Sorry for such a long time between updates! I ended up having way more 40+ hour weeks that I haven't had before at my summer job on top of class work so not much time for editing :(. HOWEVER I just finished by second class and have a month until my next one starts, and I start subbing soon for the school year so my time table is a lot more predictable. This story WILL be fully posted and the third book started soon enough! For now, enjoy two new edits!

As always, comments are HIGHLY appreciated!

Thanks!

Lydia


Night had fallen and a further search of the class had proven to be fruitless. The group of weary travelers all settled around the campfire, long faces and weary frowns etched onto hard mouths. Some were nodding off as they settled onto stones that had been dragged into circles to provide a seat around the small campfires, others were tending to meals that sat amongst the flames.

Tarrant and Alice were just outside their tent for the evening, the husband tending to the meal while the wife tended to her hand. Alice sat before the fire, examining the etches in her hand that were jagged and deep, finally was able to register the pain after the shock of the encounter with the mysterious cat had worn off. Ranghild had placed four deep marks into the curve of her pale skin, the wounds were angry red despite being purified by the cat's strange act of grace. She examined the handkerchief Tarrant had given her to wrap the wound in, concerned that the blood had dried a dark brown color while the injury itself still seemed alive and well. It would most likely be in her best interest to clean the wound before some sort of septic set in. She didn't want to end up with an infection; it would slow them all down if she was taken out by silly feline scratches. Alice was about to rise when her husband sat next to her, offering her a bowl of stew he had just been heating over the fire. The bowl smelled inviting and she looked at it with desire.

"Here Alice, eat up. It's going to keep you warm as Salazan Grum falls into bitter cold tonight." Tarrant commanded her as he placed the bowl on her lap.

Alice turned her hand away from him, tucking it under the bowl and out of sight so that he would not notice how inflamed the wound has gotten over the past several hours tucked away under the handkerchief. She obeyed him as she quickly set in to eat her food, the warm smell of the stew made her stomach fiercely growl in hunger. She had missed lunch and tea thanks to the cat that had frustrated her, and she had not had an adequate enough breakfast. Her bones were weary and her head still cloudy, but she was sure some of it was due to the hunger she felt so readily. Tarrant smiled as he watched her ravenous devour her food.

"I guess your stomach also needed that." He took the bowl from her hands as soon as she had finished, looking over at her with a warm smile. "Do you need anymore?"

"No, I am alright." Alice answered, her stomach beginning to cramp from eating too quickly. Tarrant nodded his head, pausing his gesture as he caught sight of her hand.

"Alice, what happened? I thought you said the cat had fixed this mess!" He exclaimed, taking the dish and tossing it, grabbing for her hand now. Alice tried to pull it away but he held tightly.

"So I had thought, but perhaps he was only wishing me worse rather than well when he provided what I thought was the antidote," Alice responded, watching as Tarrant reached into his waistcoat.

"How long were you going to let it fester?" His voice was tight with concern and annoyance, and she felt bad for hiding the injury from him. "Oh Alice, you could lose your whole hand to infection." He rubbed her hand with his thumb as his free hand pulled from his waistcoat. It held a bottle filled with light brown liquid. He then retrieved a handkerchief from his outer coat pocket, shaking his head as he looked at the wound with wide green eyes. Carefully he poured the liquid onto the handkerchief and began to wipe her hand down. She hissed at the sting it sent up her arm.

"What is that?" She asked through clenched teeth, trying her best to keep tears that caught her by surprise at bay.

"Deputrifying Medicine." He answered as he continued to gently wash her hand. The liquid burned and he winced at her as she hissed. "I'm sorry it's so painful, love, but it's either this or your hand risks infection." He quickly reached into his pocket, pulling a sky blue length of fabric from his coat, which he wound around her hand and tied tightly in a knot.

"Thank you, Tarrant." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek, genuinely endeared by his concern.

"Alice, are you certain you are fine?" He asked with a hint of concern.

Alice nodded her head and sighed. "I am fine, just tired. The excitement of today and the lack of sleep I had last night do not make a healthy combination." She concluded with a small groan, reaching up to rub at her eyes with her fists.

Tarrant extend his arm to wrap about her shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace. He placed a kiss on the top of her golden curls. "Alright, my fair one." He did not argue with her personal assessment, but she could still tell he was worried. "If you need to talk about something don't hesitate to say whatever you wish to me. I like your little rambles." He soothed her with a second kiss to her forehead. "I will go fetch some blankets for you to sleep on, for now rest here by the fire and try to keep warm." He arose and left her sitting in the wave of heat radiating from the crackling orange flames.

Alice sighed and wondered for the millionth time that week why she had been lucky to find a man who truly cared for her. In the midst of thinking about him she remembered the maps, notes, and Nonsense rat. If she fell asleep certainly she would miss everything, she could be valuable in finding an important clue! Alice stood to her feet right around the time Tarrant returned with blankets.

"What are you doing up?" He asked looking at her. Alice frowned and looked to the other side of camp.

"I can't let you look through the maps, notes, and prisoner without me. What if there is something I need to know or I can help with." She responded, placing stubborn hands curled into fists on her hips. She cocked her torso forward as she looked up at him with stubborn determination.

"Then it can wait, Alice." Tarrant replied with the shake of his head. "The Queen is not going to be taken down in a night. We still have hours before we have any worries of losing this war." Her husband replied calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder while a warm smile crossed his mouth. "Now lay your pretty little head down because we will need you tomorrow at your sharpest."

Alice would not give up easily, crossing her hands across her chest now as she pouted back up at him. "No, Tarrant, I can't. Underland needs me."

"And they need you able to think." His voice was tight as he looked over at her with annoyed yellowing eyes. She realized she was pushing his buttons, but she would find little sleep fretting over the uselessness she caused. Especially after wasting an entire afternoon. "You have taken the height of opportunity today. Don't let it grow too tall and trap you between the floorboards and the ceiling." He handed her a blanket and gave her a rough kiss on the cheek. "Why is my Alice like a shooting star?" He whispered into her ear gently.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Alice said with a small grin upon her face.

"Sleep well, Alice. If there is anything pressing I promise to wake you." He promised as he stepped forward to take her in an embrace. "Now get under those covers and keep warm, you silly woman." He crouched beside her as she lay down, cocooning herself in the warm material. He affectionately tucked the blankets tighter before he leaned further over to give her another kiss. "Have I told you how much I love you?" he whispered.

"Not lately," Alice said with a tease of a smile. Tarrant placed a warm kiss on her mouth, his breath tickling her lips as he hovered over her.

"Well then, I love you fair one. I will be back soon." He tipped his hat as he stood to his full height, turning back to the camp.

"I love you," she said with a whisper before becoming captive to sleep.


Assured that Alice had fallen asleep, the Mad Hatter had returned to the midst of the camp. Tarrant rejoined the small group that had gathered around a small wooden table, sliding into the empty seat that was saved just for him. Chess floated in the air behind, his signature grin gracing his face as he wrung his hands eagerly. The Tweedles sat pushing each other back and forth on the opposite side, small grunts of protest filling the tightening air as the group fell silent. The Captain of the Knights sat on Tarrant's rights, the maps that the mad man had discovered splayed out before him, papers scattered at its perimeter. The seasoned soldier was scrupulously examining the foreign writing, his dark eyes slowly wandering back and forth over the scrawls and the pictures. Mally leaned over the table to his left, her nose twitching impatiently as she waited for someone to make the first move in the conference. McTwisp sat panting next to Mally. Bayard lay at the foot of the table.

The rest of the camp was quiet, still in the darkening sky. The knights were sent out by their Captain to keep watch for anyone coming and going from the castle. Tarrant looked around at his companions with wide green eyes, shifting under the heavy silence, wanting to say something, but knowing all of it would be nonsense as his mind swirled with so many thoughts, the first and foremost of which concerned Alice. The Captain broke the tension with his exasperation.

"None of this makes any sense!" He cried, pushing the map away from him and shaking his head. He pinched his straight nose between his first finger and thumb. Tarrant couldn't help but notice how similarly this being looked to their great king— cut from the same mold, no doubt.

"It has to do something with the Red Queen. Look there is Witzend," Mally crawled atop the table to examine more closely the parchment that had been cast away. Her nose was pressed closely to the paper, and when she mentioned Tarrant's family town she pointed to lines crossing to the West. "Then the Outlands," her clawed finger scraped along the yellowed papers, indicating the desert like region. "It looks as if maybe there could be some sort of hide out," her tail flicked as she walked to stand over a part of the outerands that was marked with large red circle. Tarrant looked closer at the words that wound about Mally's small body, his eyes narrowing as he tried to really understand the letters written in haste on the paper. A smile crossed his pale face as the little marks on the began to become more and more familiar to his memory.

"It's in Outlandish…look!" Tarrant cried out in his giddiness, pointing to words that were attached to the map. "No doubt the notes are too!" Tarrant sent Mally toppling onto the table as he pulled the map from below her feet. He brought the map closer to his face, so that he could better read the words that his father had taught him in his youth. A language that he had grown up speaking in his house.

"Great Teacups! They are indeed. At least in a very old Outland dialect." He looked closer and tried to read the writing. His parents first spoke old Outland in their home when he was younger, mostly to say things that they didn't want him or his sisters to hear. The four of them had quickly picked up on the words though and ruined their parent's fun, so they had caved and taught their brood the language of the outskirts of Underland. Tarrant had not spoken the language in years, only the words borrowed from the resistance. But he was thanking his lucky stars that he had spoken them enough in his formative years.

"It says south of Witzend, 'round the giant boulder," Tarrant began, his green eyes squinting as he tried to read the old words penned by a poor writer. "Beware the Bandersnatch…hmm," he pushed the map closer to his face, skimming over more notes. "Ahh here!" He threw the map on the table, his thimble index finger underlining the words he was fluently translating. "'The Queen is expecting her army to grow within the year. The leopards have come together to her side. Stayne has refused to follow her'." He leaned in once again. "'Istvan is going to her royal big head'." Tarrant stood to his full height, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down at the unfamiliar word quizzically. "Istvan, what is that?" He looked about the group who looked as clueless as he. All save the white rabbit.

"I think it's a who." McTwisp offered quietly. "He was serving in the castle when I was there. A rather mean looking fellow." The rabbit concluded with a fearful quivering of his white nose.

"I don't understand, White Rabbit." The Captain of the Knights looked to the bunny with knitted dark brows.

McTwisp looked at the group with drooping ears, wringing his paws before him as the rest anticipated further explanation. "He…he tried to convince the Queen that if he joined with her they could make their alliance even greater. But her heart and mind were set on Stayne. This made Istvan pretty angry."

"So do you think that he's gone to join alliances with her?" Mally said looking up.

"Or to become her King." Tarrant sighed, looking at the text. He had returned once more to bending over the poor penmanship, his eyes scanning the words with crossed red brows, but he had seen something that simultaneously caught his attention and made his ears pound in his head. The group watched intently as he pointed at a sentence. "'Istvan and Iracebeth have joined together in a marriage alliance. Long Live King Istvan!' Looks as if the Red side has found themselves another leader." He concluded with a frown.

"You can't be reading this right, Mad Hatter." The Knight said as Mally scurried over to look at it. Chess leaned over the Hatter as well.

"I fear our Hatter is certainly correct in his translation." Chess said with the flick of his tail. The Knight shook his head.

"Then I think it's time we bring our prisoner forward." The Captain concluded. He motioned for one of the knights staying near to the camp to join the small party, the soldier obeyed quickly. "Go and get the rat," the Captain ordered. The knight nodded his head quickly, turning and ducking into one of the makeshift tents. He returned a moment later with a metal birdcage in hand, swaying from the hook the knight held it by.

Within the cage was the Nonsense Rat, his beady eyes looking up at the group as the knight set his jail upon the table. The rat's nose was twitching as quickly as the white rabbit's, his small clawed hands wrapping about the bars of his cage as he glared about at the party from Marmoreal.

Tarrant felt his heart pound as the sight of the rat brought him back to memories of the early afternoon's adventures. He glanced over across the camp to the tent that Alice had crawled into in order to fall asleep. He was glad to see that the entrance flap was still secured shut, indicating she had not been disturbed.

"Well if it isn't a Nonsense Rat! "Mally exclaimed as she hopped closer to the cage to peer at the large rodent held captive. "I haven't seen one of them in…well, a very long time!"

"We have been suppressed since Mirana took the Crown." The captive squealed angrily, baring his teeth at the brave dormouse before him.

"Come now, what is your name?" The Captain of the Knights leaned forward, getting his face as close to the cage as he dared.

"Tick Tock." The Rat said looking at the man. "Tick Tock your time is up." He flicked his tail and turned his hairy back on his interrogator.

"Where is your Queen?" The Captain demanded with a little more force.

"Why do you need to know?" The Nonsense rat replied with an air of boredom. He glanced over his shoulder to look over at the Dormouse. "And why haven't you joined the Rebellion?" He squeaked at her.

"She is a clever mouse that is why:" Tarrant answered in annoyance. If he is not going to tell is the information we wish to know the way we wish to know it, well, we shall have to play a little game of…Hatter and Rat. Tarrant thought to himself as he looked down at the captive. The Captain looked over to the Hatter, but saw that the man was in want to take the reins. He shook his head and stepped aside so that Tarrant could take the better vantage point of the prisoner.

"Tell me, Mr. Tick, why is a raven like a writing desk?" The Hatter laughed madly. The Rat turned to him and sneered.

"Is that all you have, you predictable tea drinking dimwit?" The Nonsense rat laughed. "How is a deck of cards like a chess match? That is a true riddle."

"That's any easy one old fellow, each bow to a Queen." Tarrant rolled his eyes at the creature. "For one not wanting to reveal information, you hold your hand very clumsily. Shall I call all the king's horsese and all the king's men for you?"

"Hmmm." The rat's nose twitched, his whiskers vibrating as he swallowed Tarrant's insult.

"Where is your Queen?" Tarrant tried once more.

The rat turned away again. "Matter it not."

Tarrant sighed, racking his brain for all the clever poems he had been taught. "The maker makes it but doesn't use it. The buyer buys it but doesn't need it. The one who needs it never knows it. What is it?" The Hatter smiled at the Rat, glad that he at least had that threat.

"Surely you wouldn't put me there."

"I do love the taste of rat…though you get a little too tough at times." Chess interrupted with a wicked smile, folding one paw over the other and flicking his tail with delight.

"What is it?" McTwisp breathed just loud enough for the dormouse next to him to hear.

"A coffin." She whispered back. McTwisp's red eyes widened as he realized what Tarrant had just promised.

"Certainly I will. My life and country are at peril due to your traitorous Queen." Tarrant replied with a mad smile.

"How is your head and a monarch the same?" The rat seemed uninterred once more, the threat seemingly useless after further thought.

"She will never get it!" Tarrant replied with annoyance at the rat's insinuation the wrong woman had the power. "Mirana the White Queen has the crown, and as long as I am alive she will always have it." The Hatter nodded to Mally who pulled out a hat pin and entered the cage. "Perhaps you thought my earlier veiled threat was a jest, but I assure you, as soon as we hear what we need and you have, it will be very real."

"Tell us, you dirty excuse of a rodent. Where Iracebeth is and what she is up to, or I swear I shall have to deal with you painfully," she squealed. Brandishing her hat pin rapier. The rat shivered in fear but looked up to the Captain who hovered just behind Tarrant, listening intently.

"Tell me Captain of the Knights, where would you go if you were at the terminal of your mind?" The rat smiled a wicked dirty smile. The Captain shook his head, unfamiliar with language of riddles and rhymes. He did not know the answer, but the Hatter certainly did.

"Witzend," Tarrant stood up, "as we suspected." He should not have wasted his time on this rat and figured that of course Iracebeth would look to Witzend next. His small village had been the first taken in previous wars; certainly this one would be no different.

"Oh, but dear Mad Hatter, the Queen is no threat to you now." The rat continued, dropping the game between the two. "The King is in charge and he is not going to attack your precious kingdom…yet."

"Then when rat! We are not truly dealing with riddles, we are not playing games, these are lives that are at stake. These are families and children and husbands and..." The Hatter could not finish his thought as he glanced his way toward Alice.

"Wives?" The Rat laughed. "You wife has been rather a thorn in my King and Queen's side, so I've heard. You think that all you will lose is Witzend, I fear to say that such a fear is the least of your worries." The rat began feel about the hem of the small vest he was wearing. "As for when you should expect the Queen of Red and the King of Black? You will need to have patience sir, for Time is not on your side. And you will never find the King or Queen until they wish to be found." He laughed and pulled something from the unraveling of his clothing. "And when they do come, it will be far too late. And justice will finally be served."

"No!" Mally cried, diving for to try to reach for the discreet berry he gripped in his paw, but it was too late.

By the time she wrestled the larger rodent down he had shoved the berry down his throat and was now convulsing in his cage. After several violent spasms the Nonsense Rat lay dead, spittle dripping down the side of his face. Mally bent over and smelt his breath cautiously, shaking her head when she identified the noxious scenet. "He ate a Drupcious berry."

"You mean he's…." McTwisp fainted before he could finish his sentence.

"We need to move forward to Witzend." The Captain said, pulling out the map of Underland, "We need to cut them off now, head West from there and find them in Witzend. We must meet them if we wish to win this war."

"No!" Tarrant shook his head. "This Rat is certainly not the only informant they have. Especially with Ranghild missing and having gleaned so much from Alice. They have the upper hand and the victory of surprise." Tarrant turned to the Captain. "As much as I hate to admit it we have to return to Marmoreal and build our defense. That is the only hope we have of being remotely ready for Iracebeth and her army."

"That's asking to be slaughtered." The Captain replied sternly. Tarrant shook his head, knowing the chess strategy the smart monarch was going after.

"She'll want us to spread our forces thin so that she can take her pawns and knock us out one by one. Her weak forces will take out our strong ones in an ambush, effectively crippling the defense as she sneaks herself through to take down our King and Queen. It would be best to return home to what we know and fortify what we have. Perhaps if we can find out more information, be better prepared to meet her in such an intellectual strategy, we then could take back some of the power, but as it is there is nothing more wise we can do than what the Nonsense Rat himself suggested— we have to be patient and wait." Tarrant did not like what he had to say either, but there was simple was not a better answer.

His friends did not like his answer, evidenced by the frowns and knitted brows of various forms before him, but there would be little use in arguing the matter. Either they would agree with his logic and return home to begin preparing or they would join the Captain and set up their demise. Tarrant knew what he would do, and that would be to stand beside his Alice, claymore in hand to protect her just as he had when she faced the Jabberwocky. And it was time to return to her now.

He arose and tipped his top hat to the group. "Until tomorrow,"

"What are we to do then, just cower back to our castle?" The Captain yelled at the Hatter.

"No, we learn to think two steps ahead of their Queen." Tarrant stopped to respond to the man. "That is the intellect she wants to play with; a chess game. Iracebeth is clever and she is smart, she was known for playing a very good game in the halls of Marmoreal. It is best to allow her to think she has the power in the hopes that she makes a mistake and exposes herself. In that moment we can slip her into checkmate." He replied. "But, as I've said, a good game of chess shows a discipline in patience as it does a sharp wit. We may not be as smart as she is, so we have to hope that her pride will be her undoing once more." Tarrant sighed loudly. "Now I say to once more, good night." He said sharply, then turned back toward the direction of Alice.

He walked across the camp, his mind filled with what could be done about this impossible situation. But nothing was coming to mind, and besides the day was nearly done. It would be added to his six impossibles in the morning, now was not the Time to focus on a solution. Not with a weary mind and heavy heart. He would not be able to think anyways until he was assured that Alice was doing well and resting.

He smiled to himself as he pushed the tent flap aside to enter their shelter. Alice was sleeping on the mat, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling evenly as she wandered the land of dreams. Tarrant held his breath as he approached her, not wanting to wake her as he took his place, sitting down beside her. The night was frigid cold and he pulled the blanket up toward her chin, placing his hand on the curve of her cheek. She shivered slightly at his warm touch, Tarrant bent down to kiss her face.

He watched her for several more moments, his mind quieting as he watched her serene rest in the silence. She looked happy and he was glad she was. When he had taken his fill of Alice for the moment, he carefully raised the blanket she had wrapped about herself and tucked himself underneath, drawing himself close to her. He pressed her back against the cover of his body, placing his chin into the curve of her shoulder, placing another ghosting kiss on her soft neck. She turned slightly in her sleep.

"Tarrant?" She asked drowsily. "What has happened? What has been decided?

"Sorry my love, I didn't mean to wake you." Tarrant stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, feeling guilty for awakening his wife. "Go back to sleep, I will tell you more in the morning." He promised as he wrapped his arms about her body.

She turned to her rest on her back, laying her head in the crook of his arm. He lay sideways next to her, settling his body into the warmth of hers, and stroked her cheek with his left hand. "I will keep you safe my love," he vowed as he kissed her cheek, placing his chin on her head.

Tomorrow they would return to Marmoreal as soon as they could, but for now it was Time to rest. He pulled Alice close and breathed her in, closing his eyes for the night.


A/N: Points to anyone who can figure out where I got the name Istvan from :)