl" she turned to Jabberwock.
"What?" Alice looked over to him. "What?" all the chess people called out at the same time.
Jabberwock, who was also being forced to kneel by the staff, just looked to the ground, he had to tell them the truth. "My mistress raised me not just believing the chess people were evil, but you were too Alice. She told me about the crime of getting on her bad side. She originally wanted me to kill you. You see, a Jabberwock who's domesticated has to draw it's first blood, in order to go outside in it's Jabberwock form. But after actually finding out who you were, and that you did nothing but help me, and go through all this just to free me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you or Reggie. And I couldn't attack the chess people either, not after seeing what they were really like."
"Ah! So you did deliberately disobey my orders after all!" the queen shouted. "What happened to you my dear Jabberwock" she asked in a soft tone. "You could've been my successor." She then raised her voice. "But now you'll be imprisoned again. You're lucky I still have use for you. As for the rest of you. Your kingdom is now mine, and you shall all be executed, starting with you Alice."
"You wanted to kill us all!" shouted princess Alba. "You were planning to take us over!" the white queen realised.
"Oh just wait 'til my friend realises what you've done" Alice warned the queen, but a voice came from the entrance. "Your friend, won't be a bother or a problem anymore." The two servants returned. "We spotted that scruffy boy, and we're afraid he had a little accident."
"What, what do you mean?" Alice looked over to them, confused.
"Well it wasn't technically an accident as it that would imply it wasn't deliberate. But he was flattened, by some, falling rocks."
"What? No! You couldn't of-, I don't believe you" Alice tried to deny, or more like, wanted to deny.
"Well" the servants provided the dagger Reggie had as evidence. "We would've just done it sooner but not every part of land can turn diagonally. Luckily the part he was standing on at that time could."
"You could've just taken that from him!" Alice continued to deny. Tears forming in her eyes.
The Queen of hearts then used the staff to bring up an image, which showed Reggie falling down the diagonal land, and the rocks falling after him. The Queen shut off the image before it could show Reggie swinging to safety. And most of the chess people who saw it, and Alice and Jabberwock, were in complete shock. "So that was your little friend? Oh if only I had known that earlier" the queen remarked.
"No" Jabberwock whispered. Alice looked back down at the floor after seeing that. There was no denying it now. Tears fell from her eyes and to the floor. "Reggie" she spoke almost in a whisper, her lip quivering."You, you monsters!" Alice shouted, anger taking her for a brief moment, and she stood up and attempted to run to the queen, but was stopped by the card guards behind her. Alice didn't know what she would've done anyway, she wasn't a physical person. Alice fell to her knees again, tears streaming down her face, in complete shock and grief.
"Well, I suppose this calls for a celebration! With the staff in my hands the chess kingdom will be mine and I'll finally be able to do what I should've done years ago" the queen turned to Alice. "Take them all back to my castle, Alice's beheading shall be first."
It's been awhile since I updated, and it's almost a year now this fanfiction has been going on. A whole year and only 20 chapters so far, kind of bad I know. But now the story starts to get really interesting, and it's coming up to the final events, and the Queen of hearts knows how to use the staff. This shall be interesting. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version disney.