The next morning, Hatter blinked awake with a migraine and a groan. Sitting up from his bed, he yawned painfully.

"Oh! You're awake!" March glanced up from Hatter's desk, where he sat ruffling through some papers.

Moaning, Hatter staggered up, "Why are you in my room?"

March smirked and returned to the papers, "You should have seen yourself last night. How much wine did you drink? Ten bottles?"

Confused, Hatter pursed his lips and, unable to find a single memory, returned to his first question, "Why are you in my room?"

"I came to check up on you. I would have put you in my room if May hadn't asked to stay the night. She didn't want to go riding in the night, you know. So I put you in here."
Hatter glared at March suspiciously, "You weren't a pervert, were you?"

"Don't worry. I slept on the floor. She got the bed. Hey, were you too drunk to remember or something? You didn't say anything."

"Shut up…"

Shrugging, March reached for a quill, "You danced with Alice, if you don't remember."
Hatter sat at the table and put his head in his hands, "I can't. That's the problem. I just can't remember a thing from yesterday!"

"Too much wine, Hats. Too much wine."

Huffing, Hatter glanced up, shadowlander eye changing to a white, "Are you sure I didn't go mad? I can't remember stuff sometimes if I've gone mad." At March's hesitation, his face grew grieved, " Alice is okay, isn't she?"

"Oh, yes! She's fine!"

Hatter smiled faintly as he saw no lie and growled, "Good…"

"Alice, wake up!"

Groaning, Alice rolled over onto her stomach, "Ugh…"

Jabberwocky's lilting voice cooed again, "Oh, Alice."

"Er… what?"

Ruffling her hair, Jabberwocky cheered, "She's awake!"

Alice moaned, "Uh… I'm tired… leave me alone…"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Jabberwock pulled her up out of bed gently but firmly, "We're going riding today. Just you and me as soon as we outrun the guard."

Tired, Alice stumbled across the floor and yawned, "A picnic?"

"Sure, if you want it to be. Oh, here!" He held up some fur lined riding clothes, "I have some riding clothes for you."

Alice turned bleary eyes towards him, "Clothes?"

Chuckling, Jabberwock tossed her the clothes, "You're really slow in the morning, aren't you, Alice? I'm still excited from last night! A bit hungry too."

"Can't you eat real food?"

Jabberwock paused, thought, then muttered, "No… no, not at all. Well, it won't fill me."

Sighing, Alice asked, "Than it's not a picnic if you don't eat anything?"

"Would you rather have me bring a prisoner or wine?"

Alice stared at him and growled, "Wine!"

"That'll work."

The ride was horribly confusing for the guard accompanying Alice and Jabberwocky on their 'picnic'. At the middle of the pace, Jabberwock raced ahead, waited for Alice's slower trot, and groaned when he saw that Alice on a different horse only slowed him down.

"Ah! Come on, Alice!"

Alice glared at him, "If I go any faster, I'll fall off!"

Behind her, the guard muttered, "Sir, are you trying to get rid of me?"

Jabberwocky fell back to trot beside them, "Of course I am. You just add a stupid sense of insecurity. Oh yes." His voice grew sarcastic, "The Imagineers will amass their army and attack me on one of the rare occasions I'm out and kill me if they just could find the way past my odd immortality. Won't that be sad?"

Alice noted the sarcasm in his voice, "It would."

Jabberwocky glanced at her and smiled, "Thank you. At least I know one person cares about me."

The guard remained silent before solemnly venturing, "Are we going to the border, sir?"

"Yes, I want to show Alice my homeland."

Startled, Alice stared at him, "Wait! You only live this far away from the Shadowlands?"

Jabberwocky shrugged, "Confusing, is it? No other direction to go unless I want to find myself in a country being invaded."

"Invaded?"
"The Shadowlands is constantly taking over other countries. They don't do Wonderland because of a treaty, so they concentrate on the countries to the North and – Aha! There it is!"

Ahead lay a long, crumbling wall, about four feet tall at the highest places, nearly nonexistent at its lowest. The stones in it appeared loosely packed and ready to fall at any moment. Gazing across, Alice saw the Shadowlands, not that it seemed much different. The grass was maybe just a little too dark, the sky over the land just a bit grayer than usual. Jabberwocky galloped ahead till he neared the wall and then turned to parallel it with his horse. He trotted by it for a while, followed at a far distance by Alice and the guard, before turning about and coming back. A look of deep sorrow displayed on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Alice worriedly.

Jabberwock sighed dejectedly, "Oh… nothing…" He wheeled his horse around and led them towards a small grove of trees that grew nearby. Tall oaks, birches, and willows sprouted from the ground to create a little peaceful haven, and Alice glanced about at the floating, glowing pieces of dust that permeated the air there.

"Do you like it?" asked Jabberwocky softly.

Alice nodded eagerly, "Oh yes! It's very pretty!"

Silent for a minute, Jabberwock sighed and then asked, "Do you miss your-"

All of the sudden, arrows hissed out of the undergrowth and thudded into the Jabberwocky. One speared his neck, the second pierced his chest, and the last slammed into his thigh. Yelping in surprised pain, Jabberwock fell off his horse.

Four Imagineer soldiers leapt out of the bushes and brandished their bows.

The black card scrambled down from his horse, drawing his sword, but a well-aimed arrow quickly dispatched of him.

Jabberwocky stumbled up, ripping the arrow from his leg, and glared at the rebels furiously, "I am going to rip you to shreds, you blasted rebels!" He lunged at them, drawing his rapier in the same movement.

Two of the Imagineers leapt forward to meet him, and the other two ran to Alice and her horse. One mounted behind her with a hurried, "We're here to save you, Alice!"

The other stole the guard's horse and mounted it hastily, "We're going to get you to safety."

Jabberwocky saw them and yowled angrily, "Don't you touch my daughter, you gits!"

Paying no attention to him, the Imagineers with Alice galloped away towards the border.

Furious, Jabberwocky slashed at the two attacking him. Slamming his hilt against the helmet of one and temporarily blinding him, he shoved the other away and reached for the handicapped one. He caught the man by his throat and snapped the bones underneath without a hint of emotion other than frightful wrath upon his face. Dropping the corpse, he spun towards the other and advanced, baring his teeth.

The man stumbled backwards, suddenly horrified, confidence leaving him.

Jabberwocky pounced upon him. Keeping the struggling man captive with one arm, he peeled off the man's helmet off with the other hand. Almost delicately, he dug his claws in deep into the Imagineer's head and began his feeding upon the mind's thoughts and imaginations. But he yanked his fingers out after a second, scooped up one of the discards bows and a quiver of arrows, and sprinted forward.

Alice and her 'rescuers' raced along the edge of the wall, galloping away from the sight of the chaotic battle.

Jabberwock bared his teeth and brought the bow up, notching an arrow and sighting at the Imagineer holding Alice in front of him. Grinning as he found a good target, he let loose.

The arrow thudded into the rebel's neck, and he fell, gasping and screaming with pain.

Jabberwocky ran forward, furious.

The other Imagineer slid down from his horse and drew his sword, ready to fight for his still living but hurt comrade.

Snarling angrily, Jabberwocky tossed the bow down and readied his rapier as he approached the trembling white card. His eyes glinted horribly as he hissed maliciously, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this!"
Rattled, Alice fell from her horse. In the brief moment of distraction, Jabberwocky swept forward and kicked the Imagineer to the ground. Immediately, the sword point was at the man's throat.

"Don't kill him!"

The other Imagineer stopped convulsing and lay still.

Jabberwocky never took his eyes off the rebel's ashen face as he growled, "Why not? They tried to kidnap you. They shot me!" The point of the rapier dug a bit farther.

"Don't you dare!" ordered Alice angrily.

Jabberwocky glared at the rebel for a moment more before his eyes suddenly sparked with a deviant idea. Bending down, he hauled the man up and, dragging him over to the border wall, tossed him over. Baring his teeth, he chuckled wickedly, "I don't dare, but they do."
As soon as the rebel hit Shadowland soil, dark figures sprang from the long grass, reminding Alice of Hartland's method of disguise. But, unlike Hartland and his troops, these shadowlanders, about ten of them, wore dark-gray armor that blended with their pure black skin. Immediately, they surrounded the Imagineer silently and glared at the rebel.

The Imagineer stared at them, eyes wide and quivering. Panicking, he leapt up and ran for the wall.

Instantly, the Shadowlanders pounced, dragging the Imagineer down. A black soldier on each limb, they pinned him to the ground. One drew his dagger while another unhooked the rebel's breastplate. All of them chattered excitedly in their sharp, pointed language as they ripped the chain mail off of the man, propped him up, and yanked his neck back to expose his bare throat.

Alice stared in horror as they burst into a full-throated cheer, oblivious to the observers on the Wonderland side.

Apparently, the Shadowlander with the knife reigned captain in this group of soldiers. Voicing a command, he advanced on the horrified Imagineer as the others restrained the struggling man. He drew back the knife, black eyes merciless, before slashing it deep into the rebel's throat.

The Imagineer gave a few final jerks and died.

Squeaking in horrified fear, Alice stumbled up from her place on the ground, only to find herself in Jabberwocky's arms. He held her tightly and whispered, "The wall is forbidden to cross. Never go near it."
The Shadowlanders muttered their congratulations to each other as they dragged the limp, bleeding corpse to the wall and threw it over. One glanced at Jabberwocky, paused, then turned to his comrades with a bemused remark.

Jabberwocky hissed a few sharp syllables.

Shaking his head, the captain railed out a quick phrase, pointing at the wall and then at Jabberwocky.

"What's he saying?" Alice asked.

"He's just reminding me I can't go over the wall."

The Shadowlander peered at Alice and smirked before making a hand gesture and remarking a few words.

Tensing, Jabberwocky retorted furiously, earning a glare from the captain.

"What did he say now?"

Jabberwock fumed, "He asked me if you were a pleasurable. I told him to go kill himself." Turning, he lifted Alice up on the horse easily, "Disrespectful commoners."

Alice stared at him, just noting something, "You still have arrows in-"

"Yes, I know." Reaching down Jabberwock yanked the arrow out of his chest with a frown, followed by a growl of hurt as he slid the other out of his neck. Throwing the shafts down, he hefted himself up with a groan, "It bliddy hurts."

Alice shifted uncomfortably in front of him, "You… you ate the two over there?"

"Only one, but I didn't finish all the way." Leaning forward, he took a deep breath of her hair, "Mmm… If I fall asleep, promise to wake me up…"

Alice turned in the saddle to glance at him as the horse began to plod forward, "We're just going to leave the bodies there?"

"Yes. There's no point in dragging them back."

"That's horrible! They'll rot!"

Sighing, Jabberwocky broke the horse into a gentle lope, heading away from the wall and his native land, "Then let him. It'll be a day or two, but if no one's taken the body by then, the border guard will sneak over to steal the body and burn it honorably."

"Than why did they-"

"They threw it back for anyone who wanted to give it a proper burial. Now, me, I'd just leave them to rot to show what rebels get." He glared over Alice's shoulder, "I don't feel like staying out. We can have our picnic some other day, okay?"

Alice shuddered, "I've lost my appetite anyway…"

As soon as they reached the fortress, Jabberwocky flew into a rage. Storming about, he threatened everyone he met, leaving Alice bewildered and lost.

"I want the scouts! Where are the bliddy scouts! If the scouts aren't here in a minute, I'm going to hurt them!"

Demeric sidled up to Alice hesitantly, "Uh… Alice… you didn't happen to… run into trouble on your outing, did you?"

Watching Jabberwocky spin to shout venomously at a guard, Alice muttered, "We were attacked."

Demeric sighed, "So that's why he's mad. I'm just surprised he's not draining anybody…"

"…"

"Ah… Alice… come on. Say something."

Turning angrily, Jabberwock sighted Demeric and stomped over, "You! Demeric! Take a few of your friends and go find some Imagineers to kill!"

"Yes, sir!" Demeric saluted and sprinted away.

Glancing at Alice with blackened eyes, Jabberwocky mused for a moment before growling, " Alice, go back to your room. I have some things to do." He brought a hand over his oozing chest wound and grimaced in discomfort, "Like find a bliddy medic."

Alice nodded, "Okay." Turning, she walked for the door that led inside to the castle's halls.

Jabberwocky watched her sullenly, chest hurting, tired, and angry. Those blasted Imagineers wanted to steal his daughter!

Hatter hunched over the back of his horse, half-asleep. Every few steps, he'd jolt awake, yawn, and then slowly slump forward again in exhaustion. Beside him, March kept pace with own horse-fly, humming a tune discordantly.

They had left without saying goodbye to Alice or the Jabberwock, but it didn't matter.

Shouldering Hatter gently, March cheerfully said, "Oh, Hats! Wake up! We're nearly there and I stole some-" His voice trailed off as he saw two figures barring the way ahead.

Hatter snorted awake, "Huh? What?" Blinking blearily, he glanced up and murmured, "Who're they?"

Suddenly, Cheshire appeared on a branch above them, "Oh! You're back!"

Hatter glared up at him, "Did our tea party just become a public one?"
Cheshire shrugged, dislodging snow that plopped down onto Hatter's top hat, "Lyona and Chesapeake need a place to hide. Do you mind?"
Wiping snow from his hat, Hatter hissed, "Not if we can eat-"

March clapped a hand on Hatter's shoulder and happily butted in, "Of course we won't mind. There's something in it for us, no?"
"Tea." muttered Cheshire.

Hatter pondered this for a moment before growling, "Fine. They can stay."

Ahead, Lyona and Chesapeake glared as March and Hatter drew close. As the two slid down from their horses, Chesapeake sourly hissed, "Hello."

March greeted them as Hatter shoved past sullenly, "Hello, guvnors! Love the coats!"

Shivering, Lyona kept a wary eye on Hatter as the assassin bent to sweep away some snow from the table, "We haven't been able to get away from the soldiers since Jabberwock's attack two weeks ago. You don't mind, do you? I know you work for him, but we just need a few days of rest."

Hatter cursed, ignoring them, "Stupid snow!"

Eyeing him, Chesapeake added, "We'll give you tea in return for protection and-"

"Protection?" Startled, Hatter wheeled around.

Tail swishing, Cheshire bounded down to the ground, "Basically, don't eat them. Hide them if any black cards come."

March nodded, "Sure, that's fine, but Jabberwock must never hear of this, understood?"

Chesapeake and Lyona nodded meekly, "Understood."
Suddenly, they found themselves in a humongous embrace from March, "Welcome then!"

Hatter watched grumpily, "Fine. A week or so… I can handle that. And I still intend to sleep, so what I do when I'm sleeping is not my fault!" Turning, he grabbed up a snow covered teacup, sniffed, and then muttered, "I'm hungry."
Sighing, March released the stunned governors and plodded over, "Already?"

Cheshire coughed, "I don't think Lyona and Chesapeake brought food with them… And they are not to be considered food. So don't ask."

"Just enough for us two." Narrowing her eyes, Chesapeake crossed her arms.

Hatter sighed, "Fine. I'll go hunting then."

Alice sat at Jabberwock's desk, covered in ink and frustrated. Again, the quill pen thwarted her! The paper before her lay covered in ink blotches which should have been a horse…

Not anymore…

Sighing, she pushed it away.

The door slammed open, and Jabberwock walked in with a scowl, "I've sent out the soldiers. Hopefully, they'll do their job this time!"

"How's your chest?"

"Fine. I had a doctor put a painkiller in it." He paused, glancing at her pitiful attempt to draw, "Please say that was a report which I now cannot read."

Fuming, Alice shook her head, "It's not, sorry."
Jabberwock gazed at her for a few moments, chewing his lip, before turning with a mutter shadowland curse, "Blast it, Alice! I feel guilty now!"

Surprised, Alice glanced at him and asked, "Why?"

Ignoring her, Jabberwock furiously turned away, "I'm a terrible father! That's what I am! I can't even protect you!"
"No, you're not!" Alice stood and touched his shoulder, "You're a fine father."
Jabberwocky glanced back at her and accused, "How can you say? You never even had a father!"

Balking at his fierce voice, Alice said softly, "I've often imagined though…"

At the word 'imagine', Jabberwocky recoiled with a moan, "No… no imagination…" His eyes fading to a pale, pale green, he shivered violently.

Alice stared at him, "Are you okay?"

Flinching, Jabberwock staggered to lean against the wall, clutching his chest, "Uh… I don't feel… so good…"

Alice came to his side, "What's wrong?"

"The arrows must have had… poison…"

Alice clutched his hand, "Poison? Are you going to be okay?"

Shuddering, Jabberwock nodded, "Just… need to rest…" He stumbled a step before pausing and gasping in pain.

With Alice's help, he made it into the room and onto the bed. Shivering, he whispered, "Close the door."

Alice nodded and exited the room silently, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door closed, she heard a sickening retch from behind the door. Obviously, Jabberwocky wouldn't be able to do anything for a while.

Alice sat quietly in boredom as she flipped through a Shadowland book. In the margins, Jabberwock's cursive scribble laid down the translation to the text to every minor detail. Alice, however, kept reading the translations out of order, and the story descended into a confusing mess.

Sighing, Alice stood, put down the book, walked to the door of her room, and opened it.

The spear of light cleaved the darkness in half, brightening the room just enough for Alice to see. Jabberwocky lay dormant on the bed, shuddering and covered with seat. Gripping the pillow, he flinched away from the light.

Alice left the door open as she crossed the room to sit on the bed next to him. Hesitant, she put a hand on his arm, "Are you okay?"

Jabberwock clutched her arm and hugged it to his chest, eyes fluttering to open into orbs of pure jade. Voice cracked and raspy, he whispered, "Yes… I'll be fine…" Curling closer to her, he shivered, "Some of the poison is gone… But there's still some left… Don't worry… I'll get it out of my system soon…"

Alice smiled sympathetically, "Do you need anything?"

"Uh… Help me up…"

Gently helping Jabberwock up into an upright seating position, Alice let him steady himself before releasing his shoulders, "Anything else?"

Jabberwock groaned, "I'm stuck in bed… Might as well do something… productive… There's a portable desk in my desk's bottom drawer. Could you get it for me, please?"

Nodding, Alice went to retrieve it. She grabbed it, along with a quill, an inkpot, and some paper. Bringing them back to the room, she saw Jabberwock hunched over with a grimace of pain pasted on his face, "It still hurts a lot?"

Jabberwock responded with a dry gag, choking as he tried to vomit.

Sighing, Alice stayed back until Jabberwocky slumped back, sobbing in grotesque pain, "Alice… sorry… but you're not… going to be able… to sleep here tonight… it's horrid…"

"Where will I sleep then?"

This time, Jabberwocky really did vomit. Gasping for air as he finished, he shoved the soiled cover off, stripped off his shirt slowly and painfully, and slid back down, moaning, "Anywhere you want… just tell them… not to come…" His voice trailed off as he slid off into sleep.

Alice sighed, placed his desk next to the door, and closed the door behind her as she left.

Anywhere she wanted to sleep, huh?