May OS: Alice in Wonderland, return of the Queen

Prelude

In a realm filled with magic, shrinking drinks, talking catepillars, tea parties, and the overall losing of one's head, there once lived an evil Queen. Not just any old queen, but the Queen of Hearts, the most vicious and tyrannical sovereign to ever rule Wonderland.

The White Queen, who was the Queen of Hearts' peaceful younger sister, therefore sent Rabbit to fetch a champion from our world. That champion was Alice, a young girl, full of life, courage, and imagination.

In this land down the rabbit hole, Alice encountered several friends, like the evaporating Cheshire Cat, as well as the Hare and Hatter. Together, these companions defied the Queen of Hearts, and the two forces inevitably met on the final battlefield.

Here, Alice fought the monstrous Jabberwocky, a dragon loyal to the Queen of Hearts. Alice defeated the dragon, and the White Queen's forces reigned victorious. The Queen of Hearts and her trusted knight, the Jack of Hearts, were banished for eternity.



This was five years ago.

Now, Alice had returned to our world, and had travelled and learned much during these prosperous years.

In Wonderland, all seemed to be just as prosperous, until the Rabbit overheard a devious plot. The Queen of Hearts had found a powerful magical artifact, and along with her new allies, she planned to enter our world, and act out her revenge on Alice.

The Mad Hatter, who had always been fond of Alice, immediately volunteered to go to Alice's aid, but, the White Queen sent Hatter and the Cheshire Cat to save Alice.



Our tale begins in the town of Aberaeron, located on the river Aeron in Wales. Here, Alice is visiting a good friend, Dr Black. Dining with them at the Black Manor when the tale begins, include Dean Plumm, Lady Peacock, Commander Moustarde, Madame Scarlett, Bishop Green, and Mother Superior White. All these people are influential figures in Aberaeron, and are accordingly dragged into the battle for our world against the Queen of Hearts.

Plot-

With the Queen of Hearts having taken position in Eldergleam Mansion a few miles from the town, the threat of battle is very near. The members of Aberaeron, along with the assistance of the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Alice and an unexpected companion, must thus prevent the Queen from unleashing her "secret weapon" on the world, and end her story once and for all.

Each person sits on a web of relationships, deceit and motives, and will play key roles in this fight, whether it be for or against the Queen. Who will rise victorious, and whose tale will end once and for all.

Setting-

Well, I believe I should show you around then...

We are in the early 1800s, thus industrialization hasn't spread from the bustling London to the far-away town of Aberaeron. Located on the river Aeron, along the bottom coast of Cardigan Bay, this town is rich with culture, religion, and diplomacy.
The bottom locations are some of the key locations in this tale, so please remember them.

Spoiler

Just a quick note on the coloring of the places. The color of the name indicates who has the most influence here, so here is the quick key:

Madame Scarlett- Dark red
Queen of Hearts- Red
Bishop Green- Green
Lady Peacock- Bright Blue
Commander Moustarde- Yellow
Dean Plumm- Purple
Mother Superior White- Cream
Monopoly Man- Gold

And Here's the list of places:

Eldergleam Mansion- Located four miles out of town, close to the river and just inside the forest, Eldergleam Mansion and its farm have been abandoned for nearly a century. This is the place the Queen of Hearts and her allies make their headquarters.

Black Manor- This large, majestic house is located just in Aberaeron, and is the residence of Dr Black. It also serves as the headquarters for Alice and her allies.

Aberaeron Docks- This busy dock is the main hub of the Monopoly Man's income, and also a temporary headquarters (for shadier business deals, of course)

Aberaeron Prisons- The Warden and the Commander are close friends, thus Moustarde has quite a influence over the prisons.

Riverside Lounge- The Riverside Lounge is one of the several entertainment buildings run by Madame Scarlett. This place is one of the best restaurants (in 1800s standard) for miles, and a hub of gossip and intrigue.

Strixbrook Academy- Located one mile from Aberaeron, the Strixbrook Academy is the hub of education and knowledge for this town. It is run and managed by the famous Dean Plumm.

St. Luke's Cathedral- The St.Luke's Cathedral is located at the heart of Aberaeron, right on the banks of the river. The main religious figure who also lives in the vicarage next door, is Bishop Green, who uses the vicarage as a base of operations.

Midnight Ballroom- This dance building is the headquarters of Madame Scarlett's entertainment empire. She lives in the lavish apartment located above the Ballroom.

Aberaeron Library and City Hall- These two connected buildings are the hub of the political and judicial intrigue of this town. The Library is run by the aristocratic Lady Peacock, who is one of the eight council members of Aberaeron.

St.Magdalene's Abbey and Orphanage- Located to the opposite side of the town from the Academy, St.Magdalene's has always wished to serve the poor and the orphaned. It is currently being operated by the Mother Superior.

Just note: Dr Black has influence in all of these locations as well, except for the docks and the Eldergleam Mansion. Also note that these are only the main buildings. The town is filled ens of other homes, shops etc.

And now, for the list of characters...

Heroes-

Alice- @Theodorable
Mad Hatter- @AstralHunter
Cheshire Cat- @TheWanderingWizard
Gingerbread man- @Kanome
Dr Black- @ReisePiecey

Villains-

Queen of Hearts- @QueenAnne
Jack of Spades- @AriaAdams
The Fox- @Buggiedude2340
Monopoly Man- @KingLucifer

Unknowns (PM me for queries about their allegiance)-

Madame Scarlett- @Rydia
Commander Moustarde- @Carina
Dean Plumm- @VeerenVKS
Bishop Green- @Wolfie36
Lady Peacock- @megsug
Mother Superior White- @Pretzelsing

So, as you can see, we have a plot line filled with many interesting characters, plottwists and betrayals.

Now, unlike most tales, we have different types of villains and heroes in this piece. The following is where I shall shortly explain each type. (note that this is required for the character profile)

Villains

Spoiler

A saboteur is the type of villain who lives to foil other factions' plans as much as possible. An easy example is like a army wanting to cross a river, and the saboteur will burn down all the bridges and make holes in the boats.

A villain, however, cannot solely be a saboteur. Think of the saboteur category to be like a pair of oars. On their own, they're useless; but when combined with one of the other groups, he can make a big difference.

The Agent faction is your silent, subtle type of villains. They like uncovering information, and using it to achieve their goals. They are like the spies of the villain world, and are both dangerous and useful.

Agents can also infiltrate their opposing forces, and thus achieve their aims. They usually also serve Masterminds or Corruptors, but only if it furthers their ambitions.

Corruptors are some of the most dangerous and scheming of all villains. They can be either the masters of subtlety, or the champions on the front line.

Their goals are simple: Sow the seeds of doubt or discord, recruit people to the villainous side, and plainly kill their opposing force from the inside out (Basically like that statement: "Come to the dark side; we have cookies.")

They are extremely dangerous, and can prove impossible to defeat as soon as their seeds start developing.

Masterminds are your I'm-a-villain-and-proud-of-it kind of people. They love seeing fear and having people bow down to their superior power/ intelligence, etc.

Masterminds mostly love being known (like Hitler and Stalin), but there is a smaller group of Masterminds who like to remain hidden, thus almost being like the monster under the bed kind of villains.

Marauders make up the bulk of your classic villains. They are the type who would go in guns blazing, or blow up a building just for pleasure. They usually serve a Mastermind, because when working on their own, they're usually like a fox let loose amongst chickens, only these foxes have explosives and weapons at their disposal.

You also get the Charlatans, who, like the Saboteurs, are a sub-villain. Charlatans are the types of villains who will resort to lying, cheating, swindling and stealing to sow mayhem and further their own ambitions. When combined with a Saboteur or any of the others, the other categories can a more charismatic method of doing what they do best.

And the Heroes:

Spoiler

The first type is that of the Protector. They are your most common type of Hero, the type which would stand as a last defense for innocence against evil. The are most of the time your hands on Heroes. They are the opposites of Marauders.

Next are the Spirits. The are like the Agents of the Hero Faction, and are masters at masking their true allegiance. The usually infiltrate the Villain ranks to gather useful information.

Then we have the Arbiters. The are the opposites of both the Corruptors and the Saboteurs. Where Corruptors sow seeds of doubt and discord, Arbiters remove those seeds. Where Saboteurs set out to foil plans and do damage, Arbiters set out to restore that damage and ensure that the plans run smoothly.

You also get the Martyrs. The are somewhat the opposite of Charlatans. Where Charlatans lie, cheat and steal to get their way, yet are usually weak when it comes to physical resolve; Martyrs walk a honorable path of truth and justice. They would sacrifice themselves to ensure that justice and innocence prevail. They can also endure physical torture rather than give up their cause.

And finally we have Keepers. They are the opposites of Masterminds. So, where Masterminds are superior physically and/ or mentally, yet use their power to further their own selfish ambitions; Keepers use their power to keep the darkness and evil at bay. The believe in kindness above all else, and would stop at nothing to vanquish the darkness.

The type each of you choose, is entirely up to you. Note, if you wish to keep your allegiance a secret for now, feel free to state Unknown at the required box.

Character Profile Template-

CodeSelect all

[b]Name:[/b] ( what the others will know you as, as well as your real name)
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Your stance:[/b] (Hero/ Villain/ Unknown)+your subclass

[b]Appearance:[/b] (be creative)
[b]Personality:[/b] (once again, surprise us, but please remember the typical attributes attributed to your character {ex. Off with his head!})
[b]Short History:[/b] (so the others can know a bit about you)
[b]Your land holdings/ Base of Operations:[/b]
[b]Skills:[/b] (if you are Dean Plumm, please don't give a full Curriculum Vitae of all your skills)

[b]And a Random Question! (optional):[/b] You are suddenly teleported to Diagon Alley in London (naturally the magical Alley...) Where is the first place/ shop you'd go, why do you go there first, and what is it you buy/ do/ touch/ eat/ ransack first?

Themes

1- Main Theme- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=148eG4U8skE#
2- Black Manor-
3- Eldergleam Mansion-
4- The Docks-
5- St. Luke's Cathedral-
6- Midnight Ballroom-
7- Riverside Lounge-
8- City Hall& Library-
9- Strixbrook Academy-
10- The Prison-
11- The Barracks-
12- Aberaeron-
13- St. Magdalene's Convent& Orphanage-
14- The Aeron Forest-
15- The Aeron river-
16- (list can expand into more detail as SB progesses)

Please come and join me in this final showdown between good, and bad! Who will be victorious? Only Fate knows for certain...

Cheshire Cat

Down Up the rabbit hole~

"My dear Chessy, why on earth would you do such a thing?"
Chessy sat licking his fur on a balcony of the White Palace. Around him, orchids and ivy were growing peacefully, with bees racing to gather the pollen for their before another bee claimed the prize. From below, the sweet smells of huckleberry pie wafted up, followed by the occasional cackle of the Hare, accompanied by the sound of something shattering. From above, birds merrily sang as they flew by towards the Palace Gardens, and the sky was bright and sunny. To an ordinary Wonderlandian, this would be a wonderful day, but to Chessy and Aberforth, this was the beginning of a dark time.
"You know why I must do it, Aberforth," Chessy said to the blue butterfly, "If the Oraculum shows a dark omen, I must inform our majesty the Queen."
"Are you sure? I am sure that part of the Oraculum never existed before the Queen of Hearts was banished," the butterfly said, "How did it come to be?"
"I am not sure, Abe, but however it came to be, I have the feeling it will start soon."
"Well, then you must do what you must. As I am no longer the Scrollkeeper or your guardian, I can have no say in this matter."
At that moment, horns rang from the Palace gates, and a small white figure was dashing across the lane.
"The Rabbit has returned," Chessy said, but when he turned around, the blue butterfly had vanished. "Let me go hear what news he brings."
With that, Chessy flew downwards, and in through the kitchen window.
As usual this time of morning, the kitchen looked like chaos, with shards of broken bowls and plates scattered everywhere, salt and flour laying in layers on and around the countertops, and milk spills dotted across this landscape. In one corner, the Hare was curelessly packing all the teacups on top of one another, mumbling some incoherent nonsense.
Chessy continued through the Palace, before entering the main hall at the exact moment that the Rabbit did.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" the Rabbit called, proceeding to the throne where the White Queen was conversing with an opossum and the Tweedle Twins.
"Yes? What is it, Eustace?" the Queen responded, looking up at the exhausted Rabbit.
"The- the Q-q-queen..." the Rabbit stuttered, heaving for his breath.
"Eustace, take a deep breath, and say whatever it is you bring to me." The Queen readjusted herself on the throne, and the Tweedle Twins stood out of the way.
After a few moments of dusting off his doublet, and fixing his bow tie, the Rabbit finally spoke, much more composed than before.
"Your Highness," he started, "I bring terrible news from the magic Forest. It is about your sister, the Queen of Hearts."
At the mention of the latter's name, everyone, including Chessy, grew extremely silent and tense.
"What of my banished sister?" the Queen asked.
"Well, uhm, it seems she's been gathering... allies, your Highness. All of them outcasts or exiles like herself."
"Does she plan to besiege the Palace? She knows she will be vanquished yet again."
Chessy saw the Hatter appear on a flight of stairs close to his location. He seemed to have just sown a new hat, as pieces of twine still stuck to his sleeves and hands. A sudden exclamation from the opossum (whom Chessy did not recognize) drew the cat's attention to the Rabbit.
"She plans to do what?!" the Opossum exclaimed.
"That is what I heard!" the Rabbit said, "The Queen of Hearts plans to enter Alice's world at midnight tonight ."
"How is this even possible?" the White Queen asked.
"Apparently, one of the Queen's..."
"She isn't a queen anymore," the Hatter's voice echoed through the hall.
Astonished, the Rabbit looked at Hatter for a few seconds before responding. "Yes, of course not," he said, "Anywho; one Icaribeth's associates apparently found a door that leads, once opened, to Alice's world."
"And what does she hope to accomplish there?" asked the Queen.
"From what I heard, Icarith has acquired an ancient scepter known as..."
"The Bane of Champions!" Chessy was surprised to hear his own voice saying those words.
"Yes. How did you know that?" the Rabbit asked, everyone's gaze (even the Queen's) on him.
"Well..." Chessy hestitated, moving out of the shadows with clenched claws and a still tail into the view of the whole court, "I read of it in the Oraculum, of course."
"I thought the Oraculum only recorded the events up to the slaying of the Jabberwocky?" the Queen asked.
"It did. But recently new images and history-yet-to-pass has started appearing after that battle."
"Eustace, what does this scepter do?"
"I- I do not know, your Highness," the Rabbit said.
"Cheshire?" the Queen asked.
"From what the scroll tells me," Chessy began, "the Bane of Champions is an ancient artefact, dating back to the first Wonderlandians.
"It is said that a powerful wizard of that time was unhappy with the Champions ruling over Wonderland, thus he crafted a powerful scepter with which he could show his might.
"The scepter could, however, only be used when it had a drop of the blood of a Champion, and would kill that Champion when activated. The wizard used this scepter, which he dubbed the Bane of Champions, to transform the previous Wonderland, until it became like it is today. He also became sovereign over all, as he had the magical power to control most of the creatures in Wonderland.
"The last remaining Champion, Alidon the Brave, fought this wizard high upon the Crim Mountain. Here, Alidon defeated the wizard, and hid the scepter where no one could ever find it."
"And now the Red usurper has found it," Hatter said in a solemn voice.
"But if the scepter needs the blood of a Champion..." Tweedledee started.
"That would mean..." Tweedledum continued.
"That Alice..."
"Is..."
"In danger!"
"And she is entirely oblivious of this threat about to show up in her world," the Rabbit said.
"Your most Illustrious Highness," Hatter said, walking up to the throne, "you must send someone to warn Alice, and help her face your sister. I volunteer to go."
Chessy floated forward to the throne. "Your Highness," he started, "I know my friend Hatter means well, but maybe a more, stable, being aught to warn Alice. I volunteer to go to her aid."
"More stable! You are an evaporating cat!" Hatter exclaimed.
"Yet I can at least control my personalities! And my magic would be a added boon in the fight against the usurper."
"I will at least be able to fit in in Alice's world, and can thus help her gain allies in this battle!"
"Well, I..."
"Enough!" the White Queen shouted, raising from the throne, "I will not have you arguing like little children in my Palace! You shall both go to aid Alice!"
The hall fell entirely silent at this.
"As you wish, your Highness," Chessy said, giving one of his mischievous grins to Hatter.
"But your Highness!" Hatter exclaimed, "You can't be ser..."
"I have decided," the Queen said, "Both you, Hatter, and Cheshire here will go to Alice's world. You will arrive there at ten tonight, before my sister goes through the door."
With that, the Queen clapped her hands, and a rabbit hole formed above the two. The Rabbit brought a glimmering sword and a satchel to the Queen, who handed it to Hatter.
"This is Alidon's sword, and a satchel filled with shrinking potions and growing cakes," the Queen said, "Now go. Go and save the last Champion!"
Just as they were being swirled into the rabbit hole, Chessy saw a small gingerbread man climb into the satchel, and he knew exactly who it was.
And so starts our epic tale...

Spoiler

Note to everyone- this took place roughly 2pm, thus there is 8 hours before Hatter and Chessy arrive at the Black Manor. To the Unknowns, Alice and Dr Black, your posts should be roughly about your characters preparing for Black's annual dinner party at his Manor. Weather should be that of late Autumn, but windy and stormy because of the Wonderlandians who are crossing between realms.

The Queen of Hearts-Ardith White

~A discovery in the royal library~

Water was splashed on the Queen's pale face,as she tried to fathom the risk of the possible threat that her evil sister had cooked up. She wondered out loud, how the Queen of Hearts even managed to obtain the powerful scepter,meant to pose a danger to Alice's Wonderland.

Bells were ringing in her head screeching:Emergency! Emergency! Champions, scepters, Wonderland,danger,threat, blood. All of these words floated around in Ardith's head, but she couldn't make any sense of them because of her brain-fogged memories. All she cared about for now was Alice. Alice and Alice only.

There were murmurs whispered in the throne-room of the Queen,but she only noticed them like soft wind blowing in her ears. The world was blocked out,and she was only left with her,and her thoughts. Chessie and the Hatter acted so childish,and kept on arguing in front of her, so she almost regretted sending them off together to Wonderland.Perhaps this stragety would unite them and bring piece; or they might destroy both of themselves on the way to Wonderland,and then what would she do? The last image that she envisioned, was the rabbit hole,which they traveled through.

"Aridth? Ardith?" The Queen perked her head up, like a shotgun bending straight. No-one called her by her first name, except her favorite servant, who had been with her since childhood. Snapping out of her thoughts, she glared at her servant, distraught that her senses were awakened. But,it was better this way, since she was still supposed to be ruling and in charge, not acting so aloofly.

"You look quite frail and pale. Let me help you lay down . . ." the servant started whispering, when Ardith pushed those prying hands away. She didn't want to rest, in fact she couldn't rest because the thought of what could come was crawling on her mind, like an annoying bug on her forehead.

If she read a book on the history of Champions, maybe she could understand how this all had happened. Maybe that was the missing piece of the puzzle that she was frantically trying to piece together. Flagging the maids to follow her,she went to the palace's library and starting to search on the tops of piles of the books that were stacked in the library.Chester must have left it somewhere accessible, because he just recently gained this knowledge, he had just come out of here a couple of short hours ago. Who knows, maybe a book could save them?

After some rummaging beneath, the Queen's hands were dirty with the dust of old covered books that were long forgotten. She saw something silver, something that looked similar to the cover of the Champions Heritage. Reaching out,she touched the book, felt it's ridges contract with her skin. A glimmer of hope was placed into her mind;maybe this was the one. Taking it out from the hole, she read the title, in a whisper under her nose:
Champion's Heritage
Her hands were slightly shaking, as she opened to the page with the folded corner(that apparently Chessie had creased) and read the following:

"The scepter is hidden by the last Champion that was alive, Alidon the Brave near Crim Mountain. The only one that one can make this work is a drop of the blood of a Champion.

The Queen's head sprung up, and she thought that she had found the answer of how Icaribeth plans activated the scepter. Using dainty little Alice as her target,was a cruel thing for Icaribeth to do. She really did plan to prick her blood, so that she could harness the full potential of the power in the scepter. And she planned to use it for her evil delights and intentions, Aridth was sure of it. Icaribeth had all of this planned out,even to the last detail of time invasion. She just hoped the Chessie and the Hatter could stand a chance against powerful black magic. All this worries clouded in her head,and her vision became a blur.

With a sigh, the Queen fainted out of exhaustion and shock, and was daintily left on the rug in the library. The countdown until midnight had started now.

4pm

Alice stared at herself in the mirror. She had strand of hair sticking out at odd angles all over her head. She ran her hands on either side of her head to try to catch all of the offending strands and smooth them into place, but they sprang back out within seconds. "Ugh! Why is this happening?"

These strands were not going to calm down in time for the dinner tonight, so Alice decided to pull her hair back into a simple braid. She quickly managed to get her hair to somewhat resemble a braid. "This is as good as it is going to get, isn't it?" She asked her reflection.

"What is as good as it is going to get?" Alice's mother said from the doorway. Even though Alice had proven to her mother that she could be her own person, Margret Liddell still insisted on trying to run her daughter's life. "Alice! What on Earth happened to your hair?"

"I braided it," Alice replied, knowing full well what was about to happen.

Margret motioned for Alice to sit infront of the vanity, grabbing the brush that lay close by. Once Alice had sat down she placed her hands on both shoulders and met Alice's eyes in the mirror. "You must always look your best. Even if you don't care what you look like, others will."

She started brushing out Alice's hair and managed to sweep it up into a very simple style. Alice took her mother's hand and turned to face her. "Thank you." Alice smiled at her mother and Margret brought one hand to cup Alice's cheek. A small tear escaped one of her eyes and trailed down her face. "You look so beautiful."

And with that Margret left the room and Alice with her thoughts. She was excited to see Dr. Black tonight. Exchanging stories with him were some of the most cherished times of her life.

Thunder echoed outside Alice's window drawing her to look outside. "This is odd. It was clear only a few moments ago!" She knew that her hair would yet again need to be rescued once she made it to Dr. Black's. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

She let the drape fall back into place and sat back down at the vanity. She let her thoughts drift to when she had been in Wonderland. She missed her friends, but knew that she could never see them again. Her hand had unconsciously found its way to her bracelet that she wore on her right wrist. Twisting is around and around while her thoughts wondered.

The bracelet was the only blue colored item that Alice wore. After returning from her last trip to Wonderland, Alice had decided to stop wearing blue and dresses. After arguing with her mother, she had managed to get permission to wear pants under a half skirt, a compromise that Alice could live with. The skirt acted like a cape when she walked; it made things rather dramatic in her mind.

A smile appeared as she remembered seeing everyone's faces the first time she had worn her new clothes out in public. Her neighbors had been in a frenzy with the scandal they swore they had. Of course the rumors and scandal had faded once time had gone by. Now it was just normal for her to wear this.

It was closing in on the time for Alice to leave for the party, so she grabbed her coat and umbrella and headed for the door, the smile still gracing her lips.

Josephine

The face was her own but it also was not. As she powdered her cheeks in front of the mirror, Josephine watched herself take cover under the mask. Her cheeks and lips appeared fuller, her eyes more open and the bright red lipstick was thoroughly European. Her dress, however, was not.

For the party tonight, Josephine had selected a more exotic apparel with gold bordering around the neckline and the tightly cinched waist and a delicate swathe of silk netting cobwebbed over the slightly oriental, gold patterned short sleeves. The body of the dress was a dark shade of maroon, except for a black underskirt which pooled on the floor. It was the kind of dress which flaunted its uniqueness, even while she tried to hide her own.

Tonight she would be attending Dr. Black's annual dinner and it would be the perfect opportunity to gauge his interest in herself. It hadn't been proper yet for her to make clear any intentions she might have but hopefully the dress and her smiles would broach the subject for her. They hadn't done so far but tonight at least was certainly the time when she might have a tipple too much wine and flutter her eyelashes and express in no uncertain terms how handsome she thought Dr. Black was.

He was handsome. He had a rather unusual look and she admired that he wasn't afraid to appear different and he was handsome.

Josephine sighed and set down her mascara as she idly examined the uncertainty she felt. It would be a very proper marriage and Dr. Black's house was such a wonderful establishment for children and- what was that? Thunder this time of year?

Frowning, Josephine crossed the room and looked out on the sudden pouring rain and wondered if it had been raining a moment before. She hadn't thought she'd heard it but perhaps she was more pre-occupied with this business than she had thought. That was it. All this thinking was giving her a headache. It wasn't like Josephine to think so much, normally she acted or reacted and dealt with the consequences and that was that. Thinking was not a way of life for her.

Josephine finished putting on her face and collected a fine red and black umbrella and her gloves from the closet before making her way down the stairs and out the front door.

Monte 'Dean' Plumm | Strixbrook Academy | 4pm

"Alright children, go on home now." Monte dismissed the class as the final bell rung.

Monte shuffled about his desk, a neat pile of papers and books that would appear cluttered and messy to any random onlooker. He found the slip of paper he was looking for and quickly stuffed in his coat pocket. Tilting his head towards the window, he scrunched his brows at the quickly dimming sky.

"Professor Plum," Monte turned to see a a little girl standing in front of his desk, "Why do you always wear that coat?"

He smirked, "Well see, thats a long story madam, and if you really wanted to know, I'd have to give you more than the few minutes of time that I actually have to spare right now."

The girl frowned.

"But," Monte got down on one knee so their eyes were even, "One very, very important reason is actually quite simple."

The girls eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"You see, in the bright, sunny realm of Wonderland, where the grass is green and the breeze is calm, you never really know how quickly the weather can-" Monte snapped his finger, "Flip the switch."

"What switch?"

Monte stared blankly her.

"Here, take this." Monte produced an umbrella from under his desk and handed it to the child, "And hurry on home, your parents will be getting worried."

She looked at the umbrella, "But don't you need it?"

Monte looked out the window, "I don't live far, I should be able to beat the rain." He turned back to the girl, "But what's your name, madam?"

"Anna." She said with a smile.

Monte smirked, "Alright, Anna. I have some business to take care of. See you next class."

She waved good-bye as she took off with the umbrella, and Monte's expression changed from cheerful to gloomy the moment she disappeared. He walked over to the window and looked up to the sky, pulling out the piece of paper he has recovered earlier. As he unfolded it, a feeling of excitement grew within him. He looked down at the paper to a chart he had made of the weather to come this month. This was something he did all the time, as his interest in meteorology was just as strong now as the first day he learned about it. However there was something odd in his writing. Inside of the box containing today's date was a picture of a smiling sun, just like every other day that month. He looked outside once more, as if the weather would change to suit his liking.

"Hm." Monte said, folding the paper back up.

He turned away from the window and made his way to the door, the feeling of excitement still echoing inside him.

"Interesting."

Queen of Hearts|At the Portal on the Wonderland Side

She paced before the portal, red cloak trailing magnificently catching her. Catching her reflection in a glade-pool, she smiled at herself, barely resisting the temptation to stop and strike a pose. The huge mirror just sat there, reflecting not the Wonderlandian forest here, but a room in the other world. Faintly, the Queen recalled memories of a horrid place, with sick and dying people, where she had been imprisoned. Her name had been Iracibeth, she recalled. A pale girl with fiery hair and eyes the colour of the sea came to mind. Anger overtook her, and she laughed bitterly, the sound echoing off of the eaves of the weeping-trees.

Fingering a particularly iridescent leaf, the Queen paused before the mirror. Slowly, she stripped off her long red gloves, carefully placing the golden scepter she held down. Her eager hands tossed aside the dragonhide. Taking a step forward, her pale, white, hand reached forward, pausing just before touching the mirror. Just as she let her hand reach close enough to brush against the gleaming magnificence, someone cleared their throat behind her. Whirling around, her lip curled in rage, the Queen started to chant a curse, but dropped her raised arms when she saw that it was only Spade.

He bowed. "My Queen, I've sent the Piper off to bring back a native Wonderlandian to open the portal for us." His eyes seemed to bore into hers.

The Queen bit her lip in anger. "And when, Spade, do you think the Piper will be back?" She resumed her pacing. "We must open the portal at the other world's midnight. If he is even a second too late..." She seethed, her eyes crackling at the thought of her plans being thwarted before the fun had even really started.

"Your Majesty, he assured me that he would be here. Besides, we are not so far from the palace."

She scowled, wanting to find something else to be angry about. "And the Fox? Where is that damned rodent?"

Spade bowed again before speaking. "He accompanied the Piper, my queen."

The Queen glanced at him scornfully before walking out from under cover of the trees. As she walked, a thin stream of power flowed from the scepter to the mirror, connecting the two. She could hear Spade walking behind her, a good ten feet away. She gazed upon the golden castle atop the hill in the distance. A sudden bout of longing washed over her, and she glared at the castle.

Memories of ruling Wonderland washed over her, of royal galas, of rose gardens, of the days of yesteryear when she was Queen, and not just in title. The sweet scent of roses and blood seemed to flow in the air around her, making the longing only worse. Angry at herself for feeling this way, she hissed, "I will destroy her for taking my throne, my subjects, my home. I swear it now, I will not rest until I have everything I want." Whirling around, she strode back to the mirror, skirts and cloak fanning around her.

Understanding perfectly who she meant, Spade said, "I would expect nothing less from you, my queen." He stayed a little further back, perhaps from experiences of furniture smashing near his head during one of the Queen's rages.

Her anger faded away as quickly as it came. With a slightly unhinged smile, she said, "Do come closer, Spade, I've nothing to throw at your head this time."

He took a step forward, but just then, a commotion was heard up ahead, in the trees. The shining leaves shook, and some of them fell. Both of them turned, and the Queen strode forward, exerting her magic over Wonderland to make the roots of the trees creep toward her... visitor. Then, the Piper and the Fox came into sight, dragging a rather plump, wailing boy behind them.

The Queen's mad laughter echoed off of the nearby cliffs as she watched him struggle. Turning to the Piper, she asked, a maniacal gleam in her eye, "Which one is this, Piper?"

The Fox answered her question. "It's Tweedledee, Your Majesty." The screaming boy lost her interest, and she gestured expansively to the mirror.

"Bring him over to the mirror, then. I'll take his blood." Calmly, she watched as Spade went to help them. Drawing her red dagger, she pressed it against Tweedledee's skin, happily watching the blood flow out of his wrist. Before she got too distracted, she smeared some onto her own skin, and letting her hand glow with magic, went to the mirror. Slowly, she traced the image of a heart into the glass. The blood disappeared, and suddenly, the glass grew a red glow.

"Is it done, your majesty?" Spade was the only one brave enough to talk to her.

Turning around, she smiled at them. "It is done. At midnight in Alice's world, the portal will open, and we will cross through."

The Fox ventured a question. "How will we know if it's open, your majesty?"

Coldly glaring at the rodent-like animal, she said, "I will know." Pausing a second, she turned back to the portal. "Take the boy someplace where he will not see us, and where he will be found, but only after we leave." After the Fox's and the Piper's footsteps faded away, she turned back around.

"What do we do now, my queen?" Spade's voice held quiet excitement.

She glanced at her handiwork once more. "Now, we wait." A bright smile lit her face for a second before disappearing.

Bishop Richard Green
St. Luke's Cathedral

Bishop Green was content. He stood before the altar and breathed through his nose, sucking in the faint scent of pine needles that clung to the air. The sun seeped through the stained glass windows, painting the crucifix with pastel blues and greens. He heard the quiet voices behind him and the sweet twittering of birds outside.

When people began to trickle into church at half past three for Mass, the weather was lovely. If anything, it was warm: hardly a lady was without her fan, and the few who didn't have one were fanning themselves with hymnbooks.

Bowing his head, the bishop crossed himself and took a seat on the altar next to the priest, who in turn stood to greet the crowd and begin Mass. Bishop Green's eyes wandered up to the blue and green stained glass windows, where he could see the sun stream through the glass like the very hand of God.

The organ started to play and the bishop got to his feet - along with everyone else in the room - to sing. He didn't actually sing, of course, preferring to mouth the words. He couldn't dare let anyone hear what his singing voice sounded like. When he sat back down he noticed that the cathedral was considerably darker, and the sun wasn't streaming through the windows anymore. Father Matthew started the first reading, and the cathedral was darker still.

The bishop nudged one of the altar boys. "Jimmy," he said. "Why don't you light all the candles?"

The boy nodded and silently wove around the cathedral. He lit the candles and the bishop soon forgot about the sudden darkness outside.

When Mass ended, people rose to leave and the doors were flung open. The bishop had turned to enter the back room and change out of his heavy robes, but he spun on his heel in alarm when he heard the pattering of rain outside. Even the organ player paused in surprise.

People wavered at the threshold, hesitant to step over it. A gentleman removed his jacket and lifted it above the head of both him and his wife; they were the first to step out. Several others followed suit, and paper fans and hymnbooks were now umbrellas.

The bishop and Father Matthew watched as they scurried off.

"There wasn't a cloud," the priest said, his puzzled features accented in the candlelight. "Not a cloud."

"I know," Bishop Green said. "It was warm just an hour ago."

"I can't understand it." He rubbed his nose. "Dr. Black's party is tonight, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's rather unfortunate. Hopefully he hadn't planned for it to be outdoors."