Chapter 26. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland anything!

As the blue fog finally cleared, Alice started to trip and then, she felt Mctwisp fall from her grasp. Alice let go of whoever's hand she was clinging to and then reach doubt for something to stop her fall and felt her fingers spread over a large cold wall.

"Where are we?" Alice whispered, taking a few steps back to look up straight at the wall. It was about seven or eight feet tall and made of tough gray bricks. Alice turned around and watched in fascination as Imogene walked out of the fog and Hatter follow, holding Mctwisp who was squirming slightly in his arms. Absolem had disappeared so it was just the four of them.

"The white queen's castle," Mctwisp replied, jumping out of Hatter's arms. "This is the kind of brick we'd built the back wall out of.

"Back wall?" Hatter asked, brushing off something from his hat.

Nivens nodded. "We'd built it so we could have a training area outside but so no one could see it. "

Everyone stared up at the wall and then, Alice heard a loud clang from behind it and flinched. "They're practicing." She mused.

Suddenly Hatter was running at the wall, gripping at imaginary holes and climbing along the bricks. He was about halfway to the top when Alice realized what he was doing and followed him.

"Come on," She whispered, "It's easier than walking around." She placed her hands in the holes hatter's feet had just been and kept pulling herself up until he gripped her hand and pulled her up beside him so that they 're both siting on the edge of the wall.

From behind she could hear Imogene climbing up with Mctwisp, who Alice saw was climbing onto Imogene's back when she told them what she was doing and then, she and Hatter were helping her up to the edge of the wall. It was about a foot thick, so everyone could sit on it comfortably, their legs dangling along the edge while they just sat there, and finally, they saw who was practicing in the gardens.

Everyone.

Alice saw knights slashing at each other with swords, taking jabs and blows at one another and then pointing out ways they could have blocked the blow or kill their opponents. And Alice saw her friends, Mallymkun practicing with her needle, slashing taller plants in half. She saw Chess appearing in and out around her, and then caring Thackery too. The tweedles were deep in concentration as they thrust at one another with sticks and they even saw Mirana spinning a sword, something Alice had never imagined in a million years. And in the middle of it, were Irisa and Nicholas.

Irisa's dark hair was pulled into a tight braid; similar to the one Alice had seen her in when they'd first meet. She was warring on of her Irisa-y outfits. She had on a dress that reached her knees, her skirts constantly spinning and blowing into a perfect circle of ruffles. Her top was teal with a black corset and puffy purple sleeves that matched her skirt. She had on dark purple and black stocking and lace up boots like a man's.

Nicholas's dark green shirt and brown pants were anything but glamorous in Irisa's company, and right now they were both moving faster than Alice had ever seen them. Their swords were constantly clanging with one another's Irisa's quick sharp movements always nearly landing the blow but Nicholas' strength was able to work in his favor.

Finally, it was over, Irisa's quick movements had been able to keep him always staggering and suddenly with little force Irisa had him on the ground, the tip of her sword barley a few inches from his neck, and the match was over.

Alice grinned and she started to clap, and son Hatter was following suit. They clapped loudly and Imogene and Mctwisp even joined, creating a loud sound and then, one of the soldiers stared right at them and said in a clear voice. "Is that our champion?"

Suddenly, everyone had dropped everything they were doing and were running towards the wall, where Hatter, Alice, Imogene and Mctwisp sat. Everyone talking at once until Mirana had silenced them all with a single raised hand and she turned to her champion.

"Our champion," She told them. "Has returned." Everyone went into a big cheer at that, and then Mirana told them practice was canceled for the day and too go back inside the castle. Everyone left except for Mirana, Irisa, Nicholas, Chess, Mally, Thackery and the tweedles. With a grin Chess would be utterly proud of, Alice jumped off the brick all, landing in front of Mirana on unsteadily legs and bringing her in for a close hug.

"We've missed you," she whispered into Alice's ear.

Alice nodded. "I missed you too."

Once Mirana let her go, the tweedles surrounded her, asking her endless questions. When did she get back? What did she see in Underland? Did she find Stayne? How did she get so big? Then, someone had wrapped their arms form behind her and was twirling her around so much she nearly fell when they put her on her own ferret. "Where have you been, Alice?"

"In London, remember?" Alice asked in a joking tone.

Nicholas grinned. "Next time, I'm going to have to lock you I your room."

"Oh come on, Nicholas." A voice sang, and Alice turned to see Irisa skipping over to them. "She had to leave you here or else you'd never learn how to wield a sword." She shook her head, her braid twisting around her neck like a snake. "Honestly Alice, you weren't kiding about not going easily on Nicholas. I wanted to kill him myself some of them time." Both girls stared at each other for moment and then they were running, wraping their arms around one another and holding, Alice's eyes growing wet as she thanked Irisa for everything that she'd done.

"I'm coming with you on your next adventure into a strange world tracking down a force of evil into a new world." Irisa told her a matter-of-factly.

Alice nodded, pulling back and gazing at Irisa's rainbow tinted eyes. "It's a promise."

Again, not one of my favorites! I don't know why but I am just like….ugh totally not letting my creative juices fly. Sorry, but I still wrote it for you guys. Don't hate me too much. Review?