"You lied to me," Alice accused as they rode through the gates of the town, staring down at her tied wrists. He had relied upon that forest's ability to make her forgetful long enough to distract her. She felt so stupid for trusting him.
"I never did." He replied gently.
"You mentioned Jack." Her voice sounded bitter.
"I mentioned the Prince of Hearts but I never said that I served the usurper." The Red Knight replied, his voice still soft but his tone beginning to become defensive.
"Usurper? What do you mean?"
"He seized his mother's power, did he not? You even helped him to do it. Still, we in the White Kingdom were glad to see an end to the mad reign of the Queen of Hearts."
"So what's your problem with Jack and what does any of this have to do with me?"
"I was told that someone important would be arriving in that area but I had no idea it would be you." He paused, steering the horse down a side street. "As to the rest, the White Prince can explain better. I'm taking you to meet him."
They came upon the stables and the Red Knight dismounted. Turning, he said, "I have heard tell that you are a great fighter. I'm going to help you down now and I'd appreciate it if you didn't struggle." He placed one of his armored hands over her bound ones. She thought that his expression was serious and sincere. Alice scoffed, that kind of thinking is how she came to be a captive.
"As I was the knight who captured you, you are now my charge. I make you this oath: If you do not fight and do not flee, I will see to it that no harm comes to you. Break either of these conditions and I cannot guarantee your safety."
There was a threat lurking on the edges of his oath. She picked it up loud and clear. For some reason they needed her, but they wouldn't hesitate to hurt her if she made things difficult, so she had to play along for now. Alice still fixed him with a stony glare but nodded in assent.
"Good. Now keep your hands on the pommel, put your foot into the stirrup there and swing your other leg to this side." Alice did and she felt his hands around her waist, helping her to the ground.
"Now, my liege will want to see you." He took her by the arm.
They left the stables behind, walking down a narrow alleyway to a large white, stone structure and a doorman nodded at the Red Knight in recognition, letting them inside. The foyer they entered was adorned with numerous paintings and tapestries depicting unicorns. A particularly striking one brutally depicted a unicorn goring a lion with its horn.
She allowed herself to be led to a set of ornately carved doors which were already ajar. Beyond, she could see that the doors opened into a study and, behind the desk was a man engrossed in the maps that were strewn about it. He was tall and handsome, dressed all in white and his blond hair was pulled back in an aristocratic fashion. Alice could only assume that this was the prince.
Once they entered the room, the clanking of the Red Knight's armor seemed to draw the prince's attention. He looked up and Alice found herself startled by his piercing blue eyes.
The Red Knight released his hold on her arm and bowed, "Highness, I have brought you Alice of Legend."
He straightened, smiling faintly as he came around to the front of the desk. His movements were graceful but he exuded a sense of deliberation in every step. There was something dark and dangerous about this man.
"As large as life and twice as natural!" He said. "Well, it appears as though the information from our agents is worth the price. Forgive me, my lady. Even under these less than ideal circumstances, it is an honor to make your acquaintance."
He gasped suddenly and moved towards her. "But this won't do!" He grabbed her bound wrists and shot a stern look at the knight as he began untying her. "Really? Was this necessary? It hardly seems chivalrous…"
Red looked flustered, "M-my apologies, your highness, but I thought it best to assure that I could deliver her safely." The White Prince handed him the bit of rope and clucked his tongue.
"Who are you?" Alice asked, rubbing her sore wrists.
"There are those who call me the Unicorn." He said, gesturing over his shoulder to the crest on the wall behind him bearing the same beast.
"I don't believe in unicorns." She said, defiantly.
"Nor I in Alice of Legend but now that we have seen each other, if you believe in me, I'll believe in you." He smiled, replying smoothly. Alice found him charming but there was a certain slickness to his voice that made her uneasy.
"You're the reason I'm here, aren't you?"
The Unicorn closed his eyes, slowly lowering his head in a nod with his hand over his heart. The ghost of a smile on his lips was perversely triumphant amidst his seeming humility. When he again opened his eyes, meeting hers, Alice had to suppress the shiver that crawled up her spine.
"We went to great lengths to secure your passage here because you are needed. If there's one thing that is consistent about all the Hearts it's this: they won't play unless the cards are stacked in their favor and you, in all your legendary glory, are my bargaining chip."
"I don't follow."
"The Prince of Hearts will one day be the king and, since my parents have yet to name me successor over my idiot brother, I need his support to back my claim to the throne." His tone was darkening as he spoke, starting with a sneer at the mention of his brother and practically a snarl by the end of the sentence. The Unicorn sighed, composing himself, "It's rumored that Jack Heart was enamored of you."
"What would that have to do with anything?" Alice asked, not liking where this conversation was heading.
"His mother is still queen. His rule is illegitimate until she dies that is, unless, there were to be a new Queen of Hearts. Perhaps someone of his own choosing, the one who got away…" He emphasized this last bit with a roll of his wrist and a smirk.
"So you brought me here just to take me back to Jack?"
"Quite simply: yes. He'll be delighted to see you, no doubt, and he'll see the wisdom in what I'm offering. So this will all be as a minor inconvenience to you but, to us, it means the future of our kingdom."
Alice tried to asses the man in front of her. He was rather forthcoming in his information but she didn't trust that he was telling her the truth. She was tired and confused and frustrated. "What makes you think he would want to make me queen? And even if that were the case, he already knows that I love someone else."
Red shifted, unintentionally drawing Alice's attention to him. He stared straight ahead, eyes narrowed, a muscle in his cheek jumping as he clenched his jaw. He looked upset for some reason.
"Hatter doesn't deserve you." He muttered.
Heart leaping into her throat, Alice grabbed his arm, turning him to face her, "Wait! You know him? He's here in Wonderland?"
Red glanced over at the prince but remained silent, averting his eyes. She wouldn't get any information from him with the Unicorn present.
"Do you play chess, Alice?" The Unicorn interrupted, drawing her attention back to him.
"No," she answered, brusquely.
"Well, I know Jack does and so, he knows as well as I, if you want to gain the advantage in the game," He said, brushing the back of his hand lightly down her cheek, "you have to capture the queen." The Unicorn then turned to Red.
"Take her to the Gardens."
*~*~*~*~*
Hatter felt the sun beating down on his bare shoulders. He made no move to wipe away the sweat he could feel forming on his brow and, instead, adjusted his grip on the stave in his hands as he regarded his opponent.
"Again!" The shout was the only warning he received. He raised the stave just barely in time to block a blow to his midsection that would have driven the breath from him. He stepped back to gain some time to think clearly.
"Take it easy, Charlie!" He shouted back.
"No time!" The white knight responded. He swung again forcing Hatter back further. "Tell me what you feel!"
Hatter jumped back to avoid a swing that would've tripped him, "How am I supposed to do that-" He swung out wildly, trying to put Charlie on the offensive. Charlie blocked easily, using the momentum to drive a strike towards Hatter's head. Hatter ducked just in time. "-when I can't even spare the time to think without getting hit?"
The two men circled each other, Hatter feeling at a distinct disadvantage since Charlie was wearing armor and he was not. He would be more injured by a strike and it was taking all of his concentration to hold off the older, more experienced fighter.
Charlie stepped forward, feigning a strike. Hatter fell for it, moving to block, and realized his mistake a second too late as the knight was already turning past him. The staff struck sharply off his already sore backside. He hissed in pain, turning to face Charlie again.
"What do you feel?" Charlie repeated, bringing the staff down for an overhead strike.
Hatter raised his staff, blocking the hit. "I feel sore and frustrated," His arms stung with the force of the blow and he turned to knock the knight's rod aside, creating an opening to strike. "useless and angry!" Swinging his wooden weapon, he hadn't realized he had left himself open until he felt the stinging blow to his stomach. He stumbled back, gasping.
Charlie changed his stance, "Feel all of that, Harbinger, and find your anchor."
Hatter coughed, trying to regain his breath. He focused on his reason for putting himself through all this. He was determined to get back to Alice. He was in a great deal of pain, in emotional withdrawal and annoyed at his own lack of progress. All of this was distracting him from the fight at hand but when he thought of Alice a happy feeling filled him, a calm in the center of that storm. She loved him and infuriated him and yet he couldn't feel complete without her.
He clung to the thought of her like a lifejacket and with a primal yell, he attacked. He drove the stave around in an arc which Charlie blocked. But Hatter struck again with the alternate side of the weapon, gaining ground as he pushed the white knight back with blow after blow.
For all the ferocity of his attack, his mind was clear. He thought of Alice and nothing else, his emotions were still as strong but he took note of them and pushed them aside. He countered his aggravation with her smile, his hurting with her warm embrace, and something almost like fear with love.
He side-stepped, turning and dropping low to sweep one of Charlie's legs out from under him. The white knight lost his balance and his back hit the ground with a metallic clash. Both men stared at each other for a moment, each regaining their breath.
Charlie smiled, "By Jove," he managed between gulps of air. "I think he has it."
*~*~*~*~*
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