A/N: I was originally going to put this out on Friday, but got distracted, and I considered putting it out on Saturday, but after getting up at about 6:30-7:00 AM and not getting home until about 2:30 AM, I decided against it. I had to go to San Antonio for a football game, which is four hours away, and twice a bus broke down, first time on the way there, it was the bus I was on and we had to split up and get on the other band buses, then before we left to go home, the football players' their bus broke down, so they stole the cheerleaders' bus, forcing the cheerleaders to get on our bus, it was so awkward, I had one of them sitting next to me, and it was just awkward in the way that it's always awkward when you sit next to someone you totally do not know. On the bright side, I finished the book I got the day before on the bus ride over, but on the bus ride back, it was too dark for me to read my Harry Potter book, so I'm still only on page three hundred fifty something, even though I'd really wanted to read another one or two hundred pages, oh well, I'll live somehow.

Now, to the thanking of people who had reviewed/favorited/alerted: Evy Sevin, is a newcomer to the story apparently, he has favorited and alerted the story, as well as reviewed; of Jhinra reviewed, still plotting her nefarious plot against myself and PS; not to worry PS, Jhinra is losing her control over fanfiction, because I saw your review this time around, oh also, I love writing cliffhangers, how did you not already realize this? Thank you people for your reviews!

Don't forget, you still have all of this week to send in questions for the Q&A on Saturday!

RER, Read, Enjoy, Review!

Cat breathed heavily, feeling blood seep out of his wounds, sliding up his throat and pushing to make it out of his lips; he swallowed it down, nearly choking himself on his numb tongue in the process. His eyesight was finally starting to go hazy, he had lost far too much blood in the battle against Gwenivere, and he was able to take one last look at the limp body of the Queen's twin and smirked as the blood finally made its way out.

He barely made out the Queen's shout for help and Alice's scream of his name before falling into oblivion.

Alice quickly rose from her seat; rapidly wiping the tears from her eyes as Hare and numerous other healers, with and without magic, exited the castle hospital ward. She rushed up to him, trying to see Cat, wherever he was in that room, but was pushed back by Hare. He shook his head while glancing over at the other healers, before pulling the princess off to a more secluded part of the hall.

"He was very badly injured." he began.

"I know that Hare, I, I was there, I saw him, OK?" she told him in a shaky voice.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just, the wounds were inflicted with magic, and I don't mean some, low level beginner magic, this is, it was Dark Magic, that's, it's a very powerful magic that is strengthened even more by hatred, rage, and anger; we, we've done all we can, it all depends on Cat right now, I'm sorry." Hare was about to put a hand on Alice's shoulder, but she walked straight past him and into the hospital ward.

She held her breath when she saw what was there; most of the beds were in use, soldiers and rebels hurt in the intense battle that had taken place, the call to cease arms had not taken long to spread, Amarissa and Garithinias had done their jobs well and prevented a huge number of casualties by convincing a number of the unsure rebels to join their cause. Amarissa, had, just as planned, sneaked her way into the battle field and played a huge role in getting the fighting to stop.

Alice began walking, looking among the sparsely used beds for Cat, until an intern healer saw her, and assuming she was another random young woman looking for her lover, tried to push her out of the hospital ward.

"Alice, there you are!"

The intern stepped aside as Garithinas and Amarissa both ran up to her, paling as he quickly realized who she was and what he had just tried to do, he quickly began to beg for forgiveness, but Alice was quick to tell him that there really was no problem at all.

The intern left and Alice was quick to notice that there was indeed a problem, the Black Knight was nowhere nearby following after his charge.

"Where's Nal'rium?" she asked Garithinias, who's face went blank for a moment before brightening up as he changed the topic.

"You probably want to see Cat, come on let's go." he replied, motioning them elsewhere.

Alice was slow to follow him, hoping the abrupt change in topic didn't mean what she thought it might.

"He was killed protecting Garithinias, and of course Garithinias is about ready to kill himself over it, I haven't left him alone since I found out." Amarissa explained, confirming Alice's sad expectations, "Don't try to comfort him, he might not be exactly like the rest of the Black family, but he still doesn't like the idea of showing sadness at someone's death."

Alice nodded, "But, shouldn't we do something? I don't know, hold a memorial service, not just for Nal'rium, but for anyone who was killed in this battle?"

"While that will appease many of our people, it won't appease Garithinias, in the Fairchess culture, just dying on the battlefield is like an entire funeral procession, and his family will finally be a bit happy with Nal'rium because he truly fulfilled his duty, he protected the heir until his dying breath, that's all a Black Knight is supposed to do."

"Then what can we do for him, he doesn't want to be comforted, he doesn't like funerals, what can we do?" Alice asked.

"Just be here I guess, nothing much else we cando."

"Alice," the girls both turned to look at the man they had just been speaking about, "I assumed you would like to go and see Cat, but the healers said he can't see anyone right now, so what about your father?" he suggested.

"Oh yes, I heard he fell unconscious during the battle, do either of you know why?" she asked them.

"I am sorry, but no, we don't know, I do know where he is being kept though, and that your mother is already there."

"Then please show me the way, Garithinias."

The two girls followed after the Black Prince as he led them down the healing ward and through a set of large doors to a hallway and down to another set of doors that he opened to reveal her mother seated next to a bed where her father was lying with his eyes closed.

"Mother?" she asked, stepping up to her, the blonde woman looked up at her daughter and smiled sadly at her, before getting up and hugging her tightly.

"He was under Gwenivere's spell for so long, they don't know if he can get out of it, there are many others like him right now. But none of them were under her control for as long as he was." she sighed and dropped her head into her hands.

Alice held her mother's shoulder tightly, silence enveloped the group, but the steps of another person interrupted the morose moment, everyone turned to look at the person, seeing Lawrence approaching them.

"Hello ... good to ... see you all ... alive." he commented, smoke drifting about him like a cloak, "You ..." he glanced over at Genivieve, "stay here ... and you ..." he looked at Alice, "shall see ... the Cheshire Cat ... forget what ... anyone tells you ... you must ... see him." then he turned to Garithinias, Lawrence swiped a thumb across his lips, a black stain appeared there; he pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the substance there, "I'll talk ... to you ... about this ... when I know ... more." finally he turned to Amarissa, "See ... to your sister ... she heard wrong ... and thinks ... you are hurt ... she is ... ready to kill ... someone to ... find you." he then looked at his still audience, "Get ... get to where ... I told you."

Everyone but Garithinias and Genivieve rushed off to some other location, Amarissa to calm her sister, and Alice to see her lover.

Alice rushed down the hall, only to realize she had no clue where she was heading, this was quickly remedied by the jubileedee who appeared to be trying to pull her a certain direction. She was quick to follow the creature's directions, she vaguely wondered where he had gone off to, in the rush to get ready for battle, she hadn't brought him with her, to avoid his getting hurt in the crossfire, how he ended up in the castle from the rebel base she'd never know, but wouldn't question anyway.

The path the creature sent her on was void of any living creatures beyond them and the door she entered seemed to be into a bathroom, but the other door in the bathroom led into a room where she found Cat on the only bed.

She ran up to him quickly, falling next to his bed and holding onto his hanging hand; he was heavily bandaged, his chest and face almost entirely covered, and if Alice bothered to raise her head enough, than she would notice his other arm was completely missing.

She had her head down, trying to keep from sobbing outright, when she heard a faint grunt and looked up at Cat. His one visible eye was squinting at her through the light from a window behind her, and she would have thrown herself onto him to hug him if it weren't for the fact that she knew she might crush his ribs even more.

"Cat, oh Cat, thank the Gods you're alive." she started to cry, "I-I, when I saw you, and there was so much blood, and then Hare, he said, I was just so." her tears refused to allow her to form a complete sentence, "I'm just-" she decided to instead forego words and kiss Cat, the kiss was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

The two looked up to see a slightly embarrassed Hare and a few surprised healers looking at them, Hare turned back to the healers and pushed them, as well as himself, out of the room, giving the lovers some privacy.

"I suppose that our cover might finally be blown." Alice said, making Cat chuckle slightly, but when she looked at his face, there was a slight grimace there instead, "Oh dear, you really do hurt right now, I should leave, shouldn't I, yes I'll leave right away, allow you to get some proper rest." Alice stood to leave but was stopped.

"No." the raspy voice told her, she looked down at Cat to see him glaring at her for trying to leave, "Don't leave yet." she could see a spot of red appearing on the bandages around his neck.

"Cat, you shouldn't talk, you're hurting yourself."

"If you stay, then I won't talk." he replied, deciding that for defeating the Devil incarnate he should be allowed to be selfish for once in his life.

"Alright, just please, I want you to get better." she told him, petting his ear, which she noticed was now missing a good size of it; Cat nodded, "Let me get one of the healers to look at your throat, please." again he nodded, allowing Alice to grab Hare, who was still outside the door, so that he could see to Cat's self inflicted wound.

Yes, now that the battle was over, they could all see to their own wounds.