The ballroom was filled with people. Dresses of every color, masks of every creature, and feelings of excitement and anxiety. The celebration of the vanquishing of the Jabberwock was certainly something to behold, and while those who attended were always a bit apprehensive due to the Queen's fiery temper, the fear was doubled this year. With the fugitives still on the run, some were surprised the Queen had held the ball at all. The people of Hearts were both eager to see if the rebels would appear and terrified of the Queen's reaction if they did.

Ace himself was feeling rather apprehensive as he scanned the sea of masks and ballgowns. Would he be able to pick her out of the crowd with so many people disguising themselves? He liked to think there was no way he could forget her face, even hidden by a mask, but he wasn't enough of a hopeless romantic to believe that. Besides, he needed to focus on more than Alice. This was the night. This was the night everything would change. By the morning, there would either be a new Queen or he and his friends would all be dead.

The number of guards at the ball was doubled compared to previous years. Extra precautions had been taken to ensure no uninvited guests would be able to take them by surprise. Still, even with the additional security measures, he knew that the rebels would find their way inside. The White Rabbit, though trembling and terrified, had agreed to play his role in the scheme.

Had he already met with them? Were they inside at last? Ace fidgeted with the buttons on his uniform, still searching the crowd for a familiar face. The Queen had already arrived and was watching the festivities from her throne, looking bored and unimpressed. Despite her efforts to secure the Castle, Ace couldn't help but wonder if she actually wanted the rebels to find their way in. It would bring her the greatest pleasure to put an end to their efforts in front of such a large crowd. Making an example of them would certainly keep any others from considering revolution.

A girl in a sparkling purple gown and a mask made of matching purple feathers approached Ace. "Good evening, Captain," she said with a curtsey.

Ace bowed. "Good evening, Lady Wiggins."

"Don't you just look dashing in your uniform. No mask?"

"Technically, I'm not here to take part in the festivities. I'm supposed to be working."

"'Supposed to be?' Does that mean you might be able to slip away and join me for a dance?"

"Trust me, Lady Wiggins, you wouldn't want to subject yourself to my dancing."

"So I've heard. But my feet may be able to put up with it for one small dance."

Ace hesitated. He didn't much want to dance with the girl, but he knew he had to act casual. Never one to turn down a lady's request, he really he had no choice.

"I would be honored, Lady Wiggins," he replied with a polite smile.

Lady Wiggins returned the smile, and the two made their way towards the handful of other couples who were dancing to the music being played by a stringed quartet. Ace tried his best to concentrate on the steps so as not to injure Lady Wiggins' feet. Thankfully, it was a familiar enough song, but his movements were still stiff and awkward.

"So I heard you were kidnapped by that group of rebels," Lady Wiggins said.

Worried that talking and dancing would lead to disaster, Ace smiled and kept his reply short. "Yes."

"Was it awful?"

"It could have been worse."

"That hatter fellow is positively bonkers, or so I've been told. Is he the one who gave you that nasty bruise?"

"Yes."

"What a horrible brute. But they say he is not the leader. Apparently it's some little thief who stole the Vorpal Sword from the Queen. Did you meet her?"

Ace winced as he stepped on the girl's toes and she let out a tiny cry. "Sorry. And, yes, I did meet her."

Lady Wiggins gave a polite smile and backed away just a tad. "Is she really as much of a threat as everyone believes?"

Hesitating, Ace concentrated on his feet. "Her being a threat depends on who you are, I suppose."

Lady Wiggins tilted her head as he prepared to spin her out. "What does that mean?"

Before Ace could respond, he caught sight of a vibrant blue dress. His eyes widened. In his distraction, he let go of Lady Wiggins mid-spin, and she crashed into a nearby couple. Quickly, Ace returned his attention to his partner.

"I'm so, so sorry, my lady," he said as he took her hand and helped to steady her. "I was distracted. I'm sorry, I really am an awful dancer."

Lady Wiggins adjusted her mask and gave a tight smile. "No worries, Captain. I was forewarned."

Even if he had no interest in dancing with the girl, Ace still felt terrible. "Perhaps you'd like to put this dance on hold until I'm given some proper lessons?"

She laughed daintily and pulled out a purple fan, batting him on the shoulder with it. "It's fine, Captain. It was fun while it lasted. Thank you for the dance."

The lady disappeared into the crowd, perhaps to find a more suitable partner. Ace let out a long sigh, still feeling guilty that half of the reason for the failed dance was, not simply his lack of skill, but his inability to give his partner the attention she deserved. Still, his guilt did not stop him from looking about for that flash of blue that had caused the disturbance. Granted, there were plenty of folks wearing blue outfits, but something about this particular one had struck him as familiar. It brought him back to the Queen's tea party not so long ago. Back to when this entire debacle had begun.

Trying his best not to be obvious in his search, he continued to scour the crowd for any sign of a blue dress. Green, red, silver, something akin to translucent—and there it was. A vibrant blue dress. But more interesting to him was the girl who wore the dress. Though her face was obscured by a blue mask with a black rose, there was no mistaking her. The way she held herself—ready to run into whatever adventure presented itself to her. And when her eyes turned in his direction, he could see that irresistible curiosity in them. However, at that moment, something else filled them as well. Something like uncertainty. Apprehension.

Fear.

Taking a deep breath, Ace attempted nonchalance as he made his way towards her. She had not yet noticed him, so he allowed his shoulder to bump into her elbow as he passed.

"Oh, so sorry, my lady," he said.

"No, no, it was—" Her face lit up when she recognized him, and Ace couldn't help but feel a warm flutter of satisfaction in knowing she was pleased to see him. "Captain Ace."

"Lady Laurens, is it?"

Alice smiled wickedly. "Duchess Temple, actually."

"A duchess? My, my, you do know how to climb that social ladder."

"I am a woman of many talents, Captain."

Ace could not keep a smile from spreading across his face. He took a look at her stolen dress and fanciful mask. "You're stunning."

"Isn't this the most beautiful dress you've ever seen? I'm simply in love with it."

"It isn't exactly the dress that has me so mesmerized."

A slight flush of pink crept out from beneath Alice's mask. Ace chuckled softly and was about to tease her some more when he noticed something in her hair. It was round and spiky. Tapping it with his finger, a tiny little nose peeked out and trembled slightly.

"Well, isn't that a unique adornment," Ace said.

"Yes, some guard with the strangest fashion sense gave him to me. Seemed to think it would make a good hairpiece, so I thought I would humor him."

The little hedgehog pulled his nose back into the protective ball he had formed. Ace grinned at Alice. However, he quickly pulled the grin into a contemplative frown. Holding one hand over his head, he positioned the other just above Alice's.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Trying to see if you're back to your original height. I worried you were a mite shorter than usual."

"Afraid our height difference will make it difficult to dance?"

Ace dropped his hands. "Did you want to dance?"

Alice shrugged. "I mean, if you fancied dancing, I suppose I wouldn't mind. It's not every day I get to attend a ball, after all."

Even while remembering the disaster his last dance had been, Ace could not resist. Holding out his hand to her, he felt a shiver run up his arm as her fingers brushed his palm. Making his way back onto the dancefloor, he was somehow more anxious about his inability to dance than he had been previously. He took up her hands and gave a silent prayer that he would not make a complete fool of himself.

"That bruise looks awful," Alice said, gently brushing her fingertips against his cheek.

Her touch caused him to stumble. "It's not nearly as bad as it looks."

Alice grinned at his sudden clumsiness. "Didn't you say something about stepping on ladies' toes when you danced?"

"Yes, yes I did. And it's true."

"Have you never had dance lessons?"

"No, it's not something required to become a guard. And since I've never had a mother or a sister, no one bothered to teach me."

"Do you not enjoy dancing?"

"If it's with the right person, I'm more than happy to dance."

His foot nearly hit her toe, but she was quick enough to pull away.

"I'm sorry," he said, his nerves on edge as he tried his best to recall the steps.

"It's fine. A very skilled soldier taught me some swordplay, and I find that the moves translate well into dancing."

Ace laughed, but his foot grazed the side of her foot and nearly caused them both to topple over. "I am so sorry. Perhaps this was a bad idea."

"Nonsense." Alice paused for a moment and lifted an eyebrow. There was a humorous smile playing on her lips. "Would you object to trading places?"

Ace furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? You want me to don your dress and play a duchess?"

Laughing, Alice shook her head. "No, although that would be entertaining. I meant, would you mind if I took the lead?"

"Oh. No, I'm certain you could do a much better job."

Repositioning their hands, they continued the dance, this time with Alice guiding their steps. "When I was younger, I became infatuated with dancing," Alice said. "Poor Mr. Ferret knew nothing about it, but he was too good to let me dance alone. So I was always the one who took the lead."

"You're a natural leader, I must say."

"I can only hope that will be the case in more than just dancing."

Her face fell slightly, and that fear returned to her eyes. Ace wanted to distract her from her worries, so he attempted to change the subject. "Your eyes look a bit different tonight. Are you wearing makeup?"

"Oh, that was Pierrot's doing. He added a little liner about them. He's quite skilled with kohl, believe it or not."

"I'm willing to believe most anything about that fellow."

"He's odd, it's true, but he has the kindest heart." Alice hesitated, looking away. When she turned her eyes back to him, they were brimming with tears. "I'm terribly worried about him, Ace."

Her sudden despair concerned Ace, and he tightened his grip on her hand. "Why? What's wrong?"

"The way he's been talking, I feel as if he's trying to say goodbye to me. It's like he knows something terrible is going to happen, but he won't tell me what." She took a quavering breath. "I've grown so close to him in such a short period of time. If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do. He's been such a support, such a good friend. I'm beginning to feel that this entire thing was a mistake. What if everything changes? What if I lose everyone in my life? I can't do alone, Ace. I simply can't."

Ace opened his mouth to reassure her that she would never be left alone, but he was distracted by a sudden puff of smoke and gasps from those around them. Everyone had stopped dancing and turned their attention to the strange man who had appeared before the Queen's throne.

Pierrot.

Ace and Alice traded looks and glanced about the rest of the room. Hatta was near one of the doors, his face obscured by a large butterfly mask. Mary Ann and Haigha were accompanying the White Rabbit as he had the servants pass out glasses of wine, whispering something about a toast. Returning his gaze to Alice, Ace could practically see the anxiety radiating off of her. He gave her hand a squeeze to remind her that he was still by her side.

"Who are you?" the Queen asked Pierrot. Raven stood at attention, ready to attack the intruder at the Queen's command.

"Your Majesty," Pierrot said as he gave a deep bow. "I am here at this celebration commemorating your slaying of the terrible Jabberwock to honor your bravery and strength."

The crowd gave a cheer. The Queen looked somewhat pleased with the praise, but her cold eyes returned to Pierrot, waiting for his next move.

"And as a gift of my eternal gratitude and loyalty," Pierrot continued, "I hereby present you with something I believe you lost."

With a twist of his hand, a sword appeared. But not just any sword. The Vorpal Sword. Alice gasped, and Ace saw her reach into her smol. She turned her eyes to him and shook her head. It wasn't the real Vorpal Sword. They returned their attention to Pierrot.

The Queen's eyes burned with fury. "Where did you—"

As she reached out for the weapon, it transformed with a puff of smoke. It was now a crystal plate, atop which was a pile of pink macarons. The Queen froze, and her eyes widened. No one in the crowd seemed to understand why a plate of cookies had taken her by such surprise. Raven, though, appeared to be just as shaken, nearly toppling off of the Queen's shoulder.

Taking in a sharp breath, the Queen glared at Pierrot and whispered, "Who are—"

Before she could complete the sentence, the macarons disappeared, exploding into a shower of red rose petals. The crowd was delighted, and as Pierrot took a final bow, the White Rabbit—accompanied by Mary Ann and Haigha—called for a toast to the Queen. Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip of the wine.

Pierrot still stood before the Queen with a soft smile on his lips. Just as the crowd lowered their glasses, the red rose petals lost their color and turned white. This drew the Queen's attention away from Pierrot. Her eyes grew large, first in horror, then in rage. She turned back to Pierrot, likely to demand his execution, but he was gone. And before she could even begin to search for him, she was again distracted when every single one of her guests fell to the floor, their glasses shattering as they drifted off into a deep sleep.

Ace glanced about the room. Aside from himself and Alice, only Hatta, Mary Ann, Haigha, and the White Rabbit remained awake. Even his men had been rendered useless by the drugged wine. He looked back to the Queen. She had now risen to her feet, and as she recognized them, her fingers curled into fists.

All stood silently, and Ace hoped that the Queen would surrender then and there.

But he knew such hopes were futile.

The Queen's eyes settled on Alice, and she pointed her finger in her direction. "Off with her head!"

Raven flew from her shoulder and transformed into the executioner, his axe ready to swing. Ace quickly grabbed for his sword, but before he could act, Hatta had jumped between them and the shadowy figure, stopping the axe with his walking stick. His sudden intervention took Raven by surprise, and he fell back a step.

"She's getting away!" Alice exclaimed.

Ace saw the Queen fleeing out of the corner of his eye. Without another word, Alice pushed both Ace and Hatta aside, the Vorpal Sword already in her hand. Tart leapt from her hair, and Ace caught him before he hit the floor. They watched as Alice chased after the Queen.