Prologue

The trees were tall and sturdy, barely moving an inch when the strong winds blew. The grass,
however, swayed violently in the breeze, whipping about beneath the moonlight. Two young girls and a
tall woman huddled by the castle to keep warm, sitting in the Western Courtyard of the castle in the
kingdom of Kirana.
!mara, can"t we go inside#$ one of the young girls whined, tugging on the woman"s sleeve.
%ot now, &ummer. %ot now,$ the woman whispered. We have to wait for your parents to invite us
in, remember# 'ust because you are the princess does not mean you get to do whatever you want.$
(ut )ama and Papa are in a meeting right now, and it"s so cold outside*$ the young girl
complained. +er sister stared at the moon, feeling that underneath such a beautiful silver disc, nothing
could possibly go wrong.
!mara, let us inside,$ the younger sister continued, now tugging on her caretaker"s skirt. !mara
looked down at her and smiled.
, already told you, we cannot.$ &he -oined the older sibling in staring at the moon. &ummer
muttered to herself and took a seat on the grass.
The moon is really beautiful,$ the older sibling muttered.
,t is,$ !mara agreed. .on"t you think, &ummer#$
&ummer looked away, into the /astern Courtyard, purely to avoid answering the 0uestion 1she was
mad at !mara right now, after all2. (ut it was while she stared into the /astern Courtyard that she saw
him3 a man dressed in a large cloak and a dark mask, holding what seemed to be a gun of some kind.
Curious, &ummer placed her hand on her sister"s shoulder.
!lice, look.$
+er sister blinked and looked over at her. &ummer pointed into the courtyard.
Who"s that guy#$ she asked, glancing up at !mara. !mara, !lice, look.$
!mara and !lice looked out into the /astern Courtyard. They watched, as the mysterious man shot
something out of his gun that e4ploded on contact with the castle, setting the whole east wing of Kirana
Castle ablaze. &ummer and !mara screamed. !lice gasped.
!nd then, as 0uickly as he"d come, the mysterious man vanished. &ummer started to cry. !lice stared
at the flaming hallway worriedly.
What on earth -ust happened...#*$ !mara cried.
5ur parents are in that wing*$ &ummer sobbed, burying her face in !lice"s shoulder. !lice stared
blankly at the dancing inferno.
,t"s not spreading,$ she noted.
!mara nodded slowly and knelt down, pulling both the children against her and backing into the
northwestern6most corner in the Western Courtyard, huddling against the bleak grey stone of the walls
and the castle entrance. &tay here with me until someone is alerted and puts out the fire. ,f it spreads,
we"ll flee the courtyard. 7or now, we are safe.$
!lice nodded and took &ummer"s hand. The three huddled together for at least two hours until a
group of knights finally charged over to the raging fire 1which, amazingly, still hadn"t spread, and had
also, miraculously, managed to set stone ablaze2 and dumped buckets of water on it until it had been
successfully put out. The knights went into the Western Courtyard to check with !mara and the two
princesses. !mara assured the men that everyone was safe, then slowly rose with the children. The
knights waited with them outside until a messenger came and informed them that the king and 0ueen
had invited them inside.
!mara, &ummer, and !lice walked with the knights into the throne room in the eastern wing of
Kirana Castle. &ummer spotted their parents alive at the end of the room and ran over to embrace them,
her gleaming silver pigtails flying out behind her. The king and 0ueen hugged their daughter tightly at
the front of the room while !lice and !mara spoke about the strange occurrences outside.
What on earth did that man use that was able to set the stone on fire# %ot to mention that the fire
didn"t spread, meaning it probably wasn"t magic,$ !mara muttered to herself.
!lice started fiddling with one of her long, blonde pigtails absently. &he was the only member of her
family with blonde hair8the rest had hair that was silver like the moon. &ilver hair was treasured in
Kirana, a kingdom that nearly worshiped the moon. ,n fact, almost all members of Kirana had that
treasured hair, aside from !lice herself and a man who worked at the baker"s shop in the village. &till,
even the baker had hair that was a pure, shining white, and he was treated no different. !lice knew that
when it came down to it, her silver6haired younger sister would inherit the throne before her. The
thought bothered her -ust a bit.
!lice* !re you listening to me#$
+uh#$ !lice looked away from her hair and turned to face !mara. !mara"s deep brown eyes
narrowed and she frowned at the princess.
, was asking you your opinion of this strange occurrence. What do you suppose it is# Why would
someone light only the eastern wing, and how#$
,"m only fifteen,$ !lice stated. , don"t know any more than you do. (ut, , -ust thought of
something...$
9ou did#$
That man. +is hair was black, wasn"t it#$
,t was true, though no member of the trio had thought of it until -ust now. The assaulter didn"t
possess Kirana"s famous silver hair, which meant he was a citizen of another kingdom. !lice had to
wonder how he seemed to know his way around the palace so well, if that were true.
5dd,$ !mara muttered. )embers of )inorea are magic6users, right# They all have black hair. ,t
would e4plain why the man was able to vanish without a trace like that...$
)inoreans are sword6users. 9oancalens are magic6users. 9oancalens are blonde, like me.$
What# (ut that doesn"t make any sense...$ !mara groaned. !lice, do you remember anything else
about the man#$
+e used a gun. We"re the gunsmiths, aren"t we#$
! gun from Kirana, hair from )inorea, and the magic of 9oancale. What kind of a superhuman was
this man...#$
&ummer bounded over to them and sat beside !mara. !lice and !mara moved over in their pew to
give her a bit more room.
What are you two talking about#$ the thirteen6year6old princess asked.
That man that attacked us,$ !mara answered. +e"s awfully multi6cultural, don"t you think# !
Kirani gun, )inorean hair, and 9oancalen magic.$
+is cloak was really fancy, not something any of those kingdoms could have made. The last
kingdom, :igalad, makes the best clothes. &o his cloak was probably from there.$
Why target us, though#$ !lice wondered aloud.
Who knows#$ &ummer shrugged. Well, whatever he was, he meant business8$
,ndeed , did, Princess.$
&ummer gasped and s0uealed. The trio looked around the room, searching for the source of the
voice. ,t was nowhere to be found, though, and it seemed that no one else had even heard it.
.on"t bother looking for me. 9ou won"t find me.$
.oes anyone else hear that#$ &ummer called loudly. !mara and !lice nodded beside her.
+ear what#$ the 0ueen responded from the front.
.ear princesses, you"re the only ones that can hear me. 9ou, and your friend.$
Why#$ !lice whispered.
(ecause you saw me, obviously. !nd now that you have, ,"m afraid , have to kill you.$
What...#*$
! large, swirling vorte4 suddenly appeared from out of nowhere only a few feet away from the edge
of the trio"s pew. &ummer screamed as she was pulled away into the vorte4. !mara cried out her name
and nearly dove after her. !lice clung tightly to her seat, but this didn"t stop her from being yanked into
the mysterious vorte4. %o one else even seemed to notice that they were gone...as if !mara,
!lice, and &ummer had never even e4isted.
&ummer"s Winter
&ummer looked down at her hands -ust to make sure she still had them. Thankfully, she did.
!mara# !lice# Where are you#$
7or crying out loud...$
&ummer gasped and whirled towards the source of the voice. ! mysterious man with pitch6black hair
and dark skin was lying on the ground a few meters away from her, rubbing his head. +e slowly pushed
himself to his feet, looking infuriated.
Who are you#*$ &ummer demanded. &he backed away on instinct8and ended up crashing right
into !lice.
5w, what was that8&ummer*$ !lice gleefully hugged her little sister from behind. &ummer
grabbed tightly to !lice"s arms, glaring at the man, who had not moved and was simply staring at the
two girls. &ummer looked around and spotted !mara pushing herself to her feet. Their brown6eyed
nursemaid slowly made her way to the two princesses and embraced them tightly, murmuring into their
ears about how it"s alright, little princesses, ,"m here now. , will not let you get hurt. , swear it.$
Who are you#$ &ummer repeated, certainly glad to see her sister and caretaker, but also very
concerned about the mysterious man.
+e stared at her for at least another five minutes before finally answering. )y name is :aven,
otherwise known as the )ad +atter. Welcome to Wonderland.$
Wonderland...#$ &ummer whispered. &he"d heard of that place in the bedtime stories her parents had
read to her and !lice when they were children. They were about a young girl named !lice who
stumbled across a magic rabbit hole that served as a portal to a land called Wonderland8
Alice!
What do you want with !lice#*$ &ummer demanded, clinging tightly to her sister"s arms. !lice only
stared at :aven 0uizzically.
,t"s not up to what I want, dear princess,$ the man murmured. ;nfortunately, my master, the White
:abbit, has decided , don"t matter anymore. ,"m -ust as trapped as all of you.$
&o#$
&o, nothing that happens in here has anything to do with me. ,t"s all up to what the White :abbit
wants.$
&ummer grumbled to herself something about deception. !mara and !lice slowly separated from
her, but the trio stayed close together.
,f you"re the )ad +atter, your master is the White :abbit, and this is Wonderland, what does that
make us#$ !lice asked curiously.
,sn"t it obvious#$ :aven cocked his head. +e pointed at !lice. 9ou"re !lice.$
!nd these two...#$
The <ueen of +earts8$ +e pointed at !mara. 8and the Cheshire Cat.$ +e pointed at &ummer.
!lice cautiously walked away from her companions and made her way towards :aven. !re you the
one who brought us here#$
,"m the one who set your castle on fire, and the one that spoke to you, but the one who actually
brought you here was my master.$
Why did you set my castle on fire#$ !lice demanded.
)aster"s orders. +e said something about scaring you and -ust sent me to take care of it. )aybe he
hoped you were in the room so you would -ust die easily.$
.ie...#$ !lice took a step back instinctually3 then she noticed that there was blood welling up in the
corner of :aven"s lip and stepped forwards again. 9ou"re hurt.$
:aven only chuckled and wiped the blood off with his sleeve. %o kidding. The White :abbit
doesn"t take kindly to those he deems unworthy.$
9ou owe us an e4planation,$ &ummer called from her place with !mara.
!lice, dear, come back here,$ !mara ordered.
!lice shook her head. Tell me what"s going on.$
:aven stared at her for a minute. We"re all trapped here in this makeshift land of evil until we die.
The White :abbit is a powerful sorcerer from 9oancale who was banished long ago for sending the
0ueen into a parallel universe he had invented purely for the sake of torture. They sent him into the
same world8this world8and it was there that he learned to control the occurrences that took place in
this Wonderland. +e killed the 0ueen and waited for new victims. !nd he found them in the form of
young royals. /ver since his banishment, he"s been getting his entertainment by kidnapping princes and
princesses and watching them get themselves killed. , was one of his minions8er, assistants8in
charge of simply killing the kings and 0ueens while he took over the kingdoms by placing a loyal
servant on the throne.$
+e meant to kill our parents by having you set the place on fire,$ !lice realized.
Wrong,$ :aven corrected. +e meant to kill you and take your parents here. +e said something
about mi4ing it up. (ut you saw it happen. To combat that, he sent me to call you in here.$
(ut why send you here too#$
,"ve outlived my usefulness, is all it is.$ :aven looked away. !lice could tell he was upset, but
decided not to say anything.
&o we"re -ust stuck here until we die.$ &ummer shrunk back against !mara, who hugged her close.
That"s it,$ :aven confirmed.
,s there ever some sort of order he goes in#$ !lice asked.
!n order#$ :aven shook his head. !lice always goes last, but the rest are fair game. !ctually...$
+e paused. , remember hearing once that if !lice could manage to find the White :abbit before
Wonderland killed her, then...she could kill him and destroy this place once and for all. 5nly !lice has
the power to do it, but...that doesn"t mean it"s easy. %o one"s ever even found the guy before, never
mind kill him.$
&o if , find this man and kill him, , can save all of you.$
5nly if we"re still alive when you do,$ :aven said.
&ummer whimpered and grabbed onto !mara"s hand. !mara gripped her young mistress" hand back.
The two stood staring at !lice and :aven while the two conversed lightly, e4changing tips on how to
find and kill the White :abbit and the kinds of things the sorcerer was fond of using to kill his foes.
The two silver6haired girls only watched, torn between listening in and running for their lives.
&ummer e4amined the land. The sky and the walls$ were pure, glistening white, but the ground
was decorated with grass and the occasional mushroom. Trees lined the east wall$ and dotted the
plain, their leaves the brightest green &ummer had ever seen. There were occasional dips in the ground
that caused the appearance of hills, but the ground never rose above the height &ummer and the rest
were at now. ,t seemed to stretch on forever, and the only thing that blocked &ummer from seeing the
whole land was a giant, frightening black castle over to the south, and the line of trees at the east. The
sky around the castle was dark and stormy, which only made it look more menacing. &ummer hoped
she wouldn"t have to go down there.
!lice turned to face &ummer at the same time &ummer turned to face !lice. &ummer waved. !lice
dipped her head.
,"m going to stay here with :aven for a while, alright#$ !lice announced. We"re going to go on a
hunt for the White :abbit. Will you two tag along#$
&ummer frowned. , don"t trust that guy,$ she whispered to !mara. !mara nodded slowly. , mean,
he probably won"t hurt !lice, but what about us#$
We will -ust stay here,$ !mara answered !lice. ,"m afraid we do not trust your new friend. We"ll
probably be safer -ust keeping away from him.$
5r you"ll die faster,$ :aven muttered, shrugging. !lice shot him a glare. What# ,t"s true.$
Please be careful,$ !lice begged. &he strolled over to &ummer and !mara, looking confident. ,"ll
be back in a few days. , promise.$
!lice, don"t go*$ &ummer blurted. !lice smiled at her.
.on"t worry, &ummer. We"ll see each other again soon.$ !lice knelt down and opened her arms to
the young girl. &ummer sniffled and flung her arms around !lice. !lice embraced her little sister as
tightly as she could, running her fingers along &ummer"s shining silver hair. &ummer felt herself
starting to cry, but she worked hard to hold in her tears.
!lice pulled away from the hug and smiled at &ummer. &ummer, , was always -ealous of you, ,"ll
admit,$ she said 0uietly. , wanted to have your beautiful silver hair, so that , could have the throne like
, deserved. (ut...$
&ummer felt her heart sink. &he hadn"t even realized !lice felt that way.
(ut,$ !lice repeated, that doesn"t mean , didn"t love you, or that , don"t love you now, or that ,"ll
ever stop loving you. 9ou"re my sister, and ,"m happy for you, and , love you so much.$
This time, &ummer couldn"t hold in her tears, and they spilled out over her eyelids like a torrent of
rain breaking out from the clouds. &he embraced her sister again, and !lice wasted no time in hugging
her back. &ummer sobbed into !lice"s neck, repeating the words, , love you,$ over and over again.
When she had finally finished her crying, she slowly pulled back and wiped her eyes on her blue
sleeve. !lice smiled and brushed some of &ummer"s bangs out of her face, then leaned in and planted a
light kiss on &ummer"s cheek. &ummer sniffled and forced herself to smile.
,"ll be back soon,$ !lice promised, her voice soft. &he rose to her feet and smiled one last time at
&ummer, then went to go say goodbye to !mara. !mara and !lice hugged for a long time, whispering
into each other"s ears, then they separated. !mara kissed !lice"s cheek gently, and !lice returned it with
a kiss of her own. !mara smiled at the princess she"d cared for since !lice was a baby. !lice gripped
!mara"s hand once, then released it and returned to :aven, who had remained 0uite silent since !lice
made her announcement.
9ou ready, !lice#$ :aven reached out his hand to the princess, who grabbed onto it as tightly as she
could.
,"m ready,$ she whispered, hoping her voice sounded stronger to him than it did to her. :aven
surveyed the two silver6haired beauties who had chosen to remain behind.
.on"t stay in one place for long,$ he warned. !fter all, a moving target is harder to hit.$
&ummer and !mara e4changed a glance. !lice waved goodbye$ to them. :aven led her away,
towards the line of trees over by the east. &ummer watched her.
&he"d better come back,$ she muttered to herself.
.on"t worry. &he has a guide.$ !mara sighed. Princess &ummer, where shall we go first#$
!nywhere but the creepy castle,$ &ummer groaned. That place gives me the chills. ...!mara,
wouldn"t it be 5K if we followed !lice# , mean, we don"t need to travel with them, but...$
,t"s time to let go, &ummer,$ !mara said firmly. We have to go off on our own. !lice is a strong
girl. &he"ll be -ust fine.$
(ut what about us#*$ &ummer whirled angrily on !mara, more salty tears threatening to break loose
from her eyes. , don"t want to die before !lice finds me again, !mara*$
, know,$ !mara whispered. ...This way, dear. We"ll head across the plain, far away from anything
that can fall on us, and where nothing can sneak up on us. We"re Kiranis, remember# 5ur gun6slinging
skills are unmatched.$
, don"t have a gun. ,"m a princess, remember#$
Well, , never put mine down. ,"ll protect you, &ummer. 'ust like , always have.$
!mara"s words seemed to soothe &ummer. The younger princess smiled and grabbed onto her
caretaker"s hand.
Then, let"s be on our way* We"ll show !lice she doesn"t need to be worried about us*$
That"s the spirit*$ !mara laughed, a light and airy laugh. =et us get going, then* This way*$
&ummer forced herself to smile. There was a dark cloud of fear and apprehension that had followed
her around ever since they stepped foot in this twisted world, and she couldn"t e4plain way. &he -ust
knew that something was horribly wrong.
Something is really, terribly, horribly wrong...
&ummer#$ !mara grabbed onto &ummer"s hand and gave it a s0ueeze. What"s the matter#$
%othing,$ &ummer insisted lightly.
.on"t lie to me,$ !mara ordered. Tell me what is the matter.$
, don"t know,$ &ummer relented. ,..., -ust know something is wrong.$
!mara frowned. , understand. This is such a...0ueer place. ,t"s almost haunting...$
9eah...$ &ummer suddenly stiffened. !mara, did you hear that#$
+ear what#$ !mara looked down at &ummer, her e4pression that of confusion.
&ummer stopped to listen. %othing.
,t was nothing,$ she insisted. Probably -ust some birds or something. !nyways...$
Thump, thump, thump.
What...#$ &ummer stopped walking again. !mara, , heard something again.$
, hear nothing,$ !mara said.
&omething is coming.$ &ummer looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. !ll she saw
were the woods to the east and the castle to the south. 9ou don"t hear it#$
!mara shook her head.
&ummer took a deep breath. Whatever, ,"m sure it"s nothing,$ she called loudly, as if trying to assure
whatever was there that she wasn"t going to fall for it. Come to think of it...what was there#
Thump, thump, thump.
!mara*$ &ummer shrieked.
What#*$ !mara demanded.
,..., hear footsteps,$ &ummer mumbled. !mara, are those your footsteps#$
That bad feeling was getting stronger, and &ummer now feared it would take over her mind
completely. &he wished desperately for something, anything, to take her mind off of it.
,"m sure it"s nothing, dear,$ !mara murmured. ,t"s alright.$
%o, no*$ &ummer shouted, forgetting about !mara for a moment. %o, it"s here* ,t"s going to kill
me* ,..., need to run*$
!h, the satisfaction that came with distraction. That bad feeling seemed like some sort of distant
memory, and replacing it was this dull suspicion that &ummer was going completely insane.
Calm down,$ !mara soothed. %othing is here. %othing will hurt you. Come this way.$
%6no.$ &ummer shook her head. ,t"s here. ,t"s here, it"s here...$
&ummer#$
&ummer stared at !mara for a minute. &he could still feel her sanity slipping away8was this
madness#
The Cheshire Cat...$ she muttered to herself. ,n those stories, the Cheshire Cat did often seem the
most mad out of all of Wonderland"s inhabitants. !mara, ,"m scared...$
!mara clung tightly to &ummer"s hand. , know. ,t"ll be alright. This way.$
&ummer told herself to calm down and followed !mara. &he knew she needed a new distraction, and
soon. !nd so, she thought. &he thought about !lice, and about :aven, and about her kingdom, and
about the stories. &he thought about the castle, and about the treeline, and about the grass.
,t was so endless. The grassy plain spread on for miles, and miles, and miles. &ummer couldn"t see an
end to it. Were her palms always this sweaty...#
!6!mara. !mara. !mara,$ she repeated, again and again.
!mara looked at her worriedly. &it down,$ she instructed. =et"s -ust sit down, 5K#$
&ummer shook her head violently. %6no, can"t. Can"t stop moving. +e"ll find us, we"ll die...$
,t wasn"t working. !ll &ummer"s thinking -ust led her in circles. ,t no longer followed a set path. That
bad feeling returned, and, desperate to keep it away, &ummer let herself slip back into her mild
madness.
&it,$ !mara ordered.
Can"t. , can"t. 9ou didn"t say "!mara &ays",$ &ummer trilled.
+er head hurt. &he didn"t know why. &he didn"t care.
=et"s go. >o, go, go. Keep going.$
&ummer*$ !mara was started to become terrified herself. 9ou are not yourself. Please sit down.$
&it down. &itting. &at down. &atting. Who"s there#$ &ummer looked around wildly. &he wanted to
keep thinking, about !lice and the castle and :aven, but she couldn"t. &he couldn"t think at all. !ll she
was thinking was how scared she was. +ow long had they been walking# 7ootsteps, footsteps. Tap,
tap. Tap, tap. There"s more. !re they mine#$
&ummer.$ !mara forcibly grabbed &ummer"s shoulders and shoved her onto the ground. &he knelt
before the princess and stared into her eyes. &ummer"s lovely blue eyes darted around wildly, her body
shaking, her pupils dilated. &ummer, calm down. =ook at me. =ook.$
=ooking, looking,$ &ummer echoed. =ook at what# !mara, !mara. !mara. !lice. &ummer.$
What is going on with you#*$
)oving target. >otta keep moving. Won"t die, , won"t die. , won"t.$ &ummer shoved out of !mara"s
grip and rose to her feet. &he kept walking 1or stumbling2. &he had to keep moving. :aven said moving
targets wouldn"t die.
&ummer was horrified. Petrified beyond belief. !nd her fear was literally driving her insane.
&he knew that. ,n the back of her mind, she knew she wasn"t making any sense. (ut for some reason,
she felt a little better knowing that if she truly lost all control, she wouldn"t have to be afraid anymore.
&he wouldn"t have to face that bad feeling anymore. &he almost welcomed the madness.
9ou were perfectly fine -ust minutes ago,$ !mara said calmly. &he walked up behind &ummer and
tried to make herself heard. What is wrong# What are you hearing#$
&ummer suddenly recognized what the bad feeling was. &he had been steadily descending into
madness ever since she arrived in Wonderland. +er terror mi4ed with her stress and her sense of
loneliness after !lice had left combined to make this delirium she suffered. (ut her own mind was still
aware. &he still knew what was happening. &he wanted to take control and try to think straight, but she
-ust couldn"t. +earing. ,"m hearing something. 7ootsteps, footsteps. Where"s the rabbit#$
&ummer*$ !mara was -ust as terrified as &ummer by now. &ummer could only assume she wasn"t
insane because she had been branded as the <ueen of +earts, while &ummer was the Cheshire Cat. &he
wondered briefly how :aven, the )ad +atter, was doing. (ut weren"t they all insane# /ven !lice#
&ummer suddenly started smiling, a wide, toothy, unnerving smile. >otta smile. >otta keep smiling.
, won"t die. ,"ll disappear. .isappear, dipassear. (ut my smile won"t. !mara, !mara. <ueen of +earts.
Paint the roses.$
!mara realized at last that nothing she did would help &ummer8the very air itself in this place was
infecting her. Keep smiling, then,$ she whispered. ,t"s 5K. &mile.$
&mile. &mile. &mile.$ &ummer repeated that word again and again, as if it were necessary for
survival. ,n the back of her mind, she wondered if she would be like this forever, and what would be
worse8this, or death.
!mara went silent. &ummer hated it. &he wanted !mara to keep talking. &he needed someone to
keep talking. )ore noise. &he couldn"t stand the silence.
&mile,$ she said again. &mile. &mile*$
!mara did smile, but it carried a hint of fear, and &ummer"s own twisted grin only grew wider.
:aven had known about this. +e had definitely known. Was he suffering the same# &ummer wanted
to know.
7ind !lice,$ she called. !lice, )ad +atter. Cheshire Cat. Keep smiling, don"t die. Won"t die. =et"s
have a tea party*$
We can go after !lice,$ !mara soothed. Calm down.$
, can"t calm down.$ ,t was the first coherent, sense6making sentence &ummer had managed to get
out, and it sounded desperate. !mara heard, in that sentence, a trace of the old &ummer that was
struggling to be heard.
&ummer, summer, autumn, winter. Winter* =et"s have winter.$ +er voice rose, almost defiantly, like
she was trying to show Wonderland that she could take control of her own body. &he missed !lice.
When !lice was with her, she was completely normal. Where was !mara# !mara had gone missing.
,"m here.$ The <ueen of +earts was still there indeed, but &ummer -ust couldn"t seem to find her.
Where was her voice coming from#
;p, down. =eft. /ast,$ the mad girl spoke. )ad world. )ad, mad world. !ngry world. .elirious.
Who"s there#$
!mara.$
Knock, knock. Whose footsteps# Where are you#$
!mara wiped a tear from her eye and put her hand on &ummer"s shoulder. ,"m here,$ she insisted.
,"m right here*$
&unday, )onday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday, 7riday, &aturday, &unday. Whose footsteps#
&ummer, ,"m cold. !mara, ,"m &ummer.$
&top it*$ (y now, -ust being around &ummer was making !mara herself go mad.
&ummer couldn"t tell anymore. !s time went on, that strange feeling only got stronger8that
madness only got stronger8and &ummer no longer knew what was happening around her. Was the
White :abbit toying with her# Was he -ust trying to get en-oyment out of watching her#
&he laughed, and when she had finished laughing, she smiled. &mile, smile, smile. >un. !mara,
gun.$
%o.$ !mara"s voice shook.
>un, gun. %o more games. , don"t want to play.$ &ummer stopped and turned to face !mara. +er
eyes were creepily wide, her smile terrifyingly large, and her hand outstretched.
%o*$ !mara repeated, trying to sound a bit firmer.
Tired. ,"m tired. .on"t want to play,$ &ummer rambled, reaching for !mara"s skirt. &he knew !mara
hid her gun under her skirt. !mara wanted to move away and stop her, but she couldn"t. &omething held
her in place as &ummer reached over, pulled !mara"s skirt out of the way, and removed the gun from
the holster around her leg.
&top,$ !mara said weakly. &he found she could move her arms and used them to wipe the tears
from her eyes. &he knew &ummer was going to die. &he knew the madness was going to kill &ummer.
&ummer began to hum to herself, a song !mara recognized as the lullaby she had often sung to the
princesses when they were children. &lowly, &ummer lifted the gun and placed it against her forehead.
.on"t,$ !mara tried, one final attempt to rescue the child before she was lost forever.
>un,$ &ummer stated. >ot to keep smiling. Won"t lose, won"t lose. , 0uit. .on"t want to play.$
!mara closed her eyes.
>oodbye.$ &ummer"s terrifying smile only widened even more as her finger pulled on the trigger of
the gun, and the loaded bullet surged through her skull and into her brain, her whole head e4ploding in
blood. !mara kept her eyes shut as the bang$ of the shot rippled through the air. +er eyes only
s0ueezed tighter shut as she heard &ummer"s body slump to the ground. Then, and only then, did her
legs recover the ability to move, and she stumbled forwards, collapsing to the ground. +er whole body
shook with her sobs, one hand hovering on &ummer"s shoulder and the other hoisting her out of the
puddle of blood she"d faceplanted into.
&lowly, !mara forced herself to open her eyes, and she instantly wished she hadn"t. The top half of
&ummer"s head had been blown to bits, piles of blood and brains scattered around the green grass. (ut
the thing that horrified !mara the most was that &ummer was still smiling.
16?62
!lice looked up immediately when she heard the gunshot. ;ntil that moment, the only sounds had
been her and :aven"s steady breathing. &he flinched, instinctually moving closer to :aven.
Please, please tell me that wasn"t one of them,$ she whispered.
5f course it was one of them,$ :aven replied simply.
%o.$ !lice shook her head. , don"t want them to die.$
9ou know, Princess, , really wish it worked like that.$ :aven chuckled, his hand tightening around
!lice"s.
!lice fell silent. ...:aven#$
9eah#$
,s it...always the same kinds of people in Wonderland# .o certain people always die the same
way#$
%ot always,$ :aven answered. /veryone who comes in here is assigned a role@ the <ueen of
+earts, the Cheshire Cat, the )arch +are, !lice, and Tweedle .ee and Tweedle .um. Those last
ones"re usually reserved for twins.$
What about the )ad +atter#$
,"ve always been the )ad +atter. /ver since , was chosen.$ :aven looked at the ground. We have
the Caterpillar, too. The )arch +are and the <ueen of +earts were originally one of us until the White
:abbit decided they outlived their usefulness and sent them here to die.$
!lice gulped. +ow do they usually die#$
:aven shrugged. There isn"t really a "usual" way, but the )arch +are and the Cheshire Cat almost
certainly go insane.$
Cheshire Cat...$ !lice trailed off. &ummer is the Cheshire Cat, isn"t she#$
,f , had to take a guess, ,"d say she was the source of that gunshot.$
!lice looked down. &he"s my sister,$ she said 0uietly. , don"t want her to die.$
, know,$ :aven muttered. ! few more miles. We can still save the <ueen of +earts. !nd
ourselves.$
,f !mara dies, please promise me you won"t,$ !lice continued. , won"t be able to handle being
alone.$
, wish , could make that promise,$ :aven chuckled. , really do.$
!lice sighed. ...:aven#$
What#$
!re you evil#$
:aven blinked, slightly surprised. To be honest, , am,$ he said at last. , may be one of the most
evil human beings alive. (ut , don"t want to die any more than you do, and you"re actually easy to get
along with. )aybe ,"m -ust scared, but , don"t think , have the capacity to kill you.$
,"m glad to hear that,$ !lice admitted. ...you don"t have to be evil anymore, you know. We can get
along.$
, hope so.$ :aven looked over at !lice and smiled. !lice found herself blushing.
He's really very handsome...
The blonde shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled back at him. :aven, no matter what, ,
want to save everyone , can. Please lead me to the White :abbit.$
,"ll do my best.$ :aven winked at his new companion and continued walking. !lice followed him.
.espite her new6found hope, she couldn"t help but feel like something had gone horribly, horribly
wrong.
!mara"s Tea Party
Three days had passed since &ummer"s death. !mara had taken one day to grieve and had spent the
ne4t two days traveling to the castle in the south. &he couldn"t e4plain the feeling that told her to go to
the castle3 she -ust knew she had to go.
When !mara at last reached the castle, she was e4hausted. &he wanted to know how !lice was
doing, and how :aven was treating her, but !lice was far too far away for !mara to go and check.
&lowly, the <ueen of +earts pushed open the huge, wooden double6doors that blocked the entrance
to the castle and walked inside, nearly dragging herself across the cobbled stone floors.
Welcome*$
!mara -umped and screamed on instinct. &he looked around wildly and found, at the top of the stairs,
!lice.
(ut it wasnAt !lice8it couldnAt be. %ot only was she here in the castle without :aven, but she was
also carrying her head in her left hand.
!mara took a deep breath to compose herself. +ello, !lice,$ she called, figuring it couldnAt hurt to
-ust play along. Were you e4pecting me#$
5f course. This is your castle, after all,$ !lice$ replied. &he giggled. Come with me, <ueen of
+earts. =etAs play some games together. =etAs have fun together.$
!mara didnAt know what kind of fun$ this !lice was talking about, but she really did not want to
find out. ,Am sorry, !lice, but ,Am dreadfully tired. )aybe we can play tomorrow.$
!liceAs$ shoulders drooped and her face fell 10uite literally, as the hand holding her head dropped a
couple inches2, but she seemed to understand. !lright,$ she agreed. Come with me, and ,All show you
to your room.$
Thank you,$ !mara said calmly. &he folded her hands in front of her, lifted her chin, and began the
ascent up the tall, stone staircase.
The pair went through many corridors, past many doors, and !mara peeked into as many of the
rooms as she could. &ome of them were normal6looking rooms, but some of them were stuffed with
what appeared to be dismembered animal corpses. !mara tried not to throw up, and worked hard to
maintain her composure.
!lice$ led the woman to the last room at the end of one of the corridors, opening the door for
!mara. !mara dipped her head gratefully to the girl. &he went inside the room and sat on the bed.
,f you need anything, my 0ueen, -ust call,$ !lice$ told !mara. +er body bowed, keeping her head
held upright in her hand, and then she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Thank you,$ !mara called after her. &he looked around the room, searching for anything unusual,
or any clues about how she might die. !ll she found were large white draperies decorated with red
hearts, lots of the color red, and a few nice pieces of wooden furniture. >iving up, !mara lay back in
her soft, plush, 0ueen6sized bed, and tried to fall asleep.
!mara"s nightmare was vivid. &he heard the tinge of terror in the insane &ummer"s voice. &he saw
the madness in the girl"s blue eyes. &he heard the sickening sloshing noise when the bullet pierced her
brain and shattered her skull. !nd she e4perienced it all more than once.
/ach time one &ummer died, another one was behind &ummer, completely normal and sane. !nd
then, slowly, that &ummer would start fading away from reality, and once again, !mara could only
watch and listen as &ummer committed suicide, over and over and over again...
!mara woke up screaming and sweating, her hands clutched around her sheets, her chest heaving in
an attempt to gulp in air. &he was safe. &o was !lice. !lice was with :aven. :aven would protect
!lice.
!lice"s double opened the door to !mara"s room with the hand that didn"t still hold her head. +er face
was concerned, but seeing her only made !mara feel worse.
.id you need something, my 0ueen#$ !lice$ asked worriedly.
>o away*$ !mara shouted, instantly regretting her harsh tone. ,...,6,"m sorry, !lice, but , need to
be alone* Please -ust go wait for me in your room* ,"m going to get more sleep. ,n the morning, we will
play.$
!lice$ stared blankly at her for a few minutes, then smiled. !lright, <ueen of +earts. ,n the
morning, we"ll play.$ +er body bowed again, and she turned away and left the room. The door slid shut
behind her. !mara took a few deep breaths, glanced out the window behind her bed, and saw that it was
-ust starting to get light out. &he guessed it was around five o" clock in the morning. &ighing, !mara lay
back in her bed and tried again to fall asleep.
&he had the same nightmare again, but thankfully, this time she woke up when light was streaming
through the window. ,t was morning.
&lowly, !mara forced herself out of bed and headed for the door. &he slid outside, noticing that
!lice$ was already waiting for her. !mara forced herself to smile at the blonde demon.
+ello, !lice. What would you like to do today#$
We"re going to have tea,$ !lice$ answered. ! tea party. We"re going to have a tea party.$
,s that so#$ !mara smiled a bit bigger. That sounds lovely. Please lead me there.$
5f course, my 0ueen.$
!mara followed !lice$ through the hallways until they came to a room decorated in red drapes and
lots of little cushions. There was a table close to the ground covered by a big red tablecloth. !lice$
wandered over to the table and sat down on a cushion, placing her head on a separate cushion beside
her. !mara took a deep breath and headed inside.
,t was only after she had taken her seat on the cushion opposite !lice$ that she noticed that
&ummer"s head was hanging suspended from the roof in a corner of the room. +er eyes were half6
closed and she was smiling. +er body was nowhere to be seen.
W6where is &ummer#$ !mara stuttered, her eyes fi4ed on &ummer"s$ head. &he knew it wasn"t
real, and frankly, she wasn"t bothered, but the sight of &ummer"s$ head brought back memories of her
nightmare. &he forced herself to look away.
:ight there, silly,$ !lice$ trilled, pointing back at the hanging head. :emember# =ast time you
were here you got mad and turned her into one of your creations.$
!mara suddenly remembered the dismembered animal corpses from before. &he suppressed a
shudder.
&hall we drink#$ !lice$ lifted a cup from the table and smiled.
!mara forced herself to calm down. 9es. We shall.$
The tea party proceeded much like a regular tea party would. !lice$ continually lifted the cup as
though she would drink, tilted it back towards her e4posed throat, then tilted it forwards again and
placed it down before any li0uid could come out. The blonde demon told !mara many stories about
how she had captured animals and helped !mara slice them to bits and store them in some of the empty
rooms. !mara, truthfully, wasn"t bothered. 7or some odd reason, her only sense of fear came from the
feeling that she was going to be ambushed and killed soon, and the memories of her nightmare that
came flooding in every time her eyes caught on &ummer"s$ hanging head.
(ut when hours went by of !mara and !lice$ -ust talking, and nothing horrible happening at all,
!mara"s fear changed to annoyance.
That is it*$ she shouted, slamming her eighth cup of tea onto the table. ,"m not afraid of you,
whoever you are* ,f you are going to kill me, why do you not -ust do it#*$
!mara# What"s wrong#$ !lice$ asked 0uietly.
!mara narrowed her eyes. .id you intend to drive me mad# To frighten me# =isten* , know , did
not kill those animals, so why would that frighten me# , know this is not the real !lice, so why would
she frighten me# , know that , didn"t truly kill &ummer, so why would this head frighten me#$
!mara*$ !lice$ gasped.
!mara was angry by now. ,t"s as though you didn"t even try,$ she scoffed. , mean, there isn"t even
any blood* Were you really this lazy#* 9ou could have at least tried to frighten me*$
)6my 0ueen*$
!mara fell silent. +er little rampage had cleared out all of the pent6up frustration and irritation she"d
carried around, and had helped her empty out the last of her feelings of terror. %ow, she felt calm again.
%ow, she could continue her tea party in peace.
,"m sorry,$ she muttered. , needed to get some things off my chest. Please, forgive me.$
!lice$ didn"t move. !lright. ,t"s alright, <ueen of +earts. =et"s drink.$
9es, let"s.$
!mara and !lice$ ate in silence for a few more minutes. !mara had -ust started on her ninth cup of
tea when she heard it8a deep, booming laugh, echoing off the walls of the stone castle. &he stiffened,
and instinctually backed away from !lice$.
The door to the tea room opened, and :aven walked in. +e was the only other member of !mara"s
party$ who was still completely intact, and briefly, !mara wondered if he were real.
&o you aren"t scared, , heard.$
%o.$ !mara 0uickly reached under her skirt to grab her gun...and remembered that she had
forgotten to grab it from &ummer"s hands back when the young princess had used it to shoot herself.
That"s -ust fine, !mara. That"s -ust fine.$ :aven 1or was he really#2 walked over to !lice$ and bent
down, lifting her head from the cushion. &lowly, he reached across and placed the head on !lice"s$
body. !lice$ was suddenly fully reformed, and she stood up, her eyes glazed over and void of any life.
!mara gulped and grabbed the first thing she could think to use as a weapon8the teapot.
>o away*$ the nursemaid yelled, wielding her teapot like it was a legendary sword. !lice$ only
walked closer to her. , mean it* >o away*$
!re you scared yet, !mara#$ :aven cooed. !mara could hear the smirk in his voice.
&he swung the teapot with all her strength at !lice$. ,t shattered on contact with her delicate, pale
skin, and blood welled up on her abdomen, staining her neat white bodice. !mara felt tears in her eyes
and wiped them away.
,n that split second while her eyes were covered, !lice$ knocked the broken handle of the teapot
out of !mara"s hand, yanked !mara"s arms away from her face, and pulled !mara"s face against her
chest. !mara let out a choked sob and struggled to shove away from !lice$.
=et go of me*$ !mara ordered. :elease me right now, !lice*$
.o you want to watch yourself die that badly#$ :aven murmured. &lowly, he headed for one of the
sharp shards of ceramic that had once been the teapot. !mara sobbed against !lice"s$ chest, knowing
deep in her heart that she was going to die.
&he felt the edge of the ceramic pierce her back and held her breath in anticipation of what would
come ne4t. The painfully sharp edge entered her skin slowly, as if :aven was teasing her.
>et it over with,$ she hissed, letting herself fall limp. &he took a deep breath, sniffled once or twice,
and closed her eyes. ,f she was going to die, she would die with dignity. /ven if she was terrified, she
would die with dignity.
,f that"s what you want.$
The ceramic was yanked out of !mara"s back, taking a chunk of flesh with it. !mara let out a small
scream. !gain and again, :aven stabbed the ceramic shard into !mara"s body and ripped it out, tearing
her back apart. !mara screamed, over and over again, though she tried her best to suppress it.
:aven yanked !mara away from !lice$, shoved her onto her back on the floor, and resumed his
work on the front of her body. !mara kept her eyes firmly shut, realizing that she really didn"t want to
watch herself die. (ut she could feel it, and that was enough to draw bloodcurdling screams from her
pale pink lips. !gain and again, the shard pierced her skin and tore her apart. !nd every time it did,
!mara s0ueezed her eyes shut tighter and tighter.
When :aven was satisfied with the work of art he"d crafted out of !mara"s once6beautiful body, he
stopped his attacks. ...there. 9ou truly look like the 0ueen of Wonderland now, !mara,$ he whispered.
Come along, !lice. ,t"s time to go wait for our ne4t victim.$
9es, :aven.$ !lice$ stood and followed the man away, leaving !mara"s slowly dying body to
bleed out.
!mara cracked open her eyes when she was certain they"d left. &he stared at the ceiling for a long
time, thinking. &he thought about !lice, and more blood flowed out of her body. &he thought of
&ummer, and she grew more tired. &he thought of the king and 0ueen back at Kirana, and her breathing
stopped. !nd with the last of her life, she thought of Wonderland, and how much more beautiful it was
in the stories.
The Queen o Hearts...will reign no more.
16?62

Two weeks had passed, and !lice ad :aven were still no closer to the White :abbit than they had
been when they first started out. (ut as time went on, !lice found herself trusting :aven more and
more.
.o you think !mara is still alive back there#$ !lice whispered, her hand clutched tightly around
:aven"s. %o matter how many times she let go of it, or tried to resist, !lice always found herself
holding :aven"s hand. The only thing that bothered her about it was that she was happy to.
,f she went to the castle, she"s definitely dead,$ was all :aven said.
What"s in the castle#$
Who knows# ,t changes every time.$
What"s usually in the castle#$
The <ueen of +earts" worst nightmare, and her most beloved friends.$ :aven looked at the ground
and stopped walking. &he probably saw us.$
;s#$
,"m her worst nightmare, and you"re her closest friend. &he probably saw us.$
, don"t get that,$ !lice admitted. , mean, you"re so...$
&o...what#$ :aven pressed, smirking.
!lice blushed and nudged him with her shoulder. , was going to say "kind",$ she said. , was afraid
of you too, but...you"ve taken great care of me. 7eeding me, and keeping me warm at night, and...$
!nd sleeping with you#$ :aven laughed.
!lice blushed harder. That"s what , meant by "keeping me warm". W6why are you laughing#$
9ou should see your face. 9ou"re cute when you"re embarrassed.$
&top it.$ !lice looked away, definitely very embarrassed. !hy does he have to be so blasted
handsome"
!w, come on. ,"m -ust teasing you,$ :aven sighed, giving !lice a nudge. +ey, we"ll find him. The
very edge of Wonderland is rumored to be near here. 5nce we find that, finding the White :abbit will
be a breeze.$
!lice nodded absently. &he couldn"t shake the feeling that something horrible had happened to her
beloved nursemaid.
The feeling had taken root in !lice"s mind about four days after she set out with :aven. %o matter
how hard she 1or :aven2 tried, !lice -ust couldn"t get rid of it.
9ou want to sit down#$
+uh#$ !lice turned back to face :aven. +e looked genuinely concerned. ,...yes, that might be a
good idea.$
Then we"ll take a break,$ :aven decided. +e let go of !lice"s hand and went to sit down against a
particularly tall oak tree. !lice slowly went over to sit beside him. 9ou can take a nap if you want. ,"ll
watch over you.$
, would have thought you wanted me dead,$ !lice muttered.
What#$
, thought you would"ve wanted me dead,$ !lice repeated, clearer.
:aven was 0uiet for a few minutes. +e blushed and looked away, muttering something under his
breath.
, can"t understand you,$ !lice remarked.
!t first, , was -ust using you to get out of here,$ :aven said 0uietly. ..., didn"t care about you,
really. , was -ust scared. , -ust wanted to get home. !nd you were the only one who could help me.$
!lice felt her heart sink. &he was -ust about to stomp away and leave :aven to himself when she
remembered how he had started his confession. Those two little words, !t first,$ made !lice hope that
:aven had a part two$ to what he"d -ust admitted.
,t took me a while to realize it, but , don"t think , want you to die.$ :aven paused and looked over
at !lice to see if she was listening. &he smiled at him, and he smiled back. , think...,"m willing to die
now, if it means you can be saved.$
That so#$ !lice leaned onto :aven"s shoulder, truly ecstatic that she could still trust him. ,"m glad.
, thought you were going to betray me.$
, thought about it,$ :aven sighed, sliding his arm around !lice"s shoulders. (ut ,"ve changed my
mind.$
!lice grinned. Thank you.$
%o problem.$
7or the first time since the bad feeling had taken root in !lice"s mind, she felt completely at ease. &he
wondered what it was about :aven that could make her feel so pleasant. The young blonde could only
guess that this was how it felt to be in love.
:aven"s =anding
To :aven and !lice, it felt like years of walking had passed, though in reality it was only about a
month. They could see the end of the treeline by now, and knew that they would soon reach the
rumored end of Wonderland. The White :abbit was within their reach.
We"re really almost there, aren"t we#$ !lice breathed. &he gripped :aven"s hand harder. +e
chuckled.
9eah. We really are, !lice.$
,t"s been a while since you called me by my actual name,$ !lice teased.
:aven laughed. &orry. &hould , go back to "Princess"#$ he asked.
%o,$ !lice said 0uickly. ,6, mean, , like that you call me by name. ,t means we"re more familiar.$
, guess that"s true.$ :aven looked over at !lice. !lice#$
96yes#$
9ou 5K#$
!lice looked down at the ground. ,...well, no. , miss my sister, and !mara. ,"m scared. , don"t know
if , can fight the White :abbit.$
!t the very least, you can try.$
(y the way,$ !lice began, ,"ve been meaning to ask you. .o you remember when you set our
castle on fire#$
+ow could , forget#$
+ow did you do it#$
:aven blinked. 5h, right, , never e4plained it to you. &ee, the top barrel of the gun fired gasoline
onto the stone. The bottom barrel was like a flamethrower and shot fire. That"s why it didn"t spread out.
,t would have been enough to cause that section of the castle to collapse if no one had put it out, ,"d
guess.$
That"s actually...0uite brilliant.$
The White :abbit doesn"t have ill6e0uipped followers, at the very least.$
!lice giggled. :aven laughed.
&lowly, the pair emerged past the edge of the trees to the edge of Wonderland. !head of !lice was
nothing but white, white that seemed to stretch on forever. &he took a step out past the grass to keep
going ahead, but :aven yanked her back by her hand. &he yelped and fell against him. +e caught her.
Careful. There"s nothing else beyond this grass. 9ou would"ve fallen to your death.$
Certainly not the best way to die,$ !lice admitted, blushing. :aven continued to hold onto her.
...:aven#$
9eah#$
,"m steady now. 9ou can let go.$
+uh#$ :aven blinked. 5h, right. 9eah. There you are.$
!lice took a small step away from :aven. +e released her. &he turned around. Well, then# Where
do we go#$
!long the edge,$ :aven answered, turning right and beginning his trek. !lice hurried to keep up
with him3 :aven"s legs were far longer than hers, and one of his steps was about e0ual to three of hers.
&he didn"t want to get left behind. The White :abbit should be in one of the corners of Wonderland.
=ast time he was at the north, so rule that out. We"ll try south first.
5K,$ !lice agreed. ...um, :aven...$
What#$
,...um...$ !lice trailed off. I should tell him how I eel about him, but...I'm so embarrassed...
9ou"re blushing,$ :aven pointed out, a sly grin on his face. !lice pursed her lips. +ey, hey, calm
down. 'ust teasing. 9ou know , think you"re cute when you"re embarrassed.$
&top it,$ !lice muttered. :aven laughed.
,t"s weird, isn"t it#$ he sighed, reaching for !lice"s hand. &he let him hold it. , started out
completely planning on killing you, and now...$
%ow...#$ !lice pressed.
%ow , don"t even want to imagine life without you.$ :aven"s tone was serious, and his eyes e0ually
so. !lice blushed.
,...$ The blonde princess trailed off, admittedly lost for words. , don"t know what to say.$
:aven chuckled. 9eah, that was pretty sudden,$ he said 0uietly, gently caressing !lice"s hand with
his thumb. &he smiled and moved closer to him. ...!lice#$
9es, :aven#$
, love you.$
!lice stopped walking. :aven stopped beside her. +e cast her a cheeky smile.
,t"s that easy, you know. Three words.$
7our, in my case,$ !lice corrected. , love you too.$
&ee# ,t"s not hard.$ :aven looked down at !lice. ...hey, !lice...$
9es#$ !lice looked up and met :aven"s gaze, her eyes filling to the brim with tears.
9ou"re crying.$
,"m terrified,$ !lice whispered. ,..., don"t want to die. !nd more than that, , don"t want you to die.
%ot now...$
+ey, it"ll be alright,$ :aven soothed, reaching over to wipe the tears from !lice"s eyes. ...!lice8$
,t won't be alright*$ !lice lashed, surprised at her sudden outburst. ,t...it won"t. !nd you know that*
&ummer and !mara are dead*$
,"m sorry,$ :aven said 0uietly. ...,"m so sorry, !lice. ,"m trying.$
, know that,$ !lice sniffled. (ut...it"s hard. ,t"s so hard..., miss them so much*$
,"m sorry,$ :aven repeated.
!lice wiped her eyes. ,..., forgive you. ,t"s 5K...$
Can you keep moving#$
!lice nodded. 9es. 9es, , can keep moving...$
>ood.$ :aven slid his arm around !lice"s shoulders, pulling her close against him in a 0uick side6
hug before loosening his grip. ,t"ll be alright, 5K# We"ll make it.$
What if you don"t#$
Well, then you will.$
, don"t want to go on alone. ,"m scared.$
)e too.$ :aven sighed. +e started to continue the walk. !lice hurried to keep up. .on"t worry
about the future, !lice. 'ust focus on now. 5K#$
!lice sniffled again. !lright. , won"t worry.$
That"s my girl. We"re gonna make it.$
...yes.$
The two continued their -ourney, walking for miles and miles, searching for the White :abbit"s
castle. !lice tried to keep up cheerful conversation with :aven, but that bad feeling had returned,
stronger than ever, and she found it hard to focus.
Weeks went by before they saw it. ! giant, eerie black castle loomed ahead of the pair, only miles
away. They could make it in a day"s walk, but they were tired and needed rest. &o :aven and !lice
settled down by a tree to take a little break before finishing their -ourney and defeating the White
:abbit. !lice held :aven"s hand tightly, shaking in fear. &he knew she wasn"t ready to challenge the
White :abbit, and more than that, she knew she wasn"t ready for :aven to die.
#ven i he does survive, he'll either be imprisoned or lie or e$ecuted once we return to %irana,
!lice realized. &he whimpered, scooting closer to :aven.
9ou"re alright,$ :aven whispered. 9ou"re alright, and so am ,.$
(ut for how long#$ !lice sighed. 5nce we get back, you"ll...$
,"ll what#$
)y mother won"t forgive you for trying to kill us. 9ou"ll either be killed or imprisoned.$
:aven blinked. Wait, seriously# , save her daughter"s life and she kills me for it#$
!lice giggled. There"s no guarantee you"ll save my life.$
%o. , will.$ :aven"s voice was serious. , will save your life, !lice.$
!lice was silent. !nd it was in that silence that the rumbling started.
W6what is that#*$ !lice gasped.
/arth0uake,$ :aven answered without hesitation. >et up, now.$
Why8$
%o 0uestions* :un*$
!lice and :aven scrambled to their feet, the rumbling getting louder and harder with every passing
second. (efore !lice had a chance to ask :aven what was happening, the tree they were near collapsed.
!lice looked up, e4pecting to be crushed right then and there. &he let out a scream.
!lice*$
!lice felt herself shoved at least two feet forwards. &he tumbled to the ground and rolled around a bit
before turning back to check on :aven. The second she did, she wished she hadn"t.
The dark6skinned man"s entire lower body had been crushed beneath the tree, rendering his legs
unusable. 'ust by the look on his face and the blood seeping under the trunk of the great tree, !lice
could tell :aven was in a lot of pain.
&he charged over and fell to her knees in front of him, trying not to cry. :aven#* !6are you 5K#*
+ang on, let me get this off of you*$
!lice.$
!lice ignored him, struggling to get to her feet. The earth0uake was still raging on, oblivious to
:aven"s agony and !lice"s terror.
!lice, look at me.$
(e 0uiet*$ !lice nearly sobbed. &he wrapped her arms as far around the tree as she could and tried
to lift it. When that didn"t work, she s0uatted down and grabbed hold of the bottom of the tree.
!lice*$
!lice tried again to lift the tree. Two times, three times...
When she couldn"t lift the tree even after her eighth try, she gave up and looked at :aven. ...what#$
=ook.$ :aven weakly raised one hand and pointed at a nearby tree. ,t had almost completely
unrooted and was soon to collapse on top of the duo. !lice gasped.
:6:aven...$
9ou can"t get me out,$ :aven said 0uietly. 9ou have to run.$
%o,$ !lice sniffled. ,"m not leaving you.$
!lice...$
,"m not leaving you*$
:aven gently placed his cheek against the grass, letting his eyes close. /ven if you get me out,$ he
began softly, ,"ll bleed to death within minutes.$
, don"t care,$ !lice whispered. , won"t leave you.$
Please, !lice. .on"t make this all have been for nothing.$
,t wasn"t all for nothing* ,"m glad , met you, and got to know you, and...and fell in love with you* ,t
wasn"t a waste*$
Please go, !lice,$ :aven begged. ,f you don"t, you"ll die.$
(ut8$
>o*$
!lice sniffled. ,...$
Please.$
!lice was silent for a moment. >ravity forced the tree down even further, and !lice knew she"d have
to run soon if she ran at all. !nd :aven was right, as much as it killed !lice to admit it8even if she did
get him out from under the tree, his crushed legs would cause him to bleed out and die after all.
&he started to sob, leaning over and wrapping her arms around :aven"s e4posed head, holding his
cheek against her chest. :aven didn"t say a word.
,"m so sorry,$ the blonde princess whispered. :aven let out a small chuckle.
,t"s not your fault. , always knew it"d end like this,$ he responded.
!lice slowly separated from him, casting a glance at the tree. ,t lowered another inch, and !lice
tensed up.
!lice# !ren"t you going to go#$
9es.$ !lice looked down at :aven. &he moved to kneel directly in front of him, then slowly lifted
his face away from the ground and leaned closer. ,...,"m sorry.$
'ust kiss me already, Princess,$ :aven breathed, smiling sadly. !lice tried to stop herself from
crying, only to let out a loud wail. &he tilted her forehead against :aven"s, letting her tears stain his
skin.
, love you, :aven. Thank you,$ !lice said through her sobs. &he stared at :aven, into his beautiful
grey eyes, slowly tilting her lips towards his. , love you. ,..., love you.$
, love you too.$ :aven lifted his chin -ust the slightest bit, and his lips met !lice"s. &he let out
another small sob, letting herself kiss him for as long as she possibly could. ,t was only when she heard
the creaking of the massive tree nearly falling completely loose that she pulled away. :aven only
smiled at her.
Thank you,$ !lice whispered, smiling back at :aven briefly. &he reached out and grabbed his hand,
giving it a 0uick s0ueeze before releasing him. &lowly, !lice stood up and stepped away from :aven,
distancing herself from the falling tree.
>ood luck, !lice,$ :aven called.
!ny words the two of them may have said after that would have been drowned out by the sound of
the great tree finally crashing to the earth and crushing what remained of :aven"s body beneath its
weight. .espite the fact that she knew it"d been coming, !lice let out a scream. &he heard herself
scream again and again, sometimes yelling :aven"s name and other times -ust shouting nothing in
particular. ,t seemed hours went by when !lice was finally able to calm down.
&he forced herself to direct her attention to the White :abbit. +er anguish turned to fury, as she
realized that all of this had been his fault in the end. ,t was his death trap that had killed her sister, and
her nursemaid, and the love of her life. ,t had all been his fault.
>ritting her teeth, !lice marched towards the White :abbit"s castle, her will to win strongly
reinforced.
I won't be li&e the other Alices who let you get away. 'ou will pay or the lives o my riends with
your own lie!
!lice"s Wonderland
,t seemed an eternity of walking passed before !lice finally found herself in front of the White
:abbit"s castle. ,t may have been because she couldn"t seem to walk any faster than a slow gait,
dragging her feet, but it also may have been because it seemed with every step she took, the castle only
got further away.
%one of that mattered to !lice now8she was in front of the castle, about to enter, and about to
defeat the White :abbit.
&he would defeat him.
&he had to.
Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, !lice stepped into the towering black castle, with its sharp,
pointed steeples rising for miles into the blank white sky. &he moved through the rotting wooden
double doors, sliding across the dirty marble floor towards the tall, winding staircase.
!gainst the wall of the second floor hallway was a nice, shining suit of armor, carrying a sharp and
well6polished sword. The sword looked heavy enough, but when !lice pulled it out of the suit of
armor"s grip, she found it was light enough to carry. &he remained in the hallway, swinging the sword
around for practice, for 0uite a long time8!lice absolutely did not want to fight the White :abbit
unprepared.
,n fact, she remained with the sword, practicing to be able to actually handle it properly 1without
cutting herself, which did in fact happen, and 0uite a few times at that2 for so long that it began to get
dark. !lice found herself 0uite tired, and she meandered around the labyrinth of a castle until she found
a bedroom. Wary, though also e4hausted, !lice placed her new sword ne4t to the bed and crawled
under the covers. !t the feeling of the soft mattress, !lice felt herself rela48and with this rela4ation
came the sorrow induced by having no one left to talk to. &he let the tears flow once again, giving
herself that one night to mourn and grieve for the sister, caretaker, and lover she had lost in the past
year.
&he fell asleep grieving, and dreamt of those she grieved, and when she awoke, she instantly wished
she could sleep some more if only to see their faces one more time.
,nstead, !lice dragged herself out of bed, picked up her sword, and practiced with it some more to be
sure she could actually use it. &he -umped, ducked, swung her sword, and thrust the shining silver blade
into the bowels of her mattress, before finally deciding she had done enough and setting out to find and
destroy the White :abbit once and for all.
16?62
9ou"re hiding from me.$
This statement was void of any emotion. !lice was far too tired and annoyed to put any feeling into
her words. &he had been searching endlessly for the White :abbit for at least a month, feasting on the
food stored in the castle"s kitchen whenever she got hungry and sleeping in the room she"d claimed on
her first day.
!re you scared#$ !lice called again, nearly at the point of hallucinations. !ll she wanted was to
defeat the White :abbit so she could go home. .o you know ,"m going to kill you# 9ou"re hiding.$
, am never afraid, child.$
This voice8this deep, booming voice8could only belong to the White :abbit himself. !lice
whirled around, her sword 1with which she had since become 0uite proficient2 gripped in her pale
hands.
Where are you#*$ !lice demanded. ,f you aren"t afraid, come out#$
&o be it.$
!lice felt the ground soften beneath her feet8and when she looked down, what had once been
marble flooring had transformed into a swirling black mass, one that swallowed !lice into its depths.
/ven with all her newly6developed skills as a swordswoman, !lice couldn"t manage to escape. !nd so
it was that the darkness overtook her within minutes, and her heart seemed to stop.
16?62
!lice awoke lying on a cold, hard surface. &hivering, she sat up, wondering why she was so cold.
+ad that White :abbit done something to her# Was she even wearing her clothes# Worse off, was she
even alive#
&he looked around, and in the dim light saw herself in a room covered in ice. &he looked down at
herself to find she was, in fact, still dressed. &he let loose a sigh of relief.
!re you cold, child#$
That voice had returned8the voice of the dreaded White :abbit. !lice looked around for her sword
and found it lying a foot or so away. &he scrambled to her feet and darted after it, lifting it into the air
and looking around the dim room to find where the White :abbit was hiding. &he saw no one.
, asked you a 0uestion, dear.$
,"m freezing,$ !lice mumbled.
&orry about that, Princess. &hall , warm it up for you#$
(efore !lice could answer, the room of ice became a room of fire. &he screamed, swinging her
sword around aimlessly as if it would do something. Presently, the flames vanished, leaving !lice in a
room of the castle she hadn"t e4plored during her month of wandering about8the piano room.
&eated at the piano was what appeared to be a man in a dark coat. !lice stared at him while dousing
the flames that had caught on her clothes. 'ust as she had brushed off the small fire on her left sleeve,
the man at the piano stood and turned around.
+is hair was a bright, golden color, and his skin a sickly grey. +e had deep6set eyes, though from
where !lice stood, she couldn"t make out the color. +e smiled at her, though the way his mouth was
twisted made it seem like a smirk.
!lice gripped her sword in both hands and held it out towards him. !re you the White :abbit#$ she
demanded.
The one and only,$ he replied with a bow. 9ou look...different, than the others in your kingdom.
9ou have my kingdom"s golden hair.$
9es.$ !lice advanced forwards, her eyes narrowed. &ir, , hate to say it, but you are going to die
here.$
9ou"re -ust like all the other !lices ,"ve toyed with,$ the White :abbit sighed. 9ou stomp into my
playground thinking you can beat me at my own game8$
,t is not a thought, &ir,$ !lice interrupted. ,"m going to kill you.$
!u contraire, my dear princess,$ the White :abbit murmured. 9ou can"t kill me. )any have tried,
and many more have failed.$
Then , will be the first.$
!lice didn"t pause to carry on any more conversation. >ripping her sword in her hands, she raced at
the White :abbit, her -aw tightly clenched and her eyes narrowed.
The second she got within a foot of the White :abbit, he vanished. &he gasped, whirling around to
face him. !gain she charged the man, and again he disappeared. This process was repeated three more
times before !lice finally gave up and waited for the White :abbit to attack first.
=et"s see,$ he mused, pacing back6and6forth, how should , kill you# The first !lice simply starved,
the second was burnt to a crisp, the third froze, the fourth was killed by a mad lover, the fifth
crushed...$
!lice listened as he rambled on, beginning to feel terrified by the sheer number of !lices who had
died in this world, and that never once did the White :abbit repeat a death. !t the very least, it
narrowed down !lice"s options3 so far, she could either be poisoned, impaled, or gutted with a spoon.
%one of them sounded very pleasant, but at least !lice knew what to e4pect.
...the ninetieth !lice was impaled...$
!ell.
...ninety6first was tossed off a cliff, the ninety6second was gutted with a spoon...$
I suppose that leaves poison.
...ninety6third was...oh* )y* 'ou are the ninety6third, my dear* +ow e4citing*$
(oison it is.
Which means...let"s see, poison#$ The White :abbit shook his head. That"s far too boring. What
else#$
'ust kill me*$ !lice blurted out. ,f you are going to try and kill me, do it*$
Patience, Princess,$ the White :abbit cooed. !ll good things to those who wait. ! shame your
parents are still left behind. They will grieve for you, won"t they#$
5f course.$
%ot for long, love, not for long.$
.on"t call me that*$
, plan on bringing them into this world once our little game is finished. +ave you en-oyed it thus
far#$
+ardly.$
9ou"re not having fun, love#$
, told you not to call me that*$
5h dear, how dreadful. , suppose ,"ll have to entertain you to the point of e4citement, hm#$
, never said , was not e4cited, &ir. ,n fact, ,"m simply delighted.$
5h# Why is that#$
,"m about to finally destroy you.$
The White :abbit clicked his tongue and resumed his pacing. 9ou"re still going on about that,
love#$
The third time that man dared refer to !lice as love$ made her furious. &o furious, in fact, that she
charged him a si4th time. +e vanished again.
&tay still*$ !lice hissed. !nd stop calling me "love"*$
/very time you tell me to stop, ,"m reminded of why , haven"t,$ the White :abbit sighed. !lright,
would you like a real fight#$
5f course.$
Then come. We will duel.$
Without warning, the White :abbit suddenly appeared in front of !lice and blasted her with a good6
sized rock, right in the chest. !lice stumbled backwards, but managed to keep her footing and ran at the
White :abbit, swinging her sword with a cry at his chest. +e blocked it with a steel6covered arm,
thrusting !lice back a few feet and shooting a spike of ice towards her face. !lice wanted to back up
but at the last second her mind told her to do otherwise, and she ducked, moving forwards and
slamming her body against the White :abbit"s. +e stumbled, surprised, and that brief moment was all
!lice needed to thrust her sword through his shoulder. &he would never forget the wonderful sensation
she felt when she saw blood welling on her mortal enemy"s torso.
The White :abbit seemed genuinely stunned. )y,$ he murmured, you"ve managed to draw blood
from me. That"s never happened before.$
, told you , would kill you,$ !lice nearly growled.
;nfortunately, love, you"re still mistaken.$
&top calling me that already*$
, cannot be defeated.$ &uddenly, a large fireball shot out of the White :abbit"s in-ured hand and
hurtled towards !lice. !lice -umped out of the way and started towards the White :abbit again, but to
her surprise 1and fury2, he was nowhere to be found.
>et out here*$ !lice ordered.
!s you wish, love.$
!lice opened her mouth to correct him for calling her love$ yet again, when she felt a sharp pain in
her stomach and looked down. ,nstantly, she wished she hadn"t.
&ticking through !lice"s abdomen was a long, thick spear of ice. &he gasped, and immediately
afterwards coughed up a spray of blood. The spear inched slightly further through her stomach. ,n
desperation, gasping for breath, !lice whirled around with a cry, swinging her sword in a wide circle,
hoping to -ust kill the White :abbit where he stood. To her immense dismay, he had long since
vanished.
!lice sunk to her knees, struggling to breathe. &he felt tears well in her eyes, felt the blood drip down
her body, felt her life slowly slipping away...
&lowly...
&lowly...
!nd that was, perhaps, the worst part8!lice could eel herself dying.
The White :abbit appeared before her and knelt down directly in front of the girl, lifting her chin
gently. !lice burst into sobs and s0ueezed her eyes shut, not wanting the see the product of her failure.
,"m feeling sorry for you,$ the White :abbit whispered. !nd besides, ,"ve already killed the
eightieth !lice with a sword through the stomach...$
'ust kill me,$ !lice whispered back, all her former fire gone in the face of her doom.
, plan to.$ The White :abbit stood and stepped back a few feet from !lice. !lice tried to steady her
breathing and sit up straight, but only succeeded at the former 1and -ust barely, at that2. &he glanced
around her and saw that the walls had suddenly grown thousands of sharp, protruding spikes. ,nstantly,
she knew what the White :abbit was planning. &he let her eyes close.
!lice could hear the walls moving. &he could feel them separating from the room and hurtling
towards her. !nd the last thought she produced before the spikes crushed her dead was@
I'm so sorry.

16?62
The White :abbit moved the walls back into their proper place, going to observe the mutilated body
of !lice, princess of Kirana.
%inety6third !lice,$ he began, crushed in a spike trap. +ow dull, but , suppose ,"ve done worse.$
+e knelt down, scooping up a bit of !lice"s blood onto his white glove. +e stared at the girl,
wondering honestly what had so possessed her into coming in to fight the man herself.
%inety6three !lices had ventured into this trap, and this !lice had been the only one to actually hurt
the White :abbit. 7or that, she had earned his respect.
,t was fun, love,$ he whispered. 9our sister was fun to kill as well, , loved the composure of your
dear nursemaid even as her life faded away, and that wretched mutt had such a serene e4pression when
, finally got rid of him. !nd now you have helped make this the greatest game ,"ve ever played.
Congratulations, !lice.$
The man rose to his full si4 feet of height, a smirk coming to form on his thin lips.
!nd now...we see if your parents can live up to my standards.$
=aughing maniacally, the dreaded White :abbit opened another portal.