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Alice in Wonderland II: Underland's Champion

Chapter 13: Memories and Meetings

Alice inhales deeply as she looks over the small area that used to be a battlefield. The black and white tiles are somewhat rustic while the ruins that surround the area are covered with green moss. The wind blows some sea spray onto the land but Alice pays no heed to it as she looks at the dark sky and the forsaken battlefield. She shivers at the memory of the last time she was standing on this field; the time she had to kill the Jabberwocky. She could clearly remember the horrendous red eyes that seem to stare deep into her soul.

She tightens her hold on her sword when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns her head to see the Hatter giving her an encouraging smile. Alice smiles back weakly before they walk side-by-side slowly through the field with the Bandersnatch close behind them.

Alice has agreed to let the Mad Hatter go with her under the condition that he let her have her fight with Iracebeth and Stayne alone if they ever approach them; he would be permitted to take down anything else in their path. The milliner hastily agreed before they went back to ask Mirana for permission to let Tarrant go with her. Mirana simply agreed and asked some of her guards to gather some extra clothes and weapons for the milliner. In a few simple minutes, everything was packed and they were on the Bandersnatch bidding their friends farewell. Mallymkun put up a fight about wanting to go but Tarrant insisted that she keep a watch out for the White Queen in his place. The Doormouse reluctantly agreed before the champion, milliner, and beast take off into the night. They are unaware of the smile that Mirana wore after their departure. She knew that Tarrant would do whatever it took to protect Alice from her untimely fate, even at the cost of his own life.

Throughout the night, Alice fought the urge to sleep until Tarrant assured her that he will keep watch while the Bandersnatch moves. Against her better judgment, she fell asleep comfortably in Tarrant's arms. It wasn't until a few hours later that Alice found herself asleep on a blanket with Tarrant closely behind her snoring away. The Bandersnatch slept comfortably against a couple of bushes and it was still quite dark outside. Alice smiles at the sight before she kissed Tarrant's cheek and drifts off to sleep once again. When they wake up, they decide to walk on foot in case they passed by what they were looking for. Alice decided that they should head to the Red Queen's old castle to see if there are any hidden clues there. Tarrant agreed with her and they walked throughout the early hours until they approached the battlefield.

They are very quiet as they observe everything around them and replay the event that happened almost four years ago. Alice suddenly stops when she notices a peculiar new addition to the scene. She slowly walks towards it. Tarrant was unaware that she stopped walking until he turns and realizes that she wasn't there. He stops and turns to stare at her as she kneels down.

In front of her was a large animalistic skull. Everything from the jaw down was dislocated due to a violent force that beheaded the creature when it was still alive. Its large fangs were slightly stained with purple color that Alice knew was from the poison that took her home years ago. Its mouth was slightly open and Alice could smell the unpleasant corpselike scent radiating from the skull.

She could feel herself shudder at the realization she was looking at the very being that she killed for the first time ever. She has done the impossible; she had taken someone else's life for the benefit of others.

"Strange, isn't it?" Tarrant's voice murmurs softly. Alice pauses but doesn't look back at him as he continues. "How something so terrifying and beastly can be just as magnificent and powerful? Yet it still falls…"

Alice sighs before she stands up and turns to Tarrant. "I suppose all the most powerful and magnificent fall at some point…"

Tarrant frowns when he gets her drift. He holds her arms tightly. "Alice, do not say that about yourself! We will find a way to avoid the Oraculum's prophecy. I won't let you die even if it kills me!"

"Tarrant…" Alice speaks so quietly that the Hatter falls silent. "… How many people have died waiting for my return? How many have waited for the Frabjulous Day?"

"W-What are ye saying?" He stammers.

"Can you do the impossible yet regret it at the same time?" Alice murmurs softly.

"I'm not sure I understand what yer saying lass… Does this have anything to do with killing the Jabberwocky?" Tarrant asks.

"Tarrant…" Alice sighs. "Please try to understand. I was forced to kill something to save many others' live. I have done one of the very few things I never thought I'd be capable of doing. I think that ever since that day… It changed me."

"… Do you regret it?" Tarrant asks somewhat calmly. He suddenly gets what she is saying and understands all too well. He himself almost killed Stayne in the battlefield had he not witnessed how Alice beheaded the Jabberwocky. The sudden realization of taking another's life was almost too overwhelming for the milliner. He didn't want to become like Stayne and kill out of revenge. He wouldn't be any better than the Red Queen or Knave of Hearts are.

"… I honestly do not regret it. Not one bit. It made me become a better person. I wouldn't have been able to stand up to fulfill my dreams if I didn't come back to Underland." Alice smiles softly. Tarrant returns the smile. Alice's smile fades a bit before she looks at the skull again. "But… I do not think I can handle killing again. I barely handled the first time well…"

Tarrant knew what she meant. She meant that if the time would come when she had to kill Iracebeth or Stayne, then she would hesitate at the last second. But at the same time, she doesn't want her family or anyone else to be put in the line. He could understand the dilemma. "Lass, please try not to worry too much about this. Otherwise you will go insane; just like me." He chuckles heartily. Alice couldn't help but smile.

"I suppose you're right… I don't necessarily have to kill them…" Alice hesitates before she shrugs and sighs. "I'll figure something out when the time comes."

"We'll figure something out." Tarrant places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a firm but soft smile. "We're in this together from beginning to end. I'll be by your side no matter what happens."

Alice stares at him before she smiles. "Together then." They exchange a soft kiss before they walk forwards. Tarrant wraps an arm around Alice's shoulder as they march towards their destination. The Bandersnatch lets out a huff before it struts after the duo.

:)(:

Helen and Margaret almost jump when they hear three loud knocks from the door. They glance at each other questionably.

It's almost been a month since Alice has been reported missing. No one has found any clue as to where she could be or any trace to track her down. Margaret managed to convince Lowell to come home early so he would help with the search himself while she stayed home to rest and care for their son. Every other day people would stop by to give Helen their grim sincere apologies for her loss; several of them believed Alice to be dead at this point. Although Helen appreciated their concern, she refused to believe that Alice just disappeared from thin air; the note and her instincts proved it. There had to be more as to what was going on…

Although the police did everything they could to try finding her, only the Ascot and Kingsleigh Families never once thought about letting up until they see the blonde safe back home. Although there would be angry tearful scolding and many questions, they would be happy knowing that she was alive.

But this knock seemed to make something in Helen stir up. It sounded urgent and she knew that nobody would think to approach them unless it was something very important…

She quickly puts down her cup of tea and rushes towards the door with Margaret close behind her. She sees her butler having the door open as he addresses the visitors. He seems a bit put off as he stares at them cautiously. "Sebastian… Who is it?" Margaret demands.

Sebastian shakes his head before he turns to his mistresses. "… Two strange people who wish to speak with you about something important. One has a very abnormal head and the other is blind in one eye. I believe they must be from a circus nearby; shall I send them away?"

"A CIRCUS?!" A loud and obnoxious female's voice shrieks in offense. Margaret and Helen jump in alarm. "HOW DARE YOU! STAYNE, OFF WITH HIS-"

"Easy, my Lady." A male's voice says calmly. His cool and somewhat suave tone makes Helen feel somewhat uneasy. "We are not here to start a fight; we are here to meet with Alice's family, remember?"

Hearing the name of the blonde, Helen's eyes widen and she urges Sebastian away as she steps before the door and takes in the sight of the man and woman. Margaret stands beside her and puts on a look of disbelief as they study the duo. The man had long greasy black hair that barely covered his sickly white face and pitch-black eyes. He has a simple black outfit covered in silver armor and was unusually tall; at least a head taller than Helen was. He illuminated an aura that suggested he was not someone that you should ever come across. The only thing that was off about him was the fact that there was a red heart patch placed directly over one of his eyes. The women could see small scars emerging from the patch and assume that he was partially blind.

But what completely caught the women off guard was the woman beside the man. She was barely Margaret's height and her head was twice the size of her unusually petite body. Her red curls were put up in a bun and she had white makeup all over her face, blue eye shadow over her dark eyes, and black lipstick over her pouting lips. She had a regal black, yellow, and red dress that dignified her original royal status as queen. She stares at the women with a slightly flushed angry expression on her face.

"… Who ARE you? And how do you know Alice?" Margaret snaps out of her stupor and glares expectantly at the duo. Her suspicions arouse when Stayne smiles pleasantly.

"Allow me to introduce us… I am Ilosovic Stayne, and this is my Lady Iracebeth of Crims-"

"Crims? Where on Earth is that?" Margaret interrupts. "I've never heard of such a place."

"How dare you interrupt?!" the large-headed woman shouts, making the women flinch and stare at her in disbelief. "And speak so lowly before your Queen?"

Helen and Margaret stare at the woman incredulously. Maybe Sebastian was right; maybe they are from the circus. They might be looking for the wrong Alice…

"… I'm sorry, but I believe you must be looking for a different Alice…" Helen says quietly as she begins to close the door.

"We are looking for Alice Kingsleigh, the daughter of the great Charles Kingsleigh and who has made a new trade route throughout the world." Stayne persists. Helen hesitates before she shakes her head and closes the door. So they were looking for her daughter. But there's no point; she isn't even here for. Just as she and Margaret are about to head back to the living room, he adds. "I thought it might interest you to know where she is right now."

Helen and Margaret froze. They glance at each other before Helen opens the door and sees Stayne's smiling face and Iracebeth's fuming glare.

"You know where my daughter is?" Helen asks urgently. "Is she well? When will she be coming home?"

Stayne and Iracebeth smile at each other knowingly. Now that their small plan was in action, all they needed to do was lure their bait into their trap. "I promise that we will explain everything. But would it be rude to ask if we could stay for a little while? We've traveled so far…" Iracebeth does a show of fanning herself to make it look more believable. It seemed to work.

"Of course!" Helen pushes aside all propriety as she gently takes Iracebeth and Stayne's wrists and pulls them inside as Margaret closes the door. "I'll have my servants set up dinner and your rooms as quickly as possible. But you must tell me everything from beginning to end." She gives them a firm look. "I want the whole truth and nothing else."

Stayne couldn't help but smirk. He knows how the Champion's world revolves and believes that the results would be quite interesting after he tells her family everything.

Iracebeth huffs and holds her head up high as she makes herself at home and struts into the living room. "Very well. Let us get started, then."

Behind them, Margaret stares suspiciously at the duo. Something is not right about them; she knew that Alice wouldn't make friends with people that look like they would start trouble at any second. Trusting her instincts over her propriety, she hastily walks up the stairs to watch over her son while her mother interrogated the mysterious guests.

Just who ARE these people… And how is Alice involved with them?

Short Chapter, I know, but I felt that this was necessary. Since so many of you asked for the Hatter to go with Alice, I gave you your wish. But now that we've gotten this far, I'd like some tips for possible future chapters. Since I'm so nice, I'll give you a newsflash on the future chapters.

The Red Queen takes all Kingsleys and Ascots hostages and keeps them hidden in her dungeon. Then she plans to use her black magic to taunt the Hatter and Alice as they get closer to her. But the only question is; what kind of tricks should she use? Hallucinations? Paranormal activities? Realistic Nightmares? Random ambushes? The trick is to mess with Alice and Tarrant's minds to the point where they are even madder than usual and become too preoccupied by the curses that they eventually forget their goals and perhaps themselves. But I do not want to overdo it; this is a family movie after all and I intend to stick it to that level. Nothing gruesome; just something suspenseful.

If you comment, please share your ideas! I'm all for it! It'll make this story even more interesting. Until then, toodles!