I do not own The Looking Glass Wars or any of its characters.
Interruption
Ace shot out of the puddle so fast that he crashed headlong into the man heading for the puddle before the man had even realized he was there. Both leapt to their feet, one seeming to sprout blades of all manner from his nearly everywhere on his body and the other suddenly surrounded by hovering, spinning cards. However, after staring at one another for a long few moments, the blades retracted and the cards stopped spinning, returning to their appropriate decks before Ace let his coat fall back into place.
"Ace," Hatter Madigan identified him.
"Madigan," Ace nodded.
"You come through intentionally?" Madigan asked.
"Yes," Ace nodded. "I'm here to find Alyss."
"I've been looking for thirteen years," Madigan said.
"That's true," Ace said nodded. "What have you learned?"
Madigan held up a book. "Someone here wrote this."
Ace read the cover. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. You know where to find the author?"
Madigan nodded. "Took me a while to find him, because he used an alias, but I found him."
"It's likely," Ace nodded. "Is the book accurate?"
"No," Madigan said. "It's the kind of tale you'd tell a small child. But it's there. It's got enough right to know. It's about her. The author should be somewhere in a kingdom here called Britain. They speak our language there. Not here, though."
Ace nodded. "How are we getting there?"
"The Pool," Madigan said. "It's like the Continuum, in a way, in that it has multiple entrances and exits."
"Can you navigate it?" Ace asked.
"Mostly," Madigan nodded.
Ace nodded, and Madigan took his arm, dropping into the puddle. They were sucked down into the depths of a world of water, then, just as they began to move, Madigan tilted his body. They rocketed upward, but Madigan's grip slipped, and both were sent spinning away from each other. When Ace burst out of the water next, he managed to land on his feet in a backward somersault, then looked around.
He was in a city, abandoned currently, as it was night, but built close together, feeling crowded. However, at the same time as he appeared, so did a sense of danger. He turned, looking around carefully, but no one jumped out at him. He reached into his coat, summoning his sword to his hand without revealing it or his card. However, this seemed to be what his unseen attacker was waiting for, because a moment later, a powerfully-built form shot out of an alleyway with a pair of knives, slashing at him rapidly. Ace deflected the blades quickly with his sword, then spun around the person, slashing, only for their blades to deflect his. However, just as they did, Madigan burst out of the puddle, instantly extending the blades of his pack as he landed behind Ace's attacker. The blades lashed out, but the attacker avoided them with unnatural skill. Both of them narrowed their eyes, and Ace sealed his sword in its storage card again before withdrawing a pair of fans of the cards from his coat, holding them in his hands.
"I'm not fool enough to fight Hatter Madigan," the man said, Ace realizing he'd ended up beside the puddle Ace and Madigan had come from. "Until next time, Dealer."
Then, he jumped into the puddle, vanishing instantly. Ace knelt, picking up a knife the attacker had dropped and stared at the small images on the side.
"What is it?" Madigan asked.
"It's the suits," Ace said. "All four of the suits. Heart, Diamond, Clubs, and Spade."
Madigan frowned, but Ace tossed the knife aside uncaringly.
"Where are we, and where are we heading?" he asked.
"You wound up where we wanted to go," Madigan said, looking around. "Should be this way."
Ace nodded, following him.
Ace swore harshly as he watched the guards return to the castle with their guard dogs. Madigan had jumped he gate, only for one of the guards to accidentally use their weapon, a projectile launcher of some kind, Ace was pretty sure, and Madigan had been forced to retreat into a puddle again. Ace turned, dropping into a different street and quickly made his way away from the castle before stopping to read the article he and Madigan had taken from the book's author. Alyss, now going by Alice Lidell, was meant to marry a prince in this world in a matter of days. Ace would be damned if he'd let her go that easily. According to the article, however, there was going to be a masquerade to celebrate the engagement. That was perfect. He just needed to dress for the occasion. He left, quickly finding a tailer once everything had settled, and walked inside.
"How can we help you?" the young boy working the counter asked.
"I need a suit fit for a party," Ace said.
"Invited or crashing?" a man in his twilight years asked from the back.
Ace grinned. "Crashing. But crashing in order to get a late invitation."
The man nodded, walking toward he back. A few moments later, he brought out a suit and had Ace change. His eyes lingered a long while on Ace's cards, but he asked nothing about them. Ace changed, and the man began to measure, fold, and pin the suit. After a few minutes, he nodded to himself.
"Take it off, and come back in the morning," the man said. "Would you like me to include pockets for those?" He eyed he cards again, and Ace frowned.
Something about him was nagging at Ace, but he simply nodded.
The man nodded and quickly counted the decks as Ace began to get dressed. Once he was dressed, he left, finding a place to remain out of everyone's way until the sun rose again. He headed back to the shop, and the older man handed him a thick bag.
"The waistcoat has pockets for them, and the jacket will cover them," he said.
"Thank you," he said. "Uh...I don't have-"
"No charge," the man said.
Ace's eyes went wide. "What?"
"Just make sure you tell her how you feel," the man said.
Ace frowned, then sighed, nodding. "I'll try, but there are more important things to tell her, first."
The man nodded, and Ace left, heading toward the castle. The party was long after he had gotten his suit, as the sun was setting. Ace infiltrated the castle in silence, stealing a mask off of a table, seeing it was a glittering black one that covered only his upper face. He pulled it on and found a spot to watch Alyss dance with her intended husband. He was bad at it. He had sloppy footwork, less-than-agile turns, and he was proving himself as arrogant as his title just from the mask he wore. His own face. He was at a masquerade, wearing his own face for a mask. Ace shook his head slowly, and watched as the prince kissed Alyss's hand and left to speak with a woman that had to be he Queen. As the partygoers began to mingle again, Ace walked forward, swapping masks smoothly, unnoticed, and walked to Alyss, bowing low and offering his hand.
"Already?" Alyss asked, smiling emptily, though convincingly.
Ace smiled as he realized she wasn't marrying the prince for love. She was merely living the life she'd been left with. Alyss sighed, setting her hand in his, and he stood as the music picked up again. He wrapped an arm around her, and as they began to twirl around the dance floor, other guests noticed them and cleared out of their way. However, Alyss's eyes were squinting at Ace's face, and he couldn't help but smirk.
"You're not Leopold," Alyss said, then laughed. "Halleck, is that you?"
Ace shook his head, and Alyss frowned.
"Who is hiding behind that mask?" Alice asked.
Ace's smirk grew, and he allowed her to pull the mask off. However, he saw no spark of recognition in her eyes.
"Do I know you?" Alyss asked.
"You once did," Ace nodded, seeing the prince heading toward them. He leaned in to whisper. "I remember when I gave you that necklace."
Then, he turned and vanished into the crowd just before the prince entered the dance floor, Ace picking up the mask he'd left on the ground again and pulling it on. He stayed nearby, hearing the fury in Leopold's voice as he demanded to know who Ace had been, only for Alyss to say she didn't know him, then excuse herself for air.
"If there is anyone here who objects to this union, let him speak now or forever hold his peace," the archbishop spoke to the guests at the wedding.
Ace stared at Alyss, judging whether or not she was actually happy to be on that altar. Finally, he pushed off the wall, walking to the back of the aisle. Gasps rang out, the archbishop stared, and Leopold's face transformed into a look of fury.
"I object," Ace said clearly. "Princess Alyss can't marry you."
Leopold stared at him for a moment before seeming to swell. "And why is that? What reason could an uninvited guest to my wedding have that should mean I cannot marry my betrothed?"
"That's simple," Ace said, just as a tingle ran up his spine as a special card he'd placed sensed danger, Ace reaching up to unbutton his coat, exposing some of his card decks. "This wedding is about to get crashed by far less polite uninvited guests than me."
"What are...are those...playing cards?" Leopold asked.
Ace reached down to the cards. He pulled a pair of fans from one of the pockets, then hurled them into the air around himself. Alyss's brow furrowed suddenly, and she looked to a stained-glass window less than a second before they all exploded inward. Redd's strongest Card Soldiers landed among the cracked remains, and Ace narrowed his eyes as guests flooded toward the exit. Ace raced forward, hearing the feline growl, then yowl of rage behind him, the screams of dismay and pain. Card Soldiers were killing anyone in reach. Ace twisted and spun, sending his cards flying, managing to kill only one Card Soldier, but getting all of their attention. Feet stomped toward him, but Alyss remained stock-still, staring at Ace as he spun and twisted, swiping his arms to control his cards more effectively, sending them stabbing, flashing, spinning, and slicing through the air, but these soldiers were skilled. They were a new breed. They didn't have numbers, nor did their power and skill change in accordance with their numbers. Instead, their backs were protected by a pair of shields which bore only the emblems of one of the suits. Ace narrowed his eyes, then shoved both hands toward a pair of Card Soldiers. The remaining cards of the deck he had dealt from initially surged from their pockets and shot forward. Within seconds, the two Card Soldiers had been shredded. He pulled the cards back to himself, then grabbed Alyss and dove aside as the Cat fell from above, his thigh-sized arms shattering the altar. As they stood, Ace's cards raced out to stop the Card Soldiers' advance, and Ace summoned his sword from its storage card. A Card Soldier landed ahead of them, but Ace lunged, knocking its sword aside and slashing back the other way. The sword met the Card Soldier hard, but failed to cut it, not that he was surprised. He stabbed it below the neck, killing it, then swept Alice into his arms and leapt out through the window with her.
As they landed, he set her on her feet and they began to run, Ace's cards chasing after them. A Card Soldier landed on Alyss's dress's train, only for a pair of spinning cards to sever the rain, then the other fifty to shred the Card Soldier. Ace slashed the leather straps securing a horse to a carriage, then leapt on, cards pressing to Alyss's sides and lifting her onto the horse behind him. Alyss hugged him tight instantly, and Ace spurred the horse into a gallop down the street. Most of Ace's cards returned to their pocket, Ace keeping only a handful free. However, when he looked back, the Card Soldiers had fallen back, but the Cat was gaining. Ace steered he horse through the streets rapidly, the Cat pursuing them relentlessly. Then, he pulled out an Orb Generator, and Ace swore harshly, spurring he horse faster just as an explosion rocked the building beside them. The horse screamed, a terrible sound, and surged forward. Ace pulled his cards back to his deck, sealing his sword, and steered the horse carefully. Then, an explosion blasted an empty police wagon ahead of them and he horse bucked. Ace flipped, landing on his feet, and caught Alyss before setting her on her feet just as a handful of cards flew up behind him, unleashing a massive wall of explosions toward the Cat, he cards burning away as Ace and Alyss fled.
"Where are we going!?" Alyss shouted.
"There!" Ace shouted, pointing ahead of them to a puddle.
"I'll ruin my dress!" Alyss shrieked, just as the man swept her into his arms and jumped in.
His grip on her was painfully tight, but as they rocketed downward, then back up, Alyss understood why. Even as tight as he was holding her, he only barely managed to cling to her until they breached the surface. Dodge was waiting and helped them out of the Pool of Tears instantly, setting her beside Bibwit Harte. Once they were free, Ace laughed, bending forward a the waist.
"You'll ruin your dress!" he took a few heavy breaths before looking over at him. "You really don't remember anything, do you? You suppressed all of your memories."
"Where are..."
"You're home, Alyss," Ace said. "You're in Wonderland."
A nearby patch of lilies was singing, and Alyss stared at them.
"But flowers have no larynxes," Alyss said.
"What are larynxes?" the lilies asked, hen giggled hysterically.
"Do you know our names?" Ace asked.
She looked between the two, staring at Dodge's scars for a moment. "Dodge Anders."
He went stiff at the sound of his own name.
"Bibwit Harte," Alyss identified her former tutor. However, she stared at Ace in confusion. "You...I don't...think I know you."
Ace's chest constricted horribly, but he reached out, lifting the string of golden cards around her neck. "Do you remember the boy who gave you this?"
Alyss frowned, thinking, but shook her head a moment later.
"No time," Ace said, seeing the surface of the Pool of Tears ripple. "Dodge, it's him."
Dodge swore harshly, all but leaping onto one of the two spirit-danes, Ace making sure she was facing the right direction before leaping up behind her.
"Go!" Dodge said, already mounting the other with Bibwit.
Ace spurred his mount forward, and it raced away from the pool, where he ripples were beginning to foam. They surged through the trees, but they could hear not only the Cat, but also the remaining Card Soldiers, gaining on them.
"We can't outrun them!" Alyss shrieked.
"Good!" Dodge shouted. "Then we'll have to fight!" He made to turn around, but several of Ace's cards formed up around the spirit-dane's neck, keeping it going forward.
"Fight while you run!" Ace shouted, summoning his sword again, even as he brought out the rest of his deck, retrieving those he'd sopped Dodge from turning with.
The Card Soldiers reached them first, only for cards to swarm out of the trees, shredding two of them, Dodge slashing another's neck, smashing it. He stabbed another, killing it, and Ace twisted, his sword deflecting the Cat's claws, only for the force to knock both him and Alyss to the ground. Card Soldiers surged toward Ace from the trees, but his free hand snapped out, cards flying from his sleeve where he'd kept a deck concealed, shredding them and breaking their charge before Chess Pieces began to leap from the trees, entering the fray. Ace spun toward Alyss, seeing Bibwit kneeling between her and the Cat. A pair of pawns intercepted the blow meant for Bibwit. Ace sent his cards at the Cat, but he leapt backward, avoiding them, and Ace spun, guiding the cards around to slash several of Redd's Card Soldiers. These bore their numbers, and were subject to the weakness it implied, but even these were more lethal than they had been years ago. Even threes were dangerous now, and Twos were no longer mere cannon fodder. The cards sped through the air, killing several Card Soldiers before Ace spun to Alyss again, grabbing and hurling a fan of cards by hand, the cards passing over her and killing a Card Soldier, the last bearing only a suit emblem. Then, Dodge swept Alyss onto the spirit-dane behind him, Bibwit leaping up behind them, and sped off. Ace sprinted after them a few seps, then jumped, a pair of cards attaching themselves to the bottoms of his feet. Then, he shot into motion himself, his stray cards all abandoning their attacks and returning to him, half a deck spinning around him as the rest returned to their holster. He caught up with Dodge and the others easily, and Alyss stared at him.
"Ace," she breathed. "You're Ace."
Ace's heart sored. She remembered him. He smiled happily, nodding, and spun himself, swiping a hand and sending his cards shredding through a trio of Card Soldiers chasing them. His cards again returned to him as he swung around to face the front again, avoiding a tree by inches.
"But...how?" Alyss asked. "How can you..."
"Later," Ace said. "There are a lot of things you need to know, but we can fill you in later."
Alyss fell silent, remaining so until they had reached the Alyssian camp and were met with roaring cheers.
Leave a review.