A/N: Helloooo! Here's another chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Two
Kim, Alice, Tarrant, and Thackery rode on the back of the Bandersnatch, Bayard ran alongside the Bandersnatch with Mally on his back, and Iracebeth rode besides them on her vegetable horse.
They rode for a few long hours, and Kim finally saw the white-blossomed trees of Marmoreal in the distance.
Bayard let out a long howl, and ran forward with new determination.
Iracebeth glared at the approaching white sculpture, but told herself that inside that horrible castle would be the object of all of her troubles, and with that, she rode on.
They all made it inside the eerily quiet garden, then Kim dismounted and looked around.
Alice and Tarrant dismounted after her, and Thackery just let himself fall from the Bandersnatch's back.
Alice looked around the empty garden, and slowly pulled out her dagger, holding it in front of her defensively.
Mally leaped from Bayard's back, and pulled out her needle-sword.
She asked Kim, "What do we do?"
Kim said, "Alice, Tarrant, and I will look for Mirana in the castle, while the rest of you look for a way to get rid of Stayne, alright?"
Iracebeth nodded, and walked down a random hallway; Thackery, Mally, and Bayard following her close behind.
Alice headed down the center hallway, and Tarrant followed her, with Kim trailing behind them.
They wandered through the eerily quiet hallways, until they heard a muffled yell from one of the rooms.
Kim ran towards the noise, and opened the door to the room.
Mirana was sitting inside on a chair; her hands tied behind her back, and a thick cloth shoved into her mouth.
She saw both of them standing outside the door, and let out a pained scream that was muffled by her gag.
Tarrant said, "Your majesty!" and ran inside after Kim.
Alice ran inside after her husband, and untied the ropes around Mirana's wrists.
Mirana gave a small smile, but then she saw something behind them, and started babbling something underneath her gag.
When her hands were completely untied, Mirana pulled the gag out of her mouth, and screamed, "He's behind you!"
Kim whipped around, and found Stayne standing in the doorway, a blade pressed to Tarrant's windpipe to keep him from speaking.
Chessur was floating behind him with a glowing red rope around his neck. His usual smile was nowhere to be seen, and he said mournfully, "I'm sorry Kim, he made me find you. I'm so sorry."
Stayne just gave an evil smile, and said, "Ah yes, Kim and her little hit team. You sent your little friends to find me while you lagged behind to find this delicate little flower."
As he spoke, he walked over to Mirana, holding Tarrant beside him with the blade still pressed to his throat, and stroked her cheek with one gloved hand.
Mirana recoiled at his touch, and glared at him, saying, "Ilosyvich Stayne, I demand you to release us."
Stayne just gave a loud cackle, and said, "She tried this routine the last time I took her gag out."
But Kim saw Iracebeth creep into the doorway, and see Stayne inside. Kim could see the rage build up on her face as she called the other members of her team to her.
Mally, Thackery, and Bayard followed her, and saw Stayne inside, taunting Kim and the Hightopps.
Iracebeth pulled a long dagger from her skirts, and advanced on Stayne.
Kim's eyes widened, and she signed desperately for her to stop, but Iracebeth lunged forward, holding Stayne's throat against the thick blade.
Stayne let his hold on the blade on Tarrant's throat to drop, and Tarrant fell forward, coughing and holding the thin line where the blade had pressed into his skin.
Alice fell forward besides her husband, and held his shoulders as he coughed into the floor.
Iracebeth said with a mad glint in her eye, "Let go of the cat's rope."
Stayne, with a terrified look on his face, obediently dropped the rope fastened around Chessur's neck, letting Chessur to float freely.
Chessur, in turn, floated right up to Stayne's face, and clawed a huge gash in his cheek.
Kim whipped out a pair of iron handcuffs, and clamped them around his wrists as he clutched his bleeding cheek.
Iracebeth turned around, and yelled, "Vegetable guards!"
Four tall men that seemed to be made entirely out of vegetables (just like her horse) marched into the room, and grabbed Stayne by the shoulders.
Iracebeth turned to Kim and the rest of the group, and said, "I thank you for your help in the capture of this- Knave. I will return to my exile, alone."
Mirana nodded, and Stayne's remaining eye widened in pure panic.
The vegetable guards dragged Stayne out of the room, screaming and cursing at Mirana the entire way.
Iracebeth followed them, and took Stayne to a distant part of the castle, to where they could just hear his screams reverberating off the walls.
Mirana turned to Kim, and said, "Kim, again, I thank you for saving Underland from the forces of evil, and, considerably less importantly, for saving me as well. We are, again, in your debt."
Kim frowned, and said, "I've been gone for so long, I'm worried something might happen again. I will try to visit as often as I can, I promise."
Mirana gestured to a full length mirror inside the room, and said, "Walk through this mirror, and you will find yourself back Above Ground. Farewell, Kimberly."
Kim smiled, and said good-bye to everyone.
Chessur gave her an even wider smile, Thackery gave a small bow, Mally gave her a small salute with her sword, Bayard gave his own dog version of a bow, and Tarrant and Alice both gave her a long hug and kiss on the cheek.
Mirana simply hugged her friend, and watched as she walked through the mirror.
A/N: Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the others.