Disclaimer: Alice and Tin Man don't belong to me, they belong to SyFy. The craziness, however, is all me.
The scarlet flag flapped in the wind, its hue a bright scar against an otherwise colorless sky. The clouds were low and gray, heavy with their burden of rain. It was a common enough sight in the rainforests and one that Lucan Spade never tired of. While other Wonderlanders might have prayed for a glimpse of sunshine, he always welcomed a deluge.
Rain was cleansing. And Wonderland was in need of a purge.
His allies in Quox and Merry Land were impatient. There was hardly a day when the impudent, sniveling wastrel from Merry Land would present himself, daring to question his methods and motives. It was simple enough to quell his incessant worries or, when that was not enough, subdue him with a few short words and a heated glare. Lucan's lip curled with disdain. Merry Landers were all flash and style, with no substance. But they had numbers and a keen interest in Wonderland's resources, which was why he deigned to keep the toad around. The Merry Landers at least were supportive of his plans for Wonderland.
The envoy from Quox was another matter. Here was a man that he could respect. Quiet, methodical, secretive, and dangerous. Quox had no need for Wonderland's riches, so their motives remained in the dark. It was no matter. Lucan was no fool. He knew better than to trust the Quoxian, but he needed the empire's overwhelming power and soldiers as much as he needed Merry Land's. He needed an invasion that would crush the Hearts and all of its allies into dust as quickly and decisively as possible, and for that he needed the might of both countries at his back.
Only then would Wonderland have a ruler that was truly worthy, as the Diamonds had been. Every child in Wonderland was raised on stories of the Diamonds. The history books made it seem as though they shone like the gods and goddesses of Nonestica themselves. The books were also quick to praise them, waxing on about their strength, integrity, and honor. Above all, their honor. In a land where extraordinary people seemed to leap from the ground (some literally, in the case of the Outer Zone's Ancients), the Diamonds stood apart. They were genuinely good, something precious few could truly claim.
The Diamonds inspired blind devotion – enough so that long ago, three entirely different clans abandoned all that they had known to gather under their banner and fight for their continued freedom. The Diamonds had elevated the other clans of Wonderland into something far greater than they ever could have been on their own. Even Lucan could admit that his ancestors, illustrious warriors that they were, had been nothing more than exceptional mercenaries before they joined forces with the Diamonds. Through them, the Spades became an elite fighting force that was feared and admired throughout continent.
Their military prowess was undeniable. More Spades had been named White Knights than even Diamonds. For centuries, the Spades guarded their land, their fellow clans, and their people. Lucan had no doubt that if the Diamonds still lived, he would have happily fulfilled his ascribed duty as a Spade and served them faithfully.
But the Hearts had changed everything. No one had an inkling of the clan's treachery until it was too late. They'd weakened most of the country with their teas before anyone had an idea of how insidious and destructive they could be. Then and only then had they struck, leaving the Diamond City in ruins and its masters massacred.
The Spades had been decimated in the coup for defending the land, the people, and the way of life that they had sworn to protect. They would have been as ruthlessly exterminated as the Diamonds had it not been for the Red Queen, the grandmother of the current king. She'd wanted loyal Spades of her own and elected to spare those below fifteen years of age, training them for her purposes.
She should have killed them all. Even children had long memories and who was likely to forget, let alone forgive, the murder of their families and the utter destruction of the only life they'd ever known? Certainly not a Spade.
The Hearts were unworthy. They had taken what was not rightfully theirs in a storm of tea and blood. They had to be purged from Wonderland as poison was purged from a snakebite. Only then could Wonderland be free to return to its former glory.
Only the Spades could do this. Lucan knew this, as his father had. The Clubs shunned leadership, preferring their dim, dusty libraries and the shackles of subservience. They would bend a knee to whoever was most powerful, and soon enough it would be the Spades.
It was now Lucan's job to carry on with the task that his father had begun. As the oldest of the surviving Spades, Alistair Spade had known that the reign of the Hearts could not endure, not while there were Spades still breathing. And so, though by all outward appearances he was loyal to the Hearts, his agenda proved otherwise. He ensured that all remaining Spades knew of their history and their mission. They had no need for the Resistance – Caterpillar, Dodo, and those other fools fought for something so small. The Spades were a resistance unto themselves and loyal only to each other. Who could you trust, if not your family?
For many years it seemed like the Hearts would be the means of their own destruction. The demand for tea far outpaced its production, causing an economic crisis the likes of which Wonderland had never seen. Add in the loss of the other two members of the Great Alliance, and the Hearts seemed prime for self-destruction.
But then a little Oyster named Alice had come through the Looking Glass and everything changed. Lucan had to admit that the girl was effective, knocking down the Hearts as her legendary predecessor had during the final years of the first Red Queen's reign. But he had not been able to account for Jack Heart. The arrogant young pup should have been easily dispatched. Instead, he'd become a hero in his own right and the people of Wonderland, in their infuriatingly eccentric and foolhardy way, had been quick to crown him king.
Why couldn't they see that the Hearts were not worthy and could not be trusted? The Hearts could only bring more ruin upon the country. Lucan saw it, but precious others did. Even Grandin had had to be persuaded, but he'd seen the light easily enough. He had been able to appreciate Lucan's vision for a Wonderland that was free of the Hearts. Wonderland had become decadent, its people too easily ruled by their unruly emotions. They required an iron fist rather than satin gloves, and the Spades were more than happy to provide them.
Wonderland needed order and discipline. And who knew order and discipline better than a soldier? Soldiers had helped create this country, and soldiers would be the ones to see it restored. He would use his allies to their best advantage and eliminate those who did not share in his grand scheme. He had no need for them – or those who could not follow orders.
The men who had guarded the ambassador from the Outer Zone learned that lesson quite thoroughly. Lucan had been quite displeased to discover that his prisoner had escaped.
However, the disappearance of Ambassador Raw was of no consequence. There was no doubt that the Viewer would have been a useful tool. Still, this worked to Lucan's advantage. The rainforests were vast and unforgiving. Ambassador Raw would die and the blame would be placed firmly on Jack Heart. The tenuous negotiations between Wonderland and the Outer Zone would fall apart.
With the Gales out of the picture, Lucan and his allies would be free to move. The people of Wonderland would see that the Spade's way was best – or be crushed underfoot. Lucan would not mourn them. Casualties were only to be expected during a war.
His cold, pale eyes looked up to the flag once more. The black spade was clear against the scarlet field. We March On. His clan's words rang true for soldiers. They would ring true for Wonderland as well.
"You've been sleeping over your books again, haven't you?"
The librarian jerked back in her chair with a muffled shriek. "Really, Giacomo, you know better than to sneak up on a person!" she sniffed. "I have at least a dozen projectiles within easy reach. And how did you know?"
The Ten of Clubs laughed and settled against her desk. "You would never throw one of your precious books and we both know it, Elisa." He gestured at her nose. "You've got some ink right there and creases all over your face. What would Aunt Niccola think after all the work she put into teaching you about conservation?"
"What Aunt Niccola doesn't know won't hurt her," she said with a touch of asperity, rubbing the back of her hand over her nose. Her ire faded quickly into genuine pleasure as a sweet smile flitted over her face. "You haven't visited me in quite some time, cousin. What brings you here?"
They were second cousins, really, but Clubs never took such labels seriously. A cousin was a cousin, just as an aunt was an aunt, no matter how many times removed. Both Elisa and Giacomo sported typical Club features – both were tall, with pale skin and dark hair and eyes. They were reserved and aloof around strangers, yet warm and gregarious with family and close friends. Clubs were circumspect in how they displayed their emotions, but like every other citizen of Wonderland, felt every sentiment keenly.
But the true gift of a Club was their mind. Clubs sought knowledge above all else. They welcomed every piece of information as though it was a new friend and sought out unfamiliar subjects with enthusiasm and fervor. No topic was too mundane or esoteric to a Club. Many of the greatest scholars Nonestica had ever known had been Clubs, and many more had been educated under the tutelage of a Club at the Great Library.
The Great Library was the Clubs' legacy and their greatest treasure. Elisa was the 236th individual to hold the title of Head Librarian and only the eighth to jointly hold the title of Chief Chronicler as well. She was brilliant and inquisitive and interested in all subjects. Her mind for detail and her endless passion for books made her the ideal candidate for the position, even when there were older and perhaps more qualified individuals vying for the title. Elisa also possessed what her father called a "remarkable felicity of expression" that earned her the coveted second position. Elisa's prose was always eloquent and lyrical. Giacomo eagerly anticipated each new entry into the Chronicles just as he'd anticipated her stories when he was a child.
"I'm in need of some new reading. What can you recommend regarding the history of Quox?"
"Quox?" She looked at him askance. "Why would you want to read about…never mind, I probably shouldn't ask." She rooted around for a spare piece of parchment and scribbled down several catalogue numbers. "There should be several good titles in this section, though I personally haven't read anything on Quox in some time. Select a few and bring them to me and we can look through them together."
He accepted the piece of paper. "Thank you, cousin."
"How is Marino?"
Giacomo rubbed the back of his neck in a rare show of frustration. "Continually being stonewalled by the Gales. There is something afoot but he is unsure as to what is happening. Queen Lavender and the Prince Consort are being evasive and it has been a few days since he's seen Princess Azkadellia and Princess DG."
Elisa frowned and tapped one of her precious Mont Blanc pens against her chin. "Do we have cause to worry? I should think that the Gales would be ideal allies. They're certainly preferable to Merry Land and Quox." It was a shame that they could not choose their neighbors.
"They certainly are ideal, but they remain wary of outside relations." Giacomo had not told his cousin of Ambassador Raw's disappearance – that information had been kept within a very tight circle of ex-Resistance agents tasked with searching for the Viewer, as well as the Duchess and Marino. "They have reason to believe that the recent attempted coup had been engineered outside of the Outer Zone."
Her gaze sharpened. "Do they suspect Wonderland?"
Giacomo nodded, remembering his last conversation with Ambassador Raw. "It has certainly slowed down our negotiations."
"Well, if anyone can bring them back on track it is you, Giacomo." Elisa smiled fondly. "There is a reason why you are the Ten of Clubs."
"I'm glad you have faith in me."
"We're family," she said firmly. "What else can we have faith in, besides these?" She motioned towards the stack of books at her side.
"Spoken like a true Club," he chuckled. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I shall have a look at the books that you've recommended. Try not to get lost in some monster of a tome before I return." He glanced at the collection of books spread before her. One of his eyebrows winged up. "Is there any reason why you're so engrossed in old folklore and prophecies?"
"You know about The Temple of Amakek?" Elisa was taken aback. "Most of the librarians I've asked have never even heard of it!"
He snorted. "Father was obsessed with mythical creatures. I can't count how many times he cited that book. It's certainly compelling, but it's mere fancy."
"I happen to enjoy it," was the stout reply. She wondered when their roles had been reversed and he sounded like the older one.
"I never said there was anything wrong with that." He waved and ducked out of her little office, disappearing into the stacks. Elisa huffed and turned back to the book, trailing one finger down a page and enjoying the velvety feel of old vellum.
""Old folklore, my foot." Her brow furrowed. Giacomo had mentioned prophecies. The Temple of Amakek contained no prophecies – what was he talking about? She quickly surveyed the books on her desk.
Brown eyes widened. There was something new. She'd given the other librarians explicit instructions to leave new books in the archive room. Her office was already exploding with books, and she certainly hadn't brought anything new in within the past few weeks.
This one was small and fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. The binding was done in rich, faded red leather and its pages were of thin, delicate parchment. The text was handwritten rather than printed, but the ink was unusual. To her trained eye, the ink appeared to have been burned onto the pages. The title, as Giacomo had said, was simply called Prophecies, and was printed in that strange, almost burned script on the front cover.
Really, this was becoming ridiculous. She was not senile: her memory was as sharp as ever. And it was inconceivable to even think that her fellow librarians were playing a prank on her. Elisa picked up the book and flicked through it, frustrated with herself.
One of the passages caught her eye and she paused to read it thoroughly.
The Mont Blanc pen clattered to the desk. "Giacomo!"
The king needed to see this right away.
"Is this really a good idea, Az?" Jeb asked as they rode further into the forest. The trees grew tall and straight in this part of Wonderland, reaching far up into the sky before their branches split. As a result, light filtered down to the ground in dappled waves of green and gold. "I don't fancy an encounter with one of Wonderland's jabberwocks."
Az frowned at her map. "I'm sure we'd be more than a match for any creature we were to come across here. In any case, we're almost there and I should like to see the Diamond City before we move on to Wonderland City. I highly doubt that Jack Heart would be willing to show us the city that his ancestors destroyed."
She'd read so much about the fabled city and wished to see it for herself. The court of the White Kings was only about an hour's detour south of the Sandy Road and no one was expecting them in the capital. Jeb said that he would wait until they had presented themselves to Jack Heart before he made any contact with their agents within the city.
Besides, Az wanted a change of scene. The majestic beauty of the Spine had quickly morphed into the rolling hills and farmland of the southern border of the Fertile Plains. Az much preferred the forested, mountainous beauty just south of Wonderland's agricultural area. The forests surrounded Lake Mirana and stretched south, turning briefly into swamplands before erupting into vast and tangled rainforests. To the north of the Fertile Plains were even more forests, the immense, ancient greenwoods of the Jade Forests. Az wanted to see them all, but would have to content herself with the area in the immediate vicinity of the capital.
Jeb just sighed and continued to stay alert, his eyes continually sweeping the area for threats, his ears pricked for the slightest sound. He'd sent two of their guard detail to scout ahead, just as he did on any patrol with the Riders. He'd coached them himself on the way over. Even if they were city guards, there was still quite a bit of ground to cover before their party reached Wonderland City. He was unwilling to compromise Az's safety for a single moment.
Thirty minutes later, his scouts returned. "Commander Cain, there is a break in the trees half a league away with evidence of ruins."
Az perked up. "That's it! It's the Diamond City!"
"Anything else?" he inquired.
"We've found several traps which we believe have been constructed with the purpose of capturing jabberwocks. They have been marked so that we can avoid them for the horses' sake."
He raised an eyebrow. "Someone's hunting jabberwocks? I thought this area was deserted. We haven't seen any signs of human habitation." It was unsettling. There were no small villages along the Sandy Road and there hadn't been any sign of a farmstead on the Fertile Plains. For now, Wonderland appeared to be a deserted country. Az had reminded him that Wonderland had always been a country tied to its cities, but Jeb could not help but find that completely unnatural. His memories of growing up on the farm were few and far between, but he'd remembered loving it. Cities were crowded, noisy, and claustrophobic. How could anyone choose to live in such a place? He endured Central City because of Az and his duty, but relished the moments when he was training Riders in the Pertha Hills or taking them out into the field.
"No sir, but it's possible that they're the traps of a hunter who periodically comes from the city to check on them," replied Lieutenant Hanna Ableman.
Jeb nodded. "That's plausible. I still want you and Sergeant Murtagh to patrol our flanks until we reach the ruins. I don't want any surprises. Dismissed."
The scouts saluted and melted into the trees. Jeb had insisted that the detail wear a variation of the Riders' uniform whilst on the road so that they did not stand out. They could wear their eye-smarting Gale Force uniforms to their hearts' content within Wonderland City. He would prefer if they were not such distinct targets while they were traveling.
"Come on," Az urged, her eyes sparkling. "I want to see the city."
"Steady, Az," Jeb cautioned. "Remember what they said about the jabberwock traps. The last thing we need is for any one of us to take a tumble because you were in a hurry to get there." The Diamond City had stood for hundreds of years and it could stand to wait a little while longer.
Jeb had a point. She realized this when they came across their first jabberwock trap and paused to examine it.
The trap was at least three times the size of a horse pit. The bottom was filled with wooden stakes, their points filed to wicked sharpness. The pits themselves were well concealed with screens of leaves, branches, and woven rushes. It was clear that someone had expended a lot of effort to dig, line, and hide such a pit.
"What manner of creature is a jabberwock, so that people would build such traps?" Maja murmured, slightly awed by the size of the pit.
"Creatures we would not want to meet," Jeb said decisively. "But I expect that one of Az's shields would be more than adequate protection should we meet one. Still, it's best that we move on."
Az hummed with agreement.
They knew that they were within the limits of the old city when the trees began to grow shorter and shorter, a clear sign that they were younger than the rest of the forest. She ran her hand along one of the massive boulders that poked halfheartedly out of the ground, wondering if this was one of the old gates leading into the city.
"Halt!" Jeb barked, his keen eyes catching hold of something. He slid from Moondshadow's back and crossed in front of Lieutenant Ableman, motioning for her to move her horse back. He crouched and examined a hair-fine, silvery wire that was stretched across their path into the city. "There's a trip wire here." He followed it to a catch of small rocks poised to fall into a large metal bowl. Their release would cause quite a racket. "It looks like someone's protecting the city."
Az dismounted from Freeheart's back to look at the alarm herself. "The same person who set the jabberwock traps?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. Someone put a lot of effort into these as well." He carefully disassembled the entire device. "Be vigilant," he cautioned over his shoulder to the entire company. "There may be more of these. I suggest that everyone dismount and lead your horses in by hand, but be ready to mount quickly and retreat."
The princess found her enthusiasm for discovering the city much dampened in the light of these traps. The explorer within her balked at being restrained within the Diamond City, but she didn't want to alert anyone of their presence any more than she wished to be caught in one of those pits.
That was why her first real view of the Diamond City took her by surprise. The ground sloped gently up and as she topped the first rise, the crumbled remains of the once proud city stretched before her. Massive monuments and buildings lay scattered between trees, overgrown with roots and moss and other creeping vegetation. Even with the ruin of the years, she could see how the streets would have rayed out from the center, creating concentric circles around the White Palace.
"Wow," Jeb breathed, coming up beside her. "Can you imagine how this must have looked at the height of the Diamonds' rule? It could easily be the same size as Central City."
"I can do better than imagine," Az murmured, her eyes never straying from the sight before her. "Watch."
The spell was more instinctive than anything else. She could feel the remaining power in the stones before her, power that must have seeped into them because of prolonged contact with the dragons. There was history here, and more powerful than that, memory. The stones remembered what they were. They knew how they had fit together to create a city that had once been the pride of the country and the envy of Nonestica. They nearly hummed with an inanimate longing to be what they once were.
She drew on those memories now, crafting an illusion to show her how the city must have looked. Her magic was eager to respond, carpeting the ground in golden mist. "Remember brick, remember stone," she whispered, the words jumping unbidden into her mind. "Remember summer breeze and winter frost. Whisper of the stories untold, return to us what once was lost."
The sun's rays came sweeping through the clouds and the mist slowly dissipated, leaving sparkling golden motes that danced in the breeze.
"Blessed Ozma," Jeb breathed.
Before them stretched the Diamond City in all its splendor. It was an oasis of a different sort, rising from the emerald forests and quenching a thirst that one did not even know they possessed. Every building was polished to a shine, ranging in every shade from the darkest of gray granite to blinding white marble. There was not a straight line to be found anywhere: every building was composed of sinuous, organic curves and rounded towers that spiraled upwards towards the sapphire-blue sky. Architecture melded seamlessly with nature in the form of a multitude of lush, verdant gardens sprinkled with jewel-bright flowers. Every building boasted panes of glass that caught and reflected the sun, giving the impression that the city truly was one of diamonds.
The crowning glory of the city was the White Palace, home to the Court of the White Kings. It was a confection of sparkling white marble and shining panes of glass. Its graceful domes and arches were accented with delicate filigrees of gold and silver that shot sparks into the air as the sun passed over them. It was a testament to beauty, the culmination of architectural style and technique. It was a palace meant to evoke sighs and wonder. It was meant to inspire, not to intimidate. From its highest tower, a banner unfurled in the breeze. Five white diamonds gleamed against a cloth-of-gold field.
Honor Everlasting. Those were the words of the Diamonds. And looking at this city, it was not difficult to see why. The Diamond City was something out of legend, populated with people as perfect and shining as gods.
The vision was both dazzling and intoxicating. The mere thought of the city's current state was heartbreaking. Az was loath to let it go, but she knew better than most that it was best to let the past remain in the past. The illusion dissolved, leaving the bones of the city behind.
"So that was the Diamond City." Jeb had moved closer to Az as she worked the spell, and now he reached to twine his fingers with hers.
"It was beautiful, wasn't it? You can see why it held the reputation that it did."
"I can," he agreed. "But that's a high standard of perfection to hold. Beauty like that is too ephemeral to last."
She leveled an amused look at him. "That's rather pessimistic."
"I'm a realist. Give me Central City any day. It's beautiful too, but it's solid. Lasting. It's older than this city, and it still stands. It'll stand for many years to come."
"I agree." The Diamond City made her heart ache, but Central City was her heart. Perhaps she was biased as a citizen of the Outer Zone, and a Gale at that, but she loved her city on the hill.
A high-pitched wail broke the peace of the moment, punctuated by the staccato clop-clop-clop of galloping hooves.
"Noooooo! My city! Where did it goooooooooo?"
Jeb shoved Az behind him and drew his pistol. The Gale Force guards responded equally swiftly, falling into a defensive position around their princess, rifles and pistols cocked. Az called up a shield to protect them all.
A single horseman appeared over the rise. When he spotted their group he reined in his horse, an aging stallion whose coat was pure white. He all but fell from the saddle and approached them on foot, his hands open and almost beseeching. His dark eyes widened at Az's shield, glowing softly amethyst, and the wild look in them receded.
He was the first Wonderlander that they'd seen, and perhaps the oddest-looking person Az had ever seen. He looked to be sixty or seventy annuals in age, but could have been twenty years older or younger. He sported a ridiculous curling white beard and moustache that were at least one hundred years out of fashion. He was dressed as a knight of old, clad in serviceable chain mail and white plate armor that had certainly seen better days. The plates were rusty and perhaps even mossy in places, and several pieces were missing from the entire suit. He carried a broadsword at his hip, one that was clearly seen many years yet was well cared for.
"Please," the strange knight said in a high, querulous tone. "Who brought back the city? Who raised the Diamond City from its eternal slumberrrrrr?" His white-gloved hands traced through the air as he uttered the word 'raised,' his fingers fluttering like butterflies.
"He's mad," Sergeant Jonah Murtagh muttered from somewhere behind Az.
"Is he our trap-setter?" Hanna asked.
"Silence," Maja snapped, beating Jeb to the punch. "Focus."
Az shifted slightly from her spot behind Jeb. "I raised the illusion of the city," she said clearly. "I wished to see the city as it was."
The knight's demeanor shifted drastically at her admission. He drew his sword far more quickly than one would have expected for a man of his age, brandishing it at their group without fear for the multitude of firearms pointing back at him. "Clear away from here, sorceress!" he thundered. "For I too am a practitioner of the dark arts and will not hesitate to challenge you!"
The tension climbed and the guards raised their weapons even higher. They had not banked on meeting a magic-user in Wonderland.
Az, on the other hand, bristled at his words. "I am no sorceress, nor am I a practitioner of the dark arts. I am a Guardian of the Light." She allowed her Light to flicker into being around her, wreathing her entire body in a warm, golden glow. "If you claim to use dark magic, then it is myduty to challenge you, for I will allow no dark sorcerers to harm the innocent." She frowned and tried to get a sense of his magic. There was simply nothing. The knight either had the best shields she'd ever seen or he was as magical as a pebble.
The knight's eyes nearly popped out of his head at her show of power. "A guardian of the Light?" he cried. "Then my lady, we are allies! I am a knight! I too am sworn to protect the innocent from the insidious grip of darkness!"
"He's definitely mad," Guardsman Willas said under his breath.
"And who are you, Sir Knight?" Az asked, ignoring him.
The knight sheathed his sword in a grand gesture and knelt before her, his right hand coming up into a peculiar salute over his heart. "Forgive my rudeness, my lady. I am Sir Charles Eustace Fartheringale Malfoy the Third. The White Knight."
Please review!
I thought it was time to introduce some key players, including a very familiar one! I admit that I was terrified at the prospect of writing Charlie (much like I'm terrified of writing Hatter), but I think he turned out all right. And doesn't the Diamond City sound pretty? Picture Theed (Naboo's capital city) and Atlantis, only minus the super colorful buildings and water.