Black Kitten Chara: Welcome to the ninth chapter of "Lucy in Wonderland". This one will explain some things you have questions about from the perivous chapter. Enjoy and review!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hollow Fields or American McGee's Alice!
Carmen and Claude were being dragged into the Pale Realm, which they studied curiously. It was a huge, white castle with white-and-black checkered tiles and a white-and-black checkered sky, where stars could be seen through the black squares. All of the residents were life-sized, white chess pieces; pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks.
As they began going up a ramp, Claude had the feeling to turn his head to see behind him. When he did, he saw the Cheshire Cat grinning at the two. "Well, looks like trouble has found you again."
"And you're as annoying as ever." Carmen said as she finally got out from under Claude, with only her feet left to worry about.
Claude ignored what Carmen had said as the dark-skinned girl leaned against the side. He looked at the Cat and asked, "Have a a question for you; why are we back in Wonderland and how did we leave in the first place?"
"Aw, a strong and curious mind you have. The answer is simple; Lucy both wants you here to help yet is afraid to let you see into her madness." The Cheshire Cat said as the wagon got off the ramp and went towards a huge set of double doors.
Claude thought about it for a moment before he said, "So, she lets us be here to help her. But when something she is afraid for us to see because to show how mad she is, her mind sends us back into the real world."
All the Cat did was nod his head as he disappear when they enter the huge room on the other side of the double doors. One of the knights went up to the wagon and cut the bonds holding the two as the wagon stopped and they saw who the commander-in-cheif was.
"SIMON?!" Carmen and Claude yelled as they saw the tall blonde sitting upside down in the throne as he balanced a white crown on his left foot.
The tall boy turned right side up as the crown fell to the ground and gave his crooked grin. "GUYS! I was worried that someone had have killed you!"
Carmen glared at him as she and Claude exit the wagon. "Well, someone was looking on the bright side of things."
Simon grinned as the doors opened and an old, human-looking knight came wobbling in on a cane. He was as white as his armour, his hairline was completely gone, and he seem weak and frail. He wobbled to the throne and bowed as he said, "Your Majesty, we have a problem."
Carmen and Claude looked confuse, and they looked at Simon, who was turning red. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and chuckled as he said, "Well, I can explain this..."
But before he could finish, Carmen grabbed his collar and threw him to the ground. She laid on top of him and beat him up, all while saying "YOU IDOIT! YOU ARE THE SINGLE MOST IMPLUSIVE AND RECKLESS PERSON EVER TO BE A LEADER!" Simon held his arms up in defense as Claude pulled Carmen off, who still looked beyond angry.
Simon got up and said, "What was that for?"
"For not telling us you're leader! Oh, and there is leaving us behind and you had us tied up!" Carmen said as Claude could have sworn steam was coming from her ears.
"I didn't have to tied up!" Simon yelled as he brushed some dirt off his shirt. He turned around and looked at the now-shocked old man. "Charlie, what was happened?" He asked as formally as he could.
The old man, who must have been Charlie, sighed as he rubbed his head. "The King, as you know, has gone missing. But now, the Queen have ben taken by the vile Red Knights."
Simon's face went whiter than usual, if that was possible. He gulped as he said as formally as possible, "And what was the meaning of this kidnapping?"
"I do not know. But please, save your Queen. Without her, then the Pale Realm should surely perish." Charlie begged, now on his knobby knees.
Simon sighed as he looked at his friends and hoped for some back-up against this crazy plan. Claude looked unsure because he wanted to help but he didn't know how to. Finally, he gulped as he looked at Simon with cold eyes. "Simon, we're suppose to help Lucy and this would be helping her in way. Plus, playing chess, I know that the Queen is the most powerful piece, so this Realm would perish. Also, we have something..."
"What? A plan?" Simon asked, his voice perking up.
Claude shook his head as he gulped again. He knew how Simon may take this, being over protective and everything to her. "Simon, the Red Realm has Francine."
Everything and everyone in the room had become quiet. Simon's face was now colorless and Carmen looked confuse and shock, knowing that Simon would react in an implusive way. But a second after Claude told him, the blonde looked at Charlie and said, "We're going. No questions asked, just tell us where to go."
Charlie bowed his head as he wobbled up and started to moved slowly to the double doors. Carmen looked at Simon for a second before she slapped him upside the head. "SEE? THAT IS WHAT I CALL IMPLUSIVE!"
Simon rubbed the side of his head as he looked at Carmen with serious eyes. "Carmen, you heard that Francine is in the Red Realm. And what I have heard about that place, it is not a great place to live in. She could be in danger!"
Carmen huffed as she crossed her arms. Claude, being the person in the middle, sighed as he got betwen the two, knowing a fight would break out as it usually does. "Guys, stop acting like kids. Carmen, we do have to get Francine back. But Simon, act a little mature for once."
The two stubborn teens huffed as they agreed silently to not argue. As they stopped the bickering, the knight Charlie came back in with only a small Pawn behind him. The Pawn was a small piece with a head on the top that had a huge eye. It made a small squealing sound and jumped as Charlie said, "Deliver this to the other side."
Even Claude, the one trying to keep sane in all of this, stood there with an open mouth as he stammered "A.. A pawn?! That's the best we can hope for?!"
Charlie stepped back, but never looked afraid. The Pawn jumped towards Carmen and spinned once in the air, causing it to become as small as piece of lint. Even though it was small, it jumped high into the air and fell into Carmen's pocket.
The old knight looked at the three teens as he wobbled over to Claude. He looked the boy up and down before his eyes settled on the Alpha pedant around Claude's neck. He tapped it twice as he said, "You need to show your alliance with us."
Claude looke confused as Charlie did the same with Simon's snake pedant and Carmen's Jupiter symbol pedant. When he tapped all three twice, he backed away as the teens were enveloped in a bright white light and their clothes were replace in a blink of an eye.
The three now wore pure white armour; the breastplate was pure white and bulky yet they felt light-weighted. Their arm protectors and leg protectors covered their legs and arms, and they were also the same pure white color. A white chain hemlet with a hard cap was pulled back and the chain-metal skirt was also white with golden detailing. Their chokers were now white and there pedants seem to be their crest on their chest plates.
Carmen looked at her armour for a second as she said, "This is pretty awesome!" Simon and Claude looked at each other in confusion over Carmen's love for clothes.
Charlie bowed again as he said, "Follow the Rooks." Two white, musuclar men with hooked hemlets on stands came sliding in. "They shall lead you, but be careful."
"Why?" Simon asked.
Before they could get an answer, the double doors bursted open as red Rooks and Pawns came running in. The teens yelled as they started to follow the white Rooks, who were already leaving. Charlie, even with his old age, grabbed a sword that looked much like Claude's sword and yelled.
The teens ran through a side door as Charlie dove head first into the Red Army, only to go down with a yell of pain as he was stabbed.
~0~
One word to describe the process from getting to the throne room to the gateway to the Red Realm; exhausting.
Red Pawns and Rooks had envaded the white castle, along with Red Bishops and Knights. The Knights were horses with hemlets on their heads, a shield in the left hand, and a lance in their right hand. The Bishops were tall, stoic pieces in dresses and crown-like headgear with a long crook in their hands.
So, in other words, the three had to fight off these enemies as the other white chess pieces tried to help them. Thankfully, all of their weapons from their first trip from Wonderland was back with them somehow.
"How many damn Pawns are there?" Carmen yelled as they ran across the top floor, and she shot down some pepper form her Pepper Grinders.
The three teens ran as the Rook, who was surprisingly fast, led them towards the gateway to the Red Realm. It seem like an all-out war had started between the time Claude had entered the castle to now; downstairs, the white and red chess pieces were fighting as the three teens were led up a flight of stairs.
Then the Rook stopped at the top of the stairs as the doors open and he pointed the way down. Claude looked at him for a second before running inside and his friends following. "Thanks!" Carmen yelled as the doors slammed shut.
Inside the other side of the door was the same white-and-black room as the rest of the castle. But, there was a pathway that led to a golden door on the upper part of a wall opposite of the three teens. The path also led downwards to a door on the lower part of the wall opposite of the teens.
"So, which way?" Simon asked.
Claude looked at both paths. He knew that the path up was most likely the way to the Red Realm, but the path that led down held something. "But what if it's a trap, and we fall right into it?" He thought.
As he decided which path to go on, the Cat reappeared with his scary smile. "The pathway that looks like the one you should go, take the other way."
"What does that mean?" Simon yelled as the Cat disappeared.
Claude looked at the path that led downwards. Then, he took the path downwards as he said "Come on. There is something down here, and we need to check it out." He could hear Simon groaning as him and Carmen followed him downstairs.
The three walked down the flat, sprialing path as they saw a wooden door with something flickering behind it. As they got closer, Claude squinted his eyes and saw it was a wooden door with flames behind the window and the name SNOW.
"A piece of Lucy's memory... Why is this here?" Carmen asked
"Maybe we need to know something." Claude said as he closer. As he reached the doorknob, he saw the Omega symbol written on the silver knob. As he tried to get a closer look, it quickly changed to the Aphla symbol, the same one as the pedant on his choker. He reached for his choker as he grabbed the knob and turned it. "You guys stay here..." Claude said as he opened the door and went inside.
[MEMORY DOOR]
Claude opened his eyes to see the library. He remembered it once when Lucy asked him to come over when her parents were gone to study. At that time, he didn't think her parents owned the house and thought they were renting it.
It was a smal library with books filling the shelves. But in a second, photography equipment filled the room with cameras, film strips, and oils near the roaring fireplace.
Then Lucy's ghostly voice came. "Our lovely library was a fire trap. A conflagration waiting to happen!" Then everything went black.
[MEMORY DOOR ENDS]
Claude came out and was completely alone. He shook his head as the door shut one last time and he saw armen and Simon already at the top of the pathway. "Sorry, but you were taking too long!" Carmen yelled.
Claude sighed as he got up and began walking back up the path. But this time, he continued on as he turned a sharp corner and walked up the path the led upwards. "Guys, wait up." Claude said in anger as his friends stopped and waited on him.
He finally caught up as the golden door glowed with power. Claude looked at it as all three of them began walking up and finally got to the door. Carmen and Claude looked at Simon, who asked "What?"
"You're the so-called commander-in-cheif. You open the door and lead us into battle." Carmen said with some sarcasm in her voice.
Simon rolled his eyes as he pushed pass his friends. His hand shook slightly as he grabbed the handles, and he opened the door to reveal a swirling vortex of green and purple. "Wow... Maybe this is a bad idea, kind of." Simon said as he tried to turn around, but Carmen grabbed his arms and held it tight.
Claude grabbed the second arm with a smirk on his face. Then the two teens led a reluctant Simon through the vortex.
~0~
The three teens entered a world of red-and-white rooms. The walls were blood red, and the floors and ceilings were red-and-white checkered. Everything seem bloody with the red and the white made it seem so delicate. The sky was the same white-and-black checker boarder, but it seem bloodier.
"This is actually pretty." Carmen said as she dropped Simon, who fell on his butt on the floor. "So, where is the White Queen and where is Francine?"
"The best way to find that out by looking for them." Claude said as Simon got up and rubbed his bum.
As they began walking, the doors opened to reveal red Bishops coming at them. "Really? Not five minutes and they come at us already?" Simon complained as he grabbed the Hobby Horse and slammed it down, causing a crack in the ground where the Bishops fell in.
The three began running through the doors the Bishops came in through, and all they saw red Pawns coming at them from the staircase. Claude sighed as he grabbed something from his pockets, which were the Demon Dice. He backed away as he threw the Dice, causing them to hit one Pawn as they fell down on the floor. Then, a huge black figure appeared as the Dice glowed and the Pawns, seeing them demon, ran away or died on the spot.
"Nice going, Claude." Carmen said as they continue to run and Claude grabbed the Dice, placing them back into his pocket.
The three ran up a flight of stairs as more doors opened to reveal red Rooks and Knights now after them. Good thing that the teens had faster legs than the chess pieces, giving them a good start as the red pieces had to wobble up the stairs to catch up.
The three turned right as a set of doors opened, but not to reveal any chess pieces. Claude looked back for a second as he nudged Simon in the side. "You still have those playing cards?" Simon smirked as he pulled the cards out and turned around, and then threw them at the chess pieces.
The cards slash through each chess piece again and again, until all of them were sliced up. As the three ran through the doors, the cards returned to Simon's hands as he stuffed them back into his pocket. Then the doors slammed shut as the three teens fell down due to being tired from running.
"Good God, there is too many of these guys." Carmen said as he leaned against the wall, where a window was next to her.
Claude and Simon nodded their heads as they caught their breath. The first to regain their composure was Claude, whom caught his breath and held on to his sword. He looked around and his eyes laid on the window. From where he was standing, he could see red pieces and a white piece under a guillotine. And on a throne, it looked like a human girl.
"Guys, look." Claude said as the three kneel down to the floor and looked through the window at the edge, just so they will not be spotted.
Red Knights, Bishops, and Rooks stood around the guillotine. A tall chess piece stood near the guillotine; it looked like a king with his red robes, crown, and bread on his face. He had a stone-cold face and was carrying a staff. Under the blade of the guillotine, ther was an old human woman who was completely white; her short and curly hair was white, a white gown, a white tiara, and pale white skin. She was struggling as she was strapped to the guillotine.
As the teens watched the blade raise, they could hear through a crack that a small voice was speaking from the throne it were sitting on. The king chess piece turned and waved his hand, like the person of the voice was just an annoyance to him. The person of the voice huffed and it sounded like they sat back down.
"What's going to happen?" Carmen asked as the blade reached its highest point.
But nobody answer her as the blade dropped and cut the woman's head off. The woman's screaming died as her head dropped to the ground, but the person on the throne gavce a high-pitched yell and ran to the King piece, revealing it was a familiar girl.
"FRANCINE?!" Simon, Carmen, and Claude whisper-yelled as the small girl yelled at the King and kneel down to the head of the dead White Queen. But it wasn't because she was there, but more like what she was wearing.
Her usual pigtails were gone and replaced with a high ponytail, held by a golden strap. She wore red Arabian-style shoes, long blood red bedlah pants, a blood red top that shows both her breast cleavage and bellybutton, and a ruby-adorned golden headband on her forehead. She wore bangle-like, triangular earrings that were golden and covered her ears. She also had two ruby brooches - one on her chest and the other over her navel. She had golden organza shoulders for the bandeau top she wore, while the billowed pants had a transprent light red overskirt, with designs of golden Fleur-de-lys.
The three stood there is shock as Francine's voice was clearly heard. "You disgusting, vile, and monstrous chess piece! How could you kill someone who had no intention of hurting you?"
Claude looked at his friends as Francine talked to the Red King, acting like this was a normal conversation. Carmen looked equally shocked, but they clearly knew how Simon felt as he grabbed his Hobby Horse and slammed through the wall that blocked them from Francine. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Carmen yelled as the dust covered them form the red chess pieces.
Simon looked at as she and Claude got up. "If we couldn't save the Queen, then let's save Francine at least." He said as the red chess pieces finally saw them and began to charge. Francine squealed with happiness as the Red King began to back away slowly.
The three teens got out their weapons as the first shot was from Carmen, who took down some Rooks pretty easily. Then she grabbed her croquet mallet and attacked an on-coming Bishop, who stood there was eletric currents went through him before falling.
"Start fighting, you two!" Carmen yelled.
The two boys didn't have to be told twice as three Knights came at them, but the boys moved thanks to their Dodging ability. The Knights struck ground as the teenage boys appeared behind them, the slashed at their backs.
Claude grabbed his sword and turned around at the right time to kill some Rooks, who had their heads off just like the Queen's. Simon grabbed his Hobby Horse and slammed some Bishops out fo the way, causing them to fly to the wall and break into a million pieces. As one Knight came near Simon, the blonde-haired boy kicked it in its chest as he slammed the Hobby Horse into its head, causing it to roll off.
Even though it look like they were doing good, thr three teens knew that there was too many chess pieces to fight off. As more and more chess pieces arrived, they knew that this may be it. Until...
BOOM! A hot, steaming liquid came out of nowhere and destoryed the just-arriving chess pieces. The three looked around until they saw Francine standing there with her Teapot Cannon. "Well, come on! We have to find the Red King!" She yelled as her friends followed her through a flight of stairs to where a set of doors were closing at the top.
The four somehow slipped through the crack the doors had made and a strand of Carmen's hair was almost caught as the door slammed shut, closing the teens in a new room. The walls were gone and the floor were the same red-and-white checker board. At the opposite side of the room, the Red King stood at a throne and moved down. "Who are you?" He asked in a cold voice.
"We're here to take revenge on the White Queen!" Carmen said foolishly.
The face of the Red King did not move, but the air changed as he charged towards the teens and almost hit them with his staff, which they dodge using their Shrinking ability.
They ran from him as he continued to swing his staff, hoping he would get someone. But each kid was in each corner of the wall-less room as the King tried to find them. Simon looked over at Francine and asked, "Why can't he get us?"
But the King heard him and ran over to the corner Simon was at. The boy stood there for a second before he disappeared into butterflies and Dodge the staff, which casued a huge hole in the spot the blonde boy was at. "Okay, that answer my question." Simon mummbled as the blind Red King looked around for his target.
The teens began running as the Red King heard their footsteps and tried to chase one, but he could only get a leg here and there. But, the odd thing was about the fight, everythime someone used their weapon against the King, he wasn't hurt at all or he moved in time.
Finally, Carmen stomped her foot and yelled at Francine, "We can't defeat him!" The blind King heard her and charged at her, but she Dodge it in time. She grabbed her Pepper Grinders and shot a row at the King, but they just made dents on him.
As Carmen's bullets dent the King, Francine dug inside the pockets of her Arabian pants furiously. "I know it's in here..." She mummbled as the boys guard her, making sure that the small girl isn't hurt. Then, a smile spread across her facer as she said "YES!" She pulled out a thin wooden stick with a blue-silver crystal on the top. She tapped each boy's shoulder and said, "Move out of the way."
The boys looked reluctant, but they moved anyways as they charged at the Red King. Simon slammed the Hobby Horse against the stand the King stood on, and Claude slashed at the front to protect Carmen as the dark-skinned girl kept shooting at the King. "Francine, hurry up with this plan of yours!" Claude yelled, which caused the King to raise his staff over the brunette's head.
As Claude held his arms over his head, Francine pointed the wand at the King as it shot out a blue light. The light covered the King in a shield of ice, where Francine yelled "Guys, kill him now!"
The three quickly acted as they attacked the now-frozen King; Simon slammed the Hobby Horse at the feet and caused the lower part of the King to be destroyed. Carmen kept shooting the Pepper Grinders at the head of the King, and Claude slashed up the King as he became only a small piece of a red piece.
All four teens stood there, completely tired, as Francine wobbled over there and stood next to Simon. "Guys, thanks for saving me. I had no idea why they kidnapped me, but it was degrading anyways when they put me in this." She gestured to her outfit as her friends cracked a smile.
As the four caught their breath, they felt the ground shake and Carmen felt something in her pocket. She watched the white Pawn jump out from her pocket and transformed by a white light. Soon, it became a replica of the old woman the was killed: the White Queen.
"Wow, looks like everything isn't going to Hell..." Simon joked as the floor became red, black, and white. The sky became less bloody looking, and the red room started to show some white and black designs.
All four smiled as the White Queen slid over to the throne that the Red King was at earlier. The doors opened to show a bloody Charlie, who wobbled over to the teens and kneel down to Simon. "Sir, I have defeated the Red Pieces."
Simon gave the old man a pitiful look a she kneel to met the old man's eyes and smiled weakly. "Charlie, you didn't have to do that. You are already a brave soldier, but you didn't have to fight off all of those pieces by yourself."
Charlie smiled as he choker up some blood. "I live for orders. But I must tell you something; go to the Hatter's Domain. The new Queen can rebuild this kingdom, but the Hatter's Domain has something fishy going on there. Please, go there and help Lucy. I am just glad the Ruin has not come here yet... I just wish..." Before he could finish, he cough violently before falling down dead.
Francine held her mouth as tears well up, and Claude grabbed her shoulders to steady the sensitive girl. Simon got up and ran his fingers through his hair, and Carmen just looked shock to the core.
"What do we do now?" Carmen asked.
As Claude opened his mouth, a bright light enevloped the teens and the armours on Claude, Carmen, and Simon disappeared and Francine's Arabian outfit also disappeared. They were all replaced with new outfits. All Claude and Simon wore the same white armour, but it had red hearts on the skirt and chest plate now.
But Carmen and Francine wore dresses that had a knee-length skirt that fanned out. The strap-less dresses had a white skirt resembling the lower half of a chess piece, and a red bodice was base on a rook. Their stockings were red-and-white striped, and their knee-high boots are made from a shiny red material and resemble pawns. They wore red and white shoulder guards based on knight pieces, and vambraces based on bishops. Their pinafore is checked like a chess board. Their pendants were white and is tied to a red and white striped choker. The bow on the back of the dresses is parted by the King's piece.
"New outfits? But why?" Carmen, out of all people, asked.
The Cheshire Cat appeared next to the new White Queen, and the teens turned around to see him. "An alliance between two rivals have begun. You now represent this alliance, and this new peace between the kingdoms."
The teens, looking confuse as always, opened their mouths to speak, but the Cat disappear and their vision began to go fuzzy. "Not again..." Claude mummbled as they all fell to the floor with headaches.
When Claude woke up, they were in beds in a small room.
And a short and deathly thin woman was over Claude. She had an abnormally large nose, and hunchback-like posture that shorten her height even more. Her short, pure silver hair was pulled back into a tight bun that was low on her head and her watery eyes were covered by small glasses. She wore a floor-length, long-sleeved dark blue dress that looked worn out with a white apron over the lower part of her body and a dark green shawl over her bony shoulders.
"Morning, dears..." Nurse Pris said as the brunette muffled screamed in his head.