The Black Knight had burned its way through the maze of roses and reached the outer wall of Alice's castle. The castle's knights and guards had braced the door with as much material as they could gather and formed a block of armoured bodies behind it, weapons bared and shields up.

The Black Knight cut its way through the door and barricade with a few vicious and explosive strokes and was soon battling its ways through the defenders. None of their weapons could pierce its armour but its sword cleaved through theirs as if they wore none. Their brave stand did slow its progress, if only slightly.

Beyond the gardens, standing atop the keep's wall, Alice watched in dismay. She glanced aside as half a dozen bandersnatches tore across the open expanse, smashing through finely trimmed hedges and carving holes through the lawn with their sharp claws. Their mouths slavering, teeth shining, they roared in unison just as the Black Knight decapitated the last guard.

The bandersnatches, several hundred pounds of muscle and might, pounced at the Black Knight, claws and teeth leading. With a swift stroke it cleaved the first one in two, impaled the second, and caught the third in one hand, gripping the huge beast's throat tightly. It roared and grunted in protest but as the fingers clenched tighter the sounds coming from it became far more high-pitched and filled with pain. Whimpering in agony, the bandersnatch went silent as the Black Knight snapped its neck and tossed it aside. The last three bandersnatches circled their enemy but glanced at one another worriedly, waiting for one to attack first.

The Black Knight ignored them and continued to march toward the castle.

Alice eyed it expectantly. The Black Knight was approaching one of Hatter's traps. She could see him hiding behind one of the hedges, sipping at his tea cup nervously as he watched the demon's advance. Concealed behind other animal-shaped hedges were his accomplices, ready to aid in springing the trap.

The Black Knight stepped onto a white line of chalk drawn on the road. A moment later, a score of Wonderland citizens sprung out of hiding, bearing all manner of projectile. A dodo threw a baked apple pie at the knight, hooting with glee as it splattered all over its full-faced helm. A pair of dormice climbed up its armoured body and squeezed hot peppers into its eye-slit, giggling away as the Black Knight grunted and shook its head. Three dogs and a cat threw banana peels in the knight's path, rolling in laughter as it slipped and stumbled. A walrus, a lizard, and a sheep carried a huge bucket between them and dumped it over the Black Knight as it tried to recover from the banana peels. Hot black tar dribbled down the demon's body, forming a puddle at its feet. Finally, the Mad Hatter appeared, carrying a massive top hat in his arms. He slid it over the Black Knight's whole body as it was encumbered by the heavy tar, and then gave it a hug, ensuring the inside of the hat stuck to the sticky substance. He then stomped his feet on the hat's brim, sticking it to the tar on the road.

"Stand clear!" cried a multitude of tiny voices.

The Hatter stood back as a hundred fairies flew in and battered the hat with blue balls of lights. As a layer of ice began to form over the hat, the Black Knight struggled more powerfully, roaring in rage.

"Faster, faster!" Hatter shouted at the fairies. "Before he tears my biggestest and most precious of all hats!"

The block of ice was soon finished, trapping the hat that trapped the pile of tar that trapped the Black Knight beneath it all. Everyone gathered around cheered, including the three bandersnatches. The Black Knight was stopped!

Alice let a smile creep across her face. Could they have done it? Was the Black Knight really stopped? She dared to hope that it was so.

Moments later, all hopes were shattered as the block of ice itself shattered to pieces. The Black Knight stood with arms outstretched, fists clenched, and dark flames burning all over its armoured body, the man-sized top hat nothing but cinders. With a cry of fury it set itself upon the defenders. Hatter threw his empty teacup at it before holding his hat with one hand and racing away. His accomplices shrieked in terror and hurried off with all haste. The Black Knight pursued, reaching the slow walrus first, dispatching him with a vicious slash. The dodo was next, huffing and puffing and waddling as quickly as his short legs allowed him.

"Dodgson, hurry!" Alice shouted at one of her oldest friends. "He's right behind you!" Her body was cold while she helplessly watched in terror as the Black Knight reached Dodgson the dodo. Dodson turned around and pleaded with the knight for a moment, promising a better tasting pie next time, before the fiery sword plunged through his chest.

The last of the trappers, the Hatter, entered the castle then, the doors shutting closed behind him. He hurried up the steps to where Alice stood on the wall and removed his hat, bowing low. "Forgive me, dear Alice, I failed you. I trapped as trappiestest as I could..."

"You did your best, Hatter," Alice said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't have asked for more than that."

"Oh, Alice, I think sometimes you are too kind for a queen." He glanced at the approaching knight and gulped. "What is there to do now?"

"March Hare has made some sort of cannon, I think. It might work..."

"Don't mind me saying, Alice, but you seem to lack hope in Hare's big booming cannon."

Alice sighed. "I don't mean to, Hatter. I really don't. I just...don't know..."

Hatter opened his mouth to say something and then furrowed his brows in confusion. He looked at Alice's head and then behind her, and at her feet, in his coat, under his hat, on top of his own head, and then all around, utterly befuddled. Eyeing Alice curiously, he said, "Where is Chesh?"

Alice looked up, expecting to see him floating there, but saw only a smoke-filled sky. Worriedly, she snapped her gaze to the Black Knight and felt her insides imploding. There, standing on the road only a few paces away from the demon, was the Cheshire cat. He turned his head and met Alice's gaze, giving her a great, toothy grin.

"Worry not about me, dear Alice," he called out. "We will see each other again."

"NO!" Alice shouted. She hurried across the wall, leapt down the steps, and rushed to the closed doors, ordering the guards there to open them. Hatter grabbed her and pulled her back, pressing her against the wall.

"Don't do anything foolish!" he said to her, his eyes wide. "Chesh is a smart cat, the very smartest I've ever met, and he wouldn't want you getting in danger. Stay here, Alice, behind the walls, with me and the others. Wonderland needs its queen."

Alice fought against him until he spoke his last sentence, where she stopped moving altogether. "Wonderland's queen. That's it, Hatter! That's who can help us!"

"Well, yes, that is what I was saying, Alice. You must stay and help—"

"No, not me! The Red Queen! She ruled Wonderland longer than I ever did. If anyone knows how to stop this demon, it's her!" Empowered by renewed hope, Alice left Hatter standing in confusion and raced to the keep.

Hatter watched her go for a moment, pondered deeply, and then shrugged and hurried after.

****

Meanwhile, on the road, the Cheshire cat watched the Black Knight approach as he licked himself. Its red eyes looked down at the striped feline and narrowed. Chesh finished licking his paw and stretched his legs, yawning loudly.

"Give me Selvina," the Black Knight growled. "Or your world dies."

"Can a world truly die?" Chesh asked. "Can you truly kill it?"

"I will kill you!"

"Now, now, there is no need for such attitude. I asked a simple question."

The Black Knight pointed its sword at Chesh's face. "Give me Selvina or I kill you."

"You must take serious lessons on improving your manners. First, let us introduce ourselves, shall we? I am Cheshire Cat, though my friends call me Chesh. Who are you?"

"Selvina! Now!"

"Selvina? You certainly do not look like Selvina. I met her, you know, and I know how she looks like. How about Mr. Impolite, is that your name? It most certainly seems to be what you are and who are we if not what we are?"

The Black Knight's sword jabbed forward, digging into the road, but injured no one. The Cheshire Cat floated into the air, partially transparent, and shook his head.

"Has your mother never taught you not to play with pointy objects? You could poke someone's eye out."

With a growl, the Black Knight ignored the floating cat and continued on its way toward the closed doors.

Chesh tut-tutted. "Now you leave without saying goodbye? What shame. I was not finished with you." The cat settled onto the ground and then pulled his ears back. "Come back to me, Mr. Impolite, I have a fight to battle with you yet."

At that, the Black Knight turned his head and looked back. In place of a fuzzy, striped cat stood a monstrous demonic beast with curved horns, spikes, fangs, serrated claws, scaly skin, and a mane of dark fur. With a low growl it grinned wickedly, revealing row upon row of dagger-like teeth.

The Black Knight turned around completely, facing this new threat, and gripped its blade just a little tighter.

****

Alice rushed through the castle and down into the lower passages. She had initially placed the Queen of Hearts in the same cell where she had been kept imprisoned but has since moved her to a more spacious lodging. The sight of her in that damp, cramped, and filth-ridden cell had pleased her for a time but eventually morality came into play and she showed mercy to the cruel sovereign. It was still a cell but it had a barred window, a table and chairs, an actual bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf. Alice did not visit her often but whenever she did the former queen always had a great list of complaints to give her.

Now was no exception.

"Is that you, girl?" Alice could hear from down the stone hall. "I demand some sweeter tarts and more red! There is so little red in here!"

Alice stopped in front of the cell and looked through the bars that took up one entire wall. Within, standing in front of the window and gazing through it, was who used to be the Red Queen. She hadn't been queen for over a month but she had fallen heavily. She barely ate and was thus thin, bony, and sallow-faced. She wore a thrifty black dress, brown slippers, and grey gloves. Atop her head was a makeshift crown made of braided pieces of hay she had taken from her mattress. She had coloured some of the strands of hay red with her own blood after pricking her finger with a fork. Since then, she was only given spoons, no matter what type of food she was given.

"I will give you some red if you help me with something," Alice said as softly as she could, her heart racing as her thoughts filled with what was transpiring outside.

The other woman laughed heartily. "Help you? Why would I help you? You're the reason I'm in here! I would never help you! Off with your—gah! I hate you!"

"Wonderland is about to go down in flames from some demon knight and if you don't tell me how I can stop it then I will keep you here and you can die along with everyone else. Help me now, Heartless, and I'll think about giving you a bit of red in your room."

"I am the Red Queen! If not that, then the Queen of Hearts! Call me by my name!"

"You are no queen but you are indeed heartless, therefore, Heartless is your name! Now answer me!"

"No!"

Alice gripped the bars, her face growing red with anger, and clenched her teeth. "Do you even know how to kill a demon?"

"Why would I know how to kill a demon? Stupid girl."

Alice dropped her head. "So you can't help me at all?"

"That is not what I said!"

"Then tell me!"

"No!"

"Ohhhh! You're simply unbelievable! You're about to die, you know!"

"So are you, which is fine with me."

"Wonderland needs your help!"

"Wonderland can die with me, proving in the end that I was the better queen."

Alice was about to fire some retort but thought against it. Instead, she went a different direction. "You're right, you would have been the better queen."

Heartless raised an eyebrow in interest and turned her head to gaze at Alice. "Of course I would have been. Everyone knows that."

"Indeed, everyone does. Only a queen as great and wondrous and amazing and beautiful as yourself could stop this demon."

"Precisely."

"If you were queen, then, how would you do it?"

"I would simply cast it out. I have no need for demons."

"What do you mean? How?"

"I don't need to answer to you! I am the queen!"

Alice opened her mouth to press on but then stopped. She had it. The Room of Doors. One of those doors had sent Selvina and her friends out to the island in the upper world. If she could guide the Black Knight to that room and somehow send it through one of the doors it would be gone from Wonderland. It could only appear somewhere on Skull Island, instead of all over Faeryum like in ages past, but hopefully it was disposed of before it reached the rabbit hole again. If anything, it gave Alice some much needed time to plan a strategy to defeat it if it returned.

"That's it," she said as a victorious grin crept on her face. She looked up at Heartless. "Thank you for the help!"

"Stupid girl, I did not help you."

Rapid footsteps were heard coming down the hall and Alice glanced that way to see the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit appear, the former smiling sheepishly. He seemed uncharacteristically worried, which troubled Alice. The Rabbit hopped over to her, his ears low.

"I asked everyone, Alice," he said in his speedy manner of speaking, "everyone I could ask! No one knows how to stop a demon! Not a single one! I am so very very sorry, dear queen!"

"I am queen!" cried out Heartless, her loud voice making White Rabbit tremble and shudder.

"Don't worry," Alice said, a confident smile on her face. "I have a plan."

"Excellent timing, Alice!" Hatter said cheerfully. "A moment later we'd all be doomed!"

"Let us all go before we are!" she said before running down the hall. Her two friends followed at her side, a noticeable spring in their steps.

Behind them all, the former queen called out, "I demand more red!"