A/N: Here's Chapter 10! Read, Review, and Enjoy! =) Also I misspelled some of the Red Queen's words on purpose as she has trouble pronouncing the letter R.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Lewis Carroll's, Disney's, or Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland anything. The plot and characters I create are mine!

Rating: T

*In the dungeons of Salezem Grum*

Stayne and Iracebeth remained chained together in a cell that Stayne remembered throwing the Hatter in a few weeks ago.

Iracebeth couldn't remember the last time she took a real bath, her hair had fallen out of its two rolls on the top of her head and was now a dirty dangled mess of curls that went passed her shoulders. Her dress was tattered and torn and her shoes were almost worn through.

A kitchen hand by the name of Bill brought them food and drink every day since their first night in the cell. She never thought that she'd be a prisoner in her very own castle. Her stomach grumbled. She hoped Bill would be bringing their dinner soon.

Just then she felt a sharp pain shoot through her head and she groaned.

'No not the headaches again...'

She could remember when the headaches first started. She'd just turned 15 when she started getting the worst pain in her head she could ever remember. It made her grit her teeth and the light hurt her eyes. Her parents would call for the Royal Healers and they could find nothing like it. It was three years later from when they began that her head started to swell into that size that it remained today.

She looked over at Stayne. He looked to be deep in thought. He sat with his knees up and his back against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest.

She once thought him to be in love with her as she was and still is in love with him. Why had she been such a fool? Stayne was no different than her cheating King. Except her King didn't try to kill her. She had him executed before he could even try anything of the like. She had caught him with the Duchess of all people and in her parents old bedroom in her Daddy's Castle. Not only had she felt disrespected then but she felt like her long dead parents had been disrespected as well.

She looked out at the only window in the cell. A full moon was out tonight casting light in the cell making it easier to see her surroundings.

Iracebeth thought back on what Bardrick said a few days ago. She knew that her sister and she hadn't seen eye to eye in a very long time but she knew Bardrick would be a worse ruler than even she had been. She had to warn Mirana and somehow persuade her that she and Stayne had nothing to do with this.

She looked over at Stayne and realized it would be even harder to persuade him to go along with her plan to warn Mirana. She knew that he saw Mirana as getting what she deserved for not pardoning him.

She sighed and got up and sat right next to Stayne against the wall.

"And what may I ask do you want?" Stayne said.

"I want you to twust me on my plan to warn Miwana, Stayne. That is all that I ask."

He sighed.

"And why should I do that? As I see it she's getting what she deserves. Maybe Underland is better off under the rule of the animals. After all, there is more of them than there is us. You and your sister didn't do a very good job at ruling at all. Mirana is too weak and lets her emotions get in the way and you were.."

"I know Stayne, you don't have to speak on it, I know that I was a tywant and that I let my temper contwol me and that innocents were put to death because of it. I'm sowwy, I never meant to hurt anyone...I just wanted to be loved. P-People made fun of me when my head swelled up and it hurt deeply..."

"So that's when you decided they needed to be executed?" Stayne asked. He was truly interested in what the former Red Queen had to say. As long as he could remember she had kept her true emotions hidden and well-guarded.

"No...that was never my intention. There was a business meeting between our neighboring kingdoms and some of our guests made rude remarks about the shape of my head instead of talking about what was important. I twied to change the subject and get back to business but this one kingdom's messenger just kept bullying me..next thing I remember is I started to get this sharp pain in my head and blacked out...when I came out of it I was informed by my King that I had ordered the execution of the messenger along with a whole slew of other people that had apparently angered me at the time. When I told him to release them all and send them on their way. He'd looked off distantly and said it was too late..." Iracebeth said trailing off.

"Too late?"

"Yes, I didn't believe him and raced out to the courtyard to see for myself. I wanted to prove him a liar but when I got there...there were about 10 bodies hanging from the castle's gallows. I fell to my knees and cried for all the lives I took and couldn't get back. After the incident, my parents decided that I was not fit to be the main ruler of Underland. From that point on anytime I got angry the same thing happened, I'd black out and again more people would suffer for it. Eventually I felt there was no going back to being the kind and just ruler I wanted to be. I eventually started to execute people..creatures without being in a blacked out state. I guess I thought that's who I was and was destined to be. But I don't want to be that person anymore! I have to warn Miwana! Bawdwick said she still believes in me somehow, maybe she can help me."

Stayne had a hard time not shedding a tear at the Red Queen's story. It seemed to him that Iracebeth had never meant to hurt anyone and that whatever was wrong with her head had been the true blame for her actions. She was every bit as human as he was or even her sister Mirana. She was just tired of getting bullied and poked at. Oh and he knew exactly what it was like to be made fun of with only having one eye for the most part of his life since he was about 9 or 10 years of age. His father and his friends had been drinking mead and were playing an axe throwing game. Stayne didn't know and was playing tag with his friends in the front yard while their dads were out back. Stayne was on the verge of being 'it' when he decided to run to the back as his father threw an axe. It hit the left side of Stayne's face at an odd angle. Stayne could remember it like it had been yesterday and the pain and agony as well. His parents had rushed him to the town healer as fast as they could but nothing could save his eye and the healer said the scar would fade with time but it hadn't.

Needless to say, there were no more axe-throwing games and his father stopped drinking and spent more time with him when he hadn't been there much before. Stayne thought hard and realized that was when his resentment for the Hatter had started. It was Tarrant that had been chasing him that day. They were best friends at that time. He guessed it was kind of childish to blame Tarrant when it was he that ran into the axe. He guessed at that time he felt that if he and Tarrant weren't so evenly matched that he'd still have his other eye. He looked back at Iracebeth and sighed.

"Even if we warn Mirana, what if she doesn't believe us? Even if she does and takes us in, what about the rest of her kingdom? Have you given it any thought? You've killed most of these people's family members and your pet wiped out all of Tarrant Hightopp's clan except for himself so I'm sure he's not going to welcome you back with open arms."

"Maybe so, but I still have to twy. Bawdwick would be the same if not worse than I as ruler. You heard him out in the jungles beyond the Outlands, he threatened his own people and mentioned towturing the Bandersnatch. As for the people of Underland, I can't bwing the dead back to life, but I owe it to them to help keep my sister in power. Also on Horunvendush Day, I knew Miwana would be out at a local celebwation but I didn't know The Royal Hatter's whole clan would be there. I just wanted the crown, Vorpal Sword, and Oraculum but we only got two out of the three at the time." She said.

Stayne thought about it and realized she was right, that they had a better chance with Mirana than they would with Bardrick. Oh and he knew Bardrick's type all too well... Once Bardrick was through with them or when they became useless to him, he'd kill them.

"One more question Iracebeth, how do we warn Mirana if we're stuck in here?"

"We'll just have to formulate a plan to escape."

"Well hiya folks! Sorry I'm running a little late tonight, had to clean out a chimney in Bardrick's room. I hope you folks like Mock Turtle Soup!" Interrupted Bill the Lizard.

"That's fine Bill, late dinner is better than none at all." Iracebeth said as she took the plate from him.

Bill could see the woman and her escort better now that the moonlight shown down on them and gasped.

"Oh my! Why I don't believe it but it's so! Why you're Iracebeth of the Castle of Crims, The Queen of Hearts!" He stated.

Iracebeth felt weird being called by her old title, she hadn't been the Queen of Hearts for almost 12 years. In fact she held that title the first time that Alice, then just a tot, had came to Underland complaining about how everything didn't make sense. She smirked at the memory.

"Well Bill I must say that I haven't been called that in almost 12 years. Twelve years ago I became the Red Queen and now my sister rules as the White Queen."

"Oh so you're 'THAT' Queen that I've heard about?" Bill asked.

"Yes and one that wants to make amends for all the horrible things I've done."

"Well you have to start somewhere my lady and a new beginning is just as good as any." Bill said.

"Why did you think I was still the Queen of Hearts?"

"Thirteen years ago, I was walking by Nivens McTwisp's House after cleaning a chimney. Nivens was screaming about a monster being in his house and Uilleam was trying to form a plan to get it out. They saw me go by and Uilleam grabbed me and asked me if I wanted to be famous and forced me to go into the chimney to try to scare the monster out. Well the dust from the chimney made the monster sneeze and the force of the sneeze shot me into the air way past the Outlands. I landed in a Bog of Stench in this young King's Labyrinth. Took me quiet a long time to get out of there and then I met the Toves. Bardrick said I was a cousin of theirs and wanted me to join them in their journey back to their homeland in Tugley Woods." Bill said.

Iracebeth knew the 'monster' whom Bill spoke of and she needed to know whose side Bill was on.

"The monster you speak of is Alice."

"Oh it had a name? Alice...WAIT! Isn't that the name of the Champion of Underland?" Bill asked.

"Yes they are one in the same. Alice was but a child when she first came to Underland and I'm afwaid ate way too much Upelkuchen. That's when you met her or your monster as she was stuck in the White Rabbit's house."

"Well I guess that makes sense, at least it wasn't a real monster."

"Just curious Bill, what do you think of Bawdwick?" Iracebeth asked.

Bill looked around making sure the dungeon guards weren't within hearing distance.

"I might be a distant kin of the Toves, but there's something about him that I don't like. Forgive my boldness but I believe he'd be a worse ruler than even you were. I believe Queen Mirana is kind and fair and the ruler Underland needs."

"Just the answer I was hoping to hear Bill, you see...Stayne and I need to get out of here in order to warn my sister about Bawdwick's plans. Do you think you can help us escape?"

"Um...I don't know...Bardrick wouldn't like that and if you don't already know he's not the type to anger, he'll kill or torture anyone that crosses him." Bill said.

Stayne who had been quiet the whole time finally spoke up.

"If you help us escape, I'll make sure no harm will come to you. I'm an excellent swordsman, if you can somehow snag me a sword from the armory then we all can escape to Marmoreal, once you are there than you'll be under the White Queen's protection." Stayne said.

"That's all well and good, but I wouldn't know where to begin, I just clean chimneys and help in the kitchens occasionally." Bill said down-casted.

"You could slip a sleeping drought into their food, that would make it easier for you to get the keys to the cell and by the time everyone that was supposed to be watching over us awoke, we would be long gone." Stayne said.

Iracebeth then told Bill where to find the sleeping droughts in her castle and told him he would need to place them into the cell guards drinks. She stated that if Bardrick was about then he'd need one in his as well so he couldn't give any orders out.

Bill wanted to help and get far away from Bardrick and his Toves as fast as possible but he felt guilty about having to do what he had to do in order for him, the Red Queen, and her Knave to escape.

Stayne could see that Bill had an inner conflict going in his mind.

"Bill, this might be your chance to rid Underland of a 'Real' monster and if you help us, I'll make sure your effort won't go unnoticed. You'll be famous for helping the White Queen stay on the throne." Stayne said.

"F-Famous? Really?" Bill asked.

"Of course!" Iracebeth said immediately.

"Okay, I will help you escape, but you have to take me with you and you have to give me time to plan it out cause I don't want anything to go wrong. I refuse to land in any Bogs of Stench this time!"

"Consider it a done deal!" Stayne said holding his hand out to shake Bill's.

"Okay, and I'll keep you posted and let you know when the time is right."

With that Bill turned and left the dungeon. Iracebeth and Stayne started to formulate a plan of their own to follow through once they were out of their cell.

A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed this! Sorry I haven't wrote about Alice in a while but I realized it had been an even longer time since I wrote about Iracebeth and Stayne. Hope you liked the back-stories on the Red Queen and her Knave. Since Tim Burton combined the Red Queen and Queen of Hearts together I felt the need to explain this. I also had to explain how Stayne lost his eye and had that long scar. Next chapter will feature Alice and her trip back to Underland! Anyway please read and review!