I've decided to split the battle into three parts before reaching the two-part epilogues. I think this story will end by chapter 20; at least I'm hoping to at least reach to there. Anywho, enjoy!
Alice in Wonderland II: Underland's Champion
Chapter 17: The Battle Part Two
"ALICE!" Helen hollers as several white knights pull her and Margaret far away from the battlefield. Margaret was screaming for her child while Lowell and the Ascots put up a fight against their saviors. The mother's eyes turn pale in horror and fright as she watches her youngest daughter fighting against various demons with quite a struggle. Even with the help of the other creatures and knights, she still had a disadvantage.
The various knights pull the families far away enough not to be seen by the enemies, but close enough to still watch the battle from behind the foliage. After gently placing the prisoners down on the soft forest grass, they begin working on removing the chains. Margaret was crying in Lowell's arms while William pleads for help on removing the curse on his wife's still stitched lips. Hamish was staring at the soldiers with fearful eyes.
"Don't worry, you're all safe here…" A man that looks to be in charge says. He implants his sword into the ground as he kneels beside Helen and places a hand on her shoulder. He gives her a kind smile. "Her Majesty will be here shortly to talk with you all. She has some questions about your imprisonment and will help however she can to make you comfortable."
"What about my baby?" Margaret cries, looking up with a face covered in tears and snot. "Isn't anybody going to save him or-"
"Easy, ma'am…" A familiar roguish voice says from behind the foliage. "I've got him… And he's all right…"
Everyone turns to see Tarrant walking up to the small group with a squirming infant in his arms. He glances down at the infant with soft green eyes and gently shushes him. Margaret hastily stands up as soon as the knights unlock her chains and rushes towards the milliner. Without another word, she scoops Stefan into her arms and looks him over with wide eyes. Once she is convinced that he was unharmed, she lets out a happy sob and holds him close. She rocks him back and forth, relief and happiness overwhelming her. Tarrant smiles softly.
Then she took a moment to compose herself and glances up at him with shining blue eyes that remind him so much of Alice. "God bless you, sir… Bless you…"
"It was no trouble at all…" Tarrant hesitates as he places a hand on her shoulder. His eyes suddenly change from green to orange, which startled Margaret. "But you must excuse me; I need to go help Alice…"
He turns and was about to run off when he feels a hand on his wrist. He blinks before he turns around and meets the wise aged eyes of Helen Kingsleigh. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing and his eye color changes back into green. He smiles a bit toothily on her and was surprised that she didn't seem put off by him. They studied each other for a long while.
"Tarrant Hightopp…" Helen says his name so softly. Tarrant wasn't completely surprised to hear her say it. "… Promise me that you will do whatever it takes to protect Alice…"
Tarrant is silent as he stares at her carefully. He wasn't sure if she was aware of the prophecy, but just seeing the mother of the love of his life made him realize that he wasn't the only person who would be affected if Alice was gone…
He glances at Margaret and Stefan as Lowell holds them closely. Then he tentatively places a hand over hers. "… Mrs. Kingsleigh, I promise that I'll do everything in my power… To keep her safe…"
Helen is silent as she releases Tarrant and watches him bolt down towards the battlefield. She doesn't flinch even at the gruesome sight of various creatures beating each other down. Her focus is solely on the Mad Hatter and the memory of his deep green eyes staring into her soul…
… She doesn't have to know exactly who or what he is, but she can see why Alice loves him so.
:)(:
"Champion, take this!" A nearby soldier shouts as he tosses a dome-shaped silver shield at her direction. She picks it up from the ground and nods gratefully to the soldier before she turns to focus on a nearby demon. The heat radiating from the creatures and the exhausting fighting she had to do was almost overwhelming.
What's worse is that every time she struck down a demon, it seems to come back to life minutes later. It was a huge disadvantage, especially when several of her allies fall to their knees and succumb to deaths…
She shields herself from a fireball aimed at her before she strikes at the demons. Her anxiety grew and she took the moment to look around. She is somewhat relieved to know that her family and Mirana had fled for safety but was worried for her other friends. Bayard was whining from the burning touch that the demons inflict upon him. Mallymkun had great difficulty avoiding the strikes despite that she was furiously fighting for everything that she was worth. The Tweedles were loudly arguing about different methods in attacking the demons, which causes a huge distraction for the demons. Red and white soldiers alike were falling in defeat from exhaustion or fatal wounds. Chessur, Tarrant, Stayne, and Iracebeth were nowhere to be found.
She took the moment to look up at the sky. Where had the dragon disappeared to? Was she conjuring up another spell that would kill everyone? Or was she doing something that would enhance her demonic minions' strength?
"Well, well, well…"
Alice turns still even though she knew who was speaking to her from behind. She didn't need to turn to see Stayne stalking up to her, holding his sword beside him with a smirk on his face. He stops barely five feet away from her and observes her slim figure.
"Seems that fate has found a way for us to meet again, Um…"
Alice's eyes grow cold when she remembers exactly what happened years ago on her first private encounter with the man. She slowly turns around to face him.
"Despite what the people in your world say, you hold a magnificent reputation just by the mention of your name. You hold a new… Largeness…" He says the word so softly as if it was silk. "… That I find very appealing."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Stayne." Alice was not about to fall for his false charm, especially when she found it quite the opposite. It revolted her. "I knew there was something suspicious about you the moment I met you as 'Stefan Blake'."
Stayne smiles crookedly. "You didn't show it during our very few run-ins, especially at the ball…"
Alice doesn't avert her steely glare. Stayne's smile falters before he shrugs. "But I digress… I come before you with an offer-"
"There is absolutely nothing that you can offer me that will make me consider joining you." Alice spat darkly. She points the Vopal Sword at him threateningly. "You crossed the line the moment you touched my nephew."
Stayne didn't appear offended. He merely smiled and simply pointed her sword at his shoulder. She blinks.
"Alice, you wouldn't kill me even if your life depended on it. You and I both know that. You still feel guilty for slaying the Jabberwocky."
Alice hesitates as his words hit her fully on the face. She wondered if he somehow knew of her discomfort from taking another person's life. She was looking for an excuse before Stayne continues.
"Don't think that our minions count; you merely disarmed them. Yet they always come back from the ashes twice as invincible."
Stayne then decides to toy with Alice and slowly circles around her. She holds the Vopal Sword up high as she stares at him cautiously.
"Just think, Alice. Killing me and Iracebeth will solve nothing except a temporary relief. Is it worth the selfish act for the sake of everyone's satisfaction?"
Alice says nothing and stares at Stayne. What was he trying to pull?
"Iracebeth and I have taken away countless lives for a purpose, just as you have done. We are trying to create a world where no one would have to suffer anymore; a world where everyone is equal. Iracebeth has been discriminated for the enlargement of her head. I have been cast aside due to the fact that my father has always seen me as a failure."
That surprised Alice. She hadn't heard of that before.
"He has always wanted to have the perfect son, one who would be worthy of the royal throne should the heiress ever needed to find a suitor. He took my brothers and I out for brutal training combat. Of course, being the youngest, how could I have been able to defend myself from my trained brothers? In the end, it left me with an eye that would never be able to see again…"
Stayne points at his revealed eye, which held a large scar cut squarely through the eyelids. Stayne's eye was dull, cloudy, and lifeless as his words were.
"Because of this deformity, my father knew that no princess would want to be wed to me. He disowned me and left me to perish in the forest. I couldn't find my way around the forest and had to prosper with what the forest had to offer for years. It was years later that Her Highness' red knights found me and took me to her. She offered me a job as a page. It took me years to gain the new title as her Knave."
Alice is silent as she contemplated on the Knave's words. She lowers her sword as she grows lost in her thoughts. That was nothing compared to her own bond with her father. Despite herself, she felt a bit of pity for Stayne and could understand why he wanted to extract his revenge.
"… You should know what it feels like, to have everyone ridicule you because of something you cannot change…" Stayne murmurs as he boldly takes a step forward. Alice didn't stop him and he moved even closer to place his hands on her shoulders. Alice closes her eyes. "You know what it's like… To be all alone… With no one to be there to support you…"
No… He was wrong…
Alice was too enthralled in her thoughts to realize that Stayne wrapped an arm around her waist while he gingerly played with her hair. He took the moment to inhale the scent of her hair. He smiles a bit wickedly as his fingers begin to play with the crook of her neck. "Do you truly want to protect the world and all the evil it has to give?" He whispers. "Join us and help us create a perfect world…"
"ALICE! WHAT ARE YE DOING?!" Someone screams. Startled, Alice snaps her eyes open and looks around to see Mallymkun staring at her with wide eyes from a baffled Bayard's head. Beside them was Tarrant. Alice shivered at seeing the blood red eyes glaring at both her and Stayne. She had seen him angry, but now he was positively livid.
Alice suddenly feels something sharp placed over her throat as her body is pressed tightly against a firm body. Her sword and shield are roughly kicked from her grip. Her brain was frazzling from confusion before realization hits her. She glares angrily at Stayne as he places his face over her shoulder and holds the blade below her chin. "You tricked me!"
Stayne smiles unapologetically. "A perfect world must come with sacrifices, my dear. I thought I already made that clear…"
Alice fumes to herself before Stayne forcefully turns them to face an enraged milliner.
Tarrant had never felt so angry in his life. It truly was like witnessing a nightmare all over again.
Burning fires…
Dying screams…
A horrific creature being the cause of all the pain…
… And the worst of it all was that his beloved was in a very vulnerable position in the Knave of Heart's arms.
"Let her go, Stayne…" He hisses from behind gritted teeth. He points his sword at the Knave. "This battle is between you and me only…"
"I think not, milliner…" Stayne sneers as he holds Alice closer to him. "The Champion must be disposed of. You and I both know that her fate is doomed regardless of whatever happens. Why continue to defend her and help me kill her instead? I'm being generous enough to let you be the last thing she will see before she perishes…"
"That's a lie!" Mallymkun shouts. "Absolem told us that there is a way to save her!" Her eyes flare in confidence as everyone stares at her in surprise. She used the news to temporarily distract the Knave but didn't go too much into detail. She watches as a couple of knights sneak up behind the Knave and are about to deliver a blow. "Yeah, he said that-"
Suddenly a roar vibrates through the ruins. A large blue and purple electric beam shoots from the sky and hits directly at the knights behind Stayne. They scream in pain as they are sent flying in different directions from the force. Stayne stumbled aside from the force while his knife left a small cut on Alice's neck. Unfortunately, the knife also cut off the necklace holding the fragile Flower of Elixir. It impaled and cracked upon the hard ground and was engulfed in flames soon afterwards…
Alice didn't witness this as she hastily got up on her feet and grabbed her shield and sword. She backed away from Stayne and hisses at the slight sting on her neck. Tarrant hastily pulls her towards him. "Ye alright, lass?"
"I'm fine…" Alice mutters as she gives Stayne a look of disgust. She was about to give him a taste of her Vopal Sword until at that moment the ground began to shake. The vibrations cause most of the bystanders to stumble down before another roar erupts. It stops just as a huge blast shoots at the forest. Alice watches in horror as the dragon zooms down from the sky and disappears over the burning foliage.
Meanwhile, Stayne had snuck away into the dungeon with some of the demon minions before they come back out from the hidden stairs with a large item in their possession. They carefully place it down on the ground before they stand aside and wait for further orders.
Tarrant stares at the object they haul outside. It was a huge mirror with a magnificent silver frame holding it in place. Gold trimmings designed the outlines of the frame and there were foreign words written over the top frame bordering the glass mirror. The mirror itself was shining various colors and looked ethereal. It was huge enough to reflect a portion of the remaining army.
His heart stops. It was the Looking Glass…
A loud scream erupts as Iracebeth emerges from the forest. She was holding something in her claws as she descends before the mirror. Alice and Tarrant saw something glitter in her hand and heard fragile infant cries. Their hearts drench in terror as Iracebeth stops before the mirror and turns to the heroes with a sneer on her face. Stayne walks up to her and quickly hoists himself onto her back as she hands a crying Stefan and the White Queen's crown to the Knave.
"Give them back, Iracebeth!" Alice demands as she reaches out for her nephew. Meanwhile, Alice hears the hysterical cries from her sister as the families and Mirana rush out of the burning forest while the knights did everything in their power to stop the wildfire spreading. Tarrant's eyes flash in worry when he noticed that Hamish held a deep cut on his forehead while Mirana bore a small bite mark upon her pale arm. Both looked to be in pain but hold it back as they watch the dragon and Alice.
"You want them so badly? Then you'll have to come after us!" Iracebeth sneers before she jumps into the portal. Her cackles and Stefan's screams echo as she disappears into the mystical colors beyond the glass. Just as she disappeared, all the fiery demons disappear in a puff of smoke and leave the remaining survivors wondering what just happened.
"NO!" Alice shouts as she rushes forward. She was about to jump into the portal until Tarrant tightly holds her back. She puts up a fight and punches his chest to be released. "TARRANT, LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE MY NEPHEW AND RETRIEVE THE CROWN!"
"Alice, calm down!" Tarrant huffs as he tries to pull her away from the huge mirror. "Ye don't know what lies beyond the Looking Glass! Iracebeth could have placed a trap in there or ye could get lost in the portal forever!"
"He's right, Alice…" Mirana murmurs. Alice glares at her while several knights begin to bandage her arm. Her eyes were darker than usual and held a hint of sadness in them. "If the legends are true, then the Looking Glass is a massive portal between dimensions. If you get lost or linger too long in it, you would be trapped forever. Iracebeth has used it so many times; I sincerely believe that she may have set up a trap on the other side."
"But I can't do nothing!" Alice insists and roughly gets out of Tarrant's arms. "Iracebeth will hurt Stefan if I don't do something!"
"Alice…" The blonde pauses as she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turns to see Helen giving her a kind but sad smile. "You have done everything in your power to help… But right now you need rest. Let the White Queen have one of her men go-"
"No!" Helen was quite surprised to see the blonde glaring at her with such ferocity and disbelief. "Do you hear what you are saying, Mother? He's your grandchild! Iracebeth took him away to get to me! I'm not stopping until I personally see that he is safe and sound with us! It's up to me to handle Iracebeth and Stayne!"
"But HOW, Alice?" William speaks up, looking very concerned. He was impressed by the swordsmanship that Alice displayed before and knew that he could speak out his mind due to how close they were. "Her Majesty and Mr. Hightopp have both said that the Looking Glass could trap you if you are not careful. How would you catch up to them in time?"
"I believe that I may be of some assistance with that…" A deep voice smoothly says. Everyone blinks and looks around for the source before they feel a small thud from behind the mirror. They cautiously step back until Mirana and Alice step forward and look incredibly relieved. "Absolem!"
The mentioned butterfly steps around the mirror to show himself. Alice was a bit surprised to see him walk; as far as she could remember, she only ever saw him sitting down or flying. The butterfly surprisingly didn't have a hookah or pipe with him. He gazed down coolly at Alice and Mirana.
"Absolem?" The Kingsleighs and Ascots raise their brows. Apparently, they felt like they haven't seen enough surprises under one week. That's probably why they weren't so surprised to see the huge butterfly. They were curious though as to how Alice personally knew of the insect.
Absolem silently studied Alice for a while. It looked like he was looking for something before he raises his brows and looks at Mirana questionably. When she looks down, he sighs and shakes his head. Alice noticed this but didn't say anything. Her nephew was her main priority. "What did you mean by what you said? You can help?"
Absolem was silent again before he slowly nods. "I can. It just so happens that I know how the Looking Glass works; the late king and queen have frequently let me use it to explore Earth and study how it works."
There was an odd silence as everyone stares at the butterfly incredulously. "You've used the Looking Glass before? Why didn't you say anything before we left to search for it?" Tarrant sounded somewhat annoyed.
"I didn't know you were looking for it, stupid man," Absolem spat at him, looking equally annoyed. "But all that is irrelevant." He ignores the fuming milliner and focuses on Alice. "I can allow you to ride on my back as we make way through the portal." He gives Alice a cold look. "I'm only doing this for the sake of all Underland; do not take this privilege for granted."
Alice blinks in surprise from the offer. She observes him carefully before Mirana beats her to the question. "But Absolem, are you sure that you'll be able to carry her? Your strength hasn't been the same since my parents' passing…" She was worried that his age would take a toll and injure him if it became too much.
"My child, I've handled much worse tasks than merely carrying a young woman on my back." Absolem nods assuringly to Mirana before he lowers down and turns to the side to give Alice better access to his back. He lowers his magnificent wings as he waits for her to comply.
"Can ye carry two?" Tarrant says unexpectedly. Alice and Absolem glance at him in surprise. "Tarrant, I need to do this alone. You promised that when we got here that I would handle Iracebeth and Stayne alone."
"That was before I realized what they were capable of." Tarrant argued firmly. "Stayne and Iracebeth are more reckless than before. I thought that Iracebeth was using bits of black magic as a way to make us back off. But lass, she's completely corrupted by darkness. There's no way that you can beat her, even with Stayne as her backup."
"But-"
"Alice…" Tarrant makes Alice face him fully and he holds her hands with his own. "Do you remember the promise I made to you at the Crystal Ball? I vowed that I would never leave your side and would protect you from all danger and harm…" He glances slightly at Helen before looking back at Alice. "Even at the cost of my life. Where you go, I will follow. Regardless of what you say, I am staying by your side until the end."
Alice says nothing as she stares deeply into the milliner's eyes. They were changing into a variety of colors; purple, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and grey all at once. He was nearly going hysterical from his innermost emotions and Alice had no doubt that he would go ballistic if she said no. She remains thoughtful as she stares at him. If she were going to die from the rescue, then she'd like to have Tarrant beside her and be the next one to save her nephew…
Alice smiles softly before she nods and hugs him tightly. Tarrant was a bit startled by the gesture before he smiles widely and returns the hug. Everyone is silent as they witness the tender moment. Even Margaret managed to stop crying and sniffled as she hugged Lowell for support.
"Alice… Before you go…" The lovers part to see Lady Ascot walk up to them. Mirana had managed to create a potion that removed the stitches upon her lips when the chemicals rubbed on her skin. Her dress had been torn and dirty from the hassle and she looked a bit ashamed. "I wanted to say-"
"It's all right, Lady Ascot." Alice smiles softly as she places a hand on the woman's shoulder. The mistress looks at her in surprise. "Bygones are bygones. You have nothing to worry about."
Lady Ascot's eyes are filled with tears as she squeezes Alice's hand. "You truly are a gift, my dear. You're braver than I would have ever given you credit for." She turns to give Tarrant a firm glare. "You better take good care of her. If you love her as much as you say you do, then do not give me a reason to reconsider who you are."
Tarrant says nothing but slowly nods. Lady Ascot backs away just as Tarrant helps Alice onto Absolem's back. Absolem was muttering something about touching farewells before Tarrant hoists himself onto the butterfly, right behind Alice. They both yelp when Absolem stands up and hold onto him tightly before they glance at their friends and family. Alice sheaths her sword and holds her shield tightly as they wait for the butterfly to jump into the portal.
"Alice, before you go…" Mirana holds up a hand to stop the trio. She turns to two knights as they walk back with various items. One of them was holding a pitch-black bow with a barrel full of silver arrows and the other was holding an ancient black book. Tarrant took the weapons while Alice takes the book and looks it over in confusion.
"That book has all the spells that Iracebeth has learned in the past four years…" Mirana explained. "My soldiers found it downstairs in her dungeon. Take it with you; for I believe that all the cures for the curses that she may use will be in that book."
"And the arrows are made of pure silver." The commanding officer said beside the White Queen. "Silver is the symbol of purity and therefore is Iracebeth's biggest weakness. Strike her heart with silver and she will fall."
Alice shivers at the image of taking Iracebeth's life and the blood that may be shed. Regardless, she nods. She has to do it for the world's sake.
Alice glances at her family. She smiles softly at Helen's anxious look and Margaret's tearful stare. "Don't worry; I will bring Stefan and the crown back."
"You can do it, Alice…" Margaret pats her arm gently. "I know you can…"
"Just please be careful, my dear…" Helen says quietly. "I cannot bear the thought of my youngest child being taken away from me, just as Charles was taken away from us…"
Alice barely held back a grimace. She realized that her family wasn't aware of the prophecy but wasn't going to get into details. It would only lead to more questions and hysterical tearful protests. It was then that Alice realized that this may be her very last moment of seeing her family…
… However, Mallymkun said that Absolem found a way to alter Alice's fate. That gave her a bit of hope, but she wasn't going to question it just yet. She just needs to get her nephew and the crown away from Iracebeth before she considers saving herself. It can wait.
Alice smiles again at everyone before she clutches onto Absolem as he turns to the portal. She doesn't realize that she was shaking until Tarrant's arms hold her down gently. "It's OK…" He whispers against her ear. He smiles reassuringly just as Absolem's head goes through the portal. Alice gulps and closes her eyes just as the butterfly jumps into the portal and disappears through the colors.
There was an eerie silence as everyone took a step closer to the glass mirror. Helen watches it for the longest time before she holds her hands together and looks at her old wedding ring. 'Charles, watch over our daughter…' She prays.
This chapter is somewhat OK. Not exactly as dynamic as I hoped it would be, but it works. I decided that this part of the battle was long enough as it is compared to the main final battle, which will hopefully be more dramatic in the next chapter. After 18, chapters 19 and 20 will hopefully be epilogues. I can't believe that this story is almost coming to an end soon.
Support please! Leave comments or reviews!