Chessur's eyes were on Alice as though she were a rat he would pounce upon at any given moment, she however did not see the cat's calculating gaze. She was too consumed with joy that Mirana would come to their aid at last.
"I have to apologize to her once I see her again!" Alice whispered looking over the scroll. "She could not come to our aid publicly due to spies within her court, but she is sending her very best knights to come for Hatter and I this time tomorrow! I should have known better than to have lost faith in her," she spoke now catching the boding look of her feline friend. "Chess? What is it?"
"Alice, I meant what I said before. Mirana never goes back on her word," growled the cat. Leaping from the bed and towards her general direction, Chess floated the remainder of the distance between them. "Let me see that."
Alice blinked at the comment before looking over the pertinent information once more before handing off the letter from the queen.
Chessur's eyes scanned over the words before him. The writing was indeed the queens, but somehow it did not feel right. "We'll have to discuss this with Tarrant tomorrow," Chess said before glancing up to the Champion. "It is my understanding that she did not come due to the Oraculum's timeline."
"But isn't that all based on will? Perhaps it's changed due to her will to rescue us?" Alice suggested, but the cat wasn't sold.
"Perhaps," Chessur mused as he looked over the note one last time before handing it back to Alice. "But still. I don't trust this plan. It all feels so very off from her normal tactic. Even if there was a spy within her ranks, she would still be true to her motives, regardless of who was there."
Alice frowned looking at the information one last time before tearing the paper to shreds which made the cat's eyes widen with curiosity. Before he could question the reason for the act, Alice was already providing his answer.
"I can't have this fall into the wrong hands. If Stayne or one of his men were to get a hold of this, all would be lost!" She whispered looking at the bits in her hand before tossing them, letting the wind carry the fragments off to distant places, and Alice returned back inside, making way for the bed. She had to be well-rested for the escape.
"Goodnight Chessur. Tomorrow we will be far from here, back where we belong," mumbled the woman slipping deeper underneath the covers.
The cat only nodded to her wishful thinking before joining her upon the bed, curling up on the end of the mattress, watching Alice as sleep took her then allowed it to take him as well.
Mirana silently scurried through the halls of her castle, going as quickly as she could without setting alarm to her subjects. This was indeed a very worrisome time with news that Alice was to marry Stayne. Although Time spoke of Alice looking like an appropriate Queen, she was not fearful of losing her subjects. She was fearful of a civil war. A war of which had not been seen since before her parent's union. The kind of war that would wipe out an entire population, and possibly civilization.
The battle that took place on the Frabjouous day was just that. A battle, minimal casualties, but a great win on her side. An all-out war? With her once was Champion? It could be catastrophic. Loss of life on both sides of the chessboard. If she won, she would keep Time's favor but could lose much of her rule. If she lost? She couldn't afford to think about such things now.
Down the corridors she went. Past the library, her laboratory and though the garden until she reached a magnificent painting just before the old prison. She had never sentenced someone to prison. She would either banish the offenders or pardon them. However, she had not released all of the prisoners that her parents had taken in. She pardoned all but one, just for this very reason.
Her dark eyes observed the painting now. An honorable White Knight, the first and best of his breed. He was tall and lean, with pale skin and long white hair that glew bright in the rays of the morning sun. His eyes were a gentle blue, but it looked as though they could pierce one's heart by simply narrowing them. On the bottom of the framed portrait, there was an inscribing which was the name of the man in the picture. Sir Winthrop Wyatt the White.
She sent her gaze down the halls to ensure no one else was near or watching before she took hold of the edge of the frame, pulling it towards her to reveal that the portrait served as a secret passageway entrance.
Stepping into the secret room, Mirana gracefully made her way through the room, which was a disaster. It looked as though it were the March Hare's living quarters. Books, clothes, teacups and all sorts of items were scattered about or collectively dumped into enormous piles.
A clattering of pots and pans was soon heard which startled the white queen, and a man who resembled the knight in the painting revealed himself to her. He was the man in the painting, only he had grown older, and lost most of the hair on his head, and replaced it with a full beard.
"You're Majesty." The frail-looking man responded in surprise before remembering his place and bowed to her.
"Sir Winthrop, I am in need of your services." She said simply, trying her best to focus on the man before her and not the mess that surrounded her.
"You need my inventions?" The knight asked, pleased to hear his crafts were requested but was let down swiftly by a mere shake of her head.
"No, I wish for your talents as a Champion once more," the White Queen stated as she eyes a particularly dirty pile of dishes, a cockroach of some sort making a very nice home for himself within the old man quickly chuckled and shook his head, stroking his beard as he grinned with satisfaction.
"Ah, yes, I should have known better, but you should know best! I am no longer Champion material, not since I've been sentenced to solitary that is." He claimed eyeing the queen.
"No, you are the only one who can complete what I need done!" She began. "You were my Father's greatest asset. Besides, I have no one else to turn to now!"
"Well recruit yourself a new champion!" The old man shouted playfully, waving her away, but now the woman approached closer.
"That's just it, I had a Champion, a very brave and fearsome one at that. She had slain the last Jabberwocky, but I fear she means to ruin Underland now, you see… She has gone mad with power, and will try anything to rule. She has just agreed to a courtship with the sole survivor of the Stygian family," Mirana said turning her gaze away from the man as the name caught the man's attention, his smirk now a scowl.
"I see. Ilosovic has returned to his home then," the knight muttered making his way for a table filled with cogs and contraptions of all sorts. "I had warned your father about that boy. I knew it the moment I set my eyes on him. He had no place being a stable boy, and now he looks to be a King?!"
"You see now why it is dire that I need you, Underland will be lost if Issolovic takes reign! War will come again if we let their wedding take place, I fear with a Champion of her muchness on his side, we may not stand a chance in battle."
"Ahh… So you wish for an assassination." The knight said with a frown. The idea of killing an opponent while they were off guard didn't suit him much, but there were always ways and means of leveling the playing field.
"If at all possible, yes. I know you aren't fond of such a task." She whispered, unsure if the mention of Stayne had any effect.
The man was silent for some time, pondering the mission laid before him. His bones ached to be free from this room and his eyes longed for the sights of his world, but above all else, he wanted to serve justice for his kingdom, for himself as well. Even if the woman was telling lies of this 'former champion's' true self, an opponent's personality mattered little to him.
"What was this Champion's name again?"
"Alice. Her name is Alice." Mirana responded, the man feeling his beard in thought.
"Can I kill Ilosovic?"
"I would prefer if you did not, at least not yet." She called moving closer. "I mean to break the Black Kingdom. Once the Queen is dead, then you move for the king. As it is in every battle. Once I give the order to war however, you may dispose of him yourself." She assured. The man nodded, but he would prefer to do it all in one trip.
Reluctantly he sighed and faced the desperate queen fully, kneeling before her, head bowed.
"Your Highness, I shall be your Champion."
Alice waited patiently in the tailoring room with a pair of handmaidens, but she could hardly keep her excitement. She wore a simple blue dress along with the sailor's coat she wore upon her journey here. When asked why she would wear such a tattered thing she complained that she was cold and no one questioned her further, but she really only needed it for its pockets, to hide a key Chessur had stolen off of a guard for Tarrant's escape.
Suddenly the doors burst open and Alice felt a mixture of joy and fear. Tarrant came stumbling in, chains and all, but he looked more than pleased to be here. What worried her was that Stayne had accompanied him with a pair of guards.
Stayne caught the look of worry instantly.
"I'm just here to make sure you are not going to be alone. I have matters that I need to attend to." He said eyeing the overly enthusiastic ginger beside him. "Otherwise I assure you I would be right outside those doors."
"I've heard its bad luck to see the bride before the wedding anyway," Alice retorted, signaling a laugh from The Hatter. Stayne shot a glare to the man which silenced the laughter immediately before returning his gaze to her, folding his arms over his chest.
"I didn't take you to be one for superstitions," Stayne muttered, rather hypocritical at the moment. Things were already falling apart a bit and he did not want luck to ruin anything else.
"I'm not, but, it is somewhat of a tradition, isn't it?" Alice asked eyeing him now which made the King smirk, flashing his teeth as he did.
"I suppose you are right." The Black King agreed out of embarrassment of being defeated in a short game of wits. His gaze soon went to the guards behind Tarrant. "You may release him now, but stand guard at the door. If he tries to escape, we only need his hands, so feel free to lop off his legs."
Tarrant glared at Stayne once the comment was made, but made no interjection as the guards unshackled his hands and feet. Once they were off the guards left the room to stand guard outside of the door. Stayne gave one last distrustful glance to Tarrant before looking to Alice once more.
"I will see you tonight at Dinner?" He asked gently, a twinge of hope in his voice. Alice gave him what he wanted to hear, even though it would be a lie.
"Of course, Ilosovic." She whispered with a smile. Stayne was slightly taken aback at the answer and the manner that it came in, but he didn't question it, not for the time being anyway. Instead, he gave a nod and left the room, without so much as a single word or glance to anyone else, the doors closed by the guards once he was out.
Instantly Tarrant looked to the pair of maiden's with an odd sort of smile, approaching them with caution.
"Pardon me, beauties, but would it be too much to ask for one of you to fetch a pot of tea?" Asked The Hatter. The pair looked to one another, unsure which worried Tarrant slightly, but was rescued by his favorite Champion.
"Yes, I believe I would like some tea as well," Alice said, looking to the two maids. Silently, one of the two nodded and left the room to fetch the tea, leaving one less pair of ears in the room.
"Now then. Shall we get started?" Tarrant asked, his eyes a very dull blue-gray tone which made Alice frown, but she could not speak just yet. Not with the eyes and ears of Stayne's rather loyal servants still in the room.
Moving to the work station, Tarrant began to look at the dress that had been started by the previous tailor. He tisked at it shaking his head.
"This dress isn't fit for a Queen on her wedding day!" Tarrant began as he looked over the half-made dress. "Why, I think I should just start fresh!" This made the maiden's face grow pale with worry.
"But Sir, the wedding is in three days!" There isn't enough time to-"
"Oh nonsense!" Tarrant said rather gleefully. "I could stitch up half a dozen dresses with hats to match each one before the day is out!" He assured as he tore the dress from its holding place and into the scraps basket.
Alice smiled as Tarrant began to measure her simply by his eyes. He could hardly believe he would be tailoring something for nice, normal, proper sized Alice. Caught up in his trade, he didn't question what his task was, only that he could work on something that would be just for Alice.
He made quick work of the fabrics, cutting and stitching quickly, but he tried to pace himself. They only needed one dress, and once that was complete he was sure to be sent right back to his cell for the remainder of the sentence.
His eyes glanced up to door to see if the tea had arrived yet and was sorely disappointed to see that it was not in just yet. His gaze looked to the remaining maiden.
"Does it always take this long to get tea Miss?" He asked politely.
"Well, the kitchen isn't exactly right around the bend you know." The woman responded quietly with a narrowed gaze.
"Well do you think you could check on her?" The Hatter asked in his best behavior voice. "I really do my best work when I have a bold cup of tea, I think even more so with a few sugar cubes." He argued. The woman looked as though she was going to object but Alice's voice came first.
"Oh dear! I don't believe I had mentioned that I would like honey with my tea! My throat has been bothering me quite a bit. Oh however, could I say my vows with a lost voice?" She lied, but the maid could not allow the queen-to-be to lose her voice. She simply nodded and ran out to fetch the honey for her tea.
Once alone, the two properly embraced one another, hugging each other tightly.
"When you said you'd be back before I knew it, I was hoping that you would show up uninvited for tea," Tarrant whispered softly.
"That would have been nice," Alice whispered back breaking off the hug. "But we can talk over tea once this is all behind us," assured the woman, pulling out the key from her pocket.
"Chess pulled this off of a guard. It's a skeleton key." Tarrant quickly took the tool and hid it in a secret pocket of his coat. "The white queen sent me a letter, she is coming for us, Tarrant!" The man's eyes went wide and a true grin came across his lips
"She is? What did she say? When?" He asked, his voice rising, which made Alice give him a stern look.
"Hush! She said she could not come sooner for the kingdom had a spy within the court, and she had to flush him out first. There were clear instructions that we were to go separate ways, to increase our odds of not being surrounded. We leave tonight, preferably well before dinner is served." She whispered.
Tarrant did not like the sound of having to escape without Alice at his side, but the tactic had proved to be successful in the past.
"What shall we do then?!"
"You are to head for the forest where a troop shall meet you, I on the other hand am to go to the cliffs. She will be sending in her friend, a Gryphon." Tarrant smiled further at the escape plan.
"Marvelous! Gryphons are by far one of the best ways to travel, with the exception of hats. Travel by hat is the best!" He cheered, then quickly covered his mouth, an apologetic gaze now on her, he motioned to apologize for his enthusiasm when the doors burst open with such a force it made the pair jump.
Az had stormed to the room the moment she saw the maidens responsible for keeping an eye on Alice and the prisoner away from their post. She was already on the king's bad side and the last thing she wanted was to be blamed for her peer's stupidity.
"Tricking both those girls to leave you too alone?! Alice, how could you?! What would our King say if-?" She paused herself once centered in the room and her eyes no longer directed at Alice, but the brilliantly colored man before her. Never in all her life had she seen something or someone so vivid.
"Oh, Pardon, Miss. That was my doing really!" Tarrant interjected moving from Alice and closer to the maid. "I'm most terribly sorry, but you see, I haven't had tea in a few days, and I just get so terribly irritable without it. Please, it was never my intention to have any trouble made on my account, so if anyone is to be punished, let it be me."
Az could only stare at the man you took responsibility for both their actions. He was like a painting to her, so imperfectly perfect, and now she felt feelings stir within her that she wished to keep down. Her gaze looked over to Alice now, who was watching them with confusion. Az felt a twinge of jealousy that she knew such a beautiful creature on a personal level. She shook her head and sighed.
"I apologize, I- I thought that you two were, up to no good. Please, forgive my intrusion." Az whispered softly, giving the man a bow. "I shall leave you to your work now."
"You can stay if you want, Az." Alice called, making the hatter look over his shoulder, slightly upset they would not have any more time left alone until their grand escape, but the woman shook her head.
"Thank you, but I really must be off. There are many preparations to attend to, and I would not wish to distract your work, Mister…?"
"Just Tarrant, please." He said with the best smile he could produce for the woman, relieved she would not stay longer.
"Tarrant? Yes, of course." She whispered, her face going slightly red as she curtsied and made her way out, leaving the pair alone again.
"We should finish up that dress..." Alice whispered which made the hatter turn to give her an incredulous look.
"Why, what a notion that is! I see no point in finishing a dress that you won't wear!"
"I will wear it, Tarrant, as soon as you make it for me." She replied with a soft smile as she sat herself on a stool watching him as he went back to the work station.
"I'm not entirely fond that you'd be in all black. The color doesn't fit you, dearie." He tried to reason as he began to slice and stitch the fabrics once more. "Dark tones seem to make you look washed out." Alice smiled watching her childhood friend and nodded to what he said.
"And what color does suit me?"
"Blue of course, but not that tone you have on now. No, not that you can't pull off navy, my dear." He said trying to recover his statement. "But a light blue, or powder blue." He said now looking in her direction with a smile before returning his gaze to his work.
"Maybe I should make this my best work yet." The tradesman said with a smirk. "Just to spite that bloody knave." Alice smiled at the suggestion but didn't respond. She was just happy to know that she would be able to leave this place.
"He's quite awful you know," Tarrant said, not looking up from his work. "I don't know how much he has said to you, and I'd prefer not to say such things he said in front of a lady such as yourself, but he is truly deplorable." He whispered thinking back to why he only agreed to make the dress in the first place. "I would not be surprised if the beast cut off me head instead of yer' wedding cake!" He teased as light heartedly as he could but he could hardly keep is composure just on the thought of the man known as Ilosovic Stayne.
"Hatter… Do you remember when we met? The first time? When I was a little girl."
"Oh! How could I forget, Alice?! Such a dreadfully rude thing you were, but I liked that. You had such spunk! The most muchness in all of Underland" He teased, stifling a laugh from the young woman. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just that I don't remember everything and I was hoping that you would be able to enlighten me on my last trip down."
"Ah, Alice." Tarrant smiled looking to the door as the maids returned with tea and treats. "The way I see it, sometimes the past is best to stay in the past." He said giving her a wink. "It's all about the future now, but maybe I'll tell you another day." He said as a cup of tea was handed to him.
He looked at the dress before him now, then again to Alice, who sat eyeing him with that quirk of a smile which made his own grin widen to the point where he felt his lips crack.
"You can try it on now, Alice."
Grail huffed and puffed as he approached Marmoreal. Several times upon the trail he was sure he had lost his tail and kept turning to ensure that it was still attached to him. He sat beneath a tree to catch his breath once he felt he was safe from the sight of songbirds. His gears began to turn, thinking of his next steps when he heard voices approaching.
He chose to enter from the south because it was opposite from the north, and every compass pointed north, so nearly everyone traveled north, even if it took longer to reach their destination, the north was the best route to take.
Suddenly voices were nearly upon his location. Without thinking, the wolf dove into a bush and remained as still as he possibly could, hoping the travelers would pass him without taking notice.
Soon his eyes came to the sight of a noble-looking Gryphon, and an equally nobleman, dressed in a brilliant white silver set of armor. Alongside the pair was a small squad of white knights. Grail could only wonder how they all managed to keep clean.
"Our orders are clear men, you are to liberate the last Hightopp. The poor fool must not have a clue where he will be going, but I'm sure you won't miss him." Rang out the proud lead knight. "Myself and Gaston will be saving Alice." The news made the wolf weary now, and the knights were dismissed, riding off in the direction of Deces.
If they were successful in taking Alice, then The Oraculum would prove to be worthless. Grail could only imagine what would become of him if he turned up with the legendary scroll when his king had lost his means of ruling. The wolf put his paws to his throat in despair when he heard the man speak again, more hushed now.
"Tell me, have you seen this Alice in battle?"
"I have not," The mighty creature confessed. "She had slain the last Jabberwocky, so I would presume she is a formidable opponent."
"Yes, of course." The man mused, stroking his well-trimmed goatee. "I know that the Queen wishes for me to assassinate her, but I just can't imagine passing up the opportunity to duel a fellow Champion." He continued as he knelt down beside the winged creature, rummaging through a large satchel, pulling a brilliant black sword from it.
"A souvenir from my last battle in Deces. It had belonged to a rather promising young knight, but I had slain him down. Perhaps it shall serve Alice better."
"As long as you succeed, I think the manner in which she dies matters little." The beast confessed, lifting his head to the air, he could swear he caught wind of something nearby.
"Well, I think you may be right, but it may be safe if we all just kept to our white lies," said the knight as he mounted the griffon. Without another word between the two, they took off into flight, heading in the direction of Deces.
Grail growled at the exchange he just heard. He may not be that of high standing, but even an omega knew bad news when he heard it. The real trouble was, there was no way he could warn his king of the murder to come, not in time anyway. All he could do now was accomplish the task he was given, and hope that Alice would remain unscathed.
His eyes suddenly caught a lone sheep dressed in a parliament gown, going about the wood in search of greens to eat. The sight brought a toothy grin to the canine, he found his way in.
The Hatter was taken from Alice's presence once more, but they did not exchange goodbyes, under the assumption that they would be reunited soon. A mischievous smile plagued both their lips for some time, even as they were escorted to their respective 'cells'.
Without alerting anyone, Chessur followed Tarrant down to the prison. It was clear to see that in means of escape, Tarrant would have an uphill battle, in means of escaping, but if all went accordingly the three of them could be in Marmoreal in time for a cup of tea before bed, however, Chess never was much of an optimist.
Tarrant did his best to not feel the key within his pocket once left in his cell alone. He was thankful that the guards had not restrained him as much as they had in the previous night, only the chain and shackle around his neck. To remove himself from that would be a simple task. Unlocking the door was a much harder obstacle.
Unaware of his feline friend's presence, Tarrant began the process of freeing himself, quietly relieving himself from the shackle around his throat and moved to the door. Looking out the barred peeping hole he was shocked to see the guards who should have been guarding him were nowhere in sight.
Tarrant frowned upon examining the door, that there was no such way to unlock the door from the inside. His hopes of escaping nearly ended there, which was the precise time that Chess showed himself to the distressed mad man. Upon seeing Chessur, Tarrant showed his own gapped tooth Cheshire grin. Motioning to speak, the cat simply held a clawed digit to his lips then plucked the key from Tarrant's grasp, vanishing once more out of sight to the other side of the door.
Chess was nearly about to place the key into the lock when something struck him, an idea. His eyes shifted to the various occupied cells around him, all of which unguarded. Why have the hassle of having one prisoner to fight off the guards when you could have a revolt?
Alice bided her time in her room, nervously pacing about. She could leave anytime she wanted now, however she was worried that if she left too early, someone would see this and grow suspicious. She also could not run the risk being too late, or being intercepted by Stayne along the way. Aggravated by it all, Alice forfeited the thoughts of 'what ifs' and made her way out from her room, not so much as casting another look back.
She made her way out into the garden without so much as a single soul glancing her way. She took note to herself that the garden was looking much livelier, but she could not care less. Or was it that she could not care more? Perplexed by this thought she continued on, trying not to care at all.
She was a good distance away from the castle now, nearly at the cliff edge when she heard shouts off in the distance, from the castle. It was hard from her position to make out what the cries were and where they were coming from, but if Alice had to guess, it was that Tarrant was making his escape.
Alice shifted where she stood, hopeful that her hatter would be successful in his escape. She was nearly swayed to go back to the castle to ensure his safety when she felt a sudden rush of wind on her back, her naval coat flaring up around her. Turning to see the cause of the sudden burst, she smiled to see an elderly man land a marvelous creature as to one she had never see before except for in fairy tales, and even those could not compare.
The man jumped down from the creatures back and as he hit the ground the Gryphon was airborne once more, leaving Alice bewildered at the notion, and the two moved to greet one another.
"I presume you are Alice?" The man in dazzling white armor asked approaching the young and terribly naive girl, who nodded at the question.
"Yes, I am." Her eyes moving the blade in his hand then to the sword upon his hip, recognizing it as the Vorpal sword immediately. She was curious to see the blade at someone else's side, but more so she began to ponder why the man had two weapons on him, and why their means of getting back to the White Queen up and left without saying hello.
"Excuse me, Sir, but where has the gryphon gone off too?"
"Oh, don't mind him!" The man said with a rather cheerful expression upon his face. "He's just going to scout the area over whilst we duel."
"Duel?" Alice scoffed. "I'm sorry, Sir, but this most certainly isn't the time nor the place to go on in sport! We must leave this place immediately before anyone realizes I'm missing!" She said approaching him. "I'd be more than happy to test steal with you once we are in Marmoreal." Alice pressed before the unsheathed black blade was tossed at her feet, and the Vorpal sword drawn from the White Knight's side.
"My sympathies are with you, my dear, they really are." The man spoke, not looking sympathetic at all, in fact he still looked quite excited, and he was. "I have no intention of bringing you to Marmoreal because Mirana has no intention of your company. Why, she actually sent me here to kill you, which I could have done at least five times now." The news of this made Alice grow pale which made the man tisk at her.
"Oh please do not give me such a look! I brought that sword just for you! I am a fair man! I couldn't kill an unarmed creature, and certainly not an unarmed Champion! So go on and pick up that sword so that we can begin!"
Alice's eyes looked to the sword on the ground in confusion, backing away from it, and from the knight before her. Why did Mirana want her dead?! There must be a mistake!
"Mirana wrote to me! She said that she would send help, that she was to-"
"My dear, she was lying. Now please, I understand that you are upset, but I would like to hurry up and get on with this before, as you said, anyone notices that you are missing. Normally I would welcome an audience, but that would defeat the purpose of my mission." He said pointing to the blade at her feet with his own.
Alice just stared at the man in astonishment before shaking her head.
"No, I won't." She whispered looking back to the castle, in hopes that Tarrant or Chess would spring from nowhere. "Besides, you said it yourself... you won't kill an unarmed champion." She defended before she felt the blade slice her torso, just enough to not only shred the cloth of her garments but to where she felt the warmth of her blood rush to the surface. She yelped, staggering back, her hands going to cover the now bloody wound.
"I know what I said, M'lady. I won't kill you, but I never said I would not harm you." He said disappointed, he had expected more muchness from this girl. "Now you can either fight and die like a proper champion, Or I shall have to slice you up bit by bit and have Gaston finish you off by tossing you into the sea. It is your choice, Alice." He said with a smile that looked similar to that of kindness, but Alice knew the look of madness far too well.
Crouching down to the soil, both her bloody hands left her wound to pick up the blade before her. She never did have a say in anything she did it seemed.
Stayne cursed and swore as he fought through the crowds of riled prisoners and incompetent guards alike. He didn't ask how this happened, nor if The Hatter was recaptured. It was obvious who could have slipped into the prison undetected, and though the Hightopp scum was not the most brilliant of minds, it was obvious he wasn't the dumbest either, Tarrant was long gone from here. The only question he had was if Alice had gone with him.
He made his way down to the royal chamber hall, charging for Alice's room, bursting through the doors. He didn't expect to see her still in the safety of her room, but he had hoped she would have stayed. Stayne made his way to the balcony, his hands gripping at the railing with all his might.
Had the prophecies all been a lie then? Was Alice not to become the Black Queen? There was not only the source of the glass painting, but even words from others told that the Oraculum spoke of it! No. It was nothing more than false hope. Once again, Ilosovic Stayne proved to be a fool of Time.
Casting his eye to the sea before him, he had half his mind set on plunging himself into a watery grave, but he was too proud to suffer such a fate, even though he drowned himself in his own misery each day. He was prepared to set back to the prison to settle the matters conspired when something caught his eye in the distance of his peripheral vision.
His eye strained to make out what he saw at the cliff's edge, just past the garden. Though he could not make out the faces from this distance, there was no mistaking Alice's head of curls, nor could he imagine anyone other than a White knight which lit up like a star in the now overcast and boding terrain, a storm now brewing over the sea. Judging by their movements, Alice and this White soldier were not engaging in friendly conversation...
Alice struggled in the battle against the knight, and it showed. Had this been a fencing match rather than a battle to the death, he would have won the match by a landslide, but this wasn't a friendly competition, least not to her. The White Knight was toying with her now, no better than how her childhood pet, Dinah, would treat small rodents once she ensnared them. Mercilessly clawing, batting and biting the poor things to death.
Alice suffered three more slices from her attacker's blade. One to her left forearm, the second a gash to her left thigh, and the most recent injury was to her right shoulder blade. Her navy coat soaking up the red liquid hungrily.
The man looked disappointed now, his eagerness for battle had died only moments into their game. She had not managed to land a single hit on him, and he could have killed her a dozen times over. To think that this was the Champion that Underland raved about while he was locked away.
"How on earth did you manage to slay a Jabberwocky? He must have been either very careless or possibly the most simple-minded creature in the realms." He spat, deflecting Alice's blade with his own as she charged at him.
"It was impossible for me to defeat it, so I had to do it," Alice rasped out, exhausted to the point of nearly collapsing.
"My dear, I assure you, I am the one who is impossible to defeat. I have never lost a single fight, be it verbal or physical. You should have saved that miracle of yours for fighting me!" He chimed, deflecting another attack from Alice, this time slicing her right wrist open, the blade in her hand flying off from her grip, leaving her defenseless.
"Such a shame. Here I had hoped that I was given such a noble task out extinguishing Underland's latest Champion, only to find that you are by far one of the worst matches I have ever had!" He moaned in disappointment as he approached the disarmed woman who had fallen to the hard earth floor, clutching her bloody wrist with all her might, biting back her mewls of pain.
"I'm won't apologize for not meeting your expectations as a duelist. After all, I didn't even want to fight you in the first place." Alice hissed back. He chuckled at the response and nodded coolly. She was feisty. Certainly more skilled in a battle of tongues.
"I would like to deliver a message to Mirana if she indeed sent you to kill me."
"Anything, my dear." He said with a smirk, more than willing to fulfill the girls dying wish.
"More than anything I would like to ask her why she betrayed me, but being that I doubt I'll live to hear the answer, I won't bother asking. Instead, I wish for you to tell her that others will see though her empty chest and spineless back, maybe not this day, but eventually." She hissed in anger at herself for not seeing it sooner herself.
The white knight now roared with laughter, thunder echoing his boast, followed by the swift greeting of rain from the dark clouds above them.
"I would be more than happy to deliver that message. I don't think your theory will be seen in practice, but I admire your words more than your ability on the battlefield." He whispered, gripping the sword's hilt tightly with both hands, set to bury its point into the young woman's heart when his eyes lured him away from his target.
Ilosovic Stayne now approached the pair, coming up from behind Alice, who was now looking over her shoulder to see what had caught her attacker's attention. He stood beside her now, his sight not leaving the man before them.
"Well, if it isn't the little stain in the stalls. I see you've grown up into a full-fledged catastrophe." The White Knight mused with a playful grin, Styane however was not so cheerful at the reunion.
"I'm not the stable boy you once tortured, Winthrop." He said in reply, the rain now pouring from the heavens. "If you knew what is best, you'll lay down your sword and maybe I'll deliver death to you quickly."
"Oh Ilosovic, still as temperamental as ever," Winthrop said with a chuckle, eying Alice now as she shrank in Stayne's presence. "I've never been one for matchmaking, but you two would have certainly made quite the pair."
"A better match than your drunken self with my mother, I'm sure." Stayne replied without hesitation, receiving shocked expressions from both Alice and the White Knight.
"Let the record show that I was only cruel to her because she had spawned you." The White Knight spoke softly now. "When I invaded these lands all those years ago, your mother told me she was but a simple maid for the king and queen, not their lady in waiting." The confession made him chuckle once more. "Why, had I known she was a mistress for your father, I would have done the justified thing! Ravaged her on the night of our victory and killed her in the morning, but instead, she lied of her actual detail and bewitched me to marry her. Then you came along, ruining everything."
Stayne clenched his jaw, silent as he began to place himself between Alice and the knight, not once taking his eye off of the man.
"Stayne- " Alice began, her voice wavering now where she had once been so bold.
"Silence, Alice." Stayne retorted not wanting to show weakness before their rival. "Stay back until I handle our uninvited guest." He snarled unsheathing his own sword, causing the knight to laugh at the display.
"Oh good, and here I thought I would receive no challenge, but certainly, Time is in my favor. Allowing me to not only complete my task, but let me slay you. Quite the treat this is!" He said before rushing to Stayne, set to go for a killing blow, but was deflected by the King without as much as a sign of wavering.
"As I have said before, I am no longer a stable boy, and you are now an old man!" He taunted, luring the knight in for another attack, which he obliged, his face red with anger.
Alice watched as the tables had turned on her attacker. The knight who held the intent to kill her, who had sliced her without breaking a sweat was now attacking Stayne with what seemed like all his might. The knight moved to plunge his sword into the Black King only to earn himself a knink across his right cheek from Stayne's blade, the knight's blood rushing out to break free from the now open skin.
Stepping back to recover, Winthrop lifted a hand to feel the warmth of his own blood and scowled at the touch of it, his cold eyes pierced the man that his sword failed to do.
"You'll pay for that you worthless bastard!" He warned, rushing into the fray once more, their blades meeting each other strike after strike. Where the Knight was aggressive and heavy-footed, Stayne was graceful and fluid with his attacks. It was clear to see that Stayne had improved since his fight with Tarrant on the Frabjouous day.
The Vorpal sword was soon swept from the Knight's grasp, landing far out of the knights reach. The man, now defenseless backed away, surrendering with his hands up.
"Ilosovic, -"
"No, you do not get to beg for your life." He hissed, advancing on his opponent once more, the point of his blade under the knight's chin, pressuring him to distance himself as well as back himself closer to the edge of the cliff. The old man smiled fearfully.
"What would you have me do then?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder to see how many steps he had left before he would be driven off the solid ground and into the sea below. "Should I apologize or-"
"I don't want hear another word from you," Stayne growled drawing blood once for from his chin, the knight now seething in pain, quickening his step, gaining several feet from the king, but had only a foot from the drop. Stayne did not get any closer to the man now, but his blade was not lowered. "I only wish to hear the sound of your body colliding with the rocks below." Stayne essentially ordered, motioning his sword towards the sea once more.
The White Knight paused at this comment. His eyes roamed the terrain behind Stayne and locked onto Alice for a short while. Alice could not say she was sympathetic to the man's situation, he had nearly killed her himself, but she wasn't sure if she could stand behind the manner of execution. Rising to her feet once more she made her way for Stayne to urge him to reconsider, his back still to her.
Without warning, the knight dove off the cliff, stunning Alice, but Stayne only smirked at the success and turned back to Alice, his sword sheathed once more. His grin of victory was short-lived when he looked over the condition of Alice.
"Once again, Alice, you have disappointed me," stated the man, making her stop in her tracks. "Had you only stayed inside this would have been avoided! I'm beginning to believe you truly are a wildflower, blooming about in places you don't belong!" He continued pointing to Deces now. "I'm sure you had something to do with the assistance of your precious 'Hatter's' escape, and you'll be pleased to know that he did indeed escape, along with a good number of other prisoners."
Alice's heart began to pound. Tarrant. She had completely forgotten him. Was the queen good on her word for Tarrant, or would he be executed on sight? She couldn't say, but she didn't want to risk his life, not after her life was nearly taken by her supposed 'rescuer'.
Upon motioning to speak, Alice saw the Gryphon soar up from behind the cliffs, with the knight upon its back. The creature didn't make a sound at it flew, its wings using the wind from the storm to maneuver, making Stayne unaware of their presence, and all the more vulnerable to an attack, which was imminent, it's talons bared and aimed for the king.
Alice didn't hesitate. She rushed at Stayne, using all her force to barrel into the unsuspecting man, successfully knocking him to the ground, only escaping the deadly dagger-like claws by the skin of his teeth.
The pair watched as the Gryphon continued on, showing no indication of circling back, but did swoop down to the earth, only to pluck the Vorpal sword from the ground, then made its way back to the sky, both of them remaining grounded until the enemy was well out of sight, and it wasn't until that time that Stayne could piece together what had just happened.
She had saved his life, and not by accident or coincidence either. She had physically taken him out of harm's way. His gaze moved to look over to check on the girl to find her clinging to his chest, her eyes still on the sky, wary of another attack.
Speechless Stayne's hand moved to caress the now rain-soaked blond head of hair before him, releasing Alice from the trance, her eyes now on him, wide with fear and confusion from the battle no doubt, but she had never looked lovelier to him, not even in her days as 'Um'. His patience failed him now, unable to resist the temptation, he took her face into his hands and sat up locking his lips with hers.
The kiss was short-lived, Alice pulled herself away almost and rolled herself off his chest, getting to her feet quickly as she could. Stayne would say it was a disappointment, but she was not the cause of it this time but himself. Once again he had been too bold and driven her off, but Alice didn't run away as he expected, no, instead she gave him a rather venomous look. Her lips were as soft as petals, but her eyes were as sharp as thorns. She truly was a wildflower.
"He said Mirana sent him to kill me," Alice warned, making him snap out of his own diluted thoughts. "So you were right, Your Highness, Mirana, was never going to rescue me." She whispered, and even as the rain poured down, he could pick out her tears from the drops of rain on her face.
He wanted to embrace her, to shower her face with kisses and to console her with words of endearment and slander the witch, but he knew this would do nothing but drive her away once more. He sighed heavily as he got to his feet and watched her with concern.
"Alice-"
"You were right!" She spat bitterly her eyes now shifted to her feet. "You! You of all people were right! How could I have been so foolish, to think she would actually rescue me?" She asked as Stayne approached her once more.
"She has a way about that," confessed the man softly. "You are not the first to be fooled by her, and you won't be the last, I am sure."
"I was her Champion, and I thought, possibly even a friend," Alice whispered looking up to the man who should have been, in her mind, the villain in her situation now. "Why would she wish for me to die? I did not ask for any of this, I am innocent, am I not?"
"Alice, that woman is not someone who would be worthy of your friendship. She has always done things to work in her benefit, but worse still is that she does not show her true colors until it is too late." He said, now observing the blood from her coat. "Her reasons are her own, and why she does them, we may never know, but we do know now that she wants to end your life, and that is something that I will not tolerate."
"Then what do you propose?" She asked eying him as she did her best to compose herself once more. Something in between a smirk and scowl came across Stayne's lips. His eye seemed to be on her and yet staring into the distance all at once. The rain had died down, but they were still under a very black sky. The roars of thunder had moved on, as though going off to warn Marmoreal of the dangers to come.
"War, Alice. I will have us go to war."
