Disclaimer: Alice and Tin Man don't belong to me, they belong to SyFy. The craziness, however, is all me.

"Attention!" Wyatt barked, his parade ground voice bouncing off the cobblestones in the courtyard.

Jeb held back a smile as all ten guards snapped to attention. The sun caught on the golden embellishments on their Gale Force uniforms, sun-bright against the forest green wool. He suppressed the urge to shake his head. The uniforms couldn't have been more conspicuous and he knew that his father wished for something less showy. It certainly made him grateful for the practicality of the Riders' uniforms.

"These are the guards I've selected to accompany you to Wonderland. They will serve you well."

"The best of the best, right Father?" Jeb joked.

Wyatt raised an eyebrow. "All of my guards are the best of the best. I choose and train them myself." There was no boast there, simply a pure statement of fact. There was no compromising when it came to the safety of the Gales. Their uniforms might be god-awful and gaudy, but their skills were beyond reproach. "Captain Wheeler is in charge."

"Fantastic," Az said from her place on Wyatt's other side. "Captain Wheeler and I get along just fine, don't we, Maja?" Maja had posed as Az during her visit to the Vedu the previous year. When she was not acting as a decoy for the older of the Gale princesses, Maja Wheeler was the head of Az's personal detail.

Maja inclined her head slightly. "Yes, Your Highness."

"I trust you're satisfied with my selections?" Wyatt asked.

Az surveyed the squad of ten, equally mixed between men and women. She knew them all by name and was confident in their abilities. "Very much so. They are very good at what they do." Her smile was welcoming. "I am very happy that you all are accompanying us to Wonderland. I look forward to working with you." She knew that Jeb intended to use them as an additional set of eyes and ears within Jack Heart's court. Guards had a tendency to fade into the background, leaving them privy to many conversations and happenings.

"Good. You're all dismissed," Wyatt said. "Get to packing. You leave when Her Highness says so, so you'd better be ready at any time." He watched as they filed out of the courtyard before turning to Az with a pained expression on his face. "Try not to lose them too often, all right?"

Jeb did laugh this time, shrugging unapologetically when she glared at him. "What? He has a point. Don't worry, Father," he said reassuringly. "She won't lose me."

Az's glare intensified at his easy confidence. "I've never consciously tried to shake you off, Jeb. You'd be surprised."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't bet on it, Az. I'll always find you."

Jeb's insistence was more endearing than anything else. She couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed. "Is that a threat?" she teased.

"No." He reached out and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand. "That's a vow."

Oh. Warmth flooded her entire being at the promise in his eyes. I am yours as you are mine, they seemed to say. And no matter where you are, no matter what you do, nothing will keep us apart. Her answering smile outshone the sun. No, she would never regret the circumstances that caused her to lose control over her powers. Not when it meant that Jeb was alive and by her side.

"Ahem." Wyatt's arms were folded as he regarded them with fond amusement. "You definitely get that from your mother," he informed his son, who dropped his hand from Az's face and blushed with embarrassment.

Az chuckled. "No, I think it's fair to say that he gets a fair amount of it from you, Commander Cain. DG never complains."

Identical expressions of dread washed across father and son's faces. "You don't gossip about us, do you?" Jeb asked, horrified.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean," she replied airily. Az sobered slightly at the thought of her sister. "Commander Cain, do you know where-"

"She is?" Wyatt nodded. "Sure I do, though I think you'd know as well if you probed along that uncanny little connection you have with her."

"She's closed herself off to me," Az confessed, hoping that her voice didn't betray how unhappy she was about it. DG hadn't spoken a single word to her in the week since the audience with the House of Lords. "I don't want to press too much. She's already angry enough-"

"And it's also been long enough. You're leaving soon and it's better to clear the air between the two of you before you're leagues apart." The former Tin Man's gaze was sympathetic but firm. DG had been pricklier than the fur on a Papay since her fight with her sister. "You did what you had to and I think she understands that. Doesn't stop her from being hurt."

She sighed. It also didn't stop her from feeling guilty. "I know."

Wyatt jerked his head upwards. "She's in the Observatory. Daily heights conditioning."

"Of course." She should have known that DG would be there, trying to overcome her fear of heights. "Well, that is where I shall be. Groveling."

"I'm sure she doesn't want that," Jeb began.

"Nobody really wants it unless they're truly sadistic," Az sighed. "But sometimes it's nice all the same. I shall see you two at dinner." She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to the corner of Jeb's mouth, loving the slight quirk in his lips. She bobbed into a slight curtsy. "Commander Cain."

Wyatt bowed. "Your Highness." He turned to his son and allowed himself a bit of a laugh as he tracked Az's exit from the courtyard with a besotted expression. "Very subtle, Jeb."

"You're not exactly subtle with DG either, Father."

He shrugged and ignored the jibe. His son could be pardoned for making calf-eyes at his lady – he was still young. Still, it was probably time to change the subject. "Are you ready for Wonderland?"

"I'm not ready for the Heart's court," Jeb admitted. "I'm not one for simpering and courtesies. Az is better at playing those games than I am." He had no doubt that he could fulfill the intelligence side of the Shadow Man's duties. It was easy enough to create networks of informants and to disseminate the information that they gathered. The Shadow Man was outside of the game. Once they were in Wonderland, they would be in the thick of things and he would have to be as much of a player as anyone else. The thought was disconcerting.

He wished that he could tell his father of the magnitude of the role that he was taking on. Wyatt Cain had years of experience as a Tin Man and Resistance fighter, lending him insight that Jeb knew would come in handy. But the Shadow Man had to remain exactly that – a shadow, unknown to anyone but the queen. He'd gotten along for years without his father's guidance, but now, his father was right in front of him and he was unable to ask for the advice he needed most. He shook his head, the muscles in his jaw clenched tight at the unfairness of it all.

"We're soldiers, son. We take orders and we carry them out. There's no shame in that." Wyatt clasped him on the shoulder, misinterpreting his son's frustration. "You just need to take care of her and bring Raw back."

If only it were that simple. "I will."

He was surprised when his father abruptly stopped in his tracks, his hands coming up to take his shoulders in a grip that was almost too tight. "Jeb…"

"Father?"

Wyatt's gaze was searching…and concerned. "Stay safe." And come back.

Jeb caught the underlying message loud and clear. He was, after all, his father's son and every bit as good as distilling entire sentiments into a single phrase. "I will," he promised.

A current of understanding passed between the two of them. "Good. Now, let's inspect your mounts."

He had already inspected the horses, but decided to humor him. "After you."

Az hesitated outside of the open door to the Observatory. Perhaps it was cowardly of her, but she wanted to seek her sister out about as much as DG wanted to see her. Asking for forgiveness was always difficult when it came to the ones she loved. It was especially difficult when she knew that she had erred so badly.

When they were children, it was usually DG who had to apologize when one of her many adventures went awry. As the eldest, Az would initially take the blame, but their parents were always quick to see through the ruse. It never helped that Az rarely escaped such escapades without injury. DG would always slip into bed with her, snuggle against her side, whisper "Sorry," and all was forgiven.

Oh, to be children again.

"I know you're there, Az. You might as well come in."

DG's voice made her jump. She forced herself to keep her hands away from her skirts and entered the Observatory with as much dignity as she could manage.

DG was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her back against one of the glass walls. Her face was angled away from Az, her gaze searching the reaches of the city. At the center of the room, the crystal globe glowed faintly in the afternoon light.

For a moment, Az had no idea what to do with herself. Her hands twisted together, a sure sign of her anxiety. Part of her just wanted to rush over to DG and blurt out all of the words that had been gathering in her head for days. The part of her that was adamant about going to Wonderland held her back. She walked over to the globe instead, feeling dissatisfied at the compromise. She trailed a palm over the clear, rounded surface and was hardly surprised when her power reacted to the magic in the globe. It was tied to the core of magic at the heart of the palace and she suspected that most of it was wild magic as well. Like recognized like.

"I'm not angry with you anymore."

Her hand paused. "Pardon?"

DG shrugged. "I stopped being angry days ago. I am, however, disappointed."

"In me."

"Sort of. At the end of the day, I know that you have to go to Wonderland. I'm not stupid, Az. I could tell that your magic had gone all kinds of wonky even before you had to tell the House of Lords. I wish you'd told me." Every time they linked, it was like Az's glow was almost unbearably bright, but uncomfortably so. Even when they weren't linked she could sense it like a metallic tang at the back of her throat.

"I didn't like anyone knowing about that, really," Az admitted, coming over to DG's side. She slid down the wall and landed with a thump on her bottom, not caring about her skirts. "It used to come so easily to me and now that it doesn't…"

"Welcome to my world. " DG smiled wryly. "You know, it's kind of refreshing to see you like this, Az. I don't mean that in a malicious way. It's just that you're unbelievably perfect sometimes, you know? You actually seem human now."

There was a teasing tone in her voice that had Az chuckling. "Oh Deeg. I'm certainly not perfect. You should know that better than almost anyone."

"Oh, I know it. It's just difficult to believe it sometimes. Like when you bring people back from the dead or haul an entire group of Riders across the country without blinking an eye."

Az was always uncomfortable when people brought up grand acts of magic. She took a great deal of pride in her abilities, but it was a matter of her control and technique rather than what she did with it. She had always been more fascinated with the source of her magic and the ways in which it could be manipulated. It was much better when the magic went unseen, such as in the myriad protections laid throughout Central City, the Northern Palace, and Finaqua.

DG glanced over at her older sister with a knowing look and correctly interpreted her silence. "I'm starting to develop a complex, you know," she remarked, deliberately changing tact. "You keep going on adventures without me. How on earth do you expect us to conquer Nonestica?"

"One country at a time," Az answered automatically. She knew a joke when she heard one. "I'll take Wonderland. You can take Quox. We'll…what's the word?"

"Tag-team it."

She nodded. "That's it. Tag-team it. Deeg, I know how much it means to you to find Raw-"

"-But I trust you to do it," DG finished, refusing to dwell on it any longer. She knew that it wasn't a competition. "As long as he comes back – as long as all of you come back. And you need to go, Az. Just…be careful. I get a funny feeling in my stomach every time I think about Wonderland." She'd been more than a little disturbed to realize that the world from Lewis Carroll's books was real. Her knowledge of the past and current situation in the country did little to alleviate her fears. She imagined that it would be cool to have a patron god like Cheshire, but only in theory. How could anything good come out of a god of chaos?

Az felt her nerves come alive at the warning. She knew what DG wasn't saying – it was more than just a feeling. The Light did not lean towards foretelling the future, but visions were not unheard of and instincts were always to be heeded. "I will, I promise."

DG's head fell to her shoulder. "When are you leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow."

"Have you packed?"

"Of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? Well, I suppose there's a lot that you have to do."

Perhaps there were. There were always more books to read and more people to speak to. She could ask Nine of Clubs about his home or her father about his Wonderland network. None of them appealed. "Nothing pressing. I just want to spend some time with my sister."

"I think that can be arranged."

Their fingers linked. Both princesses smiled as the Light responded, filling the Observatory with magic as warm as sunlight. This, at least, was constant.

Az hated goodbyes. Thankfully, theirs were mercifully brief. She would still be able to communicate with her family through mirror conferencing and magically delivered messages, much as she had when she visited the Vedu. After a few brief hugs and last-minute instructions, Az, Jeb, and their guards were finally able to leave Central City. It took them most of the day to cross the O.Z., striking east across the Eastern Guild-controlled Corn Basket. Past the Corn Basket were the dry brown hills of the Nest Hardings, which marked the eastern border of the O.Z. before the Shifting Sands. It was there that they made camp for the night.

Az's invisible wards were welcome at night when it hid their band from one of the many bandit groups that operated in the Nest Hardings. The bandits came perilously close to the edge of their campsite. Their proximity left the guards on edge, ready to attack, whilst Jeb muttered dark promises about assigning Rider groups to the area. The bandits soon gave up and the rest of the night passed without incident.

In the morning, they faced the Shifting Sands. Az sat still upon Freeheart's back as a ripple of unease went through her guards. Most had been raised in Central City or Shiz and had never ventured to the outer reaches of the O.Z. Even for those who had seen the desert were intimidated by their first view of the Shifting Sands.

The miles between the O.Z. and Wonderland were covered with hills of golden sand that were forever changing and yet somehow forever constant. The sandstorms here were frequent and vicious, capable of burying entire cities. Without proper direction and care, travelers courted death. The Shifting Sands had certainly claimed many lives over the years. If a god or goddess reigned here, he or she was surely more ruthless and unyielding than Sheba, the fierce desert goddess of the Vedu.

The Wonderland contingent had crossed the desert on one of their mechanical flying Scarabs. Glitch had taken one look and fallen in love, spending much of his free time tinkering with the contraption alongside its pilot and chief engineer.

Az supposed the Scarab was pleasant enough transportation. She'd had the opportunity to ride inside it, but DG had been more impressed than she, exclaiming about helicopters and airplanes.

In the end, Az would always prefer magic. She'd sent Raw across the Shifting Sands in a travel storm, and that was how they would go as well.

Besides, her wild magic was acting up again. A travel storm would calm it.

Amethyst eyes focused on the distant horizon. She wondered what awaited them in Wonderland. This was so very different from her last trip out of the O.Z. Then, she'd been in familiar surroundings with people she loved. She wanted nothing more than to be on the western border: to hug her abu, ride with Amirah, laugh with Rajah, and play with Tahir. Wonderland couldn't have been any more different from the land of the Vedu.

It was unknown. That alone made it more frightening than anything else. And what if she couldn't find the means to control her magic? What if she couldn't find Raw? She was suddenly overwhelmed with doubt; suddenly unsure about the path she had set herself upon.

Jeb watched as she stared sightlessly out at the Shifting Sands, knowing that her mind had already crossed the distance and was dwelling on what awaited them in Wonderland. He read the tension in the straight line of her back and the tightness around her eyes.

She was always afraid of failure. It was a rather surprising trait of hers when one considered all that she had been able to accomplish. He supposed that such fears went hand in hand with the all-consuming drive that forever pushed her forward. Fear of failure forced her to work even harder so that such an event never happened. On one hand, he could appreciate the flawless results, but as her lover he couldn't help but think that the stress was not good for her.

So he reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. "Az?" he inquired.

Her gaze shifted to him and focused. "Jeb?"

"Ready to go?"

She blinked and realized that she'd become distracted by her worry. She flushed and tossed a quick look back at the guards arranged behind them. "Yes, yes, of course. I have to tell the guards to calm their horses-"

"I've taken care of it," he interrupted gently. "And we told them yesterday as well. It'll be fine. You can call up the travel storm."

"Oh…thank you." She turned and caught Maja's attention, her gaze questioning. The guardswoman nodded solemnly. They were ready to go. "Right. Shall we?"

The travel storm sprang up in the blink of an eye. It was as though her magic sensed her intentions and leapt to her command the moment she released her hold over it, shaping the wind into the spinning funnel that would carry them all to the Wonderland border.

Az directed the funnel forward the moment it was fully formed. Time was of the essence. The storm was well over capacity, carrying twelve people and twelve horses. She was going to be exhausted once they reached the Spine.

Still, there was something thrilling about being in the center of a travel storm. She was almost sad when she realized they had arrived at their destination, yet grateful for the reprieve.

As the travel storm dissipated, Az pulled her magic beneath her skin where it belonged and found it much more quiescent. The wild magic seemed to react better when she used elemental magic, much more so than when she used the conventional Ancient-style spells. She still had power to spare but for now it seemed almost satisfied and therefore much more willing to be contained.

She slowly became aware of the murmurs of awe behind her and looked up – and up – and up. Her breath rushed from her lungs. The last thing she'd seen before the travel storm swept them away were the golden dunes of the Shifting Sands. They were a far cry from the massive formations of the Spine.

The mountains of the Spine were the largest she'd ever seen. Even the smallest of them was a rival for Knobblehead Pike, the tallest mountain in the Great Kells. The clouds obscured their summits, and Az wondered if there was ever a day so clear when one could see the mountains in their entirety. She imagined not.

"Well," she said to no one in particular. "We made it."

"Thanks, Az," Jeb murmured. "How are you feeling?"

"Ready to go," she responded, rubbing Freeheart's neck. "Aren't we, my heart?" The black stallion snorted and moved beneath her, aching to move.

"There's Fell Pass," Jeb announced, pointing up. "Let's go. I'd like to be at the bridge before we have to stop for the night." Az could just see the faint silver line of the mountain road that would lead them through the Spine and into Wonderland proper. She had no doubt that Freeheart and Moonshadow could navigate it easily, but they would have to move slowly to spare their guards' mounts.

Past the Spine, Fell Pass was known as the Sandy Road, the western road that led straight to Wonderland City. From what she could tell, Wonderland had only four main roads, one leading in each cardinal direction out of Wonderland City. The Rainy Road wound south through the Rainforests, the Windy road struck east to Port Morraine, and the Green Road went north, through the Fertile Plains and the Jade Forests. Constant rain meant that Wonderland's forests were wild and overgrown, full of strange and mysterious creatures. It did not make for easy clearing. For that reason, most of Wonderland's citizens lived in the cities: Wonderland City, Port Morraine, or the agricultural hub of Abervere, on the banks of the River Severin.

They had also lived in the Court of the White Kings, she remembered. The Diamond City. The seat of the Diamonds was supposed to have been one of the most beautiful cities in all of Nonestica, and the Hearts had razed it to the ground.

As they began their upward climb, Az thought of another city of Wonderland, even more fantastic than the Court of the White Kings and long forgotten: Ley'shamba. City of the Dragons.

Nonestican lore stated that the dragons had flown from their homeland of Aesgarda to Nonestica thousands of years ago, when the land was still young and its people younger still. Lurline had only just raised the O.Z. from the desert sands and the Ancients had not come into being. The dragons settled in two places: the Impassable Mountains, located in the Frozen Wastes between the O.Z. and the Kingdom of Ix, and the Spine. It was no coincidence that magic flourished in the lands closest to where the dragons made their new homes: dragons were inherently magical and attracted to its power.

It was the dragons that taught the sorcerers and sorceresses of Ix, the shamans of the Vedu, and the Ancients of the O.Z. to wield magic. But as hundreds and hundreds of years went by, magic began to leave Nonestica and the dragons withdrew from the world at large. They were said to be sleeping, curled deep within the Impassable Mountains, waiting for Nonestica to come alive once more.

Except in Wonderland. The dragons that settled there had found something entirely different to occupy themselves – the Great Alliance. They had lived in harmony with the four clans, teaching and working alongside the famous scholars of the Great Library and co-existing with the still-unknown third party of the Alliance. During that golden age, three cities rose above all else – the Diamond City, Wonderland City, and Ley'shamba.

At their height, those three cities were more beautiful and rich than any other city in Nonestica. This was no small feat, as each Nonestican city was bigger and more fantastic than the last, from Moë's pristine, crystal-clear canals in Fliaan, Everton's hanging gardens and golden towers in Ev, the sorcerers' City in the Clouds in Ix, the massive pyramids of Aurissau in Quox, and even the O.Z.'s shining city on the hill. Wonderland's cities simply stood apart thanks to Wonderland City's technology, the Diamond City's riches, and Ley'shamba's dragons.

Ley'shamba was carved out of the mountains themselves, an effortless integration of nature and technology. One could be forgiven for thinking that its temples had grown organically from the mountains of the Spine. Its towers were beacons of light in the darkness, welcoming those who called themselves friends and allies.

But Ley'shamba was not just a city in the mountains; it was a city within the mountains. The dragons were said to have completely hollowed out several mountains within the Spine to create a sprawling city complex buried deep in the heart of the mountain range. Ley'shamba was full of fantastic subterranean buildings sustained by underground rivers and lakes and lit with lanterns of dragon-fire. Old accounts said that the biggest mountain complex alone could house six Central Cities. Az could believe it: dragons were said to be hundreds of feet in length when they were at their largest.

If Wonderland City was an ode to the future and the Court of the White Kings an ode to the power of the clans, Ley'shamba was an ode to magic and knowledge. Wonderland's scholars might have lived and worked in Wonderland City, but it was Ley'shamba where they learned.

But thanks to the actions of the Hearts, Ley'shamba was no longer accessible. Years of rule underneath the power-hungry clan and the persistent use of teas had relegated it to the mists of time, a mere story that parents told their children at night, that scholars wrote of wistfully as they hid amongst the bones of the Great Library.

Was Ley'shamba still standing? Perhaps the better question was if it was still occupied. Had the Wonderland dragons joined their cousins in the Impassable Mountains in their slumber? Had they left Nonestica entirely to investigate new worlds, or had they returned to their ancestral home of Aesgarda?

Az hoped not. She had always wanted to see a dragon. But for now, she would settle on laying eyes on Wonderland's dragon texts. She hoped that King Jack would not object too much or ask for what she could not give.

Fell Pass was aptly named. Even Az and Jeb experienced some difficulty atop their Vedu horses. The muscles in her thighs were screaming from the awkward angle of her seat, leaning forward in order to aid Freeheart's upward climb. Both Freeheart and Moonshadow's coats gleamed with sweat and foam, and the guards' Quoxians fared much worse. They had to take frequent stops where Az would use her wild magic to try and boost their strength.

It was fully dark by the time they reached Fell Bridge, the site of the true border into Wonderland. The bridge spanned the space between two mountains known as the Twins. A tower, now crumbling with disuse, marked each end of Fell Bridge. Soldiers from the clan of Spade had garrisoned the towers for as long as anyone could remember, but the Spades had been decimated in their defense of the Diamonds during the Hearts' coup. No one guarded the Twins anymore. It would have been worrisome if it weren't for the fact that Wonderland's reputation and the treachery of Fell Pass had rendered this part of the border all but deserted.

Jeb and the guards inspected the First Twin. "This should be a safe enough place to bed down for the night," he announced. "At the very least we'll be out of the wind."

"I can ward the entire tower if we wish," Az offered, trailing her fingers along the old stone.

He shook his head. "Don't bother, Az. I'd rather you save your magic in case we really need it. Who knows what's lurking out there?"

She nodded. "Fair enough."

"Forgive me, Your Highness." Captain Wheeler appeared at her elbow, silent as a shadow. "But your horse has gone out to the center of the bridge."

Az's eyebrows shot up. Freeheart and Moonshadow didn't need to be tethered like other horses thanks to their Vedu training. And Freeheart was exceptional amongst even his kind for his ability to follow and even anticipate her commands. If she told him to stay, as she had when they entered the first Twin, then she expected him to do so. "That's strange. Freeheart!" she called, crossing to the doorway. "Come!"

There was no answer, no telltale clack of the Windrunner's hooves on the stone bridge. She could barely make out his shape in the darkness. "Freeheart!" She switched to Vedu. "Come!"

Again there was no response. She thought she heard something like the equine equivalent of a snort, but it was difficult to tell over the wind.

There was nothing for it. Az summoned a globe of light and made her way across the bridge to where the Windrunner was waiting. "Freeheart, what are you doing?" she scolded in Vedu, taking that great dark head in her hands so that she could look into his eyes. "Come on!"

Freeheart jerked out of her grasp and danced backward. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that he was being mischievous. Her companion was many things – loyal, enigmatic, and aloof – but he was certainly not prone to troublemaking. That had been more of Strongwind's purview, and Cloudrunners were more prone to mischief than their Windrunner cousins.

"Of all the times for you to be so stubborn!" she fumed, storming forward. Before she could touch him though, he came forward, docile and innocent. "What is happening in that head of yours, hmmm?" she asked as they walked back to the first Twin. "Being in Wonderland doesn't give you leave to go crazy, my heart."

The black stallion merely pranced back, evidently pleased with himself.

No one noticed the great golden eyes that regarded them from a distance, nor the rush of wings as something took flight. The travelers would have been surprised to learn that the Twins had not been abandoned after the Hearts' coup after all. Someone was always watching.

And deep in the Spine, something ancient shifted in the darkness.

Please review!
Hey, look! They're in Wonderland! And it looks like Az has set something off...