I do NOT own Alice in Wonderland, only this story and my original characters.

This story is rated M, for violence, language and sexual themes.

Chapter 6

Run from the Red Queen

If someone had told Alice she would be running for her life through Underland, she would have called them crazy. Yet here she was, racing across the Red Desert with Iracebeth's army getting closer and closer.

"Chess, I hate to distract you while you're fleeing for your life, but do you think it's at all possible for you to give me better shoes!" Alice screamed harshly at the cat.

"Oh, Alice, of course I'm so sorry. Here you go that should be better." Chess replied all while moving forward.

Once again red flames covered her body. The outfit was almost identical except the red was now white and the heels were now knee-high combat boots with white ribbon going down the front.

"Ah, much better!" Alice exclaimed, now easily running over the broken ground.

"Ok Chess lead the way to Marmoreal." She ordered.

"With pleasure." Came the quick reply. She wasn't sure how far they would get; she could hear the hooves of the horses like rolling thunder.

"Quick Alice, turn left now!" Chess's screamed order rang out. Not even looking only moving Alice did as ordered. Suddenly the harsh light and heat of the setting sun wasn't on her anymore.

It seemed like she was running down a crack that went through the canyon wall.

"Chess? Where are we going?" She asked quietly. She couldn't hear the army anymore.

"It's a secret passage; it comes out in what used to be the forest. It will get us ahead of Stayne and hopefully enough of a lead to get to Marmoreal in one piece." Chess explained in a hushed tone.

"Look get me into that dead forest and I'll be just fine. I'll be able to move better than them and I can doge any on-coming attacks." Alice stated confidently.

"Alice, this is Stayne. The man is a hunter and right now you're his prey!" Chess exclaimed.

"Chess I know what I'm doing. I'm from Otherworld. Stayne has no idea who he's messing with." She said gently.

"What if you get hurt?" Chess's glowing eyes looked panicky.

"Then you escape and leave me." Alice knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear but they both couldn't get caught.

"Absolutely not!" Chessur roared.

"Chess I didn't say you'll stay away. You'll simply go and get me a weapon." Alice calmly replied.

That seemed to sober him up a little.

"Well I could always get you a sword." Chess said a little hesitantly.

"That would be perfect, but for now let's focus on getting to Marmoreal." Alice said with a smile. As she turned her focus to the channel they were running down she felt something grab her ankle.

Releasing a startled and pain filled yelp she fell. Whatever had grabbed her ankle was dragging her back towards the Red Desert.

"Chess!" She screamed.

"Alice! It's a shadow! Quickly find the red and kick!" Came the frantic reply. Flipping onto her back, her eyes searched for something, anything red. Finally she saw it and with all her strength kicked.

The shadow released her and retreated. Scrambling to her feet Alice raced in the other direction. She ignored the stinging in her ankle and only thought of getting out of there. Of getting out of the dark.

"Alice are you all right?" Came the concerned voice of Chessur.

"Run now, talk later!" Was her rushed order. She could now see the glowing light of the sun again and then they were in the forest. Still she didn't stop, she was too scared to.

"Alice this way!" Chessur called. Pivoting, she tore off in the direction of his voice.

Normally the forest would calm her and make her relax, but not this one. Alice knew that this forest was evil and that it would bare her no protection. Then she heard it. The Red Queen's army was getting closer.

"Alice you're bleeding!" Chess cried.

Stopping short, she looked down only to be met with the sight of her ankle torn open. The boot was torn and the white ribbon was now stained red with blood. Her blood. She shuddered, who would have thought that shadows had claws, big ones at that. She also noticed that it was bleeding rapidly.

Swallowing her pride and her fear she looked right into Chessur's big eyes.

"Leave it. We have to keep moving." Chess's eyes widened even more.

"Are you mad?! We can't leave it like that, it could get infected, you could bleed to death!" He screamed.

"There's no time Chess, if they catch us we will both die!" She argued back.

"At least let me wrap it Alice." The cat begged.

"Fine, but quickly, we don't have much time." She pressed. With a nod he pulled a cloth out of thin air and wrapped it around her ankle.

"There." He whispered. With that one word Alice shot off again. She knew she was pushing herself, but what other choice did she have.

So they raced through the forest, not stopping, not looking back. It wasn't until she tripped that Alice looked back at her ankle. Even with the dim light of the moon she could see the cloth on her ankle was soaked. She was losing blood and fast. Still she forced herself to get up and move forward.

Chessur was looking at her, big beautiful eyes full of concern.

"Alice you need to rest." He gently whispered. She gave a shaky laugh.

"I'll rest when I'm dead Chess, for now we keep moving." Her voice was weak but left no room to argue. So with a sigh Chess moved until he was under her left arm and helped support her.

Together they moved through the dead forest. Every now and then they would hear the army but they never stopped moving. As the night wore on they slowed down. It wasn't by choice but because Alice was stumbling more and now had a fever. But she still refused to rest and insisted on getting to Marmoreal.

"Chess how much further is it?" She gasped out.

"Just a little longer Alice. We will be there soon I promise." The cat said gently. Then, the next thing she knew she was on the ground and someone's foot was on her back.

"Well, well. Looks like we've finally got you Miss Cortez." Came the cold voice of one Ilsovic Stayne.

"At least he doesn't know my real name, not that it really matters." Alice thought to herself. She felt the foot move.

"Lift her up." He ordered. She felt cold metal hands wrap around her upper arms. Once she was somewhat upright she felt a finger under her chin. Slowly she was forced to meet the cold, one-eyed gaze of Stayne.

"You gave us quite the run, Cortez. But I must say I didn't expect you to be so tired." He almost sounded disappointed, guess he didn't notice her ankle or fever.

"Sir, look at her ankle." One of the guards said.

"Ah there we go." Alice thought sarcastically to herself.

"What in the name of the shadows? Who did this?" Stayne demanded, gripping her chin harder.

"Shadow." Was all she said. Her head felt light and her body ached all over.

"A shadow, but it was sent hours ago. Don't tell me you've been forcing yourself to run this entire time injured!" For some reason he sounded really mad.

"I would rather die by this then the Red Queen and her dogs." Alice spat. She knew it was foolish but she didn't care anymore. Somewhere, deep down inside of her, she felt an anger awaken. So on her own she lifted her head and met his stare defiantly. The look of shock on his face was well worth the pain.

"Just what are you?" Stayne asked, curious but cautious.

"I'm what happens when you rip everything away from a girl, injure her and then corner her. I'm pissed!" with that she lunged to the side, while grabbing the guard's sword and rolled into a crouch.

"Oh and my name is Alice!" She said while slowly standing.

"And I'm going to kill you all." And then the fight began.

She wasn't sure how long she had been fighting them, running through the forest. But now it was just her and Stayne. Chess had gotten away earlier and she told him to make a trail for her to follow. Her body was on fire but she couldn't stop. Not until Stayne retreated.

Just then he was behind her. Their swords met and their voices filled the air. The first of the morning light casting their shadows long across the forest floor. He forced her back and she felt her ankle protest. The pain was almost enough to make her falter, but she wouldn't let it. She kept ignoring the pain, her only focus was winning.

She was going to beat this man. She was going to make him face his bloody Queen as a failure. When she asked what happened, he would have to tell her he lost to her. That he lost to Alice Kingsleigh. With that thought in her head she felt new determination and pushed him back. One step at a time.

"You don't really think you can beat me do you? I'm bigger, faster and stronger." Stayne taunted.

"Yeah, but are you one tenth as pissed off as I am?" She screamed throwing him back. She heard more then saw him hit the ground. He released a rough grunt upon his landing.

"My even injured you're a great fighter. I don't see why you don't join us. The Red Queen would give you great rewards." Stayne said humbly.

"No thanks. I have no wish to serve a blood thirsty queen with the maturity level of a five year old. But thanks for the compliment wish I could return it." Alice bit out.

That seemed to make him angry because he charged at her, sword swinging with the release of a loud battle cry. Still even though her vision was beginning to blur she blocked every blow while still delivering her own.

"Tell me. What drives you? What makes you fight for them!" Stayne asked while angrily swinging his sword.

"Do you want to be a hero? Do you want to be the champion, be their leader? Do you want them to say it was you who fought for them in this war?" With every question he asked he delivered a blow.

Stepping back to avoid a hit Alice levelled him with a stare.

"No." She said. He paused.

"I have no wish to be a hero or a champion. I have no desire to lead anyone. I am simply doing what's right. I am simply doing what no one else will because their scared. And you know what Stayne? So am I. I'm terrified that I'm going to fail, that the place I heard about as a child will be destroyed!" Alice declared.

"But I'm not ashamed of my fear. I'm not going to back down. Even though I'm scared and hurt and alone I will not give up." With that said she charged, attacking over and over. After a while Stayne moved back to get some space between them.

Both were more than tired. They both had cuts and scrapes, dirt covered them from head to toe with random leaves here and there.

"You still haven't told me what drives you?" Stayne gasped out.

"Maybe I'm tired of being a failure ok! Maybe I want to do something I can be proud of. Maybe I finally have a chance at a family and life where I'm not an outcast!" Alice screamed.

Whatever he was expecting that wasn't it. The shock on his face proved it.

"What do you know about being an outcast?" Stayne asked with clear distain.

"I have been an outcast my whole life Stayne! The only person besides my mother that wasn't ashamed of me was my great-grandmother! And guess what! They're both dead!" She exclaimed.

Clearly both of them were shocked. Stayne by what she said and Alice because she said it. For a while they both just stood there. Stayne studying her and she was trying to calm her breathing.

"You have no one?" The question caught her off guard.

"Well I have blood family but they have nothing to do with me." She said.

"Why?" Again it wasn't harsh, in fact it sounded sad and confused. Taking a deep breath she explained.

"My mother died when I was a kid and my father re-married shortly after. My father is ashamed of me and so is my step-mother. They sent me to live with my great-grandmother and after she died they sent me to boarding school full time. I have a little sister but I don't get to see her, my step-mother thinks I'll be a bad influence." She said sadly and furiously.

She couldn't believe she just told him that. This man was the Knave of Hearts. He served the Red Queen and was just trying to kill her.

"Stayne why do you serve the Red Queen?" She didn't know why she asked but she felt the sudden need to know.

"I'm a soldier. I have always fought and I never knew any other way to live. As a soldier I needed someone to serve. Iracebeth was the first person to show me any form of kindness, so I serve her." She was surprised he told her.

"Why not serve the White Queen. I'm sure if you told her the truth she would forgive you." Alice questioned gently.

"No. I have done too much to ever be forgiven." He said quickly, regret flashing threw his eye. Alice was silent for a second before she threw down her sword.

"What are you doing?" Stayne asked bewildered.

"I won't fight you." Alice said calmly.

"Why the hell not?" He asked angrily.

"Because Stayne I don't fight my friends. It's not about whether the White Queen forgives you, it's about whether you forgive yourself." She said honestly.

For a while he just looked at her then to her sword, then back to her.

"What makes you think I'm your friend?" He asked curiously.

"What we just shared, our reasons for being here, that's something friends do." Alice explained gently, slowly walking closer.

"Are you mad? I could kill you, that's what I am Alice, a killer." Stayne said gripping his sword tighter.

"You're wrong. If you were just a killer than you would have killed me the second I was on the ground with your foot on my back. You're not just a killer. You don't enjoy it and you regret what you did. I know that by looking at you Stayne. I know that by talking to you." She said honestly.

"I could kill you. Don't you have a lover to live for or something?" It sounded like he was trying to give her a reason to fight him.

"Yes, I do have someone I love and I have two best friends because of this place, and now I have you." She said softly. He stiffened.

"This man you love, don't you want to return to him?" Again it sounded off.

"He's never met me Stayne. I'm in love with the Hatter." She could feel her blush covering her face.

"I see, and you think we are friends because of this conversation?" He sounded so confused.

"No Stayne. I know we are friends, maybe one day we can even be siblings. The one we can go to and count on no matter what." And Alice really did want that. She knew they had a lot in common, he just needed someone to genuinely care about him. He would make a great big brother.

She saw him put his sword away and smiled a real full smile at him. He looked at her before slowly smiling back. That was all it took. All her energy left her when it no longer felt threatened and she fell. However her face never hit the dirt, instead it met the black leather of Stayne's shirt.

"Alice are you all right?" She smiled at the concern in his voice.

"Yeah, just tired. I'll be fine once I rest." She said sleepily.

"Then rest here, I'll watch over you until you can move to Marmoreal without passing out." He said with a chuckle.

"Thanks Stayne." She whispered.

"You're welcome Alice." He whispered back. Slowly Alice fell asleep with the warmth of the sun on her face and the comfort of knowing Stayne was there to protect her.

Alice woke with a start and instantly regretted moving. Every part of her hurt. Looking around Alice noticed Stayne was nowhere in sight. Moving to get up her hand fell on a piece of paper. Opening the note Alice smiled for it said;

Alice,

Sorry I could not stay until you woke but I had to return to Crims. Don't worry I have called off my men and the shadows. I told the Queen that you are dead. Please be careful getting to Marmoreal and try not to push yourself.

Your friend, Stayne.

Slowly Alice folded the note then she put it in her pocket. Looking around she noticed that Stayne left her the sword she had been using and had carved an arrow into a tree pointing to what she assumed was Marmoreal.

Getting up and walking over to the sword, she picked it up and started her journey. She didn't know how long she was walking but thanks to Chessur's clues she knew she would get there eventually. It wasn't until the sun was almost setting that she saw it. The most beautiful castle she had ever seen. It looked like it was carved out of pearl and everything was the purest white. Alice knew the second she got past the gates that for the first time since arriving in Underland, that she was truly and completely safe.

~A.N.~

AWE! Bonding moment for Alice and Stayne, personally I don't think he gets enough love so I decided halfway through the chapter to make him a good guy I even plan to make him fall in love with one of Alice's friends! The line in which Stayne says "I'm bigger, stronger and fast then you" and Alice replies "Yeah but are you one tenth as pissed off as I am!" was inspired by the movie Ultra Violet. Good movie! When I was thinking of what the shadows would look like I got inspired by Kingdom Hearts. (WHICH I DON'T OWN) Not gonna lie the shadow that attacked Alice is like a large psycho version of the shadow heartless and instead of yellow eyes it has red eyes. There will be other shadows later on and yes they will be stronger and hopefully better looking. Please rate and review! *smiles and bows*