Sorry if this one seems a bit subpar, there's a lot going on and it took a lot of words (more than I've used in any previous chapter, geez) to get it all down. Editing this seemed to take forever--I was evidently more interested in finding music to listen to for writing future chapters. Enjoy it nonetheless—the battle for Wonderland is upon them!
The line had been drawn.
White and Red stood square across the field from one and other, Chessmen with their swords drawn and their heads held high while silence rang for miles. Ilosovic Stayne had drawn his last confident breath as he left little Alice in the hallway. The daunting man stood before the red-splashed army, his men not a dozen feet behind him. The Knave's cape billowed around him, the rippling cloth the only sound to be heard before he drew his blade.
Across the way, the White Queen reluctantly slipped off her horse and stepped forth. This moment rang profoundly in her mind, drawing up a hideous memory from not too long ago. In the memory, the Knave had been slain, Alice had taken the Jabberwock, and the Red Queen fell dead soon after. The young champion Alice had won back Wonderland, but soon fell when poisoned with the Red Queen's spirit. Since, her mind quickly deteriorated while others tripped across the line between Wonderland and the other land, their memories tainted as they tried to process their new reality.
Alice, returned home, became confused and mistook her world as Wonderland. Thus when she fell back into Wonderland, she simply thought it all a dream. Frightened of what she faced while at home, Wonderland mutated in her absence, and thus left them in this decrepit state, the inhabitants aging and sickened, while many lost their minds.
The White Queen's eyes lifted to the Knave.
"Do you realize what you've done, Ilosovic Stayne?"
He squared his shoulders.
"Did you think that there would be no consequences in poisoning a young girl's mind? Your own memories, assuredly unstable, somehow possessed you into thinking you loved the girl. You've thus decided to take it upon yourself to push her into the empty Red throne, with no concern as to what it would do to her or the world around her."
"Such deep accusations, Mirana," he hissed, "but I haven't the time."
"Stayne!" she cried, "If you continue like this, you'll kill us all."
The Hatter stood not far from the White Queen, his eyes fiery while the shadows beneath grew darker by the minute. His eyes locked upon the Knave, who offered a chilling smile.
"If it's the Hatter you're worried for," the Knave chuckled, "Go on, bring him forth. I'll put that sorry excuse of a man out of his misery here and now."
His eyes had practically lit aflame.
"So guarded of your people," the Knave continued, "one to love and cherish each of their pathetic souls. That is how kingdoms wither and waste away, Mirana. Didn't your mummy and daddy teach you that?"
The Gryphon's talons clawed the earth. "I've had enough of this chatter," he muttered beneath his breath.
But the Hatter was the one to truly act first.
Wielding a long blade, he ran at the Knave snarling something about 'down with the Red Queen,' while Mirana screamed for him to stop. She was so desperately hoping they wouldn't need to fight, though this time she knew it was an impossible wish.
Swords crashed against one and other. The Knave laughed in the Mad Hatter's face.
"She will never have you," Stayne roared. "Who could love someone so mad as you?"
He absolutely delighted in the raging effect his taunts drew from the Hatter. Surely the man was on the brink as it was—it would only take the slightest push to break him now.
Mirana's mouth slipped open. She wanted to scream. Instead she rushed forward, prompting her Chessmen to thunder forth around her. This of course led to the Red army's charging
And thus the battle for Wonderland began again.
"Hatter!" The White Queen knew her attempts would be useless. He was locked in battle with the Knave, his mind far from where he stood, his heart set on destroying the thing that took Alice from him. From all of them. It was a tragedy she alone could not fix.
So Mirana drew close and snatched the second blade hanging by his belt. This one glimmered in the light and sang a beautiful tune when she held it so. With the Vorpal Sword in her hand, the Knave backed away.
Taking a page out of his former highness' book, the Knave commanded, "She has the Vorpal Sword! Take it from her! And off with her bloody head."
The Red army roared in agreement. So long as that sword existed, they would live in fear. It had destroyed the Jabberwocky, and was thus seen as the most devastating weapon in existence. But of course, in the White Queen's hand, they seriously doubted its usefulness. Said Queen had made vows that stated she could not kill.
The Knave disappeared into his oncoming forces. The Hatter and the Queen were soon swamped, in over their heads, and tragically overwhelmed by red-splashed Chessmen. Standing back to back, the Queen whispered an apology. The Hatter merely growled. Luckily a certain gold Gryphon leapt into the fray, or else the pair would have assuredly been killed on the spot.
Chessmen did not fall as easily as card guards, the Hatter soon realized. In his desperate fighting he did not notice the Queen's disappearance, that she had been elbowed and beaten about the head before several stony arms wrapped themselves around her. At least he did not notice until the Vorpal Sword fell into his open hand. His eyes went wide and flashed green for just a moment as he looked upon the thing, white and shining in his hand. Mirana was a dozen feet away and crowded by half a dozen soldiers, she a glowing angel among the sea of red.
With new determination, the long blade fell to the wayside as the Hatter clutched the Vorpal Sword proudly. He soon realized that this blade did a far better job of eliminating the enemy as opposed to just any old sword. But somehow, in the back of his mind, this seemed wrong.
But it was like a veil had settled around his mind—though Mirana was being dragged away, the danger and the fear of the situation was not felt. The Hatter was completely consumed by the death and bloodshed around him. Even young Alice, the very reason why he fought so ferociously, had vanished from his thoughts.
Mirana's eyes did not open again until she'd crossed over the threshold of the Red castle's grounds. A gnawing pain began to consume her, leaving her feeling positively queasy and powerless to stop those who had hooked their arms around hers. A small sigh escaped her; surely she was dead, and if not then she would be in good time. Her eyes fell closed, her head hung low, and she accepted her fate—until, of course, she saw the girl.
With golden curls sloping down her shoulders, the girl was unmistakable even from the back.
"Alice!" the woman cried out.
With a new determination invigorating her, Mirana strained against the soldiers and even managed to her feet before they noticed much.
"Alice, please!"
The girl turned abruptly, her curls swinging around her shoulders made the moment all the more dramatic. She knew her name, this was true, but not the voice from which it was uttered. It was like a far off dream, the woman's voice was so melodious yet incredibly mysterious. But the moment Alice laid eyes on her, she knew exactly who she was.
"The White Queen!" Alice choked. She took two steps towards the woman when the red Chessmen on either side of their prisoner grunted angrily, looking to Alice reluctantly. They only paid her a moment, however, before rushing off again, dragging a disheveled Queen with them.
The girl's brow furrowed as she cried, "Wait!"
But the Chessmen marched purposely ahead of the girl, storming into the ballroom and throwing the White Queen inside mercilessly. She fell hard on her side, crying out as the doors crashed shut ferociously behind her, leaving her in a great dark cavern of a room. Alice came to a skidding halt at the Chessmen's feet, they glaring at the girl as if she had no business there, though they said nothing.
"Move," she growled.
They did not.
She drew a long breath. If she was their Queen, then certainly they would bend to her will… "Move, now!"
With another grunt and a reluctant step to the side, both Chessmen moved from the door which Alice promptly shoved at. Though she used their entire body weight, the door barely budged. With a little cry she tried again, ramming the barrier with her shoulder, but again, barely causing the thing to shake. The Chess pieces grunted once again, though Alice swore it was more of a laugh. She threw them dirty looks before one lunged forward and smashed his fist into the door, tossing Alice's little frame inside as well.
She grumbled to herself as she tumbled inside the massive room, her elbow scraped and her knees jarred before she realized just what was going on. The massive room was suddenly lighting up, flames exploding on the tips of a hundred candles; the resulting halo of light revealed a particularly dark and downtrodden looking Queen in the middle of the room.
"Alice," the woman whispered once again.
The little girl looked up as if her name had been screamed.
"Oh…my dear girl," she trembled.
Alice suddenly rose and crossed the room to her, feeling as though this woman was in need of help—not imprisonment. The woman in white knew her name, had not fought, and had a voice that resembled wind chimes. Certainly she could be no worse than the Knave, Alice thought.
Kneeling before her highness, Alice questioned, "Um, I feel as though I know you. But…I don't recognize you, if that makes any sense at all."
"Oh, Alice," Mirana whispered, her voice choking up, "You were right," she laughed, "I am the White Queen, my true name is Mirana of the White Court… But you, you're the important one here! You're Alice, Wonderland's champion…everyone in this place knows your name, your face."
The girl shook her head in the utmost disbelief and denial. She knew nothing of this champion title everyone aside from the Red court was trying to push on her.
Mirana edged closer, taking the girl's face in her hands. With every last ounce of fleeting hope within her, the Queen implored quietly, "Alice, please, you must believe it. In your heart, in your mind, you are part of this place…it bends to your will, it hurts and cries for you…Wonderland only feels joy when you do. You must restore this place, please, dear Alice. I fear that if you cannot, then no one will…"
The desperation rooted in the Queen's gaze and shaking in her voice sent a shudder through little Alice. "What am I supposed to do? I'm just Alice…just Alice!"
The Queen offered a sad smile and patted the girl's curls as if to console her, when it was really Mirana who was on the edge of tears. She knew this would be her final speech. "And that will do just fine," she replied, "Only you can stop the Red army once and for all. Destroy the Knave with the Vorpal Sword and I'm certain he will never come back."
Alice barely nodded though she was unsure of what she was agreeing to. However, Mirana's fear became hers when the doors crashed in behind them, two Outland knights and a pair of Chessmen standing in its wake.
The girl jumped up defensively before the Queen though her face was marred with lines of terror. Mirana rose slowly as well, though she pushed Alice aside as the soldiers came for her, swords shining darkly as they were drawn.
"Fly, Alice! The Hatter, the Hatter has the blade…you must convince him that you are truly real!" she cried.
But her words were soon cut short. Alice cupped a hand to her mouth to smother her scream.
With one slick flip of the wrist the Outlander had lopped off the White Queen's head. Her blood poured sickly down a once pristine white dress before it was lost against the red grain of the carpet.
Alice caught sight of the red splashed sword before she turned to run, a sudden, uncontrollable fear driving her from that wretched place. The knights somehow missed her leave, they instead basking in the glory of the downed Queen, but everyone looked up when a sudden, deafening scream split the skies.
The girl had only made it outside the gates when the screech echoed overhead. Somewhere across the horizon a great ball of fire erupted and threw a great column of smoke to the sky—further blackening an already menacing sky. It did not take long for those on the field to realize that it was not merely a cloud of smoke, but rather a shadow of a great flying dragon.
One of the women in the Red court fainted. The Outland knights quickly pushed their way outside, both nearly dropping their weapons as their heads turned skywards.
The entire Red army rejoiced.
The Jabberwocky had miraculously been revived.
Alice's heart beat so frantically she thought it would punch a hole right through her chest.
"Don't let her get away!"
"Grab her, quick!"
It didn't help in the least that the Outlanders were screaming behind her. At least she'd picked up her sword on the way out.
It was here that instinct took over and little Alice bound away, staying just out of the reach of the Outlanders as she wove between dueling Chess pieces. She spotted a rabbit here and another there, smiling inwardly as she noted their little suits of armor and their little clubs. Then there was a dog and what she swore to be a mouse riding upon his back… Alice was nearly laughing as she tripped.
Then suddenly all happiness was lost and the urgency of the situation was very real. While one of the knights had gotten tied up with a few white Chess pieces, the second charged relentlessly after Alice. He sprang up from out of nowhere, sending Alice into shock as she tried and failed to find her footing. Somehow her mind worked ahead of her, throwing her arm out to counter the knight's sword swipe in the nick of time.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at them there, swords locked against each other…until the knight snarled. Startled, Alice screamed and jumped away. Absolutely terrified of just how real the man's fury seemed, the girl fell into her instincts again and found that she was quite good with a sword when absolutely terrified. She jabbed at him a few times before, in the blink of an eye, she took his life with a fatal blow.
Once again, shocked beyond belief, Alice turned and ran, forcing herself not to look at the blood smeared against her sword.
Another shriek escaped her when suddenly a floating cat's head appeared beside her. Sick of jumping out of her skin, the girl wheezed, "Please! I feel I'm about to be sick!"
But the Cat simply grinned at her dismay. "Decided to join the fight now, have we?" he purred. Soon after the rest of his body appeared and Alice felt herself draw a sigh of relief. Things could not get any stranger, she thought, or hoped.
"Who are you?" Alice cried over the battle's roar.
"You know me, girl," the Cat continued to smirk.
It sent a shudder down her spine, but she hadn't the time for his riddles. "I am supposed to find a Vorpal blade?" she called while gripping her weapon all the more tighter.
The Cat bowed his head low and looked beyond her shoulder. "He stands beside the Gryphon—"
Another shriek split the sky. The Cat temporarily vanished, Alice and half the field dropped to their knees as the massive Jabberwocky drew close to the battle. Mouth wide and talons stretched wildly, Alice cried out as the dragon smashed into the Gryphon, throwing him yards away with a thunderous crash.
"—or at least he did. The Hatter holds the key to all that you are looking for…" the Cat murmured beside the girl's ear not a moment later.
So she made her way through the thicket of bodies and bloodshed, struggling to draw close enough to even see said Hatter. Yet, when she made it through the crowds and found him there, dueling with a determined Chessman, she suddenly felt weak.
She knew his face, as if it was from another life. When he vanquished the Chess piece he turned and their eyes met, nay locked upon one and other for quite a time. His face was entirely unreadable. The only thing that alerted her to the fact that she was in any kind of danger was the fact that his eyes looked as if they could have been on fire.
So when he suddenly came at her, her heart pounded so loudly in her chest that she could barely hear him roar, "Down with the bloody Red Queen—"
"Hatter, no!" the Cheshire Cat screeched not far from behind. The Gryphon, having taken flight only a moment before, cried overhead.
Alice was paralyzed, rooted on the spot, and felt entirely helpless despite the armor she donned and the sword she so desperately clutched. Surely she would wake. Certainly this man wasn't the Hatter, charging at her with sword in tow and malice in his eyes.
She screamed. The sound was foreign.
Out of nowhere, a shadow of a man appeared not a foot before her. He only had just enough time to reach her. The sound of two swords crashing together jarred the girl from her stunned state. Then the two men went at each other again and again. It took everything Alice had to process what had taken place that fraction of a second.
"No," the Knave snarled. "I will not let you take her."
The swords sang eerily as they scraped past one and other, the Knave trying to force the blade from the Hatter's hand.
The Knave had come to her rescue. He was saving her from the raging Hatter.
And so the Hatter stepped away, although it was only for a moment's reprieve. Before the Knave had a chance to better grip his sword the mad man was at it again, throwing his blade forward with such force that the Knave actually slipped backwards as he leaned all of his weight against his own blade. Snarls erupted from either man when the Knave managed to force the Hatter away. His large stature completely covered little Alice, the Knave a shield to her majesty.
"Come at me again," the black knight prodded darkly, "I'll take your damn head off."
And so the Hatter did.
Yet his sword cut low, hacking into the Knave's leg and drawing blood while the knight howled and thrust his sword low. He too drew back blood, from high on the Hatter's shoulder.
Alice cried out, "Hatter…" The girl stepped aside so she could look the man in the eye, and then shouted, "Hatter!"
His eyes were about as vibrant as his hair and dark shadows were smeared beneath either orb. When his gaze snapped to Alice, she swallowed a lump of fear—he looked entirely consumed by anger and bitter vengeance. The Knave offered Alice only a short glance before he yelled something imperative about her safety, which she didn't hear in the slightest.
"Hatter, please, open your eyes!" she cried again. "It's me, Alice!"
The words rang in the air.
He'd stared a moment longer, jaws slipping open as he truly saw her—his eyes drastically lightening as his mind came to the realization that it was the Alice standing before him.
And then Alice had a realization of her own: the Knave would kill them both.
"No," she choked as she thrust her sword forward, the thing coming to rest in a very solid object.
The Hatter's sword had almost slipped from his hands. In his defense, Alice pierced the Knave's armor from the side, jarring him into a momentary submission. The black knight groaned as blood spilled through his armor. He suddenly felt as if the life had been drained from him entirely.
Once again he glanced to the side, and there stood Alice, red-stained sword in hand, wild blonde curls framing her face—her face…was one of defiance. The Knave struggled over proper breath. His sword finally crashed down, barely missing the Hatter as the Knave struggled to keep on his feet.
Alice had been freed from his hold.
The Knave opened his mouth to speak, but simply couldn't. Alice ushered the still motionless Hatter away. "Run!" she shouted to him. And he did.
The two stole away, fleeing from the raging battle of Chessmen, if only to save their souls. The Hatter grabbed the girl about the wrist, determined not to lose her again. Pair of rabbits, both having grown a bit too shabby as of late, bounded up out of the bloodshed and were followed by a pip of a mouse.
The Cat appeared rather serenely before them all, flicking his tail this way and that before purring, "Fleeing the scene? Well, forgetting someone, aren't we?" The Hatter and Alice barely managed to come to a stop before obtrusive feline's grinning face.
Their eyes turned skyward. The Gryphon was locked in a mortal battle with the screaming Jabberwock.
"He's too high!" the March Hare sputtered.
The Cat's grin turned into something of a grimace before he looked to the Hatter—their newly promoted leader in the White Queen's absence. "Well?"
"We can't simply leave him!" Alice yelped, feeling the Hatter's hesitation all too well. "The Jabberwocky will kill him, we can't leave him here to die, not when this was all my fault and he promised my rescue."
The White Rabbit's nose twitched. "If you call the Gryphon now, the dragon will surely follow."
"Then I'll slay it," Alice interjected.
The Hatter stared at the girl. Voices from the past soon returned to haunt him. Suddenly Alice was six years old, smiling and vengeful. Startled by what his eyes were showing him, the Hatter released the girl—Alice promptly turned and blew a piercing whistle to the skies as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
The Cat murmured in the background, "Remember the Vorpal blade…"
And so, without a thought, Alice took the shining weapon from the Hatter's hand. She turned back in just the nick of time to see the Gryphon come soaring in, flames chasing his tail as the Jabberwocky followed. Alice cried out as she thrust the sword into the air. The steel caught the dragon's hide, jerking her arm well out of place as it cut a thin line the length of the Jabberwocky's body. The beast was still flying, chasing the Gryphon in his attempted escape, as he swooped too close to Alice and her company and cut himself on her raised knife.
Said Jabberwock did not fly much farther before the entire contents of his body came spilling out, washing the field in a sickening red rain.
Alice dropped the sword before the dragon fell, clutching her throbbing arm and watching in horror at what she'd done.
"Best be on our way," the Hatter whispered, he too fixated on the gruesome scene—the Chessmen both red and white screaming in terror as the beast fell apart and crashed to the battlefield, soaking them all in it's blood. He reclaimed the discarded Vorpal blade before it was forgot.
As for the rest crowded around Alice, they were too stunned to speak.
