"Silence!"

Third POV

The word had echoed through the air, spoken from a cold and commanding voice. The furious cries instantly came to a halt. The Red troops parted down the middle, allowing a single man to pass through. The man wore a cold and unreadable expression, with golden hair and ice blue eyes, dressed in a red and white regal military uniform. "Bow down to the King of Hearts, Lancelot! May glory run crimson through our veins!" The Red Soldiers shouted.

"May glory run crimson through our veins." Lancelot repeated. So, this was the King of Hearts. To say the least, the man had quite a powerful presence. Lancelot's ice blue eyes suddenly flashed crimson, "My proud men, there is no need to draw your swords." As the King of Hearts waved his hand-

A red glow shined brightly, and weapons held by the Black Army soldiers floated up into the air before dissolving in front of our very eyes. So many questions flooded Iris' mind. Did he just use magic? How did he do that without a Magic Crystal? Kyle rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance, "Ugh, there our boss goes again, overdoing it with the magic."

"It looks like we've right over the 'threaten your enemy' stage." Seth muttered. "You think that's all it takes to stop us? Come on! We've been waiting for this battle for 500 years!" Fenrir wore a wild smile with a similar glint in his eyes. "He's right. Leaders of the past may have put this battle off, but the time has come for us to fight." Zero agreed. "An excellent summation, Zero. Well done." Edgar smiled.

Jonah frowned, "If you're thinking of surrendering, now is the time. I hope you heard that, Luka." he spoke, his gaze drifting to the purple-haired man. Luka averted his gaze, "Did somebody say something? Because all I heard was a gust of hot air." It really did look like a war was brewing, the flames slowly burning. Caught between the Black and Red Armies in a conflict far beyond her understanding, there was nothing Iris could do besides stand there and worry.

"Lance, call this off!" Sirius pleaded, his expression troubled. "Don't speak as if we're friends, Queen of Spades." Lancelot glared at the man who had dared to speak to him with such informality, then continued- "I have a message for the Black Army- from this day forth, you have been absorbed into the Red Army." Ray glared at the King of Hearts, "I have a message for the Red Army- quit spouting nonsense."

"In that case-" Lancelot's eyes flashed crimson once more, "I'll just have to dissolve every last one of you." A red glow began to emit from the man. Panic surged in Iris' chest, something inside was screaming that she couldn't let this happen. "P..Please! Don't do this!" Iris shouted. "Oh!" Lancelot and Ray shared a wide-eyed look. Iris' cry faded into nothing, alongside the King of Hearts' magic. Iris stared in disbelief. Had she deflected his spell?

Lancelot's cold gaze turned on Iris, "So, Jonah's report was true. Alice the Second really had appeared." he glared at her, "Just be warned, Alice- I consider anybody who gets in my way an enemy." "Stop making stuff up as you go!" Ray shouted, glaring at Lancelot, "Her name is Iris, not Alice." Ray stepped forward, standing in between her and the King of Hearts to shield Iris from Lancelot's cold gaze. A moment later, a carriage violently pulled up before them.

"That'll do, gentlemen." Blanc spoke. "I don't know what you think you're doing, pulling a stunt like this so early in the morning. Don't you know people live here?" Came a voice from beside the White Rabbit. A.. child? Who was this little boy? Blanc stepped down from the carriage and walked to the open space between both armies, speaking in an uncharacteristically severe voice. "The Central Quarter is a neutral zone. Any and all forms of combat are strictly prohibited here. The entire country of Cradle will be put at risk if you destroy its economic and political center."

Silence fell over the atmosphere. Neither Kings daring to speak. After a long moment, the King of Hearts' voice came out in a growl, "Let it be known, this is only one time I'll humor the requests of the record keeper. Troops, fall back!" Iris felt a breath of relief that it was over. But her hardships were not yet over-

"I can't leave without giving you something to fret over, Alice." Jonah spoke. Iris turned her attention to the Queen of Hearts, "..What.. What is that supposed to mean?" she asked. Jonah smirked, "I'll have you under my command soon enough. You'll learn to enjoy serving me. I hope you'll look forward to it as much as I am." His words sent chills down Iris' spine, her entire body tensing as those memories began to creep their way out of the shadows of her mind. But things were only about to get worse.

"Alice-" Lancelot's voice broke Iris from her near-panic attack, "I doubt it will be long until I see you again, but until then, enjoy what little time you have left of your life to value." The King of Hearts turned around, his cape blowing in the wind as he left. Awful reminders and uncreative threats aside, Iris wasn't sure if she had been imagining it or not, but.. The King of Hearts almost looked.. sad, just then. But the King of Hearts never turned back as he and his troops faded off West.

At any rate, Iris was glad the danger was over for now. But she wished she hadn't ended up making herself an enemy of the Red Army. "So, you really are from the Land of Reason, Iris?" Sirius asked, breaking the silence. Taking a deep breath, Iris turned her attention towards the Queen of Spades, "Mmhm, I am.. It was not my intention to ever come here, but now I'm trapped until the next full moon." she explained. That was, if she could even stay alive until then.

Iris bit her lip as the dread began to settle in her gut, until the kind warmth of someone's hand on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts. Sirius gave Iris a gentle smile as she looked up at him, "Don't worry. We'll make sure you find your way home." "I.. Thank you.. Sirius." Iris muttered, smiling. "Welcome to the Black Army, sweetie! Everything's a bit messier now than when we first met, but I think you'll find yourself at home." Seth spoke, a wide grin on his lips.

Iris blinked in confusion, casting her gaze down and tugging at her long sleeves, "I'm.. I'm one of you.. now?" she asked, almost hesitant. "What do you think you're doing, Seth?" Luka stared at his fellow soldier. "I think it's a fine idea. It's gotta be a hundred times better than having to go live with the Reds." Fenrir interjected. "Erm.. Are you sure that it's alright for.. an outsider to live with you? I.. I don't want to cause trouble or.. be a burden." Iris muttered.

"Let's cut a deal, Iris, that will help both of us survive in this world." Ray proposed. Her suspicions rising, Iris glanced cautiously at the King of Spades, "What.. What sort of deal are we discussing here?" Ray's expression turned more serious, "Your ability to deflect magic is just what we need. If you promise to help us when we need you, I promise we'll keep you safe."

A symbiotic relationship between herself and the Black Army.. As Iris looked into Ray's emerald eyes, she considered her options. Even though she was hesitant, it was most likely her best chance at getting home. "..I.. I accept your offer." "Good." Ray turned his attention to his army, "Soldiers- I want you to pledge under the honor of the Black Army that you will protect Iris." The soldiers immediately stood up straight in a salute, "Freedom soars on raven wings!" they shouted.

"Freedom soars on raven wings!" Ray echoed. "Iris-" Fenrir began, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke to her, "You're officially a member of the Black Army now. Let's make it fun, yeah?" Wanting to hide how uncomfortable she felt, Iris subtly brushed off his touch with a shrug of her shoulders and a kind smile. She couldn't believe how willing they were to take her in as one of them so quickly. They didn't even know her.

"I.. I promise not to let any of you down." she spoke, her voice hard with her resolution. "And us the same." Ray spoke. The Black Army retreated in the opposite direction the Red Army had marched off to.

"In just one night you've become a major player in the war." Blanc commented with a smile. "Ah. Blanc.. It's wonderful to see you." Iris smiled. "I'll do everything I can to help you out. I live in the Central Quarter, so come by whenever you need anything." he offered. "Ugh, I can't believe you're willing to let such a dangerous woman into our house. You didn't even ask how I felt before offering." the child? grumbled.

"Oliver, you know it's not polite to speak about a lady that way!" Blanc reprimanded. "You think I care?" Oliver retorted. A soft giggle escaped Iris, "It's quite alright, Blanc." she spoke, then turned her attention to the young boy. "It's.. It's nice to meet you, Oliver. I hope we can be on better terms." "Don't treat me like a baby, you idiot." The only cute thing about Oliver was his looks. He wasn't even the first person to call Iris an idiot here, either.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Iris with his strangely adult face before returning to the carriage. "Though it's quite a relief your safety has been guaranteed, something even worse seems to have transpired." Blanc spoke. "Something..worse?" Iris questioned. "Everyone from the Black Army really seems to like you," he pointed out, "And there are rumors somebody from the Red Army wants to tempt you into joining their side as well. It's highly likely that some unforeseen difficulties may arise between you and a certain someone. Maybe even myself and Oliver."

Iris stared at the White Rabbit in confusion, "What do you mean, 'unforeseen difficulties?'" Blanc smiled, "Listen well, Iris. If you want to make it home, there's one kind of magic you must not fall under the spell of. It's the strongest, oldest magic in this land- love." Iris froze, "..Love?" "Strictly speaking, love on its own doesn't constitute magic. But what I just told you wasn't just some silly metaphor about life either. Only tragedy awaits those who fall in love with somebody from a different world." Blanc explained.

"Your dream to return to London will remain nothing more than that- a dream. If you are serious about going back home, then you must remain constantly vigilant." Iris stared at Blanc, confused on why he felt the need to warn her about this. She had only loved once before, but that nightmare had taught her to never open herself up like that ever again. If she wished to remain sane, that was. And it wasn't like she could fall in love in just one month.

In spite of her doubts, Iris found herself thinking back to all that had happened since the night before. She met so many people in just one night, some were kind, while others were scary, or even powerful. "Don't worry about me, Blanc. I'm probably the last person you'll catch falling in love." Iris spoke, her tone confident for once, "I want to return home and get back to my simple lifestyle. It's what brings me true joy in this life." Blanc let out a chuckle, "If that's what you say, Iris. Just don't forget about that goal- no matter what happens. I do hope your dream will come true." Iris smiled and gave Blanc a small courtesy before running to catch up with the Black Army.

Little did she know that her life was about to take a drastic change. 30 days remained until the next full moon...