They marched to the cliffs, only the sound of the wind in the air and their feet upon the ground broke their silence. They walked in pairs, The White Queen with Winthrope, Tarrant with a single knight, behind them, Stayne and Alice were permitted to walk alongside each other, and the remaining knights trailed behind them.

Tarrant would cast a glance over his shoulder in an attempt to catch Alice's gaze, but her eyes never met his. They were drawn to one of two places. The ground that they tread, or up to Stayne. Tarrant could hardly stand the sight of that. Her lovely eyes on him with such an expression. One that she had given him one time or another. Things that began with the letter 'C' came with that gaze.

Care, concern, certainty…. Craving.

Tarrant turned his gaze ahead once more. Other words that began with C.

Cliffs, crash, crush, crackle, craze, crimple, choke, constrict, closing, consume, conk, clobber, conquer, clash, cut, chop, chip, clip, clop, curtail, compress, contain, contaminate, and corrupt.

Stayne's eye was always looking ahead, his mind racing, coming to terms with his end as he had done so many times before. Death was inevitable, unavoidable for all, and not something he should fear, but still he could not stop his heart from tremoring. Death was not what caused his fears. He cast his gaze to Alice for the first time since they left the Checkered Field and was somewhat surprised to see that she was returning her own eyes on him now. She stared at him with such an expression it left him weak. He offered her a pitiful smile and received one in return, along with some tears.

"I'm such a fool, Ilosovic." She whimpered, wiping her tears away. "I thought that I could end this all, I thought-"

Stayne felt for Alice's plight. Truly. Her intentions had been pure, but nothing could ever go according to plan, not so long as Time had a say. He wished dreadfully that he could offer his hands to hold and sooth her, so he began to play at the restraints.

"Alice, listen to me," Stayne said under his breath, "you are by far the most intelligent and fair individual I have ever known. Why, who else could find stolen tarts within plain sight?" He asked, winning a small laugh from the young woman which caught the hatter's attention, but neither of them paid him any mind. He only began to pity himself now, his eye shining like glass. It would be a cruel joke from Time to finally win Alice over as he was nearing the end of his story.

Alice began to tear up again, unable to move but there was no more need to. They had arrived at the base of the hill which began the cliff's edge. Stayne eyed the hill with discomfort. The sun was now cast behind the clouds, which were dark and thick, heavy with rain that had yet to be released. The clouds over the sea began to rumble, as one's stomach might from hunger. The ocean was truly wanting to swallow Ilosovic Stayne this day.

Stayne opened his mouth to say his final goodbye to Alice but was kept silent as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, a feat not normally possible but on the hill she had the high ground. What was more surprising for the king however was the sensation of Alice pressing her lips to his with greed and fury. The kiss was like an explosion, strong but short lived as the pair was torn apart by the knights behind them.

Alice fought against them, but Stayne went without a struggle as he was led to the hill, Mirana and Winthrop leading the way while Tarrant remained behind, close to Alice as she crumpled to the ground. Stayne was placed at the cliff's edge and he did not dare to look down at the watery grave that awaited him.

"Mirana, if you have a shred of mercy left within you, let Alice go free. Don't let that barbarian near her again," Stayne asked, ready to beg. A smile came to her lips at the request.

"I'm not sure if I can do that, Ilosovic, after all, I very well can't let her out of sight as a Queen, but maybe as Tarrant's wife I could see her off." She teased but he gave her a glare that could even shake a Bandersnatch.

"Mirana," He swore. "Your sister held more mercy in a single finger than you do in your whole body. She at least allowed others' suffering to end." He spat looking out to the horizon once more. The subject sparked curiosity within the White Queen.

"How did Iracie die?" she asked. Mirana very well could have asked Time, but she was so sure of herself that Ilosovic managed to find a way to off her.

Stayne paused at the question. He felt no regret for the dead woman now but even as he stood at Death's door he knew he would have a much easier time of making the trip.

"If you thought the Jabberwocky was a fearsome beast, I do not know how to describe this monster. I doubt anyone other than Time or Death would believe me here," Stayne said in a hushed tone making Mirana draw closer. "A monster blended from multiple parents it seems. Wings of a Jabberwocky, a body built of muscle and fur with three heads- a lion, a goat, and what I would speculate to be a distant relative of a Jabberwocky again, it also had a living snake as a tail," the man recalled in horror, widening Mirana's and Winthrop's eyes. "The beast came out of nowhere in the dead of night while we were resting in the deserted Outlands," Stayne stated looking to the sky half expecting that great beast to steal him away for uttering it into existence again. "You cursed us so that we could not harm one another, so as I laid beneath the claw of that beast, playing dead like I had been caught by a Bandersnatch, I could not end Iracebeth's suffering as the beast tore her-

I see," Mirana interrupted swiftly drawing a handkerchief to her mouth, not wishing to hear another word on the matter. Turning around she dabbed her eyes quickly and recomposed herself. Clearing her throat she turned to the audience composed of her men, Alice and Tarrant.

"Today we condemn Ilosovic Stayne to the Cliffs of Bane for his crimes against Under!" She called out. "His work for Iracebeth of Crims,... my sister," she said lowly before remembering the task at hand. "He has caused the loss of countless lives. He has tortured, slain and mutilated the innocent, and corrupted the innocent and heroic Alice!"

"You lie!" Alice cried out, receiving the attention of the gathering. "He has not corrupted me, but you have done that of everyone else!"

"Alice-!" Tarrant hissed with yellow eyes. "Be still."

"I will not be still!" Alice spat back, making the man shrink back with her muchness now. "Ilosovic Stayne may have killed, but he did not do it under his own free will! At least, I hope not..." She muttered unsure, the look that he was giving her did not convince her but she pressed on. "He did it under the Red Queen's thumb. And more so, he hasn't corrupted me. In fact, he's been almost a perfect gentleman!" She snapped, catching Stayne's inquisitive gaze. "Almost."

Mirana looked to her Champion in distress to stop the girl's words before they spun out of control. Nodding he moved forward to meet Alice half way.

"See here, you stupid girl," The knight spat, annoyed that she wished to spoil the moment he had been waiting for since the Stain's birth. "We cannot believe you, because you are corrupted by this man, so it's pointless for you to prattle on about his good will and nature because he has none!" He said, receiving nods from his knights. "How do you expect us to believe you?" he asked, positive that he had stumped her now.

"Because I believe in impossible things. As many as six before breakfast," Alice replied while looking to Stayne and Mirana's position. "And I believe that it may be possible that I have grown fond of him." Tarrant looked at Alice incredulously. Such a statement about the knave was surely impossible.

"Alice, please. Do not make such remarks!" Tarrant pleaded but was met with a cold glare before she pressed to approach the hill, but the act forced Winthrop to draw his sword. If necessary, he would slay the Alice of Legend to ensure Stayne's death with or without Mirana's permission

"Remain where you are girl! Or I shall cut you down!" He warned but Alice moved past him and met Ilosovic who stared at her with wonder.

"Alice-" Stayne paused as her hand gently caressed his cheek. By Time's right hand he could die in this moment.

"I am the right and proper Alice!" Her voice rang out. "The one who slayed the Jabberwocky upon the Frabjous Day, who called the Red Court nothing more than a pack of cards and fell down the Rabbit Hole." She announced as Winthrop trudged towards the two. Alice's gaze went to the sea and smiled gently, her eyes going back to Stayne's face, her other hand undoing the knot, and the rope was lost to the breeze.

Her hair swayed with the winds from the sea and the rain clouds above them broke, releasing soft cold drops of water upon the land. There was water in her soul, and soon there would be water in his lungs. Looking up to see that Winthrop had his blade held up with intent on slaying Alice, Stayne didn't hesitate to shove Alice to the ground allowing himself to be clipped by the White Knight's sword, stumbling back and off the cliffs.

The whole gaggle now rushed to the edge to witness the spectacle of the Knave's death. He dropped into the restless waters, missing the jagged rocks below, making Mirana smile with pleasure. He would drown. Alice's eyes filled with terror as she waited for him to come up for air, but soon it came to her mind. The letter, the trial, his refusal to look to the sea.

"He can't swim. He can't swim." She stuttered, earning a chuckle from Winthrop.

"Of course he can't! Why else would we give him this end?!" He asked as Alice backed from the edge, and to everyone's surprise, she began to abandon her armor.

Casting the iron aside, Alice left herself in the simple white cloth tunic and leggings, earning confused stares from all, except from Tarrant, who eyed her with want once more. Holding her head up, she took in a deep breath.

"He can't swim." She repeated once more. "But I can." The statement confused the men before her, but Mirana caught on now.

"Restrain her, restrain Alice now!" The White Queen shrieked, but it was too late. Alice had the running start she needed and dove off the cliff. Crashing into the ocean, she was lucky enough to avoid the jagged rocks as well.

The survivors above watched now. There wasn't a proper shore to land on for miles around. If the pair were not submerged from the fierce waves, they would surely meet their end by being crushed against the cliff or be dragged down by exhaustion alone.

Alice opened her eyes as she sunk in the watery depths. She was almost surprised herself that she had survived the fall. Her eyes searched the waters in search of Stayne, above her and below her. Just as she was to break to the surface for air she spotted the man who was dragged down. Swimming for him, Alice hooked his arm and swam for the surface.

Alice drew breath once above sea level, and she swore that she heard cheers above her. And indeed she did. All of the white knights applauded the heroic efforts of their former champion, earning glares from Mirana and their current Champion.

"It doesn't matter, they will both drown now," Winthrop assured the queen. They had no hope of Alice being able to drag both of them to shore. The White Queen nodded in agreement before a knight pointed out into the distance.

"Look! Out there! I see a boat!"

"That's not a boat, it's a bottle!" Insisted another one of the soldiers, but Tarrant, in a mad state growled.

"Nay, ye bumbling buzzards. It be both." And sure enough it was. A simple fishing vessel, manned by the Carpenter and Walrus.

Alice doing her best to keep Stayne's head above water as well her own slowly made her way for the boat, its navigators frantically waving them over.

Coming up to the port hole, she offered up the unresponsive Ilosovic first, then once he was safely aboard did she clamber in, threatening to capsize the poor bottled boat made for two, now burdened with four. The Carpenter looked to Alice with worry.

"Alice, he ain't breathing!" He croaked as Alice crawled over to Stayne. Her head rested on his chest briefly, listening intently. Before she was allowed to depart for China, the Captain had shown her how to care for those who may have gone overboard.

Not sensing any signs of life, Alice went to action, following the protocols she was taught. A palm flat upon his chest, the other hand on top, lacing her fingers together she began to slam all her weight into his chest, several times before moving her nimble hands to his face. She lifted his chin and put her mouth over his, a pair of fingers pinching his nose then blew the air from her lungs into his and went back to repeat the process.

Each repeat of the attempt to revive the Black King grew more and more aggressive, making the shipmates fear the worst, but it was not until the ninth go around that Alice drew the response she had been looking for.

Water sputtered from Stayne's lips and he went into a short fit of coughs and gasps for air. Pain penetrated his chest but he could scarcely believe he could feel pain. His eye searched frantically for reason when he was met with Alice's beautiful face. He did not believe in life after death, but seeing her now he nearly doubted his theory. His hand extended to meet her face and she took a hold of it, pressing it to her cheek.

Again came the cheers from the White knights, too dull to think that their excitement over the spectacle was seen as treason to Mirana and Winthrop. Mirana eyed the boat with superior eyes, not daring to show a sign of being impressed by the impossible feat, where Winthrop threw a fit, releasing his anger upon Alice's discarded armor. Tarrant looked to the display of affection going on in the bottle with confusion and heartbreak. Sinking to the ground he crossed his legs and pulled off his hat to place it into his lap, going over the day's events. So much pain came from it, and it wasn't even noon yet.

Ilosovic's breath became regular once more but death was a tiring process. He couldn't help but question how his body wished to rest when he had Alice at his side. Who was still holding his hand, her thumb caressing over the material of his glove. Now knowing they were safe, Alice allowed herself to rest, laying down beside Stayne, her hands moving to inspect the cuffs of his wrists, guilt trickling in to see the bloodied gashes, no doubt from the shackles she had locked him in.

She pressed her lips to the wound, kissing it with care, making him wince, but he smiled all the same, recalling that he had done the same move to her not so long ago. His eye moved to the cliff as the white knights began to recede from the edge, and only Mirana and Tarrant remained their over watch as they made their escape.


The Walrus and Carpenter rowed with ease, passing whispers to one another but their words didn't pass into Stayne's or Alice's head, far to developed in the sensation of being safely embraced by one another. Stayne could not shake the feeling of drowsiness but he still forced himself to keep his eye open.

"How did you know to have them out here?" Stayne finally managed to ask, looking at her. Alice's head rolled up to meet his gaze and shrugged.

"I did not know, but I guessed. If things went south, I figured I might need to go into the ocean to escape. In case it was a trap." She whispered softly, closing her eyes as she nestled closer to him. Stayne nodded at the answer, watching as the rain struck the glass above them.

The rains were gentle, soothing even, and he soon found himself drifting off to sleep, where Alice already was out, quietly asleep with her head upon his chest. Alice of Legend. The girl who fell down the rabbit hole, the slayer of the last Jabberwock, rider of Bandersnatch's and insulter of anyone who had a title worth spitting at. She was a creature all her own, and she had managed to not only help him cheat Death again, but to defy Time's will.

His thoughts played over the sight of her strung up now, as well as trying to imagine what transpired between her and the Madman. His rage fueled his mind to try to stay awake, but every muscle in his body urged him rest...

He could not say how long he slept, nor at what point he fell asleep, only that it must have been a fair amount of time because when he woke they had just docked at the port below Deces. Sitting up, he brought Alice with up with him as well, stirring her from her slumber.

She felt a twinge of panic for the sudden movement, but was comforted by the sight of Deces. It was a curious thing, to view the place in the light that she did now, but of course, so much had changed for her as it was. The places, the people, and even herself.

Clambering from the boat, the two were greeted by the doctor along with some servants to tend to them. Alice explained to Stayne that she had sent the mare she traveled on to return home with instructions, once again a precaution. Ilosovic was impressed at her thinking, however he wished that she had not run off in the first place.

"Good Heavens!" The doctor shouted as he approached the pair, already thinking over the stitches needed. "You two look worse for wear! Quickly, let us be off to the infirmary and-"

"I shan't need anything, thank you Dr. Trait," Stayne began as he strode passed the greeting party only to turn around to give a look at Alice, one that was not filled with compassion, but an essence of fury. "As for Alice, once she has been cared for and stitched up she's to be locked away in the tower again."

"I'm to be what?!" Alice asked, pushing her way to him, glaring at him in rage and confusion. "After all of this, you seek to lock me away?!"

"Yes." Stayne muttered simply eyeing her. "That is what I called for, or did I stutter?" the king asked making the woman scoff.

"I saved your life!" Alice exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Had I not thrown myself off of a cliff you would be feeding fish for weeks!"

"You did." Stayne admitted. "But my life was only endangered because I went after you. You who went off alone in attempts to kill yourself."

"I did no such thing! I-"

"You did, Alice. That stunt you pulled? That was nothing short of a suicide mission! I don't care what your intentions were, all that matters now is that we are safe and sound and I intend for you to stay that way," Stayne growled, his gloved finger pointing to her face. His gaze then went to the small group gathered around them as he lowered his arm and gave a nod to the cluster of guards.

"Take her away," ordered the king turning his back to them just as two of the guards took to her side.

"Ilosovic!" Alice shouted but her cries went unnoticed by the Stayne as he stalked off alone to the castle.

Alice was escorted back to the tower once her wounds were tended to, the doctor at the guard's heels as they climbed the staircase.

"I really don't think the Queen should be alone up there!" He chided. "After all, she did try to bring harm to herself." The comment earned him a glare from Alice.

"I did not!"

"Well- Maybe not intentionally..." Trait corrected himself before continuing. "But aside from the wounds that were inflicted she may be suffering from some mental trauma as well, in fact, I think being alone in the tower may be the worst thing for her now!"

"She won't be alone," came a soft voice at the top of the staircase. As the group turned the final half circle they were greeted with the sight of Az. "Our king asked me to stay at Alice's side at all times." She informed the group while lifting her chin. "And should Alice wish to walk the grounds,'' a pair of shackles were produced from behind her back, "we'll be attached."

"Oh, splendid!" The doctor cheered as he clasped his hands together.

"Yes, splendid." Alice muttered as she entered the familiar room once more.


Tarrant stood upon a balcony in Marmoreal, alone, or so her thought, until his feline friend appeared upon the railing, eyeing him with concern.

"How are you holding up, chap?" Chessur asked, not receiving so much as a glance from The Hatter. The cat sighed heavily before trying again. "Tarrant-"

"Enough," Tarrant hissed, his voice rough, thick with his roguish accent. The cat tisked.

"Tarrant, you may be able to fool your friends, but you can't get past me," Chessur continued. "Tell me what troubles you."

Tarrant now faced the cat, his eyes a soft blue gray, on the verge of producing tears.

"Chess, I've done something terrible." He whispered. "I, I hurt Alice, I- I couldn't stop meself." His voice quivered. "I nearly-" but he could not bring himself to continue. Had that White Knight not stepped in, he may have very well ended his dear Alice's life.

Only she wasn't his, she belonged to Stayne.

He buried his face into his hands and wept. Alice had affections for that slurvish worm, had jumped off of a cliff after him. She may not have completed the marriage ritual with the man, but she was certainly taken by him in some form or another.

"Tell me Chess, is Alice herself? Was she poisoned by the knave?" He asked. A silent shake the cat's head sent the hatter down into a pit of sadness, madness and desperation.

Alice was truly lost to him.


Next chapter will contain smut. That is all.