The guards hadn't taken off the shackles. Mad lay on the stone floor of the first cell he'd woken up in and grimaced when the metal scraped against the tender skin of his wrists.

He wasn't complaining though. Mad was just happy he could move around now. He'd been tied to that chair for so long he'd been convinced his muscles would have frozen that way permanently.

He lay stretched out, the stone cool against his back, staring into the darkness. He wondered idly if Mavros was going to make him wait for much longer.

He swung wildly between wanting to just get it over with and hoping that Killian would somehow manage to kill Mavros before she killed him.

But Mad wasn't foolish enough to have any real hope.

He didn't bother to get up when the door opened, light stabbing painfully at his eyes. Mad sighed. He was getting tired of these stretches of temporary blindness. The light almost wasn't worth it anymore.

Mad raised his hands to shield his eyes and growled when the chain smacked into his cut cheek, sending a flare of new pain through his face.

When Mad's vision resolved, he was more than surprised to find Rakta standing over him. Mad yawned and sat up, leaning tiredly against the wall. "Well. That was quicker than I had expected."

Rakta closed the door behind him, then set the lantern he was holding in the center of the room, lowering the wick so that the flame didn't burn quite as brightly. "I'm not taking you to your execution Hatter."

"Oh," Mad sighed. He didn't say anymore. If the Ace was here for a reason, Mad wasn't going to jump through hoops to find out what it was. He just watched as Rakta sat across from him, the low light making him look like a ghoul.

Mad couldn't tell if the shadows under his eyes were real, or just because of the dark. Either way, he looked tired. Sick, almost. His usually neat hair was mussed, longer than usual, hanging into his eyes and the set of his shoulders was the set of a very tired man.

Rakta leaned against the door, elbows resting on his knees. "I'm on the only side Hatter."

Mad raised an eyebrow, but still didn't speak. Obviously Rakta had something he wanted to say, and since he was here, that meant Mad was the only one he could say it to.

Rakta rubbed at his eyes. "Mavros made it that way on purpose. She killed... everyone, Hatter. Everyone, but me. She didn't kill me. She just... added me to the collection." Rakta tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. "She tore everything apart."

Mad hesitated, remembering what had happened the last time he'd asked an Ace anything. But Rakta was practically begging to be asked. Quietly, Mad said, "So why don't you do something about it? Why don't you kill her?"

Rakta looked back down and stared at Mad, his eyes the color of dying embers. "I'm going to."

Mad's breath caught and he couldn't hide the shock on his face. There was no way this was real and the only thing Mad could find to say was, "Color me surprised Diamond. That's rather honorable, saving Wonderland and all."

"Honorable?" Rakta snarled. "No."

Mad frowned, eyebrows pulling together. "But..."

"I do not care what Mavros has done to Wonderland Hatter! She could have burned the rest of it down for all I would care." Rakta shook his head. "I am an Ace, Hatter. We are not... honorable creatures. It just doesn't matter to us." He stopped again, scowling at nothing. "Vengeful, though. That is another matter entirely."

Rakta bared his teeth, his words hissing out, a long repressed fury finally seeing the light of day, so to speak. "She killed them. She killed my Royals." Rakta paused, pain and grief etching themselves into his face. Almost like he was desperately trying not to say it, like it would reveal too much, he whispered "Even the Princess. She was nineteen Madison. She was so young. She would never have hurt anyone."

Mad was taken aback by what Rakta was saying and how he was saying it. Rakta struggled to put that emotionless mask back on, but it was too late and Mad had a sudden understanding and bond with this Ace. Until now, loyal would never have been a word Mad would have used to describe the Diamond Ace.

Rakta stopped trying to hide his anger, his pain and said, "She killed them in front of me. She made me watch and then, she didn't do me the courtesy of ending my life. Instead, I've lived with that failure, that failure I can never wash away, or forget."

Rakta turned his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut. Whispering now, choking on some sorrowful emotion, he said, "I can still hear her voice, Madison. My Princess. I can still hear her screaming for me. Begging me to save her. But I couldn't. I couldn't do anything. And I live with that every day. It's thrown into my face with every order she gives. Every order I have to follow."

"Why's it taken this long Rakta? Why have you worked for her for so long?" Mad asked, voice soft, not wanting to tread on Rakta's grief.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of trick though.

Or, worse, some kind of hallucination.

Rakta hesitated for a moment, fingers playing idly with a frayed string at his sleeve. His ember eyes flicked up to Mad and he said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this..."

Mad waited, then said, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll take it to my grave."

Rakta actually laughed, the sound so incredibly weary it made Mad tired just to hear it. "The born Kings and Queens, they have a certain... amount of control over all Aces. Even ones from other Decks." Rakta sighed. "I guess you could call it a fail safe against rogues. They can stop a rampage if they must."

Rakta laughed again, bitter this time. "That was one of the first lessons I learned as an Ace. That I need to always be in control, lest another monarch find reason to strip me of any control." Rakta's eyes locked onto Mad again. "Aces are bound by oaths of loyalty, even ones that are forced upon them. She forces me to renew mine every year on the anniversary of the Diamond Queen's death."

Mad had known that all Aces were bound in some way to their monarch. It was why Tamsus hadn't been able to retaliate when Mavros had slapped him. He hadn't known that service and obedience could be forced upon an Ace, like it had apparently been with Rakta.

Rakta's fingers curled into fists and he said with an almost savage joy, "But with all the havoc you caused this year Madison, she forgot. She forgot."

Rakta tipped his head back, eyes half closed like he was savoring the taste of something sweet. "I can feel them dissolving Mad." he whispered, voice throaty. "I can feel the restraints breaking. Her taint being washed from my blood. Freeing me."

He sighed. "Do you know what that's like? Do you know what it feels like to be free after being so long in chains? To know that I can finally repay blood with blood?"

"You're welcome," Mad said drily, completely thrown by this outburst of emotion. He'd never seen the Diamond Ace like this. "So, you're going to get me out of here so we can kill her?"

Rakta opened his eyes, watching Mad with a calculating gaze. Slowly, he said, "I do not believe that would work. My bonds are not completely gone and you," Rakta eyed Mad's still prevalent bruises. "You are in no condition to do anything just yet."

Mad sighed, "Yeah. I guessed that that was wishful thinking."

"The worst kind," Rakta said, voice melancholy and Mad guessed that the Ace had more than once indulged in it.

"So how do we do this, then?" Mad asked.

Rakta cocked his head, eyes narrowing. "You would still help?"

"At this point, I just want her gone," Mad paused.

Rakta bit lightly at his lower lip, more careful of his sharp teeth than Tamsus ever was. Softly he said, "You're still going to die."

"Aren't we all?" Mad responded easily, his heart sinking even as his words voiced an acceptance.

Rakta shook his head then. "I believe I've underestimated you Hatter."

Mad laughed and said, "Well, to be fair, I've underestimated you too."

Rakta nodded, then rubbed at his eyes again. "I can do it at your execution. She wants to make you wait. She wants you to 'realize your mistakes'." Rakta rolled his eyes and Mad knew that he was imitating something the Queen had said. "By then, my bonds to her will be completely removed. And she and Tamsus will be so focused on your impending demise that I'll be able to kill her." Rakta paused. "Maybe even him."

Mad tipped his head back, considering this. Then, looking back down at Rakta, he said, "I'll go along with this on one condition."

Rakta raised an eyebrow, waiting for Mad's ultimatum. Mad's mouth lifted at the corner in a wry smile. "If you make it out, when the Spade King takes the throne, you swear loyalty to him."

Mad stopped, considering what he was asking. Considering how he would feel if Rakta had asked it of him, and revised his condition. "Or you swear to stay out of his way."

Rakta smiled, the expression humorless. "I'm done with serving other Decks Hatter." The smile changed, becoming something softer as he remembered. "But... Avinos never had a problem with the Spades. She admired the Spade King." He nodded, looking at Mad. "The second I can manage."

Mad nodded back, then struggled to his feet. Rakta mirrored him and Mad stuck out a hand as best he could. Surprise flickered in Rakta's red eyes, but he shook Mad's hand, saying, "I swear she'll die Hatter."

Mad's lips pressed together. "I know."

Rakta took the lantern then and left.

Mad sat back down carefully and wondered if he had just sold his soul for an empty promise.

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Avinos is a Greek word for Pure.