After figuring out that Alice was far more of a reactionary swordsman rather than the traditionalist, Stayne required Alice to keep her blade on her at all times. The only way to get better was with practice and being that their enemy would provide no kindness, he would not provide any mercy to her training. At any given moment, Stayne would cease his royal duties and attack his wife with the wooden sparring sword, regardless of whatever events the two were engaged in.

Initially, and naturally, Alice detested this behavior.

Once they were in the middle of a meal when Stayne had flipped the tea table over to engage in combat, spoiling the meal, her appetite and her mood as well. This behavior carried on for weeks on end, and most days tallied more points for Stayne than for Alice, but as the weeks carried on Alice began to overtake Stayne in the impromptu battles. A few of which she initiated herself. The only place the two could claim sanctuary were their bedrooms and this was for two reasons; in every proper battle there was a base camp to tend to wounds and plan for the next strike, and more importantly, having a sword strapped around the waist made coupling very difficult.

When the two weren't sparring or within the bedroom, hours were spent preparing for the coming war. Gathering the necessary troops and tools for the battles ahead, stockpiling what supplies they could for every scenario they believed could come about, and this was the arena that truly made Alice shine as a leader to The Black King. Having worked underneath the quick-tempered Iracebeth, Stayne thought himself to be a decent diplomat but compared to Alice he was little more than a petty peddler. Alice had a wealth of knowledge and experience in the art of negotiation and persuasion, tactics that Stayne could have used as well but he was far more comfortable with tricks and threats, which Alice scolded him for.

"Choose honey over vinegar, Ilosovic," Alice advised after the successful deal with the farmers' union of the Outlands, something that Stayne did not even know existed until Alice brought about the potential contract. Thanks to her silver tongue, Alice managed to have the farmers, yield what crops the couldn't sell on the market for a fraction of the cost, convince the steel smiths to take payments over a series of installments rather than the full price upfront at the completion of their labor and much to his astonishment, she took part in shifting the Black Market.

Shortly after their union, Alice tried to convince her husband to outlaw the selling of beings while they were at work, cooling down from the third sparring match of the day but he declined to take part in enacting any measures.

"Why not?" Alice asked, both hurt and enraged at the refusal. She was raised to be proper, but everything in her body told her to throw something at the man's head. To wound him or at least shake him a little to get him to see what this meant to her.

Without looking up from his desk, Ilosovic dipped his quill into the vial of ink and replied, "Alice, you are a queen now. You have the same authority as me." The bluntness of the statement made Alice pause but her husband continued, his eye still focused on the document before him. "And I would imagine that you would have far more success than I would trying to make that change anyhow," he mused, sheathing the pen into the ink vial and gave her his undivided attention. "You slayed a Jabberwocky, no, the

Jabberwocky and if memory serves me right, you told me you hardly wanted any part in that battle. I shudder to think about what you are capable of when you have half a mind to do something, let alone your full mind."

Alice stared at Stayne confused about the situation altogether but mostly overwhelmed with the newfound authority. While working abroad with Lord Ascot, Alice certainly had the ideas and the words to sway others to see things her way, but she lacked the know-how to set her schemes into action.

"Can you show me how to incite this change?" She asked which brought a gentle grin to his face.

"I can and I will," Stayne replied, pulling a clean parchment paper aside for Alice's first official decree. Some fuss came from the public over this order, now what were they to sell on the market? Most of the beings that were sold anyway we're those unfortunate enough to be trying to trade their tea at the border.

"Isn't there a tea shortage in these parts?" Alice asked when a concerned citizen of the Outlands mentioned this. "Why not make those trades and sell the tea instead?"

Someone quipped that it was the principal of the matter, but many agreed that it had been ages since a decent cup of tea was brewed and the market began to transform, offering things that were not as easily found in the Outlands but now in good supply and the influx of goods had brought on not only a rise in trade but the quality of life as well. It did remind Alice of her London home, seeing industry spark, but it was better in her mind because the currency was more of a bartering system as opposed to the currency up above.

"You mean to tell me that where you come from, people exchange things for little pieces of metal with their faces etched in?" Stayne asked while they laid together, his fingers tracing over the faded scars she received from the Bandersnatch.

"Well it's not just any face," Alice started looking up from his bare chest. "Only royalty make it onto these coins," and that made Ilosovic's eye brighten.

"I think I would enjoy seeing my face on one of these coins," he marveled making Alice furrow her brow at him but that only made his smile widen. "And I could trade little pieces of you for some tarts!" The comment earned him a gentle smack on his chest which made him laugh.

The two had begun to share a great deal of things with each other. Each trading part of their own history, their thoughts and feelings as well.

Stayne reveled in her Alice's failed engagement party. Not only did she deny to take the hand of a young Lord, but to add insult to the injury she immediately went into business with the man's father following the public denials. If that didn't exemplify her muchness he wasn't sure what could.

When it came to Stayne sharing his memories there was much less laughter, but Ilosovic's behavior became so much more clear to Alice, not that his actions were forgivable, but they were at least understandable.

"Had you taken Mirana's offer, who knows what sort of world I would have fallen into," Alice pondered. Would the Red Queen still have made off with the crown, would it have been Stayne's responsibility to fight the Jabberwocky? Maybe Alice never would have ended up seeing Rabbits in waistcoats. Stayne couldn't say for sure, and he doubted that Time held an answer for such questions but it mattered little to him. Being stuck with either sister Queen had him preferring a union with Death instead.

It would be a lie to say however that the two shared everything. Alice was more or less an open book, but Ilosovic still had his plans to keep. Like the potential of sending Alice back to her world.


When Grail first returned from his mission to convince Nivens to get Alice through one of his burrows he was ordered to seek the rabbit out again to hold off on the original course of action. Grail's entire body slumped with disbelief but he wouldn't refuse the command and on account of the moves that the White Queen was making within her court, the decision to go back was a good call of action.

The region of Marmoreal was off to say the least. Truthfully, ignorance was bliss, but the kingdom had gone from hardly mentioning the name Alice to having her likeness plastered along trees on parchment, slogans such as 'Down with Deadly Black Queen's and 'Harbinger of Darkness' scrawled onto the posters.

When the wolf managed to find the rabbit, all had been made clear, or at least as clear as things could be made.

"My queen has made a memory potion that appears to make people forget," Nivens whispered from a hollowed-out log in the woods

"Sounds more like a forgetting potion to me," Grail replied, flustering the rabbit.

"Yes, yes, yes but nevermind the name! What truly matters is the outcome and it's just dreadful," Nivens said in a hushed tone as he peeked his head out from his hiding spot, his ears twitching to pick up any sound that might mean unexpected visitors. "Nearly everyone from the last meeting has gone and forgotten about Alice!" The wolf had to admit, the news was troubling. When asked how Nivens didn't befall the same fate the White Rabbit shook his head, also puzzled by how he managed to escape for so long. He just couldn't say.

"Come to Deces with me," suggested the wolf as he crouched to get on the rabbit's level. "Sure, the Outlands ain't no place like Under but ya wouldn't have to go creeping about either." Nivens shook his head furiously at the offer.

"No, my place is here. Maybe if I can get my paws on the Queen's recipe I could figure out ingredients to reverse the effect," Nivens said as he sat up a little higher, forgetting he was under the cover of a log having been lost in thought. "What would really help me here would be The Oraculum! If you could return that to me I could-"

"No can do," Grail said as he rose back to his full height. "Queen Alice has banned Time himself from the Outlands but he doesn't seem to be taking the hint because every now and then The Oraculum shows up again in Deces and the King or Queen is throwing it into wells, flames, or whatever else that can damage that bloody roll," the wolf chuckled recalling a time when he witnessed Alice slice The Oraculum in half as Styane held it out. Nivens was mortified at this revelation.

"They must be seeking out Time's wrath with behavior like that!" Nivens exclaimed before retreating further into the log, once again forgetting his place. Once the rabbit was sure that he had not alerted anyone of their whereabouts he came to the edge again, crawling on his belly no longer worried for the state of his waistcoat.

"Maybe they are, but if I'm going to be honest, Time has been rather off lately," Grail said with a shrug as he prepared to leave. "As of now, The Black King only desires your service if things look lost for our side," Grail stated, though he would not be entirely shocked if Stayne changed course again. "So don't lose your memory of Alice on us now."

Shaking his head quickly, Nivens turned away and bounded off and out of sight from the wolf who also retreated from the woods. Upon arrival to Deces, Grail reported the updates to Stayne as Alice was conducting business of her own. While Stayne was pleased that he would not have to worry about competing with the mad man again for Alice's affection, the news still worried him. Alice being THE Champion of Under was a grand asset- may have even prevented some of the White soldiers and company from attacking directly. Worse still, he knew Alice well enough that even with her training she would not attack her friends. Would she at least defend herself against them?

"We don't tell Alice about this," Stayne ordered from his desk. With any luck, Mirana would just pollute the minds in her Kingdom and leave them unfit. Stayne found an opening to take Marmoreal in a single strike, but knowing the White Queen, she was setting up her pieces to make an attack of her own.

Leaning back in his chair, Stayne considered how long it had been since Alice had gone on her foolish attempt of a mission. Time and the seasons liked to play their games, but the moon never lied. It had been three lunar cycles since the incident on the Cliffs of Bane.

And about two lunar cycles since Alice last bled.

The king shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to get ahead of himself, she had been through so much- her body just making but be reserving its strength. Upon waking up the next morning to the sound of sickness from Alice, Stayne's hopes had grown, but a newfound fear arose as well. Alice would be more vulnerable now. He was more vulnerable now.

Moving from the bed to meet Alice she turned her head from the balcony and in his direction. She was paler than normal yet as radiant as ever. Stayne may have been biased given the context, but she had never looked as lovely as she did now with her hair a mess and weariness within her eyes.

"Sorry," Alice apologized as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I don't think last night's dinner sat that well with me…" She said looking rather miserable. Turning away from the balcony she offered him a brief smile before she turned back to the balcony retching once more.

"You should eat something," Stayne stated softly as he walked away from her to find a servant to prepare her some breakfast when the door to their room shot open. Grail already making his way into the room, Stayne could have strangled the canine had he not been so preoccupied with tending to Alice but before the king could tell the wolf off screams were echoing in the distance.

"Your Highness, the White Army approaches! We just got word that they've descended upon the city. Citizens are coming by the droves to seek shelter." The words took Stayne off guard but Alice was already going through the motions of what they had been preparing for all this time. War. Stayne ushered Grail out and closed the doors watching as his wife began to gear up for battle. She truly didn't know, did she?

"Alice, stop," Stayne started, to which Alice paid no mind to the suggestion. Throwing off her nightgown and sliding into her leggings she cast him a frustrated glance.

"Stayne, we are under attack. You can't expect me to stop or eat at this moment!" His Queen scolded. "I would expect you to dress for battle as well however," Alice muttered as she began to strap on the armor she could place on by herself.

"I forbid you to fight!" Stayne said approaching her. "You are unwell, I can't allow you to fight given your condition." At this demand Alice gave him her full attention, her gaze narrowed with a more than displeased expression on her face.

"I'll be fine Ilosovic, my stomach may not agree with me but I'm fit for battle," she said, irritated at the thought of her time training with him to be wasted by sitting on the sidelines of battle. "I'll be damned if I wait for the outcome if all the bruises and welts I've earned up until now have been just to wait for you to return or for the castle to crumble around me," she said looking back to Stayne who. He looked more pained than angry which wasn't normally how their arguments normally started. "Ilosovic?"

Hearing his name again, Stayne moved to Alice and dropped down to his knees and rested himself against his wife's core, his hands wrapped at her waist as his head went to look up at her, giving them both a somewhat unfamiliar way to look at one another. It was still too early to tell, but he couldn't ignore the signs.

"Alice, I suspect you are with child…" Stayne whispered gently as his eye searched her seemingly placid face but she was still processing so much in this moment. The White Queen was essentially on their doorstep, the people of Deces were in danger and now Stayne was attempting to get her to stay behind. She didn't necessarily believe that her husband was lying to her, but Alice failed to see why the potential pregnancy would be a reason to have her off the battlefield.

"You don't know that I am," Alice stated though she was growing less confident herself on the issue. Had she married Hamish she suspected she would have been fed all the information she needed to know of looming motherhood, but she really hadn't wanted a part of it then, and it certainly didn't suit her now. "And we don't have time for this now. Even if I am, the child won't come for some months."

Stayne sighed. It was always a fight with her. Evidence needed to sate her curiosity and to sway her mind. It was an endearing and noble quality to be had for sure, but just for once, he wished she would listen without an argument.

"Maybe so, but should something happen to you out there-"

"What if something happens to me here?" Alice asked, taking hold of his face. "We have been training side by side nearly every day. To separate now on a whim would be foolish and besides, it would rouse that much more suspicion if I were not in battle wouldn't it?"

Stayne's shoulders slumped as Alice was winning the battle he didn't want to have in the first place. Should the former Champion of Under not show face in battle questions would surely fly and Mirana certainly had forces to spare to launch an assault on the castle. Staying together was, strategically, the most sound plan. He still didn't like it but there was still the ace in the hole, or in his case the rabbit and his burrow.

"Very well, Alice. We shall ride into battle together, but I urge you to stay within sight and for all our sakes, don't lose your head or anything else out there."


As the Black Brigade arrived in the Outland city Stayne was met with a familiar memory, entire buildings up in flames or reduced to rubble. The survivors that were still in the city were either attempting to salvage what they could or they were grieving their losses. Civilians were usually the first casualty of war. He knew this well enough.

"I can't believe she would do this," Alice whispered from the back of the mare she rode. Her brown eyes taking in the violent embers in disbelief.

"Mirana may not have made the order but she certainly allowed it," Stayne replied as they waited for the scouts to report where the enemy had gone off to. "No, I suspect that this was Winthrop's work," Stayne continued as he dismounted from the stallion he rode and inspected the earth for tracks, his mind turning. If he was on the attack, what would his next move be? He raised his head to look over the city limits again, his eye locking onto a row of buildings that were virtually untouched and they stood perfectly perpendicular to their location and the forest that was now at their backs. Cursing under his breath he swiftly moved to Alice's side.

"We're about to be attacked, dismount," Stayne ordered and before Alice could fight him on the matter an arrow struck a knight who rode beside Alice, which gave Stayne all the more reason to pull Alice from the horse and to his side as he gave the defensive orders as their horses sought to find the scouts they were previously waiting on.

A majority of the White Army began to make their way out from the forest where the remaining forces made their way out from the unharmed infrastructure. That would be their goal, retake the city lines and oppose the forces that advanced from the wood.

Unsheathing their blades, Alice, Stayne and the first line of the brigade fought against the pawns and rooks that came against them, managing to put a significant dent in their forces and break through the line and siphon the defensive line back to the buildings. As a result of the failed pincer attack, The White Queen and her leadership made their way to the forefront of the urban battlefield.

Mirana, Winthrop and a tall gentleman who Alice was not familiar with rode up on horseback to greet the Black King and Queen. All Alice could stand to do was glare at Mirana who smiled pleasantly in return.

"Alice, Ilsovoic, you are both looking well," The White Queen called sweetly, making Alice's blood boil but Ilosovic's hand upon her shoulder grounded her in place. How he could remain so calm bewildered her but she reminded herself that he had known Miriana longer and was far more familiar with her insincere ways.

"Mirana, there isn't a need for us to continue this battle. Let us end this by reasonable means," Stayne called stepping forward. "I will fight a Champion of your choosing. Should I win-"

"I want my two favorite Champions to fight," Mirana interrupted, lifting her chin up. "That is my counter offer."

Stayne's jaw tightened at the demand. At the numbers that they stood at, The White would surely take them, not to mention the fact that they literally had Time on their side. Opening his mouth to reject the offer and continue on with the battle, Alice had advanced a few steps forward.

"I accept that challenge and will meet Winthorp in battle!" Alice shouted as Stayne caught her by the wrist.

"Alice, do you not recall me specifically telling you not to lose your head?" Ilosovic asked in a hushed voice as he eyed the opposing force but Alice broke free from the grasp with a maneuver he had taught her.

"Ilosovic, I believe I can believe in impossible things, but right now I need you to believe in me," Alice replied, making Ilosovic stop in his place. His gaze moved from Alice's eyes to the trio above them. Giving nod Ilosovic allowed Alice to press forward.

Mirana smiled at the display and looked to the side Winthorp sat on. "You heard her, obliged our Alice with your sword." Miriana quipped, making the White Knight grin as he dismounted from the horse and revealed the vorpal sword for battle, spinning it in hand as he descended the small hill.

"I wish you had informed me how eager you were to die last time we fought, Alice," Winthrop taunted as he rolled his shoulders. "However, I do like having an audience to pay witness to this historic moment!"

Alice desperately wanted to tell the older man to stop boasting but Stayne had taught her well enough that if they are talking it could be an indicator of two key things; that the opponent is confident and more importantly, they are not fully paying attention. The pair circled around clockwise as they sized each other up. Stayne had prepared her for this after all and Winthorp was still underestimating her.

"I'll make quick work of you, and my only regret is that I can't have you stay and watch Stayne's execution although I do believe that him having to watch your demise is far sweeter of a nectar..." the white-haired man drawled. Alice was silent as they made the first full circle though the woman wanted nothing more than to tell the old man to silence himself but she kept her mouth shut and her eyes locked on the White Knight.

Seemingly without notice, the White Knight rushed forward but Alice was prepared for the onslaught. Stepping to the side her shield was raised to protect herself as she sliced at Winthrop, the metal making contact with his armor. While it did no damage, Winthrop was greatly wounded in terms of pride. The enemy took the first point of contact, but he wouldn't allow her to have the last.

Stayne watched the two dance around one another. Had the stakes not been so high and the threat so real he would have found the duel amusing. When it came to Winthrop, Alice didn't have to be better nor stronger, she just had to be quicker.

Winthrop managed to knock Alice's sword from her hand, several gasped erupting from the brigade, but Stayne was silent with his heart nearly in his throat.

Alice brought her shield to her center and checked the knight in his exposed chest, effectively knocking the man down to the ground and on his back. Without her sword, Alice was upon the White Knight kicking the sword from his hand and placed her full weight upon his chest with her shield at his exposed throat. Winthrop was enraged at the move but yielded all the same, lifting his hands up in defeat. Alice smirked looking back to Stayne briefly before focusing her eyes on Mirana who seemed unphased by the end of the match.

"I've won Mirana, may we now discuss the terms of your surrender?" Alice asked as she remained on top of The White Knight, her shield applying a tad of pressure to Winthrop's throat.

Mirana's eyes were upon Alice's unmoving. Silence fell over the makeshift battlefield as they all awaited for the White Queen to respond. Alice expected to wait, she might have even expected the Queen to not recognize the victory, but the reaction that Mirana gave was unforeseen.

Her smile matched that of Chessur's, wide like a predator's mouth as she flashed the perfect pearly white teeth of hers and she began to laugh. Laughing to the point of tears. The man who rode beside her also joined with the laughter and much to Alice's displeasure even Winthrop began to laugh beneath her as well.

"What is so funny?" Alice asked as she glared at the White Queen who was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Oh Alice, that was quite impressive and I thank you for the show, but Winthrop is hardly my favorite Champion of the three of you," Mirana toyed from the horse's back making Alice sit up a little straighter with a puzzled expression on her face. Alice noticed that the opposing Queen's gaze was no longer on her but behind her. Turning her head over her shoulder Alice searched the brigade but found nothing of concern, and then she looked up.

Upon one of the rooftops that were once occupied with White soldiers stood Tarrant, his longsword staked beside him. His face was shadowed, but she could see his luminous green eyes bearing into her. Alice could only stare in disbelief as she watched Tarrant leap from the building, clearing the brigade and landing several meters from her.

"Mirana, this is foul play and you know it!" Stayne shouted as he unsheathed his sword once more and stepped forward as Alice removed herself from the White Knight and rose to meet Tarrant with only her shield in hand. "Alice, come back!" The Black King ordered but the command went unheard.

"Tarrant, I truly don't wish to fight you," Alice pleaded as she lowered her guard to her childhood friend. "I'm sorry for any damage I have done but know that I value you, I value what we had, what we can still have," Alice urged, reaching out to touch his shoulder but the man stepped back and gave Alice a look of disgust.

"I don't no ye'," Tarrant muttered, "nor would I like to keep company with the filthy Black Queen." Alice flinched at the comment but shook it off as best as she could.

"Tarrant, you truly don't mean that! Think back to when we defeated the Red Queen when I slayed the Jabberwocky and you danced the Futterwacken," Alice said frantically as she closed the distance between them again. "You told me I could have stayed, I wish I had done that but I am here now and I'm asking you to walk from this battle with me." Alice pleaded holding out her hand to him.

Tarrant frowned at the extended hand as his eyes shifted quickly in his head trying to make sense of the nonsense that was happening.

"But, I slew Jabberwocky," Tarrant said with an abundance of confidence as his gaze met Alice's again, his expression darkening and his eyes turning a muddled orange as he lifted the longsword over his head. "And I will slay the Black Queen."

Stayne called out to Alice to retreat again but there she was frozen with shock but she managed to lift her shield up to defend herself from the series of bludgeons that Tarrant delivered. Stayne couldn't standby any longer.

Quickly advancing forward, he swept up Alice's sword as he made his way toward Tarrant and Alice, knowing in his mind that he would have to face the wrath of Alice for what he was going to do to Tarrant but he couldn't allow this madness to continue.

Alice let out a yelp as Tarrant brought down the sword again, the force enough to make her knees buckle and she fell to the ground, exposing nearly her entire form to Tarrant who was ready to bring his sword down upon her when Ilosovic stepped in to block the strike with both swords in his hand then kicked Tarrant back several feet.

With his arms still up, Stayne looked back at Alice with relief before a cry was emitted from both of their mouths. In Stayne's haste to protect Alice, he had forgotten about Winthrop who had attacked from his blind side, successfully driving his blade through the gap of his armor and into his armpit.

Stayne dropped both of the swords in his hand and staggered back, Winthrop dragging his sword out as the king began to crumble. Before the White Knight could finish the job Alice was back on her feet and reclaimed her sword which she used against Winthrop without hesitation. She couldn't say if she intended to kill the man in that moment, but her sword sliced Winthrop's face, and the man howled out in pain having been blinded in both eyes.

As the scene played out, members on both sides of the battlefield swarmed in and chaos erupted. Alice threw down her weapon and went to recover Stayne who was already being tended to by Grail.

"Let's get him inside," the wolf said, nodding in the direction of the untouched buildings and the two supported Stayne until he could no longer walk and by this point they were already at the doorway dragging him in and propped him against the back wall.

Alice motioned to get a better look at the wound but Stayne's gloved hand caught her wrist. The grasp would have been easy to escape from but Alice wasn't going to fight him. Instead, her eyes went to his face. He was fading quickly and Alice brought the hand that held her up to her face, placing a kiss to his knuckles.

"This is all my fault," Alice started as Grail backed away from the two to secure the door, unsure how long they would have until the White Army would be breaking their way in. "If only I had stayed in Deces, or I hadn't called out Winthrop like an utter fool-" Alice said bitterly as a few tears broke free.

Stayne smiled sadly at his wife and the hand that was in her possession was now cupping her face, his thumb brushing off what tears he could.

"No what-if's necessary my little wildflower," Stayne whispered while watching her with his eye half-lidded. "You performed perfectly against Winthrop, and I'm positive if you were given a fair shot against the Hightopp you would have bested him as well. None of that matters now however. What is important is that we get you to safety." Stayne said, drawing her face closer to his.

Alice was shaking her head violently as she straddled him and took his face with the both of her hands. "I'm not leaving you!" Alice said, a hand brushing the hair that fell over his face. "There must be a way out of this, a way to fix you." She cried out before Ilosovic locked his lips with hers and Alice returned the desperate kiss with vigor, tears freely streaming down her face.

"It's going to be okay, Alice. You are going to be okay." Stayne whispered gently after breaking the kiss.

Before Alice could fight or question the claim she felt a painful sensation to the back of her head and everything faded to black.


Alice's eyes were on the Ascot manor but she was looking much further than that when she had finished her tale, from the first rabbit hole she fell down up to now. Wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands, Alice looked back to Lord Ascot and sighed. "I haven't the slightest clue how I got back here, but I know I can't stay," Alice said rising to her feet as her business partner caught her hand.

"... I am sorry to say that I don't believe you, Alice," Lord Ascot began as he rose to his feet as well, still holding her hand. "But I know what I saw. You went overboard and were sucked up by that nasty weather we had. There is no denying that," he said observing the wedding band that was on her finger. "I could deny you of your story but.. Perhaps there is some truth to it." He said, releasing her hand and clasped his hands behind his back and walking past her a little.

"Not an hour ago I was wondering how on earth I was going to tell your mother that we had lost you at sea, but now that seems like a much simpler task- How on earth am I to explain events that I wasn't there for?" He asked turning back to Alice. "You are married, with the potential of having a child, and you expect everyone to believe that this courtship was to a king of some sort?" Lord Ascot asked.

"I don't expect anything of anyone, Henry," Alice replied quickly, making Lord Ascot to stiffen at the way she said his given name. This was very unlike the Alice he knew. She turned back to the hole that she had been digging in before but was inspecting it now for a sign of some path back. "As I said, I can't stay, Ilosovic needs me and-"

"A wound of that nature is not one to recover from," Lord Ascot said, simply stopping Alice in her tracks. "While I am not exposed to war I have seen a fair amount of deals go bad over the years. I watched a man bleed out within minutes from a knife to that region, let alone a sword," Lord Ascot said crouching beside the silent Alice. "Whoever this mystery man is of yours, you would do well to forget that he had ever existed and I pray that he did not place a child within you for your sake. If you thought it was difficult to have men respect your thoughts before, bearing a child out outside of a viable marriage will not only reduce you to a laughing stock, but no proper businessman would ever wish to engage in commerce with a harlot," Lord Ascot said forcefully.

"Now we need to meet in the middle Alice, our families will be expecting us to walk in any moment now and neither one of our truths will suit them so we must get our story straight. Do you understand, Alice?"

But the woman remained silent as she struggled to come to terms with the information she was present and the current reality she was experiencing. "... Ilosovic can't be dead," said Alice in a whisper but her eyes welled us once more. The blood, the way he could barely carry himself, how frail he seemed to be on the floor of the emptied out shop. Alice covered her mouth to prevent a scream from coming out but did nothing to hold her tears back.

The driver of the carriage gave Lord Ascot a perplexing glance as he reemerged from the labyrinth with a younger woman dressed in armor. To say that he saw it all was clearly an understatement now but he kept his mouth shut. In this line of work, he was paid to drive, not to ask questions, and for that Lord Ascot was most thankful. The Lord was also thankful that he did not abandon Alice's luggage with the imports to be collected another day.

Alice changed into more appropriate clothing and she and Lord Ascot discarded the armor into an unkempt bush and the pair went back into the carriage to be driven the rest of the way to his home.

"Alice, I know you've been through a great deal, even if I don't quite understand it all, but I think we need to be on the same page from here on out. If either of us tells our own truths we are surely going to end up white coats for a considerable amount of time," Henry said leaning forward, his voice lowering in tone. "On the chance that you are indeed pregnant… You see there are procedures and herbs that could help remedy this problem."

Alice shot a glare at the man she had been proud to work alongside, who had taught her so much. Was he always this discourteous towards her or was this his first offense towards her. While she did not know if she could even raise a child she knew one thing, Stayne wanted one dearly. Enough to send her away from battle.

"I won't do that," Alice said sharply, turning her attention to the window again and Lord Ascot sighed heavily.

"Very well, but there is still the matter of who we are to say who the father is should you experience a quickening- or any other signs of motherhood. "As lovely as it would be to announce to everyone that you've gone on and married a king, or any other figure of wealth questions will be had." Alice noticed that Lord Ascot was shifting in his seat again, a tick he had whenever he was negotiating beyond his known limits. "My suggestion would be, given the timeline and circumstances, we tell everyone that you were attacked by a member of the crew. No monetary compensation would be expected and we can say that this imaginary figure has been shipped out to the continent of Australia to work off his sentence."

Alice felt cold at the advice and recalled Stayne's words to her in the gazebo. He was far from a good man, she would not defend his honor in most civil arenas but when it came to matters of intimacy it was one of the few places that he had respected her and her boundaries. He kept his word that he wouldn't force himself upon her and to say that the child she may have was a product of force would be ill to his memory. It might be a lie to soothe the feelings of others but that lie would be the first thing her family would think when it came to the child that might not be.

"Please do not make me go forward with such a lie," Alice responded, putting her gaze back upon her employer- although the way that things were looking it may very well be her former employer. Looking down briefly, Alice sought a compromise. "We stopped briefly to resupply in South Africa and against your wishes I eloped with a Dutch diamond trader." Alice stiffield. Showing off her black and gold wedding band with its unusual but magnificent black diamond. "We will say that he intends to join me but… He never shows." Alice whispered as the carriage stopped.

"If we go with this story Alice, you will have to be on your own," Lord Ascot reminded. "After all, I did not approve of the union as you said."

"I believe it will be much easier to keep track of the lies if only one of us is telling them," Alice confirmed as the doors swung open from Lord Ascot's footmen. Lord Ascot nodded simply and left the carriage. "I expect you to do all the talking then Alice, I will place leverage where I can but I would still like you to reconsider your options. I can only help so much," He called back as he moved up the steps leaving Alice behind.

Alice sat in the carriage trying to build the courage to take the next step. A hand was offered to help her down and Alice briefly believed that the black glove belonged to her husband but upon taking it she found a pair of brown eyes rather than the lone blue one she had grown to admire. Stepping down from the carriage step Alice eyed the Ascot manor with dread. Suddenly talking cats and slaying a Jabberwocky did not seem so impossible. Not compared to living without Ilosovic now.