In the mazes of loitering people, the watchful and furtive,

The shadows of tree-trunks and shadows of leaves,

In the drowse of the sunlight, among the low voices,

I suddenly face you,

~ Chance Meetings by Conrad Aiken

Lily sat glaring at the grassy floor, her lower lip stuck out in a pout. She couldn't believe her mother had done this! Didn't her mother know how important this chess game was to Lily? Didn't her mother realize that she had given Bertram plenty of ammunition against her at her tenth birthday party the next year? Or whenever she may see him again. There really wasn't much foreknowledge of when the Duke and Duchess Black would grace the courts of Marmoreal.

She kicked a clod of uneven grass and wished for the hundredth time that Tarrant was free - or that Alice hadn't ever come to Underland.

Leaves began rustling a distance away from her, and a girl's voice echoed through the woods. Lily, who did not want to see or be seen by anyone - especially her governess who must be looking for her now - hopped off her seat which she had claimed on the large tree root and hid as best she could behind the large tree.

A girl with blonde hair, wearing a blue dress with a white apron over it, stepped into view. The girl with pale hair and complexion looked around, quite confused. "Oh dear," she sighed as she sat down on the grass, her legs sprawled out before her. "Now, I've been on a train, I've seen the Red King, I've crossed a river with the White Queen - where am I supposed to go! Oh dear, I should have listened to my own advice and stayed with the White King. Although I couldn't very well stay and listen to the Unicorn and Lion with their silly fight. Oh dear," she sighed again and continued muttering to herself.

Lily peered around the tree at the strange girl and felt her indignation grow. This was her replacement for the chess game? This was the Alice! Feeling very upset, Lily stormed out from behind her tree, stopping the Alice mid-mumble, and marched right up to the other blond girl. Hands on her hips, Lily glared down at the girl. "Well I hope you're happy!" She all but shouted at the Alice.

"I beg your pardon?" The Alice questioned in surprise.

"You stole my place in the game," Lily accused hotly. "It was my turn to be a pawn for the Whites, and you stole it!"

Alice scrambled to her feet, showing off her few inches taller height. She brushed her skirt out as if there may have been blades of grass or dirt on the puffy skirt. "I did no such thing," Alice chided, "I haven't stolen anything. I was merely asked to play for the princess, I don't believe I took anyone else's place."

Scoffing, Lily felt herself trembling with rage. "I am the princess!"

"Oh!" Alice covered her mouth with a hand, her blue eyes wide with understanding. "Well, now I understand what the White Queen said you were too young to play the game."

Lily stomped her foot. "I'm nine! You mustn't be much older than me!"

"I'm eleven," Alice informed her.

Lily's lip stuck out in a pout as she folded her arms over her chest and whirled away. "I bet you can't even use a sword," Lily groused. "I've been training since I was six!"

"Well, no," Alice agreed, "I've never used a sword, but what has a sword to do with chess?"

"What does a -?" Lily turned sideways so she could stare in open-mouthed skepticism at the girl she was fastly determining to be an idiot - more if not equal to Bertram. "Why of all the -!"

"Awrite! Arite it thaur!" Someone shouted from a ways off. Lily turned, her eyes wide with worry as Alice turned toward the sound as well.

"What on Earth?" Alice questioned curiously.

Lily jumped behind the tree again and hissed to the other girl, "You didn't see me!" The princess ducked back behind the tree when Tarrant and Thackery burst into the clearing.

They weren't dressed like they normally were. For one, Tarrant was not wearing his usual top hat, but a cap that would only be seen on a messenger boy. His wild, red-orange hair stuck out the bottom of the cap, which made him more comical than serious for the task he had been set out on. His usual suit coat was replaced by a rather odd patchwork coat. Slung over his shoulder was a bag stuffed and almost over-flowing with papers and letters.

Thackery's garb was also the odd patchwork of fabrics, and his ears dropped by his face because of the odd hat on his head. He didn't have a bag slung over his shoulder, but he was holding a letter. His fur looked to be stuck together with lots of red or white wax. He twitched and winced as he tried to free the wax from his fur, but it appeared to be quite painful.

"Wa, Haigha!" The hatter exclaimed, "Ah dae believe we foond th' pawn!" Tarrant pointed a pale finger at Alice and grinned his gap-toothed smile.

Lily couldn't help but feel herself burn with irritation.

"Och, guid," Thackery replied as he tugged at another clump of wax, "Ah was thinkin' we ne'er woods, Hatta."

"What funny creatures," Alice vocalized as if Tarrant and Thackery weren't standing right there and could hear her.

"We hae a message fur ye, Miss," Tarrant explained with a bow, sweeping his cap off with the gesture. Lily suppressed the giggle that threatened to erupt when his hair sprang free from the confines of his cap.

Tarrant glanced at Thackery, who was still muttering and twitching and picking at wax. "Haigha!" Tarrant hissed. "Th' letter!"

"Och!" The hare jumped and held the note in his hand out to the girl. "Haur ye gang."

"Why, thank you very much," Alice replied as she took the letter and tried to peel it from the hare's hand. He yelped as she tugged it free with some hair and wax that had secured it to his hand. While he shook and nursed his smarting hand, Alice read the note. "It's a map!" She exclaimed, "Or, I suppose it is. Very like a chess board. Hmm, now let me see," Alice spoke as she walked away from the hare and hatter.

The pair watched her go before Thackery hopped away, but Tarrant remained. His emerald eyes glanced at the tree, causing Lily to gasp and press herself against the trunk even more in the hopes of going unnoticed.

"Come along, Lily girl," he coaxed. "We must return to the castle."

Lily sighed and came out from hiding now that her escapade was over. "It's not fair, Tarrant," she lamented as she took his hand and began walking the way Thackery had hopped. "Even you and Thackery get to play the chess game! I bet Mallyumkin is also somewhere on the field playing."

"Well, I can assure you," Tarrant responded, "that Chess isn't anywhere to be seen, which is funny considering the shortened version of his name matches the game's name and all that."

"Hmph," Lily huffed as she thought back over her encounter with Alice. "She can't even use a sword! She'll be captured quickly, I'm sure of it!"

Tarrant smiled knowingly and shrugged. "Maybe, Lily, but I still think her muchiness is as good as yours."

~ { *

Lily sat sulking beside her father while her mother was on the other side of him and next to the "Queen" Alice. Her mother and the new "queen" were busy having a conversation, or at least, attempting to have one. Alice kept saying something completely boring while Mirana tried to liven up the party that Alice was supposed to be throwing. It wasn't nearly as much fun as Tarrant's tea parties - or Lily's birthday parties for that matter.

Lily's only consolation was that Bertram was sitting beside his father who was beside the duchess who was also sitting beside Alice and trying to converse. Bertram appeared to be just about as put out with the whole affair as Lily was. The princess wondered off-handedly why the duke was fast asleep in his seat. Had he had to do much in the game today?

She looked around the room for Tarrant, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Lily peeked around her parents at Alice, who appeared to be increasingly frustrated by the thwarted attempts at conversation. That was something at least.

Sudhir glanced down at his daughter and saw her irritation. "What is the matter, Lily?"

"I don't like her," Lily declared. "She took my place in the game. I should have won and thrown the party. I'd have a much better one too. One with Tarrant and tea and people could futterwhacken!"

"The Alice is an odd girl," Sudhir admitted, "and her party is the first she has ever thrown as a queen, just give her the benefit of the doubt, sweet." He patted his daughter on the head. "As for the game, you know you're mother was correct when she said you were too young. No one has played that was not at least eleven - pawns are not meant to be on the board at an early age. Wait two years, my dear." He smiled mischievously as he leaned down to whisper in his daughter's ear, "Beside, I'm sure you'd like her much more if you knew why Bertram was so angry."

Lily glanced at Bertram, then Alice, and then back at her father. "What did she do?"

"She knocked him off his horse and escaped. He was trying to capture her because he thought she was you." Sudhir chuckled at the recollection. Lily couldn't help but giggle also.

"I bet he was so mad!"

"Stop it!" Alice shouted, causing both Sudhir and Lily to look down the table. In fact, the whole banquet hall fell silent as Alice stood from her seat, and shook a finger at the now shocked duchess. "I've had just about enough of you," the new queen declared irritably. "If it hadn't been for you and your silly game, I wouldn't be sitting here listening to your silly nonsense! I could have been happily enjoying myself with the princess or other children here in Wonderland."

The duchess rolled her eyes. "It's not Wonderland. Underland!"

"It's my dream, and I'll call it what I like," Alice snapped as she took the duchess' arm and shook it. "Now stop talking like that!"

"Let go of my mother!" Bertram yelled as he stood, sword drawn. Lily jumped from her seat, her rapier, which had been hanging from the back of her chair, drawn and lifted to protect Alice. Before Bertram could blink, Lily had parried his blow and sent his own sword flying from his grasp, much like when Tarrant had disarmed her so many times during practice.

Mirana clapped her hands with delight as Alice continued to hold on tight to the duchess' arm. "Oh, my!" She exclaimed, "Queen Alice has captured a queen! The king is now in checkmate! Game over!"

At this, the duke woke with a start and looked around owlishly. Before everyone's eyes, Alice faded and disappeared, leaving everyone to look at each other in amazement. Where had the girl gone?

Mirana stood, the motion calming everyone. She smiled at the duke and duchess of Chaparral and placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Well done, my dear. Thank you for protecting the peace. You may put up your sword. I do not think Bertram will be a threat now."

A smirk playing on Lily's lips, she puffed out her chest, glad that she had finally done something for the game, even if it had been at the very end. She returned to her seat and sheathed her rapier. To her eternal delight, her father patted her on the back like he would to one of his soldiers. Warm, brown eyes searched the room further until she spotted a tuft of red-orange hair. She waited impatiently while Mirana announced the House of White the winners of the chess game - again. Festivities were underway and livened up.

Without further delay, and no thought for permission, Lily jumped from her seat and weaved through the now dancing crowds toward the place she last saw Tarrant. She eventually found him, now dressed in his usual attire and holding his top hat under an arm.

"Tarrant!" She exclaimed excitedly, "Did you see what I did!"

"Yes I did," the hatter replied as he accepted the hug that wrapped the girl's arms around his waist. "That was very muchiness of you."

Lily giggled. "Did you see what Alice did to Duchess Susanna? She was amazing!"

"See?" Tarrant prodded. "Didn't I tell you that you would like her?"

The girl nodded as she whispered conspiratorially, "Did you know she made Bertram fall from his horse?" The friends giggled for several minutes more before they hurried off to the dance floor to practice the futterwhacken again.

Author's Note: Please review! It's hard to tell if anyone is reading this if I don't receive reviews.