~O~

The Red Queen stood out in a clearing of the forest not too far away from her castle. Accompanying her were several Knights, and standing in the middle of them, was the magic-user that would soon rip open a door to Looking Glass Lake. The wind had begun to pick up, blowing leaves around into the air and scattering them about.

The clouds were also turning darker than they had ever been, as if they knew what was about to happen and were trying to scream it to the world. But the Queen cared not for these signs of forewarning; to her, they were signs that she would soon get what she so desperately wanted.

She tilted her head back a bit in supremacy and said, "I am ready whenever you are, magician." The hooded figure nodded and cast out a circle, using salt as the outline. As he walked in his circle, he muttered the spell's incantation. Fabia stood by, smiling contently as the salt ring began to glow a faint white.

It wouldn't be much longer now. She would soon have her Champion back in her possession, and the human girl would also be her captive. With those two, Fabia could easily crush whatever rebellion may have still been in the works in Wonderland. She watched intently as the magician completely another revolution around the circle, his arms raised upwards as the power in his raspy voice increased.

Around him, the air began to tremble, and Fabia could feel the growing power made its presence known. This old man was her key to Looking Glass Lake. He was the only person that was capable of getting her Champion back from that accursed place. The salt-laden circle no longer glowed white, but a soft, gentle blue color as the spell continued to be cast.

The Knights of the Heart that had accompanied their Queen, took a step away from the magic-user, obviously fearful of his power. Fabia, though, stood firm near the circle. One of her Knights suggested that she step back, but she refused to budge.

They saw that there was no way that they would get the Queen to change her mind, so they let her be. The magic-user's voice began to speed up and grow louder; it seemed like the louder his voice was, the stronger the spell became. The wind picked up, sending the black storm-clouds tumbling in overhead.

Lightning flashed, cutting the sky in half with a powerful crack. This spell was against the nature of Wonderland, even the Queen knew that. It was disrupting the very fragile fabric that held the realm together, and the land was rebelling back and showing its displeasure of being violated.

It will have to deal with it until I get what I want, Fabia thought to herself. She wasn't going to let a little wind and thunder stop her when she was so close. Her Champion was needed to crush the inevitable rebellion that was brewing out of sight, and he was right within her grasp now.

So, no. Fabia was not going to turn back for anything. Suddenly, the magician stopped walking and now stood in the center of his circle. He raised his hands far above his head and said the last sentence of his incantation.

When he the did, the salt ring, which had been glowing light blue, blazed to life in a vibrant purple. The ground began to rumble and the magic-user quickly stepped out of the way as the ground was split open.

~O~

The Hatter laid in a crumbled heap in the corner of his dungeon cell. He was soaked through his clothes from the damp floor, chilled nearly all the way to his bones. The Queen and her Knights had continued to try and beat the answers out of him for some time after he made it clear that he wasn't going to tell them anything.

And the Hatter had stayed true to his statement. He hadn't told the Knights or the Queen a single piece of his valuable information. He cringed as a wave of pain coursed through his battered body.

Bruises, welts, and gashes littered his chest, arms, and legs from where the Queen's twisted interrogation techniques had tried to pry the answers from him. Dan laughed a bit under his breath, but he could not find any reason to laugh; there was nothing humorous about his situation.

Perhaps he found something amusing by how determined they had been to get the names of those that had helped try and make the Hatter's plan reality. Or maybe he was just a bit Madder since being locked away. Dan forced himself to his feet, the shackles clamped onto his hands and feet rattling as he did so.

They had taken him off the wall a couple days ago; most likely to try and convince him that they had the power over his life and what would happen to him. It didn't make a difference to the Hatter, though. He knew all too well that his head would end up on the chopping-block in the end.

The Hatter stepped onto the stone block that was supposed to be a place to sit and sleep, and stepped up onto the massive stone to look out of a small, barred window near the ceiling. The sound of the wailing wind had drawn his attention to the window, and when he looked through the iron bars, he saw a light blue light glowing down in the forest nearby.

Dan squinted his eyes to try and get a better look at what was going on down there, but he couldn't make anything out. He could hear the sound of somebody chanting over the screams of the wind, but that was about it. Dan continued to keep his gaze locked on the blue light when it suddenly blazed purple and the ground began to shake.

The Earth's tremor was enough to rattle the walls of his dungeon cell and knock some of the loose dirt in the stone walls free. He had to hold onto the bars of the window to keep himself from falling off the stone block. The Hatter, positive that he had his balance back, looked back out of the window and gasped at what he saw.

In the middle of the forest, was a large, gaping hole that led down into a seemingly endless abyss. Dan's eyes grew wide when he realized what the Queen had done; she had forced open a way into Looking Glass Lake. She was going to retrieve her Champion, and probably Alice as well.

If that traitor hasn't killed her yet, Dan thought bitterly. He didn't put it past the Champion to carry out orders while trapped in Looking Glass Lake. Up in the sky, the lightning became frantic and intense. The clouds flashed bright, blinding white with each strike.

Then, the clouds broke free, letting loose the tears of pain that they had been holding in since the Queen took over and began to ruin the land. This was Wonderland's breaking point.

~O~

Alice opened her eyes and found herself leaned against the trunk of a massive oak tree. She let out a yawn as the last bits of unconsciousness wore off from her mind. Slowly, her eyes came back into focus and she saw that it was raining heavily, and that if it hadn't been for the large branches of the oak tree, she would have been soaked to the bone, rather than a bit damp.

She looked down and saw the Champion's white and red jacket; he had placed it on her sometime while she was out in order to keep her warm and protected from the rain. Alice then began to search for Shun. He was sitting on the other side of the oak's trunk, arms wrapped around himself to try and retain some of his body's warmth.

It looked like he was asleep, or at least trying to sleep. Alice stood up and draped the jacket over her shoulders, then walked around the trunk and sat down beside the Champion. He must have sense her presence, for he opened his eyes and looked at her. Worry and concern were embedded deep in his amber orbs; if they had ever left in the first place.

"You're awake," he said with surprise. Alice smiled and gave him a single nod. She still didn't like that she had caused him worry, even though should couldn't help what had happened to her. What had happened to her? She wasn't entirely sure yet. All she could remember were the basics; she followed a light and spoke to somebody who warned her further about the Red Queen.

"Are you feeling alright?" Shun asked her and placed the back of his hand on her forehead to check her for fever. Alice stared in surprise and felt her face heat up a bit at the sudden contact. "Uh, yeah. I'm feeling fine," she said quickly. Shun removed his hand from her forehead and raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure? You look a little flushed still."

Feeling her face heat up further, Alice rubbed her cheeks frantically with her hands to try and rid herself of the blush. She quickly told him, "I must be a bit sunburned or something. It's nothing. Don't worry about me." Shun furrowed his brows together, obviously skeptical about her lie.

But he eventually sighed and gave in. "Alright, then," he said, "as long as you're feeling better. I was worried, you know?" Alice felt the heat trying to rush back into her face, and she quickly searched for something, anything, that she could use to change to subject and get him to talk about something else.

Her mind instantly went to the power rain. "When did it start raining?" she asked and pointed out to the raging storm. Shun looked out at the storm and told her, "Shortly after you passed out and I brought you back to the Lake."

Alice remembered seeing that the sky had been darkening before she passed out for a second time, but she didn't think that those graying clouds would turn into a full-out deluge. "I see," she said. Shun pressed his back further into the trunk of the tree, and Alice saw that he was still shivering and fighting the cold, damp air, while she stayed warm in the confines of his jacket.

She didn't want him to suffer, so she set closer to him and draped the jacket over both of them. Instantly, Shun's excessive trembling ceased, and he sighed contently. "Thanks," he told her and shot her a warm smile. Alice found herself smiling back and turned her attention back to the rain.

The sound of rain had always been relaxing to her, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in her own bed back at home and sleep the day away. But she would have to settle for this. Although, when she thought about it, staying close to Shun wasn't that bad of a situation, and he didn't seem to mind it either.

He suddenly asked her, "So, what were you doing so far away from the trail we marked out?…What happened to you?" He deserved answers, and Alice wished she could give him some. But she hardly knew what happened herself. "I….I don't remember exactly why I went off the path. I just recall this strange light and going towards it. The rest is kind of a blur," she said honestly.

Shun nodded and said, "Maybe you bumped your head or something." That was as good a theory as anything Alice had, and it was possible. Maybe she slipped and hit her head, but that didn't explain the warning about the Queen that she remembered hearing.

She felt Shun shrug his shoulders beside her. He said, "Well, whatever happened, you might want to be more careful….You really did have me worried." Shun focused his eyes on the ground in front of his feet, and Alice could see the distress in his two amber orbs.

Alice looked away and said, "I'm sorry." She didn't like knowing that she caused him worry, and she certainly didn't like seeing the worry on his face. He turned around and faced her. "I'm not blaming you, if that's what you think. It's just…I guess I've grown rather fond of you while being stuck here. I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to you and caused this to change."

Alice could see his face was pink with blush, and this caused her own cheeks to warm up as well. She fought through the awkwardness she was feeling and reached for his hand, sliding hers over his. Shun looked at her with surprise in his eyes, and she was caught off guard by her own actions. She couldn't really explain what she was trying to do; it just felt like the right thing to do at the moment.

Alice bit down on her lower lip and said, "Thank you….For looking out for me while we've been here. I know you didn't have to do any of the things you did, but you did them anyway, and for that, I am grateful."

She looked up at him and found herself looking right into his bright, amber eyes that had become soft and gentle; no longer were they cold and unforgiving.

The two sat there for a moment, looking at each other like that. Alice felt like it was a moment taken straight out of time, frozen and preserved. Without thinking, the two of them found themselves leaning in closer to one another. Their lips just barely brushed when there was loud crash, and the sky came falling down.

i decided to tease you guys a bit with that ending, cause, well, i'm an evil ginger like that :p read and leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~