Mad knew something different was happening when he woke up and Rakta was the one standing in front of him. Mad rolled his neck, trying to work loose the knots and asked tiredly, "So what's next? Are we starting up again?"

For the past couple days, or what Mad thought were days, he hadn't been tortured. The only thing to happen was that Tamsus had kept his word and someone had attended to the stab wound in his side.

"Your trial was set for today. I'm to make certain you behave yourself." Rakta pulled a knife from his belt and Mad's cheek and side throbbed sympathetically as he remembered what had happened the last time he'd been in this room with an Ace with a knife. But all Rakta did was slice the ropes binding him and Mad tried to stand up.

He laughed at how weak he felt and said, "I'm honored that they think you're the only one who could take me on."

Rakta didn't answer, just pushed Mad back into the chair, then started cleaning the blood off of his face with a wet rag.

"Oh, I see," Mad said, wincing when Rakta brushed the cut on his face. "It's just that no one else was nice enough to volunteer to make me presentable for my court date."

Rakta's face stayed emotionless, giving away nothing and Mad shut his eyes, exhausted. He yelped when Rakta poured freezing water over him, washing sweat and blood from his body. Teeth chattering, Mad said, "So I guess Tam's not back yet huh?"

Rakta's only answer was another bucket of water poured slowly this time. Mad slapped Rakta's hand away when he started washing the blood from Mad's hair. He reached up, his shoulders aching fiercely and scrubbed at his head, waiting for the water to run clear.

Rakta disappeared out the door, only to return instantly with a towel and some fresh clothes. Still no shoes though.

"Get dressed," Rakta commanded. "Knock on the door when you're done. Someone will take you up."

"You're on the wrong side Diamond," Mad said, rubbing gingerly at his wet hair with the towel. He didn't really know why he said it. He just felt it needed to be said.

Mad looked up when Rakta actually paused at the door. He shook his head and said, "We don't always get to choose Hatter."

He left then, leaving Mad in shock. Slowly, careful of his battered body, Mad got dressed, thinking about what the Diamond Ace had said.

It hadn't been the answer Mad expected.

Mad finished dressing and knocked on the door like he'd been instructed. It wasn't worth it to fight just yet.

The guards clapped iron shackles onto his already chafed, bruised wrists and, with one on either side of him, they led Mad through the castle's underbelly, back into the real world.

Mad's eyes slammed shut of their own accord, the sunlight inflicting a great deal of pain after having been in the dark for so long. He had no choice but to let the guards guide him forward, doing his best to get his eyes to adjust.

He was able to open his eyes just in time to watch a pair of massive doors made of rosewood, carved with a pattern of hearts and roses open, letting them into the courtroom.

Mad heard the whispers and stood straight, hiding his pain as best he could, refusing to limp or curl his shoulders. His chin was up and he glared at anyone who dared to meet his gaze.

They reached the front of the room and the guards led him towards the left side of the room, opposite the jury box. Mad growled when they forced him to his knees, but he still didn't fight. It would only be a waste of precious energy.

Besides, Mad could see Rakta in an upper balcony, watching him like a hawk, hand resting casually near his waist, fingers tapping the butt of a gun.

Mad took the chance then to look around the courtroom, ignoring the whispers of those present. He'd never been in here before, refusing to participate in Mavros' mockery of a legal system and was surprised by the decor.

Stained glass windows let in copious amounts of crimson light that reflected off the white marble, marring the pure color in patches of scarlet at even intervals. Everything else in the castle was made of red marble, so this was what held Mad's attention the most, as a relief from the overwhelming red.

The floor was so polished it reflected the room and was a striking contrast against the dark red wood that made up the benches, witness stands and jury box.

Mad couldn't help but snort, wondering why they'd bothered with a jury at all. Everyone knew it was Mavros who made the final judgement.

Five minutes passed and Mad sighed. The Queen was never on time.

The marble was frigid on his bare feet and painful against his knees, but Mad didn't move. He wanted to lull the guards into a sense of calm before his small defiance. One that was very important to him.

Another ten minutes passed before a trumpet sounded and one of the guards yelled, "Kneel before your Queen!"

Mad waited, his muscles tensing, then sprang to his feet just as Mavros entered, grinning at the furious look on her face when she found him on his feet, facing her with anything but a bowed head or subservient attitude.

The guards shoved him back down, but Mad didn't mind so much now. He'd shown Mavros what he wanted her to see, and that was that he would never willingly kneel before her.

She schooled her features back to disinterest and took her seat, the rest of the room following suit when she waved a lazy hand.

She was wearing rich ivory robes that wrapped around her body elegantly. Her autumnal hair was painstakingly curled and twisted into an impressive knot at her neck, striking against the white cloth of her robes, and she wore an intricate crown encrusted with diamonds and rubies. The precious stones were like chipped ice and so many drops of frozen blood sparkling in the sunlight.

Right behind her was Tamsus and he looked angry. Mad slumped a little in relief, even as his last memory of the Ace sent a shiver of dread down his spine.

If Tamsus was back and Mad was the only one sitting in this courtroom, then that meant Alice and Killian were still free. Judging by how furious and strained Tamsus looked, they were also very much alive, having somehow managed to elude him.

"Order!" the Queen called into the already silent room and Mad looked up toward the the frescoed ceiling in exasperation. As always, Mavros was insufferably theatrical.

Everyone leaned forward in their seats, eyes glued to the proceedings. Mad wanted to laugh. He was sure that the only thing that was unique to them about this was the fact that he was a Real Worlder. Since trials were a staple of the Heart Queen's court, Mad was sure they had seen these imitations of legality many times before.

"Madison Hatter. You stand accused of defying your Queen's orders, sheltering Illegal Persons, and otherwise conspiring with her enemies. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Mavros said, her voice stately, her eyes practically gleaming with triumph and excitement.

Mad glared up at her and said scathingly, "You're not my Queen. And you never have been. I'd do it all again, without hesitation. The only thing I have to say is that my one regret is I won't get to see you die and watch the Spade King take his rightful throne."

There was an instant uproar, the crowd shouting insults and threats at him, but Mad wasn't paying them any attention. They were merely sheep, content to let the wolf lead them to slaughter.

What actually held Mad's attention was Tamsus. The Ace was looking at him with something Mad couldn't immediately place because it was so ridiculously out of character.

Mad hadn't realized that Tamsus even knew what regret was. But it was there, plain as day on Tam's face.

Tamsus Heart was looking at him with regret and Mad couldn't believe in what he was seeing.

Mad's eyebrows drew together in confusion and he frowned, only pulling his gaze away from Tamsus when Mavros once again called, "Order!"

In the ensuing silence, her voice rang out as she asked, "You are pleading guilty to these charges?"

Mad had never even wanted to hit a woman before, but at the moment, he itched to slap that smug look right off of Mavros' face. All he did though, was shrug and say, "I guess I am."

The Queen was looking at Mad the same way a hound looks at a cornered fox. A small, blood hungry smile played around her scarlet mouth and she said, "You plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and treason?"

"Treason?" Mad scoffed. "It's only treason if I was ever once loyal to you. But sure. If you have to put a name on it, I guess treason works just as well as revolution."

"Do you know the penalty for your crimes Hatter?" Mavros asked, no longer smiling.

Mad opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when Tamsus leaned over from where he was standing a little behind the Queen's chair and whispered something into her ear. Everyone watched with rapt attention as Tamsus gestured to first Mad, then to himself and the Queen stood suddenly.

She stared at Tamsus, who appeared paler than usual, the skin drawn tight across the bones. He looked down at the Queen calmly, then said something else, still too quiet for the rest of the room to hear.

What they did hear, however, was the resounding crack when Mavros slapped him, hard enough to snap his head to the side. After that, there was a dead silence, deeper than any silence prior to this.

Mad's eyes widened as he watched Tamsus slowly turn his face back to Mavros, a line of crimson across his cheek where one of her rings had cut him.

Mad shuddered when he saw that the cut on Tam's face matched the one on his own, and watched with baited breath, waiting for the volatile creature in front of him to react.

But Tamsus didn't retaliate. It looked almost like he couldn't, a tamped down fury making everything about him appear sharper. He looked one more time at Mad and shrugged in a sort of helpless way. He mouthed something to Mad when the Queen was no longer looking at him, then turned briskly and strode from the courtroom.

Mavros sat back down calmly. She didn't look flustered by what had happened, merely inconvenienced. "Death, Hatter. By beheading." Mavros paused and smirked at him. "It would seem I was right Madison. I will be the one to kill you after all."

"It's the ax," Mad reminded her and she snapped imperiously at the guards.

They yanked him back to his feet, dragging him roughly back through the crowd.

People hissed names like "traitor" at him, but that only provoked a smile. Mad's ancestors had been part of the American Revolution.

Technically, they had been traitors too.

Mad laughed, it wasn't such a terrible thing to be, if it was for the right cause.

Later, in the darkness and solitude of his cell, Mad finally understood what it was Tamsus had tried to say to him.

At the time, Mad hadn't caught it.

But here, alone in the dark, with the scene playing over and over again in his mind, Mad knew what Tamsus had said.

The Ace of Hearts had said, 'I'm sorry.'